Peggy Rogers nodded with a faint, knowing smile, her red lips moving softly.
"Enough, enough. You didn't know? The Skrull royals are either dead or injured, and they've all been captured. The ship hidden deep in the Sahara Desert should have been taken by now, too."
"Old Stark" froze for a few seconds. His eyes widened, and his pupils turned a strange pale purple. Suddenly, he grabbed Maria Stark, who had been standing behind him, and yanked her in front of himself to shield him from the energy weapons, their muzzles glowing blue.
"Mom!"
Tony Stark leaped down the last few steps. Seeing the bizarre scene, he couldn't make sense of what was happening.
But Tony knew that no matter how much of an old bastard he thought his father, Howard, was, he would never hurt his wife, Maria.
"It's all right, Maria. Don't worry. All teams, lower your weapons. Don't accidentally hit Professor Xavier. Are you there?"
Peggy raised a hand and ordered the operatives to stand down, then murmured softly, almost as if to herself.
As soon as she finished speaking, "Howard Stark" lowered his arms stiffly. His eyes vacant, he stepped away from Maria and walked over to the Order operatives, then dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Mr. Stark's" wrinkled face and suit jacket rapidly split into rows of raised scales. In an instant, he transformed into a green-skinned "lizard."
"Ah! Good Lord, Peggy! What—what is that thing?"
Maria Stark covered her mouth and cried out. Tony hurriedly wrapped his arms around his mother. Seeing the monster being swiftly restrained on the ground, he instinctively took a few steps back.
"An alien capable of changing its appearance at will. Much of this is classified, so I can't tell you more."
The twenty-something Tony Stark boldly