"What the hell? This temporary Head looks like nothing special, yet he thinks so highly of himself? Us, as his bodyguards? How big of an ego does he have?" The Avengers' base erupted in discussion. Upon hearing the news, the Avengers were first stunned and then outraged, with Johnny Storm leading the charge in mockery.
What a joke. The Avengers were relatively independent, operating under the guise of an official institution purely for convenience, not because they were actually government employees. Why on earth should they be reduced to guarding the Head of State?
Moreover, they weren't just Avengers with superpowers. None of them would be pleased to act as bodyguards for this so-called Head.
Being at the Head's side 24/7? Not only would it be restrictive and boring, but most of the Avengers hadn't even revealed their true identities to the public. Would they appear before the Head in their civilian identities or in full costume?
Wearing their costumes all day long posed a significant risk of exposure. While someone like Doctor Octopus, who was more of an outlier in the Avengers and spent most of his time secluded in his lab with no social circle or loved ones, might be safe from such risks, other Avengers weren't so lucky. If their identities were exposed, it wouldn't just be supervillains targeting their loved ones; government agencies might get involved too, under the pretense of protecting the superheroes' families.
Whether it was the nature of the job or the risk of exposure, it was clear the Avengers were not going to accept the role of bodyguards for the Head.
Even those whose identities were already known—like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, and Doctor Octopus—had no intention of taking on such a role. Tony Stark, among those annoyed by the idea, was particularly irked.
Although Tony Stark had mellowed somewhat after the formation of the Avengers and the many extraordinary incidents they had dealt with, he still didn't hold much regard for the Head, especially a temporary one. Even a legitimately elected Head wouldn't command Tony Stark's respect, much less make him serve as a bodyguard.
Tony's temperament had improved slightly, but in the past, it wouldn't have been Johnny Storm leading the charge. It would have been Tony himself, not just venting in the Avengers' base but storming into the newly rebuilt White House to berate the temporary Head to his face.
As a titan of industry and a superhero, had Tony Stark lost his status in the corporate world just because he became a superhero? Did people think Stark Industries' wealth and influence over the years were a joke?
"Alright, we need to address this," Steve Rogers said once the Avengers had vented their frustrations. He frowned as he spoke, "This temporary Head may be delusional, but other government agencies won't miss this opportunity."
"The way they've banded together over S.H.I.E.L.D. suggests they've struck some sort of deal. Otherwise, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have been saved so easily."
"And now, with this request for us to act as bodyguards, those agencies will likely use this as leverage against us. If we don't act, we'll be in a bad position in the public eye."
"So what if public opinion turns against us? Who cares?" Johnny Storm scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "We've known for a while now that those agencies aren't our friends. If they push us too far, we'll just do what the Saiyans did and wipe out their bases."
"The Saiyans could take out General Ross's base because they weren't officially part of the Avengers. And people know the Saiyans' strength—they wouldn't risk a full confrontation," Martian Manhunter explained calmly. "Hulk had an alibi, too. The idea was to leave Ross with no recourse, but no one expected Ross to be so strong."
"But if we act recklessly, we'll lose the moral high ground. It's not about the agencies; it's about maintaining a stable social environment. The public must not see the Avengers as a tyrannical force like the now-exposed S.H.I.E.L.D. If that happens, there will be no difference between us and them."
"Think about it—wouldn't you hate to see the people's admiration turn into contempt whenever you acted as a superhero?" Martian Manhunter added.
"I don't do much of that anyway, but Spider-Man might have a hard time with it..." Johnny conceded after thinking it over, glancing at Peter Parker.
"We need to figure out how to handle this. We can't actually take on bodyguard duties, so should we send out vampires and werewolves instead?" Peter Parker asked, frowning as he looked around.
"That would be unfair to them, and their identities are still a bit of a problem. We can't just send them to be bodyguards," Steve Rogers considered the suggestion for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'll just build a couple of suits of armor," Tony Stark sighed in frustration. "I'm sure other agencies will take this chance to showcase their own superhuman assets, so I'll make some high-quality, remote-controlled suits that won't be easily hacked. That'll shut them up."
"Looks like that's our best option," Martian Manhunter agreed after exchanging glances with the others.
