Inside a highly classified SHIELD facility, buried deep underground where the Tesseract was housed under maximum security, Nick Fury strode through the corridors with his usual commanding presence. Agent Hill followed one step behind him, maintaining the professional distance that years of working together had established.
"What's the progress on the weapons research program?" Nick asked without breaking stride, his single eye focused straight ahead.
"Progress has been frustratingly slow," Hill replied after mentally reviewing all the latest data reports. "Although the energy contained within the Tesseract is virtually limitless, it remains remarkably inert. We haven't been able to achieve full activation yet."
She paused, then asked the question that had been weighing on her mind: "Do we really need to pursue this research?"
Hill looked at the Tesseract embedded within its complex array of monitoring instruments, her expression troubled. "We've hidden this from Captain Rogers and everyone else. We've secretly assembled a specialized team and invested enormous amounts of manpower and financial resources, but what we might end up with is a weapon that could turn against us."
"Of course it's necessary!" Nick Fury responded without a moment's hesitation, his voice carrying the absolute conviction that had made him one of the most effective intelligence directors in history.
"We need more powerful weapons to deal with our enemies!"
"What enemies?" Hill pressed.
At this question, Nick Fury stopped walking and fixed Hill with his penetrating stare. After several long seconds of silence, he spoke: "Threats from above..."
And threats from right beside us, he thought but didn't voice aloud.
Instead, he continued his explanation: "Threats from outer space. Those aliens who claim to be gods, wielding power and technology that makes our best weapons look like toys. Are we supposed to face them with conventional bullets and missiles?"
"And then there are these so-called alien security officers from the Plumbers organization, who feel entitled to arbitrarily interfere in Earth's affairs. Who exactly do they think they are? Some kind of space police force?"
Nick Fury's voice carried a distinct sneer.
"We need the strength to face whatever threats come next, and the Tesseract will be the key to that hope. Unlimited energy, unlimited possibilities, and..."
He deliberately let his voice trail off.
Nick Fury was thinking about Project Pegasus and the woman with planet-level combat capabilities. That was the kind of power he was truly pursuing.
What is Steve Rogers compared to that?
His Avengers Initiative had hit walls at every turn. Although the Security Council had loosened their restrictive stance after the recent series of supernatural events, it was useless if no superheroes were actually willing to join the team.
He couldn't just shout "Avengers, assemble!" and then charge forward with a handful of agents carrying conventional weapons.
Nick Fury was a master strategist and intelligence operative, not some berserker warrior.
Just as he was lost in these frustrating thoughts, his phone suddenly rang with an old-fashioned electronic buzz.
Nick reached into his leather coat and pulled out what appeared to be an ancient keypad phone designed for elderly users.
In reality, with SHIELD's substantial budget, every agent had already been issued a state-of-the-art Primus phone. After all, those devices were genuinely impressive pieces of technology.
The technological sophistication was remarkable, and carrying a single Primus phone could replace numerous bulky pieces of equipment.
But as intelligence agents who were extremely cautious about security, it was impossible for them to use Primus phones to transmit sensitive information. There were too many unknowns about their data encryption and potential backdoors.
Whenever Nick Fury visited particularly important locations, he made sure not to bring too many electronic devices with him. Apart from his emergency pager, only this ancient phone remained.
He looked at the screen and saw that the caller ID displayed Steve Rogers.
Nick Fury was genuinely surprised—he hadn't expected Steve to actually call him. After all, this old soldier still wasn't fully adapted to modern life.
But Nick answered anyway, curious about what could have prompted this unusual contact.
"Hello, Captain. This wasn't easy to manage, was it?" Nick said with slight amusement.
"It really wasn't easy," Steve admitted from the other end of the line. "These buttons are incredibly small, and my eyes aren't what they used to be. If this wasn't important, I wouldn't have bothered calling."
Nick found himself genuinely curious about what Captain America could possibly consider "important" enough to warrant struggling with modern technology.
"Spider-Man has agreed to join the Avengers."
Captain America's words hit like a thunderbolt.
"What did you just say?" Nick Fury was so stunned he couldn't suppress the smile spreading across his face.
Finally! I actually managed it!
"Not only Peter, but Ben Parker as well. They both agreed to join. Not only that, but they somehow found our helicarrier..."
These words transformed Nick's surprise into genuine shock.
Currently, SHIELD's helicarrier wasn't flying openly through the skies. Instead, it was disguised as an ordinary aircraft carrier and stationed in international waters. This was partly to maintain SHIELD's secrecy, and partly because constant flight operations were incredibly fuel-expensive.
"How did they possibly find it?" Nick asked, his mind racing through security implications.
"Ben Parker located it." Steve replied with a casual shrug that Nick could practically hear through the phone.
"I'll be there immediately!"
Half an hour later, Ben and Peter, both wearing their uniforms, met with Nick Fury on the helicarrier's main deck.
