c36 – No Next Time
"Mr. Harvey Ambellacar, it's my fault for not conveying your dislike for S.H.I.E.L.D. to my colleagues earlier."
"I beg you to give us another chance."
Phil Coulson said cautiously, raising his hands, unconsciously adopting a respectful tone.
Earlier, when he spoke with Harvey Ambellacar, the latter had already expressed his disgust for S.H.I.E.L.D.,
making it clear that regardless of whether Harvey Ambellacar had superpowers or not, he had no intention of joining anything like the Avengers initiative that Nick Fury was preparing.
He had been slightly dissatisfied at the time and didn't relay it, but now he realized he should have.
If Fury had known beforehand, he might not have pushed things this far, escalating the situation into something completely uncontrollable.
"You're smarter; you didn't point a gun at me earlier."
"But you should understand that such petty cleverness doesn't give you the leverage to negotiate with me,"
Harvey said indifferently, noticing the gun still at Coulson's waist.
"I know, that's why I'm begging you, please have mercy and give us another chance."
"Please spare Agent Natasha. She's critically injured and on the verge of death. She's already paid the price for her offense against you."
"We will never offend you again. I swear on my life."
Coulson shook his head frantically, repeatedly pleading, begging, and promising, his tone no longer that of a calm field agent but someone facing absolute power.
"Harvey Ambella, I also beg you, please don't kill anyone here."
Tony Stark spoke up, his voice carrying a rare seriousness, very different from his usual arrogance as Iron Man.
He wasn't sure if his persuasion would work against the clearly enraged Harvey Ambella.
But if someone died here especially agents tied to S.H.I.E.L.D. the consequences would spiral far beyond his control.
"Coulson, I don't want your head, but if anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to harm me again…"
"You'll bring me the head of that person."
"Otherwise, you know the consequences."
Harvey glanced at Tony Stark, then looked at Coulson indifferently.
"Definitely."
Coulson sensed the killing intent in Harvey's words, his eyes trembling as he quickly nodded.
"I'm only giving you this one chance."
"Nick Fury, I know what you're relying on."
"Don't expect to call in Captain Marvel to help you."
"That woman can't help you, and she can't do anything to me either."
Harvey stood up and looked directly at Nick Fury, issuing a cold and absolute warning.
"..."
Nick Fury's remaining eye narrowed the moment he heard that name.
The events just now had already proven that even with modern weapons or highly trained agents, dealing with Harvey was impossible.
Fury had already been planning once he escaped this situation to contact Carol Danvers, one of the strongest beings he knew, as a last resort.
Because Harvey Ambella represented an unpredictable and uncontrollable threat to Earth.
Especially since this threat was already hostile toward S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had intended to eliminate him before things escalated further.
But when Harvey directly named Captain Marvel without hesitation…
It completely shattered Fury's contingency plan.
This meant Harvey not only possessed overwhelming power, but also knowledge far beyond what a normal human or even most enhanced individuals should have.
"Thank you for your mercy, Mr. Harvey Ambellaca,"
Coulson said gratefully, finally daring to step forward.
Suppressing his fear, he carefully approached from behind and lifted the severely injured Natasha Romanoff, holding her as gently as possible despite her condition.
Tony Stark, seeing Phil Coulson's actions, felt a surge of admiration; Coulson truly had guts.
In this situation, he still dared to approach Harvey Ambellaca.
"You only get one chance. Next time, you should know what to do,"
Harvey said, glancing at Natasha Romanoff's fearful eyes before looking at Coulson.
"I remember. Even if I forget everything else, I won't forget this,"
Coulson nodded earnestly.
Actually, Coulson had intended to come alone to retrieve Howard Stark's belongings.
Although Harvey Ambellaca had threatened them, he had spoken with him carefully.
Therefore, Coulson knew that while Harvey Ambellaca disliked them, he wasn't planning to directly oppose S.H.I.E.L.D. unless provoked.
Putting aside the possibility that Harvey Ambellaca might possess superpowers,
if he truly intended to hire assassins from the global underworld network the kind often connected to organizations like the Ten Rings or other covert groups he wouldn't need to say it outright; he could do it silently.
They might not even have a chance to investigate then.
However, during that video call, Harvey Ambellaca specifically mentioned it, which was clearly a warning.
As long as they didn't provoke Harvey Ambellaca, both sides could maintain a fragile non-interference.
It was just that Director Nick Fury felt that Harvey Ambellaca, a wealthy young tycoon without any registered abilities, was acting far too arrogantly.
Given Fury's long experience handling enhanced individuals and threats from gamma-powered beings like Hulk to extraterrestrial dangers, he believed it necessary to establish control early.
He intended to warn Harvey Ambellaca while meeting Tony Stark, so they brought multiple agents.
This ultimately led to a terrifying situation where they nearly all died there.
"Get out of here,"
Harvey said coldly, glancing at Nick Fury and the other agents.
After being told they could leave, Coulson, carrying Natasha, and Nick Fury along with the other agents retreated quickly and silently.
They didn't even dare to insist on supervising Tony Stark's research into Howard Stark's classified materials.
"I'll continue eating, you can start your research,"
Harvey said, his icy expression melting away like winter snow.
"Harvey Ambellaca, is that Captain Marvel you mentioned really strong?"
Tony Stark asked, a hint of curiosity and excitement in his voice.
"Yeah, very strong,"
Harvey replied, still eating.
"Stronger than you?"
Hearing Harvey's almost immediate confirmation, Tony Stark's curiosity grew even stronger.
"Although I hate to admit it, she's definitely stronger than me right now."
Harvey nodded again upon hearing this.
Tony Stark knew that Captain Marvel was not an ordinary enhanced human, but someone empowered by cosmic energy far beyond conventional weapons or even most superhumans.
"Jarvis, are they gone?"
Tony Stark asked, still cautious.
"Sir, the S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjet has already departed. Agent Romanoff's vital signs are unstable, so they prioritized immediate extraction,"
J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, projecting a real-time aerial image of the aircraft leaving Stark Estate.
"Luckily… was Harvey Ambellaca just scaring them?"
Tony Stark, seeing the projection and confirming they were gone, let out a breath of relief and continued asking.
"Captain Marvel is stronger than me for now that's a fact but she can't do anything to me either,"
Harvey said calmly.
He found it slightly amusing that Tony Stark still seemed wary of being overheard.
Captain Marvel's raw power was overwhelming, capable of spaceflight, energy projection, and surviving extreme cosmic environments.
But her abilities, while immense, were direct and straightforward.
Once Harvey phased into the Void beyond conventional space, she would have no effective means of tracking or locating him.
So Harvey was cautious of her, but not afraid.
Compared to someone like Captain Marvel, beings such as Odin, the All-Father of Asgard, posed a different kind of threat.
The Asgardians possessed abilities tied to cosmic awareness, with Odin capable of observing the Nine Realms through the Odinforce.
Provoking such a being would bring far greater complications.
Even more troublesome was Ancient One.
As Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, she wielded mystic arts capable of perceiving timelines, manipulating dimensions, and observing both past and future.
Her abilities weren't just powerful, they were unpredictable.
Therefore, Harvey had no intention of clashing with Odin or the Ancient One until his Void evolution reached a much higher level.
"Although I don't fully understand, it's good that you're confident in your ability to protect yourself,"
Tony Stark said, feeling reassured.
Seeing Tony Stark's reaction, Harvey simply continued eating without saying anything further.
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