The doorbell rang.
Ding-dong.
The sound wasn't loud, yet it pierced the living room like an icy awl, puncturing the thin, taut membrane of tension.
Carol's body stiffened instantly. Her palms clenched reflexively, thin arcs of golden electricity flashing between her fingers.
Maria sucked in a sharp breath. An alien stood in the backyard, and now another uninvited guest had arrived at the front door. This small house felt like the very eye of a storm.
Levi, however, smiled. There wasn't the slightest hint of nervousness in it—only a faint, amused air of someone watching a play unfold.
He shot Maria a look and said lightly, "Go open the door, Maria. Since they're already here, it wouldn't be polite to make them stand outside."
Maria's lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but seeing Levi's calm, assured expression, she ultimately nodded and turned toward the door.
"Are you crazy?" Carol whispered urgently, leaning close to Levi, disbelief thick in her voice. "Letting S.H.I.E.L.D. meet the Skrulls? They'll start a fight!"
"Why wouldn't they?" Levi shrugged, his gaze drifting past Carol toward the Skrull man in the backyard, who was just as tense and alert. "Look—one wants her memories back, one wants a new home, and one wants to understand every uncertain variable. Clear goals all around. Sitting down to talk is the most efficient way. Saves me the trouble of explaining things to each of you separately."
Carol was left speechless by his twisted logic. She realized she couldn't follow this man's way of thinking at all. To him, this wasn't a powder keg of interstellar conflict—it was a neighborhood mediation meeting he could rearrange at will.
The front door opened.
Maria led Nick Fury inside.
The moment Fury stepped in, his single eye acted like a precision scanner, completing a full tactical assessment of the living room in a fraction of a second. His gaze swept over the tense Maria, the openly hostile Carol, and finally locked onto Levi like a pair of nails.
When the edge of his vision caught sight of the figure standing beneath the dark-green ship in the backyard, his pupil contracted ever so slightly—an instinctive reaction honed by years of dealing with variables beyond any plan.
But his expression didn't change at all. That calm, professional smile remained, as though he'd just spotted a raccoon wandering into the yard.
"Mr. Chen, we meet again," Fury said evenly, no emotion betraying his tone. "I hope I'm not interrupting a family gathering. Though I should point out—purely as a courtesy—that the… unregistered private aircraft in your backyard might cause some unnecessary trouble for the neighborhood."
He deliberately emphasized private aircraft, probing and applying pressure at the same time.
"Mr. Fury, ringing the doorbell is a good habit—commendable, even. Though next time, you might consider calling ahead to make an appointment." Levi completely ignored the subtext, lazily gesturing toward the sofa. "Since you're here, have some hot tea before you go. Maria, could you make one for our guest as well? He looks like he's traveled far—must be tired."
Fury felt like a punch he'd fully wound up had landed straight into cotton.
He'd prepared an entire negotiation package—threats, incentives, pressure. Instead, the other side treated him like a door-to-door insurance salesman and politely offered tea. The sheer refusal to follow any expected script instantly threw off his rhythm.
He sat down in silence, deciding to observe for now. A strong intuition told him that in today's play, he wasn't the lead.
Levi didn't spare the contemplative Fury another glance. Instead, he turned toward the backyard and called out, "Our friend outside—why don't you come in and sit as well? Standing there in the sun, doesn't your legs get tired?"
The Skrull man froze for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected an invitation. He glanced toward the living room at the one-eyed man in the black coat, his gaze filled with deep-seated wariness and distrust. A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent—the most troublesome intelligence chief on Earth, exactly the kind of problem Skrull refugees needed to avoid.
"Relax. He doesn't bite today," Levi's voice carried clearly to his ears. "No traps inside—just a few cups of hot tea and some people willing to talk as equals. If you don't trust me, you're free to keep drifting through space until the Kree find you… or until you run out of fuel on some barren rock."
That last sentence struck like a perfectly aimed dagger, piercing the most tender, painful part of the Skrull's heart.
Drifting.
The word was a brand burned into the bones of their generation.
After several seconds of silence, the man drew a deep breath, as if making a difficult decision. He started walking, step by step, toward the ordinary-looking house that radiated an uncanny sense of danger.
When he stepped into the living room under the bright lights, Carol's body tensed again.
She could feel it clearly—the aura of those green-skinned, sharp-eared invaders from her memories.
