บท 8: Negotiations
(A/N:-1700+ words)
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Fury looked solemn and said, "Please tell me."
"From now on, Natasha is not allowed to use her body for any missions. Unless our partnership is dissolved, I will only ask S.H.I.E.L.D. for help!"
Fury breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's reasonable. I promise you. I will give Natasha an order. From now on, she will not use her body to seduce the enemy."
Alex smiled. "That's good."
The reason Alex was eager to come to S.H.I.E.L.D. was because of this. You know, as an agent, Black Widow uses her looks to the extreme.
In the original plot of "The Avengers," she pretended to be caught by a group of underground arms dealers. Several grown men tied her to a chair and interrogated her. She pretended to be pitiful and in turn obtained information. But in the real world, how could a few arms dealers capture a highly trained spy and just tie her to a chair? They would definitely do whatever they wanted!
With Black Widow's character, it's really possible for her to use her allure for information. Alex couldn't control it in the past, but now that he has a partnership and a mutual agreement, it is absolutely impossible for Black Widow to use her body to perform tasks.
"Now that Mr. Alex's problem has been solved, please answer a few questions for me."
"Proceed."
Fury straightened his expression. "I want to know what the Eastern Powers want to achieve by sending a strong man like you to operate in the West? Aren't they afraid of provoking a major conflict?"
Alex was stunned, but his face remained calm. "You're overthinking it. I'm just an ordinary person. If I hadn't met Natasha, I might have opened a small shop and retired in New York."
Hearing such words, Fury was actually a little angry. "Mr. Alex, let's not beat around the bush. I know that your country looks down on us in the West and feels we cannot handle threats from beyond. But we have an agreement, so there's no need for you to step in. Moreover, we are building a team that is fully capable of protecting the Western Hemisphere."
These sentences contained a lot of information. Alex's expression did not change, but his thoughts were racing. Listening to Fury's words, it seems that powerful individuals exist in the East as well, and the two sides have an agreement not to interfere with each other. No, not just non-aggression, but each protecting their respective territories.
Alex quickly recalled the plot he had seen in his previous life. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avengers' operations are primarily in the West, and they never go to places like Russia or China. At most, they can go to places like Hong Kong.
However, in the Eastern countries and Russia, peace seemed to prevail, and supervillains were rarely mentioned. It would be naive to assume that such vast and ancient civilizations had no superheroes. In Norse mythology, there are Asgard and Thor. The great Eastern countries are even older and may have hidden strong individuals in their myths.
Some clues were vaguely revealed in subsequent plots. For example, in the dojo of the Ancient One, there are Asian sorcerers. Moreover, the ancient sanctum of Kamar-Taj is located in the Himalayas, close to the border of the great Eastern country. The Ancient One's powers are more akin to Eastern mysticism than Western magic.
There is also Shang-Chi, who comes from the mysterious Ta Lo, full of Eastern mythological creatures, including the dragon. It is evident that the East is not without superheroes and gods similar to Thor. On the contrary, there may be more and stronger ones suppressing the Eastern Hemisphere!
For example, Ta Lo suppressed the Dweller-in-Darkness for thousands of years. If Shang-Chi's father Wenwu hadn't used the Ten Rings to open the seal, the Dweller-in-Darkness would have remained confined.
The East is quiet, not because it's overlooked, but because it might be too strong, and dark forces cannot easily breach its defenses. Generally, if a place is frequently attacked, it might be the weakest link. The Western world is the weak link of the earth!
Given his Eastern origin and his significant strength, it's no wonder Fury first suspected he was sent by an Eastern power. After considering this, Alex decided not to pretend to be mysterious and said calmly, "I assure you, I am not affiliated with any government. I am a free agent."
Alex said this with careful consideration. First, Fury would definitely communicate with Eastern powers, and pretending to be a superpowered agent from the East could cause unnecessary trouble. If neither East nor West trusted him, it might lead to stronger individuals pursuing him. Secondly, if he wanted to follow the plot and grow stronger, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trust was essential. If S.H.I.E.L.D. saw him as a threat, he would be turning against the entire Avengers, and the plot could completely change, losing his advantage of foreknowledge.
