After parting ways with Tony, Nick Fury opened the door of his black SUV but didn't immediately get inside. Instead, he held the door with one hand and turned to address Natasha.
"It looks like we need to have a conversation with Mr. Parker," he said, his voice carrying the weight of revised strategy.
"We've already approached him," Natasha replied, tilting her head with an expression that clearly communicated: Boss, are you feeling alright?
Nick Fury shook his head slowly. "I mean we need to have a frank conversation with him."
Of course, anyone familiar with Nick Fury's definition of "frank" would understand that perhaps one or two sentences out of ten might contain actual truth. He was frank, but only marginally so. However, once the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director had made his decision, he rarely cared what others thought about his methods.
When midnight arrived, Ben received an alert from Eunice that there was an intruder in the Primus facility. He rushed to the scene and immediately spotted the familiar figure attempting to blend into the shadows, relying on his black leather coat for camouflage.
Nick Fury noticed the unhappy and even angry expression on Ben's face, but he remained unconcerned. This was just a teenager, after all. If he couldn't handle a sixteen-year-old high school student, how could he call himself the king of agents? He might as well resign and hand over the Director position to Maria Hill.
Therefore, he maintained his casual demeanor despite Ben's obvious displeasure. Nick believed that once he explained his purpose and gave this so-called genius a glimpse of the real hidden world, the young man's irritation would transform into fascination.
He had even deliberately mobilized S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire cyber warfare division to attempt penetrating Eunice's systems—a demonstration of the organization's power and capabilities. Nick had learned from experience that when dealing with geniuses, you had to prove your own competence first, or they wouldn't even acknowledge your existence.
But Nick had fundamentally misjudged Ben Parker.
At this moment, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director was sprawled across the sofa in Primus's lounge area, his legs spread wide in a casual display of dominance while he delivered what he clearly thought was an impressive opening statement.
"I have to say, your AI is quite impressive. It's almost as sophisticated as Tony Stark's system, though it's still a step behind."
Nick narrowed his eyes and observed Ben's reaction carefully. He expected the young man to display the same kind of indignant competitiveness that Tony always showed when his work was compared unfavorably to others. That defensive pride would be an excellent opening for recruitment.
But within seconds, Nick's expression changed completely as events spiraled beyond his imagination.
"What the hell?" Ben said, his voice carrying a dangerous edge.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Before Nick Fury could process what was happening, Ben sneered and pulled a large weapon from inside his coat. The black muzzle of what appeared to be some kind of advanced energy weapon was suddenly pressed against Nick's forehead.
Damn, this kid is serious, Nick thought, his mind racing through possible responses. But he didn't move, partly because he was concerned that any sudden action might provoke Ben into firing, and partly because he was gambling that a teenager wouldn't actually pull the trigger.
But a split second later—
A beam of brilliant blue energy erupted from the barrel instantly! The blast left a gaping hole in the sofa where Nick's head had been just moments before.
Nick Fury's reflexes, honed by decades of fieldwork, had saved his life. He had kept his eyes locked on Ben's finger, and the moment he saw the trigger being pulled, he rolled sideways off the sofa. The energy beam missed him by inches, avoiding what could have been a very messy end.
Nick was drenched in sweat as he stared at the smoldering remains of the sofa. If that blast had connected, it wouldn't have been a matter of opening his mind—it would have scattered his thoughts across the entire room.
Having just escaped death by milliseconds, Nick Fury was immediately furious. He crouched on the ground, supporting himself with one hand, his face contorted with rage.
"You pointed a laser weapon at my head!" he shouted. "Are you insane?!"
Ben looked at him with cold disdain. "You attacked my firewall, hacked my system, and broke into my company. I'm being polite by not blowing your head off."
"What do you mean you're being polite by not blowing my head off? You missed!" Nick snarled back, though his voice carried less conviction than before.
"If you had learned to knock on the door like your subordinates do, I wouldn't have fired at all," Ben replied with a sneer.
The dismissive tone in Ben's voice was jarring, but Nick found himself in no position to object. Trespassing on private property and then acting like he owned the place had been a tactical error that had nearly cost him his life.
Ben understood that Nick Fury was primarily trying to intimidate him, and that there probably wasn't much genuine malicious intent behind the break-in. But the problem was that Ben wasn't Nick's subordinate or asset—there was no reason he should tolerate such behavior.
You want to show off your power? Then let's see who gives whom a warning.
Nick Fury, having been called out for his methods and threatened with a weapon that could vaporize him in seconds, found himself wishing he could strangle Natasha. This was what she had meant by "less dangerous"?
If Natasha could have heard his thoughts, she would have protested her innocence. She had said that Ben Parker wasn't particularly dangerous, but she hadn't suggested that Nick should break into his company and start making demands while sitting in his chair like he owned the place.
