"Who's there?!" Nick Fury's face darkened as he turned his gaze towards the source of the voice. Simultaneously, his hand reached for his waist, where his custom-made weapon was concealed. Even after returning to his secret base, Nick Fury didn't let his guard down.
In fact, Fury wasn't even surprised that someone had managed to infiltrate his secret base. In a world where extraordinary powers were becoming more prevalent, even bank vaults could disappear without a trace—what chance did his secret base have?
The moment the voice echoed, Fury realized that someone had been watching him. Whether it was a rival vying for his position or the Avengers themselves, Fury's suspicions encompassed them all.
"Hey, hey, no need to be so tense. After all, I'm just you, aren't I?" As Fury stared at the source of the voice, a figure stepped into view. This person looked exactly like Nick Fury, identical even to the android hidden behind the wall.
"My android got out?" Fury's first thought was that something had gone wrong with his android. But he quickly dismissed this idea. After all, androids weren't clones, nor could they be considered pure lifeforms; they could only be controlled by Fury himself and couldn't possibly have self-awareness.
Fury rapidly discarded this notion and, as he watched the other "himself" slowly approach, a scene flashed through his mind. This caused Fury to take two steps back, his expression wary as he asked, "Are you a Skrull?!"
"Not bad, you actually figured it out..." The Skrull smirked upon hearing Fury's words. He stood still, glanced at Fury's right hand, and nodded, acknowledging his identity.
"What do you want? Did Carol send you?" Fury frowned, still on high alert as he eyed the Skrull. At that moment, another crucial memory surfaced in Fury's mind. He recalled the time when Robert suddenly barged into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, shattering his window to inquire about Captain Marvel, Carol.
At the time, Fury hadn't noticed anything unusual. In his understanding, both the Skrulls and Captain Marvel were off-world. But now things were different. The Skrulls had suddenly appeared on Earth, seemingly targeting him, which immediately heightened Fury's vigilance.
There's a saying: when you see one cockroach in a room, there are likely more lurking around. The same applied to the Skrulls. When one appeared before Fury, he knew that many Skrulls had already infiltrated Earth.
"Damn it! Has something happened to Carol? Do the Avengers know about the Skrulls?" With these thoughts racing through his mind, Fury quickly pieced things together.
Admittedly, Fury hadn't always gotten along with the Avengers, mainly because he believed that such a powerful entity was bound to lose control. But now, with the Avengers still in check and Earth facing a secret invasion by the Skrulls, Fury naturally wanted to inform the Avengers of this new threat.
"It's not like that. I've come because I know you've been having a rough time on Earth. If you cooperate, I might be able to offer you a chance to experience a different life in space. What do you think?" The Skrull didn't seem in any hurry as he noticed Fury's eyes darting around after his question. He simply smiled and asked, seemingly unperturbed.
"Hah! You heard I was having a rough time on Earth? So, you crossed light-years just to take my place, only to kindly send me off to space?" Fury laughed, a touch of scorn in his voice as he responded to the Skrull.
"You must have paid quite a price for this trip. Last I checked, you Skrulls weren't exactly rolling in wealth. How do you plan to make up for this? Does replacing me come with that high a payout?"
"That's thanks to the leader from your planet—the one who's been guiding us so well." The Skrull's lips curled into a mocking smile as he spoke softly.
"I always knew you impostors were up to no good! Back then, you played the refugee card, tugging at Carol's heartstrings. Good thing she didn't leave you on Earth, or you would have infiltrated and taken over by now, right?" Fury's face darkened as he spoke, his tone severe.
"Haha! To be honest, Earth is indeed an exceptional planet. Although its civilization and technology are far behind in the grand scheme of the universe, it has produced many powerful beings..." The Skrull showed no shame in the face of Fury's barbed words. Instead, he seemed proud.
"They could easily become tools for my race to enhance our strength. However, it's still a bit early for that. We need to develop further. Besides, it's not just us Skrulls eyeing Earth. According to our intel, that mad Titan is likely sending someone over..."
"What?!" Fury's heart sank upon hearing the Skrull's words. He never expected that the Skrulls weren't the only extraterrestrial threat to Earth, signaling an impending crisis.
Though Fury knew that Robert and Clark were both immensely powerful—one capable of destroying the entire planet and the other resembling a god from myth—he wasn't well-versed in the universe's broader context. He had no idea who this mad Titan was or how powerful he might be, which filled Fury with concern.
"Damn it! Who is this Titan...?" Fury muttered as he stared at the Skrull. Suddenly, the Skrull's hand shot towards Fury's chest, clearly premeditated, aiming to kill Fury in a moment of distraction.
"Clang!" However, to the Skrull's surprise, his attack was blocked. Fury's hand, now covered in a strange metal, prevented the Skrull's claw from piercing through.