"Damn it! My own suit upgrades will be delayed again!" Tony cursed under his breath as he stormed off to his lab, while Steve didn't bother reminding him not to swear. He understood Tony's frustration, and a little venting was understandable.
As Steve had anticipated, other government agencies quickly seized the opportunity. A secret meeting was held, involving even more agencies than the last time, right after General Ross had left.
Naturally, the one who orchestrated this meeting was none other than Nick Fury, who had managed to escape S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dissolution.
"Even though the Head is just a temporary position, he's come up with a brilliant way to deal with the Avengers," Fury said excitedly to the other agency representatives during the meeting.
"What has been our biggest problem with the Avengers? Is it that their power is too great, beyond our control? That's part of it, but another major issue is Tony Stark's protection. We've never been able to uncover the Avengers' true identities!"
"If we knew their identities, would we be so passive? Sure, we might not be as powerful as the Avengers, but our numbers, our influence, and our jurisdiction far exceed theirs!"
"I refuse to believe that every Avenger is an orphan or a reclusive figure like Doctor Octopus, who has no family or social ties. If we can find one Avenger's weakness, we can find the weakness of the entire team!"
Fury's speech was passionate and persuasive, quite different from his usual demeanor. But no one doubted him—an effective speech needed to be compelling. Still, even with Fury's impassioned delivery, the agency representatives were not easily swayed; after all, they were all seasoned in the art of rhetoric.
"Heh, easy for you to say..." A voice interrupted as soon as Fury finished. The speaker was none other than General Ross, who had previously given the agencies hope in their struggle against the Avengers and even gained a small victory.
"There are Avengers whose identities are already public. You know Tony Stark's story well enough—Stark Industries has an office building in the most prosperous part of the city, and his CEO, Pepper Potts, is his lover. Yet none of you have dared make a move against her."
"And then there's our Captain. His identity is well-known. Agent Carter is still alive, I hear, and in good spirits, recovering in London. Steve visits her regularly, yet none of you have tried anything there either."
"That's different!" Fury frowned, puzzled by Ross's stance but quickly retorting. "Are you suggesting that every Avenger is a high-profile figure with power and influence? If so, why haven't they all revealed their identities like Tony Stark and Steve Rogers?"
"I'm saying that if you want to fight the Avengers, then do it openly. Don't resort to dirty tricks. Because if you do, you might force the Avengers to cross a line," Ross countered.
"If I recall correctly, you once threatened Dr. Banner with your own daughter. Why the sudden change of heart?" Fury narrowed his eyes at Ross, now suspecting whether the General had been replaced by a Skrull, much like himself.
"My own daughter—how could that be considered a threat?" Ross shrugged as he sat down, reminding them, "I'm just warning you. If you expose the Avengers' identities and go after their loved ones, they might retaliate. Unlike us, the Avengers don't have to play by the same rules."
Ross was hinting that if they pushed too far and Robert intervened, they'd be in real trouble. Ross had survived his last encounter with Robert because both sides had respected certain boundaries. If Robert crossed the line, Ross doubted he'd be so lucky a second time.
Ross wasn't eager to face Robert again, even though his brush with death had reignited his ambitions. That didn't mean he wanted to be the one to provoke Robert into flipping the table and ending the game for everyone.
"Alright, as usual, we'll put it to a vote. Those in favor of pressing the Head's proposal and forcing the Avengers to provide bodyguards, press 'A'. Those opposed, press 'B'. Abstentions will be counted as neutral..." Fury said, scanning the room after Ross sat down.
Ross calmly pressed 'B', confident that most agencies would agree with him. He didn't expect many extremists to want to push the Avengers to the point of no return. However, the results left Ross stunned.
With a staggering 85% approval rate, the plan
to pressure the Avengers into providing bodyguards was passed. According to the rules signed before entering the meeting, all agencies were now obligated to fully support this plan—or face collective retaliation from the others.
"Damn it! What are they thinking? Don't they realize this could blow up in our faces?" Ross felt he had been set up. He couldn't understand how Fury had managed to garner so much support.
It was clear that the Avengers, with their superior strength, were the ones in a position to flip the table. If pushed too far, the Avengers could end the game, and then everyone would lose.
If that happened, how could Ross continue his pursuit of power? He'd likely end up as nothing more than a speck of dust floating in the vastness of space...
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