"Nick Fury?"
The question escaped Ben's lips before he could stop it. There, strolling sweetly along one of the highest towers of the Galactic Federation, was the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., arm-in-arm with a green-skinned Skrull woman. As they walked, oblivious to the world, they paused to share a passionate kiss.
Ben didn't feel a pang of envy, nor did he feel particularly put out by the public display of affection. His primary reaction was one of detached curiosity, mostly because, in his opinion, the Skrulls had a rather… weighty aesthetic. From his perspective, it looked as though Nick Fury was making out with a giant, bipedal locust. It was certainly eye-catching.
Hearing his name, Nick Fury looked up, his one good eye widening in genuine surprise. "Ben Parker?"
He gently let go of the Skrull woman, his expression shifting to one of pleasant shock, as if he'd just run into an old friend from the neighborhood. He immediately strode forward to greet Ben.
In truth, their shared history was littered with unpleasant confrontations and mutual distrust, but that all felt like a lifetime ago. Now, with the weight of S.H.I.E.L.D. lifted from his shoulders, Nick Fury was a new man. He felt an immense sense of relief, a lightness he hadn't known in decades. The messy, clandestine world of global espionage was behind him, and looking at Ben now, he found the young man surprisingly more pleasing to the eye.
He offered a warm greeting before turning to introduce his companion.
"Priscilla Fury. My wife," Nick said with uncharacteristic simplicity. He then gestured to Ben. "This is Ben Parker, of the Plumbers."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Parker." Priscilla extended a hand, her grip firm and brief as they shook. Ben noted she offered her left hand, which meant he had no opportunity to scan for Skrull DNA with his right. No matter. There was no need to rush; the Galactic Federation was teeming with Skrulls.
"I never expected to see you out here, Fury," Ben said, finding that he liked the former spymaster much more now. When there were no conflicting interests, anyone could be a friend.
Nick nodded, a relaxed smile on his face. "I'm here with another friend. I'll introduce you later. By the way, how is Earth? I heard you and the Captain took down Thanos. That's… damn amazing."
The full might of Thanos's armada could have waged a protracted war against any of the three great empires and likely emerged victorious. Yet that same force had crumbled before the Plumbers. This fact had only deepened Nick Fury's wariness of the new cosmic organization. Though he was no longer on Earth, he was still a spy at heart, doing his best to gather intelligence on the Plumbers, particularly on their enigmatic leader, the King of Sakaar who had personally killed Thanos.
His efforts, however, had yielded very little.
Most of the individuals who knew Ben's true identity resided on Sakaar. Thanks to its unique position at a cosmic crossroads and the defensive power of the Space Stone, the planet was effectively isolated in its own pocket of space-time, utterly unreachable by outsiders. The Plumber branches on other planets were staffed almost entirely by locals, with only a few dispatched personnel from the core.
As a result, Nick Fury had no idea that the formidable leader of this new galactic power was the young man standing right in front of him.
"Tony created an artificial intelligence system called Ultron. Earth is more or less under its control now," Ben explained with a shrug, implying that the planet's fate was no longer any of his concern. "The Avengers have practically disbanded."
"What happened?" Nick Fury was stunned. Just a few months ago, he had heard the triumphant news that the Avengers had repelled Thanos's Black Order. He had been proud, impressed by how well the team had developed. The Avengers Initiative, the culmination of his life's work, had proven to be a resounding success.
And now, it had suddenly been dismantled to the point of collapse? Fury was dumbfounded and immediately pressed for details. Even though he was no longer the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers were still his legacy.
Ben recounted the entire saga, carefully omitting his own manipulative role in the events. By the time he finished, Nick Fury's face had grown darker than the space around them. His wife frowned beside him, her expression grim. Technology was meant to be a tool, she thought, not a ruler. To place humanity under the dominion of a machine was to put the cart before the horse.
"How could you let him do something like that?" Nick demanded, thinking Ben should have stepped in.
"And how would you propose I do that?" Ben asked calmly. "Do you honestly believe he would have listened unless I broke his hands and feet, removed his vocal cords, and locked him in a box for the rest of his life?"
