While William was in London, already fully prepared to capture the Skrulls,
he was casually enjoying lunch with his mother and four women—completely at ease.
Meanwhile, on Mars, Nick Fury was growing increasingly uneasy.
The longer they waited, the stronger his gut feeling screamed that something was wrong.
The thought that Mars was a trap constantly resurfaced in his mind, refusing to be ignored.
As time ticked by, Fury suddenly had an idea—
why not call Black Widow, who was embedded close to William's inner circle?
Perhaps she had uncovered some intelligence, or at the very least, some hint as to whether Mars was truly a trap.
After discussing it with Skrull leader Talos,
Talos—who had also noticed Fury's unease—thought for a moment before nodding.
"For safety's sake, it's worth asking."
With Skrull agents relaying the signal through multiple proxies, the call soon reached Natasha's phone.
---
In London, Natasha's phone suddenly began to ring.
However, the screen displayed nothing—no caller ID, no number.
As she stared at the mysterious call, she quickly glanced at Coulson and Hawkeye, who were also in the room.
Without hesitation, she tossed the phone to Hawkeye, the fastest among them.
Before either of them could ask, she frowned and said,
"Should we answer?"
Coulson thought for a moment before sighing.
"We might as well.
If they've managed to reach your phone, then whether they're friend or foe, answering or not makes no difference.
If it's an enemy, they'll come knocking either way.
If it's Fury or Maria Hill, at least we'll get some answers."
Natasha nodded and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"It's Nick Fury. Security code: XX. Agent Romanoff, confirm your passcode."
Hearing Fury's voice and recognizing the correct code, Natasha responded with her own security clearance.
Still skeptical, she asked Fury a few questions that only he would know the answers to.
Coulson and Hawkeye did the same.
Once all security checks were verified, both sides let out a breath of relief and began exchanging updates.
When Fury learned that HYDRA not only still existed but had infiltrated both the werewolves and S.H.I.E.L.D.,
his expression turned downright murderous.
Paranoia took over.
For the first time, he even began suspecting Alexander Pierce.
Taking a deep breath, Fury issued an order.
"Listen up, Natasha. Tell William Devonshire that I'll be visiting his estate tomorrow night.
I want to discuss HYDRA and the Skrull prisoner he sent to Mars."
"Understood, boss."
---
After hanging up, Natasha, Coulson, and Hawkeye exchanged glances.
Then Coulson spoke up.
"Hawkeye will stay outside as backup. I'll go with you to meet Devonshire."
Natasha hesitated for only a moment before agreeing.
With Abigail and William's other women around, having Coulson present would reduce potential drama during the meeting.
---
Back on Mars, the conversation had Fury thinking—
was William really afraid that HYDRA might try to steal the captured Skrull?
Had he sent the prisoner to Mars just to keep them safe from being swapped out or assassinated?
Talos, who had been listening in on the call, seemed to reach the same conclusion.
With a grin, he clapped Fury on the shoulder.
"Looks like this isn't as complicated as we thought.
Maybe once this is over, I could help you capture some suspects and scan their memories.
We could confirm if HYDRA has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.
With our shapeshifting abilities, we could even help you uncover HYDRA agents from the inside."
However, instead of reassuring Fury, this terrified him.
Why were the Skrulls so eager to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Sure, Talos might genuinely want to help,
but the far more terrifying thought was—
what if these homeless Skrulls were planning to secretly take over Earth?
---
Eight years ago, Fury and Captain Marvel had saved Talos and his people.
But Fury knew that when it came to the survival of an entire species, gratitude meant nothing.
In fact, if the Skrulls were planning an invasion,
the smartest move would be to eliminate Fury first, removing any guilt or moral hesitation Talos might feel about betraying him.
And then there was Carol Danvers…
For the first time, Fury had a sinking feeling that she wouldn't be as reliable as he had once believed.
The more he learned about Carol, the more he realized—
she wasn't just an Earth hero.
She saw herself as a guardian of all oppressed people, not just humans.
She acted like some sort of cosmic police officer, rushing to wherever war or oppression occurred.
If a stronger civilization attacked a weaker one, she would intervene—regardless of who was involved.
The problem?
The universe was massive.
Wars and atrocities happened constantly.
As powerful as she was, there was no way she could always be available to protect Earth.
Fury still believed she cared about Earth,
but what if she was off saving another alien species when the planet needed her most?
So what if she was half-human?
The Skrulls also needed her.
And what about the countless other civilizations under threat?
For the first time, Fury saw the flaw in his old thinking.
Saint-like heroes were unreliable.
What he needed was someone who lived on Earth, who saw Earth as their only home.
Someone who wouldn't hesitate, no matter what.
And the perfect candidate was William Devonshire.
---
With that realization, Fury's thoughts completely shifted.
How do I recruit William?
If William joined, his personal abilities aside,
his money alone would guarantee funding for anything they needed.
And this whole situation proved that William had an aggressive stance on extraterrestrials.
Just a few months ago, he had personally executed Starscream on Mars.
And now, after capturing an alien, he had immediately sent them off-world for imprisonment.
This was the kind of person Earth needed.
A self-made genius who had reverse-engineered the Arc Reactor.
A billionaire with unlimited resources and connections.
A superpowered individual who was already recognized as a hero by the world.
Someone utterly ruthless toward outsiders.
Recruiting William Devonshire wasn't just a good idea—
it was necessary.
---
Unfortunately for Fury, he had no idea who he was dealing with.
If Captain Marvel was a selfless protector,
then William Devonshire was the perfect example of selfishness and personal gain.
Trying to force him into a team?
That was a death sentence.
If they tried to impose rules on him,
he wouldn't just leave—he'd likely kill a few teammates along the way.
If Fury did try to add him to the Avengers…
well, there wouldn't be an Avengers anymore.
(End of Chapter)
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