Fury stared into Alex's eyes and asked, "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Director Fury let out a long breath, and his expression suddenly relaxed. A strong person at Alex's level generally disdains lying. According to intelligence, Fury knew that Alex had been brought to Mexico by his elders when he was very young, possibly after escaping some strong individuals from the East.
Since he is a free agent, can he be recruited? Moreover, he seemed to have a connection with Natasha. If they could become a real couple, wouldn't he be an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Thinking of this, Fury was overjoyed and said, "Mr. Alex, are you interested in joining S.H.I.E.L.D.? We are preparing to form a team here."
Alex said, "Is it the Avengers?"
Fury's expression changed. "How do you know?"
This name only exists in files. He has never told anyone else. How could Alex know?
Alex smiled. "I also know that this name comes from Carol Danvers' call sign. It's a pity she isn't here; otherwise, I'd like to ask her for some combat skills."
Carol Danvers is Captain Marvel, one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. If Thanos didn't have the Infinity Stones, he might not have been able to defeat her. In "Avengers: Endgame," she had a brief confrontation with Thanos, and he had to use the Power Stone to overpower her.
In the end, Thanos removed the Power Stone from the Infinity Gauntlet, and with the help of the stone's power, he punched Captain Marvel away. However, her story timeline took place in the '90s, more than 20 years ago. Now she is somewhere out in the galaxy, protecting other worlds.
For Captain Marvel, who can easily traverse the stars and physically crash through an interstellar battleship, Alex looked at the power he had obtained. It was really not worth comparing.
Alex said, "You don't need to worry about how I know. Everyone has their secrets. You just need to know that I have no ill intentions toward you. Moreover, I am busy with my own affairs and cannot join your alliance."
Fury believed Alex. During last night's battle, not even the military or the Hulk took the initiative to save civilians. Only Alex took the trouble to send people out of the danger zone one by one. How could a person with such a kind heart be a threat? Of course, Alex's kindness was part of it, but no one knew he saved people for system rewards.
Fury said, "Since Mr. Alex is unwilling to join, why don't we make a compromise and have you become a consultant for us? You won't be restricted and only need to step in for major incidents, like last night."
Seeing Alex pondering, Fury added, "This is a win-win cooperation. You can have us handle any small troubles you encounter, saving you time. And... it is also convenient to stay in contact with Natasha."
More contact with Black Widow? Alex was tempted by this. Without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help, he wouldn't be able to find Black Widow on his own.
So he said, "This is feasible. However, I have a few requirements."
"Please, go ahead."
"First of all, give me US$5 million as a deposit..."
Fury jumped up. "$5 million?! Do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. is a bank? No, absolutely not. The most we can offer is $500,000."
"How is $500,000 enough? I promised to give Natasha a home, but I can't even buy a decent house with that amount."
"That's less than $5 million. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget is limited. There are many people to pay and a lot of equipment that needs to be purchased..."
"If you don't have the funds, apply to your superiors. Can't you secure additional funding to recruit a super-strong individual?"
"That's still not $5 million... Just now, you destroyed several of our tanks and armored vehicles, all of which cost money..."
When it came to money, Fury couldn't maintain his cold demeanor and started bargaining with Alex angrily.
In the end, they reached a compromise. Fury agreed to give Alex a deposit of $3 million. Future missions would be paid based on their difficulty.
Alex left S.H.I.E.L.D. satisfied. Fury, on the other hand, had a scheming smile on his face. Spending a few million dollars to recruit a super-strong man who might also become the son-in-law of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future was a good deal in his eyes.
As for Alex, it wasn't that he really needed $5 million. He knew to ask for a high price and settle for what he could get. Three million was enough for now. He still needed funds to build an underground laboratory and buy a house.
As soon as Alex left, Fury had a holographic video call with Black Widow.
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