Chapitre 13: Chapter 13: Eye-opening Revelations.
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Looking at the confused Coulson, Jay decided to shift the topic.
"This isn't exactly a good place to talk. How about we switch to a more convenient location?"
Coulson nodded, quickly ordering through his comms. Before long, they were in a car heading to the New York base.
The SHIELD headquarters, New York branch, was one of the many operational sites across the country. Jay admired the massive building as he was guided inside. Charlotte, who had woken up during the ride, also looked around curiously.
Coulson led them to a luxurious reception room. Jay sat down with Charlotte next to him, while Coulson took a seat opposite him.
Though the room had a welcoming atmosphere, it was, in reality, no different from a cage. The thick concrete walls were equipped with several wall-mounted cameras and emergency buttons.
Behind one of the doors was an armed squad of highly skilled men, ready to come in with guns blazing at the slightest sign of aggression. There were also several pin-sized holes connected to chemical boxes, probably filled with sleeping medications to subdue those who refused to cooperate.
Turning off his X-ray vision, Jay shifted his attention to Agent Coulson, lamenting a bit about his fate. He had been killed several times and revived, lost an arm, lost a girlfriend, been overworked by Fury, found love when he was on the brink of death, and never got to go to Tahiti until the last days of his life.
'Haizz, what a pitiful guy.'
Coulson, slightly put off by Jay's pitying look, still tried to maintain a polite smile and asked,
"So, Mr. Jay Walker, may I call you that? Or do you wish to be called by another name?"
"Jay is fine."
Coulson nodded.
"So, Mr. Jay, according to what we've found, you're a normal person with no notable points aside from a few successful investments in Stark Industries. How did you become someone able to go head-to-head with the big green guy?"
Jay's eyes narrowed as he coldly asked,
"And what do you intend to do with such information? Imprison me? Turn me into a lab rat? Make me your soldier?"
Coulson coughed awkwardly before speaking up.
"We have no such intention, Mr. Jay. SHIELD's principles are founded on protection, so unless your actions have negative consequences on society, there's no need for us to be hostile."
"I don't plan on causing any."
"That's good to hear, but you still need to give us some more information to ensure you're not a threat."
At his request, Jay rubbed his chin in thought before speaking.
"Agent Coulson, are you familiar with the Epic of Gilgamesh?"
A surprised Coulson hesitated before answering.
"I have some knowledge of it—the epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia that is often regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature. Are... Are you perhaps Gilgamesh, the ancient king of Uruk?"
Coulson, a bit confused, suddenly considered an absurd possibility and raised his voice in questioning Jay.
Jay shook his head.
"No, Agent Coulson, Gilgamesh is dead..."
Coulson sighed in relief. The idea of an ancient half-god king in modern times, and not knowing how to react to him, would have been very problematic. Especially since said person could defeat the Hulk; angering him was not exactly a good idea. But Jay's next words made Coulson stiffen.
"... I am his inheritor, though."
Jay grinned mischievously, like a child who had successfully pulled a prank, as he observed Coulson's troubled look.
"So the legend is real? The legend of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, half-man, half-god?"
"In a sense, yes."
At Coulson's doubtful eyes, Jay simply smiled. Instead of getting angry, he casually spoke.
"In legend, Gilgamesh possessed a pair of omniscient eyes."
Coulson raised his brows questioningly.
"So you can see the future?"
"Somewhat. I can see it to a certain extent. To be exact, I see a myriad of possibilities that can happen, as well as the past."
Before Coulson could ask more, Jay continued.
"In 1995, a Blockbuster video store was mysteriously destroyed, and government agents were sent to investigate. One of them was you, and another was the current director of SHIELD, Nick Fury."
Coulson's face changed slightly but he managed to convince himself it was possible the other party had investigated him. Jay, indifferent to Coulson's mental state, continued.
"During the investigation at the LAPD, Fury left the station without you. When you called, he was attacked by a Skrull..."
Before he could finish, Coulson quickly stood up, agitated, and stopped him from speaking further.
"That's enough, Mr. Jay!"
He then quickly ordered his radio to erase the room's recording and shut down all monitoring devices.
Staring at the flustered Coulson, Jay laughed, with Charlotte beside him looking a bit amused. Coulson's face turned stern as he cautiously asked the calm man in front of him,
"How do you know this? This is classified Level 10 SHIELD information!"
Jay shrugged and pointed to his eyes, which made Coulson feel rather helpless. To be honest, he wasn't lying; he had seen 'Captain Marvel' in the cinema using his eyes.
Coulson then excused himself to make a phone call. Stepping out of the room, he took out his phone and dialed his boss. Before long, a rough man's voice came through the phone.
"Agent Coulson, how are you handling the situation with Hulk and that mysterious man?"
He hesitated and chose his words carefully before responding.
"Dr. Banner has calmed down, but he refuses to cooperate unless we allow him to go somewhere to get an antidote for his condition."
Nick Fury, on the other end of the line, frowned, weighing the benefits.
"Unless absolutely necessary, don't let him do that. While Hulk is an unstable factor, if used right, he could be the highest combat force we have at our disposal."
Coulson nodded in understanding before finally steeling himself and reporting on Jay's situation.
"About the other man, he claims to be the inheritor of Gilgamesh, the ancient king of Uruk, and says he can see the past and future."
Fury was about to burst into laughter, questioning Coulson if overwork had caused him to lose his ability to discern fact from fiction. But Fury's next words made him shut up and turn serious.
"... Sir, he knows about the 1995 incident and the Skrulls."
The mention of the 1995 incident and Skrulls made Fury remember the past and feel a sharp ache. That year had changed his life forever and broadened his vision to the world beyond the stars.
Knowing the threat of alien invasion and the chaos if such information were to be spread, he used everything in his power to keep it under wraps.
Only a few high-level individuals had access to such information. One needed to be a Level 10 agent to know, and if not for Coulson's special circumstances and somewhat involvement in the incidents, his rank wouldn't be enough to access such information.
After a few seconds of silence and contemplation, Fury finally spoke.
"Try to establish a good relationship and gather as much information as possible. Also, raise the clearance level of this incident to Level 8."
"Level 8? I'm only a Level 7 agent. Should I move to another mission?"
"No need, Agent Coulson, and congratulations on your promotion. Seems like you'll have to push that vacation to Tahiti back."
"..."
Motherfu—!
My vacation!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone