Chapitre 19: Chapter 19 Taxi
"Taxi!"
With a wave of his hand, he called for a yellow cab heading his way.
Colin opened the car door and settled into the back seat, giving directions to the driver from his seat, "Take me to Second Avenue..."
The accident site was quite far from Colin's neighborhood. Considering the dismal conditions of the New York subway, Colin decided to opt for a taxi ride home.
It was a bit costly, but at least he could avoid the peculiar smells that seemed to have a "long history" at the subway station.
Sitting in the taxi, as he watched the neighborhood gradually fade behind him, Colin shifted his attention back to the cab.
Nick Fury?!
But as Colin's gaze briefly met the driver's eyes, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Staring at the man driving the taxi in silence, along with the black eyepatch covering his left eye, a whirlwind of thoughts surged within Colin.
"Why is the S.H.I.E.L.D. director here?"
"Could this be another 'distorted time node'? That would be quite an exaggeration!"
"The esteemed director reduced to driving a taxi... Well, from an aircraft carrier to a taxi, Nick Fury has quite a range of transportation expertise..."
Various thoughts intertwined in his mind, leaving Colin somewhat confused, while Nick Fury in the driver's seat noticed his suspicion.
"Sir.."
Glancing at Colin through the rearview mirror, Nick Fury spoke with his deep voice, expressing concern, "You look a bit pale. Are you feeling unwell? Should I take you to the nearest hospital?"
"No, I'm fine."
In the back seat, Colin shook his head, declining Nick Fury's offer. He composed his jumbled thoughts, allowing the inner turmoil to settle, and spoke with a slightly shaken tone, "I'm just a bit scared thinking about the explosion in the neighborhood."
"Indeed."
Upon hearing Colin's explanation, Nick Fury nodded in understanding. He shifted his gaze from the rearview mirror back to the road ahead and said, "I heard that many people were injured in the explosion. I saw at least ten ambulances rushing there on my way..."
"They say it's another act of destruction by a supervillain."
Leaning closer to the car door, Colin pretended to be casual, resting his hand on the window frame as he spoke.
"Really? I didn't notice."
Driving the taxi past the vehicles ahead, Nick Fury raised an eyebrow, displaying surprise.
"Thankfully, the Thunderbolts team arrived just in time and thwarted this criminal incident."
"Yeah, we can be grateful for the Thunderbolts team."
Hearing Colin's remark, Nick Fury responded accordingly.
...
As their conversation lapsed into silence, a brief moment of quiet enveloped the taxi.
They continued driving in silence for a while.
Suddenly, Colin spoke up, casually glancing at the eyepatch over Nick Fury's left eye, feigning curiosity, "May I ask about your eye?"
"Haha, I thought you hadn't noticed."
In response to Colin's question, Nick Fury reacted as if he had anticipated it.
"Actually, more than eighty percent of my passengers show concern about this, and my standard response is that it's a medal I earned during an extremely dangerous mission. My eye got injured by a close-range grenade explosion, leaving this intimidating scar..."
As he spoke, Nick Fury turned his head slightly, allowing Colin in the back seat to get a clearer view of the injury on his left eye.
Listening to Nick's explanation, Colin looked at the scar on his left eye.
He didn't understand why would he share this with him. Perhaps his earlier behavior had raised Nick Fury's alertness, but why?
"I got you there, haha."
Observing the subtle change in Colin's facial expression, Nick Fury suddenly turned back and chuckled, firmly gripping the steering wheel.
"This trick never gets old..."
Chuckling, Nick Fury looked at Colin through the rearview mirror, explaining, "That was just a joke. In reality, my left eye is merely the result of an infection and delayed treatment, far from the thrilling story I just shared."
"Well, you got me fooled."
In the back seat, listening to Nick Fury's laughter, Colin forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, silently relieved in his heart.
Observing Nick Fury in the driver's seat, Colin watched as he effortlessly navigated through the traffic, his movements so familiar that he seemed like any other skilled taxi driver. Colin began to question his initial assumptions.
Could it be that I misunderstood?
In this reality, due to the influence of a "twisted time node," Nick Fury had indeed become an ordinary taxi driver, no longer the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Recalling the Hydra advertisement he had seen on the large screen in the square, the fact that Nick Fury had become a taxi driver didn't seem so surprising anymore. After all, even Hydra had transformed into a multinational corporation. The disappearance of S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer seemed implausible.
Moreover, if Colin's memory served him right, Howard Stark, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., had unfortunately passed away in the 1990s. Perhaps this event had contributed to the organization's demise.
Shaking his head, Colin silently pondered the mysteries of this alternate world. Everything remained veiled in deep uncertainty. The occasional glimpses he caught only served to further perplex him, such as the sight of Nick Fury behind the wheel.
...
"We have arrived, sir."
As the car came to a stop, Nick Fury turned his head and offered a kind gaze toward Colin in the backseat.
"The total comes to $32."
Nick Fury's voice snapped Colin out of his thoughts. Although he had mentally prepared himself for the taxi fare, a slight pang of discomfort tugged at his heart.
With a slightly pained expression, Colin retrieved two twenty-dollar bills and handed them over. Nick Fury accepted the money with a smile of gratitude, making no move to offer change.
The fare on the meter only accounted for the distance traveled in the taxi. When factoring in the $2.5 starting fee, the 50-cent night surcharge, and most importantly, a tip of over 15%, Colin's payment of forty dollars was an appropriate amount.
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