"Your strength seems to have grown a bit since the last time you spoke with Talos, but that doesn't matter. You're still too weak without any extraordinary powers..." The Skrull's eyes flashed with surprise when his attack was stopped, but he quickly sneered, grabbing Fury's hand and pulling him closer.
"Hah, don't think I'm unaware that your strength is nothing special for a Skrull!" Fury wasn't panicked as he was dragged forward. Instead, he continued to taunt the Skrull, drawing his attention while launching a counterattack. "Talos didn't show much more strength than an ordinary human back then..."
"Zing!"
"Zing!"
Just as Fury finished speaking, two laser beams simultaneously pierced through both Fury and the Skrull's bodies. Both their eyes widened in shock, unable to believe that the other would use the same tactic.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
In the next moment, both Fury and the Skrull collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from their wounds. Fury, gasping for breath, muttered softly, "I never expected to die here... But it's fine. Taking down an alien trying to invade Earth makes my death worthwhile..."
"Heh, don't get ahead of yourself. Do you think you're the only Skrull? There are plenty of us still out there," the Skrull beside him sneered weakly, his voice tinged with mockery.
"Did you really think I didn't notice your little trick? Trying to send out a message, were you? But to whom? Definitely not S.H.I.E.L.D., since many in S.H.I.E.L.D. aren't under your control..."
"You must have been trying to contact the Avengers, right? How laughable. You've been at odds with them for so long, and now you're hoping they'll save you? You Earthlings are truly amusing!"
"Honestly, across the entire universe, your civilization doesn't stand out, but your infighting is something else. Even when Ronan the Accuser clashed with the Supreme Intelligence, it wasn't like this..."
"But too bad. I've already blocked all your outgoing messages. Surprised? Caught off guard?"
"You..." Fury's pupils contracted sharply. He hadn't expected his message to be intercepted, filling him with a deep sense of frustration, especially since it seemed this Skrull had backup and wouldn't die alongside him. This rendered Fury's sacrifice utterly meaningless.
"I also know that your little gadget has run out of power. You used all its energy trying to kill me, but I dodged just enough..." The Skrull, seeing Fury seemingly too angry to speak, gloated even though he was also injured.
"And I still have enough energy left to attack. Honestly, I could kill you right now, but I'd rather watch you slowly die. How does that sound? Doesn't it just make your blood boil?"
"Damn it!" Fury, already extremely weak, found himself fueled by a surge of rage at the Skrull's words. He struggled to get up, determined to kill the Skrull before reinforcements arrived and then figure out how to ambush the next wave of Skrulls.
Fury couldn't afford to die like this! His life wasn't so easy to take! He had to make the Skrulls pay!
"Clang!" But Fury had lost too much blood, and the wound in his chest showed no signs of healing, even worsening. In such a state, there was no way Fury could muster the strength to kill the Skrull.
"Damn it! I should've been more like General Ross, toughened up, and experimented on myself! Even if I had chosen to inject the Super Soldier Serum, I wouldn't be this powerless now..." As Fury collapsed again, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.
In this new era of extraordinary powers, Fury's own abilities were sorely lacking. The serum he had taken wasn't the higher-risk Super Soldier Serum but a less lethal variant of genetic modification.
This type of genetic modification had a lower mortality rate but was undeniably weaker. In reality, Fury's enhanced abilities were only slightly better than those of a person who had pushed their physical limits to the extreme. In a real fight, he might not even be able to decisively win against a master martial artist or an elite special forces soldier.
"Click!" Just as Fury was regretting his lack of strength, a soft sound echoed through the secret base. The door was forcibly opened, and a man with an ordinary appearance walked in. Without a doubt, this was also a Skrull.
"Damn it! What happened to you?" The man's face changed drastically as he entered and saw the Skrull lying in a pool of blood. He quickly rushed over and spoke with concern.
"Don't waste time; I can't be saved. Hurry and copy everything from him. I was worried he'd die and ruin our infiltration plan..." The wounded Skrull smiled weakly, his eyes flashing with determination and expectation. "Preserve my body well. Once you've taken over Earth and our civilization has advanced, bury me then. I want to witness that day!"
"Motherf—!" Fury's face contorted in anger. He couldn't believe that even in his final moments, he had been outmaneuvered by this Skrull.
Even though this Skrull was about to die alongside him, Fury felt like a fool—his struggles, efforts, and regrets now seemed like a joke.
"I'll grant you that wish," the newcomer said solemnly, giving his dying comrade a deep look before turning his attention to Fury. Instantly, his appearance morphed into an exact replica of Nick Fury, though his expression was icy, radiating deadly intent.
"You can keep the androids. His position is quite dangerous, so you can use the androids to handle things for you..." The Skrull gave his final instructions, his breath gradually fading.
With his death, the Skrull who had transformed into Fury's likeness had his eyes brimming with murderous intent. He viciously stomped down on Fury's head.
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