The supervisor gave Talos a cold look and answered without expression:
"Nick Fury resigned yesterday. He's already left the compound."
"Impossible!" Talos charged forward. "How could he abandon us..."
"It's the truth, Mr. Talos. He no longer works for Vought." An armed guard raised his rifle and dipped the barrel toward Talos in warning.
"Now please follow headquarters' instructions. Line up and enter the medical pods one at a time."
Talos stood frozen.
Betrayal.
Utter betrayal.
The man who had promised to find them a new home, the man they had followed even at the cost of betraying their own people, had walked away just as they faced the forced removal of their species' natural gift.
The news quickly spread across the square.
The furious Skrulls suddenly fell silent.
Every protest, every shout, every struggle gave way to a deathly hush.
Without Fury's protection, they had no chance of resisting inside this fortress heavily guarded by Vought.
"Get in line..." Talos closed his eyes and let out a weary, despairing sigh.
He led the way toward the medical area glowing with white light.
Resistance was pointless now. They accepted their fate.
They had lost all faith in humanity and in Nick Fury.
"Accept it, children. Stay alive... At least we have to stay alive."
In the end, they followed Talos into a long line and walked silently into the operating rooms.
At least the Vought Group's separation technology and equipment were extraordinarily advanced, as though designed for Skrull physiology.
The surgery precisely severed the genetic chains linked to the unstable molecules in their bodies. The procedure was almost painless.
But when they stepped down from the operating tables, each felt as though a huge piece of their soul was missing.
A young Skrull warrior stood before a mirror and concentrated,