When Drex Valen stepped down as Director of S.W.O.R.D., plenty of people questioned whether Nick Fury should take his place.
When Steve Rogers was chosen instead, however, there were almost no objections.
In fact, most people considered him the ideal candidate.
Without Steve, the struggle for control of the organization might have dragged on for years.
Tony, meanwhile, was still determined to sell his idea.
"This organization has to remain completely secret," he said excitedly after noticing Drex wasn't immediately arguing anymore. "Governments can never know about it. No government on Earth would tolerate the kind of ideas we're talking about."
He leaned forward.
"A strict confidentiality agreement is mandatory."
"And beyond that, we'll need a secure meeting location. Somewhere nobody can monitor us."
Drex sighed.
"You've already chosen one, haven't you?"
Tony grinned.
"Of course."
"Where?"
"Mars."
Drex stared at him.
"That's a terrible idea."
Tony frowned.
"Why?"
"Because people are watching it."
Drex shook his head.
"Humanity has spent generations searching for a second habitable world. If interplanetary colonization becomes practical, Mars will be the first destination everyone looks toward."
Tony immediately waved the concern away.
"They won't get there anytime soon without your technology and mine."
The confidence in his voice was almost painful.
"Enough."
Drex cut him off.
"I've had enough of your arrogance, Stark."
Tony blinked.
Drex's expression hardened.
"Have you considered what happens when a group of people become so convinced of their own superiority that they start making decisions for the entire planet?"
Tony didn't even flinch.
Instead, he looked directly at Drex.
"That's exactly why I need you."
Drex stared at him.
"What?"
Tony spread his hands.
"You're the most important piece of the entire Illuminati."
His voice was completely serious.
"You'd be our leader."
Drex looked even more confused.
"And why exactly would that be?"
Tony didn't hesitate.
"Because you walked away."
That answer caught him off guard.
Tony continued.
"You gave up the most powerful position on Earth."
"The Director of S.W.O.R.D."
"A position with more influence than the President of the United States."
"Control over the world's strongest military assets. The most advanced technology. The most comprehensive intelligence network."
"And you resigned."
Tony's point was obvious.
To him, voluntarily abandoning power proved a level of restraint few people possessed.
Drex rubbed his forehead.
"I stepped down because I was tired of paperwork."
Tony looked unconvinced.
"I'm serious."
Drex sighed.
"The only reason I became Director in the first place was because the threats were starting to affect me personally."
He pointed at himself.
"At heart, I'm still just a businessman."
"That's all I ever wanted to be."
"Tony!"
A familiar voice interrupted the conversation.
Steve Rogers had arrived.
After Drex upgraded him into what was essentially a battleship-class Superman, Steve possessed full flight capability. The moment he'd received Drex's message, he'd crossed the distance without hesitation.
Nick Fury wasn't nearly as fast.
The Director's office and Deputy Director's office sat on opposite ends of S.W.O.R.D.'s headquarters.
And S.W.O.R.D.'s headquarters occupied what had once been New York City.
The distance wasn't exactly small.
Tony clearly had no intention of giving up.
The moment Steve entered, he turned toward him.
"Captain, I need to tell you something."
"This is private property," Drex interrupted before Tony could continue.
He gestured toward the exit.
"If you're planning to discuss classified information, please return to S.W.O.R.D. and leave innocent businessmen out of it."
Steve immediately nodded.
"Come on, Stark."
"We can continue this back at headquarters."
"I'll listen."
Steve had lost all memories related to the Hydra-controlled timeline from his original world.
As far as he knew, Drex was simply a genius even more capable than Tony Stark.
Perhaps more tellingly, Tony actually respected him.
That alone said a lot.
Unfortunately, Tony had other plans.
"We can't go back."
The room grew quiet.
Tony's expression turned serious.
"Because I've discovered Hydra inside S.W.O.R.D."
The statement hit like a grenade.
Steve froze.
"What did you just say?"
At that exact moment, the door opened.
Nick Fury stepped inside.
Unfortunately for him, he arrived just in time to hear Tony's declaration.
Then a gunshot rang out.
BANG.
Drex had already pulled the trigger.
The bullet punched straight through Fury's forehead.
Tony and Steve stood there in stunned silence.
For a brief second, neither understood what had happened.
Then the corpse changed.
The dark-skinned man lying on the floor twisted and shifted.
Skin rippled.
Bones cracked.
Muscles reformed.
In moments, Fury's body had transformed into a grotesque green humanoid alien.
"What the hell is that?" Tony demanded.
Steve looked equally shocked.
Drex calmly lowered the pistol.
"A Skrull."
He pointed toward the corpse.
"Shape-shifting alien species."
"Similar to the Zerg in some ways."
Tony's expression darkened.
"You're telling me we've got another alien infiltration?"
He frowned.
"Did they replace Fury?"
"No."
Drex shook his head.
"This one was working with him."
Tony blinked.
"What?"
"It's Fury's stand-in."
Drex crossed his arms.
"Nick's been using a Skrull double while he hides elsewhere."
"My guess? He's planning to operate from space and coordinate things remotely."
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then a voice emerged from a communication device attached to the dead Skrull.
"...Wait for me."
Nick Fury.
The real one.
Apparently, even he hadn't expected Drex to react with such efficiency.
Or such violence.
The truth was that Fury had never believed Drex could identify a Skrull replacement.
Skrull mimicry and Zerg impersonation worked through entirely different mechanisms.
Just because Drex possessed methods of detecting Zerg infiltrators didn't mean he should have been able to expose Skrulls as well.
Clearly, Fury had underestimated him.
The real Nick arrived shortly afterward.
The moment he entered, Drex spoke.
"Nick Fury."
The tone alone made Tony uneasy.
"I've already submitted a formal recommendation to the United Nations requesting your removal as Deputy Director of S.W.O.R.D."
Fury froze.
Drex continued.
"You handed one of Earth's most sensitive intelligence positions to an alien."
"You granted access to classified information."
"You allowed a non-human operative to occupy a position of authority inside Earth's primary defense organization."
His eyes narrowed.
"Are you secretly working for the Skrulls?"
Tony and Steve both grimaced.
Only now were they fully grasping the scale of the situation.
Fury looked genuinely stunned.
Not because of the accusation.
Because of how fast Drex had acted.
People often forgot that Drex wasn't merely a businessman.
His influence was enormous.
If he recommended action to the United Nations, there was a very good chance they would listen.
Almost immediately.
As if to prove the point, Fury's communicator chimed.
An official notification.
His removal from office had already been approved.
A formal investigation was beginning.
Charges involving collaboration with extraterrestrial entities and compromising planetary security were being prepared.
The projected sentence alone was enough to make most people faint.
Fury felt a headache forming.
He knew there was only one way to salvage the situation.
Explain everything.
Immediately.
So he did.
Without hiding anything, Fury told them the entire story.
Carol Danvers.
The Skrull refugees.
The agreements he'd made.
The reasons behind his decisions.
When he finished, silence filled the room.
Then Drex looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"You're a spy."
The words landed like a slap.
"Professional intelligence officers are supposed to think with their heads."
"Not their emotions."
Drex's gaze sharpened.
"Especially not when you're holding a position as important as yours."
He pointed toward Fury.
"I don't care how harmless they appear."
"I don't care how tragic their story is."
"Whenever an unknown species gains access to Earth, caution isn't optional."
"It's mandatory."
Drex's voice turned cold.
"You trusted them with far too much."
"You failed to establish proper safeguards."
"And you allowed personal feelings to influence strategic decisions."
He shook his head.
"That's not compassion, Fury."
"That's negligence."