Steve's Concerns

The afternoon sun shone brightly.

Avengers Tower.

Leon leaned against Tony's desk, swiping through the fluorescent display projected onto his hand.

"Nick Fury applied to leave prison and head into space an hour ago? He wanted to make one final contribution to Earth?"

"I recognized every word, but why did they sound so unfamiliar when put together?"

"Carol had been in prison for less than ten hours, and Nick Fury was already in such a rush to clear his friend's name?"

Leon shut off the projection and looked at the weary Tony behind the desk. "I thought they would catch up in prison."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "It wasn't to clear her name. Like I did before, he believed Carol's interference with you allowed those Super-Skrulls to escape the Solar System."

Tony's body had remained in peak condition thanks to his superhuman healing ability.

But for some reason, his mind was exhausted beyond measure.

Mentally drained, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "So Nick Fury wanted to go into space and serve as Earth's outpost, guarding against the Skrulls gathering more of their kind and attacking Earth again."

"So he really was acting to protect Earth." Leon nodded. "The United Nations agreed?"

"No. Nick Fury chose imprisonment himself. How could it be so easy for him to get out?"

Tony said, "I heard he and Carol even had a fight in prison. He made Carol so angry that she passed out."

"Best friends turning on each other? That exciting?" Leon raised a brow. "Looks like I misunderstood Fury. He really was devoted to protecting Earth, even if everything he did was awful."

"Enough about that." Tony opened one eye. "Do you know why I called you here?"

Leon held