"I have no reason to trust you!"
Fury's voice was sharp, his expression still full of suspicion. His gaze locked onto the man before him.
"Tell me, what proof do you have that you're the real Reid and not one of those aliens in disguise?"
Knowing that Fury wouldn't trust him outright, 'Martian Manhunter' patiently explained.
"If I weren't the real Reid, how would these aliens know my appearance and our relationship?"
Hearing this, Fury's resolve wavered slightly.
It was a reasonable point. If this was an imposter, it would mean these aliens had not only traveled from the western United States to Washington, infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database, and extracted information about Reid—but had also returned in record time just to deceive him. That kind of precision and coordination seemed unlikely.
But the next moment, Fury shook his head. He still couldn't bring himself to fully trust this man.
Considering how the fake Coulson had been able to mention the Scarlet Serum, Fury suspected that these aliens might be able to access some recent memories while disguised.
If the imposter knew about Reid through either his own or Coulson's memories, and then extracted specific memories to perfect the disguise, what then?
That Starforce lady hadn't mentioned anything like this, but who was to say she truly understood the full extent of these aliens' abilities?
In fact, Fury was starting to wonder if that Starforce lady was also one of these aliens capable of disguising themselves.
"...."
'Martian Manhunter' sighed inwardly as he read Fury's thoughts through telepathy. As expected, simple logic wouldn't be enough to convince him. If he wanted to gain Fury's trust, he had to prove himself in a way he couldn't refute.
Originally, he planned to keep his abilities hidden until he met Carol. But it seemed there was no choice but to demonstrate something now.
"Alright then," he said, his voice calm. "Let me ask some questions—ones only the two of you would know the answers to, buried deep in your subconscious."
Fury and Coulson exchanged glances.
Questions that only their subconscious could answer? It was possible. But how would Reid know them?
First, 'Martian Manhunter' turned to Nick Fury.
"Agent Fury," he began, "if I were to cut your toast in half diagonally at breakfast, what would you—"
"I would never eat another bite!"
Fury's response was immediate, almost instinctual. He hadn't even processed the question before answering.
"But why?" Coulson asked, genuinely puzzled. "Sir, wasting food is bad."
He frowned, staring at Fury in confusion. What was so special about how the toast was cut?
He didn't get it, but from Fury's reaction, he could tell that the Nick Fury before him was definitely the real one. This answer wasn't a memory but a quirk embedded deep into his subconscious.
Then, 'Martian Manhunter' turned his gaze to Coulson.
As their eyes met, Coulson sensed something was wrong, as if a secret of his own was about to be exposed.
"Wait—"
"Agent Coulson," he went on, unfazed, "if I had a complete set of Captain America trading cards right now—"
"What? Which set? Where? How much?"
Coulson's reaction was far more exaggerated than Fury's.
Fury couldn't help but raise an eyebrow—Coulson, with his serious demeanor, actually had this hobby?
But from his reaction, Fury could tell this was an instinctual response. While the aliens might extract memories, they couldn't replicate the genuine excitement Coulson felt for this hobby.
With just two questions, 'Martian Manhunter' had managed to erase the doubts between Fury and Coulson. They finally confirmed that the person before them was truly human—not an alien in disguise.
But with that settled, another problem arose. Fury and Coulson both turned to the 'Martian Manhunter'—or rather, the man they saw as Reid.
"So Reid, how exactly do you know these things?" Fury narrowed his eyes. "I can say with absolute certainty that I've never told anyone about this habit of mine. I don't even have a roommate, so no one could've figured it out just by watching me."
Coulson silently nodded in agreement.
He had never openly expressed his admiration for Captain America. It was something he kept to himself, treating the hero as a personal idol.
'Martian Manhunter' had never intended to hide this truth, so he saw no reason to be evasive. He tapped his temple lightly before looking at Fury.
"Agent Fury, deep down, you already have an answer, don't you?"
Fury's eyes flickered.
"Telepathy?" His expression turned grim. "You're a mutant?"
'Martian Manhunter' revealed his ability but chose not to disclose his true identity just yet. As for his Martian origins, that could wait until he met Carol.
After all, trust was built through communication.
Once he explained where he came from, he was certain he could gain Captain Marvel's trust. And with that trust, many things would become far easier.
"Whether I'm a mutant or not isn't the real issue here." His voice remained steady. "The more important thing is securing this alien corpse and getting it to a lab. Of course, if you're willing to hand it over to LexCorp, that would be even better."
Fury didn't respond right away.
LexCorp?
If this alien body had been captured by the U.S. government, they might have considered it. After all, LexCorp was deeply involved with government operations.
But S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't the U.S. government.
They preferred to conduct their own research. Gather their own information.
'Martian Manhunter' could sense Fury's thoughts—it was exactly what he had expected.
The U.S. government relied on LexCorp because, on the surface, the two were aligned. But S.H.I.E.L.D. was an independent force. If they wanted to uncover secrets, they had to rely on their own power.
"If handing it over to LexCorp is out of the question, then at least let me observe," he suggested. "Didn't you guys keep inviting me to visit S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters anyway?"
This time, Fury didn't refuse.
As long as the body was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, that was all that mattered. And if Reid wanted to watch and offer insight, all the better.
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