"You finally made it. I've been waiting for you a long time," the Skrull said. He had Tony's voice, but his tone was entirely different.
Steve tightened his grip on the shield.
"Where's Bucky?" he asked, his voice so low it seemed to rise from underground.
The Skrull smiled, looking exactly like Tony Stark.
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly, showing his teeth on one side. It carried an arrogance that seemed second nature.
"Bucky Barnes? He's dead. I killed him myself. Blew his head apart with a Palm Cannon.
His eyes were open right to the end. Blue eyes. Beautiful, really. Do you know what his last words were?"
Steve did not move, but the shield gave a low hum in his hand.
It was the sound Vibranium made under immense pressure, the vibration of Steve's fingers tightening in anger passing into the metal.
"He said Steve wouldn't fall for it. He was right. You didn't. But what difference does that make?" The Skrull cocked his head.
That was when the real Tony fired his Palm Cannons.
Without warning, two energy beams shot from Tony's palms straight at the Skrull's face.
At the same instant, Steve sprang forward from behind. His shield spun through the air with a shrill whistle, aimed at the Skrull's knee.
Two men, two directions, two attacks, less than a tenth of a second apart.
It was the kind of coordination only the Avengers' two core members could pull off.
Perfect timing, perfect angles, not a wasted movement. Every strike went for a vital point.
But the Skrull did not dodge. He did something none of them expected.
His body began to change. His skin turned from white to green, and he swelled from normal human proportions to more than eight feet tall.
Muscles