Hearing Maguire, Garfield and Holland were still shocked, but they had already accepted him as the backbone of the Spider Alliance.
Garfield looked at him.
"Then… should I call her? What do I say?
Also, should we keep your identity secret?"
"What a joke. Spider Alliance? More like pig alliance," Maguire snorted.
"As for my identity, no need to hide it. They've probably dug up most of it already. Just tell them straight."
Power let him be blunt.
Garfield braced himself and dialed Natasha.
At S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, Nick Fury told Natasha,
"The Avengers initiative needs to move—fast. Earth's getting messy.
Those two kids—we must recruit them into S.H.I.E.L.D.
And that big green guy—I want a way to reach him."
Just then, Natasha's phone rang. It was Garfield. She answered at once.
On the line, Garfield deliberately put on a cocky tone.
"Hey! That guy from yesterday—he's with our Spider Alliance!
If you want us in S.H.I.E.L.D., have your Director, Nick Fury, come in person!"
Before Natasha could reply, Garfield hung up.
Fury and Barton traded startled looks.
"That terrifying guy from yesterday… he's with the Spider Alliance? What even is the Spider Alliance?"
Natasha's heart was a storm. She had suspected Maguire was the black-suited monster, but hearing it confirmed still rattled her.
No wonder he'd been so overwhelming that day…
Answering Fury's question, Natasha said,
"Looks like the 'Spider Alliance' is those two kids plus that terrifying powerhouse."
Fury's brow tightened. Garfield's tone had been… arrogant.
And though the mystery strongman was terrifying, Nick Fury wasn't one to bow easily.
Barton probed, "So… what now?"
A glint flashed in Fury's one good eye.
"He said come in person? Fine. We go in person. You two are coming with me."
Natasha and Hawkeye both nodded. For some reason, the news left Natasha oddly tense.
Back at Holland's home, Maguire said to Garfield and Holland,
"Alright. From here on, you two don't need to handle the rest."
He headed downstairs.
After he left, Garfield gave Holland a strange look.
"Holland… didn't you notice how well Maguire and your Aunt May get along?"
Holland didn't catch his drift and laughed it off.
Seeing that, Garfield could only smile. "Well—maybe that's a good thing."
By noon, under Maguire's patient coaching, Aunt May had made a few dishes that looked quite good.
At the table, she smiled at him.
"I have to say, Holland's friend is very… charming."
In her mind, she simply admired Maguire.
If she got shy at times, it was only because she hadn't interacted much with men—especially younger ones.
Garfield and Holland came downstairs. Holland, ever casual, eyed the spread.
Garfield, more observant, watched Maguire and Aunt May and thought,
"Something feels… unusual between them.
Is there… a chance?
Dear lord—if Aunt May and Maguire end up together, wouldn't that make him Holland's uncle-in-law?"
The meal ended quickly, and afternoon came.
Garfield's phone rang again. It was Natasha. He glanced at Maguire.
Maguire said, "Have them set the place."
At a S.H.I.E.L.D. field office in New York, Fury, Natasha, Hawkeye, and Coulson were assembled.
Coulson asked gravely,
"Director Fury—you're saying that terrifying man from yesterday is coming here?"
Fury nodded, serious—and not without a trace of dread.
That hellish figure Maguire had cut the night before was burned into everyone's mind.
A Bentley pulled up outside. Maguire arrived with Garfield and Holland.
Seeing only a few black-suited agents at the door, Maguire frowned.
"Big airs, huh? They won't even come out to greet us."
He looked at Garfield.
"Call them."
Garfield and Holland stared at him, speechless.
"Maguire, isn't that a bit much? S.H.I.E.L.D. is… a behemoth."
Maguire's expression turned to exasperation.
"'Bit much' what? S.H.I.E.L.D. what? Tell them: if they won't come out to greet us, they can get lost."
Garfield dialed Natasha.
Inside the field office, Natasha's phone rang. Seeing Garfield's name, she glanced at Fury.
Fury raised a hand—he'd take it.
Garfield began, "Have Nick Fury come out and—"
"This is Nick Fury," a deep voice cut in.
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Garfield hung up on the spot.
Maguire gave Garfield a look of pure disdain.
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