Marvel: Ned the Master of Mystic Arts

"That guy is definitely up to something! He came here with his own agenda, and we might already have been betrayed!"

Nick Fury pulled Captain Marvel along as they rushed out, but the moment they stepped out the door, they ran into Talos, disguised as Keller, coming upstairs.

"What are you two doing?"

Talos looked at Nick Fury and Carol Danvers suspiciously before addressing Fury, "The mission went beautifully, Agent Nicholas. From here on, it's none of your concern. Just wait to collect your bonus."

"Wait—mission? What do you mean?"

Carol grabbed Fury's sleeve, demanding answers.

"No... listen to me..."

Nick Fury tried to explain, but Talos cut him off, speaking in a mocking tone: "The mission was simple. Nicholas was tasked with finding you, earning your trust, and extracting intel about the so-called aliens."

Talos, disguised as Keller, smirked arrogantly as he spouted lies.

"You..."

Hearing this, Carol instinctively clenched her right fist, her eyes glaring daggers at Fury. Her fist, glowing faintly with energy, seemed ready to strike Fury at any moment.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

A series of hurried footsteps echoed as a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived, armed with handguns, surrounding Nick Fury and Carol.

"No! Listen to me!" Fury pleaded desperately, sweat dripping from his brow. "Do you remember what I said back at the base entrance? What does everyone usually call me?"

Hearing Fury's words, Carol recalled their earlier conversation at the base's security checkpoint. Suspicion began to creep into her mind as she cast a wary glance at the Keller imposter.

Talos, alarmed by the shift in the situation, hurriedly said, "Agent Nicholas, what are you trying to do? That alien by your side—are you planning to defect?"

"Everyone, listen up! Agent Nicholas is attempting to harbor an alien invader. Treat this as treason and execute him on the spot!"

Talos barked orders at the surrounding agents.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents exchanged uneasy glances but did not open fire.

Prior to this mission, they'd received intel warning them about an enemy capable of shape-shifting into anyone. It could even be someone they trusted the most. Naturally, they were on high alert.

Now, hearing Nick Fury's claim that Keller might be compromised only heightened their reluctance to act rashly.

Unconsciously, some of the agents redirected their weapons toward Talos. The sight made Talos's head ache.

"Keller, prove you're not an alien. Say something that only you would know," one female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent demanded.

Everyone turned to look at Talos.

"Well…"

Feigning calmness, Talos mimicked Keller's demeanor and said sternly, "Hail Hydra!"

"!!!!!!"

Talos had confidently shouted the phrase, thinking it was a S.H.I.E.L.D. internal recognition code, as he'd overheard Keller use it with someone earlier.

However, the moment he said it, Talos realized something was wrong.

Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the room, including Nick Fury, froze in shock. After a brief moment, they all exchanged glances and simultaneously aimed their guns at Fury, Coulson, and even Captain Marvel.

"Sir, what does this mean?"

An agent pointed his gun at Fury, his voice trembling with emotion. "Does this mean that person has finally decided to overthrow S.H.I.E.L.D. and restore our organization's glory?"

The other S.H.I.E.L.D. (Hydra) agents looked at Talos with expectant faces.

"Uh..."

Talos was about to say something when Fury shouted, "What are you all talking about?! He's Hydra!"

"Yes, and so are we," the female agent replied, her tone relaxed as she smiled at Fury.

"What... did you just say?"

Nick Fury, still young and inexperienced, was utterly stunned. Just as he was about to press for answers, someone suddenly yanked him back. A series of gunshots followed, with bullets whizzing past his head.

"Motherf—!"

Carol rescued Fury and Coulson just in time, firing a photon blast from her hand that blew a hole in the floor. She grabbed the two and jumped down through the gap.

"Fury, what's going on? Those colleagues of ours... how could they..."

Compared to Fury, Coulson was even more of a rookie. He hadn't recovered from the shock of realizing their comrades were Hydra.

As a diehard fan of Captain America, Coulson was well aware of what Hydra represented. That knowledge only deepened his disbelief because, in his mind, that vile organization had been eradicated long ago.

"How the hell would I know?!"

Fury shouted back, hurrying to keep up with Captain Marvel. By now, he had recovered from his initial shock and was planning his next steps. He resolved to report Keller and his cronies to his superior, Director Alexander Pierce, a man who had always supported him.

Though Fury trusted no one, he reasoned that the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't possibly be Hydra as well.

As long as Director Pierce knew the truth, even if Hydra was deeply rooted within the organization, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources would be enough to uproot them entirely!

While running, Fury silently planned how to cooperate with Pierce to purge Hydra once they escaped.

"Dammit! Get down there and chase them!"

Upstairs, Talos cursed upon seeing Captain Marvel and the others escape. He barked orders at the agents before heading to the archive room to investigate the status of Dr. Lawson, aka the Kree scientist Mar-Vell.

"Uh... sir?"

The moment Talos entered the archive room, he saw Ned flipping through a red folder. Alarmed, he stiffened and greeted cautiously, "Hey, Keller..."

"Hey, Keller. Honestly, I didn't expect you to be so slow. I've already found what I need. You can go back to handling your tasks now," Ned said casually, waving Talos off without looking up.

"...Understood."

No matter how reluctant Talos felt, he couldn't shake the sense of danger emanating from Ned. He dared not act rashly and begrudgingly backed out of the room, suppressing his frustration.

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