The morning Sun shone through the sparse clouds, casting mottled light and shadows onto this remote and quiet street in New York.
Nick Fury stood in front of an inconspicuous brownstone Villa, looking up at the building.
A small courtyard had been cleared in front of the house, filled with various flowers and plants. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows. When the wind blew, the flowers and plants swayed, and the whole courtyard was filled with fragrance.
Who would have thought that the sun goddess of Asgard lived here?
Fury withdrew his gaze and stepped forward.
Natasha followed behind him, keeping a distance of half a step.
Her gaze habitually swept over the surrounding environment: the surveillance cameras at the street corner, the potential sniper positions on the roof opposite, and every pedestrian walking by the street.
This was her instinct, which could not be turned off even in such a seemingly calm environment.
Fury pressed the doorbell.
At this moment, Mavuika was holding a ceramic watering can, leisurely watering the flowers.
He was wearing a plain cotton and linen dress, with his golden-red long hair loosely tied behind his head. The dazzling sharpness of yesterday's battle had faded, replaced by a touch of worldly gentleness.
His fingertips tilted slightly, and cool water droplets fell onto the petals, refracting fragmented light. His eyebrows were curved, and his expression was relaxed, as if the destruction on the streets of New York yesterday had never happened.
The sound of the doorbell made Mavuika pause. He looked up at the courtyard gate with no surprise in his eyes. A faint smile curled at the corners of his mouth. He put down the watering can, wiped his hands with a clean towel, walked over slowly, and opened the courtyard gate.
Two people stood at the door. One was wearing a black trench coat, with a tall and straight figure, a bald head, and sunglasses covering his face; it was none other than the current Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury.
The woman beside him was dressed in a capable black outfit, her long hair tied into a high Horsetail. Her features were exquisite but carried a touch of distant coldness. Her posture was upright, her eyes were sharp, and her whole body exuded the vigilance and sharpness characteristic of an Agent.
"Long time no see, Agent Fury."
Mavuika spoke, a trace of a smile on his lips.
"Oh, no, I should call you Director now, right?"
Fury stood at the door, not stepping in immediately.
His gaze was also sizing up Mavuika. Sixteen years had passed, and he had grown old.
His left eye had been injured by the Omnivore Beast, replaced with a black eyepatch. His skin was rougher, his wrinkles deeper, and his eye bags heavier.
From being a senior Agent back then to becoming the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had experienced too many things, carried too many secrets, and lost too many things.
And Mavuika...
Fury looked at him.
Still looked the same as sixteen years ago.
Still that young face, those amber eyes, that golden-red long hair, skin still smooth, eyes still clear, and posture still calm.
Time had not left any traces on him.
"Your Highness Mavuika," Fury finally spoke, not putting on the airs of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, and said politely, "We meet again. You haven't changed at all."
Natasha, beside Fury, was also quietly observing Mavuika and this small courtyard. There were no defensive installations; the courtyard only had flowers, plants, and a wooden house, simple and tranquil.
But the more it was like this, the less she dared to lower her guard. After all, the seemingly frail person before her possessed terrifying power sufficient to crush Hulk and Abomination, and was the sun goddess of Asgard.
"Come in." Mavuika turned sideways, made a gesture of invitation, welcomed the two into the courtyard, and led them straight to sit by the small round table in the center of the yard. On the table was a cup of freshly brewed flower tea, emitting a faint fragrance.
"This is Agent Natasha Romanoff, my confidant, and also one of the best Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Fury spoke first, briefly introducing the Natasha beside him.
Natasha immediately nodded slightly, a polite and distant smile on her face, and said respectfully, "Hello, Your Highness Mavuika."
Her voice was cold, her speaking speed steady, without any extra emotion, yet it could not hide the capability in her bones.
Mavuika nodded slightly.
"Sit."
Fury and Natasha sat down by the table.
Mavuika put the watering can aside and also sat down.
"Coming to find me suddenly, it must be because of what happened on the streets of New York yesterday, right?"
Fury did not deny it.
"Yes," he said.
He paused, organizing his words: "First, I want to thank you on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D.! That Abomination, which is the form Bronski turned into, caused a lot of damage."
"The Military had already lost control, and we were already considering more extreme intervention methods at the time. Your intervention avoided many unnecessary casualties."
Mavuika shook his head gently: "No need to thank me."
"But it is precisely because of yesterday's incident that you have been noticed by the media," Fury said.
"Now the whole United States is discussing the 'sun woman'. Your photos and videos are spreading on major platforms. Some people are digging into your identity, and some are looking for your whereabouts. This kind of attention..."
He paused.
"Should be inconvenient for you, right?"
Mavuika was silent for two seconds, then he sighed softly.
"It is indeed inconvenient. I went out to buy coffee this morning and was stared at by three people for a long time. On the way back, someone even used their phone to secretly take photos."
Fury's expression became serious.
"If you need..." he said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. can help suppress this news."
Mavuika looked at him, a trace of curiosity in his eyes.
"Suppress? Can news that has already spread on such a large scale still be suppressed?"
A slight arc curled at the corners of Fury's mouth; it was a confident smile, but not overly ostentatious.
"It's not difficult," he said. "Media public opinion, it looks overwhelming, but in fact, as long as you find the right method, it's easy to divert the public's attention."
Mavuika did not interrupt him, listening quietly.
"The first method," Fury held out his first finger. "Official clarification. The government, the Military, or official agencies like our S.H.I.E.L.D. step forward and find a reasonable excuse to clarify, for example, claiming yesterday's event was a Military exercise, or a special effects shooting scene."
He held out his second finger.
"The second method, ignite other topics. There are countless news stories in the entertainment industry every day. Just finding a few gossip stories about popular stars or politicians can change the trending searches. If that's not enough, manufacture some economic topics: stock market fluctuations, rising oil prices, unemployment data. The public's attention is limited; if things are lively here, they will naturally cool down there."
He held out his third finger.
"The third method. If the first two have limited effects, we have more direct means. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a special public opinion response team that can coordinate with major media and social platforms to control content, restricting the spread of related topics. Not deleting them completely, as that would cause a backlash, but just lowering the heat, letting them sink to places where ordinary users can't find them."
Fury withdrew his hand and looked at Mavuika.
"There are many methods; the key is to see what effect you want."