The debriefing following Thor's departure lasted eight hours.
Director Fury assembled every relevant department head, played and replayed footage of the Destroyer battle, and interrogated Su Chen with the thoroughness of someone who'd spent decades dealing with enhanced individuals who weren't entirely forthcoming about their capabilities.
"Let me get this straight," Fury said, his single eye boring into Su Chen across the conference table. "You engaged an alien weapon of mass destruction with two members of your team, fought it to a standstill for approximately seven minutes using abilities you've never previously demonstrated, and your explanation is that you were 'buying time' for Thor to reclaim his worthiness?"
"That's accurate, Director," Su Chen replied calmly. "The Destroyer was targeting civilians. Someone needed to delay it long enough for evacuation. My team was positioned to do that."
"Your teammate generated ice that registered at temperatures approaching absolute zero," one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s scientists interjected, consulting her tablet. "That's not just enhanced abilities—that's reality-warping thermodynamic manipulation. And the other one was creating spatial cutting effects that our sensors could barely detect but which severed Asgardian metal alloy. These aren't minor powers, Mr. Su Chen."
"I never claimed they were minor," Su Chen countered. "I've been forthright about my team's capabilities being significant. You hired us specifically because we can handle situations that conventional forces cannot."
"There's a difference between 'significant' and 'cosmic-level threat,'" Fury growled. "What I'm trying to determine is which category you actually fall into."
"The category that protects Earth from threats like the Destroyer," Su Chen stated firmly. "Director Fury, if my team and I were hostile, we've had ample opportunity to cause damage. Instead, we've contained the Tesseract, prevented dimensional breaches, recruited enhanced individuals who might otherwise become threats, and now we've fought an Asgardian weapon to protect civilians. At what point does our track record speak for itself?"
The silence that followed was telling. Fury couldn't argue with results, even if those results came from people whose full capabilities remained mysterious.
"Fine," Fury finally said. "But I want full disclosure moving forward. No more surprises about what you can do. If you're hiding cosmic-level abilities, I need to know before they become relevant in the field."
"Agreed," Su Chen replied, though both knew this was a negotiation neither side expected full compliance on. "I'll provide more detailed capability assessments for my core team."
"See that you do," Fury stood, signaling the meeting's end. "Because things are escalating, Su Chen. Asgardians arriving on Earth, enhanced individuals appearing with increasing frequency, and intelligence suggesting multiple organizations are developing enhanced assets. We're heading toward something, and I need to know everyone who's supposed to be on our side actually is."
As the meeting dispersed, Agent Coulson caught Su Chen in the corridor. "Off the record," he said quietly, "that was some of the most impressive combat I've witnessed. The way your team moved, the coordination—that's not something you develop in a few months of working together."
"We've trained extensively," Su Chen replied carefully.
"For how long?" Coulson pressed. "Because that level of tactical synchronization suggests years, possibly decades of combat experience. Which raises questions about backgrounds that seem remarkably sparse in our databases."
Su Chen met his gaze directly. "Agent Coulson, everyone has secrets. The question isn't whether those secrets exist, but whether they compromise the mission. Do my secrets prevent me from protecting people? From stopping threats? From being an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"No," Coulson admitted. "They don't. But they make Director Fury nervous, and nervous directors make decisions that sometimes affect consultants' employment status."
"Duly noted," Su Chen acknowledged. "I'll work on being more transparent where it matters."
After Coulson departed, Su Chen returned to his temporary quarters and immediately connected with Babata through their neural link. "Status report on all active operations."
"Multiple developments, Master," Babata replied. "First, Jessica Jones has completed three additional assignments successfully. She's proven extremely capable at investigating enhanced criminal operations and has expressed interest in recruiting Luke Cage herself—apparently they've been in contact."
"Excellent," Su Chen approved. "That's better than us recruiting Cage directly. Jessica vouching for us carries more weight than our own pitch. What else?"
"David Chen has achieved consistent control over his electromagnetic abilities. He's ready for field operations if needed. Additionally, he's made contact with two other young enhanced individuals through online communities—potential recruitment targets if you want to expand the street-level network."
