Chapter 99: Director, Just Keep Watching…

Thor's eyes swept across the faces of his fellow Avengers, but... no one met his gaze. Everyone was avoiding eye contact. Even Nick Fury, standing right beside him, suddenly turned his head to admire the view outside the window, where there was absolutely nothing to see. "I've got something to take care of at my company," Tony said with a nervous laugh. "See you all later!" And with that, he slipped away. Dr. Banner followed him in a flash. "Tony, wait! I have something urgent to discuss too!" The two of them vanished like ghosts. Thor stood there, looking slightly confused. Steve hesitated. As an honest man, his first instinct was to help, but... he really didn't want to go to that weird store. He glanced at Thor's hopeful expression, then down at the wound on his waist. After a moment of internal struggle, he reached for it and winced, a little too dramatically, as if only now remembering he was injured. Thankfully, Clint Barton spoke up first. "I'll go with you," he said, offering a friendly smile. Thor immediately brightened. As for Clint, his interest wasn't just to help Thor, he was genuinely curious. He had never met the mysterious "Consultant Yale." Last time Luke appeared on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Clint had been under Loki's control and missed the whole thing. In the past, he'd asked Natasha and Coulson about the guy more than once, but their answers had been... vague. Very vague. At first, they'd talk about how affordable and charming Luke's grocery store was. It almost sounded like an advertisement. But when he asked again a few days later, their attitudes changed. They clammed up. Almost like something had scared them off. That made him even more curious. What kind of place could be so highly praised, and silently feared by these elite agents? "Then, let's go now?" Thor couldn't wait. Every minute without his precious hammer is a torment for him. So Clint and Thor said their goodbyes to Director Fury and left for Luke's grocery store. ... Once they were gone, Fury didn't waste a second. As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., it was his duty to review the entire battle, identify weaknesses, and prepare a report for the world's top leaders, including the President. There was a lot to cover. ... In a sealed conference room deep inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, two senior agents were already waiting. Phil Coulson and Maria Hill, Fury's most trusted operatives and two of the agency's highest-ranking agents. Together, they were his right and left hand. Fury scanned his fingerprint and strode through the door. Coulson and Hill stood to attention, but he could immediately tell something was off. They looked... rattled. "What's the situation?" he asked, walking over and sitting down. "You both look like you've seen a ghost." Hill and Coulson exchanged a glance. Then Coulson stepped forward. "Director, we found something while reviewing footage of the battle. It's... incredible." He hesitated. "We thought we should show you before starting the official report." Fury's brow lifted. He was intrigued now. "Alright. What abnormality did you find?" Coulson picked up a remote and turned on the monitor in front of them. "Watch this," he said. "It's a satellite feed, footage taken two minutes before the monster appeared." The satellite that took this picture is exclusively dedicated to S.H.I.E.L.D. It was launched into orbit to enable them to detect threats on Earth in real time. The screen flickered, then cleared. A high-definition image of New York appeared. The view slowly zoomed in on 58th Street, Manhattan, just a few kilometers from the warzone. When a bright yellow car with tiny red wings appeared on the screen, Fury's good eye narrowed. "...Isn't that Consultant Yale's grocery store?" He sounded puzzled. "Luke didn't even participate in the fight. Why are you showing me his store?" But Hill and Coulson didn't respond. They simply pointed at the screen. Fury leaned in, curious now. On the feed, two women were standing quietly outside the store. Beside them was a dog, and the quirky yellow car. Suddenly, a massive shape flew into view, approaching rapidly from the sky. One of the women, based on her build and hair, it was clearly Sharon, stepped forward and raised something into the air. Fury's mouth fell open. She was holding Mjölnir. Before he could react, the sky over the store filled with dark thunderclouds. Arcs of lightning danced between them. Then, lightning began to gather around the hammer in Sharon's hand. Even though Fury had seen Mjölnir in action before, the sight still left him stunned. 'That's Thor's weapon. In someone else's hand.' He turned toward Coulson and Hill, visibly shaken. "This is what you wanted to report, isn't it?" he asked. "I mean, I've seen parts of this before, but not this clearly." "It's unbelievable, even now." But Coulson shook his head slowly. "No, Director. That's not it. Please... keep watching." Fury blinked. 'There's more?' He turned back to the screen. Just as Sharon raised the hammer, another woman, standing just behind her, suddenly began to float. The camera zoomed in. This time, there was no doubt. It was Luke's sister, Wanda. Her long skirt billowed as if caught in invisible wind. Her body began to radiate a deep red glow. A blood-red orb of energy formed between her palms. Then, with a simple push, she hurled the sphere toward the oncoming Leviathan. The next moment, the beast was launched hundreds of meters back. Fury's jaw clenched. 'She blew it away... like it weighed nothing.' He is very aware of the weight and huge size of the Leviathans. Although it can't be fully appreciated on the video, in fact, it is at least 150 meters long. And the whole body is covered with a thick layer of armor. Its weight is calculated to be over 30.000 tons! The sheer power Wanda displayed made Sharon's following lightning attack look tame in comparison, not to mention that her ability seemed innate, which is much more reliable than using an external object like Mjölnir. He looked between Coulson and Hill. Now he understood. This wasn't about the hammer. This was about something far more dangerous. Still, he tried to focus. "Alright... it's clear the woman in red is Luke Yale's sister," Fury said slowly. "We'll need to evaluate whether she's a candidate for the Avengers." "That kind of power... we can't afford to ignore it." But once again, Coulson cleared his throat gently. "...Director. That's not what we wanted to show you either." Fury froze. His gaze snapped back to the monitor. "...Then what is it?" Hill gave a thin smile and answered softly: "Just keep watching." ...