Without question, Alex's choice to confront Yon-Rogg's fleet in near-Earth orbit was no accident.
If he had wished, he could have ascended higher—tens of thousands of meters into the void—and erased that fleet in total silence, leaving not a single witness to their destruction. But what use was quiet heroism to Alex? Silently shielding the Earth while no one knew his efforts? He was not that self-effacing, not that saintly.
This display was calculated.
Clashing with the enemy so close to Earth served several purposes at once: it proclaimed to the entire world that Alex was the bulwark guarding their fragile planet, a guardian whose power reached the heavens themselves. And more importantly, it struck directly into the heart of Carol Danvers. It was a shock, a visceral stimulus, the kind of proof no speech could provide. Watching that fleet obliterated before her eyes stripped away her final doubts and forced her to choose.
Killing two birds with one stone.
And as expected, after personally witnessing the invasion, Carol hesitated no more. She clenched her fists, her eyes fierce with decision, and declared her choice.
"Carol, you won't regret the decision you made today. Believe me." Alex's voice carried the weight of absolute certainty.
From there, everything moved swiftly. Alex immediately summoned Hank back from his ongoing dissection of the Kree warship. With preparations complete, the real experiment could begin.
The procedure itself was deceptively simple: a carefully controlled recreation of the moment that, in another universe, had transformed Carol Danvers into Captain Marvel. Hank would guide the raw energy of the Tesseract, channeling it directly into Carol's body.
For Hank, who had studied the Tesseract for countless years, the technical aspects were almost trivial. Machinery, resonance fields, conduits—none of it troubled him. But as he stood beside Alex, watching Carol's steady figure, a thorn of unease twisted in his chest.
"Alex, are you certain about this?" Hank's voice was low, urgent, meant for Alex's ears alone. His brows knit with worry. "I asked Ike to run every test we could. Carol is… she's just a baseline human. There's nothing unusual in her physiology. Can someone like her really withstand the Tesseract's energy?"
Hank wasn't exaggerating. To his knowledge, no flesh-and-blood being could endure such force. Even most mutants would disintegrate under that kind of radiation. In his eyes, only Alex himself had the resilience to absorb such power. The idea that this woman, not even a mutant, could survive it seemed insane.
"Hank." Alex's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "Do you trust me?"
"I trust you. Of course I trust you," Hank replied without hesitation. For years, Alex had been the stabilizing pillar of their people, the unshakable foundation that had held them through storm after storm. Hank had followed him from the very beginning, his loyalty carved into his bones.
"Then do as I say." Alex clapped his shoulder firmly.
Hank fell silent. At last, he nodded. "Understood."
He turned, gesturing for Carol to follow him into the laboratory.
Two hours of meticulous preparation followed: calibrations, adjustments, safety redundancies. Every seal was checked twice, every conduit reinforced. Finally, Hank exhaled slowly and gave Alex a tight nod.
"Carol, are you ready?" Alex asked gently. His smile was calm, but his eyes carried a gravity that told her this was no ordinary trial.
Carol inhaled deeply, steeling herself. Then she nodded. "I'm ready."
The chamber that awaited her was stark and clinical, humming faintly with restrained energy. Restraints closed over her arms and legs with a mechanical hiss, not to trap her, but to anchor her against what was coming. Transmission lines gleamed like veins of light, waiting to funnel the Tesseract's power into her body.
Hank's voice came over the intercom, steady but tinged with tension. "Alright, Carol. Once I activate the device, the Tesseract's energy will channel directly into you. Brace yourself."
Carol's jaw tightened. "Bring it on."
"Then I'll begin the countdown. Five… four… three… two… one."
Click.
The chamber thrummed as the first surge of energy coursed through.
Carol's entire body arched violently, her muscles convulsing as though an invisible current wracked her bones. Pain flared across her features, yet she bit down hard, refusing to cry out.
Hank's eyes darted between monitors, scanning her vitals. Heart rate spiked, blood pressure climbed, but—miraculously—they held within survivable parameters. His lips parted in astonishment.
"Incredible… she's enduring it."
It shouldn't have been possible. Yet there she was, trembling, sweating, but standing against power that should have reduced her to ash. Awe slowly replaced Hank's dread, giving him new confidence to continue.
"First stage successful. Carol, I'm going to raise the energy output."
She gave the slightest nod, her face pale but her resolve unshaken.
Hank turned the dial. The Tesseract's glow intensified, bathing the chamber in a harsh, unearthly light. Carol's body shuddered harder, every muscle screaming under the strain. Still, no plea for mercy left her lips.
Minutes crawled by.
Then—her control began to falter. Her convulsions grew wild, uncontrolled. Her body writhed, every nerve aflame. Alarm klaxons blared as her vitals spiked beyond the safe threshold.
"Alex!" Hank shouted, panic breaking through his composure. "We have to stop—she's going to collapse!"
Alex's eyes narrowed. "Hold a little longer. If it becomes truly impossible, then abort. But not yet."
He had seen the end of this story, even if not every detail in this universe matched perfectly. He couldn't let fear rob them of their chance.
"Alex…" Hank's knuckles whitened around the controls.
"Trust me!" Alex's command cracked like thunder.
Hank hesitated, sweat dripping down his temple. Then he gritted his teeth and obeyed.
Seconds dragged into eternity.
Just as Hank opened his mouth to protest again—
Boom!
A detonation of energy erupted from within Carol. The chamber's reinforced glass exploded outward in glittering shards. The lab itself shuddered as if struck by an earthquake.
Hank shielded his face, his heart hammering. When he dared to look up, his eyes went wide.
Carol hovered in the air, her body blazing with golden light so brilliant it seared the eyes. Energy streamed off her in radiant waves, her very presence radiating a pressure so immense it bent the air around her.
For a breathless moment, Hank felt that her aura rivaled Alex's own.
Alex, however, only smiled. Broad, unrestrained, triumphant.
The experiment had succeeded. Captain Marvel had been reborn.
Carol opened her eyes—twin stars blazing with power. A faint, playful laugh slipped from her lips despite the storm of energy still wreathing her.
"Alex… you never told me it would take this long."
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