Chapter 42: Avengers
Every person in a high position always has a control desire that exceeds ordinary people. For someone like Nick Fury, the head of an intelligence department, this is even more pronounced.
This was evident when S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by Hydra, yet Nick Fury still managed to have enough of his own people and secret forces to maintain control. He likes to have control over everything and dislikes situations or people that are beyond his control.
But then he met someone like Blake.
Whether it was the incident with Iron Monger or his own extraordinary super-soldier abilities, Blake never gave Nick Fury any prior notice. He would only think of his workplace after the fact, notifying them to send someone to clean up the mess.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would've thought you forgot I was your boss. No wonder, you're quite the celebrity now, a superhero with friends in high places like Tony Stark!" Nick Fury's sarcastic tone was understandable; their last phone call had ended with him smashing a phone in anger.
"You can't blame me for that, boss. It's your fault for not giving me a chance to integrate into my workplace. Besides Natasha, Clint, Coulson, and you, I don't know anyone else in our department. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do every day. You didn't give me a chance, so you can't blame me. And regarding the Obadiah incident, Tony called me for help. As soon as I handled it, I notified Coulson."
Blake knew he mostly used S.H.I.E.L.D. for his purposes, so he spoke without anger, shrugging to show his innocence.
"And what about that time in the Middle East? You were on a Quinjet you stole from the Los Angeles branch, yet you told me you were at a yacht party!" Nick Fury slammed the table in anger.
"Who told you my work ID wouldn't get me into the branch? I wanted to walk in and request a plane openly, but my work ID didn't even grant me access to my workplace. Isn't that a joke?" Blake replied casually, his expression saying, "Don't blame me."
"And Stark, regarding that Iron Man suit, why didn't you report it to me in advance?" Nick Fury pressed on.
"That's not my job, boss. Did you ever tell me to monitor Tony Stark's every move? No, you didn't. So you can't blame me for that either!" Blake retorted nonchalantly.
Nick Fury felt a headache coming on. Technically, Blake should've reported these things, but he indeed had never been given any specific training or instructions. So, Fury couldn't really argue with him.
"Fine, let's not talk about the past. Can you explain your abilities? They're not like those of a typical super-soldier. Neither Captain America nor Isaiah could handle that iron giant so easily!" Nick Fury said, getting himself a drink since Blake wasn't offering.
"That's simple—Martial Arts. You know, I'm Asian. The mysterious East has many secrets. Ever heard of Bruce Lee? Ah-ta! Martial Arts!" Blake said, adopting a classic Bruce Lee pose.
"Martial Arts?" Nick Fury asked skeptically.
"That's right! Martial Arts!" Blake nodded seriously.
To prove his point, he asked Natasha for a gun. Mimicking a character from Kung Fu Hustle, he pointed the gun at his temple and dramatically said, "All martial arts are invincible, only speed is unbreakable!". Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, under the incredulous gazes of Nick Fury and Black Widow, Blake's left hand, with his forefinger and middle finger prepared, quickly moved towards his right temple.
Thud!
Blake's left hand had barely reached the level of his nose when the bullet mercilessly struck his right temple. His focus was entirely on his left hand, leaving his body unprepared for the impact.
The modified small handgun Black Widow was using packed a powerful punch at close range. The severe impact on his temple caused Blake's head to snap to the side, bringing his body crashing to the ground. His left hand remained in a raised victory pose.
The Hulk's defensive capabilities were formidable. Although Blake had only achieved 30% of that power, it was still impervious to a handgun bullet. Despite being struck in the vulnerable temple, Blake didn't even have a red mark to show for it.
Everyone could see that Blake had intended to catch the bullet with his bare hands but had failed. So, although Nick Fury and Black Widow were both shocked, Black Widow couldn't help but laugh.
"Hmm? This is what I wanted to show—Martial Arts's 'Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt!'" Blake patted the non-existent dust off his clothes, shamelessly explaining as he sat back up.
"Quite the performance!" Nick Fury dryly applauded a few times, then turned serious.
"No matter where your strength comes from, what I'm concerned about is the Avengers Initiative. Now with you, Tony Stark, and a certain green giant who can transform, along with Agent Romanoff and Hawkeye, I believe we can officially start this project."
"You have a good relationship with both Hulk and Stark. You will be responsible for getting them to join us. Natasha will assist you. Any questions?"
Nick Fury's intention was clear. In his mind, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers Initiative should be parallel entities, cooperating but not interfering with each other. This is why he forced Blake to join S.H.I.E.L.D. but didn't give him any tasks or let him interact with anyone outside his inner circle.
Joining the Avengers Initiative and establishing the Avengers with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vast resources, and then forming a group of like-minded individuals to become independent at the right time, was part of Blake and Tony's plan. He certainly had no objections, especially since Fury's plan involved Black Widow working with him to start the preliminary work, which suited Blake perfectly.
Nodding to indicate he had no issues, Nick Fury finally seemed satisfied and continued, "I had planned to meet with you and Stark tomorrow. Today, I wanted to see you first and have you inform Stark, making tomorrow's formal meeting smoother."
"I will provide a base, funding, equipment, various weapons, and transportation for you. I'll even arrange some adversaries for you to practice your teamwork. Welcome officially to the Avengers!"
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