章節 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."
章節 53: Settled
"Alright, that settles it then," Liam said, standing up. "Before I forget, could you do me one more favor?"
Fury's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Liam. "What is it?"
"When you go to Stark in the future, leave my document out of the documents you show him," Liam replied casually.
Fury's expression barely changed. "We can do that," he said, deciding not to waste time questioning the reason. His mind was preoccupied with the document Liam had handed him earlier.
'If what's written here is true, then those fuckers have been in SHIELD all along. There's no guarantee he's right, but it's worth investigating. So far, everything he's said has been accurate—and he knows about the pager. No one knows about that. There's no documentation, no trace. How the hell does he know about it?'
Fury glanced at Liam, his thoughts continued to race. 'The assessment mentioned indestructible armor, a sharp spear, and a whip. He seems capable of summoning them out of thin air. There's far too little intel on him. Could this be an inside job? If those Hydra scum are in SHIELD, it would explain how he got some of this information and how he accessed Coulson's locker undetected. But why reveal himself now if he's working for them?'
Fury's mind continued working over the possibilities before he finally spoke again. "There's one condition you haven't fulfilled."
"And that is?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Your abilities," Fury replied.
Liam tilted his head, a puzzled look on his face. "Why would I tell you about my abilities?" 'He's smart enough to know I wouldn't share everything, and even if I did, he'd never know it.'
Fury leaned forward slightly. "Understanding your abilities helps us for your future contributions. It helps us anticipate risks and plan for effective teamwork in future operations."
Liam considered this textbook answer for a moment and gave a small nod. 'That's fair enough. I should give him a little bit; otherwise, this entire conversation would've been pointless.'
Without hesitation, Liam summoned Incursio around him. "This is my armor, Incursio. It's incredibly durable and has no openings anywhere on my body," he said, gesturing to the suit. "But I'm sure you already knew that."
Without waiting, Liam then summoned Neontote, his spear. "This is Neontote. Like my armor, it's made from the same material but sharpened to an extreme degree."
Finally, he reached behind him and quickly formed a glowing whip using Eldritch Constructs. "And this is my whip. It's flexible, incredibly durable, and almost as tough as my armor, though it's made from a different material."
Fury's eyes narrowed as he observed the weapons. "How durable are your weapons and armor? How sharp is your spear?"
Liam smirked slightly. "Durability-wise, there's barely anything in the world that could break these beauties. As for sharpness, I can cut through steel without any trouble. Does that answer your question?"
"It does," Fury replied, though he was aware Liam was still withholding a great deal. For now, however, Fury had no other options but to accept it.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Liam unsummoned the armor, spear, and whip. "Well, that should be all," he said, moving to leave.
"Wait," came a voice from the right side of the table.
Liam paused and turned to see Ava Starr standing.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Your whip," Ava began, stepping forward. "How did it stop me from phasing? It shouldn't be possible unless it's made from quantum energy."
"It's not," Liam replied flatly. "I don't know how it happened. All I know is that it's just… a special material."
"Is there any way for me to obtain this material?" Ava pressed. Fury observed Liam, paying close attention to her question.
"No," Liam answered. "This is the only bit of material there is I think."
"Where did you get it?" Fury interjected, trying to get more information from Liam. "And how did you make it into armor? Last I checked, an 18-year-old kid doesn't exactly have the resources to forge something like this."
Liam had long expected this question and had already prepared an answer before he came here. He changed to a serious tone. "On a rainy night, a meteor fell from the sky and landed in my backyard. I went out to check, and before I knew it, this armor had formed around me, and I could summon the spear from… god knows where."
His delivery was so straight-faced that, for a moment, no one responded. It was obvious neither Fury nor Ava believed him, but they had no other choice but to accept it.
"Before I forget," Liam added, reaching into his pocket. "Here's my number. Call me if there's a crisis—lots of lives at stake, the world ending, that sort of thing." He tossed a small piece of paper to Fury, who caught it without breaking eye contact.
Fury nodded. "Coulson, show our guest out."
Coulson stood up and gestured to Liam. "Right this way."
Liam followed him out of the room, and they stepped into the elevator. As they descended, Coulson broke the silence.
"See? Like I said, I trust my judgment in you. I look forward to working with you in the future."
Liam gave him a smile. "I look forward to it too, Coulson. Something tells me we'll be working together a lot."
Coulson couldn't shake away a feeling in the back of his mind. His thoughts went back to their earlier conversation in the car but denied the thought as unrealistic.
Once they reached the ground level, Coulson escorted Liam outside to where a car was parked near the Triskelion entrance. "Do you want a ride back?" Coulson offered.
Liam shook his head. "No need. Now that I'm here, I might as well take some time to explore Washington, D.C.''
''Do you want a ride to the city then?'' Coulson offered.
''No thanks, I enjoy walking so I would rather do that." Liam answered.
"Alright. Good day, then," Coulson said, smiling.
"Until next time, Coulson," Liam replied before turning to walk toward the main gate.
As Liam walked to the gate, he noted the presence of multiple people still tailing him. 'Six… hostile intent. Must be Hydra operatives sent by Alexander.'
He maintained his usual composure, greeting the gate guard casually. "Hi, I—"
Before he could finish, the gate opened for him. 'Coulson must've given the heads-up.'
Liam exited and began walking across the bridge towards the city. Though his "tails" had temporarily fallen back, he suspected they were keeping their distance.
Before he could continue, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Wait!"
Liam turned to see Ava Starr jogging towards him. He paused, letting her catch up. "What's up?" he asked.
"Please," Ava began, her voice urgent. "Tell me how you stopped me from phasing. I need to know—it's important."
Liam sighed. "Didn't I already tell you I don't know how it happened?"
"You're lying," Ava said, desperation evident in her voice. "I know you are. My instincts tell me you know exactly how you did it."
Liam studied her for a moment, feeling a pang of pity. 'This girl has been a pawn her whole life—trapped by a disease given to her in the same lab accident her parents died in and afterwards used by SHIELD. They throw some false hope of a cure to make sure she does what they want her to do. It's tragic.'
After a moment of silence, Liam finally said, "You are correct. I do know. But tell me, why should I share my secrets with you?"
"You don't understand," Ava pleaded. "I've been living with this pain my entire life. Every second is hellish pain for me, and because of my condition I'm slowly fading out of existence.''
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