Inside S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury rubbed his temples, irritation building with every passing second.
Canada was in chaos.
The nuclear detonation alone had sent shockwaves across the world—politically, socially, militarily. The global reaction was on par with the frenzy that followed Noah Vale's public release of internal energy.
And now—
It was his problem.
Footsteps echoed across the room.
Fury looked up to see Alexander Pierce approaching—former director, old friend, and one of the few people Fury trusted without question.
Pierce said nothing at first. He simply handed over a file.
"What's this?" Fury asked, flipping it open.
The title made his eyes narrow.
Sentinel Mass Production Initiative.
"I thought this program died with Howard Stark," Fury said, frowning. "Wasn't it shelved?"
Pierce shook his head.
"No. It never stopped. It continued quietly—under strict classification. I apologize for keeping it from you."
Fury glanced at the signature page.
Pierce's name was there.
Alongside another.
Reed.
Pierce continued, his tone steady.
"Stark believed it should only be activated under extreme circumstances. Otherwise, it would remain buried."
He met Fury's gaze.
"This qualifies."
Fury opened the rest of the file.
What he saw made his expression tighten.
The scope. The scale. The capabilities.
This wasn't a concept anymore.
This was deployment-ready.
"What do you need from me?" Fury asked.
"Restart the program," Pierce said. "Fully. The world is unstable—we need something that can respond to threats like this."
He tapped the document.
"Energy absorption. Super-speed. Pym Particle integration. Teleportation. Adaptive mutation replication."
He paused.
"These units could handle anything."
Fury didn't answer immediately.
He was thinking.
Then—
His phone buzzed.
Pierce stepped back with an easy smile. "Take it. We'll talk after."
Fury nodded, answering the call.
Unknown number.
"…Fury."
A familiar voice came through.
"Hey, Director. Long time."
Fury's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Noah Vale."
"Yeah. Me."
Fury exhaled slowly. "We spoke yesterday. And right now, the entire world is talking about you being a mutant. That's not exactly helping your situation."
"That's not the point," Noah said. "The missile—Canada. That wasn't an accident, was it?"
Fury's grip tightened.
"So it was you," he said. "The one who crossed from New York at Mach speed."
"Let's skip the obvious," Noah replied. "What I'm curious about is—who gave that order?"
Fury didn't answer immediately.
"…If you know something," he said finally, "say it."
"I will," Noah said. "But first—make sure no one's listening."
Fury glanced around.
Pierce was still nearby, watching casually.
"No one's listening," Fury said.
Noah didn't hesitate.
"Hail Hydra."
Fury froze.
For a split second, the words didn't register.
Then they did.
"That's impossible," he said sharply. "Hydra was wiped out."
"Was it?" Noah replied calmly. "Because I found some interesting files in Stryker's base."
A pause.
"Want to ask Pierce about it?"
Fury's gaze shifted.
Across the room, Pierce met his eyes and gave a polite, almost amused smile.
Fury felt something click into place.
Fragments.
Patterns.
Everything lined up.
"…Keep talking," Fury said quietly.
"Stryker kidnapped Xavier," Noah said. "Built a version of Cerebro. With it, he could've wiped out every mutant on the planet in minutes."
A beat.
"And if it works on mutants," Noah continued, "it works on humans too."
Silence.
"Now imagine that device in Hydra's hands."
Fury didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
"Your organization's already compromised," Noah said. "Deeply. You don't want me going public with that."
Fury closed his eyes briefly.
"…What do you want?"
"Simple," Noah said. "I handled the problem. I saved Xavier. I stopped Stryker."
His tone turned lighter.
"Heroes get credit. You handle the narrative."
Fury exhaled.
"I can try," he said. "But your situation isn't exactly politically favorable. The best I can do is bury Stryker's side of things."
"Try harder," Noah replied. "Or I might decide to make things… worse."
The line went dead.
Fury lowered the phone slowly.
Pierce stepped closer.
"Everything alright?" he asked. "You look tense."
Fury studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Just fallout from the missile," he said. "And your proposal—I'm approving it. We need stronger defenses."
Pierce smiled faintly. "Glad to hear it."
Fury slipped the phone away.
"We'll need to review personnel carefully," he added. "Make sure everything's secure."
A pause.
"Maybe even organize something internal. Get everyone together. Clear things up."
Pierce chuckled lightly. "Whatever you think is best."
—
Elsewhere—
Noah ended the call and lowered the phone.
"That should take care of it."
With Hydra involved, there was no faster way to shift the burden than handing it to Fury. Let him deal with the mess.
Noah turned, stepping back into his pocket space.
Inside, Jean Grey was awake again.
But now—
She looked different.
Quieter.
More… herself.
The earlier intensity was gone, replaced by something closer to embarrassment as she turned her gaze away.
Noah studied her for a moment.
"Jean," he said, "you okay?"
...
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