Coulson and Maria Hill stood in Fury's office after being summoned by him. Both agents stood straight and professionally, waiting for their director to speak.
Fury sat behind his desk with his single eye looking serious and calculating as always. He did not waste any time getting to the point.
"According to Kakashi, SHIELD has been compromised," Fury said directly.
"Compromised? Did he say that himself?" Hill asked.
"No, but he indirectly did say that. And Clint during the past few days was snooping around asking questions. It seems they believe SHIELD is compromised," Fury explained.
He tapped his fingers on the desk once before continuing. "Kakashi is not the type to throw around vague warnings without reason. If he is being careful with his words, it means he suspects something serious inside our organization. We cannot ignore this."
"I want you two to find out what it is that they believe has compromised SHIELD," Fury said to his two most trusted agents.
He looked at both of them with a firm gaze. "Dig quietly. Check old mission logs, unusual orders, and any agents behaving differently. I need solid facts before we make any big moves. Do not alert anyone else for now. This stays between us three until we know more."
"Sir, should we not just let it go to Kakashi? He has been our best agent and we all know that what he is doing is best for our planet. We should trust him," Coulson said respectfully.
He believed in Kakashi's judgment after seeing him lead the Avengers through many crises. "He has saved this world almost single handedly during the Chitauri invasiom. If he is handling something internally, maybe we should give him space to work."
Fury said with an annoyed frown, "Last time I trusted someone I lost an eye and since then I had decided to not trust even the most innocent of things." He touched the eye patch over his missing eye as he spoke. The memory still bothered him.
Coulson remembered the time when the cat, or the one that looked like a cat and was actually a Flerken, scratched the director's eye out. He tried not to smile at the memory. That incident had made Fury even more careful and suspicious of everything around him. It was a lesson that cost him dearly and shaped how he operated now.
"We will do our own investigation sir as you wish," Coulson said. He nodded firmly, accepting the order even if he had some doubts. Maria Hill also gave a small nod, showing she was ready to begin the work immediately.
Fury nodded and continued, "Also I think we need a team of our own that works exclusively for SHIELD. Kakashi said that at least a dozen super powered individuals would join the Avengers in the coming time."
"So many powered individuals? How did he manage to find them? Are they alien like Thor?" Hill asked with genuine surprise in her voice. She tried to imagine what kind of threat or opportunity this represented for Earth.
"They are humans from what he told me," Fury replied. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again. "He was quite clear that they are enhanced humans, similar to Banner in some ways. Changes in their DNA apparently. I pushed for more details but he kept it vague. That alone tells me there is more to this story than he is sharing right now."
"Isn't it a good thing sir that the Earth's mightiest heroes would have more members to defend Earth?" Coulson asked. He saw the positive side of having stronger protection for the planet.
"Technically true but if some of these Avengers went rogue, while Kakashi has promised they would take care of taking down their own members in such a case, we need to still have a backup plan if they fail to do so or are too slow to do it," Fury said.
He expanded on his concerns carefully. "We have seen what happens when powerful beings lose control or change sides. One enhanced individual going bad can cause massive destruction. A dozen of them at once could be catastrophic. Even if Kakashi and his team are loyal now, situations change. Loyalties can shift. We cannot put all our eggs in one basket and hope the Avengers always handle their own problems perfectly. SHIELD must have the ability to respond if things go wrong."
Fury continued speaking with a serious tone. "I am not saying we expect them to turn against us. But preparation is everything in our line of work. We saw what happened with Loki and the Chitauri invasion. We need our own specialized team that can act independently when needed. This new group of powered humans might bring great strength to the Avengers, but it also brings new risks. We have to be ready for every possibility, including the worst ones."
He finished his thoughts firmly. "That is why we are creating this team now. It will act as both support and a necessary safeguard. We will train them to handle enhanced threats. They must be capable, discreet, and completely loyal to SHIELD's mission of protecting Earth. We cannot afford to be caught unprepared again."
Coulson thought, 'Sir is being paranoid as always.' He kept the thought to himself but understood where Fury's caution came from. After so many betrayals and alien threats, it was natural for the director to plan for every dark possibility.
Fury added, "It is time to create a team. Agents of SHIELD." He looked directly at Coulson. "Coulson, you would be leading this squad."
"You already know who you want to take in the team, right?" Fury asked.
"Yes sir," Coulson replied confidently. "But without Natasha and Clint, I will have to rethink the team a little. Still, I think I have some good recruits for the team. People with the right skills and heart for this kind of work."
"A team that might be able to take on threats at the level of Thor mostly... not at the level of Kakashi sir," Coulson added honestly.
"And why are you telling me?" Fury asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So you do not send me and my team to our deaths sir," Coulson said with a small respectful smile.
Fury looked at Coulson with a glare before saying, "Dismissed. To your missions."
-----Author Notes---------
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