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*****
After his brief moment of reflection, Fini started to feel a headache coming on. The "package" currently in his arms was arguably far more dangerous than the bombs detonating on the ground below.
At some point, Black Widow—who had practically clawed her way onto him during the chaos—had wrapped her arms securely around his neck. Her terrifyingly flexible body had somehow contorted itself into a perfect bridal carry position against him. Her pale, supple thighs were positioned right in front of him, making the entire scene look like an intimate moment between a doting couple.
It had to be said—Black Widow's figure was genuinely incredible. Setting aside her obvious curves, her body possessed a unique, uncanny softness. Dressed in her professional attire, she didn't look at all like the kind of woman who could drop a powerhouse like Ivan Vanko with a single kick.
"If I'm not mistaken, should I be addressing you as Mr. Fini? Or perhaps the mysterious Silver Knight?" Natasha brought her alluring face even closer to his, her breath ghosting over his mask.
Fini's heart sank. He felt a sudden, sharp impulse to simply drop her right then and there, but he managed to suppress the urge. Even if he found a way to make her forget his name, he guessed she had likely already reported the information back to her superiors.
"So, how exactly did you find out, Agent?" he asked, his mood soured.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was the kind of organization that would rather investigate a thousand innocents than let one lead slip away. Even if they only had a shred of suspicion, they would eventually dig until they found the truth.
Fini could already guess where the leak came from. It was either Tony or Pepper. Skye and Kamar-Taj had zero chance of interacting with Natasha. Given that Natasha had been working undercover as Pepper's assistant, it was most likely that Pepper had accidentally let something slip.
Fini hadn't expected to keep his identity a secret forever, but he also hadn't expected to be exposed quite this quickly. He didn't blame Pepper; the moment he chose to tell her, he had already accepted the risk of the secret getting out. Besides, he knew Pepper hadn't done it on purpose—staying hidden from an elite master spy wasn't exactly an easy task for a civilian.
Natasha's eyes narrowed slightly. She hadn't actually confirmed her status as an agent yet, but Fini had identified her immediately. Storing this piece of intel away for later, she maintained a bright, charming smile and leaned in even closer.
"It seems you don't intend to deny it," she said in a sweet, cooing voice.
Seeing the Black Widow actively trying to snuggle into his arms, Fini's irritation grew. This wasn't like his female classmates who were just infatuated with him; Natasha's proximity was calculated and predatory.
Deciding to go all in, Fini suddenly accelerated into the sky before abruptly throwing Black Widow off him. As she let out a startled cry and prepared to counterattack, he leaned over and caught her by the leg, leaving her dangling upside down in mid-air.
It's worth noting that the laws of gravity in the Marvel world functioned quite normally. While her tactical leggings might have stayed in place, her professional business skirt lacked the power to defy physics. Hanging there, she unintentionally revealed a glimpse of something unmentionable adorned with purple lace.
Fini tilted his head slightly, wondering for a brief second if he was being a bit too excessive... and then he took another quick peek.
Tsk, so it really is purple.
Natasha felt a surge of genuine alarm. It wasn't about the modesty—she had seen and done it all in her line of work—but she didn't understand why Fini had suddenly turned hostile.
"Can we just talk reasonably? Please?"
Dangling in the air, Natasha didn't dare make any sudden moves. Without any specialized equipment on her person, a fall from this height would result in either death or permanent disability. She needed to figure out Fini's temperament, and fast.
The explosions below lasted only a short while longer. Fini didn't actually intend to hurt her; once the noise died down, he descended to the ground while maintaining her upside-down position, finally letting go just above the grass. With a graceful, athletic flip, Natasha landed safely on her feet.
The feeling of solid ground under her boots clearly put her at ease, though she looked up at Fini, who remained floating in the air, with a sense of uncertainty.
"Our Director would like to get to know you. If it's convenient, could we exchange contact information?" Natasha decided to be direct. Her intuition told her that Fini already knew a fair amount about S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Nick Fury wants to see me..."
Fini wasn't surprised. The bald, one-eyed Director was always meddling. Even if the man had successfully imitated the Ancient One's lack of hair and Odin's lack of an eye, his actual power was leagues behind theirs. Not to mention, he had been running an organization infiltrated by Hydra for decades without noticing—hardly the mark of a competent Director.
However, Fini did give him credit for one thing: Fury genuinely cared about Earth's safety and did his best to protect the planet, even if his methods often led to questionable results.
Fini weighed the pros and cons of a meeting. Now that he had experienced the combined power of his 'Golden Rite' and 'Explosion Magic,' his confidence had grown significantly. If S.H.I.E.L.D. pushed him too hard, he could always drop an 'Explosion: Revised' on their headquarters and see who blinked first.
"Give me his contact info. I'll find a time to reach out to him," Fini finally decided. Aside from seeing if he could solve the 'Obelisk' issue, he had another goal in mind.
When Captain Marvel left Earth, she left the Flerken behind. That creature was incredibly powerful. If he could find a way to trick it into becoming a family pet, his parents' safety would be practically guaranteed. Plus, it looked just like a ginger cat. Besides being easy to hide, his parents happened to love cats.
Trying to find a mobile, common-looking creature like that with a compass was too difficult; it would be much faster to squeeze the information out of Nick Fury.
Hearing Fini's response, Natasha felt a wave of relief. She pulled a specialized phone from her pocket. "Only a specific number can reach him."
Fini drifted down to the ground but looked at the phone suspiciously. He didn't take it. "That thing definitely has a built-in tracker or a wiretap, doesn't it?"
"Forget it. If he wants to reach me, tell him to have Tony send the message."
Fini still held onto a sliver of hope. If possible, he didn't want his identity completely compromised—or at least, he wanted to keep the exposure within a controllable range. If he took that phone and Hydra had the backdoors to track it, he'd be inviting trouble. It was better to let Nick Fury do the legwork.
Seeing that Fini wasn't going to take the device, Natasha didn't press the issue. She had successfully initiated contact, which meant her mission was accomplished.
Just then, Tony, still carrying Pepper, landed nearby along with Rhodey. Seeing Fini and Natasha talking, Tony couldn't help but joke:
"Do you need me to introduce you to my employee?"
"She's not your employee!" Fini snapped, looking at Tony with annoyance. No matter how he sliced it, his identity was out because of these two. He decided to pull the rug out from under Tony's ego immediately.
"She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. You've had an undercover spy living under your roof all this time and you didn't even notice. I really don't know how someone can call themselves a 'genius' with a straight face!"
(End of Chapter)