Nervously drumming his fingers on the metal tabletop, the irritated billionaire drilled a furious glare into the gray, one-eyed man sitting at the head of the table in the Helicarrier's small conference room.
With his outstanding intellect, the head of Stark Industries fully understood that the recent mutant uprising, followed by the murder of one of the Avengers, required a briefing and coordination of superhero actions with the agency of the former CIA operative. But being an extremely egocentric person, Tony hated taking orders from anyone. Unlike Rogers, who sat on the opposite side, the head of the multibillion-dollar corporation didn't even think of hiding his displeasure at the sudden summons from the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.
— I'm deeply flattered that you invited me to a meeting of the Silence Lovers Club, but if we keep playing the silent game, I'll pass! — Rising from his seat, the playboy waved his hand and took a step toward the exit. — I'm eager, you know, to return to the search for War Machine's killers! There was this funny Black guy in the Avengers... Haven't heard? No?
— Stark... Sit down. — The gray face and huge bags under Nick's only eye spoke volumes about how tough the past few days had been for Fury. The philanthropist, who had been about to leave, reluctantly returned to his seat. — War Machine's death is one of the reasons I called you. And since you're so concerned about this issue, let's start with that... My agents found traces of the gold stolen from the United States with our old acquaintance, Victor von Doom.
— So what are we waiting for?! Let's drop in on this arrogant bastard and drag the dictator out by his feet! — Grinning bloodthirstily, the owner of Stark Industries rubbed his palms in anticipation. — He's been annoying the entire global community for years!
— Alas, it's not that simple. — Shaking his head negatively, the director pressed a few keys on the sensory panel embedded in his chair. A semi-transparent holographic screen appeared in the air, divided in half: one part showed the metal-masked face of the European monarch, and the other displayed a map of his domain with red dots of military bases scattered across it. — Reed Richards' recent visit led to an escalation of the conflict between Latveria and Symkaria, and Doctor Doom has mobilized all his available forces. Right now, it's a disturbed hive, and we can't quietly infiltrate the country. For an open confrontation with the strongest state in Eastern Europe, we have too few fighters and the wrong specialization—S.H.I.E.L.D. is designed for the timely detection and localization of threats to the planet, not for conducting combat operations of this format.
— Then let's involve the U.S. Army! After all, Rhodey died protecting their gold reserve!
— There are also a number of serious pitfalls here. Latverian counterintelligence doesn't earn its bread for nothing, and despite the serious encryption of our communication channels, my people were identified literally a few minutes after the message was transmitted. As a result, the agents didn't have time to send us the evidence, and without serious proof, the American government flatly refuses to provide a military contingent for a full-scale attack. — Fury explained calmly, shrugging phlegmatically. — Although, in fact, all this is just a formality, and the real reason for the refusal is different. No matter how you look at it, an invasion of the territory of a sovereign power on a neighboring continent will look like a direct military intervention, which will give Russia and China free rein and most likely lead to World War III. Everyone understands this, so the lack of evidence is just an excuse—even if we had a video clearly showing Doctor Doom diving into a pile of stolen gold bars like Scrooge McDuck, politicians would still find a reason not to send troops.
Annoyed, Iron Man snorted and fell silent for a while. After a quick but intense brainstorming session, he reluctantly nodded, acknowledging the correctness of his one-eyed interlocutor: despite all his flaws (the main one being the enormous arrogance of the Latverian dictator), Doctor Doom was an extremely dangerous opponent who could easily trigger Judgment Day simply because of a bruised ego and without any outside help.
— Okay, so we can't just barge in on Doom... But we won't leave Rhodey's death unpunished, will we?
— Now, don't make me out to be a completely unprincipled monster. Of course, his killers will pay for everything—Rhodey was an Avenger! — Fury snorted discontentedly, twitching his only eye irritably. — But at the moment, we have more important tasks than revenge for a fallen comrade. The events in New York are of great significance not only for the United States but for the entire Earth...
— Director Fury, no offense to X-gene carriers, but I think you're overestimating their importance. — Captain America suddenly spoke up, having been silent until now. — Yes, the fight against the dehumanization of mutants has serious grounds, but isn't this a purely American conflict?
