The Project Pegasus facility was surrounded by perimeter fencing and military checkpoints. As they approached the main gate, Fury produced his identification badge.
"Nicholas Joseph Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he stated confidently to the guard.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. He'd thought the abbreviated name was adopted much later and they called themselves only by their full organizational name in the early days. Perhaps it was only Coulson who insisted on using the full title in the future.
Fury was asked to place his thumb on a scanner, and after a moment, his identity was verified.
"Nicholas Joseph Fury," Vers noted with interest. "You have three names?"
"Everybody calls me Fury," he replied flatly. "Not Nicholas. Not Joseph. Not Nick. Just Fury."
"What does your mom call you?" Vers pressed, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Fury."
"What do you call her?"
"Fury."
"What about your kids?"
"If I have them, they'll call me Fury."
Arthur watched this interaction with amusement. It looked like Vers's Kree training was failing if she could joke like that. Perhaps Carol Danvers was starting to break through.
"You are cleared for access," came a voice through the intercom.
"Thank you," Fury replied, driving forward as the gate opened.
"So, um, what do Skrulls want with Dr. Lawson?" Fury asked as they moved deeper into the complex.
"They believe that she developed the light-speed engine at Pegasus," Vers explained.
"Light-speed engine? Gotta admit, that's not the craziest thing I've heard today."
"Well, it is still early," Vers replied with a small smile.
"And you, what do you want?" Fury pressed, glancing at her.
"To stop the Skrulls before they become unstoppable."
"And?" Fury sighed. "I know a rogue soldier when I see one. You got a personal stake in this."
Vers remained silent, but Arthur, feeling left out in the backseat, decided to answer the question.
"She wants answers, doesn't she?" he interjected. "You see, our alien visitor here has these dreams, and this Dr. Lawson has been a part of them. She's rather keen to find out why, poor thing."
"Oh! We'll find out," Fury assured them.
Soon after navigating through mountains and tunnels, they reached the main Project Pegasus facility. Arthur looked around carefully but couldn't detect any magical protections, which he had expected from a secret US military installation. The absence of such measures suggested that whatever covenant had been signed by the wizards and mundane governments was indeed serious business. He decided to avoid using any magic during this trip to ensure he didn't unintentionally break those rules.
At the parking lot, Fury handed Vers a spare SHIELD baseball cap. "Put this on. Try to look like you belong." He then tossed a pair of sunglasses back to Arthur. "You too, tour guide. Blend in." Arthur doubted a hat and sunglasses screamed 'covert agent', but he put them on anyway.
Inside the building, they were met by a stern-looking Security Chief. "How can I help you?"
"We're agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury explained, showing his ID.
"We're looking for a woman named Lawson," Vers added directly.
"A Dr. Wendy Lawson," Fury clarified.
"Do you know her?" Vers asked.
The Security Chief studied them for a moment. "Follow me."
He led them not to an office, but to a small, bare briefing room. "Wait here. I need to verify your clearance." He and his accompanying guards exited, the door locking firmly behind them.
Once Arthur was sure they were gone, he turned to the others. "So what's the plan now, then?"
"What do you mean?" Vers asked.
"You know this isn't a proper welcome, right?" Arthur pointed out. "Something you lot said was suspicious, so they're holding us until they know for sure what's what. Am I right, Agent Fury?"
"Yeah. Lawson's file must be flagged way higher than I thought." Fury confirmed, taking out a pager. "Let me ask for help." He quickly typed a message and sent it.
"Is that a communicator?" Vers asked, looking unimpressed. "Your planet is way behind, it seems."
"Our planet, you mean," Arthur corrected with a knowing look.
"What?" Vers turned to him, confused.
"You'll know soon enough," Arthur replied. "Let's get out of here first, shall we?"
Fury performed some spy trick, extracting a fingerprint from his ID card. After using it on the security scanner, they were free. Meanwhile, Vers had found the location of the Records room on a facility map.
The three made their way toward the room, five floors below ground, taking care to avoid guards along the way.
As they reached the Records floor corridor, a sleek, orange tabby cat suddenly trotted out from an open office, winding itself around Fury's legs, purring loudly.
Fury's stern demeanor melted instantly. "Well, hello there, handsome," he cooed, crouching down to scratch the cat behind the ears. "Aren't you just the prettiest kitty?"
Arthur watched Fury's transformation into a doting cat person with amusement, then leaned closer to Vers. "That's not just a cat, is it?" he whispered, "Feels dangerous."
"No," Vers confirmed. "That's a Flerken."
"A what-ken?" Arthur asked, feigning ignorance though he already knew the answer.
"Long story," Vers muttered. "Just know they're… more than they seem. And dangerous, yes."
"Right. Should we warn Agent Cat-Whisperer?"
"Nah," Vers decided, seeing Fury happily letting the Flerken rub against his face. "He seems happy. Let him have his moment." She nodded towards a heavy vault-like door at the end of the corridor. "Records room."
