章節 31: Gift
Coulson and Clint climbed back into their SUV and returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Upon arrival, they headed straight to Fury's office to report what had happened.
"So you're saying the witnesses were correct and he had the armor that couldn't be damaged by bullets?" Fury asked.
"Yes," Coulson confirmed with a nod.
"So, where is the armor now?" Fury pressed.
"He didn't want to join yet, and he refused to hand over the armor, so there wasn't much we could do," Coulson explained.
"Yet?" Fury raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. He mentioned he didn't want to join a large organization but said he might reconsider in the future," Coulson replied.
Fury nodded. "And his whereabouts? Do we know where he's been for the past few months, or where he is now?"
"I managed to get a tracker on him, but he figured it out and left it behind. Our agents weren't quick enough to catch up," Clint admitted.
Fury considered this. "How would you assess his character?"
"He's determined, quick-witted, and seems to have a strong moral compass. According to his actions and statements, he believes in taking the law into his own hands to protect civilians from harm, and based on what we saw, he seems to have good intentions," Coulson reported.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Coulson, I have a new mission for you. Clint, stay here; I need a further report," Fury said.
Coulson nodded, a small smile on his face, and left, heading toward his locker.
Once Coulson was out of the room, Fury turned back to Clint. "If you came across him again, would you be able to kill him if necessary?"
Clint's response was immediate. "There'd be only one way to find out."
Fury nodded. "Unknown bulletproof armor, huh… did you see any apparent weaknesses?"
"No, the armor looked fully encased. A few bullets hit his helmet visor, but there wasn't a scratch. The entire suit seems to have the same strength a—"
Suddenly, a loud "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" echoed from downstairs.
"Report, Coulson! Report!" Fury asked in his earpiece, but he got no response.
Maria Hill instinctively drew her gun, signaling to a few agents to follow. Fury was right behind them.
When they reached the lower floor, they found Coulson kneeling, tearing up. "Boss… I found the 'gift' he mentioned…" he choked out.
--
Moments Before
---
"Boss seemed to take the news well," Coulson muttered to himself as he walked downstairs. 'This day couldn't get any better… I finally got the last card for my limited-edition Captain America collection,' he thought, grinning.
"All that's left is to enter the code and put these beauties all together," he said to himself, filled with excitement as he approached his locker.
Putting in the code, he heard the locker unlock. But as the door swung open, Coulson's face froze. Sitting on top of a small box were two pieces of paper.
"I didn't put these here… what's this?" Coulson muttered, picking up the top note. It read:
P.S. I'm sorry there wasn't enough room in your locker for these notes, so I had to take out some of your belongings.
Coulson's heart skipped a beat. 'Wait… no, it can't be!' He snatched the second piece of paper and stared at the small box inside the locker. "NOOOOO!" He fell to his knees, crushed, he had been collecting these cards since he was a child and now they were gone.
With shaking hands, Coulson flipped the first note over and saw the words on the back:
I might return it… if I feel like it. Consider this karma for using my grandpa against me.
The moment he read those words, he understood who was behind this and why. Just then, he heard Fury's voice as his boss came in, followed by Maria Hill and a couple of agents.
"Boss… I found the 'gift' he mentioned," Coulson, tearing up and sniffling.
Fury's brows twitched as he looked at his 'best' officer, who was tearing up. ''Coulson report clearly.''
"Liam left a note about a 'gift' for me. I figured he was bluffing since I didn't find anything in the park. But when I opened my locker just now, I found two pieces of paper that I definitely didn't put there," Coulson said. ''And.... my prized collection of Captain America cards is... gone.''
Fury raised an eyebrow. "You didn't leave them? So he managed to infiltrate this highly secured facility?" Fury held out his hand. "Give me the notes."
While receiving the notes from Coulson, Fury ordered Maria to check the security cameras in the hallways for any information.
After receiving the notes, Fury started reading:
Burn this paper after reading it.
Hello, as I said before to Coulson, I don't want to join S.H.I.E.L.D. just yet. I want to negotiate another time about when I join. For now, I want you or Coulson to bring my grandpa to safety (This has to be completely off any records), since I don't want enemies to use him against me. And no, Fury, I am not a threat to the world; like you, I am trying to protect it. The reason why I don't want to join right now is rather complicated, but I can only ask you one question: Is your S.H.I.E.L.D. really S.H.I.E.L.D.?
P.S. Also, don't try to invite me again for anything less than being an Avenger.
After reading the paper, Fury took out a lighter and burned it. Once the paper had been reduced to ashes, he looked at the crushed Coulson and said, "I have a different mission for you, Coulson."
"Yes, sir," Coulson replied, slowly standing up. Fury heard a voice behind him.
"What's this commotion about, Nick?"
Turning around, he responded, "It was nothing."
"That scream sure didn't sound like nothing," Alexander Pierce said.
章節 32: Alexander Pierce
"That scream sure didn't sound like nothing," Alexander Pierce said.
"Someone lost something important to him, that's all," Fury replied, his expression unreadable.
