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There are many types of excellent agents. At this stage in his career, Nick Fury belonged to the kind who was easy to get close to and exceptionally good at winning people over—a natural persuader.
That wasn't meant as criticism, but praise for his outstanding social skills. No matter what kind of stranger he faced, very few people disliked him at first sight. Unless, of course, the other party was a racist who simply couldn't stand Black people.
Although loud noises suddenly erupted from inside the bar—making Barbara momentarily want to rush in—Henry still managed to calm her down. The two of them quietly moved to a window and peeked inside.
The commotion hadn't been caused by Nick Fury falling out with the other party. Rather, for some unknown reason, the neon sign inside the bar had been blasted apart.
The target had her back to the window, so the two peeping outside ended up meeting Nick Fury's gaze directly. There was no exchange or signal between those inside and outside the bar; Fury simply pretended he hadn't seen them and continued speaking to the woman opposite him as usual.
Seeing that no conflict had broken out, the two wisely withdrew without a sound.
Once they were back in the window's blind spot, Barbara asked in a low voice,
"What was that just now? Some kind of Kree Starforce weapon?"
Henry tilted his head, looking puzzled, and didn't answer directly. But in truth, that photon blast had also shaken him to the core.
Among the external energy attacks Henry had seen so far—aside from his own heat vision—there was Cyclops' optic blast from the X-Men.
They were clearly energy-based attacks, yet they carried momentum as well, capable of blasting people away. Such phenomena blatantly violated the laws of physics—something that would leave physicists utterly baffled.
But Captain Marvel's photon blast was on an entirely different level.
It was almost like a tangible siege hammer, driven by terrifying kinetic force that crushed everything in its path. By comparison, the intense heat that melted objects seemed almost incidental.
And under Henry's super-vision, the moment she activated her power, her entire body turned into a high-energy luminous mass—so dazzling it was hard to look at directly.
Normally, that energy should have been concentrated entirely in her arms, the point of emission. Yet during the process, most of it leaked outward. It was obvious her power was being restricted—or that she herself still couldn't fully control it.
Kree tampering, Henry guessed, recalling the movie plot from memory.
In the reality before his eyes, he could indeed see a strange, unfamiliar device attached to the back of her neck.
Should he help her break the seal? Or continue to stay out of it?
The conflicted Kryptonian pondered how he might gain something from this situation—or at least improve his standing.
But it certainly wouldn't be as simple as walking up and telling her, "That thing on the back of your neck is a Kree limiter," and then seeing a Favor +100 pop-up.
"They're coming out!" Barbara warned, snapping Henry out of his thoughts.
Nick Fury stepped out of the bar and waved them over, saying as he did,
"These are our associates—Agent Morse and Agent Brown."
He then introduced them in turn.
"This is Vers, a member of the Kree Starforce. She's here to track down our shared enemy—the Skrulls.
"Now we're heading to the Air Force base where Project PEGASUS is located. That's a classified facility, so Bobby and Henry, you'll remain outside as backup. Only Vers and I will enter the base."
"No problem," Henry answered directly from the back.
He didn't step forward to greet Vers because this self-proclaimed noble and mighty Kree warrior clearly looked down on him and Barbara—two rookies who still reeked of campus life.
She said nothing the entire time, leaving Fury to handle the introductions. A nod was all it took to count as meeting them.
Henry had no intention of currying favor, nor was he about to press his warm face against someone else's cold shoulder. After agreeing to the arrangement, he returned to his car.
Seeing Barbara looking a bit lost, Nick Fury said,
"Bobby, ride with Henry. I'll take Vers straight into the base."
"Yes, sir."
Four people, two cars—they set off immediately.
The reason Nick Fury had arrived at Pancho's Bar earlier than Vers, despite setting out later, was simply because he knew the roads better.
This time, heading for the Project PEGASUS Air Force base, he was just as familiar with the route. Once he started driving, there was no hesitation, no detours, no turning back.
Vers had gone to Pancho's Bar based on her memories precisely because it was close to the base. Pilots occasionally came here to drink and left behind commemorative photos.
After driving only a short distance, they passed a small hill. The lead car turned on its hazard lights, slowed down, and pulled over. Henry stepped on the gas and pulled up alongside Fury's vehicle.
Nick Fury rolled down his window and called out,
"The Air Force base is just ahead. Henry, you and Bobby stay here and be ready to support us. Bobby, do you have a two-way communicator?"
Barbara pulled something out from inside her jacket.
"Is this it? Issued by the agency."
Because the device had a very specific function and no tracking capability, she hadn't thought to discard it—even after being shot by her own people.
"That's the one. Cell phones won't work here—no signal. The agency's communicator uses a special channel and can still operate. If anything happens, I'll contact you through it."
"Understood, sir."
With that, Nick Fury drove off. Henry followed instructions and moved his car behind the hill to conceal it.
Meanwhile, inside the departing vehicle, Vers asked in surprise,
"Was there a tiger in the back seat of that car just now?"
Nick Fury chuckled.
"Its owner insists it's a tabby cat. Name's Katie."
"A tabby cat? Are cats on your planet all that big?"
"I have a question," Nick Fury said casually. "On your Kree—"
Vers cut him off, correcting him sharply.
"There is no 'Kree Planet.' Our homeworld is called Hala, and our dominant species is the Kree."
"Alright," Fury said. "Then let me rephrase. On your homeworld Hala—or on any of the planets you've conquered—are there tigers, or creatures similar to tigers?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Good. Then why were you able to recognize that animal as a tiger?"
"I—"
Vers faltered, suddenly at a loss for words.
"Hmph. So you're a Kree, huh," Nick Fury said quietly.
He had already encountered shape-shifting Skrulls—creatures that didn't exist on Earth. But the woman calling herself Vers looked no different from a human.
Which was why Fury didn't fully believe she was truly a "Kree," as she claimed.
Part of this suspicion came from old资料 he'd seen—photos in the files left behind by his father, White Nick Fury. According to those records, the "Kree" Earth had captured were blue-skinned, blue-blooded aliens.
That was why Fury probed her with words, searching for inconsistencies.
What Nick Fury didn't know was that pure-blooded Kree were indeed blue-skinned and blue-blooded. However, due to reproductive necessity, the Kree had once interbred with other compatible humanoid species, producing pink-skinned Kree.
These pink-skinned Kree still had blue blood, and their DNA contained a special structure—a non-voluntary evolutionary lock. Those traits were enough to classify them as part of the Kree's main race.
That was why Vers had never once doubted her identity as a Kree on Hala. Many Kree—including her commander, Yon-Rogg—shared the same pink-skinned appearance.
By comparison, pure blue-skinned Kree were now relatively rare, making up less than ten percent of the population.
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