"Send me their profiles," Su Chen instructed. "If they're legitimate and controllable, having more assets in that category gives us broader coverage. What about the larger strategic situation?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence indicates increased activity from multiple organizations," Babata reported. "Hydra's hidden communications show accelerated timetables for something called 'Project Insight.' The Ten Rings terrorist organization has gone quiet after Tony Stark's escape from captivity—yes, that happened three days ago while you were handling the Thor situation. And there are reports of enhanced individuals being spotted in multiple countries, suggesting this isn't just a North American phenomenon."
Su Chen processed this information rapidly. Tony Stark's escape meant the birth of Iron Man was imminent, which represented both opportunity and complication. "Pull everything we have on Stark. I want to know his current status, his technological developments, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plans for recruiting him."
"Accessing... Stark returned to the United States two days ago. He immediately held a press conference announcing the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division—a decision that's causing massive financial disruption. S.H.I.E.L.D. has him under surveillance but hasn't made official contact. Director Fury is waiting to see how Stark's situation develops before approaching."
"Which gives us a window," Su Chen mused. "Stark is going to build the Iron Man armor—his ego and genius won't allow otherwise. When he does, he'll become one of this era's most significant enhanced individuals, except his enhancement is technological rather than biological."
"Do you want to make contact?" Babata inquired.
"Not yet," Su Chen decided. "Stark needs time to develop the armor, test it, and start his journey from weapons manufacturer to hero. Approaching too early would seem opportunistic. Better to let him establish himself, then position our network as allies who respect his independence."
He pulled up a holographic display showing the current state of his growing organization. Jessica Jones and Saeko had become an effective investigation team. Luke Cage was moving toward recruitment. David Chen provided technological support and electromagnetic capabilities. Esdeath and Xiao Yi Xian remained as heavy combat assets. And now they had Thor's friendship and eventual return to count on.
"We're building something significant," Su Chen observed. "A network that bridges street-level operations, tactical response, and cosmic-level threat assessment. The question is how to structure it for maximum efficiency."
"Master," Babata's tone shifted to something more serious. "I've detected something concerning in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s deepest systems. There are communications referencing the 'Avengers Initiative' that you were previously aware of, but I've found additional files marked with classification levels beyond your current access."
"Show me what you can access," Su Chen commanded.
Data streams flooded his neural interface—S.H.I.E.L.D. files on multiple enhanced individuals, assessment reports, and psychological profiles. Captain America was listed as primary candidate, pending his adjustment to modern era. Tony Stark was marked as potential candidate with significant reservations about his reliability. Thor was listed as confirmed asset following recent events. But there were other names:
Dr. Bruce Banner, aka "The Hulk" - Located in India, avoiding contact. Designated as extremely dangerous but potentially valuable asset.
Natasha Romanoff, aka "Black Widow" - S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with enhanced training and capabilities. Already active within organization.
Clint Barton, aka "Hawkeye" - S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, specialist in long-range elimination. Currently on assignment.
"They're assembling their team," Su Chen concluded. "Fury is building exactly what he described—a group of remarkable people who can handle threats that conventional forces cannot."
"Which raises the question," Babata prompted. "Where do you fit in that structure? Are you planning to position yourself as part of the Avengers, or as an independent force that operates parallel to them?"
Su Chen considered carefully. "Neither, exactly. The Avengers will be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s official response team—public heroes who operate with governmental sanction. What I'm building is different. We're the network that handles situations too sensitive, too complicated, or too dimensional for the Avengers to address. We complement them rather than competing."
"A shadow organization," Babata observed.
"A practical organization," Su Chen corrected. "The Avengers will be bound by oversight, public opinion, and political considerations. We won't be. That makes us more flexible and potentially more effective for certain situations."
His communication device buzzed—an encrypted message from Jessica Jones. Su Chen opened it to find a brief report: "Luke's in. Says he'll work with your network on a trial basis. Also, I found something you need to see. Enhanced trafficking ring has ties to a larger organization called 'The Hand.' They're not just criminals—they're something else. Requires investigation."
Su Chen's eyes narrowed. The Hand—an ancient organization that had mastered pseudo-immortality through mystical means, commanded armies of enhanced warriors, and operated across multiple countries. They represented exactly the kind of threat that required his network's capabilities.
