MARVEL: THOSE YEARS I WAS UNDERCOVER IN S.H.I.E.LD

"By the way, get ready soon!"

While eating breakfast, Natasha Romanoff looked at Grimclaw and said, "It's very possible that Nick Fury will send you to New York!"

"Me?"

Hearing Natasha mention that Fury was planning to send him to New York, Grimclaw was momentarily surprised. Then, he smiled. "Why me? I thought he'd keep me stationed at the Triskelion, working missions with you."

Being sent to New York instead of staying in the Triskelion was definitely a good thing for him.

After all, at this point in time, Tony Stark had just barely escaped from captivity in the desert.

If he remembered correctly, this was right around the time Stark developed the Mark II armor.

In this cinematic universe, once Stark built the first Iron Man suit, governments and militaries across the globe scrambled to develop their own versions.

The applications of the armor, both militarily and otherwise, were revolutionary.

But no one had successfully recreated an Iron Man suit on Stark's level—

Except for the villain in Iron Man 2.

If Nick Fury was sending him to New York right now, then this was the perfect chance to get his hands on the core data of Stark's armor.

He had originally been looking for an opportunity to go there, and now, the opportunity had come straight to him.

"What else could it be for?"

Natasha watched Grimclaw, who still maintained his signature bright, confident smile.

She shrugged and said, "Honestly, you're the envy of everyone."

"Who doesn't know that in all of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury trusts you and Maria Hill the most?"

"Even Barton, Coulson, and I have to line up behind you. But it makes sense—Fury personally recruited you into S.H.I.E.L.D."

Smirking, Natasha pushed her plate forward and gave him a playful smile. "So, my dearest partner, once you're stationed in New York, you're basically going to be running the show there."

"Don't forget to transfer your sister over. I'm stuck doing mission after mission at the Triskelion—I haven't had a vacation in almost six months!"

Tossing back her long, burgundy hair, Natasha exuded her usual effortless charm, completely unabashed.

Grimclaw simply kept smiling at her antics. "Nat, getting you transferred might be tricky. You know that moving a Level 7 agent requires Fury's approval."

"And unlike most other Level 7 agents, you're... well, let's just say you have special status. Plus, I'm only a Level 7 myself, so technically, I don't have the authority."

"Tch. You really think Fury would say no if you asked?"

Natasha rolled her eyes and gave him a knowing look. "Everyone knows Nick Fury is grooming you as his future successor."

"Alright, alright, let's drop it. After breakfast, I'll personally drive you to the Triskelion."

Hearing the familiar husky tone of her voice, Grimclaw simply chuckled and continued eating.

An undercover agent from the Spear Bureau... being trained as the next Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tsk… Deathstrike, as the head of the Spear Bureau, do you even realize what you're losing?

Ahem… just kidding.

Half an Hour Later – S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, The Triskelion

"Morning, Grimclaw! Morning, Natasha!"

"Good morning, sir. Good morning, Agent Romanoff!"

"Morning!"

"Morning, everyone!"

As he walked into the Triskelion, Grimclaw greeted people left and right with his usual warm demeanor.

Even Crossbones, Brock Rumlow—despite knowing he was Hydra—received the same friendly nod.

"Sir, the Director is waiting for you in his office."

A female S.H.I.E.L.D. staffer jogged over to meet them, relaying the message to Grimclaw.

"I'll head to the training room for a bit. Don't forget what we talked about this morning," Natasha said with a wave before heading off.

Inside the Elevator

"Congratulations, Grimclaw—you're probably getting a promotion!"

Now that they were alone in the elevator, the S.H.I.E.L.D. staffer gave him an excited smile. "If everything goes well, you'll be a Level 8 agent soon."

"Honestly, out of everyone who trained together in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Eagle's Nest, you've climbed the ranks the fastest. You even broke Fury's own promotion record!"

Holding a stack of documents, Andrea genuinely congratulated him.

If it had been anyone else from their Eagle's Nest training group, she might have felt jealous.

But because it was Grimclaw, she could only feel happy for him.

Not just her—everyone from their training cohort felt the same way.

After all, in their eyes, Grimclaw was the most capable recruit of their generation.

Talented, strong, charismatic, responsible, kind-hearted—

And most of all, he was as warm and brilliant as the sun.

How could they be jealous of someone like that?

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