Six years of ingrained combat instinct made it almost impossible for her not to attack.
"Hello, Vers," the Skrull man said, ignoring her hostility. His voice was hoarse with exhaustion. "Or should I call you… Carol Danvers."
His eyes were complicated—scrutiny, caution, but more than anything else, a near-desperate hope.
"Don't just stand there. Sit." Levi gestured toward an empty armchair. "Everyone here probably has a few misunderstandings about one another. I'll play mediator and do the introductions. I'm Levi—let's say the temporary homeowner."
He pointed at Fury. "This is Nick Fury, a regional manager at a not-very-famous security company on Earth. Mostly handles neighbor disputes and community safety."
The corner of Fury's mouth twitched, but he didn't refute it.
Levi then turned to the Skrull. "And this gentleman is—"
"Talos," the Skrull cut in himself, straightening his slightly hunched back from years of exile. "A Skrull. General."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room became indescribably strange.
A senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent reduced to a neighborhood mediator.
A displaced Skrull general.
The future Captain Marvel.
And a bottomless, unfathomable man calmly pulling everyone's strings.
They all sat around a coffee table.
Maria clutched Monica tightly, hovering at the kitchen doorway, watching nervously. Monica peeked out from behind her mother, curiously eyeing the "guest" with unusual green patterns on his skin.
"All right. Since everyone's here, let's get straight to the point." Levi lifted the tea Maria had just poured, blew lightly on the steam, as if he weren't hosting a meeting that would decide the fate of two species, but a routine company briefing. "General Talos, you can start. You risked exposure to Earth's authorities, traveled all this way, and brought a ship full of the elderly and children with you. I doubt it was just to enjoy the countryside."
Talos's gaze moved from Fury to Carol, then finally settled on Levi—the one who clearly held the reins.
"We're seeking asylum," he said, exhaustion and sorrow bleeding through his voice. "Our homeworld, Skrullos, was destroyed by the Kree Empire decades ago. The survivors have wandered the galaxy ever since, hunted like vermin. We're refugees—not the invaders you remember."
Carol's brow twisted tightly. Everything the Kree had taught her, everything the Supreme Intelligence had drilled into her, screamed that this was a lie—that Skrulls were deceitful, evil shapeshifters, a cancer on the universe.
"Mar-Vell. You Earthlings called her Dr. Lawson," Talos continued, unfazed by Carol's hostility, his voice softening slightly. "She was Kree—a great scientist. But unlike those war-crazed butchers, she saw the meaninglessness of the conflict. She pitied us and chose to help."
"Using the light-speed engine's technology, she found coordinates in her secret lab—coordinates that could hide us from Kree tracking, a place where we could rebuild our home. She promised to take us there."
"But she died." Talos's eyes dimmed like extinguished stars. "Six years ago, in that crash. With her, our last hope vanished. We only know that her laboratory holds the coordinates—our people, our future. And the key to that lab… is in your memory, Carol Danvers."
He reached into his jacket and placed a small device—like an old-fashioned recorder—on the table.
Everyone's eyes fixed on it.
Talos pressed a button.
Crackle…
After a burst of static, a distorted female voice emerged.
"Talos, it's me—Lawson. The plan's changed. Yon-Rogg has discovered my intentions. He's on his way. I have to leave with the core immediately. If I fail… remember—the coordinates are in my lab. They'll lead you to a new home. Don't trust the Kree. Never—"
The recording cut off.
But the voice, the tone, the content—like lightning tearing through time—split open the chaos of Carol's sealed memories.
Dr. Lawson.
That was her voice!
Carol remembered—before the crash, in the cockpit, Lawson had spoken in that same desperate tone, telling her to destroy the engine, never let it fall into Yon-Rogg's hands.
The Kree had been lying to her all along.
Yon-Rogg. The Supreme Intelligence. Every last one of them.
They weren't guardians of peace—they were invaders, executioners who had annihilated an entire species. And the Skrulls were the real victims.
Rage at being deceived. Humiliation at being used. Grief over Lawson's death. Remorse for six years of bloodshed.
All of it burst at once.
"Boom!"
Uncontrollable, violent golden energy erupted from Carol. The light bulbs in the living room shattered one after another under the surge, glass spraying everywhere.
The TV screen flared with static before going dead with a bang. Maria screamed and instinctively wrapped her body around Monica, shielding her.
