- SHIELD Main Helicarrier -
Sitting across from Fury was the king of Wakanda, T'Chaka. Under normal circumstances, anyone speaking to the Director would be standing in front of his desk, but not this time. That was the respect a king deserved.
"Why do you think SHIELD would agree to an alliance with Wakanda?"
Hours earlier, SHIELD's central computers had been hacked. Curiously, the attacker didn't delete any files or alter the systems, they only left a single new document, titled, "Message for Fury."
Its contents proposed a meeting to discuss a possible alliance between Wakanda and SHIELD. At first, the on-duty agents didn't take it seriously, but they still escalated the information. It didn't take long for Fury to hear about it.
Discovering that his network had been breached so easily was, for Fury, a serious issue, but not serious enough to ignore a supposed diplomatic offer from the king of the most technologically advanced nation on Earth. So he decided to attend the meeting.
The location was carefully chosen, exactly halfway between the Wakandan border and a precise coordinate over the ocean. Conveniently, that coordinate was where his Helicarrier happened to be stationed.
Just those two actions, a surgical hack and such a calculated meeting point, were enough to force Fury to treat the proposal as coming from an equal, not as a desperate request.
Still, once Wakanda's intentions were laid out, Fury took control of the conversation again. He wasn't sure who was responsible for the hack, but one look was enough to know it hadn't been T'Chaka. Whoever sent it knew exactly what they were doing, they demonstrated technological superiority without direct threats, while also leaving the door open to deny all responsibility if the relationship evolved positively. It wasn't just technological dominance, it was political strategy.
T'Chaka, however, was not a naïve king. He described himself as a pacifist, not out of weakness but by choice. According to his own words, if Wakanda went to war against both China and the United States at the same time, they would win, but at great cost. That was exactly why he was here, to avoid that cost.
When Fury heard that, he couldn't help but smile to himself, a cynical thought crossing his mind.
"There are no unnecessary casualties if they help you reach your goal."
In that moment, he adjusted his evaluation, T'Chaka was no longer an immediate threat. Now, he was a negotiator. And as such, Fury had to figure out what he could gain from the table.
T'Chaka noticed the change but ignored it. He was aware of his daughter's tactics, and of the man's intentions sitting in front of him. But it didn't matter. He knew SHIELD was looking for benefits, and he had come to offer them. Not only that, he also knew the world's knowledge about Wakanda was practically nonexistent. Anything he said would be considered valuable revelation.
And even so, he chose to offer something strong from the start. He understood that a solid alliance required mutual trust.
"Vibranium. SHIELD will have access to the only source in the world, in exchange for a fair price, of course."
Fury's eyebrows lifted by a fraction of a second. It was so quick that no one noticed. He hadn't expected Wakanda to offer its greatest treasure so early.
"What about the information?"
"Information will be sold separately. Though it will be limited to the use and properties of Vibranium. No details about our technology."
"That seems fair," Fury replied.
T'Chaka smiled calmly.
"Then, Director Fury, shall we seal the deal?"
Fury nodded.
"Perfect. I'll have the contract drafted so we can outline all the details."
---
Meanwhile, in Leonardo's room...
If anyone had been watching him at that moment, they would've seen him simply staring at the air in front of him.
Of course, he wasn't looking at the air. What was in front of his eyes was the system window. More specifically, a notification that appeared just as he was about to level up.
[Ding!]
[You have far exceeded the threshold to reach Level 5. Do you want to use all the XP and advance directly to Level 5.5?]
"Five point five? What's the difference from Level Five?"
[The difference is the unique power. A Level 5.5 unique power surpasses not only what you could achieve at Level 5, but even what you could do with the corresponding gem.]
That last part made him frown. That the power was greater than a gem's... was unexpected.
At this stage, he had only two gems left to unlock, Reality and Time. From the first level onward, every new power he obtained was linked to one of them. And although in theory it was linear, the difference between the power at Level 1 and Level 4 was immense. So the idea that a Level 5.5 power would surpass even what he could do with the corresponding gem told him something clear, Level 6 would go beyond any stone. And Level 7, the only one not linked to any gem, was simply inconceivable.
Without hesitation, Leonardo mentally accepted. He leveled up for the first time in a long while.
"Status."
He could've thought it, but he still said it out loud. A window appeared in front of him.
---
Status:
Name: Leonardo Valentino
Mission: Become the number one artist in the world [In Progress (99%)]
Level: 5 (0 / 3,500,000,000)
Active Powers: Soul, Mind, Space, Power, Reality
Unique Skill: Anonymus Wereabouts
---
Leonardo decided to ignore, for his own mental health, the ridiculous amount of experience needed for the next level. Instead, he clicked on "Reality" to read the detailed description of his new power.
[Active Power: Reality]
Allows the user to modify reality within the margins of logic, ignorance, and probability.
Future:
Turns probabilities into present facts.
Allows the user to manifest future outcomes ahead of time, as long as:
They are possible within the causal flow.
There is prior evidence (or intent) that they would happen.
Past:
Rewrites past causes to alter present effects.
Can only be applied if:
The original cause is unknown, forgotten, or unrecorded.
The current effect can be maintained without breaking global logic.
Present:
Rewrites events that occurred in front of the user within a 5-second window.
Requires:
The user's direct presence at the event's location.
A plausible alternative possibility, even if improbable.
______________________________________
+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)