The cabin door's hydraulic rods let out a hissing burst of exhaust.
The night wind whipped Fury's ever-present black leather coat with a loud flap.
Seeing the green-skinned alien on the ground, wrapped like a mummy in black slime, Fury's face was darker than the damned night sky.
The situation had completely slipped beyond his control, and the feeling made his stomach churn.
"Fury, what the hell is going on?"
Steve stepped forward and demanded sharply.
"Does this have anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Clint and Natasha said nothing.
They merely adjusted their positions, one to the left and one to the right, directly cutting off Fury's path back to the aircraft.
Surrounded by the most dangerous people on Earth, Fury sighed.
He reached inside his leather coat.
Clint instantly drew his bow to its full extent, the limbs producing a teeth-grinding scrape.
"Relax, Agent."
Fury did not stop moving. As he spoke, he pulled a manila file folder from inside his coat.
Its edges had worn frayed, tied shut with white string, with a bright red "TOP SECRET" stamp across the seal.
He untied the string and handed the contents to Steve.
Steve took them and examined them beneath the dim floodlights at the edge of the tarmac.
Inside were two yellowed personnel files, each with a black-and-white ID photo attached in the upper right corner.
"Mar-Vell and Carol Danvers."
Steve read the names aloud. "One was a scientist, and the other was an Air Force pilot."
"They once joined a top-secret project called Pegasus Form."
With both hands in his pockets, Fury looked toward the distant neon lights of Japan.
"It was a military-led project from the Cold War era, intended to develop a lightspeed engine.
The Quinjets we use now are derivative products of that project."
"A