After ending the call, Nick Fury drained the bourbon in his glass from his seat in the corner of the noisy bar. His "old friend," "Richard Kohler," brought him a fresh glass.
"Fury, getting some new intel? Anything worth paying attention to?"
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Los Angeles office was not actually there; he was still on the West Coast. Beneath that appearance was a Skrull general.
When moving through human society, Talos preferred this human guise above all others. Fortunately, this was not Los Angeles, so he did not have to worry about being mistaken for someone else.
Nick Fury looked at this "ally" and thought it was time to tighten the reins again. "Talos, the Skrulls' performance lately has been less than satisfactory. I had to hear about the Werewolves behind Antigen in the European Union from someone else."
The ice shifted in his whiskey glass as Talos raised it for a sip. "We have limited manpower, and some matters take priority over others. Whenever you want information on something, or someone or somewhere watched, we send people to help right away.
"I just don't understand. How much do you expect us to accomplish? Gathering intelligence takes time and the right approach. People don't start volunteering information just because we show up.
"Perhaps if you agreed to let me bring more Skrulls to Earth from elsewhere in the universe, I could better meet your demands. What do you think of that proposal?"
Nick Fury shook his head. "Not much. You can extract short-term memories from living people without any equipment. Saying things like that only makes it sound like an excuse."
"It is an excuse." Talos clinked his whiskey glass against Nick Fury's and took a satisfied sip. "As a Skrull general, I have a lot of people