"We know very little about Saiyans and Superman. Superman is relatively well-documented with numerous appearances, videos, and data. But Saiyans... we lack substantial information about them," Coulson said as he pulled up files on Clark and Robert in response to Nick Fury's inquiry.
"We only know that the destructive power of a Saiyan is immense, potentially on par with an ultimate weapon. However, we don't know their limits. If this battle is indeed related to a Saiyan, then we need to significantly raise our threat assessment for them."
"I don't want conjecture," Nick Fury interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "I want to know the probability that this battle involved Saiyans or Superman. Or is there another unknown, powerful entity on Earth we're unaware of?"
"Based on our current intelligence," Coulson said, swiping through his tablet to bring up more data, "the probability of Superman being involved in this battle is less than seven percent. However, the probability of Saiyan involvement is around twenty-three percent."
"Even combined, that's only thirty percent. Our analysts believe this terrifying battle was likely caused by an unknown entity. Neither Superman nor Saiyans have previously demonstrated such destructive capability, and the analysts are reluctant to believe they possess it," Coulson continued.
"Thirty percent is significant enough. After all, we don't even know who the remaining seventy percent could involve," Nick Fury replied with a wry smile. "In some ways, it's almost better if the fight was caused by them. At least then, we wouldn't be completely in the dark about this battle."
"Do you believe me? Not only do I think this, but other agencies do too. They don't want this earth-shattering power to be something unknown because it would make us feel like frogs in a well, oblivious to the outside world, and always at risk of being destroyed along with our well," Fury continued.
"Contact other agencies. Share all the data we have on Saiyans and Superman. Also, try to coordinate with the Avengers to see what their plans are regarding this incident."
"At the same time, we need to strictly monitor all footage and information related to Superman and Saiyans. We need to see if we can uncover their true identities. Set up a dedicated network system to counter JARVIS and attempt to infiltrate his data to see if there are any relevant details about these two."
As Coulson received this barrage of orders, he instantly had a mountain of tasks to handle. He understood that Fury's orders were a desperate measure. The unknown battle's conclusion was still uncertain, and bringing up Saiyans and Superman was a way to pacify the higher-ups, providing them a semblance of an explanation.
Regarding future battles, if they reoccurred, Fury hadn't said how they should be resolved, and Coulson didn't ask. He just needed to focus on the tasks at hand.
Compared to previous superhuman incidents where they avoided using their trump cards, S.H.I.E.L.D. now seemed powerless. Coulson occasionally wondered about the very purpose of their superhuman agencies.
It was no surprise that Coulson felt this way. Even Nick Fury was struggling under the pressure of this event. How could Coulson, then, not feel the strain?
As predicted by Fury, all official agencies unexpectedly shared their data on Superman and Saiyans. From their first appearances to all recorded footage and written reports, everything was combined and analyzed. This marked an unprecedented direction for official agencies.
All data conclusively showed that both Superman and Saiyans had connections with the Avengers. Even if they didn't originally know each other, they were not enemies, at least on Earth.
So, even as the official agencies tried to pin the blame for the battle on Superman and Saiyans, they had to identify who their adversaries were. It was improbable that these two were fighting each other.
Especially considering that Superman was currently active worldwide, handling various crises. It was implausible that Superman could have killed a Saiyan.
Despite sharing all their data, the agencies still found themselves with scant useful information. Saiyan records were especially scarce, with every appearance described differently, suggesting some shape-shifting ability.
To gather more intelligence on Saiyans, not only had Fury set his sights on the Avengers, but other agencies did too.
Several agencies tried contacting Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, but they were preoccupied with fighting Surtur and couldn't respond to the official contacts.
Dealing with a hellish demon lord was a matter that could impact the entire planet. Even though this Surtur was not of the highest rank and had an even more terrifying lord behind him, it didn't mean Surtur's power could be overlooked.
Surtur's prolonged resistance against the Avengers, Hellboy, and Constantine's combined assault proved his formidable strength. Previous demon lords had not required such unified efforts from the Avengers.
Since they couldn't reach Stark or Rogers, the agencies decided, like Fury, to infiltrate JARVIS's database for information on Superman and Saiyans.