After a brief pause, Fury's face turned into a smile as he extended a hand towards Pierce. "Good to see you, Alex."
"Good to see you too, Nick. How's everything going?" Pierce asked, shaking his hand.
"It's going good. Any trouble with the council members?" Nick responded.
"Always the same, always the same," Alexander replied with a sigh.
Pierce's eyes narrowed slightly. "Besides that, how did the mission with that armored monster go?"
"Not bad, but not particularly good either," Fury admitted. "He mentioned wanting to join S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future and then ran off."
"So, the armor really was bulletproof then… Hmm. Anyway, you've got that covered, yeah? I need to continue my meeting with the council member from India," Alexander responded.
"Good luck," Nick said as he walked off.
Fury headed back to his office and, once seated, called Coulson in.
"Coulson, I have a private mission for you. This has to be completely off the radar, understood?" Fury's tone was serious.
Caught off guard by Fury's sudden change, Coulson couldn't help but ask, "What's the problem, boss?"
"I want you to create a false identity and secure a new residence for Mr. Harold. We'll gradually move him in without anyone noticing, so make sure it's somewhere out in the countryside," Fury instructed.
Coulson, though slightly confused, nodded. "Okay, boss. But why does it all need to be off the radar?"
"Just a feeling," Fury replied.
Coulson nodded and left to begin his mission. Fury reached for his earpiece.
"Anything you could find on the security cameras, Maria?" he asked.
"No, nothing. Everything's functioning properly, and there hasn't been anyone near Coulson's locker," Maria responded.
Fury fell silent, thinking before finally replying, "Alright, come back up. I need you to call someone who might be able to get more information on Liam."
----
Back at the Sanctum, Liam asked the stationed Master to guide him to the portal rooms so he could return to Kamar-Taj. The Master led him to the portal room, and, upon arriving at Kamar-Taj, he noticed the Ancient One arriving right on time.
"So, have you finished your business, young Liam?" the Ancient One asked.
"Yes, I've temporarily settled it," Liam replied.
"Good. I have a mission for you now," the Ancient One informed him.
"A mission?" Liam asked, slightly surprised, as he didn't remember Strange ever having to go on such missions in the movies.
"Yes. I want you to learn two spells thoroughly. You'll need to master mending dimensional cracks and begin working on Astral Projection. In two months, you'll be required to complete a mission that involves these spells," the Ancient One explained.
"What kind of mission?" Liam asked.
"You will find that out later, young Liam," the Ancient One said before turning and leaving.
Liam began walking back to his room, lost in thought.
'A mission involving Astral Projection and dimensional cracks… I wonder what it could be. It's probably not something involving extremely dangerous enemies like Dormammu or Mephisto, though it could still have some connection to them.'
'The mission is set for around two months from now which would be in October. That could conflict with Tony dealing with Obadiah. I trust Tony can handle it, but I'd still like to be there to help if necessary. That means I need to finish this mission as quickly as possible.'
'Then there's S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra…'
His thoughts went back to the events of the day. 'The conversation went well, and I left a note for Fury, which he should have read by now. Hopefully, I dropped enough clues to make him realize I know something he doesn't and that he'll move my grandpa to safety.'
He'd hinted at his knowledge of the Avengers Initiative and dropped clues to Clint, making it clear he knew their identities, this was all intentional. But the prank on Coulson? He'd done that purely out of pettiness. After all, Coulson had worried his grandfather unnecessarily.
Liam's thoughts shifted back to the prank he'd pulled.
-Flashback-
After arriving at the park, Liam changed his clothes and took out the supplies he'd prepared to start writing the notes. Carefully, he wrote the first note, thanking Coulson and Clint for the "gift" they'd given him. As he finished, he remembered that he still had some unfinished business with Coulson.
'Think… locker… Coulson… 'he thought, concentrating on a mental picture of Coulson's locker and what he expected to be inside.
Liam created a small portal, just large enough to fit his hand through. 'Perfect. Coulson isn't at headquarters right now, so his cards should be in his locker,' he thought as he reached through, feeling around until his fingers grasped a small box. He pulled it through the portal and grinned.
"Oh, I wish I could see his face when he gets back to headquarters," Liam said, chuckling. 'Let's not forget to write the note to Fury… and maybe leave a note for Coulson too. He'd probably like that.'
-End Flashback-
'Heh, I wish I could've seen his face. That must have been a beautiful sight,' Liam mused to himself.
'As for Hydra… I can't just drop a bombshell on Fury and tell him S.H.I.E.L.D. is infected with parasites. He probably wouldn't believe it. That's why I tried to get at his curiosity by hinting that I know about something he doesn't. And revealing my knowledge about the Avengers Project adds some credibility to my words.'
'I can't wipe out Hydra alone without a lot of innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. And it doesn't help that I don't even know most of the Hydra agents. Sure, I know about Pierce and Sitwell, but the countless others in lower ranks? They were just nameless extras in the movies.'
'At our next meeting, Fury will probably have found out some things. By then, we can discuss a plan to sweep Hydra. Still, identifying them all without raising any suspicions will probably take months, maybe even years.'
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