After soothing the Hulk, Nick Fury, deep in thought, boarded a helicopter. He piloted it secretly to one of his hidden bases.
Don't ask how he got these bases. Nick "A Thousand Hideouts" Fury wouldn't have face without a thousand secret bases, would he?
Is it corruption for the Director to build a few secret bases?
No, it's called caution!
Anyway, an hour and forty minutes later, Nick landed on a mountain peak. He didn't enter the base but approached two shrubs, pressing beneath the weeds.
No water flowed…
Moments later, he dug up the soil and pressed a button below.
Nothing happened, but he wasn't in a hurry. He stood there, silently waiting.
After three full minutes, a faint noise filled the air. The space before Nick fractured like a shattered mirror, reflecting countless images of him.
Then, a small spacecraft materialized before him.
Whoosh!
The hatch slowly opened, and two green-skinned figures in form-fitting purple suits stepped out.
"Nick Fury… long time no see!"
The lead green-skinned man gave Nick a big hug.
After the embrace, Nick glanced around, then followed the green-skinned man onto the ship.
Once inside, Nick sighed deeply.
"What's wrong, Nick? You seem tense. Are you being followed?"
"No, Talos, I've just encountered a problem—a big one, from outer space!"
Nick casually sat down, even resting his feet on Talos's console.
Talos didn't mind. They were old comrades, and the more natural Nick acted, the happier Talos was.
Talos sat beside him, handing Nick a cup of Skrull sweet wine, and asked softly:
"A big problem from space? Unlikely. With Asgard and Carol around, no one would dare mess with Earth!"
"But it's happened, Talos. Have you heard of Kryptonians?"
Nick asked seriously.
In an instant, Talos's eyes widened.
"Kryptonians?!"
He asked, stunned.
"Are you joking? You forget I lived on Earth for a long time?
I've read your comics, especially the most popular ones!"
"But he's appeared, Talos. This isn't my imagination!"
Nick showed Talos the video of Heisenberg.
"Look at his powers—flight, heat vision, freeze breath, and his recent biological stance. It's exactly like the comics!"
"Hmm, you're right, Nick!"
Talos frowned, studying the video for a long time.
"He's even stronger than the comics. In the pre-1986 Superman comics, Kryptonians struggled to lift large planes!"
"Just like our comics keep getting stronger, his powers seem to evolve too!"
Nick muttered helplessly.
After a pause, Talos looked deeply at Nick.
"We must inform Carol. This could be a big problem!"
"What?"
Nick was shocked.
Decades ago, Carol had given him a communication device before leaving.
But he'd buried it for thirty years, not intending to use it now!
Talos seemed to sense Nick's tension. He patted Nick's shoulder, reassuring him:
"You don't need to contact her. We have ways to reach her. This isn't Earth's problem, but this so-called Kryptonian's power feels off!"
Talos took a sip of tea and continued:
"The Skrull Empire, tens of millennia ago, was one of the three great empires. Even the Kree Empire, now part of the trio, was once our vassal.
But even at our peak, the Shi'ar Empire dominated us.
The Shi'ar's strongest forces are twofold: the Phoenix Force and the Nova Corps.
This Kryptonian… I don't believe he's from the comics. I don't believe the three empires, ruling the universe for millions of years, missed a planet like Krypton!
If Kryptonians truly had such genes, they should've made a name for themselves long ago.
The universe has more than just Earth's yellow sun.
So, I suspect this is a Shi'ar plot, or their enemies' experiment—perhaps related to the Phoenix Force, or their foes mimicking it.
Carol's close to the Nova Corps, the Shi'ar's standing army. I must ask her!"
Talos clapped his hands.
The Skrull pilot nodded, and the viewport displayed a call prompt.
Moments later, seeing Captain Marvel on the screen, Nick nearly ground his molars to dust!
Damn it!
I've held onto a pager for thirty years, never daring to use it!
And you've been able to contact the Skrulls all along?
Are you even human?
Too lazy to return, huh?
You've forgotten little Nick by the Lake of Ming!
Despite his anger, Nick Fury quickly smiled.
Captain Marvel, truly surprised, asked:
"Huh? Fury, how are you here?"
