At the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, in the Triskelion, in the Director’s office.
“Carol, how is the preparation for your Advanced Weapon Observation and Response Center going?” Nick Fury asked with a smile to the short-haired woman opposite him, who was holding an orange cat.
She was one of his few trustworthy friends and also the best friend of his wife, Maria. A former ace pilot in the Air Force, she had been in charge of setting up a special division for alien threats called S.W.O.R.D. after they had faced the Skrull invasion together. This was a rare visit from her space station.
The orange cat Carol was holding was not an ordinary cat but a Flerken, one of the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy. It was because of a scratch from such a Flerken that he had lost his eye.
“Things are on track. Maria told me you’ve had trouble in the past couple of years. Do you need my help?” Carol asked as she stroked the Flerken’s head, a hint of concern in her eyes.
Nick Fury waved dismissively, “Minor issues, I can handle them. Focus on S.W.O.R.D. and the Skrulls. Our biggest enemies are those aliens whose civilizations are far more advanced than ours.”
In his mind, Earth’s problems were minor. Mutants were powerful but represented only a tiny fraction of the population, most of whom were different from his well-trained agents.
The alien civilizations, especially the aggressively expansionist Kree, indeed concerned him. The intelligence gathered during Maria’s years on the Kree homeworld Hala made him acutely aware of the Kree’s power and the universe’s brutality. Civilizations at Earth’s level had been destroyed and conquered by the Kree countless times.
He had been expanding S.H.I.E.L.D.’s influence furiously over the years, hoping to make it the most vital force on Earth, paired with S.W.O.R.D., to prevent potential alien invasions.
He never put his hope in politicians, whom he saw as only interested in money and power, good at internal fights but useless in real action.
“Call me anytime you need help. Goose and Talos are always here to assist you,” Carol said after chatting with Nick Fury, then left S.H.I.E.L.D. with her pet.
Shortly after Carol left, Maria Hill entered with a laptop in her arms.
“Director, the satellite just captured these images.”
“It’s him!” The images showed Hawking standing on a tree trunk, flying towards New York City.
After a battle three years ago, Nick Fury had marked Hawking as a high-priority target, second only to Professor X and Magneto. He had been collecting intelligence on him since.
So far, they knew Hawking was adopted by a couple during the Sokovia conflict three years ago and had since moved to New York to join the mutant school. Beyond that, wartime conditions had obscured further details.
Through collaboration with the X-Men over the years, Fury had gained a deeper understanding of mutant affairs.
Sometimes, to gather intelligence, he had even staged crises to seek X-Men’s help, aiming to collect detailed information on every potentially threatening mutant.
His previous comment to Carol about handling mutant issues wasn’t bluster; he genuinely felt the situation was manageable.
If a severe conflict erupted, the advantage was his as long as preparations were in place.
Devices like Cerebro inhibitors could neutralize Professor X’s abilities. Moreover, it was easy for Fury to manipulate the moral high ground against individuals like Professor X, who held high ideological and ethical standards.
His agents, like Cyclops, Storm, and Jean, were powerful when using their abilities. Still, with the proper preparation, surprise attacks and sniper tactics could neutralize them before they could react.
More dangerous mutants like Wolverine and Mystique, immune to conventional weapons, required different containment strategies.
For Magneto, he could simply send Captain Marvel to overpower him, as few others could match her.
His genuine concern was Hawking, who could transform into a massive ape. Fury still had yet to grasp the extent of his powers or weaknesses fully.
After three years, the already formidable twelve-year-old had only grown stronger.
Due to the tight-lipped nature of the collaborating X-Men, his inability to gather detailed intelligence on Hawking only added to his worries.
Now, with Hawking leaving the mutant school so dramatically, how could he not be concerned?
After a moment, he picked up his phone and dialed Professor X.
“Professor Charles, I’ve spotted Hawking heading towards…”
“Director Fury, rest assured, there’s no issue. Young Hawking just read some comic books and got inspired to use his abilities to help those in need. He’s still a child, as you know. He might lose interest in a few days.”
Hearing Professor X’s explanation over the phone, Nick Fury finally relaxed.
If it were just about playing superheroes and combating criminals, it wouldn’t be a big deal – at most, it would result in some public property damage, which isn’t a significant concern.
“However, we can’t keep going on like this.”
Putting down the phone in his hand, he turned to Hill and asked:
“How’s Magneto doing recently?”
“According to the intelligence sent by our agent that infiltrated the Brotherhood of Mutants, Magneto has recently recruited a mutant who can sense the level of other mutants’ abilities. Now, he’s using this mutant to recruit high-level mutants actively.”
Agent Hill reported the prepared intelligence one by one.
Not every mutant identifies strongly with their status. Mutants are just humans with a special X-gene, fundamentally still human.
Humans have desires and emotions so that S.H.I.E.L.D. can recruit them through various means as agents.
The Brotherhood of Mutants is the kind of organization that recruits any mutant with strength, so infiltrating it is as simple as showing off one’s abilities.
Thus, Nick Fury has always been well-informed about Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants movements.
In contrast, Professor X’s School for Gifted Youngsters is more troublesome. First, the school primarily recruits underage mutants, and second, Professor X’s mind-reading ability makes it impossible to infiltrate.
The only option is to extract information through cooperation with the X-Men.
“This Magneto is bound to cause trouble sooner or later.”
After hearing Hill’s report, Nick Fury frowned. He knew Magneto’s ideology was like a time bomb for humanity, uncertain when it might explode.
“How’s the research on the cure coming along?”
“We’ve made preliminary progress. We’ve identified a unique gene in Jimmy’s blood, which allows him to nullify mutant abilities.
With more time, we could develop a special weapon that can turn mutants into ordinary humans.
Hill swiped on the computer, and a projection appeared on the wall, showing a photo of a bald boy.
“Good. If we can create a weapon targeted at mutants, then whether it’s Professor X, Magneto, or even Hawkeye, they won’t be a problem anymore.”
Hearing this good news, Nick Fury’s mouth gradually curled into a smile.
This three-way standoff game will end, paving the way for one dominant party.
…..
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