The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind It (Part Two)

Nick Fury could never have imagined that the words he had just spoken to put on a show for Alexander Pierce had sunk like a cold nail into Gravik's heart. Gravik had stood quietly beside him all this time, carrying out every order perfectly.

Fury himself had appointed Gravik the new leader of the Skrulls after the late Talos. Deep down, Gravik had always hoped Fury would keep his old promise: to find the Skrulls exiled on Earth a truly safe new home where they could live in peace.

But more than twenty years had passed, and that scheming bastard, who treated the Skrulls like servants, had done nothing.

And Fury's declaration that he trusted no one, "not even myself," sounded especially harsh to Gravik. It chilled him to the bone.

A shadow of anger, too deep to put into words, flickered through his eyes.

Perhaps the Skrulls should find a new home through their own strength. Earth, for instance, seemed like a fine choice!

"Oh, right—"

Fury seemed intent on rubbing salt into Pierce's wounds. Feigning sudden recollection, he added lightly, "Hill just told me Tony Stark and the others successfully replaced every Blade Motherboard aboard the three Helicarriers."

He pointed toward the three Helicarriers outside the window, which had stopped climbing at some point. His smile widened. "So even if they reach their designated altitude of three thousand meters as planned, their targeting algorithm won't lock onto and eliminate those so-called 'potential threats.'"

"Pierce, your massacre is finished—"

As if to prove his point, the red-and-gold Mark 45 Armor descended from the sky just as he finished speaking, setting Hawkeye and Black Widow safely on the broad landing pad outside the conference room.

The three of them swiftly forced open the emergency door beside the pad and rushed