Even if they couldn't find details on them, obtaining other Avengers' data would be beneficial. The agencies didn't believe that superheroes appeared out of nowhere without any networks or backgrounds.
As a last resort, if they couldn't get Avengers' data, they'd at least try to steal Tony Stark's suit designs. Previously, Stark's suits were impressive but not irreplicable, especially after Ivan Vanko's death and the leaking of Arc Reactor data from Hammer Industries.
Even first-generation Arc Reactor plans were useful to the agencies. They could produce large quantities of suits. Though not as powerful as Stark's, they could overwhelm with numbers.
Such mass production and cost-effective imitation weren't just Hammer Industries' forte; many agencies excelled at it. It allowed them to produce cheap yet effective solutions.
However, these agencies now realized Stark's suits had evolved. His suit's power output was on par with nuclear weapons, and he had more than one such suit.
This made Stark's compact ultimate weapons highly desirable, and infiltrating JARVIS offered a prime opportunity.
"Warning…bzzt! Crackle!" As Tony Stark fought, JARVIS's voice crackled in his ear, turning into static and disrupting the Avengers' communications.
Fortunately, the Avengers were fighting close together and didn't need to rely on comms. However, this interference still impacted Stark.
"JARVIS? What's going on?" Stark asked, frowning as he relayed orders to his suits and quickly contacted JARVIS. He knew this disruption wasn't caused by Surtur but something else.
"We're under data breach from multiple sources. Defense systems failing..." JARVIS's voice came back online briefly, warning Stark.
"Continue the fight, I'll handle this!" Stark's expression darkened as he realized the gravity of the situation. He directed his suit to leave the battlefield and began remote assistance to JARVIS while heading home.
Stark's urgency stemmed from the vast amount of critical data in JARVIS's database. While it didn't contain Clark and Robert's true identities, it did include detailed profiles of all Avengers' abilities.
If these profiles were leaked, it would allow adversaries to target the Avengers effectively, not to mention Stark's own secret anti-hero suits.
"Keep the pressure on, don't give him a chance to breathe!" Steve Rogers called out, seeing Stark leave. The remaining suits maintained the firepower, preventing any loss of momentum.
"If you can pin him down, I can finish him off. But if I do, I get to deal with him my way, agreed?" Constantine's eyes gleamed as he addressed Steve and Hellboy.
Since Surtur's advantage faded, Constantine had been helping ruthlessly, aiming to claim the demon lord as a prize to settle his debts. With the Avengers facing a new complication, Constantine seized the opportunity to step in.
"If you can finish him, do it!" Steve replied, unaware of Constantine's ulterior motives. To him, if Constantine could end Surtur, it was a simple decision.
"Go ahead, do it!" Hellboy nodded. He was heavily injured from the prolonged fight and frustrated by his slow progress in gaining power through battling stronger demons.
"Swoosh!"
"Slash!"
"Boom!"
As Hellboy and Steve spoke, the Avengers intensified their assault on Surtur. Facing impending doom, Surtur tried to resist but was too weakened.
With a hum, Constantine's intricate spell paralyzed Surtur. A dimensional rift appeared, and a debt collector emerged. After a brief exchange, Constantine's debt was significantly reduced, and Surtur vanished.
"Just like that?" Except for Hellboy and Kara, who had an inkling of what happened, everyone else looked at Constantine in confusion. Pietro couldn't help but speak up, "If you could do that, why did we fight so long?"
"It's not just my ability. You had to weaken him first for me to seal the deal," Constantine explained, grinning broadly. His successful trade with Surtur left him elated, his joy barely concealed.
"Zoom!"
"Zoom!"
"Zoom!"
At that moment, several fighter jets approached the Avengers' location. The coordinated efforts of the agencies had paid off, and they had extracted some data from JARVIS, revealing the Avengers' engagement with a powerful hell lord.
The agencies reacted swiftly, sending forces to investigate if the battle was connected to the recent destructive events.
This time, the agencies weren't just going through the motions. They even deployed some of their actual high-tier assets.
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