Chapter 59: That’s Legitimate Defense

Sharon knew very well she should follow Nick Fury's orders. But for some reason, her eyes drifted to Luke instead. She didn't even realize it, but her first instinct now was to look at him. There was a beat of silence, then Luke, lounging in the chair like he owned the place, spoke with a soft but firm voice. "Sharon, you should go out first." Simple words, but enough. She gave Nick Fury an apologetic glance, then turned and left without another word. The fury in Fury's one good eye deepened. That little moment of hesitation had told him everything. He had made a huge mistake assigning Sharon Carter as Luke Yale's assistant. But he shoved the thought aside. For now, there were more urgent problems. His attention turned back to the screen, showing the carnage at the New York military base. Flames. Screams. Chaos. Fury felt like he'd swallowed a handful of shit. "Yale," he growled, turning to face Luke fully, "don't you think this is going a little too far?" He pointed toward the TV. "I just cleared your status with the higher-ups, made you an official consultant, and you immediately go and do this? How am I supposed to explain it?" Fury was fuming. S.H.I.E.L.D. had some autonomy, sure, but attacking a U.S. military base? That wasn't autonomy. That was a declaration of war. Luke, however, didn't flinch. Instead, his expression turned cold. "So you're saying," he said quietly, "that I'm not allowed to retaliate when someone tries to kill me?" Fury paused, caught off guard. "They tried to kill you?" Luke nodded, face calm and unreadable. "You can check the news yourself. Three men surrounded me on a Manhattan street, huge guys, definitely not normal soldiers. I was so scared I nearly pissed myself." He didn't even blink as he said it. Fury frowned. Three men? Manhattan? He'd been buried in other matters specifically managing the resurrection of a national symbol with a complicated romantic history. He'd even told Hill not to interrupt him unless it was a world-ending event. Apparently, he needed to revise that policy. He quickly pulled up a live newsfeed and sure enough, there it was, shaky phone footage from civilians, screaming voices, green fire, and chaos in the middle of Manhattan. He watched the now-viral clip: three freakishly tall soldiers fighting against three monstrous green dogs for their lives, and clearly failing, considering they ended up as appetizers. Fury's eyes narrowed. Luke, for his part, was conveniently not in the frame. He turned back, deadpan. "You say this was an attempted assassination. But I don't see you in the video." Luke gave a shrug and an innocent smile. "Of course not. I ran. You think I'd stand there waiting to be turned into street pizza?" Fury's temple twitched. "And your dog just happened to maul three highly enhanced soldiers into bloody puddles. That's what you call legitimate defense?" Luke's face darkened. "They threatened me in public. They made the first move. You want me to wait until I'm dead before doing something about it?" "But you're not hurt." "If I had been hurt," Luke said, voice flat, "I wouldn't have just destroyed a single military base." Fury winced. That... did make sense. He could understand it considering he's also the vengeful type. Luke clearly had some sort of unshakable principle around revenge, and a disturbingly powerful dog to carry it out for him. "As the Avengers' honorary consultant," Fury said, rubbing his temples, "you can't just go around acting like a rogue element. There are political consequences." Luke waved his hand lazily. "I'm still adjusting to the title. Besides, Doggo acted on his own. I can't exactly leash him when he goes full dog of hell mode." Just like that, Luke shoved the blame squarely onto Doggo's innocent, wagging ass. Then, he stood up with a stretch and added with a smirk, "Anyway, you enjoy cleaning up the mess. I've got an idol to meet." He left the room without a backward glance, leaving behind a very sour-looking Nick Fury. Fury stared at the empty doorway and muttered to himself, "Why the hell did I ever approve his clearance..." Then again, a small part of him found comfort in knowing it was General Ross's problem now. He'd never liked that arrogant bastard anyway. ... Outside the office, Sharon was waiting like a soldier at ease. "Sharon," Luke called, "let's go. Time to meet Captain America." Without a word, she fell in step beside him. He didn't spare a single thought for Fury's frustration or Ross's impending doom. Those who mess with him should expect consequences. If a petty title like "consultant" was supposed to bind him in chains, they clearly didn't understand who they were dealing with. He wasn't that helpless kid anymore. And Doggo wasn't just a pet. ... Meanwhile, back at the grocery store... Wanda stood behind the counter, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. She'd watched Luke leave with Sharon earlier. At first, she said nothing, just smiled and waved, pretending she was okay with it. But now, the store was quiet. And she was not okay. She stared at the empty parking spot where Luke's Camaro had been and scowled. "Didn't even ask if I wanted to come..." she muttered under her breath. She started wiping the already clean counter for the third time, her magic flickering faintly at her fingertips. Not because she was angry, well, maybe a little, but mostly because she felt... left behind. She had been with Luke through everything. Finding Doggo. The strange powers. The chaos. And now he was off chasing superheroes without her? She scoffed. "Fine. Go meet your idol." With a sigh, she picked up a bag of chips from the shelf, flopped into the breakroom chair, and flipped on the TV, only to be greeted by breaking news. Giant green dogs. Military base destruction. Widespread panic. "Oh, come on, Doggo, again?" she groaned. Then she crossed her arms again, glancing toward the door. "Still... he better bring me back an autograph or something, could probably sell it for a few thousand." ...