— Steve, the increase in the number of mutants is a problem for all countries without exception, and until recently, those with a different genome have never united against the authorities. Now, the eyes of the whole world are on what's happening in the Big Apple, and although the uprising itself cannot have a serious impact on world politics, it's the first precedent of its kind. How it's resolved will determine a lot, and our main task now is to ensure they don't mess it up.
— And who are "they"? — The relentless defender of democracy continued to press his boss. — Politicians who want to reduce mutants to the level of rightless cattle, or people driven to madness by such treatment?
— All of the above. — Noticing the surprise on the Avengers' faces, the one-eyed man smiled wearily. — Now, the main thing is to stabilize the situation and not let the especially gifted individuals derail the peace negotiations between the authorities and the leaders of the mutant communities. And for this, our depleted ranks will need fresh blood...
Entering a short command on the built-in keyboard, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. displayed several dossiers of potential candidates for the superhero organization on the holographic screen. Folding his hands into a lock, he looked expectantly at both Avengers.
— What do you think?
— Now I understand the reason for our Captain Icicle's unusual silence! I've been sitting here, racking my brain, wondering why Steve isn't whining about how politics isn't for superheroes and we're meddling in other people's business again, but the answer was so simple! — Laughing loudly, the self-absorbed billionaire pointed at the image of a gloomy, shaggy-haired man, one of whose hands was replaced by a metal prosthesis with a red star. — Someone was just bought with the promise of bringing his old buddy back into the ranks!
— I. Was. Not. Bought.
— He-hey... I was just joking! — Seeing Rogers' face twist after his words, the sharp-tongued inventor suddenly remembered that without the suit left in Avengers Tower, the super-soldier would quickly turn him into a cutlet and raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. — I'm even glad that another relic from the past era will join our side! Retro rules! I'm just a little worried about our own rear... Director, are you sure that Hydra's orders won't take over the second super-pensioner and he won't defect back, shooting us in the back at the most inopportune moment?
— I don't trust anyone a hundred percent, not even myself, but... Thanks to a leak from an anonymous source, the operation to eliminate von Strucker went smoothly, and the capture team managed to seize the folder with the mental coding codes of Sergeant Barnes before it was destroyed along with the rest of the documentation. — Shifting his gaze to the dossiers hanging in the air, the former U.S. foreign intelligence officer shrugged vaguely. — Our specialists swear that they've removed most of the mental programs in Winter Soldier's head, and those that remain only concern the blocking of certain memory areas. In other words—our new friend is unlikely to talk about his work for Hydra, but using him as a unique combat unit is more than realistic. After some rehabilitation and without spreading word of his criminal past, of course.
— While I slept in the ice, the Nazis turned Bucky into their attack dog and forced him to kill innocents. He's suffered enough and deserves recognition more than many of us... — Captain America added dryly, and this time even the sharp-tongued Stark had nothing to object to.
— Okay, let's say we've decided on Mister Iron Fist, but what's with the spider acrobatics in the other photos? Did Parker's mutation manifest itself in an unexpected way, and before he died, did the guy learn to reproduce by budding, splitting into two shapely girls?
— Unfortunately, no.
Sighing heavily, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. pressed a couple of keys to remove the dossier of the Winter Soldier, well-known to the Avengers, and the entire holographic screen was filled with the two remaining candidates... Or rather, candidates.
— Our second potential recruit is Spider-Woman, known in her civilian guise as Jessica Drew. — The one-eyed man pointed to the window with the video recording, in which a dark-haired woman in a red-and-yellow suit nimbly jumped around Rhino, entangling the gray-skinned brute with threads of whitish webbing. — It's quite ironic, but this is already the second candidate for the Avengers gifted to us by Hydra. If we find a third potential recruit from this organization in the near future, I'll start to think that they're not actually terrorists trying to take over the world, but a secret fund for sponsoring Earth's defense.
Carefully studying the recording of the young superheroine's fight and mentally noting the style of Hydra fighters clearly traceable in her movements, Rogers frowned discontentedly.
— They tried to turn her into a super-soldier too?
