After observing him for some time, Howard concluded that he was likely neither a Skrull nor from HYDRA.
Howard had carefully investigated Fury's background. His birth records were clean, he had worked hard to get into college, performed exceptionally in the special forces after enlisting, and was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. after his discharge.
His record was clean, with no suspicious points, and all his promotions were earned through solid achievements.
Of course, Howard also knew that a clean record could not fully prove innocence.
HYDRA infiltrators might have perfect disguises, but he had to take a gamble. Time was running out, and he needed to entrust these secrets to someone reliable before he retired completely.
So, on a Tuesday afternoon, Howard met with Nick Fury alone.
The meeting place was not S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, nor the Stark Villa, but an old-fashioned cafe in the Brooklyn district of New York City.
It was far from the centers of power, and the customers were mostly local residents; no one would notice the two seemingly ordinary middle-aged men in the corner.
Fury arrived on time, wearing a simple gray suit, his gaze sharp and vigilant.
He sat down opposite Howard, did not order coffee, and just waited quietly.
"Agent Fury," Howard began, his voice calm, "thank you for coming."
"Dr. Stark, it is my honor that you would request a meeting personally," Fury nodded, his voice low.
Howard looked at the young Agent, secretly assessing him.
Fury sat upright, his gaze focused, like a resting leopard—seemingly calm, but capable of exploding into action at any moment.
"I need to tell you something," Howard said, getting straight to the point without small talk.
"Some top-secret matters. After hearing them, you might wish you had never known, but you must know, because you are currently one of the few people I still want to trust."
Fury leaned forward slightly, appearing ready to listen intently.
For the next hour, Howard detailed everything.
From the existence of the Skrulls to the resurgence of HYDRA, Bucky's encounter, and the potential infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D.
He showed photos, shared evidence, and explained all his speculations and concerns.
These two bombshells left young Fury stunned.
The terrorist organization HYDRA from World War II had not yet been destroyed, and it had even infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Fury's first reaction was disbelief; it sounded too much like a conspiracy theory, but the evidence Howard provided was very convincing.
And that wasn't all; when Howard mentioned the green-skinned alien, Fury's eyes widened.
"Alien?" Fury's voice wavered for the first time.
"Are you saying... an alien like the ones in science fiction movies?"
Howard nodded and took a photo out of his briefcase, showing a clear image of that Skrull prisoner in the storage room.
Green skin, yellow eyes, pointed ears... that was definitely not any species from Earth.
Fury stared at the photo, remaining silent for a long time. His brain was spinning rapidly, trying to integrate this information into his worldview.
As a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, he had seen many strange things and had accessed many files on supernatural phenomena, but a real alien... this was his first time.
"So," Fury finally said, his voice returning to calm, though Howard could detect the tension within it.
"Not only do we have to deal with a Nazi organization that has been lurking for seventy years, but we also have to deal with spies from outer space. And S.H.I.E.L.D., the agency that is supposed to protect the safety of the World, may have already been infiltrated by both."
"Yes," Howard said heavily.
"That is why I need you, Fury. I need someone trustworthy, someone capable, to continue this fight."
He pushed a folder across: "Inside is all the relevant data and evidence, and also..." He paused.
"I will also hand over that Skrull prisoner to you. He is currently being held in a safe place, but long-term detention is not a solution. We need to get more information from him."
Fury took the folder but did not open it immediately.
He looked at Howard, his eyes flashing with complex emotions—shock, determination, as well as desire and ambition.
"Why did you choose me?" Fury asked, his voice direct and frank.
"There are so many high-ranking Agents in the agency, so many experienced people."
"Because they might not be trustworthy," Howard answered with equal frankness.
"I don't know who has been infiltrated and who is still clean. But you... your record is clean, your performance is excellent, and most importantly, you are still young and have enough time and energy to fight this long-term war."
Fury was silent for a long time. Outside the window, cars came and went on the streets of Brooklyn, pedestrians hurried by, and everything looked so normal.
"I understand," Fury said finally, his voice firm.
"Then, when are we transferring that... Skrull prisoner?"
"Tonight," Howard said.
"I will give you the coordinates and handover procedures. Remember, Fury, you cannot tell anyone about this, not even your most trusted colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D. Until we figure out the extent of the infiltration, everyone is a potential enemy."
Fury nodded solemnly. He stood up and gave Howard a military salute—not the S.H.I.E.L.D. salute, but a soldier's salute.
"I will not let you down, Dr. Stark."
Howard also stood up and took Fury's hand. "I know you won't. Good luck, Agent Fury. This World... needs more people like you."
After this meeting, Nick Fury's mindset underwent a significant change.
He was still that serious Agent, still that high-ranking operative who acted decisively and judged accurately.
But deep down, his worldview had been completely reshaped.
So there really are aliens in the World.
This realization was like a boulder thrown into the lake of his originally orderly thoughts, stirring up towering waves.
As a pragmatic intelligence officer, Fury had always worked based on reason and logic.
He believed in science, believed in evidence, and believed in things that could be explained and verified.
But now, he had to accept the fact that the Universe was much larger, much more complex, and much more dangerous than he had imagined.
Earth was not alone, and humanity was not the only intelligent life. And in those distant stars, some existences might harbor malice toward this blue Planet.
And there was the threat of HYDRA.
A Nazi organization that he had thought had perished with the end of World War II had actually been lurking for seventy years, infiltrating the very agency that was supposed to fight it.
This irony filled Fury with a cold anger—anger at those infiltrators, anger at the colleagues who had been blinded, and anger at the historical oversights and errors that had allowed all of this to happen.