Goodbye, Egghead

Just as Captain America worried endlessly over Banner's health, Nick Fury's fate finally reached its final moment.

Aboard the Skrull Ship, Talos was alone, escorting Nick Fury and Hill, who had long since been tightly bound in Skrull Tech Shackles, toward Heisenberg's house.

The ship was incredibly fast. In just a short while, Nick could already see New York drawing closer through the porthole.

That city should have been adorned with endless lights, but unfortunately, today was not like that.

Nick only felt that the city was astonishingly dark, as though even its lights had been swallowed by infinite darkness.

And what that darkness would swallow next was him and Hill.

No!

Nick suddenly raised his head. He would not go to the Realm of Death today, nor would he fail because of someone else's betrayal.

No one could betray Nick Fury!

He tried his best to look at Talos. Talos's usually expressive and amiable face now held nothing but endless indifference.

Inside the Skrull Ship, pale purple light slanted across Talos's face, making his expression look especially fierce.

"Talos."

Nick spoke.

"There is no turning back for you now."

"Neither is there for you, old friend!"

Talos replied, then operated the ship as it gradually came to a hover, finally stopping above the airfield on Heisenberg's roof.

Though it was a small ship, it was still far larger than an ordinary helicopter. Heisenberg's small airfield could not accommodate it.

So he opened the hatch and controlled the ship to connect a cable to the airfield.

With one in each hand, he lifted Hill and Nick Fury at the same time.

Then he pressed his back against the cable, instantly attaching himself firmly to it.

The cable began moving, and Talos smoothly arrived atop Heisenberg's roof. From far away, he saw Heisenberg sleeping.

Seeing how completely unguarded Heisenberg was, Talos felt somewhat envious. If he had possessed power like Heisenberg's, how could the Kree Empire have hunted him for so many years?

But he quickly steadied himself, put on what he felt was the most suitable smile, and slowly walked toward Heisenberg.

"Hmm?"

Heisenberg narrowed his eyes. Even after waking from a nap, he would not feel sleepy.

Or rather, even if he never slept for the rest of his life, he would only feel mentally exhausted.

As for his body, it was always filled with energy and had no need to replenish itself through sleep.

Uh...

Sleeping with women was another matter entirely.

Back to the point, Heisenberg sat up and waved at Talos.

"Welcome, Skrulls, especially since you brought me the gift I wanted."

As he spoke, Heisenberg stepped down from the lounge chair and came to Nick Fury and Hill.

Nick's gaze at Heisenberg was especially calm. Even though he knew perfectly well that Heisenberg had demanded his imprisonment, he controlled his emotions well.

For an agent like him, controlling himself had become a true habit.

Nick was skilled at putting on whatever expression was needed for the occasion.

Unfortunately...

Heisenberg did not look at him at all.

"Hello, Hill. How was your vacation aboard the Skrull Ship?" he greeted Hill.

Hearing Heisenberg's words, Hill instinctively glanced at Nick Fury. There was no dissatisfaction in that glance, but everyone present knew that Hill nearly hated Nick Fury to death!

If Nick Fury had not made that decision on his own, how could she have been dragged off to the aliens?

If she had been at S.H.I.E.L.D., even if Hydra had launched a massive rebellion, Hill would have had a way to reduce the damage caused by the betrayal.

Likewise, if not for the two aliens falling into a life-or-death crisis, Talos would not have used the two of them to make a deal with Heisenberg.

Sigh...

Hill shook her head regretfully and replied.

"It was terrible. Just because I spent a little time on that ship, I nearly lost everything I had spent my life fighting for."

After saying that, Hill looked at Nick again. This time, Nick silently turned his head away, unwilling to look into Hill's eyes.

Seeing the resentful and unwilling exchange of glances between Hill and Fury, Heisenberg laughed and waved at Talos.

"What should I call you?"

"My name is Talos. It is an honor to meet you."

"Mm, just call me BOSS..."

Heisenberg patted Talos on the shoulder and smiled at him.

"Don't be nervous. There probably won't be anything for you to do for a while, so just rest as usual. Shall I send you off?"

"Me...?!!"

Hearing that Heisenberg wanted to send him away, Talos was utterly stunned.

Why was this Kryptonian not playing by the rules?

Shouldn't this be the time to have a proper discussion about the Skrulls surrendering to him?

And he was being told to leave just like that?

Did Heisenberg see him as a subordinate, or as a deliveryman?

But though startled, Talos hurried back to the ship and silently left Earth.

Heisenberg watched the cloaked ship rise into the sky, then turned to look at the somewhat uneasy Hill and Fury.

He walked over to Hill, grabbed the Skrull shackles binding her upper body, and gave them a light tug.

It looked as though he had not used any strength at all, yet the high-tech shackles instantly became useless.

At the same time, Heisenberg said to Hill.

"You can go. Fury and I are going to have a chat."

"Hmm? I can leave just like that? You...?"

