Meanwhile...
Inside the Trident Building, in Nick Fury's office.
Coulson began his report:
"Director, during the recent crisis, Smith Doyle exhibited a new ability—flight."
"His movement speed was off the charts—Obadiah's missiles couldn't even lock onto him at close range."
Nick Fury frowned slightly. The powers Smith Doyle displayed reminded him of an old friend: incredible strength, an indestructible body, and terrifying flight capabilities.
There were a lot of similarities. But while Carol Danvers got her powers from the Tesseract, where did Smith Doyle's abilities come from?
"Coulson, since both Smith Doyle and Tony Stark have now been exposed to the public eye, our original plans will need some adjustments."
"It's time to initiate the Avengers Initiative. I'll go talk to Tony Stark myself."
"You're going to invite Smith Doyle."
Coulson hesitated for a moment before asking,
"Isn't that a bit too soon?"
Nick Fury replied,
"Now that they're in the spotlight, we can't just sit back anymore."
"It's our job to manage the extraordinary. If we don't take action, the World Security Council will come down on us."
Coulson nodded. He didn't say anything more, just asked,
"What about Natasha? Should we bring her back?"
"She reported that the Assassin's League made a killing off Stark Industries, and now they're building something big—most likely a new base."
Nick Fury thought for a moment and then said,
"If Smith Doyle joins the Initiative, bring Natasha back."
"If he declines, she'll continue her infiltration."
Coulson understood—if Smith Doyle became an Avenger, Natasha's cover would no longer be necessary.
"Yes, sir. I'll go talk to Smith Doyle right away."
Without another word, Coulson turned and left the office.
Nick Fury, meanwhile, got ready to meet with Tony Stark.
---
Elsewhere...
After Pepper Potts left, Smith Doyle pulled out his phone and dialed Tony's number.
At the moment, Tony Stark had left his mansion and was at an Air Force base at Rhodey's invitation.
Seeing the incoming call, Tony answered without hesitation.
"Hey, Tony!"
"I really like the AI you sent. Very thoughtful."
Tony smiled, a glass of whiskey in hand.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
"Besides, isn't my life worth more than that little gadget? No need to thank me too much."
"If you really want to show your appreciation, wait till I finish developing my new suit. Then we'll have another sparring match."
Rhodey, nearby, looked surprised. Had they already sparred before?
Who was stronger?
Probably Smith Doyle. After all, he took down Iron Monger easily, while Tony had a rough time with him.
Smith chuckled.
"Alright. When your new suit's ready, we'll go another round."
Tony grinned.
"Just don't hold back next time, Smith."
Smith laughed.
"Haha. Then you'd better upgrade your armor's defense a lot more."
They chatted a bit more before hanging up. Rhodey, curious, asked,
"You two are that close already?"
Tony replied with a grin,
"People are already calling us the real-life Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent."
Rhodey gave him a strange look. Was Tony not aware that Batman's always been suspicious of Superman? Even though they're both in the Justice League...
Was Tony going to build anti-God armor next?
Rhodey sighed,
"I really regret it now."
"After our last talk, the higher-ups found out. Because I didn't agree to partner with you, they chewed me out big time..."
Tony just took a sip of his whiskey and didn't respond.
Rhodey saw this and dropped the subject. He'd said what needed to be said. Orders were orders.
---
Back at Smith Doyle's office...
There was a knock on the door again. John Wick entered.
"Boss, Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here. I've brought him to the reception room."
Smith Doyle rubbed his forehead. One after another...
He had just handed over Pepper's delivery to Bulma, and now S.H.I.E.L.D. came knocking. Hopefully, they weren't bringing bad news.
"Well, since he's here, let's see what this is about. Let's hope it's good news."
He didn't have high hopes for S.H.I.E.L.D.—but it wouldn't hurt to also inform them about the product launch next week.
In the reception room, Coulson sat sipping a cup of coffee.
He had just been here yesterday—he didn't expect to be back so soon. Hopefully, this mission would go smoothly.
The door opened, and Smith Doyle walked in, sitting down on the couch across from him.
"I thought it'd be a while before we met again—didn't expect just a few hours."
Coulson gave a wry smile and said,
"I didn't want to disturb you either, Mr. Doyle, but orders are orders."
Smith waved it off,
"Alright. What is it this time?"
Seeing Smith go straight to the point, Coulson took a moment to gather himself before speaking.
"Mr. Doyle, the world may look peaceful, but in the shadows, there are raging storms."
"As someone with extraordinary abilities, you must know that there's a world beyond what ordinary people see."
Smith raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Oh? So you're saying there are plenty of superpowered people on Earth?"
Coulson nodded and continued,
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was created by the World Security Council to handle exactly this."
"Some people, after awakening their powers, lose control—hurting innocent civilians."
"Sometimes, we even encounter technology far beyond Earth's current level, which poses serious risks."
"And threats don't just come from within Earth. We also need to be ready for extraterrestrial danger."
As the head of the Tahiti Project, Coulson was well aware—Earth's enemies weren't limited to humans. There were alien forces out there too.
He then pulled out a tablet and started playing footage of various super-criminals in action—to help strengthen his case.
---