Avengers Compound, Hall
Talos slumped, facing Carol's fury. "It was a temporary plan…"
"Temporary?" Carol snapped. "A million Skrulls infiltrating Earth? Replacing Rhodey?"
Talos sweated. "For safety…"
Carol laughed coldly, turning to the Avengers. "So, why'd you call me? Where's the enemy?"
Steve pointed at James. "He handled it."
Carol sized James up, sensing his immense energy. "You're James?"
Steve nodded. Carol smiled professionally, extending a hand. "Carol Danvers."
James shook it, eyes playful. "What about those million Skrulls?"
Carol glanced at the team's anger. "Earth's issue. Your call."
Talos paled. "Carol, you can't—"
Orange-red light erupted from his arm—Extremis virus. "Die!" He lunged at James, blazing hand aiming for his throat.
Zing! Red heat vision pierced Talos's forehead, his body collapsing. The fake Rhodey moved, but James's energy wave reduced him to ash.
Carol opened her mouth, then closed it. "Anything else?"
The team shook their heads. Golden light flashed; Carol vanished.
High Altitude
Carol hovered, activating her communicator. "Fury, we need to talk. Now."
Avengers Compound
Tony eyed the Skrull corpses. "How'd you handle Skrulls in your universe?"
"Wiped them out," James said.
Silence. Steve gripped his shield, silent. Banner adjusted his glasses. "A million's no small number."
"They've replaced key figures like Rhodey," Tony said coldly. "We can't ignore this."
James handed Tony sleek devices. "Skrull detectors, reading bio-wavelengths. Mass-producible."
Friday scanned. "Sophisticated tech, sir. Viable for large-scale replication."
"Good," Tony said. "Thanks."
James shrugged. "Suggest going public. Let the world screen them. You're too slow alone."
Tony looked at Steve. "Cap?"
Steve nodded. "People deserve the truth."
"Done," Tony snapped. "Friday, prep a global broadcast."
James turned. "I'll find Wanda."
"Alone?" Strange worried. "Her chaos magic's unstable."
"I've got it," James smiled, vanishing.
His super vision scanned thousands of kilometers, locking onto a town shrouded in scarlet energy—Wanda, floating in a house, the Darkhold open, twisted runes glowing. Her eyes were closed, chaos magic radiating ominously. Dreamwalking.
"The Darkhold?" James frowned. "Why now?"
He appeared above the town, its chaos barrier invisible to humans. His Reality Gem shattered it like glass.
Inside, Wanda's eyes snapped open. "Who?!"
Her voice, layered with an inhuman echo, wasn't hers alone. James landed. "Wanda, stop."
"James?" She hesitated, then her eyes darkened. "You shouldn't be here."
The Darkhold trembled, pages flipping to a chaos-shrouded figure like Wanda. "It's corrupting you," James said. "Its promises are lies."
"Lies?" Wanda's laugh was manic. "It showed me the truth! All worlds are chaos's playthings!"
She raised her hands, the house collapsing under scarlet magic. Floating, her robe turned scarlet, a dark crown forming—Scarlet Witch, chaos form.
"I'll find my children," her voice echoed. "Anyone who stops me dies!"
The town warped, physics failing. James sighed, gems glowing. "I didn't want to fight."
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