The alien swarm's existence was exposed almost by accident.
One of the infiltrators, disguised as a normal human, underwent a routine medical examination. During the scan, a doctor noticed subtle physiological abnormalities that didn't match any known human biology.
The case was immediately reported to federal authorities.
That single discovery tore the curtain open.
Unfortunately, by the time humanity realized the infiltrators existed, the infestation had already spread everywhere.
There was an old saying:
If you see one cockroach in your house, there are probably hundreds more hiding in the walls.
The same logic applied here.
Before that first alien was uncovered, human society had already been riddled with infiltrators.
Long before the truth came out, strange urban legends had begun circulating online.
People whispered about "doubles."
If one day you encountered someone who looked exactly like you, it meant your death was near.
Your double would kill you.
Then live your life wearing your face.
"S.W.O.R.D.'s investigation indicates the alien organisms are most likely connected to the meteor that destroyed Shibuya Town in Kansas several months ago."
Nick Fury spoke coldly during the Security Council briefing.
Unlike disaster movies where officials ignored warnings or sabotaged investigations out of stupidity, humanity now took alien threats extremely seriously.
Every department cooperated at full speed.
As a result, S.W.O.R.D. reconstructed the timeline quickly.
The infestation began shortly after the meteor impact.
And that meteor itself was suspicious.
An object large enough to obliterate an entire town should have left behind massive debris fields.
Instead, American aerospace recovery teams found only relatively small meteor fragments containing an unusually advanced metallic material.
Looking back now, the implications were obvious.
The meteor had never been an accident.
"Are we certain this theory is credible?" one council member asked skeptically. "The temperatures generated during atmospheric entry and impact should have incinerated any lifeforms aboard."
"In theory, yes," Fury replied. "But the earliest reports surrounding the 'double sightings' all originated near the Shibuya Town impact zone."
He tapped the holographic display.
"At first, the incidents were isolated to Kansas and surrounding regions. About a month ago, the phenomenon began spreading nationwide."
Tony Stark sat nearby looking deeply irritated.
Which, coming from Tony Stark, usually meant the situation was catastrophic.
S.W.O.R.D. had already captured living alien larvae.
Not fully molted adults.
Juveniles.
And after studying them, Tony realized just how terrifying these organisms truly were.
At the same time, he couldn't deny the scientific potential.
The creatures' mimicry capabilities were extraordinary. Tony had already extracted biological compounds from their adaptive tissues and planned to integrate the technology into future armor systems.
He could practically feel a massive breakthrough approaching.
A quiet wave of alarm spread across the Security Council chamber.
The infestation had already spread across the entire United States.
Several international representatives immediately began considering emergency measures.
Closing flight routes.
Shutting down ports.
Severing transportation links with America completely.
"How bad is it really?" another council member asked grimly.
"Bad enough that the United States is effectively ground zero," Fury answered bluntly. "And other countries may already be compromised as well."
He paused.
"I recommend expanding S.W.O.R.D.'s armed response capabilities immediately. Specifically, we should purchase large quantities of War Machines from Umbrella Corporation."
Steve Rogers nodded and stepped forward.
The Security Council exchanged looks.
"Haven't we already obtained War Machine production technology?"
That much was technically true.
After the Ultron incident was resolved, the world's major powers gained access to mass-production methods for first-generation War Machines and Iron Mongers.
Because the Mind Stone remained in Drex Valen's possession, Vision had never been created, and Ultron's vibranium body went unused.
Ironically, Ultron's rebellion accelerated global military development.
Umbrella Corporation's early monopoly over War Machine production eventually faded as the five major powers started manufacturing their own versions.
But Umbrella never cared.
Not really.
Because third-generation Decepticon-class War Machines and fourth-generation Zaku units still completely dominated the market.
The rest of the world still had to buy those from Umbrella.
Tony finally spoke.
"The anti-alien operations aren't going well. Finding infiltrators hidden among nearly three hundred million people isn't exactly simple."
"And once the creatures realize they've been exposed," Fury added, "they simply change identities."
Tony continued.
"Juvenile-stage organisms can still be neutralized by standard War Machine-equipped S.W.O.R.D. units, though casualties are significant."
"But once they fully mature after the molting phase…" Fury said darkly, "they become substantially stronger."
He enlarged a combat recording.
The footage blurred.
Not because of transmission failure.
Because the creature itself was moving faster than human eyes could properly track.
"Adult forms possess physical capabilities beyond standard human visual processing speed."
The room fell silent.
"War Machines can't handle them?" someone finally asked.
"No," Fury answered immediately. "Against adults, War Machines become stationary targets."
"And the adults possess enough offensive power to destroy them easily."
"S.W.O.R.D. has already lost over one hundred War Machines and more than a dozen Iron Mongers during extermination operations."
The Security Council members felt their scalps go numb.
They understood exactly what those losses meant.
One hundred War Machines and over a dozen Iron Mongers represented a devastating military force by modern standards.
Normally, threats powerful enough to destroy that kind of hardware existed only as isolated superhumans or cosmic anomalies.
But these things existed in large numbers.
"How many adults are there?" one representative asked immediately.
"A lot," Fury said grimly. "Statistically, approximately one adult emerges for every hundred juvenile organisms."
"And adult strength levels vary."
Superheroes could still kill them in direct combat.
The problem was catching them.
If the creature stood still, the Hulk could rip one apart effortlessly.
Actually landing the hit was another matter entirely.
And if there were already thousands of juvenile infiltrators across the country…
That meant dozens of adult forms were probably active already.
The Security Council quickly approved S.W.O.R.D.'s request to purchase Decepticon units from Umbrella Corporation.
They all understood the same reality.
If America collapsed first, everyone else would eventually follow.
At least for now, the primary battlefield remained contained within the United States.
S.W.O.R.D. itself wasn't idle either.
Through combined efforts from Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, the organization successfully developed detection systems capable of identifying disguised infiltrators.
Their first confirmed target?
The Governor of Kansas.
Or rather…
The alien pretending to be him.
Unfortunately, it was an adult form.
The creature resembled a monstrous fusion between a human and a spider.
Over two meters tall, its body maintained a vaguely humanoid silhouette while six asymmetrical black eyes covered its face like clusters of polished glass.
Its hands ended in hooked insect claws.
Four folded appendages curled tightly against its ribs beneath layers of gray-black exoskeleton armor covered in fine protruding spikes.
And it moved like something humanity was never meant to hunt.