The last time Shin, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and the others had visited this place, relations were still friendly. Back then, despite underlying tension, there was at least an atmosphere of cooperation. But now, the situation was entirely different.
Shin had nearly eradicated the Hydra network that had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving the agency in a fragile and fractured state. The internal damage was so severe that even seasoned agents whispered that S.H.I.E.L.D. might never fully recover. Worse still, the psychic warfare Hydra had unleashed left lingering scars. Nick Fury himself, before stepping down as Director, had been so shaken that his final report recommended an unprecedented protocol: all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents should erase their own memories after each mission and back them up on secure databases.
It sounded feasible in theory, but in practice, it bordered on madness. Frequent memory erasure would leave operatives unstable and incompetent after only a few missions. Worse, storing those memories on computers was a massive vulnerability. In an era where hackers rivaled the most dangerous telepaths, could digital vaults really be trusted? The plan had been shelved, but the paranoia behind it still haunted the organization.
When Shin entered the Director's office, he found Tony Stark lounging in the chair as though he had been born to it, legs stretched across the desk, his posture radiating arrogance. Standing nearby with her usual unreadable expression was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, apparently delivering a report.
For a moment, Shin almost laughed aloud. Natasha had once gone undercover at Stark Industries, and now she stood here again, this time reporting to the man she had once spied on. Stark, noticing Shin, shifted his smug expression into something halfway respectful and gestured for Natasha to leave.
But Natasha didn't move. She stood firmly at Stark's side, her eyes cool and steady. Stark froze, blinking, then forced a grin.
"Hey, Assistant," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "you know you're not exactly winning points for charm here. This is a confidential meeting."
Natasha cut him off flatly. "Excuse me, Director. You may have received some anti-psychic countermeasure training, but given the nature of this conversation, protocol requires that I monitor from inside."
Stark's smirk faltered. "What? You're saying the Director himself isn't capable of protecting his own mind?"
Her voice remained cool and professional. "Every operative at Level 4 and above has received equipment and conditioning against basic telepathy and mind control. But facing advanced mutant or alien psionics, those measures aren't enough. Someone trained must remain present to detect infiltration attempts. Otherwise, you may never know if you've been compromised until it's too late."
Stark rolled his eyes. "So you're saying you'll know if I'm brainwashed before I do?"
"Yes," Natasha replied. "Psychic training doesn't make you immune, but it does make you aware. I'll recognize anomalies before a telepath takes complete control."
Shin, leaning silently against the doorway, hid a smile. Natasha wasn't really talking about security protocols. This was about cutting Stark down a notch. The billionaire genius might be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new Director, but Natasha wasn't going to let him flaunt authority unchecked.
Stark's jaw tightened, but he couldn't argue without admitting weakness. He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. His silence said more than words could. Shin mused privately that Natasha wasn't wrong, Stark's arrogance needed tempering, and the Black Widow had chosen her moment well.
Stark finally gritted his teeth and muttered, "Fine. Whatever. Let's move on before the peanut gallery enjoys itself too much." He shot a glare at Shin, who stood with a half-smile, Scarlet Witch giggling softly beside him, and Quicksilver idly spinning a pen near the doorway.
"See?" Stark said, throwing his hands in the air. "This is ridiculous. To you, it's some kind of comedy, but this is the reality I'm dealing with. Agents here aren't like your cushy Stark Industries employees; they're a nightmare to manage."
Shin suppressed a laugh. "If it's that bad, maybe you should've asked Wanda to brainwash them all into compliance. It'd be faster."
Stark waved the idea away instantly. "Oh, sure, let's just hand-wave an entire intelligence agency into obedient drones. Brilliant. Next you'll be suggesting we rebrand the whole thing as the 'Iron Bureau.'"
Shin raised an eyebrow. "Iron Bureau? That's terrible. Why not S.W.O.R.D.? It has a nice ring."
Stark leaned back thoughtfully. "S.W.O.R.D. … I'll admit, it does sound cool. Still, branding aside, that's not why I called you here."
Shin's eyes narrowed. "Then what's the real reason?"
Stark tapped a file on his desk. "It's about Thor. The so-called God of Thunder. Next time he comes down swinging his hammer, I want you prepared. He mentioned something last time... something called the Tesseract."
At the name, Shin froze. A memory stirred, dusty and half-buried, but unmistakable. "Tesseract…" he murmured. Images flashed in his mind: Red Skull's obsession during the Second World War, the artifact uncovered was called the Tesseract, an object whispered about in hidden Hydra files.
Shin frowned. "That's no mere trinket. If Thor brought it up, then it's not just a myth, it's tied to the Infinity Stones."
Stark leaned forward, intrigued. "Exactly. And if it's tied to the Stones, then it's not just Asgard's problem, it's mine. Ours. I'm not about to let gods and monsters shuffle cosmic artifacts around unchecked. So—" he tapped the desk for emphasis "—I want you in on this. Because like it or not, this goes beyond S.H.I.E.L.D., beyond the Avengers, even beyond Earth."
Shin stayed quiet, mulling over the weight of Stark's words. The Tesseract. A forgotten relic resurfaced at a time when cosmic forces were already converging. And now, with Stark as Director, the game board itself had shifted.
Scarlet Witch glanced at Shin, her expression uncertain. Quicksilver had stopped twirling his pen. Natasha, ever composed, stood silent, but her eyes betrayed unease.
Whatever the Aether truly was, it promised to drag all of them into conflicts spanning realms far larger than S.H.I.E.L.D., far larger than Earth itself.
And Shin knew one thing for certain... the quiet days were over.
*******************************
For each power stones milestone—25, 50, 100, 150, and beyond—I will release a bonus chapter.
If you would like to gain early access, you can join me at www.patre on.com/bookbattalion
70+ Advance Chapters Now Available!