At these words, Stan flew into a rage, his face flushing red as he roared, "Explain? Explain what?"
"Do you have any idea the kind of mental pressure we're under at the DEA? Do you know we have to work 18-hour days?"
"The drugs are just a way to cope! Even the President's advisors use them to blow off steam."
"As for the other photos, there's even less to say. Every DEA director in history, every law enforcement agency in the whole damn country does the same thing. Go on, arrest them all. Do you have the balls for that?"
"Heh, and don't tell me you, the director of some secret agency, are any cleaner than I am!"
Stan's emotions erupted as he unleashed his fury on the two men.
Hearing this, Coulson's expression soured, his eyes narrowing to slits. In his mind, Stan was already a dead man. A guy like this belonged in prison dropping the soap. He didn't deserve to be a director, and he certainly didn't deserve to be his colleague.
Fury, who had been cold and terse until now, actually let out a rare laugh.
"Excellent. Well said. To be honest, I never judge my subordinates by their rap sheet. I only care about their ability and their loyalty."
"Your ability is self-evident; the Medal of Honor proves that. But how do you prove your loyalty?"
Stan caught his breath and calmed down. After a full thirty seconds of silence, he looked up and said, "It's too early to talk about loyalty. Time will tell."
"Hahaha... Now that's an interesting answer." Fury laughed. "Congratulations. You've passed the test."
Stan frowned, unsure of what this man was playing at.
Coulson looked even more tense, wanting to speak but holding his tongue. He couldn't understand why the Director would still recruit a man they knew to be so corrupt.
Fury stood up to leave, tossing a slip of paper onto the table. "You have one week to handle the transition. After that, report to Washington. You'll have to undergo a month of special training before you can become a full agent."
Stan unfolded the note. It was an address in Washington, D.C. Hains Point? Isn't that a restricted zone?
As Stan stared at the note, dumbfounded, Fury, who had already reached the door, suddenly turned. His tone was grim. "By the way, do you know Jason Walter?"
Boom. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Stan's heart. His pupils dilated, and his arm trembled slightly.
Fury's sharp eye instantly caught the detail.
An instant later, Stan's composure returned. "America's most wanted? Who doesn't know him?"
Fury nodded. "That's right. America's most wanted. It's a shame. Just half an hour ago, the car he was riding in was destroyed by two Air Force Raptors. His body, and that of the female psychologist, are currently on their way to the NYPD."
With an unchanged expression, Stan chuckled. "That's a real shame. I've had my eye on that massive bounty on his head for a long time."
Fury gave him one last, deep look, then turned and walked out the door.
......
Thump. The office door closed. Stan's face became incredibly grim.
Jason... dead? A wave of panic washed over him. A thousand thoughts tangled in his mind, making his head spin.
When he came to his senses, he found himself standing at his desk, his hand gripping his phone. The cold touch of the device snapped him back to reality, and he immediately let go.
No! That's not right! Jason wouldn't die that easily.
From the look in that man's eye, he suspects my connection to Jason, but he doesn't have any hard evidence. He was trying to bait me.
If Jason was really dead, Fury would have just had the spec-ops team arrest me for interrogation. He wouldn't have bothered with all this talk. I only have value to him as a suspect if Jason is still alive.
Yes, that must be it. Stan let out a heavy sigh, shaking off the dark cloud that had settled over him. He sat back down in his chair and went back to work.
......
Washington, D.C. The Triskelion.
Nick Fury sat in his office chair, touching the invisible earpiece in his ear as he listened intently to the audio feed from the DEA office.
He had deliberately leaned back on the sofa, using the hand hidden from Stan's view to slip a micro-bug into a crevice in the cushions. The bug not only transmitted audio but could also intercept all wireless signals within a 300-meter radius.
Coulson knocked and entered. Seeing Fury still listening, he asked, "Director, it's been almost an hour. Have you heard anything?"
Fury removed the earpiece, shaking his head in disappointment. "Nothing. He's just been working."
"I can believe he's corrupt," Coulson said. "But colluding with Jason, aiding and abetting his crimes? I find that hard to believe."
"Your reasoning?"
Coulson pulled up a chair and sat across from him. "Director, think about it. Stansfield is only in his forties, and he's already been the Director of the New York DEA for several years. Even without the Medal of Honor, he's a man with a lot of power and a bright future."
"Jason can't offer him vast sums of money, nor can he help advance his career. What possible reason would he have to get mixed up with him?"
"Jason is the number one fugitive in the country. If the FBI found the slightest shred of evidence linking them, Stansfield's career would be over. That doesn't fit his personality as a self-serving, risk-averse opportunist."
Fury nodded. "Your analysis makes a lot of sense. But don't forget, we have evidence he helped Jason."
"Not him," Coulson corrected. "His trusted subordinate."
Fury spread his hands. "Would a subordinate dare to do that without an order from his boss?"
"Director, that's just conjecture, it's not evidence. What if the subordinate was acting on his own?"
Fury said, "And that's why we need to keep him under close surveillance. If he really has nothing to do with Jason, his skills could be put to much better use at S.H.I.E.L.D."
"And... what if he is?"
Fury smiled. "Then we turn him. Make him our double agent. Or... use him to feed Jason false intel."
"He's known for over an hour and hasn't contacted anyone. Isn't that enough to clear him of suspicion?"
Fury shook his head. "Of course not. He's a political animal who made it to the Director's chair before he was forty. He's no rookie. His test is just beginning."
"Then... What about Jason? He's the type to seek revenge for every little thing."
Fury wasn't worried in the slightest. "Jason's too busy conquering the New York underworld to have time to retaliate against S.H.I.E.L.D. Besides, with his current powers, what makes you think he's even capable of it?"
Coulson said with concern, "He might not be capable now, but that doesn't mean he won't be later. It's only been six months since his first known crime, and he's already evolved from a common gunman to a super-powered individual. That incredible rate of growth, his potential... that's what's truly terrifying."
Fury narrowed his eye. After a moment of thought, that mysterious smile returned to his face.
"Then... it's time to send him in."
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