"You can stay if you don't want to leave. After all, it's nighttime, and there's a bed in the room big enough for you to lie on."

Heisenberg interrupted Hill's question. As he teased her, he waved for her to leave.

At that, Hill's unease instantly became worry.

She looked worriedly at the expressionless Fury, then left decisively.

After Hill went downstairs, Heisenberg removed Fury's shackles. The two sat beside the liquor cabinet, and Heisenberg poured Nick Fury a drink.

Fury drained it in one gulp with a cold expression, and Heisenberg poured him another.

Setting the bottle beside Fury, Heisenberg raised his glass and clinked it against his.

"To our Hydra director Nick Fury. Cheers!"

As soon as the words fell, Nick Fury's expression visibly darkened.

He gripped his glass tightly, holding himself back from dumping the liquor onto Heisenberg's irritating face.

Taking a deep breath, he drained his second glass. Then, as he poured himself another, he said.

"Funny, isn't it? Every subordinate under me, the Director, turned out to be an enemy..."

"Haha, there are far more ridiculous things than that. Drink!"

Heisenberg filled his own glass, and the two clinked glasses again before draining them.

This was Nick Fury's third glass of whiskey.

Setting down his glass, Nick hesitated, then finally made up his mind.

He asked softly.

"You don't want me to return to S.H.I.E.L.D., so I will die."

"Look on the bright side. Maybe I'll throw you into outer space and let you recruit subordinates in the universe to come back to Earth and strike back at me!" Heisenberg said with a smile.

"Heh, I'd rather die."

"That makes sense. So, do you have anything to say? We can talk more while there's still time!"

Heisenberg said bluntly to Nick.

Nick was not frightened by those words. He actually began thinking.

After a moment, he shook his head weakly.

"Until yesterday morning, I thought I was fairly successful. But now I have nothing to say... Do it!"

"Giving up just like that? On fate? That doesn't sound like you!"

"Not on fate. On you, Heisenberg."

Nick said seriously.

"I have always suspected that the incident with Purple Man was also part of your scheme. Maybe it was merely an idle move, but you won. That idle move precisely took my knight and my king!"

Hearing Nick Fury say that, Heisenberg smiled and shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous. You were the one who trusted John Garrett and sent those Hydra members to capture Purple Man. You were the one who had Skrulls impersonate you while you hid among the Skrulls. What do you think?"

Those words drifted into Nick's ears, and he immediately fell silent.

Heisenberg's gaze was full of mockery, but Nick could not refute him. He truly had brought all of this upon himself.

His trust in John Garrett, his trust in the Skrulls...

He still did not know the identity of his old superior, Alexander Pierce.

Otherwise, he would probably have been even more devastated.

Just as Nick Fury fell silent, Heisenberg asked him.

"Answer me one question, buddy. Why did you trust the Skrulls but not me, even though I'm an alien too?"

As he spoke, he slapped the table in dissatisfaction.

"To you, there should be no difference between me and the Skrulls. We're both aliens, right?

But in the dozen or so days since I came to Earth, you placed more than eighty spies around me, including over fifty female agents.

How could you bear to make your poor subordinates dance striptease at the Nightclub?

I'm not from Earth, after all. I understand that you're wary of me.

But what about the Skrulls? Why did you trust them so much that you even handed your own identity to them? Was it just because I'm stronger than them, while they're uglier than me?"

"No, you don't understand!"

Facing Heisenberg's questioning, Nick said.

"I don't trust the Skrulls. What I trust is my friend out in the universe!"

"Then that friend must be very powerful!" Heisenberg asked as though he knew nothing about Captain Marvel.

"That's right!"

Nick nodded and explained with a relieved expression.

"She is a woman like the sun, possessing unimaginably great power. Talos and I witnessed that greatness together. I believed Talos would not dare betray my friend!"

"I understand."

Heisenberg nodded and said to Nick with full approval.

"You and I have one small thing in common: we both believe only in strength.

But my strength is these fists.

I'm rather lazy. Even though I have an extraordinary brain, I'm too lazy to think or learn anything.

And I don't need to think at all. I can do everything I want with my fists.

As for you, your strength is your mind. You believe in every one of your judgments.

You thought you could provoke me, so you planted spies around me.

You thought your friend's power was worth trusting, so you dared rely on her to form an alliance with Talos as close as brothers.

We're both people who believe in ourselves. So do you think I will spare you for your friend's sake, as you think I would?"

The moment he finished speaking, Heisenberg did not wait for Nick's answer. A red light flashed from his eyes.

Nick Fury's brain instantly evaporated. His eyes rolled white, and he collapsed onto the table like he was drunk.

"Unfortunately, you won't get to see the scene of me fighting your friend. I hope your friend can bring me a little surprise. I hope so..."

Heisenberg stood and left, returning to the lounge chair to continue enjoying the ever-present solar radiation.

As for Nick Fury, before long, Billy and his men carried him away and took him out to sea to sink him.