Vought International's Class A isolation facility.
There were no iron bars or dim lights here, and no torture as one might imagine.
On the contrary, it's eerily comfortable here.
Talos sat on an incredibly soft bed.
The room was spotless, kept at a constant temperature of 22 degrees Celsius, and even had a faint plant fragrance in the air.
The three meals are carefully prepared and nutritious, and they taste surprisingly good.
His two compatriots were placed in the next room, in the same type of room.
This is more terrifying than a dungeon, more chilling than torture.
Because it is permeated with those two words.
Research.
They are not prisoners.
They were experimental subjects.
Good afternoon, Mr. Talos.
A gentle voice rang out.
The door slid open silently, and a blond, blue-eyed young man walked in.
He was wearing a neat white lab coat, a friendly smile on his face, and holding a steaming cup of beverage in his hand.
Amin Arnold.
Deputy in the Superhuman Ethics and Threat Level Assessment Department.
Amanda Waller Waller's deputy.
He placed the drink on the table beside Talos's bed.
" Kara tea, we analyzed your physiological data, and the extract from this plant should help you feel relaxed."
Talos did not move.
He simply looked at the young man who showed up precisely every day.
He looked harmless, like a top student fresh out of college, with clear eyes and a sincere smile.
But Talos knew that none of those who held this position within the colossal Leviathan of Vought were sheep.
When can we leave?
"Leave?"
Amin sat down on the chair beside his bed, leaning forward slightly as if to listen.
"Of course you can. But the question is, where can you go?"
He did not wait for Talos's reply.
"Go back into space and continue your life of exile, like a frightened bird, under the Kree Empire's gunfire? Or stay here on this planet you know nothing about, hiding in the gutter like a rat, worrying every day about being exposed?"
" Vought International has no intention of participating in your interstellar war with the Kree Empire."
Amin interlaced his fingers and placed them on his knees.
"We are businessmen, Mr. Talos. War... is too expensive, and the returns are uncertain."
"But we have great admiration for the Skrulls race."
appreciate.
Talos chewed on the word, feeling only bitterness in his mouth.
Amin stood up and walked to the wall.
He gently tapped the wall, and the smooth surface lit up, turning into a display screen.
A planet appeared on the screen.
A beautiful green planet.
There are mountains, rivers, and vast plains.
" Kepler-186f."
Amin's tone was filled with pride.
"It's about 500 light-years from Earth, located in the habitable zone. We've confirmed with faster-than-light detectors that its atmospheric composition and gravitational environment are 93.7% similar to your home planet."
Most importantly... there is no intelligent life there.
Talos's eyes widened.
He looked at that planet; this was the home he had always dreamed of!
A homeland without war, without persecution, without exile!
This is his destination, the destination that all Skrulls have dreamed of in countless long cosmic nights!
" Vought possesses the most powerful influence in the world—economic, political, military... We can persuade the governments of all nations on Earth to make this planet their exclusive Skrulls colony."
Amin turned around and looked at Talos with a smile.
"We can provide you with spaceships, and all the resources and technology you need to rebuild your home."
"Your people can thrive there, your children can run in the sunshine, and they will never have to worry about war and exile again."
"A new Skrull Empire."
Talos trembled slightly.
free?
home?
A... future?
The temptation was too great, so great that he wanted to drown in this illusory happiness.
"Why?"
Talos spoke with difficulty.
Why did you do this?
"I've said it before, we are businessmen."
Amin's smile remained unchanged.
This is an investment.
We're investing in your future. And all we need... is a small return.
They've arrived.
The real purpose.
Amin swiped across the screen.
The beautiful planet has disappeared.
It transforms into a complex and dazzling diagram of the human body.
A structural diagram of the Skrulls.
We are very interested in your abilities.
Amin's voice softened.
"Perfect mimicry, even capable of replicating memories. It's simply a miracle of the universe."
"To ensure our cooperation proceeds smoothly, and to better assist you... we need to thoroughly understand you."
"We need you, Mr. Talos. We need your complete cooperation with our research."
"We need to understand every detail of your transformations, from the molecular level to the level of consciousness."
"We need to understand how you access memories and how you mimic thought processes; we need to build a complete database."
Amin still wore that gentle smile on his face.
But his words plunged Talos into an icy abyss.
"We need to know how to perfectly... become a Skrulls."
Talos finally understood.
What Vought wanted was not an ally.
What they want is the Skrulls ' "source code".
They want to replicate the Skrulls ' abilities!
They want to create their own controllable " Skrulls "!
The so-called "new home" and the so-called "future" are nothing more than a carrot dangled in front of a donkey!
They will be kept in captivity.
Like a group of precious laboratory animals.
Until their last bit of value was squeezed out, until the Vought International had completely mastered the technology.
By then, will there still be any need for the true Skrulls to exist?
A race that can be perfectly replicated and replaced has only one fate.
It was erased.
This is ten thousand times more cruel than the Kree Empire's sword!
That's a complete devouring of a civilization at the level of its very soul!
Talos looked at Amin's smiling face.
That's not an angel.
That's the devil.
A devil who promises you heaven, but demands your soul as payment for the journey.
He felt an unprecedented fear.
It was a despair that even death could not compare to.
"Don't worry, Mr. Talos."
Amin remained as polite as ever.
"This is not a threat, it's a choice."
He straightened his clothes.
"You can choose to refuse. We will not harm you. You will stay here and spend the rest of your lives in peace and tranquility."
"Or, you can choose to cooperate."
He walked to the door, and just as it was about to close, he turned back.
"To buy your race a chance to continue."
Even if... in another form.