[A Sentinel Situation] - The Unseen Invasion - An Unanticipated Discovery

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Howard noticed Peggy's transfixed gaze on the photograph and asked, "What happened?"

Snapping back to reality, Peggy masked her surprise and calmly replied, "Nothing." Changing the subject, she gestured towards the lifeless woman in the photo and asked, "This woman here, Howard, she seems familiar. Do you recognize her?"

Howard studied the photo for a moment, squinting his eyes as he jogged his memory. Recognition dawned on his face as he made the connection.

"Wait a minute, she's the CEO of Meridian Enterprises!", Howard exclaimed in sudden realization. He looked at Peggy, "I have to make a call, Peggy. I'll catch up with you later."

Without waiting for a reply, Howard turned on his heel and swiftly headed for the room's telephone. Peggy watched as he lifted the receiver and dialed a number, then she returned her gaze to the perplexing photograph.

Meanwhile, as the call connected, Howard didn't waste a moment, instructing swiftly, "Jarvis, buy all the stocks of Meridian Enterprises. Now!"

Jarvis, however, responded with an audible sigh, "I'm sorry, sir, but that's not an option."

Taken aback, Howard asked, "Why on earth can't we buy it?"

The voice on the other end relayed the disappointing news, "It appears the entire company has already been purchased by someone else, sir."

An irritated Howard demanded, "Who? Who swooped in and stole my opportunity?"

The name from Jarvis' lips only fueled his anger, "Frost Technologies, sir."

Howard let out a sarcastic laugh and sighed, "Of course. The old man strikes again. Well, thanks for your help, Jarvis."

"Always at your service, sir," Jarvis responded. Then, with the click of a button, Howard ended the call.

Peggy's eyes bore into the image as she silently promised, 'Just you wait, little brat. I'll find out whatever you've been up to.'

She put the photo to one side and continued leafing through the stack of photos. Images of Shaw, Charles, Mystique, Erik, and others filled the pages until...

An outraged exclamation erupted from Peggy, "What on earth is this?!" Her sudden outburst made Howard, who had just hung up the call, spin around, asking, "What's wrong?"

Howard moved towards her desk and Peggy slid a specific photograph his way.

Picking it up, Howard's eyes widened as he studied it, then he turned to Peggy, "An alien?"

Peggy nodded, confirming, "That's what the report indicates."

Howard suddenly burst into laughter, exclaiming, "This is remarkable! Revolutionary! I've always suspected life forms existed beyond our planet and this... this just confirms it!"

Leaning on her desk, Peggy cautioned, "Howard, now's not the time to celebrate."

He asked, "Why?"

With a sigh, Peggy explained, "Because not so long ago, that alien was the head of the C.I.A."

Shocked, Howard could only stutter, "What?"

Peggy sighed once more, "And now we are potentially facing an alien invasion."

...

Several hours later, in Queens, New York,

Peggy stepped out of her car in front of Val's mansion. As she strolled towards it, she glanced around the yard and felt satisfied seeing how well-kept it was.

Once inside the house, she knew exactly where to find Val - after all, she had bought this place for him.

So, she headed directly to the room Val had chosen for practice. When they'd first explored the house together, Val had been drawn to a large, empty space. It was a huge, rectangular room with no furniture, which he thought would make the perfect training area.

After walking through several corridors, Peggy reached a door. From behind it, she could hear some noise.

When she opened the door and walked in, she found Val shirtless, punching the wall over and over again.

She paused at the sight of black and gold patterns on his skin. Her first thought was 'Tattoos?' but she instantly dismissed that idea. Val had always said he would never get tattoos, as he wanted to donate blood to help others.

As she wondered what these marks could be, she felt a wave of worry and moved closer to him.

Val heard the sound of heels clicking behind him. He frowned, wondering who had come into his house uninvited.

However, when he spun around and saw Peggy, he was taken aback. He stammered, "P-Peggy? H-How? W-What are you doing here?"

Instead of replying, Peggy surprisingly grabbed his ear and tugged at it. Val yelped in pain and noticed her smile. It was a scary smile, and without saying a word, she led him out of the room, still holding onto his ear.

As he was being dragged, Val held onto her hand and protested, "Hey! What are you doing, Peggy? Please, let go of me!"

But Peggy didn't pay attention to him and pulled him into a large hall near the kitchen. She pushed him onto a couch.

Val watched as she went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water. She grabbed a towel hanging on the wall and came back to him, throwing the towel on his face.

Val moved the towel aside and saw Peggy offering him the water, demanding, "Drink!"

Without a word, Val took the glass from her and drank. Peggy then sat next to him on the couch and asked, "Okay, now tell me, what are you doing involving yourself with the mutants?"