Nick Fury fell silent for a moment, considering it. In fact, even if Ben had beaten Tony into a comatose pulp, the stubborn billionaire would have likely found a way to contact Jarvis with his mind and broadcast the whole affair to the world. That was just the kind of man Tony Stark was.
He sighed, letting the subject drop. Forget it. Let them do what they want. It's not my problem anymore. The thought brought an immediate sense of relief.
Nick clapped a friendly arm around Ben's shoulder and began asking about the Plumbers. "I heard the King of Sakaar is attending this summit, which is why the three empires are taking it so seriously." As he led Ben away, he pointed to the colossal shadows of several warships hanging in orbit outside the station's viewports. "Those are from the Shi'ar Empire. That one over there belongs to the Kree… I hear the Kree are determined to make a move for Ronan the Accuser this time. I'm afraid they might end up in a conflict with you."
He offered the reminder as a friendly gesture before his curiosity got the better of him. "You must be a high-ranking Plumber. Tell me, what kind of person is this King of Sakaar?"
Hearing this, Ben couldn't help but smile. "Why? The legendary head of interstellar espionage wants to ask me for intel?"
Nick wasn't the least bit ashamed. He gave Ben a proud wink. "Connections are a kind of strength, my friend. An agent uses every tool at his disposal." He then admitted honestly, "I did try to get information from Xandar, but it was a dead end. Most people didn't see the King of Sakaar defeat Thanos with their own eyes. They just saw a battle from afar, felt the terrible energy that shook the planet, and saw the moon nearly get torn from the sky. Is that true?"
"It's true," Ben confirmed. Thanos had used the Power Stone's gravity manipulation to pull one of Xandar's moons into a collision course. A little closer, and the tidal forces would have torn both celestial bodies into cosmic dust. But Ben had pushed it back.
Nick listened, finding it all incredible. He didn't think Ben would lie; there was no point. Fooling him was useless if he couldn't also fool the three great empires.
"I wonder who's more powerful," he mused aloud, "the King of Sakaar or Carol?"
He secretly compared their strengths but quickly shook his head. If the rumors were true, then Carol would most likely be no match for the King of Sakaar. At least, not without activating her binary form, he corrected himself.
This only made Nick more curious about the King's identity, and he continued to press the issue.
Ben skillfully evaded the question. "The King will be attending this meeting. You'll find out soon enough, won't you?"
Nick rolled his eye but didn't ask again. Instead, he took Ben on a tour of the Galactic Federation, a place he knew intimately. The handful of Plumbers who had been traveling with Ben found the entire situation ridiculous, watching as Fury failed to recognize the god walking among them. Bill simply waved his hand, dismissing the agents who were about to follow and protect Ben. The King of Sakaar needed their protection? The idea was laughable. If any real danger arose, it would be Ben protecting them.
As Ben and Nick walked and talked, Priscilla excused herself and left. After a while, a blonde woman in a striking red-and-gold uniform approached them.
It was, unmistakably, Captain Marvel.
"This is the friend I wanted to introduce you to," Nick said. "Carol Danvers. Most people call her Captain Marvel. She used to be an Air Force pilot. You know about Project Pegasus, right?" He nudged Ben with his elbow.
Project Pegasus was well-documented in the old S.H.I.E.L.D. archives, a legacy that Norman Osborn had inherited after the organization's fall. Nick figured that given the close relationship between Ben and Norman, Ben must be privy to some of its most important secrets.
Ben didn't deny it. He shook hands with Carol, offering a friendly, brief self-introduction. He gave her a quick once-over, noting that this Captain Marvel didn't have the weathered, middle-aged face he was familiar with from some media. Instead, her features were sharp and delicate. He guessed she was likely a variant from a comic book universe and thought nothing more of it.
Carol, for her part, already had a favorable impression of Ben—or rather, of the Plumbers. For years, she had been a lone force for justice, maintaining peace across the universe as best she could. But she was only one person, and there were only so many people she could help. The continued expansion of the Plumbers, with more and more planets joining their cause, meant that the forces of justice in the universe were growing stronger every day. From a long-term perspective, it was a very good thing.
"Have you considered joining the Plumbers?" Ben asked immediately, extending an olive branch.
