"Buzz!"
"Click!"
In an instant, Carol's fist and the pistols in Nick Fury's and Coulson's hands simultaneously aimed at Talos.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down! I'm not here to fight. Save your invincible super punches for later—besides, if we start a fight, your friend's house will end up as collateral damage."
Talos quickly addressed Carol and then turned to Nick Fury, saying, "I'm borrowing your superior's identity. My apologies."
"What the hell is going on?"
Maria, concerned about her daughter, gasped in disbelief as she saw someone outside who looked exactly like her playing with her daughter.
"No one will hurt her as long as you don't kill me," Talos said, maintaining a calm expression.
"You said you disguised yourself as Keller? Then why did you recite Hydra's slogan?" Fury asked, his gun still trained on Talos. "Don't tell me that lunatic Red Skull didn't die and has now taken his business off-planet?"
"Uh… I don't know who this Red Skull guy is, but that slogan already existed in your superior's memory."
Talos wisely refrained from mentioning Ned.
"Also, I'm sorry to say, but you'll never see your superior again," Talos added with an apologetic expression.
Fury, who had started to relax, immediately tensed up again upon hearing this. "What the f***! Did you kill him?!"
"No, no, no!" Talos waved his hands frantically. "We Skrulls have professional ethics. We don't kill someone just to impersonate them."
"It was one of your own kind—one of Earth's people. A very dangerous Earthling," Talos explained. "As soon as I reverted to my true form and let your superior go, someone used a weapon to blow him to pieces. I watched his flesh and blood scatter everywhere—it was horrifying."
Talos, having survived countless intergalactic chases from the Kree, had an acute sense of danger. Based on what happened after he uttered that Hydra slogan, Talos knew he had stirred up big trouble. So, he quickly released the real Keller and reverted to his own appearance.
"Sir, did you report Keller's situation to headquarters?" Coulson asked curiously.
"Of course! This is serious—I reported it immediately. And to be safe, I went straight to Director Pierce. With him involved, every Hydra scumbag will be rooted out!" Fury replied as if it were the most obvious course of action.
However, he didn't notice the peculiar expression on Ned's face as he said this.
"Hand it over," Carol suddenly demanded.
"What?"
"Your pager. You love reporting things," she said coldly.
"Uh… fine." Fury reluctantly handed over his pager.
"And yours too," Carol said, turning to Coulson, clearly viewing the two as partners in crime.
"Here you go."
Coulson obediently handed over his communication device.
"But sir, something still feels off. This isn't our usual style," Coulson continued after handing over his pager. "If it were one of our people, they would've captured Keller alive for interrogation first. Whether or not Keller confessed, they wouldn't have let an enemy agent like him die so easily."
"Compared to pursuit, this situation sounds more like… elimination," Coulson observed.
Fury nodded, impressed by Coulson's keen insight, and asked Talos, "Did you see the person who silenced Keller?"
Eager to gain their trust, Talos was happy to share information unrelated to the Skrulls.
"Of course. The person gave off an extremely dangerous vibe. Their entire body was covered—eye patch, mask, gloves, you name it."
"But the most distinctive feature was their steel arm, which was unlike anything I've ever seen on Earth."
"I also got the sense they noticed me, but since I wasn't part of their mission, they just glanced at me and left."
"This is a machine—one designed specifically to kill," Talos said truthfully.
"Hmm…"
Fury thought for a moment, then looked at Carol. "I need to report this to Director Pierce immediately."
"You're a soldier. You should understand what the presence of such a unique and mysterious threat means for my colleagues who are investigating this," Fury reasoned.
"Fine. Five minutes," Carol relented, handing the pager back to him.
"So, can we talk about my situation now?" Talos said, setting down his drink.
"Return Monica to us first, and then I'll listen," Carol demanded.
"Alright," Talos said, clearly exasperated.
"I have a recording from Project Pegasus—a black box from the plane crash six years ago. Your people call it a 'black box,'" Talos said after Monica was returned.
"But they said the black box was destroyed," Maria exclaimed in disbelief.
Talos shrugged and said nothing.
…
"Input the destination coordinates: negative four-seven, eight-seven-six-eight, zero-point-two."
As Talos inserted a disk into the player, the voice of Dr. Lawson echoed from the device.
"Got it. Where are we going, Doctor?"
Next came Carol's voice.
"To my laboratory."
"What laboratory? What are you talking about?"
"Uh, oh no."
Suddenly, the situation seemed to shift.
"What's that? It's not showing up on my radar!"
"Quick, Carol! Take off!"
…
The recording continued with the sounds of planes weaving and battles raging.
From the recording, Carol learned she was indeed human, and the figure in her nightmares—the one holding a gun and appearing as a Skrull—was actually her trusted commander, Yon-Rogg.
"Hey, Carol."
Maria followed Carol outside.
"He lied to me," Carol said, standing on the grass.
"Everything I thought I knew was a lie."
"Well, now you know," Maria replied.
Talos, eager to obtain the coordinates for Lawson's lab to find his family, had no patience to wait for Carol to process the shock of being deceived.
"Know what? I don't even know who I am! You don't know me! I don't know myself!" Carol shouted, venting her frustration.
"You're Carol Danvers. That's who you are. The person recorded in that black box—someone who risked their life to do the right thing. You're my best friend," Maria said, stepping closer.
Her heartfelt words seemed to resonate with both of them, and the two women embraced, tears streaming down their faces.
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T/N:
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