In the Director's office at S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury's figure appeared. Whether this was a bio-engineered android or a Skrull imposter was unclear, but one thing was certain: this Nick Fury was not the original.
"Come in," Fury said after a brief silence, glancing toward the door with a calm expression.
"Yes, Director!" The man outside entered upon hearing Fury's command, though he seemed much calmer now than when he had first arrived, no longer in a rush.
"Is there a problem? I didn't hear anything earlier..." Fury asked softly, his gaze fixed on the man.
"I was following your orders to mobilize support, but we've just received new information. The situation at Liberty Island has been resolved, and all major agencies are currently cleaning up the scene. Coulson and the others are already on their way back," the man explained, keeping his head down.
"Alright. When Coulson returns, have him see me. As for Rumlow..." Fury's eyes flickered slightly, hesitating for a moment.
"Director, according to the latest reports, Rumlow has been confirmed dead..." The man hesitated before finally speaking in a low voice.
"Dead?" Fury frowned, then nodded. "I see. You can leave now. Make sure to call Coulson over when he returns."
"Yes, Director." The man responded promptly, quickly turning to leave the office. Despite his curiosity about what Fury had been doing all this time, his years at S.H.I.E.L.D. had taught him to know what questions to ask—and which ones to avoid.
"Hello?" After the man left, Fury pondered for a moment before dialing a number. "Rumlow was your man?"
"Is it done?" The voice on the other end didn't directly answer Fury's question but instead asked with a hint of surprise. "Are you sure you can pull this off?"
"Of course. When have we ever failed? It was just a paranoid guy with too many secrets—nothing too hard to imitate," Fury scoffed, his tone filled with disdain and irritation. "It's just a shame that he managed to take one of our brothers down with him."
"What? You're not Jaros?" The person on the other end was taken aback, then responded angrily. "Jaros is dead? How did that happen?"
"I told you, he was killed by that guy. The two of them died together. Jaros was worried the plan would fail, so he delayed long enough for me to get there and successfully copy the guy. But he didn't leave behind a complete body; I've already reduced him to ashes!" Fury sneered, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Sigh, turning him to ashes won't bring our brother back..." The voice on the other end sighed heavily before continuing softly. "By the way, Rumlow was indeed my man, or rather, Hydra's. But he isn't actually dead. Your side of S.H.I.E.L.D. is in a bit of a mess right now, so I had him fake his death to escape."
"After all, he's a super soldier, not weak among his kind. Someone like him is more valuable than most Hydra members, and he also holds quite a few secrets..."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can't be allowed to fall! It still has its uses. I'll push for our agenda against the Avengers, draw in more resources, and find ways to infiltrate the Avengers to gather more intelligence. S.H.I.E.L.D. must survive, and I need to keep this position!" Fury took a deep breath, his tone serious.
"That might be difficult!" The voice on the other end, belonging to Alexander Pierce, hesitated. Pierce, who had also been replaced by a Skrull, was unsure. Even as a fellow Skrull, Pierce now had to consider his cover and the interests tied to it.
As the leader of his branch of Hydra, Pierce couldn't simply drag Hydra into the open. Doing so would render his disguise meaningless.
"You can reach out to our people, as well as those in Hydra. If necessary, let S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers take the spotlight, and maybe cut a few loose ends..." Fury paused before continuing, "You know how important my position is. And Jaros's death cannot be in vain!"
Had it not been for the deceased Head's exposure of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, the agency could have claimed the data was falsified by the Head to discredit them. Unfortunately, with the Head gone, no one was left to deflect blame onto. The only suspect could be S.H.I.E.L.D. itself...
"It won't be easy. I don't want S.H.I.E.L.D. to fall either. After all, my branch of Hydra depends on S.H.I.E.L.D. for growth. If S.H.I.E.L.D. falls, it will impact me greatly as well..." Pierce sighed, clearly frustrated.
"My connections are solid, but other government agencies and even some branches of Hydra might not be so cooperative. You'll need to make some concessions to keep them on your side."
"A little sacrifice is acceptable, as long as we keep the power in our hands." Fury made a swift decision after a deep breath.
"Alright, I'll make some calls and do my best to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. intact!" Pierce agreed and began his preparations.
"Knock, knock, knock!" Shortly after Fury ended the call, there was another knock at the office door. When Fury responded, a disheveled Coulson walked in.
Coulson had not fared well at Liberty Island. Without the Super Soldier Serum, he couldn't stand a chance against superpowered beings, let alone ordinary soldiers. He managed to avoid the initial bombardment, but once the animal warriors began their counterattack, Coulson had no choice but to hide.
