บท 52: Ghost
Fury stared at Liam and answered evenly, "I'm sure this wouldn't have been necessary if it wasn't for the way you handled my agent, Mr. Hawthorne."
Liam smiled, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Please, call me Liam. I understand your reasoning, but there's a reason I specifically asked for a private meeting."
Fury's expression didn't change. "And what would that reason be?"
"Well…" Liam began, his tone casual, "as you are well aware, I know quite a bit of sensitive information. Disclosing it here, in a room with people I don't personally know or trust, might not be the wisest course of action, wouldn't you agree?"
Fury didn't flinch. "Every person in this room is highly trusted within SHIELD. Any sensitive information you might have will remain secure from the outside world."
"Right, right. Secure from the outside world," Liam repeated, just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Well then," he said, leaning forward slightly, "let's start with the first topic: the superhero team. The Avengers Initiative."
Fury's expression didn't change. "What exactly do you want with the Avengers Initiative? As far as I'm aware, that's classified information. You shouldn't even know it exists."
Liam nodded, smirking. "How I found out isn't important right now. What matters is I want to know how far along you are in setting it up."
Fury's tone sharpened. "If you've managed to dig up information about the project, I assume you already know its status. So, spare me the pretense."
"Alright then." Liam smiled wider. "I want to negotiate a deal. I'll join the Avengers Initiative as its first member and give you my assistance when the world's in desperate need. In return, you honor our previous agreement—and make sure the world's governments keep their noses out of my business starting now."
Fury leaned back slightly, assessing him. "Those are some interesting terms, but I'm not sure you're even eligible for the program anymore. You claimed to be on our side, yet when a gaint killer robot attacked a city, you bound up one of my most valuable agents just to watch."
Liam nodded, unbothered. "I had my reasons."
"Reasons?" Fury's voice deepened. "Civilians could have been hurt—were hurt—because of your actions. SHIELD agents, too. According to this assessment from Agent Romanoff…" Fury glanced at Natasha, who was seated quietly nearby, before continuing, "…you're described as deceitful, a pathological liar, a coward, and selfish. Overall? Not recommended. I'm sure you understand what that means."
Liam tilted his head thoughtfully. "Mmm, not entirely incorrect. I can see where she's coming from. But Fury," his tone changed, his eyes locking on Fury's, "are you sure you don't need me?"
"Need you?" Fury shot back. "This is the largest intelligence organization on Earth. What exactly do you think you bring to the table that we don't already have?"
Liam grinned, leaning in slightly. "Let's see… you've got a billionaire playboy playing in oversized toys, a giant green monster—what's he called again? Oh, right. The Hulk. Tell me, Fury, if they ever go loose in a city, is SHIELD really prepared to deal with them without losing thousands of civilian lives in the process?"
Fury's expression remained unreadable. "We'll handle it when the time comes."
"Sure you will." Liam's tone was nonchalant, almost dismissive.
"Even if we couldn't," Fury countered, "there are others who can. What makes you think you're so special?"
"Oh, I'm well aware of everyone on your list to join your little team," Liam said smoothly. "But none of them can handle a Hulk. Not unless you want to press your pager, of course." He leaned forward, his grin sharpening. "But you wouldn't want to call her every time something goes wrong, would you?"
For the a short moment, Fury's expression changed before he regained it again.
'Ah, I struck a nerve,' Liam thought, his grin growing.
"You've got a lot of confidence," Fury said, leaning forward slightly. "So tell me—why? What gives you the guts to walk into a heavily guarded SHIELD base alone?"
Liam shrugged. "Simple. There's no one here who can stop me if I want to leave. If I wanted to, I could kill you and everyone in this room without breaking a sweat."
At those words, Clint, Natasha, Hill, and the brunette agent—reached for their weapons in unison.
Liam sighed, disappointed. "Your armor might be impressive," Fury said, motioning to Ava, "but without it, you're just a man."
Liam's eyes narrowed as Ava activated her helmet, the distinctive multi-eyed design of Ghost's mask instantly recognizable.
'Ah, Ava Starr. That makes sense,' Liam mused. 'I'd almost forgotten about her. She did work for SHIELD during this period.'
Ghost lunged at him, her form shimmering as she attempted to phase. But Liam's movements swift and precise, he summoned Incursio around him and put his left hand behind his back, summoning an Eldritch whip. Liam swung the whip forward and made it bind around Ava's legs, causing her to fall because of the sudden stop.
'So it worked.' Liam thought. Liam had used the whip with dimensional energy from this universe to pretty much anchor her body in this dimension in a physical state. This had stopped the constant phasing and made the whip stick around her.
"Don't bother raising your weapons," Liam said calmly, his eyes flicking toward Clint, Natasha, and Maria Hill. His gaze briefly landed on Coulson, who hadn't moved, a look of approval appeared in Liam's eyes for a moment.
With a sigh, Liam unsummoned Incursio and released Ghost from the whip. "Let's not make this messier than it needs to be, shall we?" He returned to his seat.
"You're testing my patience," Fury said, his voice cold.
"I'm warning you now—don't try that again," Liam said flatly. "Or I won't spare their lives next time."
Without waiting for a response, Liam pulled an envelope from his jacket and slid it across the table. "Now, let me show you something. Decide what you want to do after that."
Fury took the envelope and opened it, scanning the document inside. His expression didn't change, but Liam could sense the gears turning in his head.
When he finished reading, Fury folded the paper neatly and slid it back into the envelope. "How am I supposed to know this is legitimate?"
"You can find out," Liam replied, leaning back. "And when the time comes, if it turns out I'm lying, you're free to kick me out. Deal?"
Fury thought about it in silence. Finally, he gave a nod. "We'll see."
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