After Ned and the others stepped out of the room, they had barely walked a few steps when an orange cat ran toward them.
The cat ignored Ned and Fury entirely, heading straight for Carol.
"Hey, little guy, hello there. Aren't you just the cutest?"
Nick Fury, oblivious to being ignored, jogged forward, scooping up the orange cat in delight.
"Look at you, you naughty little thing. Aren't you the cutest kitty ever? Aren't you?"
"And what's your name? Huh? What's your name?"
As Fury spoke, he glanced at the tag around the cat's neck. "Goose? That's awesome! Cool cats deserve cool names."
"Hey, Fury."
Carol, who had already moved ahead and found the path forward, called out, pulling him out of his little bubble.
"Fury, if you trust me, you'd better stay away from it," Ned advised him as they walked.
"Oh, come on! Look at how adorable this cat is. Why would I stay away? Wait—don't tell me you're afraid of cats?"
Being his usual playful self, Fury suddenly thrust the cat toward Ned's face.
"Ah!"
He even let out a playful shout, trying to scare Ned.
However, his attempt failed miserably. Ned simply glanced at the orange cat and moved on, completely unbothered, following Carol toward the archives.
After just a few steps, the three were stopped by another iron door blocking their path. Seeing this, Nick Fury pulled out the tape he used earlier and started fiddling with it, saying, "I'll deal with the fingerprint scanner. Just let me peel this layer of tape off—"
Zap—Boom!
Before he could finish, Captain Marvel casually fired a photon blast at the door lock, effortlessly breaking it open and pushing the door wide.
"Uh… You can do that, and yet you let me waste all that time with fingerprints earlier?" Fury asked in an exasperated tone.
"Didn't want to steal your thunder," Captain Marvel replied with a smirk before heading into the seemingly endless cabinets to search for the documents she needed.
"Can you do that too?" Fury asked, turning to Ned this time.
"Uh… maybe? I've never actually tried something like that," Ned replied awkwardly, grinning sheepishly before walking off. Ostensibly, he began looking through the files as well, but in truth…
First Floor of Pegasus Project Base
"Keller."
"!!"
The Skrull Talos, disguised as SHIELD Agent Keller, had just stepped out of his car when he heard someone calling him. He spun around in shock, coming face-to-face with a strange man in an unfamiliar outfit. He hadn't noticed at all when the man had appeared behind him!
Even more alarming was that Keller's memories—his disguise—contained no information about this man, leaving Talos at a loss for how to respond.
"I…"
"I know you don't recognize me, but that doesn't matter, because…"
As he spoke, Ned gestured for Talos to come closer.
Talos hesitated, unsure of Ned's intentions. But the man's imposing presence made him cautious, and despite his reservations, Talos approached. His body remained tense, ready to retreat or call for backup at the first sign of trouble.
"Hail Hydra!"
When Talos leaned in, Ned whispered those words fervently.
'Phew…'
Hearing this, Talos immediately relaxed. While Keller's memories didn't contain information on Ned, they were very familiar with "Hail Hydra." Every time Keller met with a superior, this phrase often came up.
From Keller's perspective, it was some sort of secret code for a mysterious organization. And such organizations likely prioritized secrecy over familiarity among members.
"Hail Hydra!" Talos quickly responded, then straightened his posture, adopting the deferential stance Keller often used when receiving orders. "What can I do for you, sir?"
"Good."
Ned smiled, patting Talos on the shoulder approvingly. "I've received intel. This time, the alien invaders targeting Earth are butchers from the infamous Kree Empire."
"Their mission is to wipe out the exiled Skrull species. I've been authorized to oversee all operations in response to this extraterrestrial threat."
"From what I know, the woman currently with Nick Fury is actually one of us—an outstanding U.S. Air Force officer, Captain Carol Danvers. She was abducted by the Kree and had her memories erased."
"I have three tasks for you. One, locate all files regarding Dr. Lawson from back then. Two, find all records on Captain Carol Danvers. Three, establish contact with the Skrulls and maintain at least a peaceful relationship. Let them know we can work together against this alien threat."
(Since Earth wouldn't have knowledge of the Kree Empire or other alien forces, Ned could speak freely, confident Talos wouldn't question the validity of his claims.)
"Additionally, this operation must remain confidential. No one but us can know!" Ned pressed a finger against Talos's chest to emphasize his warning.
"Understood, sir! Rest assured, no other earthling will learn about this!" Talos promised, nodding vigorously.
"Good! Now get to work! Go! Go! Go!"
"Yes, sir!"
Talos nodded once more and hurried off to find Nick Fury. However, just as he turned to leave, Ned stopped him.
"One more thing—give me a copy of your communicator. That way, I can monitor the mission's progress at all times."
"Yes, sir!"
Talos handed over the communicator and rushed to complete the tasks.
Ned, on the other hand, leisurely reclined in the car Talos had driven, waiting for updates.
Meanwhile, Nick Fury was casually petting the orange cat as he and Carol combed through the files from years ago.
"Where's that guy?" Carol suddenly asked.
"Hmm? He's probably looking through the files somewhere else, blocked by the cabinets, maybe?" Fury replied before shouting, "Hey, Mystery Man?"
"Mystery Man?"
"Shit!"
After calling out twice with no response, Fury immediately realized something was wrong. He quickly closed the file in his hands and turned to Carol. "Something's up. We need to leave—now!"
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T/N:
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