Nick Fury looked completely alert and energized despite the rapid travel. He settled into a chair across from them and asked directly, "Spider-Man, can you explain why you changed your mind?"
Peter hesitated for a moment, looking genuinely nervous about the meeting. Ben, on the other hand, appeared completely at ease, as if he'd returned to his own home.
Which, technically, this will be eventually, he thought with satisfaction.
Ben casually pulled out a chair and sat directly across from Nick Fury, then said with complete confidence: "Peter didn't agree to your offer immediately because he needed to discuss it with me before making any major decisions. You understand—I'm the one in charge."
Hearing this straightforward explanation, Fury nodded without surprise. The dynamic made perfect sense.
He gestured for Ben to continue.
"Since it was Hydra that killed Peter's parents, it's obvious that we share a common enemy," Ben explained. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say."
Ben had no intention of revealing the complete truth to Nick Fury just yet. This man had far too many tricks up his sleeve and hidden agendas. Even with a shared enemy, there was no guarantee they could work together effectively.
Poor Nick Fury, Ben thought with dark amusement. Not only are all his agents secretly Hydra operatives, but even me and Peter, who just agreed to join, have our own ulterior motives.
Nick Fury: Damn it, I'm completely surrounded by double agents!
"Nick Fury, although there have been some minor disagreements between us in the past, I believe that as long as you're willing to fight Hydra alongside us, we can be valuable allies," Ben said diplomatically.
"Those little misunderstandings are nothing," Nick replied generously, clearly in an excellent mood.
With two new members joining simultaneously, the Avengers team had instantly doubled in size, and Fury felt genuinely optimistic for the first time in weeks.
But he still wasn't completely satisfied and pressed further: "Are there only the two of you? What about Harry Osborn? We know he's been using the Green Goblin armor."
"Harry isn't involved in this particular operation," Peter said immediately, his protective instincts for his friend showing clearly.
Ben nodded in agreement and added smoothly, "Actually, he's not really fond of the 'Green Goblin' name. He hasn't settled on a proper codename yet, so he's planning to step back from active duty for now. After all, you can't realistically expect some idle rich kid to work for you consistently, right?"
"Wise words!" Nick Fury exclaimed, thinking immediately about the rejection he'd suffered from Tony Stark. Ben's assessment hit uncomfortably close to home.
"You seem to have a very clear understanding of human psychology," Fury observed.
"I dabble occasionally. I've read books like 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' and 'The Way of the Wolf.' I'd highly recommend that your agents each get copies. They're much more practical than 'FBI Facial Recognition Techniques,'" Ben said with apparent casualness.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Harry Osborn quietly made his way to the top of Stark Tower.
There, Tony Stark sat in his workshop wearing a partially assembled suit of armor, his legs crossed casually, hands resting on the back of his chair as he watched Harry glide in through the landing platform that he typically used for his own entrances and exits.
Tony's expression showed clear irritation.
"Ben said he wanted to meet with me, but instead of showing up himself, he sends Osborn's heir apparent."
It was no secret that Tony harbored significant dislike for anything connected to Osborn Industries.
"He had other business to handle today," Harry said with characteristic nonchalance.
Among the various second-generation wealthy heirs, Harry was generally considered to have a remarkably even temperament. He didn't smoke, rarely drank, and avoided promiscuous relationships. He barely participated in the typical party scene and focused primarily on earning Norman's approval and respect.
Of course, he had finally achieved that goal.
"He claimed he wanted to discuss some kind of cooperation and that he had something I would find genuinely interesting..." Tony said, studying Harry carefully.
Tony noticed that Harry didn't appear to be carrying anything substantial. It wasn't until Harry produced a small USB drive that Tony's expression became noticeably uncomfortable.
"Please don't tell me he's discovered another new element or invented some revolutionary technology..." Tony said with genuine dread.
"Of course not," Harry replied, though his expression seemed oddly amused. He didn't understand why Tony would assume that, but he didn't dwell on it as he extended the USB drive toward Tony.
"Just place it on the table. I prefer not to accept items directly from other people's hands," Tony said with obvious paranoia.
"So what exactly are the specific details of this proposed cooperation?" Tony asked.
Harry spread his hands in a gesture of ignorance. "He said you'd understand everything once you reviewed the contents. I'm just the messenger."
With that, Harry prepared to leave the workshop.
However, he'd only taken a few steps toward the exit when he turned back and added an important warning: "By the way, it would be best to disconnect from all internet connections before viewing that material. Don't let anyone else know about it, and don't try to contact Ben for the time being. He's probably inside SHIELD headquarters right now."
As he spoke, Harry pulled out a round communication device bearing a distinctive black and green hourglass symbol.
Tony recognized the object immediately—it was clearly Plumbers symbol.
The implications of that recognition sent a chill down his spine.