Chapter 85: Nick Fury
Ethan stepped through the portal first, his leather boots clicking sharply against the cold, sterile concrete. The golden sparks hissed shut behind him, instantly cutting off the warmth of Tony's workshop and the smell of ozone.
He looked around, taking in the environment. He wasn't exactly sure where this place was—he'd just intended 'S.H.I.E.L.D. black site' based on memories of the old Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sets and opened the rift. It looked like a decommissioned Cold War bunker repurposed for high-tech paranoia. Server racks hummed in the dim light, and bulky, boxy 2008-era monitors lined the desks. Definitely not the Helicarrier yet.
Agents in tactical black fatigues were bustling around, but the entire floor froze the moment the magical breach tore open space. Weapons were unholstered and raised in unison. A dozen red laser sights cut through the dusty air, painting dancing dots across Ethan's chest.
Then, Phil Coulson stepped out of the stunned crowd, looking as unshakeable as a man receiving a cup of coffee. He casually raised a hand, gesturing for the tactical team to stand down.
He offered Ethan a polite, professional nod. "Mr. Williams. Good to see you again so... non-portally."
Before Ethan could reply, Tony stumbled through the fading sparks behind him, clutching his scotch glass. He looked like death warmed over, but his brain was still firing on all cylinders. He squinted through the dim light at the armed guards, the reinforced concrete, and then finally locked onto Coulson.
"This is hideous," Tony muttered, wincing at the harsh fluorescent lighting. He looked at Coulson, completely ignoring the guns still half-pointed at him. "Seriously, you work in a place like this? A basement? You have a remarkably good administrative vibe, Roman. Very stoic. Come work for Stark Industries. I'll triple whatever these government spooks are paying you."
Coulson offered a small, perfectly deadpan smile. "Thank you for the offer, Mr. Stark. But I assure you, I'm quite well compensated." He turned smoothly back to Ethan. "Please follow me. The Director is waiting."
He led them down a series of sterile corridors, through multiple security checkpoints that utilized clunky, outdated biometric hand-scanners. It was peak high-level government paranoia for 2008.
Coulson finally stopped in front of a massive, reinforced steel door. He swiped an unbranded ID badge, and the hydraulic locks disengaged with a heavy, mechanical hiss.
They walked into a dimly lit executive office. Standing by a panoramic reinforced window that looked out into an empty, subterranean vehicle bay was a tall man in a long, black leather trench coat. He turned around slowly, the movement deliberately calculated for theatrical effect.
Nick Fury.
The iconic spy face was in full effect, staring at them with a gravity designed to crush the ego of anyone who walked through that door.
Nick Fury. In the flesh, Ethan thought, studying the man. It's always a trip seeing movie characters IRL. The one-eyed pirate captain who starts the whole damn 'Avengers' initiative. Looks exactly like the template.
While there was a spark of inner admiration, Ethan also felt a surge of Dumbledore-level condescension rising up. Why are you putting on airs, huh? Look at this guy. Always wearing that dramatic black trench coat even in an underground office... in the middle of summer. Are you entered in an aura farming competition?
"Mr. Williams," Fury said, his voice a low, heavy rumble that seemed to vibrate the concrete walls. "I finally get to meet the man who doesn't seem to exist on a single one of my databases."
"The feeling is mutual, Director," Ethan said, flashing a confident, easy grin, showing zero intimidation.
Tony, however, had reached his limit with the secrecy. He stepped past Ethan, scotch glass in hand. "Hey, you one-eyed pirate! Who the fuck are you, huh? How dare you put a spy in my executive suite to manage my calendar?"
"Calm down, Mr. Stark," Fury said, his tone remaining deadly flat. "I had no intention of doing any harm to you."
"Harm? She was judging my dietary habits!" Tony gestured wildly back toward the door where Natasha had remained.
"Agent Romanoff was there less to spy on you, and more to protect you," Fury countered.
"Hey, I am Iron Man!" Tony boasted, tapping his arc reactor. "I don't need protection."
"Oh, is that right?" Nick stepped to his desk and clicked a few keys on a bulky keyboard. Instantly, several holographic displays projected into the air.
Tony froze. The displays showed high-resolution surveillance photos of him over the last few weeks. He looked sickly, sweating, with dark veins spreading from the arc reactor. Beside the photos were detailed medical reports analyzing his blood toxicity levels.
"Because according to my data, you don't look good at all, Mr. Stark," Fury stated.
Tony stared at the evidence of his own impending death, then glared back at Natasha, who stood by the door with a neutral expression. "Even your name was a lie. When did you even take these photos?"
"Trade secret, Mr. Stark," she said with a polite, razor-sharp smile.
"You son of a bitch..." Tony muttered, looking back at Nick, his pride taking a massive hit. Mentally, he made a note: JARVIS needs a serious security upgrade.
Nick ignored Tony's rambling and turned his attention fully to Ethan. He sat down at his massive desk, the shadows hiding half his face, utilizing every bit of theatrical lighting the office offered. "So. What brings a master sorcerer and a dying billionaire to my black site via magic portal?"
"We're here for Howard's legacy," Ethan stated bluntly, cutting through the spy games.
Tony instantly stopped grumbling, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "Howard? What's that old man got to do with this circus?"
Fury paused, studying Ethan through his good eye. "Howard Stark was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D. He practically built the conceptual blueprints for this organization. The legacy you're talking about is classified above Omega clearance."
Fury leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk. His gaze became incredibly intense. "You certainly seem to know a lot about us, Mr. Williams."
Ethan leaned casually against the concrete wall, a knowing, dangerous smirk playing on his lips. He knew everything. He knew about Hydra hiding in the walls of this very organisation, he knew about the Tesseract in the basement, he knew about the Captain currently freezing in the ice.
"Oh, believe me, Director..." Ethan drawled, his golden eyes narrowing slightly, reflecting the light from the monitors. "I know significantly more about S.H.I.E.L.D. than you do."
The air in the room grew thin. Nick Fury sat perfectly still for a long moment. Finally, he let out a short, rough breath that was almost a laugh.
"Well, I am not sure how to feel about that," Fury admitted, a rare crack appearing in his armor of confidence. "I have always prided myself as the director of the world's largest, most intuitive spy organization. And look at us now... I know absolutely nothing about you or your little cabal of magicians. And yet, here our deepest secrets are like an open book to you."
"We are Sorcerers, Nick," Ethan corrected gently, though his smile remained smug. "Not some stage magicians. And don't be so disheartened. Comparisons are only useful between opponents on the same level. You should only evaluate an ant's strength against another ant... not against an elephant."
Fury's face darkened, the vein in his temple throbbing. "Are you calling S.H.I.E.L.D. an ant now?"
"Well, it's just a metaphor," Ethan chuckled.
"A correct metaphor," Tony chimed in, taking a celebratory sip of scotch, delighted to see someone else getting talked down to by a smug arrogant bastard.
Fury looked like he was about to blow a fuse. He looked over at Coulson. "Coulson. Escort Mr. Stark to the storage facility downstairs. Hand over the project container marked 'Exodus'. Immediately."
It was clearly an eviction order for Tony. Fury wanted the billionaire out of the room.
Tony didn't argue. He wanted the legacy, and he was tired of looking at Fury's face. "Fine. Come on, Roman, show me where you hide the good stuff." Tony followed Coulson out, leaving Ethan alone with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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