Pagon froze for a moment, then understood Gravik's intent. Excitement flashed in his eyes. "General, you're going to do it yourself..."
"Of course." Gravik strode toward the door to the core laboratory. "Only when I possess the power to crush everything can I lead our people to the top."
He intended to do more than fuse with Homelander's power. After conquering Earth, he would extract the genes of every superhero and powerful species and fuse them all into his own body.
He would become the strongest—and the only—ultimate Skrull in this vast universe.
Pagon bowed his head respectfully and struck his chest with his right fist. "May the Supreme God be with you, General."
Ten minutes later, Gravik entered the Skrull Science Center.
"Where's Rosa?" Gravik asked the researchers standing at the control console.
For an experiment of this caliber, Rosa Dalton, the Skrulls' chief scientist, would normally never leave its side.
One researcher stopped working, turned around, and bowed his head respectfully.
"General, Dr. Dalton spent the past week decoding the genes without sleep and pushed herself far beyond her limits. Three hours ago, we sent her to the medical wing for a nutrient injection and deep sleep."
Gravik suspected nothing. The entire research center had been working beyond capacity to overcome the technical hurdles.
These researchers were veterans who had followed him for years. Their loyalty was beyond question.
"Is the fusion procedure ready?" Gravik asked. He could hardly wait.
"Rest assured, General." The researcher brought up a complex set of double-helix gene maps. "We've fully mastered every fusion procedure and algorithmic model. There won't be any problems."
The technician paused, then continued.
"However, because Homelander's gene chain is so dominant, your fusion will use a new intervention technique. It differs from the procedures used when you fused