Marvel: You Call This A Sorcerer?

Egghead?

Though Nick Fury found the term awkward and didn't fully understand it,

he knew it definitely wasn't a compliment.

"You didn't call just to mock us, did you?"

"And are you sure your bodyguard is alright?"

Nick Fury wasn't going to be outdone and had no intention of giving Tony Stark any leeway.

If it was going to be tit-for-tat, then so be it.

This, right here, was called twisting the knife.

For a brief moment, perhaps Tony Stark's mind recalled a rather classic saying:

If I don't have a sword, I can't protect you.

If I always carry a sword, I can't hold you tight.

Tsk tsk tsk...

"F*** you, Nick Fury."

"Happy has passed the most dangerous point; he's not in any mortal danger anymore."

"But as for certain people, I heard that the supposedly well-guarded S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ almost got taken out entirely."

"And wasn't there also someone who almost got his leg crippled by a single shot?"

Tony Stark wasn't backing down either, viciously tearing at Fury's wound.

Nick Fury widened his eyes, glaring at the three people sitting around him.

The meaning was clear.

Who leaked this information?

However, all three of them shook their heads.

"Nick, you know me. I'm not one to spread gossip."

Steve Rogers denied it.

"Director, you also know me. I've been in the med bay all this time, treating my arm."

Hawkeye pointed at his left arm—he had no opportunity to be the informant.

Black Widow merely shrugged.

"If I get anywhere near Tony Stark, Pepper would probably spot me instantly."

The three of them perfectly presented their "alibis."

Big boss Nick Fury found himself momentarily speechless.

This incident was an utter humiliation for Nick Fury!

According to the Council, they were questioning whether Fury was capable of continuing as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Rumor even had it that Alexander Pierce might be reinstated as Director.

After all, from the recent Battle of New York to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ almost being taken out, Fury's capabilities were being doubted.

"F*** you, Tony Stark!"

"Some people aren't doing much better than me."

"Calling me in the middle of the night, in a rush—you must have been warned by him too, right?"

Nick Fury clearly knew that Tony Stark had been investigating Ronan in secret.

After all, for someone at Fury's level, such things were no secret.

"So what?"

"I wasn't stepped on, nor was I toyed with."

"And I didn't lose a three-on-one fight."

Tony Stark got more animated as he spoke, launching his verbal attack at everyone.

Steve Rogers and the others all went dark in the face.

What are you saying?!

Who are you implying!!!

"So, Tony, did you call just to laugh at us?"

"If there's nothing else, why don't you just hang up?"

Steve Rogers retorted.

If he knew how to use Fury's phone, he would have hung up the call himself.

Though Steve wasn't one for profanity, that didn't mean he had no temper.

"Wow."

"Didn't expect you to be here, Cap."

"From the rumors I heard, you wouldn't be one of the three who got beaten, would you?"

Upon hearing Steve's voice, Tony Stark got even more excited.

In a way, the two of them had always rubbed each other the wrong way.

Steve didn't like Tony's flippant attitude and disregard for everything.

And Tony couldn't stand Steve's "I worked with your dad, so I'm older and wiser than you" lecturing demeanor.

So when a chance arose to poke fun, Tony wouldn't miss it.

"Fu—"

"Tony, if there's nothing else, hang up. We still need to discuss how to deal with that man."

Steve Rogers took a deep breath, nearly swearing.

He could take mockery from anyone—but not Tony Stark!

That was his bottom line!

And if anyone dared cross it—let them see what happened!

"Tsk tsk tsk."

"Fine, let's pretend I didn't say anything."

"Also, dear Director Fury, could you please inform your headquarters' guards that when they see it's me, there's no need to call and report?"

As soon as Tony finished speaking, Fury's other phone started ringing.

Fury answered—sure enough, it was the guards.

"Let him in."

Hanging up both phones, Nick Fury sighed.

One person was harder to deal with than the other—being Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was exhausting.

It was bad enough having devious enemies, but why was dealing with his own people just as difficult?

The others were equally speechless from Tony's sarcastic attacks.

Their loss was simply too embarrassing to mention.

As they sat in silence, the office door opened once more, and Tony walked in.

None of them had any intention of responding to him—not even a greeting.

"Hey, guys."

"Why the long faces?"

"Is life that bad?"

Though Tony was also in a bad mood, it didn't stop him from taunting the others.

Especially since Happy had passed the most critical phase, and they were just waiting for him to wake up.

Now, Tony's mind was only on revenge.

Vengeance against those people!

"Tony, there's no need to mock us."

"That man came to find you too, right?"

Fury looked at Tony, his voice cold.

Clearly, he hadn't recovered from the earlier blows.

Tony walked to an empty seat, sat down, and casually tossed out a portable projector.

The projector pointed at the wall, its light flicking on.

"Sure, he came for me too. But unlike certain people's offices, I actually had cameras running in my home."

"So, I brought his battle footage for you."

"Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs in a negotiating posture.

"So, what do you want from me?"

Nick Fury's eyes narrowed. Having battle footage could lead to useful clues.

At the very least, they could analyze his attack patterns.

"I want all your research on mysticism."

"And by mysticism, you know exactly what I mean."

"Let's be honest; there's no need for tricks."

Tony took off his sunglasses, speaking plainly for the first time.

However, Nick Fury didn't respond immediately.

S.H.I.E.L.D. did have some of this information, and some of it was top secret.

Including the Pegasus Project previously mentioned.

Back then, they had confirmed the existence of extraterrestrials who had already discovered Earth.

As for other matters, there wasn't much more they could glean.

"You want to trade this footage for that information?"

"That won't be enough."

Nick Fury instinctively started negotiating.

"Of course. I remember there are some weapons made using the Tesseract in your S.H.I.E.L.D. armory."

"I'll upgrade them for you—for free."

"And I have another suggestion."