"Hand it over? What do you mean?" Fury sat up straight, his voice tightening.
"Literally."
Homelander said as if it were a matter of course.
"Under the direct administrative order of the White House, S.H.I.E.L.D. has now officially become a wholly-owned management agency under Vought International."
"As the actual controller of Vought, it's not too much to ask for the company's legal assets back, is it?"
"Are you crazy?!"
Fury pointed at Homelander in anger.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. belongs to the World Security Council! It is an independent international privileged institution! It doesn't belong to any country, and it certainly can't belong to a private enterprise like yours!"
"The White House has no authority to hand S.H.I.E.L.D. over to Vought!"
Seeing the King of Agents in a rare state of panic, Homelander couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha... Fury, have you been burned by the fire in that skeleton for so long that your brain is fried?"
"Wake up, old man."
"What World Security Council? Since the day the Skrulls announced the formation of the Human Federation, the United Nations has been gone."
"A money-burning privileged institution like S.H.I.E.L.D. used to be supported by funding from various governments."
"But now, every cent spent on S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents' salaries, equipment maintenance, and Base operations falls on the White House."
"And since the White House can't afford it, they had to package this toxic asset and give it to Vought International."
Homelander spread his hands with a bright smile.
"What's wrong with transferring it to private management? This is a legal document issued by the White House, following a formal commercial merger and acquisition process. It's reasonable and legal. Every asset and every cent you have hidden around the World now legally belongs to Vought."
Nick Fury opened his mouth, unable to say a word for a long time.
The game of capital and power was just that direct and cruel.
He only felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
How glorious S.H.I.E.L.D. once was.
Enjoying privileges in every country, with an almost unlimited budget, the ability to mobilize global resources, and the most cutting-edge technology.
Now, it had fallen to the point of being merged and governed by a private enterprise.
This huge gap made Fury feel exceptionally uncomfortable.
The career he had fought for his entire life had become a joke just like that.
But what made him even more uncomfortable was his current situation.
On the surface, he was still that 'fat rat' of S.H.I.E.L.D., a corrupt official, and a human experimenter, currently wanted across the U.S.
No income, no job, and if he handed over all the money, how would he survive?
He might even be reported while lining up for relief meals on the streets of Brooklyn...
Fury fell silent.
For three whole minutes, the only sound in the office was the ticking of the clock's second hand.
Fury's expression shifted unpredictably. Humiliation, resentment, and helplessness eventually turned into a heavy sigh.
He pulled the longest face of his life and spoke to Homelander with difficulty.
"Um... Homelander."
Fury tried hard to make his voice sound less like he was begging.
"Do you remember... back when you first returned to New York... I helped you restore your identity and get your assets back."
"You still owe me a favor..."
"A favor." Homelander put his hands behind his back, his tone flat. "Of course I remember. I don't like owing people, Fury."
"But you're a wanted criminal now. A fat rat of S.H.I.E.L.D., a madman performing illegal human experiments; the media broadcasts your warrant every day. What do you want? For me to revoke the warrant, give you a generous pension, and let you spend the rest of your life in Tahiti sipping martinis?"
"Then what do you want? Tie me up and send me to federal prison? Or just throw me out of this window?" Fury's voice was low, with a hint of testing. "You know, I won't end up on the streets."
"Neither, Fury." Homelander chuckled. "I plan to repay that favor by giving you a chance to get everything back."
Fury didn't respond immediately, instead warily scrutinizing the man before him. A devil's gift always comes with a price.
"Get everything back?" Fury snorted. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has already been taken over by Vought. What else can I get back?"
"A larger, more powerful organization than S.H.I.E.L.D., of course." Homelander gestured a new name. "The name S.H.I.E.L.D. is a thing of the past. From today, it will be reorganized as S.W.O.R.D."
"S.W.O.R.D.?" Fury frowned.
"Exactly. However, S.W.O.R.D.'s focus will no longer be on the trivial matters of Earth. Your battlefield is up there."
Homelander raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling.
"The Milky Way Galaxy."
"You want me to lead S.W.O.R.D. to deal with aliens?"
"That's only one aspect," Homelander corrected. "Your mission is to establish outposts for human colonization of the Universe."
"Your identity will be cleared. You'll transform from a despised criminal into a pioneer leading humanity to the stars."
"I know your nature, Fury. On Earth, I might crush you, but you can take those tendencies to space. Go ahead and deal with those aliens boldly."
Homelander reached out and patted Fury's shoulder.
"So, is this opportunity enough to cancel out that favor?"
"Sounds perfect." Fury looked directly into Homelander's eyes. "But I want to confirm one thing."
"Ask."
"The HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D.... are you sure they've been completely purged?"
Hearing this, Homelander couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Purged?" Homelander shook his head. "No, and I don't plan to completely purge them either."
Fury looked on in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?! You're going to leave HYDRA in an organization that controls an interstellar fleet?!"
"Calm down, Fury. Drop that outdated Cold War mentality." Homelander leaned back casually in his chair.
"Trust me, HYDRA will definitely be your best employees."
"They don't care about sacrifice, they don't care about benefits, they don't need weekends off or overtime pay; they just bury their heads in their work."
"Best employees?" Fury could hardly believe his ears. "They're a bunch of Terrorists! Their heads are full of World domination and totalitarianism!"
"So what?" Homelander countered. "Do they want to destroy humanity? No, they just want to rule it. The difference between HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. is merely a divergence in paths caused by different social management philosophies."
"Of course, I don't agree with their extreme methods."
"But that doesn't mean they are absolutely evil. They just can't find the space to realize their ideals on this crowded Earth."
Homelander tapped his fingers on the desk.
"For nearly a century, the vision of you Agents and politicians has been confined to this tiny blue planet called Earth. You can't see the infinite possibilities of the Universe at all."
Homelander pulled up a holographic projection, and a vast star map of the Milky Way Galaxy unfolded, with countless brilliant stars rotating around them.
"When humanity's fleet breaks out of Earth, the seeds of civilization will spread throughout the Milky Way. Once human civilization is placed on a cosmic scale, it will inevitably develop many distinct social forms."
"Some like freedom, so let them go to a Democratic Federation. Some like absolute order, so let them go to a HYDRA Empire."
"Drive them off Earth to build their utopias in the Universe. What reason would they have not to work hard for it? What reason would they have to betray? They will even become your sharpest blade."