Nick Fury’s face tightened.
That was not how this was supposed to go.
He’d specifically asked Claire to step away.
She had.
Technically.
Evenson lowered his head, desperately trying not to laugh.
Am I supposed to tell him that the moment she sat down, she projected her soul back over here and watched the whole briefing from the Astral Plane?
The laughter didn’t last.
Fury shot him a look sharp enough to cut steel.
The message was obvious.
I don’t understand magic.
You do.
Why didn’t you stop her?
Before Fury could voice the accusation, Evenson spoke first.
"I told you she’d be useful."
He gestured toward the tablet.
"She recognized the species."
Fury remained expressionless.
"Evenson Richter."
He folded his arms.
"You bear full responsibility for this security breach."
"...Huh?"
Both Evenson and Claire answered in perfect unison.
Neither had expected what came next.
"To ensure classified information remains secure..."
Fury spoke with absolute seriousness.
"...starting today, you are responsible for supervising Miss Ludwig."
Silence.
It was, admittedly, the only practical solution.
Normally, when an unauthorized civilian learned a Level Ten S.H.I.E.L.D. secret, there were only two options.
Permanent detention.
Or permanent silence.
Neither was remotely realistic.
Could S.H.I.E.L.D. imprison a Kamar-Taj mage?
Unlikely.
Who knew how many escape methods sorcerers possessed?
Eliminating her was even more absurd.
Putting aside Claire’s own abilities, there was still Kamar-Taj...
...the Sorcerer Supreme...
...and Evenson.
No one wanted to discover how badly that combination could escalate.
So Fury chose the simplest answer.
Let the boyfriend keep an eye on her.
For all of Evenson’s eccentricities, Fury trusted him where it mattered.
He would never allow S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets to spread carelessly.
Besides...
No one else could realistically monitor her anyway.
And perhaps most importantly...
Evenson would probably volunteer.
"Understood, Director."
Evenson stood up straighter.
"I accept the assignment."
He sounded far more enthusiastic than anyone reasonably should.
Almost as though he feared Fury might change his mind.
Claire blinked.
"...But..."
She tapped a finger thoughtfully against her cheek.
"I came here to monitor him."
She quickly corrected herself internally.
Not because I don’t trust him around other women.
Absolutely not.
It’s because the Sorcerer Supreme ordered me to.
Right.
That’s definitely the reason.
Fury nodded.
"Then monitor each other."
"No objections."
Evenson answered before Claire could even open her mouth.
His grin practically glowed.
This assignment was somehow even more official than a marriage certificate.
Claire frowned thoughtfully.
Something about this arrangement felt...
Suspicious.
She couldn’t quite explain why.
Still...
"...Very well."
She nodded.
Once that matter had been settled, Fury turned the tablet toward her without any further hesitation.
"Miss Ludwig."
"What can you tell us about this species?"
Claire studied the image for several moments before speaking.
"The ancient manuscript described them as..."
"’Blue angels descending from the heavens.’"
"They supposedly brought prophecy and blessings to early humanity."
"The illustration accompanying the passage resembled this individual."
She pointed toward the corpse.
"I’d say... eighty percent."
Fury nodded.
"And how does Kamar-Taj interpret that account?"
"The ’angel’ was almost certainly an extraterrestrial."
Claire answered calmly.
"Why they visited Earth remains unknown."
"However..."
"The Sorcerer Supreme’s personal notes speculate they may have some connection to the Inhumans."
"...Interesting."
Fury’s single eye narrowed.
His mind immediately jumped toward the worst possible explanation.
That was simply how he operated.
The Asgardians had protected Earth.
Even then, they had established a formal relationship acknowledging Earth’s autonomy.
Fury found it impossible to believe another civilization would cross unimaginable distances through space simply to bless primitive humanity.
History rarely worked that way.
Powerful civilizations rarely gave gifts without expecting something in return.
Perhaps...
Those visitors had come to conduct biological experiments.
If so...
The Inhumans might be the surviving results.
"Do your records identify them?"
Fury asked.
"A name?"
"A homeworld?"
Claire slowly shook her head.
"No."
"Kree."
The word came from Evenson.
Fury looked over.
"...What did you say?"
"They’re Kree."
Evenson nodded toward the image.
"If I’m not mistaken."
"They come from the far side of the Milky Way."
Fury leaned forward immediately.
"Tell me everything you know."
For one brief moment, Kamar-Taj’s ancient archives seemed decidedly less impressive than his resident consultant.
"When humanity had only just learned to walk upright..."
"The Kree Empire was already a mature interstellar civilization."
"And it has survived ever since."
He paused.
"Even Asgard treats the Kree with caution."
"That should tell you everything about their military strength."
Fury remained silent.
Then Evenson tapped the image of the corpse.
"Here’s my advice."
"Guard this body carefully."
"And if you ever decide it no longer has value..."
"Destroy it."
"Immediately."
Fury’s expression hardened.
"...Why?"
He already suspected the answer.
He wanted confirmation.
"The Kree Empire has always been aggressively expansionist."
Evenson’s voice grew colder.
"And one of its most infamous leaders..."
"...the Accuser Ronan."
"He commands fleets that roam the galaxy enforcing Kree law on civilizations that never agreed to obey it."
"He doesn’t believe in acquittals."
"If you’re accused..."
"You’re guilty."
"And guilty civilizations tend not to survive."
Evenson offered a humorless smile.
"Most of the galaxy goes out of its way to avoid attracting Kree attention."
"But you’re conducting research on a Kree corpse."
He tapped the screen again.
"If anyone decides that’s desecration..."
"You’ve handed them a perfectly convenient excuse."
The cabin remained quiet.
After a long pause, Fury finally nodded.
"...I’ll keep that in mind."
Whether he truly intended to follow the advice...
Only he knew.
"In the meantime..."
Evenson looked back at the image.
"I need to examine the body myself."
"I have to determine whether Coulson is being affected by residual spiritual influence..."
"...or by the Kree genetic material itself."
Fury exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
He gave a reluctant nod.
"You can examine it."
"Though, for the record..."
"I still don’t believe the Kree corpse is responsible for what’s happening to Coulson."
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