Chapter 75: Meeting the Avengers

"Uh, Director?" the guard's voice crackled through the comms. "There's a guy knocking on the door from the deck. Should we... open it?" Nick Fury exhaled slowly, a dry smile tugging at his lips. Of course. Nothing was ever normal when it came to Luke Yale. He'd driven a car into the sky, brought a dog for a walk in the upper atmosphere, and now, he was knocking? Who knocks to enter the most secure floating fortress in the world? He didn't call ahead. No warning, not even a message. Just a knock. Fury shook his head and reached for the communicator. "...Open the door." Even saying those words felt like swallowing his pride. Every encounter with Luke chipped away at his composure, but deep down, he couldn't help feeling vindicated. After all, Sharon Carter had been traded to keep Luke on their side. And judging by how casually he just strolled through nine kilometers of open sky, it was absolutely worth it. Because if Luke ever became their enemy? Fury didn't even want to imagine that. ... One minute later, Luke stepped into the helicarrier's main control room, Doggo's leash in hand. The room was full of elite agents, top brass, and most of the Avengers themselves. Compared to the super-soldiers, armored billionaires, gods, and assassins, Luke looked wildly out of place. Just a slim guy in street clothes. But no one dared underestimate him. The footage of him riding a sentient car into the sky and casually walking out without breathing equipment had already spread like wildfire through internal comms. And then there was Doggo. As Luke entered, he unhooked the leash and let it fall with a soft clink to the floor. Doggo immediately sprang forward, sniffing everything and everyone with childlike curiosity. A few agents tensed visibly, hands drifting toward their weapons. They knew the stories. They'd seen the footage. That was the same "husky" that could turn into a three-headed monster and flatten a military base. ... Luke, meanwhile, greeted the Avengers like he was at a backyard BBQ. "Whoa, is that Thor? Big fan. Love the hammer." "Mr. Stark, long time no see! Your last press conference was... Magnificent, almost laughed my ass off." "Dr. Banner, hey! Did you finally escape General Ross?" "Agent Romanoff, still using that fan you bought? Still working well?." They stared, unsure of how to respond. Luke was the only person who could casually talk to Thor and Banner like they were neighbors. Except for Thor, whom Luke was meeting for the first time, most of the Avengers had already crossed paths with him, or at least read his file. The three-headed dog, the talking car, the military base incident, they all knew the stories. What really shocked them now was that Luke had walked in as if none of that was a big deal. Just then, the familiar ding in Luke's mind arrived: [Ding! You've met Thor Odinson, a core Marvel protagonist, +2 plot points.] [Ding! You've met Dr. Bruce Banner, core Marvel protagonist, +2 plot points.] [Ding! You've joined a major story milestone: First Avenger gathering, +2 plot points.] 6 plot points in an instant! With the 14 points he had saved earlier from the Iron Man event and other things, he now had 20, just enough to trigger the long-awaited system upgrade. [Ding! Conditions met. System upgrade in progress... Upgrade complete.] Luke's eyes lit up. He looked around, found an empty seat, Fury's own chair, no less, and sat down like he owned the place. "Don't mind me," he said casually. "You guys carry on. I'm just gonna rest a bit." And with that, he leaned back, closed his eyes, and smiled contentedly. Everyone else stared in stunned silence. This guy... He flew to the helicarrier. Took a walk on the deck. Loosed a mythical dog. Then stole the director's chair and decided to nap? Was he here to help... or on vacation? ... Among the group, Tony Stark was fuming. He hadn't forgotten the press conference disaster, when Luke and that Autobot upstaged him completely. Tonight was supposed to be his redemption. The mysterious intruder had given him the perfect chance to shine. He was already halfway to the armory when that text appeared: "Don't panic. I'm already on the deck." And now? Luke had stolen his spotlight again. Tony narrowed his eyes and started walking toward him. But before he could take two steps, Fury's hand landed on his shoulder. "Don't," he said flatly. Tony raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" Fury's eye twitched. "Because if you two fight in here, this helicarrier won't survive. And neither will you." Tony scoffed, but didn't push. Fury had a point. If Luke could casually destroy a military base for bothering him, a verbal jab from Stark might turn the helicarrier into scrap metal. And Tony Stark was far too valuable to risk, Fury needed his tech, his money, and his future gadgets. So instead, he gave Natasha a look. She picked up on the cue instantly. "We should go to the lab," she said quickly. "Start tracking the Tesseract." Fury nodded. "Right. Let's move." One by one, the Avengers followed her out of the room. Only Luke, eyes closed, and Doggo, happily sniffing under chairs, remained behind with a roomful of terrified agents who didn't dare to move a single finger. But Luke wasn't actually resting. In his mind, he brought up the system panel, now glowing a vibrant blue with its new upgrades. As the display opened before him, Luke's heart pounded with anticipation. ...