Fury reacted with terrifying speed. Almost the instant the energy flared, he sprang from the couch, body leaning back, right hand snapping toward the gun at his waist—pure instinct of a top-tier agent facing lethal danger.
Talos recoiled as well. His body lost its fixed form, turning briefly into a pool of molten green, instinctively trying to sink into the floor to escape the destructive force.
"Enough."
Levi's voice wasn't loud—barely above a murmur—but it carried an undeniable authority that washed over the entire room.
He simply set his teacup down on the table.
Tap.
That crisp sound was like an invisible switch—pausing the world, then rewinding it.
The berserk golden energy around Carol was smoothed away by an unseen hand, obediently retreating back into her body.
Fury froze mid-motion, hand still reaching for his gun. Watching Levi calmly lift his teacup again, cold sweat beaded on his forehead for the first time.
What kind of power was this?
Every file on enhanced individuals, every principle of physics and energy he knew, collapsed in that instant.
This man wasn't just strong.
He was a rule.
Talos regained his human shape, staring at Levi with eyes no longer holding caution or appraisal—only deep, instinctive reverence. In decades of wandering the cosmos, he had never seen anything like this.
"Losing control won't solve anything," Levi said, looking at Carol's pale, shattered expression. "Now do you believe it?"
Carol nodded weakly. The truth hurt more than any blow. Six years of serving her enemies. Six years of hunting the people she should have protected.
"So," Levi continued, turning to Talos, "you came to her to find the lab?"
"Yes," Talos nodded heavily. "We intercepted Kree transmissions and learned she was alive—back on Earth. She's our only lead. Our last hope."
"Good. Then everything's clear." Levi clapped his hands lightly and stood, like someone wrapping up a meeting. "The Skrulls need Lawson's lab to get the coordinates and find a new home. Carol needs the lab to recover her memories—and atone for six years of foolishness, to fulfill Lawson's will. And Mr. Fury…"
He looked at Fury, a meaningful smile tugging at his lips. "You probably want to understand these aliens, their ships, their technology—and bring them under control. After all, chances like this don't come often."
Fury's single eye narrowed. He neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he asked the key question, voice low: "And you, Mr. Chen? What do you want from this game?"
"Me?" Levi leaned back, adopting a more comfortable posture. "I want a quiet vacation. Unfortunately, people keep showing up uninvited. So the fastest way is to help you all resolve this—so I can get some peace."
He stood and stepped into the center of the room, like a director assigning roles.
"The plan's simple. First—find Lawson's lab. General Talos, do you have any clues to its location? Orbital parameters? Signal frequencies?"
Talos shook his head in despair. "Only that it's in Earth orbit. Completely cloaked. We've tried everything."
"I know where it is."
A clear, childish voice suddenly spoke up.
All eyes snapped to the small girl hiding behind her mother.
Monica.
Intimidated by the attention, she shrank back slightly, but still mustered the courage to say, "Auntie Lawson took me there once… on her computer. She said it was her 'office among the stars.'"
Levi smiled.
Good. The story was finally back on track.
"Well done, Monica," he praised warmly, then turned to Fury.
"Mr. Fury, looks like you'll need to mobilize your security company's resources. We're heading to the old Pegasus Project base. We'll need a plane capable of leaving the atmosphere. In return, all intelligence from this operation will be shared with S.H.I.E.L.D."
Fury's eye lit up instantly.
Front-row access. Full monitoring. Firsthand evaluation of alien tech and personnel.
A deal he couldn't refuse.
"Agreed," he said without hesitation.
"Carol," Levi said, his tone turning serious. "This is your matter. You take the lead. Find the lab, uncover the truth—and decide what comes next."
Carol nodded firmly. The confusion in her eyes gave way to resolve. She needed answers. And redemption.
"And General Talos," Levi concluded, "have your people wait aboard the ship. Once we get what we need, I'll ensure you leave Earth safely."
Talos stood and bowed deeply, performing the most solemn Skrull salute.
A crisis that could have ignited interstellar war, plunging Earth into flames, had been reduced—within this small living room—into a clearly divided, mutually beneficial treasure hunt.
Watching the man who calmly orchestrated it all, Fury felt a rare flicker of doubt about the future of his grand Avengers Initiative.
He had once thought someone like Carol was his ultimate trump card.
But now, sitting across from him, was a being who treated Carol's unleashed power as little more than background noise—while casually sipping tea.
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