Ignoring Fury and his new feline friend (Goose, according to the name tag on its collar), Vers strode to the reinforced door. A quick photon blast melted the lock mechanism, and she pushed it open.
"Subtle," Arthur commented dryly as he and a reluctant Fury (after promising Goose he'd be back) followed her inside.
With Fury's help navigating the filing system, they soon found the relevant documents. It became clear that Lawson was a Kree, evidenced by her notes written in Kree glyphs.
"She's dead though," Fury informed them, reviewing a report. "She crashed an aircraft during an unauthorized test flight. Took a pilot down with her. That's why security here is so unfriendly. They're covering up a billion-dollar mistake. Oh, and your light-speed engine is toast."
"When did this crash happen?" Vers asked, her voice tense.
"Six years ago. 1989."
"Who was the pilot?"
"It's redacted."
Arthur, who had been waiting for this moment, extracted a photograph from one of the files and showed it to them. "It's redacted in the text, but here's a photo of the pilot. Recognize anyone?"
Vers stared at the photo, her breath catching. Memories, fragmented but vivid, slammed into her. Laughter. Friendship. Flying. Lawson. Maria...
"What... what does this mean?" Fury asked, looking from the photo to Vers's shocked face, then to Arthur.
"Means our alien visitor here isn't quite as alien as she thought," Arthur explained quietly. "She has amnesia, and remembers only the last six years. Since the crash. Seems pretty clear what happened, doesn't it? Something happened during the crash, and she was abducted by aliens who trained her to be a space soldier. Bloody fascinating, really. Like the plot of a science fiction novel. Earthling abducted by aliens."
"This day is really driving me crazy," Fury muttered. "I need to go out for a walk, clear my head."
"When you go out to report to your boss," Arthur called after him, "mind checking if that really is your boss?"
"What?" Fury turned, frowning.
"No need to explain to me," Arthur shrugged. "You soldiers always have a chain of command, don't you? Just make sure he's not a Skrull in disguise coming here to kill us, yeah? Otherwise, we can handle any investigation."
Fury didn't reply and stormed out, clearly annoyed by Arthur's insinuation.
After Fury left, Vers seemed to regain control of her emotions and emerged from her thoughts.
"So," she whispered. "What do you think really happened?"
"Finally begging me for answers, are you?" Arthur replied with a smirk. "Been waiting for this moment, I have."
Seeing the dangerous glare in Vers's eyes, Arthur quickly backpedaled. "Alright, alright, I'll stop taking the mickey. I've figured out most of it. You were a pilot working on this light-speed engine project with Dr. Lawson. You were successful, but for some reason, you and Lawson had to make a run for it. The plane crashed, Lawson died. You survived and maybe gained some powers, but the Kree finding this, abducted you. Did some experiments and turned you into their space soldier."
"But why?" Vers asked, her voice barely audible.
"I don't know for certain," Arthur admitted, "but we can confirm my theory by looking for this Maria Rambeau person. Looks like you two were rather close."
"Okay," Vers nodded. "But let me contact my commander first."
"Still willing to believe them?" Arthur asked skeptically.
Vers ignored him and used a nearby phone, modified it with her alien tech, and placed a call to Yon-Rogg. Arthur couldn't hear the conversation, but he trusted that Vers wouldn't make any foolish decisions. Instead, he stood near the lift, waiting for Fury to return. Arthur did not want to fight the Skrulls, especially when he was not sure if he could magic in this military facility or not.
Several minutes later, an anxious-looking Fury emerged from the elevator.
"Where's Vers?" he demanded urgently. "We have to leave. Now."
"Follow me," Arthur replied, leading the way. "So I was right then? Your boss was a Skrull in disguise?"
"Interested in working for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Fury asked, giving him an appraising look.
Arthur laughed. "Not bloody likely."
They soon reached Vers, who had finished her call and looked troubled.
"So, your commander—good guy or the bad guy?" Arthur asked casually.
"Don't know," she replied, her expression hardening. "But he's lying."
"We'll figure that out later," Arthur said. "Fury here called in backup that apparently includes Skrulls."
"What?" Vers turned to Fury, alarmed.
"Not the time," Fury insisted. "Let's escape first. I don't want to fight aliens."
They rushed to the stairs and made their way to the hangar. On the correct floor, they encountered a young Agent Coulson with a gun pointed at them.
Fury made a subtle hand signal, and to their surprise, Coulson stepped aside, opening the door for them. As they passed, Arthur gave him a cheerful wave and muttered, "Cheers, mate," before following Fury and Vers through the door.
Vers ran directly to an experimental aircraft parked in the hangar, and Fury and Arthur followed close behind. They could hear footsteps and shouting closing in behind them.
Inside the aircraft, Arthur strapped himself into one of the passenger seats while Vers quickly familiarized herself with the controls. Moments later, amid a hail of gunfire pinging off the hull, they soared out of the Project Pegasus facility and into the open sky.
"Brilliant," Arthur murmured, watching the facility shrink beneath them. "Nothing like a proper getaway to make you feel alive, is there?"