"Babata, pull everything S.H.I.E.L.D. has on an organization called 'The Hand,'" he commanded. "Jessica's stumbled onto something significant."
"Searching... found. S.H.I.E.L.D. has fragmentary intelligence on The Hand. Ancient organization, possibly centuries old, believed to possess mystical capabilities and access to enhanced warriors. They've been operating in shadows across Asia and recently expanded into North America. Current threat assessment: moderate but potentially escalating."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. classifies them as moderate," Su Chen observed. "Which likely means they don't understand the full scope. The Hand has access to resurrection techniques, trained assassins, and they've been accumulating resources for centuries. They're not moderate—they're patient."
He composed a reply to Jessica: "Good work. Don't engage The Hand directly yet. Gather intelligence, identify their operations, but wait for backup before taking action. This organization is more dangerous than standard criminal operations."
The reply came quickly: "Already figured that part out. Their people move wrong—too coordinated, too trained. This isn't street crime. This is military operation disguised as crime."
Su Chen smiled slightly. Jessica's investigative instincts were sharp. "Exactly. I'll assemble a team for proper response. Stand by for coordination."
He stood, moving to the window of his temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. quarters and looking out over the desert landscape. Multiple threads were converging—the Avengers Initiative developing, his own network expanding, ancient organizations emerging from shadows, and cosmic threats looming on the horizon.
"Master," Babata's voice carried a note of alert. "I'm detecting something unusual. There's been a security breach at a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in the Arctic—the location where they recovered Captain America. Someone accessed the site and extracted samples."
"What kind of samples?" Su Chen demanded.
"Biological material from the ice surrounding Rogers. Blood traces, tissue samples—anything that might contain residual super soldier serum. The breach was sophisticated, suggesting enhanced capabilities or inside assistance."
Su Chen's mind raced through implications. Someone was attempting to recreate the super soldier serum, which meant they had knowledge of its value and capabilities. "Do we have any identification of the infiltrators?"
"Negative. Security footage was corrupted, and the perpetrators left no physical evidence. However, the breach methodology suggests Hydra involvement—they're the only organization with both the historical knowledge of the serum and the resources to mount such an operation."
"Hydra," Su Chen repeated grimly. "They've been hiding inside S.H.I.E.L.D. for decades, waiting for opportunities exactly like this. They want to recreate super soldiers, build an army that can challenge conventional forces."
"Should we inform Director Fury?" Babata asked.
"Not yet," Su Chen decided after careful consideration. "Fury doesn't know Hydra has infiltrated his organization. Alerting him now would either result in him not believing us, or triggering a premature confrontation that could go badly. Better to gather more evidence, identify Hydra's key personnel, and then present Fury with irrefutable proof when the time is right."
He pulled up a strategic overview showing all current operations and emerging threats. The picture was complex—multiple organizations maneuvering for position, enhanced individuals appearing across the globe, ancient forces awakening, and cosmic entities taking interest in Earth.
"We're approaching a convergence point," Su Chen observed. "Multiple factors coming together that will define this era. The Avengers will handle the public threats. We'll handle everything else."
"Master," Babata's tone shifted to something almost cautious. "I should mention—while analyzing dimensional frequencies during Thor's Bifrost usage, I detected something unusual. There are other Bifrost signatures in Earth's recent history. Someone else from Asgard has been visiting Earth regularly, but avoiding S.H.I.E.L.D. detection."
"Loki," Su Chen identified immediately. "Thor's brother. He's been here, probably setting up whatever scheme led to the Destroyer being sent. He's the real threat—not the obvious muscle of the Destroyer, but the manipulative intelligence behind it."
"Do you want to track him?" Babata asked.
"Not actively," Su Chen replied. "Loki's schemes will reveal themselves eventually—he's too arrogant to stay hidden forever. When he makes his move, we'll be positioned to respond. Until then, we focus on building our network and gathering resources."
He sent encrypted messages to his core team, summoning them for a strategic meeting. The next phase of operations required coordination—The Hand needed investigation, Hydra needed monitoring, and the Avengers Initiative needed to be tracked as it developed.
The harvest of the Marvel Universe was accelerating, and Su Chen intended to be at the center of every significant development, collecting power, knowledge, and influence with methodical precision.
The storm was gathering, and he would be ready when it finally broke.