Clint's voice was low but firm. "You haven't seen the things we've done to protect the world."
Alex nodded once, acknowledging the weight behind that statement.
Fury stepped between them, arms crossed. "This isn't a threat, Morrow. It's a warning. You're powerful—maybe too powerful. That makes you a variable. If one day you snap, we'll be ready."
Alex's voice was steady. "And if I don't?"
Fury smirked. "Then we'll be glad to have you on our side."
He turned and walked toward the Quinjet ramp.
"Let's talk while sitting. I'll also show you what SHIELD really is," Fury said, and Alex followed him up into the Quinjet.
"Are you taking me to your base?" Alex asked as they entered.
Fury shook his head. "No. Just a different site—not the main base. But it'll be enough to show you what we do."
Alex nodded, curiosity flashing in his crimson eyes. What kind of black site is he bringing me to?
As the Quinjet lifted off the rooftop, the city lights blurred beneath them. Fury sat across from Alex, arms crossed, watching the young man with the air of someone who had seen too much—and still wasn't sure what to believe.
"You know," Fury said, "when Stark first came out with the suit, we thought he was going to be the game-changer. But you? You're not just tech. You're something else entirely."
Alex leaned back, the leather seat groaning beneath him. "I'm just… someone who got tired of waiting for the world to change."
"And decided to burn your way through it instead?" Fury raised a brow.
Alex grinned. "Only when necessary."
The interior lights dimmed as the Quinjet angled east. A holographic projection blinked to life beside Fury, revealing satellite scans, energy signatures, and a location marked: Site 73 – Anomaly Vault.
"We're going somewhere even most agents don't know exists," Fury said.
Alex glanced at the screen. "Anomaly Vault, huh? Sounds like a place where you dump everything you don't understand."
Fury's eye gleamed in the dim light. "Or the things the world isn't ready to understand."
Outside, clouds swallowed the Quinjet. Below, in the middle of a desolate desert stretch, a hidden underground facility began to open—massive blast doors parting to reveal a landing pad cloaked in shadow and floodlights.
"Welcome to Site 73," Fury said as the Quinjet descended. "Let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes, King of the Underworld."
The Quinjet's ramp lowered with a sharp hiss, and Alex followed Fury down onto the concrete platform. The air was dry, tinged with the faint scent of oil and metal. Stark white floodlights lit the hangar, where SHIELD agents in black tactical gear moved about with quiet discipline.
Fury walked ahead, swiping his clearance card at a nearby console. A heavy steel door rumbled open, revealing an elevator.
"No one knows about this site?" Alex asked, scanning the cold, industrial interior as they stepped in.
"Not unless I want them to," Fury replied. "Not even Stark knows. Not yet."
As the elevator descended with a low hum, Fury tapped a button on a wall panel. A transparent screen slid down, showing feeds from different facility sections: archives, labs, containment rooms.
"What you're about to see stays between us," Fury said flatly. "No grandstanding. No leaks. No funny business."
Alex raised a brow. "I'm not a blogger."
Fury smirked but didn't respond.
The elevator doors opened.
A long hallway stretched ahead, lined with thick glass panels. Behind each—alien metals, scorched devices, fragments of armor. No labels. No explanations.
"This is where we keep the things the public isn't ready for," Fury said. "And honestly? Half the time, we're not ready either."
Alex paused before a glass case containing a burnt metal ring—simple in shape, alien in nature.
"That's from the Ten Rings?" he asked.
Fury gave him a look. "Good eye."
Alex's lips pressed into a thin line. "I've fought their kind before. They're not just mercs."
"No. They're not," Fury confirmed. "That's why we keep tabs. Why we build files. Why SHIELD exists."
He gestured toward another chamber.
"You said you wanted to know what SHIELD does? This is it. We deal with threats before they become global disasters."
They entered a side room—simpler, with a round table and a wall projector. Fury tapped it, and the wall came alive: satellite scans of Stark's escape from the desert, intercepted Ten Rings chatter, and fragments of Tony's early suit design.
Alex folded his arms. "You're already watching Stark?"
Fury didn't flinch. "He's unpredictable. That makes him a potential threat."
"You're one paranoid freak," Alex muttered.
"I once stopped an alien invasion with a girl who could fly in space," Fury replied. "I've seen worse—things that still keep me up. Things that made me question even my own agents."
Alex just nodded. "Let's continue," he said, following after him.
Fury nodded slightly, his long coat swaying with each step as he led Alex deeper through the facility. The Quinjet had landed in a concealed hangar—low-lit, steel walls, security cameras, silent movement all around.
As they passed a transparent window overlooking a data chamber, Fury gestured.
"Everything—satellite scans, intercepted signals, cosmic anomalies—comes through here. We sort it, verify it, and act. Fast."
Alex glanced at one of the monitors. A looping clip of Tony's press conference played again. I am Iron Man.
"Why show me all this?" Alex asked.
Fury glanced over his shoulder as they moved deeper into the facility. "I'm building a team of extraordinary people. People who can fight the battles we never could."
Alex walked beside him, arms crossed. "Let me guess—Tony Stark is one of them?"
Fury gave a nonchalant shrug. "If he doesn't blow himself up first."
Alex smirked slightly, watching agents pass by, all nodding respectfully to Fury. "And you want me on this team?"
"I want people who can make a difference," Fury said, voice calm but resolute. "And from what I've seen, you don't just make a difference. You are the difference. But I need to know you're not going to flip the world upside down on a whim."
Alex said nothing for a moment, then asked quietly, "And if I say no?"
Fury stopped in front of a secure elevator and turned to face him. "Then we keep watching you. Closely. Very closely."
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