"Motherf*cker?"

In the cold vacuum of space, inside the inverted cone-shaped Divine Blade Space Station, Nick Fury stared at the screen on his desk, watching the Men in Black broadcast for the third time. He cursed under his breath, frustration simmering behind his one good eye.

He scoffed at the first half of the video, assuming it was a petty attempt at revenge. Clearly, the Stark brothers were hitting back after discovering Fury had agents investigating Malrick's background. Typical behavior. He didn't take it seriously.

Fast-forwarding through the footage, Fury began contemplating countermeasures. The internet could stir up a storm, but it had no memory. He just needed to calm the five permanent members of the U.N., and the public outrage would fade. To him, this wasn't even a real crisis—at least, not yet.

What troubled him more was a mystery the video raised: how had Tony Stark detected the Skrull infiltration in the first place? Skrulls, once transformed, perfectly mimicked their targets' appearances and memories. They were equipped with cutting-edge S.W.O.R.D. tech. In theory, there was no way to detect them. Something didn't add up.

Fury's mind wandered… until the next segment of the video pulled him back. As the Men in Black agent rattled off detailed facts about the Skrull species—effortlessly, as if reading from memory—Fury's expression hardened.

How did they know so much? Could Superman and Iron Man have crossed paths with the Kree? Was that where they got this intel?

But as the footage progressed, Fury's composure began to crack. Dozens of surveillance recordings—long believed to be destroyed—were revealed in full clarity, showcasing the Skrulls' abilities and their covert replacements of key individuals. Fury could already picture the panic spreading through governments worldwide.

He had always believed in the Skrulls. He'd fought alongside them. Captain Marvel had vouched for them. He considered them allies.

But the people watching the video didn't know that. To them, the Skrulls were silent invaders.

And worst of all, the individuals replaced in the video… had indeed been Fury's enemies or targets. Their removal had smoothed his path to power. That fact alone made it impossible to clear his name.

Things were getting complicated.

Then came the number that truly shook him:

"There are over one million Skrulls already on Earth."

Fury sat upright.

"One million? That can't be right!" he muttered. "There were only a few thousand!"

He wanted to dismiss it as propaganda—but something inside him wavered. For the first time, Fury began to doubt his Skrull allies.

---

Meanwhile, on Earth – Chernobyl.

The once-abandoned city remained wrapped in radiation, its silence unsettling. No birds. No human life. Just crumbling concrete and toxic air.

But among the ruins, green figures moved.

If one looked closely at the area surrounding the nuclear power plant, they would see dozens, maybe hundreds, of Skrulls—moving, gathering, hiding. This was one of the largest Skrull refugee zones on the planet.

Long ago, they had replaced the maintenance crews stationed here. The radiation was no threat to their physiology. It made the site the perfect safe haven. Satellites rarely scanned these zones.

To the Skrulls, places like Chernobyl were more than shelter—they were home. And so, they named it New Skrullos, in honor of their destroyed homeworld.

Inside a warehouse near the plant, General Talos, his wife Soren, and a circle of high-ranking Skrull officers sat around a projection table. The Men in Black video played silently on a loop, its images reflecting on their strained faces.

No one spoke.

"What do we do now, General?" someone finally asked, breaking the silence.

Talos leaned forward, hands on the table, his eyes fixed on the screen. This was the man who had once led his people to safety—who had forged trust with humans. Now, he had no answers.

After a long pause, he said quietly, "We wait. Fury and Captain Marvel promised us a new world. They'll come through."

A skeptical voice pushed back. "But Fury can barely protect himself. The U.N. has issued a global warrant for his arrest."

"He'll find a way," Talos said, though doubt crept into his tone. He closed his eyes, unwilling to face the panic spreading among his people. "He's Fury. We have to believe in him."

Another asked, hesitantly, "If he fails… can we come forward? Ask humanity for land? Maybe a treaty?"

Talos didn't reply. He kept his eyes closed. The others took the hint and fell silent.

Most in this room were pacifists—doves—led by Talos. But not everyone agreed.

A young Skrull stood up suddenly, slamming his fists against the table.

Gravik.

Thin, intense, eyes burning with frustration.

"Why don't we just declare war?" he snapped. "We've already replaced high-level officials in multiple governments. If we move now, we can collapse their leadership from within."

He continued, his tone growing bolder, "We can take over weapons departments, seize nuclear arsenals. This is our chance!"

"Enough, Gravik!" Talos barked, slamming the table harder than the youth had. The echo silenced the room. "We do not attack Earth. Never."

"But—" Gravik protested.

"I said shut up!"

Gravik clenched his fists but obeyed, grinding his teeth as he sat back down.

Talos sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. Youth, he thought. So quick to anger, so blind to consequences.

They didn't understand the forces Earth had—Captain Marvel, for one. And now, a Superman too. If war broke out, the Skrulls would be annihilated.

"Meeting adjourned," Talos said. "Return to your posts. We wait for Fury's next move."

One by one, the officers filed out, until only Talos and Soren remained.

"Don't worry," Soren said gently, brushing his forehead with her hand. "Fury won't abandon us."

Talos looked away. "I hope not."

Just then, a communicator on the table beeped.

Talos sat up straighter. "It's Fury!"

He answered immediately.

A blue hologram flickered to life, revealing Nick Fury's worn face.

Before Talos could speak, Fury launched straight into it.

"Talos, I need answers. What have you been hiding from me about Skrullos?"

The hopeful look in Talos's eyes faded. He looked down. Hesitated.

"I've told you everything you need to know," he said at last.

Fury's tone sharpened. "Is that so? Then is the Men in Black video lying, or is there something you decided I didn't need to know?"

---

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