Sure enough, the instant he saw that, the expression on Nick's face changed completely.
His eyes flickered rapidly, as though countless thoughts were racing through his head.
The strategic deterrence that spatial teleportation could provide in certain situations was simply too terrifying. He could not help but think further.
If this had been the old Fenris, then based on the power he had displayed during the battle at Liberty Island, Nick would have viewed him as nothing more than a superhuman with overwhelming strength.
Someone worth recruiting. The best backup option for the Avengers at the moment. But nothing more than that.
With the power humanity currently possessed, a being like that was not impossible to handle.
But once that superhuman also possessed full-range teleportation, and could place his claws on the President's throat at any time, or on his own throat, then the meaning behind it became something that could only be described as terrifying.
Or worse, if Professor X's formidable X-Men gained that kind of mobility, then across the entire United States, and even across the world, at least for now, Nick could not think of any force capable of restraining them.
"This is too dangerous..."
In that single moment, a powerful sense of crisis rose in Nick's heart. He had already begun imagining all the unpredictable consequences that might follow.
In the end, every mental simulation pointed to the same best answer.
At this stage, there was no solution. He could not afford to provoke them. The only option was to show goodwill and build a positive relationship.
At least until the Avengers were assembled and some form of targeted countermeasure had been developed, he absolutely could not make an enemy of them lightly.
"Director Fury?"
Fenris's voice cut through Nick's thoughts. "What are you thinking about? Aren't you going to look at the evidence you wanted?"
"Oh. Right."
Nick gave Fenris a long look, then picked up the material he had been dying to get his hands on just moments ago, though now it seemed strangely dull and uninteresting no matter how he looked at it.
After skimming through it for a moment and confirming it was genuine, with no obvious omissions or mistakes, Nick decisively put it down.
"The material checks out. It's more than enough to shut those people up. I might even be able to use this to get more support from the World Security Council."
"This has been a very pleasant collaboration."
Nick adopted an attitude completely different from before.
"I'm glad I could help."
Fenris nodded.
"That said, I'm curious about the favor you mentioned."
Nick smoothly shifted the topic. "Same as before. If there's anything I can do, I'll do everything in my power."
"It's this. Decades ago, the U.S. secretly launched a top-classified program targeting mutants. It was called the Sentinel Program."
Fenris gave him the short version. "But for various reasons, it was gradually shelved, and after that, news of it slowly disappeared."
"So..."
Nick caught on quickly. "You want me to help you find out what the current status of that program is?"
"Exactly."
Fenris nodded. "The original lead on the program was Bolivar Trask. You can start there."
"With your level of clearance, you should be able to uncover a lot that was never meant to be seen."
With the professor involved, Fenris was not worried about Nick trying any tricks. On the contrary, using his reach could save them a great deal of time and effort in the investigation.
Besides, this had been the professor's idea in the first place. The stakes were too high, and the professor was not going to let sentiment cloud his judgment.
"You're worried those Sentinel robots could become a threat to mutants?" Nick nodded to show he understood, but then his expression turned puzzled. "There are plenty of powerful mutants around now. Magneto alone is practically the natural enemy of modern technology. What kind of robot could threaten him?"
"It's not just mutants. If this program is allowed to continue developing, it could destroy human society as a whole."
Fenris explained, "Aren't you always talking about protecting humanity, protecting Earth, stopping every threat before it can grow?"
"This is one of those hidden threats. Once you see it for yourself, you'll understand what I mean."
"All right. I understand. I'll investigate it in secret and share everything I find with you without holding anything back."
Nick gave his word.
Even though he still felt that Fenris might be overstating things, he decided he would look into it seriously anyway, if only as a gesture of goodwill.
Professor X was right there at Fenris's side, and yet Fenris had still come to him. That alone was enough to show how seriously he took this matter.
"In exchange, once it's done, I can tell you something."
With the matter settled, Fenris rose cleanly from his seat. With a wave of his hand, a portal leading back to the school opened in front of him.
"What kind of information?"
"Something concerning the survival of SHIELD."
As soon as the words fell, Fenris stepped through the portal and disappeared from Nick's office.
Pop.
Tiny sparks scattered through the air, making Nick's already grim expression look even darker.
"Spatial teleportation, the Sentinel Program, SHIELD's survival..."
The information Fenris had dumped on him today was too massive. He was going to need time to digest it all.
"Agent Hill?"
After making a copy of the materials Fenris had brought, Nick reached out and pressed a button.
Not long after, a tall agent entered the office.
"Take this file and verify it thoroughly. It contains critical information related to the presidential attack. No mistakes."
Nick emphasized every word. "You are the only person authorized to handle this. Under no circumstances is a second person allowed to know about it. Understood?"
"Understood."
As Nick's most trusted subordinate, Hill naturally understood how important the material was. She carefully put it away, then left the office as calmly as she had entered.
"Mutants, aliens, super soldiers, Ant-Man, a giant green brute..."
In the empty office, Nick leaned back in his chair with a headache, countless thoughts flashing through his mind and leaving him more irritated by the second.
Ring ring ring.
Not much time passed before Nick, who had not even had a chance to breathe yet, heard a hidden line inside his desk begin to ring. It was a private communication channel he rarely ever used.
"Nick Fury, it's me. Peggy Carter."
After he answered, the voice of an elderly but still sharp and capable woman came through from the other side.
"What made you contact me all of a sudden?"
Nick frowned.
As one of SHIELD's founders, Peggy Carter was already very old. She almost never interfered with the agency's operations anymore. What could be important enough for her to call him personally?
"It's nothing major. Just a personal request."
Peggy said, "I just received word that Howard's son was caught in a terrorist attack while he was in the Middle East. His exact status is still unknown."
"Tony Stark was attacked?"
One crisis had barely passed before another arrived. Nick closed his eyes deeply.
"Howard only had the one child, and Tony Stark's safety carries enormous consequences. We cannot afford to ignore this."
Peggy seemed to think Nick was displeased, so she added, "This will draw a great deal of attention. There are people who do not want Stark to survive. I want you to bring that boy back."
"All right. I'll send people immediately."
Nick agreed.
Even without this call, he would not have ignored it.
"Thank you."
After the call ended, the expression on Nick's face immediately became even uglier.
The Middle East?
Trying to find one man in a place like that was not much different from searching for a needle in the ocean.
(End of Chapter)
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