— "Tried" is when they attempt and fail. But our future friend crawls on walls no worse than the late Parker, lifts objects weighing up to seven tons, emits bioelectric discharges, and can, at will, release pheromones that induce almost the entire existing spectrum of human emotions in the victim who inhales them. — At the sight of the Avengers' elongated faces, Fury chuckled contentedly. — And now the cherry on top... Due to a miscalculation, Jessica was poisoned by uranium and spent the last couple of decades in a stasis healing capsule. So if you suddenly decide to get to know the dark-haired beauty better, keep in mind—this death machine has the consciousness and life experience of a fifteen-year-old teenage girl. With all that entails.
— And you want her to become an Avenger? — There was so much skepticism in Stark's question that it could almost be touched.
— Of course. — The one-eyed man nodded with an absolutely calm face. — Life experience is something that can be gained, and her combat skills are at a very decent level... Drew passed through our entire security system when she tried to kill me.
— You know, Stark Industries usually has an HR department for such cases... But for some reason, I feel that attempting to assassinate the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't the best qualification for employment.
— Tony, I would agree with you if the attempt had been successful. But our new recruit genuinely thought she was doing a good deed and only realized at the finish line that she was working for the "bad guys." If she hadn't decided to switch sides back then, I would have been worm food long ago, and S.H.I.E.L.D. would have had a different director. And quite possibly, one from the ranks of Hydra supporters... In short, such personnel don't grow on trees, and if we don't put the girl to work, someone else might. And this also applies to our last candidate.
Removing Jessica Drew's dossier from the hologram, Fury enlarged the personal file with a photo of a young blonde girl to half the screen and launched a video in which the superheroine in a tight black-and-white suit skillfully beat up a gang of thugs in dark masks.
— Gwen Stacy, daughter of George Stacy—the recently appointed captain of the New York Police Department. As you can see in these recordings, the girl has somehow acquired the abilities of the late Parker for an unknown reason. How this happened is still unknown to us, but since all attempts to recreate a second Spider-Man based on the dead Peter's genome have failed, her recruitment into the Avengers is a high priority for us.
— You want to use her as a lab rat? — The World War II veteran looked suspiciously at his one-eyed boss. — And how will we be any different from our enemies?
— Calm down, Rogers, no one is going to turn the future Avenger into research material. Our specialists will only take a couple of tests from the girl during the examination. You understand, most superhumans rarely gain power without negative side effects, and in such a situation, a series of tests is simply necessary, primarily for Gwen herself. — Fury quickly reassured Rogers. — What if she grows extra arms or starts turning into a giant mutant spider? If the source of Stacy's superpowers is the same as Parker's, such an outcome is more than likely.
— If you put it that way... Then perhaps you're right. — The super-soldier reluctantly agreed, having more than once faced various attempts to recreate the formula introduced to him and fully understanding the horrifying consequences this could lead to. — But in that case, one of the current Avengers should deliver the invitation in person so that Stacy doesn't think she's about to be dissected. Young girls at that age are very impressionable, and this one can lift a light car without any problems. Who knows what she might do...
— Good initiative. — The one-eyed man nodded approvingly, removing the holograms hanging in the air. — But you'll handle the recruitment of Drew, and we'll assign Gwen to...
— Now, don't even think about it! — Sensing which way the wind was blowing, Stark instantly refused and began to protest vehemently. — I won't go anywhere near your Gwen, not even at gunpoint! Have you ever talked to her father?! For those who don't know, Rogers, I'd like to clarify: Captain Stacy can't stand superheroes, and the Avengers in particular, because in his opinion, we only interfere with the work of the lawful defenders of order and divert the already tiny budget of the police department!
— So what? — Captain America stared at him in bewilderment, shifting his gaze to the equally puzzled director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
— The fact that I'm a public figure and, as the head of a multibillion-dollar company, regularly cross paths with this stubborn cop at formal dinners! And if Captain Stacy finds out that I lured his little girl into our Earth-saving club—then I'll have to attend such events in the Iron Man suit because without armor, he'll shoot me!
— Actually, our analysts agree that Gwen's father doesn't yet know about his daughter's superhero career. But since you're so categorically opposed, we'll send another Avenger, more suitable for this task. — Chuckling, the former CIA employee activated his earpiece. — Agent Romanoff, enter the small conference room.
— I'm already here. — Before the outraged superheroes could unleash their righteous indignation on the rather amused Fury, the red-haired spy sitting on the edge of the table deactivated her concealing camouflage field and waved her hand in greeting to the stunned Avengers. — Well, boys... Did you miss me?