Nick accepted that it was indeed her.
Years ago, he'd told Carol he preferred being called Fury, not Nick—a spy's trick to test impersonators.
Everyone around him had unique nicknames for him. If someone called him Nick Fury, he'd know they were fake.
But the more he confirmed it was her, the more Nick's heart ached!
I've waited so long, holding onto that pager, never contacting you.
And you could've told me about the Skrulls earlier!
You could've said something!
But then again…
The Skrulls, though fallen, were once a great empire. Intergalactic communication shouldn't be hard for them.
For a moment, Nick's heart trembled.
He hesitated, then whispered:
"Long time no see…"
Sometimes, the most helpless words are "long time no see" after years apart…
Like when you were in your prime, and I was just a boy…
Cough.
Enough chatter. Seeing Nick, Carol was overjoyed.
Her joy radiated brilliant light, instantly piercing three spacecraft.
After the display, Carol finally chatted with Nick.
Her first words were:
"You've aged so much, Fury. And your eyes…?"
"It's nothing, just a minor issue!" Nick quickly replied.
But Carol wasn't fooled. She recalled:
"Oh my God, when you were scratched by the Mind Stone… It's my fault. I should've told you to use Ceratosaurus blood to heal it.
I only learned that on Taa in the Centauri system. You're so unlucky, just a cat scratch…"
"No!!!"
Nick's face darkened as he explained:
"You're mistaken. It wasn't Fat Orange. I lost my eye after being betrayed by a friend!"
Carol: …
Talos: …
Who knows if they believed him. Soon, the three discussed Heisenberg.
Carol was surprised. As a child, her favorite comics were Captain America and Superman.
She preferred Captain America—she could join the army, but she wasn't an alien. Joining the army brought her closer to her idol.
But as she grew up, she found herself closer to Superman's powers…
For nearly every Marvel Earthling, Kryptonians held special meaning.
After some time, Earth, the Skrulls, and the Shi'ar Empire devised a plan for Heisenberg.
First, ensure Nick Fury's safety. With Heisenberg so powerful, Nick's life was at risk.
Second, to verify Heisenberg's Kryptonian bloodline, the Skrulls would send one or two agents to impersonate Nick and another SHIELD member.
They'd replace Nick, ensuring his safety while contacting Heisenberg.
Using their shapeshifting abilities, they'd deeply transform into Heisenberg himself.
The Skrulls' status as a great empire stemmed from their terrifying abilities.
They could replicate every aspect of a person, inside and out.
If they met Captain America, they'd gain his appearance and strength.
If they met the Hulk, they'd even replicate his base power.
Their abilities weren't shown in Captain Marvel because Earth then lacked powerful beings.
Without suitable genetic samples, the Skrulls didn't replicate Earthlings en masse.
Then Carol appeared.
Though her bloodline was decent, her power came from the Space Stone, not her genes.
Thus, the unexploitable Carol and the Skrulls formed a strategic alliance.
In short, Nick Fury decided to remotely control the Skrull impersonators from their hidden base to uncover Heisenberg's secrets.
As for the other Skrull's target?
Nick thought of his deputy, Hill…
"Talos, the other impersonator will be Hill. Execute!"
"Of course!"
Talos smiled.
Afterward, Nick and Talos drank merrily.
But beneath the drinking, both were top spies, their minds constantly sparring.
As the Skrull refugees' temporary leader, Talos wouldn't risk his people without gain.
What did Earth offer the Skrulls?
Honestly, only the Hulk!
Talos wanted the Hulk's genetic samples to mass-produce Hulk-like Skrulls.
This crossed Nick Fury's line. He'd never give the Skrulls a Hulk army!
They soon argued.
To stop them, Carol diverted their attention.
She told Talos about the universe's situation, knowing he craved such news.
"The universe seems tense. Thanos's forces keep circling Kree territory.
Accuser Ronan might betray the Kree.
And the Chitauri, Thanos's dogs, are mobilizing.
They've nearly gathered their main force. Who knows which planet they'll target next.
At least they're far from Earth."
"Yeah, they won't reach Earth."
Talos added.