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All the resentment Henry had been bottling up finally erupted at once. He was only a step away from pointing at the other man's nose and cursing him out.
"Have you ever stopped to think about how I got dragged into this mess in the first place? If it weren't for you Skrulls sneaking into Boba1bi's organization for no damn reason anAh d trying to frame me, I'd be getting ready to clock out at Stark Industries right about now.
"Do I have any blood feud with the Kree? No. You are my problem. After all the chaos you stirred up, I don't even know if I'll ever get back to a normal life.
"Do you have any idea what kind of consequences your earlier attempt to frame me might cause? Or what kind of changes exposing my Kryptonian identity—something I didn't even know about myself—will bring to my life?
"Did any of you spare a thought for that? Of course not. To you, a crazed Kryptonian with no organization and no backing is just like a stone by the roadside—pick it up and toss it into the river, done."
Suppressing the urge to smash the other man's skull with a single punch, Henry stepped back, his expression dark.
"Since you've decided to cooperate, then this no longer has anything to do with me. Let me make this perfectly clear: I have no interest in obstructing your plans.
"I didn't even know what Skrulls were, what Kree were, or what a Kryptonian was at the beginning. None of this concerns me. So don't disturb my life again. Goodbye."
With that, Henry turned around and prepared to leave—only to find every path blocked by Skrulls wearing human disguises.
Seeing them form a semicircle and cut off all exits, Henry turned back irritably.
"So this means you're not letting me leave? Mr. Fury, do you agree with this?"
The dark-skinned man who'd been named looked troubled. He truly hadn't expected things to develop this way. At the very least, cooperating with the Skrulls hadn't been an option at the start. And he wasn't sure whether he should really let Henry—now exposed as a Kryptonian—just walk away.
General Talos, however, was clearly the sort who adjusted his attitude based on who he was dealing with.
When it came to recruiting Carol Danvers, he lowered himself, pleading humbly, practically one step away from hugging her leg.
But facing a banished Kryptonian—a defeated enemy from a Skrull fleet thousands of years ago—his pride as a member of a higher civilization surfaced uncontrollably.
"How about this, Kryptonian. I apologize for my earlier mistake. I'll make you an offer: help us fight the Kree, and I'll use my assumed authority to rescind the previous orders issued against you. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"
Henry actually laughed in anger.
Back then, Mystique of the X-Men had started with personal favors, mixed in threats, and kept raising the stakes until he gave in. He'd compromised because he knew that if she truly wanted to make trouble, he'd end up just as exhausted as he was now.
But the Skrulls had already crossed the line—repeatedly trying to frame him. And now they were using "cleaning up the mess" as leverage to coerce his cooperation.
How were these situations even comparable?
A gun only carries negotiating power before the trigger is pulled. Once it's fired, positions are clear. At that point, what difference is there between compromise and surrender?
"If apologies worked, the world wouldn't need laws or police. If threats worked, then I deserve to be threatened a second time, a third time.
"I've said it already—this isn't my war. Don't drag an innocent bystander into it."
With that, Henry let out a sharp whistle. Katie, who had been lying on the ground, immediately stood up. Man and tiger turned to leave.
But the Skrull foot soldiers, still disguised as humans, stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking his path.
Just as Henry was considering how to break through, Nick Fury spoke up from behind him.
"Henry, you don't even have a car. How are you planning to leave? This place is a long way from any bus station or airport."
After thinking for a moment, Henry replied, "I just need to walk down the road with Katie. Sooner or later, the police will pick me up and give me a ride. No need to trouble yourselves.
"And if you really are short on manpower, you shouldn't be wasting people on me. So—are they really going to stand there blocking the way?"
Using his slightly taller frame, Henry glared at the Skrulls in front of him, seriously weighing what kind of consequences revealing the fact that he could punch someone's head clean off would bring.
Or should he just let the tiger loose?
In the end, it was Nick Fury who stepped in to smooth things over.
"Talos, tell your people to clear the way. Let my friend leave. You're the one asking us for help—not the one giving orders. Remember that."
"No. You don't know what a mad Kryptonian might do. Should I list some of the things they've done in the past? They're nothing but deranged beasts," Talos insisted.
Even Carol Danvers couldn't stand it anymore.
"Don't project your prejudice against an entire race onto one person," she snapped.
"During the time Henry traveled with us, he controlled both himself and his companion perfectly. The ones causing trouble the whole time were you.
"I can agree to help you. But forcing someone who doesn't want to be involved—what's the point? Hoping for an 'accident' during the fighting? Don't make the little sympathy I just developed evaporate completely."
When the key figure spoke, her words carried weight. The Skrull general finally relented, waving his hand for his subordinates to step aside.
"I hope you won't regret today's decision," he muttered.
For Nick Fury and Carol Danvers, Henry's departure wasn't a choice between friend and enemy. This war had nothing to do with Earth's survival—it was simply a question of whether they were willing to help the Skrulls.
Under those circumstances, who had the right to force an uninvolved outsider to help?
Nick Fury hadn't forgotten what happened to the last Black Californian congressman who tried that kind of thing. Henry Brown was a textbook case of someone who responded to kindness but not coercion—and who had nothing tying him down.
Well… maybe that was no longer entirely true. His Kryptonian identity, and Charlize Theron's presence in his life, might yet change how he acted in the future.
But for now, Nick Fury knew better than to push things too far. He raised his voice and said:
"Henry, don't worry about the trouble surrounding you.
"Once I've handled things on my end, I'll go back and clean up the mess these extraterrestrial guests caused. Assuming that director Keller in my organization is still alive."
As he spoke, Nick Fury shot Talos a sharp glare. Helping Carol Danvers—and incidentally the Skrulls—didn't mean he fully trusted these green-skinned shapeshifters.
He then called Barbara over, whispered a few instructions into her ear, and gestured for the trainee agent to leave.
Barbara Morse wore a regretful expression, clearly disappointed that she wouldn't get to take part in a battle involving aliens. But she also understood priorities and didn't act on impulse.
"Henry, I'll go with you," Barbara said, hurrying after the man and the tiger as they walked away.
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