Was Hector really worth such a fuss? Or rather, did he even deserve the Avengers' attention? Isn't an organization as powerful as yours supposed to assemble for more pressing matters, like a global threat? Why come after a small fry like me?
If the Parallax Monster were already on Earth, then sure, the Avengers assembling would be understandable. But the monster isn't here yet. Could it be that the Avengers have already detected its movements?
As these thoughts flashed through Hector's mind, the Avengers were not about to indulge him. Pietro made the first move, darting next to Hector in an instant.
Just as Hal had been caught off guard by Hector's attack before, Hector now couldn't react to Pietro's assault, given Pietro's incredible speed. Hector's mind was momentarily distracted, making it impossible for him to visually track Pietro, let alone defend against him.
With a bang, Pietro knocked Hector out cold. They needed to gather more intel from him; prior theories about Hector's link to the Parallax Monster were still speculative, and the Avengers required concrete information.
"That was quick!" Hal emerged from below, still somewhat bewildered. How had Hector fallen so easily to Pietro? Just before, he hadn't even been able to withstand a single move from Hector. Did that mean he was just weak?
"Your current strength is actually decent," explained Robert, seeing Hal's puzzled expression. "If it came to a fight, you probably wouldn't be weaker than him. It's just that your combat experience is lacking, and you've seen too little of extraordinary powers. That's why he defeated you so easily. As for why Quicksilver won so effortlessly, it's due to similar reasons."
Robert was quite familiar with Hal's situation, having seen it before with people like Peter Parker and Pietro. Although he wouldn't mentor Hal as he had taught Peter in the past, he didn't mind giving him a brief explanation.
"I see…" Hal nodded, following the Avengers through the portal back to their base.
Soon, Hector was placed in a lab. His current state wasn't too different from when Hammond had experimented on him, but now, Hector was deemed an enemy.
"He has a yellow energy within him, feeding off his cells and growing," Tony Stark quickly diagnosed.
"But that energy doesn't necessarily belong to the Parallax Monster," Bruce Banner added, shaking his head. "When I first awakened, my body experienced a similar transformation, though it was green energy instead of yellow. The way it affects cells is almost identical."
"Moreover, I suspect that if Abomination had been studied, the energy invading his cells might have been yellow too. There's no gamma radiation in Hector, but that could simply be a different mutation path."
"Uh, I can help read his memories. Since he's an enemy, I don't think there's an issue using my powers on him, right?" the Martian Girl shyly raised her hand.
Recently, Martian Girl had been quite happy with the Avengers, though she hadn't been able to find any trace of Martian Manhunter. Perhaps her psychic powers weren't strong enough yet, as she was still young. But not reaching her full potential didn't mean she couldn't improve through training. Although the Avengers didn't put pressure on her, she was eager to prove her worth and find what might be her last Martian kin.
Seeing Hector's arrival, Martian Girl stepped forward without hesitation, ready to assist.
"Go ahead," Robert encouraged her, not wanting to dampen her enthusiasm. While they didn't want her involved in combat, the Avengers were okay with her handling supernatural events.
"Understood!" she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement. A wave of psychic energy surged from her, directed at Hector's consciousness.
She sensed some resistance from Hector, who apparently had some psychic defenses of his own. But given the vast difference in strength, Martian Girl easily overcame it, entering Hector's mind and beginning to read his memories and secrets.
Meanwhile, in the vast emptiness of space, the Parallax Monster, making its way to Earth, shuddered, and its eyes flashed a bright yellow light.
Inside Hector's mindscape, his bulky figure was helplessly cornered by the smaller Martian Girl, unable to resist as she perused his memories. He seemed like a bullied child, unable to stop her.
"Useless!" An angry voice suddenly boomed, causing Hector to tremble and alerting Martian Girl.
With a hum, a massive form appeared in Hector's mindscape, instantly pushing Martian Girl out. However, in that brief clash of minds, Martian Girl had managed to glean key information. This creature was Hector's master, who had commanded him to kill Hal and the Avengers. What's more, this monster had memories of killing a Green Lantern. It was the Parallax Monster!
Panting with a mixture of fear and exhaustion, Martian Girl withdrew her psychic energy. The Parallax Monster's image had indeed been terrifying. No wonder the Green Lanterns found it hard to stay calm in its presence and not succumb to fear.
At that moment, Hector's eyes snapped open, glowing with a powerful yellow light. He radiated a far more intimidating aura than before. Instantly, he attempted to unleash his psychic power, intending to destroy everything around him, but his efforts were swiftly countered by forces blocking his mind.
Susan Storm, Lorna, and Peggy Carter responded simultaneously, their psychic powers clashing with Hector's and easily shattering it. Lorna's abilities, with their powerful disintegration effect, acted on Hector directly, reducing him to dust.
Watching this unfold, Hal gulped, glancing at the three women in astonishment. He'd never imagined they were so powerful; Hector hadn't even left a complete body behind under their joint assault.
"Uh… I didn't mean to kill him. I can't yet reassemble both body and consciousness…" Lorna said sheepishly, scratching her head and looking over to Robert.
Lorna's abilities had grown significantly, but she hadn't yet developed them in all aspects. Destruction was relatively easy, but restoration was far more challenging. She could only recreate simple objects like tables and chairs; high-precision equipment was still beyond her current skill level.
"It's fine; dead is dead," Robert said with a wave of his hand. "He was trying to kill the Avengers, after all. It's no big deal. If we lose any leads, we can always deal with the Parallax Monster when it arrives."
"Yes! He was under the Parallax Monster's command," Martian Girl confirmed. "I sensed the Parallax Monster's energy and recorded it."
"Great! That'll make tracking it much easier," Robert replied, closing his eyes to search for its presence in space. "Found it! Honestly, it's not as strong as expected. The Green Lantern Corps must not be all that formidable if they struggled with this guy. Now, who's up for a space battle?"
"Can't we all go?" Martian Girl asked, still shaken by the Parallax Monster's image. She wanted to see it fall at Robert's hands to soothe her nerves.
"Most of us, yes. But you'll need to stay back at headquarters. You're still young, and we don't want another minion coming after us." Robert gestured to the others, signaling them to get ready.
"As for the rest of you, I'm not a gatekeeper with the power to open portals. Only a few can go. Johnny, you're in. You haven't had any space combat experience since your powers advanced, so here's your chance."
"We could open a portal to Kamar-Taj first," Tony Stark suggested, "and then head out from there. I've already prepared space armor. Since the enemy's not particularly strong, this could be a good chance to practice space combat."
"That works," Robert agreed, seeing the benefit of the team getting hands-on experience.
Meanwhile, the Parallax Monster, drifting through space, fumed with rage. He had sensed the fear energy stored within Hector, enough to satiate him, only for Hector to be killed. His precious meal had been destroyed!
After calming down, he refocused on Earth. "It seems this planet is filled with powered beings—an organization like the Green Lantern Corps, perhaps? The Avengers? They managed to kill my host with a fragment of my power?"
"Maybe I should reconsider my approach and power up first," he muttered, his massive form shrinking as he entered a nearby planet. A ship launched from it, passing through several wormholes on a fast path toward Oa.
As the Avengers suited up, Robert frowned in puzzlement. "Is the Parallax Monster… retreating? Did we scare him off?" He turned to Hal. "Wait! Can you give me the coordinates for Oa?"
"Sure!" Hal quickly provided the location, and after a brief scan, Robert broke into a satisfied smile.
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