Ever since he'd successfully rendered Nick Fury speechless on the Helicarrier with his declaration of "Give me this ship and I'll consider joining"—Cloud found his "retirement" life had become even more comfortable.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had completely transformed from surveillant to servant.
Every morning, someone would respectfully deliver the freshest ingredients from around the globe to his temporary hotel residence.
Whenever he wanted to go sightseeing somewhere, a snap of his fingers was all it took for a top-tier Quinjet to appear on the rooftop waiting for him.
He'd even casually mentioned once that "your internet signal here isn't great," and the very next day, the 5G base stations throughout New York City had doubled overnight.
Regarding this VIP treatment fit for immortals, Cloud's verdict was: Passable.
While enjoying S.H.I.E.L.D.'s butler-level service, he continued his analysis of this world's laws.
The focus of his research was naturally those two "toys" that intrigued him—the Tesseract and Loki's Scepter.
Though Fury hadn't been willing to hand over the originals, he had packaged all the highest-clearance research data and sent it to Cloud's "godlike firewall" phone.
"Space Stone... Mind Stone..." Cloud lounged in the rooftop infinity pool of his hotel, sipping top-grade black tea that Natasha had personally delivered—allegedly brewed with snowmelt from the peaks of the Alps—while scrolling through the files.
"One defines space, one influences minds. Interesting. Like supercharged versions of our Chizuru's Mirror Realm and Athena's psychic powers."
"If I could get my hands on these two stones and give them to those two as birthday presents, they'd definitely be thrilled, right?"
Just as Cloud was pondering how to legitimately "borrow" these two stones from S.H.I.E.L.D. for research—
Suddenly, his brow twitched.
He sensed a spatial fluctuation that was intensely familiar—sharing the same origin as the Space Stone fragment in his possession, yet hundreds of times more powerful—violently erupt somewhere on Earth before rapidly vanishing.
"Oh ho~?" A grin spread across Cloud's face—the look of someone who loved watching drama unfold. "The main attraction has finally arrived?"
...
Meanwhile, Stark Tower, top floor.
The atmosphere was tense and charged with conflict.
Tony Stark, Captain America, Natasha, Dr. Banner... the Avengers' core members had gathered for the first time because of an outsider.
The subject of their discussion was none other than the Scarlet Witch whom Cloud had "lulled to sleep"—Wanda Maximoff.
"I disagree!" Tony was first to slam the table, his tone resolute. "Place an emotionally unstable nuclear bomb capable of rewriting reality in the middle of New York City? Are you kidding me?! She should be locked in the most secure facility under the strictest supervision!"
"She's not a nuclear bomb, Tony! She's just a lost child!" Steve Rogers countered, his face full of disapproval. "What she needs is help and guidance, not imprisonment!"
"Help? Who's going to help her? You, Cap?" Tony shot back mercilessly. "Give her lectures with your shield? Or have Dr. Banner Hulk out and have a heart-to-heart? In case you forgot, none of our attacks work on her!"
Dr. Banner adjusted his glasses with a wry smile. "Tony's right. Her power isn't in the physical domain. We really can't do anything."
Just as the debate raged on, Natasha, who had been silent throughout, suddenly spoke up.
"There is one person who can."
All eyes focused on her.
"Who?"
Natasha took a deep breath and spoke the name that even she found somewhat absurd.
"Cloud."
"That Traveler?" Tony's brow furrowed. "The guy who used our defense system as a lighter on the Helicarrier?"
"Yes." Natasha nodded, her expression complex. "Only he can enter Wanda's world. Only he can calm her. You all saw it—he didn't even use violence."
"I agree with Natasha." Steve also voiced his support. "He may seem... well, a bit eccentric, but he saved Wanda and restored the damaged neighborhood. He's not a bad person, at least."
"Ha! Not a bad person?" Tony laughed coldly. "A guy who plays S.H.I.E.L.D. like fools and demands our Helicarrier as his yacht, and you're telling me he's not a bad person?"
In the end, it was Nick Fury's holographic projection that made the final call.
"We do it Natasha's way." Fury's single eye gleamed with cunning. "Wanda will be temporarily housed at Stark Tower. We'll formally invite Mr. Cloud to move in as well, under the title of 'Mental Health Consultant.'"
"What?!" Tony nearly jumped out of his seat. "You want me to invite that bastard to stay in MY building?!"
"That's an order, Stark." Fury's tone brooked no argument. "First, we need him to stabilize Wanda. Second, keeping him under our noses is better than letting him blow around outside causing who knows what."
"Most importantly," the corner of Fury's mouth curved into an "old fox" smile, "I need you all to use this opportunity to find out, by any means necessary, what his true... weakness is."
...
And so, in an atmosphere that was part request, part resignation, and wholly "negotiating with the tiger for its skin"—Natasha once again sought out Cloud.
When she awkwardly explained her purpose—hoping Cloud would move into Stark Tower to help "look after" Wanda—Cloud was lounging on a pool float, enjoying a sun bath.
After hearing her out, he didn't even open his eyes.
"Not going."
Clean and decisive.
"Why not?" Natasha grew anxious.
"First," Cloud held up one finger, "I'm retired. I don't do overtime. Babysitting isn't in my job description."
"Second," he held up another finger, "that tin can's building has terrible interior design. Reeks of money. I wouldn't feel at home."
"Third, and most importantly," he finally opened his eyes, removed his sunglasses, and flashed Natasha a meaningful smile, "your compensation isn't enough."
Natasha's face flushed slightly. She remembered the "goodnight kiss" payment terms Cloud had mentioned last time.
...
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