Captain Marvel's strength was undeniable. She could tear through battleships with her bare hands and go toe-to-toe with Thanos's top lieutenants. She was one of the premier combatants in the entire universe, and that was without even mentioning her binary form. If he could get her to awaken her own Mana, it would be a massive boon for Genesis's development.
Before Carol could answer, Nick Fury threw up his hands impatiently. "Hey, what about me? I can join, too! The King of Agents, at your service!" His intentions were less than pure. The desire to be a Plumber was a pretense; his real goal was to gather intel from the inside.
Ben didn't care. The Plumbers, like S.H.I.E.L.D., had a strict hierarchy. A low-level agent would have no access to any core secrets. If Nick joined, he'd be working for nothing. And if he really did have bad intentions, Ben could always assign him to latrine duty. Some alien feces were truly, horrifically stinky.
"A Plumber…" Carol murmured, lowering her head in thought. She truly had a good impression of the organization, but she also had reservations. She had always operated alone. If she became a Plumber, wouldn't she be tied down, forced to answer to their headquarters? "It's still—"
Just as she was about to politely decline, Ben interrupted, seemingly reading her mind. "Don't worry," he said with a knowing smile. "We have an outsourced and temporary worker system."
Nick Fury's eyebrow shot up. A temporary worker system? You sly dog!
He had misunderstood, however. The temporary system was essentially for non-staff Plumbers. They would operate under the Plumber name but were not required to obey commands from headquarters. In exchange, they would gain access to the Plumbers' vast intelligence network and basic equipment, allowing them to better carry out their own independent rescue missions.
Of course, Ben's true purpose was to spread more seeds of Mana. Compared to formal Plumbers, temporary agents had no obligation to obey, but they also didn't enjoy the full benefits.
Hearing this, Carol's concerns vanished. She immediately expressed her willingness to join as a temporary Plumber.
That was the answer Ben was waiting for. He immediately handed her a badge. "This can be used for communication, ensuring a stable connection in any environment. It also has positioning, scanning, and analysis functions… it's quite versatile. The rune on the back is the Genesis Key. Once activated, you can temporarily access Mana."
"What's Mana?" Nick asked instantly, hearing the term for the first time.
"It's something I created, inspired by the Nova Force on Xandar. Think of it as a last resort for dangerous situations," Ben said, naturally sidestepping any mention of Genesis. Anyway, giving you the energy isn't a bad thing. Just use it.
Nick Fury was amazed and immediately asked for one himself. Ben handed one over without a second thought. It was a pity Fury was so weak; his life energy was low, and the initial boost from the Mana would be minimal.
The three of them talked for a while longer before Bill strode over to inform them that the meeting was about to begin. They headed to the council chambers together. Nick Fury was still scanning the crowd like a gorilla on the lookout, searching for any sign of the King of Sakaar, but he saw no one suspicious before they walked into the conference room.
The leaders of the great empires had all arrived. The massive round table, previously divided into three equal sections, was now split into four. The three empires each occupied a corner, leaving only the seat designated for the Plumbers empty.
Nick Fury was not qualified for a seat at the main table. He and Carol were led to seats further away, as they represented no major power.
"The King of Sakaar hasn't shown up yet?" he whispered, surprised. This was probably the only person in the universe who could make the leaders of the three empires wait.
His gaze shifted to the central round table. This was the heart of the Galactic Federation, where the voices that truly mattered convened. Others, even powerhouses like Carol, were only considered to have some weight.
Now, those three powerful voices were clearly growing impatient.
Especially the Praetor of the Shi'ar Empire, Kallark. He was a tall, powerfully built man with a prominent black crest of hair, clad in a red and blue uniform. A legendary warrior, Kallark was known to have battled Thor to a standstill, his power fueled by his own unbreakable confidence. The more confident he was, the stronger he became.
And at this moment, he was extremely angry.
This King of Sakaar had requested the Galactic Conference, only to leave the leaders of the empires waiting. It was an insult. He simply didn't take them seriously, and Kallark could not stand for such contempt. So what if he defeated Thanos? Even if the real Thanos were here, he wouldn't dare to show such disrespect to the combined might of the three empires.
He wanted to see for himself what this so-called King of Sakaar was truly made of.