"A Skrull—Talos?"
Heisenberg nodded, said a quick goodbye to Peter and Uncle Ben, and followed Hill away from the crowd. They headed toward the abandoned train station ruins at the heart of Liberty State Park.
Before this place became a park, it had been a barely-used train station, and eventually it was abandoned. Then in 1975, the derelict station was transformed into a park, but the ruins were preserved as a scenic spot. They'd remained to this day.
And today...
As they neared the station, Heisenberg stared in disbelief at a shirtless Thor!
The idiot was standing there with a small extra layer of flab on his belly, wielding a modified M16, laughing wildly as he dodged bullets coming from the other side.
"Haha, darling, I am a god! No one can shoot a god in the face!"
He shouted as he raised the rifle and unleashed a full burst at his opponent.
From eighty meters away came the repeated clang of bullets hammering against steel!
It was Jane Foster, wearing her Iron Man armor...
At the same time, in a corner nearby, Stark—also in his armor and clutching a rifle—gave Thor a thumbs-up.
"Nice shot! The boys' team gets a point!"
"Haha, of course! I am Thor, God of Thun—!!!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!
Before Thor could finish, a burst of bullets smacked right into that layer of pudge.
Thor shrieked.
"Aaah! Stop, stop! Okay, you win! That tickles too much—haha!"
He surrendered, raising his hands helplessly.
"Fine, fine. The girls' team gets a point. I'm eliminated. Stark, take 'em out!"
"Not a chance. There's only Pepper left on the other side. You think I'm you? How could I take out my own woman?"
Seeing Thor eliminated, Stark immediately raised his gun in surrender and stepped out of the trench.
Even so, the last warrior on the opposing side, Pepper Potts, emptied an entire magazine onto Tony's armor.
Game over...
Lowering his gun, Tony gave his armor a light pat and then looked toward Heisenberg.
"Hey, man! Want a round? I never imagined my armor could be used for a live-fire game like this!"
"I sure as hell never imagined it either!"
Heisenberg responded, half-laughing, half-exasperated, and walked over to Tony, sharing a brief hug with his old friend.
When the others spotted Heisenberg, their expressions varied.
Thor's expression was predictably sour. Even though he understood that his father had chosen to die in battle, even though he knew the passing of the throne was sacred and honorable...
He was still grieving. He didn't want to see Heisenberg.
But Heisenberg had no desire to see him either. Fair enough.
On the other side, Pepper lifted her faceplate and waved at Heisenberg with a smile.
"Morning, sir!"
"Mhm, morning, Pepper."
Heisenberg let go of Tony and returned the greeting. Then he surveyed the live-fire participants.
A pretty solid lineup: Thor, Tony, and Coulson versus Jane, Pepper, and Melinda...
Was this a live-fire exercise?
This was obviously a couples' flirting game!
Wait...
Looking at Melinda, who was opening her faceplate, Heisenberg suddenly remembered something.
He shot a strange look at Coulson, standing to the side...
Melinda was a married woman, wasn't she? Where was her husband?
Wasn't her husband that Black psychologist, a SHIELD consultant?!
Coulson, oh Coulson, for all your big, honest eyes and trustworthy face, you still went after a SHIELD consultant's wife!!!
Shaking his head at the moral decay, Heisenberg passed the group and followed Hill toward the secret SHIELD base built beneath the train station ruins.
In an important city like New York, practically every park had a Hydra or SHIELD base underneath it. No need to think twice—you could dig one up without even trying.
Just as expected, when Heisenberg took the elevator down, he immediately spotted the waiting Skrull in the lounge.
Though Skrulls universally had wrinkled green skin, Heisenberg could tell them apart.
"Not Talos? Is he busy?"
Heisenberg asked casually. The Skrull immediately saluted.
After the salute, the Skrull nodded and explained to Heisenberg:
"I was ordered by Commander Talos to seek an audience with you, solely to deliver a message in person.
Twenty-six minutes ago, Leader Talos received a transmission from deep space!"
At this point, the Skrull glanced at Heisenberg with a trace of concern before continuing.
"The Supreme Nova of the Shi'ar Empire—known across the universe as Captain Marvel—has learned of the Chitauri invasion of Earth.
After receiving the news, she immediately contacted Leader Talos and is currently en route to Earth."
After hearing the Skrull's explanation, Heisenberg smiled easily.
"That's it?"
"That's it!"
"Heh. What's there to worry about? Go back and tell Talos to handle it however he sees fit.
I've already repelled the Chitauri. No need for her, three days late, to come help.
As for the death of her good friend Nick Fury... pass on my condolences. Tsk, a great man, Nick was!"
With that, Heisenberg turned and left, bored, heading back above ground to rejoin the festivities.
...
Two days later, near the Moon, a glowing figure hovered before Talos's hidden base.
