The instant the order was given, twelve energy beams shot toward the red-and-gold figure at once.
At that very moment, the armor's thrusters ignited.
But it did not fly upward. It charged forward.
The Skrull tore through the barrage at a speed that defied physical intuition. The energy beams struck the ground behind him, blasting open smoking craters.
Not a single shot hit its target!
The armor did not move in a straight line, but in unpredictable zigzags. Every change in direction completely threw off the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' targeting systems.
The Skrull crossed fifty meters in three seconds and charged straight into the center of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' formation.
His right hand seized the helmet of the nearest agent and lifted him bodily into the air, then hurled him at a distant wall like a rag doll.
The agent hit the brick wall with a dull thud, slid to the ground, and did not move again.
The Skrull swept his left arm sideways, striking another agent in the chest and sending him flying backward into the two companions behind him.
"Spread out! Keep your distance!" Natasha shouted through the comms as she charged forward herself.
She knew close combat was a foolish choice, but if they did not hold this monster back, all twelve agents would be wiped out within thirty seconds.
She leaped onto an abandoned car, used it as a springboard, and locked her legs around the Skrull's neck.
It was a standard strangulation maneuver, but the armor plating around his neck rendered her attack meaningless.
The Skrull grabbed her ankle, yanked her out of the air, and slammed her viciously into the ground.
The instant Natasha's back collided with the pavement, every bit of air was forced from her lungs.
Her vision went black for a moment,