"Oh? So Earth should be under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s supervision?"
Karl leaned back casually.
"As for Clinton District, I think you, Director Fury, know better than I do what kind of people operated there. You're acting like S.H.I.E.L.D. alone protects the planet. That's arrogance. Especially when Hydra has been rotting inside your organization for decades."
Tony's head snapped toward Fury.
"Hydra?"
Fury's expression did not change—but his silence was louder than denial.
He ignored the insult and focused instead on something else Karl had said.
"You implied Earth is protected by forces outside S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury said evenly. "Explain."
Karl swirled the liquor in his glass.
"If Earth were defended only by you, we'd have been conquered centuries ago."
He didn't mention Kamar-Taj directly.
Instead, he said:
"Dimensions. Entities beyond your universe. Dark realms. Demon lords. Conquerors who don't use spaceships—they tear holes through reality. Ever heard of Dormammu?"
Fury did not react outwardly, but he memorized the name.
"You think nuclear weapons stop beings that don't obey physical law?" Karl continued calmly. "There are sorcerers who've been holding those doors shut for centuries. You've never seen them because they don't let you."
Tony stared.
"Magic," he muttered.
Karl shrugged.
"Call it quantum metaphysics if it makes you feel better."
Fury's tone sharpened slightly.
"Elaborate."
"There's nothing to elaborate. If they want you to know, you'll know. Until then, focus on Hydra inside your own house."
Then Karl shifted tone deliberately.
"Let's make a trade."
Fury's eye narrowed slightly.
"You want something."
"I'll give you the location of Steve Rogers," Karl said calmly. "You give me the Obelisk. Item 084."
Tony blinked.
"Wait. Captain America is alive?"
Fury did not speak immediately.
The Obelisk—classified by S.H.I.E.L.D. as an alien artifact recovered decades earlier—was not fully understood. It had proven lethally reactive to most humans upon contact.
If Karl wanted it, that meant he understood it.
That was dangerous.
But Steve Rogers…
If Captain America could be recovered, Fury's long-term Avengers Initiative would gain the one leader he trusted above all.
After a moment, Fury nodded once.
"Deal. I want Rogers' exact location."
"You'll get it after I confirm the Obelisk."
"Bring 084," Fury ordered quietly into his earpiece.
They waited.
Karl knew the timeline—S.H.I.E.L.D. would discover Rogers in the Arctic eventually through gamma and energy scans. He was simply accelerating the inevitable.
Within minutes, a Quinjet descended outside Stark's property perimeter.
Several armed agents entered carrying a containment case.
They placed it on the table and opened it.
Inside rested the Obelisk.
Black.
Stone-like.
Geometric.
Subtly pulsing with alien energy.
Karl could feel it instantly.
This was not mystical.
It was Kree.
Specifically, a Diviner—a Kree device containing Terrigen crystals. In canon, it activates Inhuman genes through Terrigenesis and kills ordinary humans on contact.
It did not create powers randomly.
It triggered dormant Kree-modified DNA.
Karl did not touch it directly.
He sensed it.
Confirmed authenticity.
Then he spoke.
"Arctic Circle. North of Greenland. HYDRA aircraft wreckage embedded in ice. You'll find Rogers preserved in suspended cryostasis."
Tony stared.
"You're serious…"
Fury memorized the coordinates without visible emotion.
"If this is accurate," Fury said evenly, "we'll speak again."
He signaled the agents.
They withdrew.
The Quinjet departed.
Karl did not care about Fury's final tone.
Once they were alone, Tony turned slowly toward him.
"Alright," Tony said. "Start talking."
Karl smiled slightly.
Tony's eyes were intense.
"Other organizations protecting Earth. Dimensional threats. How you know where Steve Rogers is. And what that thing actually is."
Juggernaut dropped onto the sofa with another bottle.
"Yeah, boss. I've always wondered where your power really comes from."
Karl looked at them both.
"This might break your worldview," he said calmly. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"
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