Liberty Island was small, with many government officials and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s recent troubles making it impossible for Coulson to team up with them. Especially since S.H.I.E.L.D. was the first to strike, blowing up the Statue of Liberty and killing the Head, other agencies were quick to distance themselves from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Additionally, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interference had disrupted Baron Strucker's plans, making the animal warriors target S.H.I.E.L.D. agents specifically. The casualties among S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel far exceeded those of all other agencies combined...
Given this, Coulson was lucky to have survived, thanks to the timely intervention of the Avengers and the Martian Manhunter's natural counter to the animal warriors. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been surprising if S.H.I.E.L.D. had been wiped out entirely.
"You'll need to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. from now on," Fury said, cutting straight to the point before Coulson could even speak. The sudden order left Coulson stunned.
"Why?! Director, I may not be the best in combat, but I've always been by your side..." Coulson began, trying to make his case, but Fury interrupted him.
"Don't worry, let me explain..." Fury's decision was in line with his persona, but the real reason was that, aside from his lack of combat prowess, Coulson was indeed talented. He had the potential to infiltrate the Avengers. And once embedded, extracting more information from the Avengers would be straightforward—just replace Coulson with another Skrull.
"You're aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current situation. This time, the challenges we face are even more problematic than our inability to handle superpowered incidents!" Fury continued, his tone serious as he watched Coulson.
"I'll use my connections, along with Pierce, to protect S.H.I.E.L.D., but we may have to operate more openly in the future. When that happens, we'll be more restricted. I need a team that can operate without such restrictions, working in the shadows. Do you understand?"
"I understand!" Coulson took a deep breath, realizing the weight of the responsibility now placed on his shoulders. He knew it was time for him to step up.
"I can provide you with some resources—a helicarrier, a secret base, and financial support. As for who you take with you, that's up to you. Ideally, you'll form your own team, completely independent of S.H.I.E.L.D.!" Fury nodded in satisfaction at Coulson's determination, giving him instructions.
"I understand! I'll start preparing right away and leave as soon as possible!" Coulson, feeling a surge of excitement, nodded firmly and quickly left the office to make arrangements.
"Hopefully, you'll succeed. Once you've settled in, find a superpowered incident to get involved with the Avengers..." Fury watched Coulson leave, his gaze thoughtful and genuinely hopeful.
The resolution of the animal warriors incident didn't immediately trigger actions against S.H.I.E.L.D. Compared to other matters in America, S.H.I.E.L.D. took a back seat, at least officially, as it wasn't seen as particularly important.
The animal warriors incident had caused significant losses among America's top officials. The Head had been captured and taken to the Statue of Liberty, only to die slightly later. But he wasn't the only casualty—his deputy, the Secretary of State, and several others were in the White House, and none left behind intact bodies.
According to American law, if the Head dies or is impeached while in office, the Deputy Head succeeds him to complete the term. If both the Head and Deputy Head positions are vacant, the Senate elects a temporary Speaker to assume the role...
Thus, finding someone to take charge quickly became imperative. However, even this temporary appointment sparked fierce competition, especially with two major political parties involved...
Of course, the American public wasn't too concerned about these matters. They were more interested in whether the Statue of Liberty could be rebuilt. Even though the new statue wouldn't be as beautiful as the one they remembered, it was better than nothing! And the White House needed to be rebuilt too. All these were major issues that had to be handled properly to satisfy at least some people and avoid international ridicule.
Time passed, and the temporary Head was finally inaugurated. The reconstruction of the White House and the new Statue of Liberty began. These became the new Head's early accomplishments.
Yes, the new structure on Liberty Island was named the "New Statue of Liberty." Everyone knew it was new and inferior to the original, so it made sense not to use the old name. After all, naming things "New" was a Western tradition—New York, New Jersey, New Berlin, New Mexico, and so on...
After taking office, the temporary Head attempted to address the S.H.I.E.L.D. situation. In his view, S.H.I.E.L.D. was now in such disarray that it would be easiest to disband the agency, redistribute its personnel and resources, and be done with it.
However, after making this decision, the temporary Head quickly realized what it meant to be a puppet. Thanks to Fury's connections, Hydra's network, and the Skrulls' influence, his decision was repeatedly blocked by various agencies. After much back and forth, S.H.I.E.L.D. was merely downsized in terms of funding and became an official public agency.
This outcome left the temporary Head displeased, leading him to think about the Avengers. As a former high-ranking official, he knew about the tension between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. So he decided to court the Avengers and made a peculiar request.
To prevent another disaster that could wipe out the Head and other top officials, the temporary Head proposed that the Avengers rotate members to act as his personal bodyguards, ensuring his safety.
This proposal shocked not only all government agencies but also left the Avengers utterly bewildered...
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