No one knew exactly how powerful Captain Marvel was, but her sense of style never once dropped.
The base doors slowly opened, and Carol walked in with her chin held high.
Guided by a group of Skrulls, she quickly reached Talos's command room.
"Long time no see, old friend. How've you been lately?"
Carol greeted him from far off. After all, she felt a bit guilty toward Talos and his people. She'd promised them long ago that she'd find a habitable planet where they could settle in seclusion. But every time Carol searched, she found that most habitable worlds were already teeming with indigenous life. Kind-hearted Carol didn't want the Skrulls' arrival to disrupt those natives' lives.
As for primitive worlds without indigenous life? Either the environment was unbearably harsh, or they were the personal domains of certain cosmic entities. Take Ego, for example—a planet as beautiful as paradise! But who could settle there? Ego was a Celestial, a living planet!
In the end, the promise Carol had made remained unfulfilled, dragging on to this day. That was why she always felt a little awkward about seeing Talos.
Naturally, Talos showed no displeasure. He smiled and exchanged a gentle embrace with Carol.
"It really has been a long time, Captain Marvel. It's a shame that such a beautiful reunion has to be burdened with tragic news."
"What news?"
After the hug, Carol frowned at Talos, a bad feeling settling in.
Talos's answer confirmed her suspicion. He blinked painfully and said with deep regret:
"Our old friend, Nick Fury... he passed away three months ago."
Carol's eyes widened in shock.
"How is that possible? We spoke just a while ago! How could he be...?"
"I'm so sorry, Carol. This terrible news came just a few days after that call."
"Damn it. What happened to him? Was it that so-called Superman? Why didn't he contact me? I left him a communicator! What could have happened that he didn't press that damn communicator?"
Carol fired off the questions as she sank dejectedly into a chair.
She had only two friends on Earth: Nick Fury and Maria Rambeau. Now, she was down to just one.
Listening to Carol's questions, Talos shook his head regretfully and quietly sat down across from her. At the same time, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a data card, placing it on the table between them. The table flickered rapidly, reading the card's records.
An instant later, a projection appeared above the table.
"I'm so sorry, Carol. Everything happened so suddenly. As a friend, I regret that I could do nothing."
As he spoke, he and Carol watched the video documenting Nick's death.
In the footage, Nick Fury was in the middle of a battlefield, charging toward a group of young people who were pinned down under fire.
"Three months ago, SHIELD, under Nick's command, suffered a rebellion. Hydra, which had been hiding within SHIELD for over seventy years, betrayed them en masse. In that sudden war, Nick was ambushed by a Hydra agent while trying to save the young students at the SHIELD Academy. It cost him his life."
As he finished, the footage played to the exact moment when Nick's left chest was blown apart.
Seeing this, Talos turned his hand, freezing the projection. He then traced the path of the bullet that had pierced Nick's chest, locking the image onto the person who had fired the shot.
"Pierre Claude. Former SHIELD Level 6 agent, Nick Fury's direct subordinate... and a hidden Hydra operative. The man died in the war before I could even lift a finger. As his friend, I couldn't even avenge him. That pains me deeply. But all my pain is useless. Nick is gone."
Talos gently patted Carol's arm and said, finally:
"Take what comfort you can, my friend."
"Yeah. Besides mourning, what else can I do? I came back too late..."
Carol shook her head in regret and slumped back against the sofa.
After a long silence, she forced herself to speak, her voice soft as she asked Talos:
"What about Earth? The Chitauri—were they really dealt with by that 'Superman'?"
"That's right, Carol."
Talos nodded.
"I must admit, even without you, this Earth is brimming with endless miracles. That powerhouse who descended from the sky not only repelled the Chitauri and Supergiant's invasion, he even defeated Odin, who ruled the Nine Realms for over five thousand years!"
Saying this, Talos clapped his hands. The projection on the table instantly changed.
Now, the image showed Heisenberg pressing down with his hand as a million Chitauri soldiers over Denver simultaneously dropped dead.
Gazing at Heisenberg in the projection, Carol nodded, her expression forlorn.
"I grew up listening to stories of Captain America. I know what Hydra is. But to think they'd been hiding right under Nick's nose..."
Carol rubbed her forehead and asked Talos quietly:
"Has Hydra been rooted out? Is there anything I can do? I want..."
"Ah, my friend. I know you want to do something for Nick. I've had that same thought. But regretfully, that powerhouse already solved the Hydra problem. SHIELD has been inherited by Nick's most trusted secretary from his lifetime. I have to admit, neither you nor I can do anything more for Nick..."
"Yeah. I haven't done a thing, yet there's nothing left for me to do. I guess... I'm a little superfluous..."
Carol murmured softly, then rose, unsteady, and drifted out of Talos's base.
Moments later, a flash of golden light—Carol was gone.
Even Talos didn't know where she'd gone.
/-\
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