After delivering his warning, Ben lowered the energy weapon. He had no intention of creating unnecessary problems for himself. The Security Council stood behind S.H.I.E.L.D., and completely alienating them would serve no useful purpose.
"Okay, Nick Fury," Ben said, settling into another chair and crossing his legs. "Just tell me what you want."
Nick was stunned by the casual use of his name. "You know who I am?"
"The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose methods are darker than his coat," Ben replied, leaning back in his chair. "It's not exactly a well-kept secret. I know more than you think, including your trump card."
Nick smiled noncommittally, assuming that Ben was just another young man with an inflated sense of his own knowledge. But then he noticed that Ben's eyes were focused on his belt, where a small device was concealed.
There, hidden beneath his jacket, was his final weapon—a modified pager that could contact Captain Marvel in emergencies.
This kid... he doesn't really know about that, does he? Nick thought, feeling a chill of genuine concern for the first time since entering the building.
Nick's body unconsciously shifted to one side, trying to block Ben's line of sight while he attempted to regain control of the conversation.
"Since you already know something about us, I'll speak directly," Nick said, trying to project calm authority despite the sweat still beading on his forehead. He found another chair and sat down, looking directly into Ben's eyes.
"I have an idea," Nick continued, "to bring together some extraordinary people and see what we could accomplish. When people need us, we could go and win battles that they can't win themselves."
Nick paused, studying Ben's reaction. The attack and the revelation of his emergency contingency had completely disrupted his original recruitment plan. He had intended to impress Ben with demonstrations of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources and technology, but given that Ben possessed advanced energy weapons, Iron Man's armor would probably seem primitive by comparison.
After considering his options, Nick decided to go straight to the core of his proposal.
"Interesting," Ben said. "Then what?"
"I would like to invite you to be part of it."
Ben's response was immediate and dismissive. "Nope."
Honestly, the concept of the Avengers wasn't terrible, but there was no reason for Ben to join such an organization. Instead of becoming S.H.I.E.L.D.'s and the Security Council's unpaid enforcer, why shouldn't he set up Plumbers in earth? He could accomplish everything the Avengers could do, so why should he work for them for free?
Of course, Nick Fury didn't need to know about those plans.
Ben shrugged casually. "Sorry, I don't have time to play superhero with you, Nick Fury."
"You can see that I'm currently running a company. Primus generates millions in daily revenue, and that's going to increase significantly in the future. I don't even have time to count the money. Why should I become a superhero? How much does superhero work pay?"
Nick Fury probably hadn't expected Ben's refusal to be based on such practical considerations. The blunt focus on financial compensation left him momentarily speechless.
You're talking about money—what can I do? I can't exactly offer you a salary, can I?
He did want to, but the problem was, as Ben had pointed out, Primus was generating hundreds of millions in daily revenue. Who could afford to match that? Moreover, Nick was here to acquire resources, not to distribute them.
Still, Nick wasn't ready to give up entirely. "When you work with S.H.I.E.L.D., what you gain sometimes cannot be measured in simple monetary terms."
He was thinking of the kind of governmental protection that S.H.I.E.L.D. could provide. Even a corporation as powerful as Stark Industries faced political constraints in a country controlled by special interests. The congressional hearing that had targeted Tony recently was a perfect example.
However, after Tony had officially reached a cooperation agreement with S.H.I.E.L.D., such harassment had largely ceased. Of course, this was also why Tony had compromised and allowed Rhodes to take the Mark III armor, but regardless, cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D. could indeed eliminate certain unnecessary complications.
But the problem was that S.H.I.E.L.D. itself was the biggest complication. Instead of cooperating with these people, Ben might as well seek out Alexander Pierce directly and whisper "Hail Hydra" in his ear. Then he could go undercover in Hydra and avoid 99% of the problems that S.H.I.E.L.D. would create.
So, facing the incentives offered by Nick Fury, Ben still shook his head.
Nick Fury was deeply frustrated by Ben's stubborn refusal, but in the interest of building a stronger foundation for his organization, he decided to make one final attempt.
"Then what do you want?"
What do I want? Ben smiled.
He had originally intended to ask for Skrull genetic samples, but after consideration, he changed his mind. There should be quite a few Skrulls on Earth, so obtaining their genetic material wouldn't be particularly difficult. However, asking for it directly would easily arouse suspicion about his motives and knowledge.
So he thought of something else—something that would serve multiple purposes.
"I want the Tesseract."
"Impossible!" Nick refused without even thinking about it.
He didn't even ask Ben how he knew the Tesseract was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession, because that question was irrelevant. The most important thing was maintaining control of the most powerful artifact in his organization's custody.