---
The next day.
Inside the Triskelion.
In the Director's office, Coulson was giving his report.
"Director, Smith Doyle and Tony Stark have both agreed to join the Avengers Initiative. As for Natasha, we're ready to begin the recall process."
"However, there's the issue of how to arrange their roles."
"They won't function like regular S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Their Avengers status is just one of many identities they carry."
Nick Fury tapped his fingers against the desk thoughtfully before replying.
"The Avengers Initiative will be our ace in the hole for dealing with sudden crises and extraterrestrial threats. It's not something we'll deploy lightly."
"In the meantime, both of them need to go through an observation period. Have the psych department profile them during this time to make sure they haven't changed too drastically now that they're stepping into the spotlight."
Coulson nodded, then pulled out an invitation.
"This is an invite to a product launch event hosted by Smith Doyle's company, Universal Capsule. It'll be held at the National Grand Theater in China, six days from now."
Nick Fury glanced at the invitation and chuckled.
"Looks like this product of his is a big deal. Even we're on the guest list."
Coulson nodded in agreement.
"Also, we've confirmed that the lead scientist behind the Assassin's League is a young woman named Bulma."
He placed a photo of Bulma on the desk.
"But we couldn't find any records of her in our database—or in the U.S. population registry."
"No graduation history from college, high school, middle school, or even elementary. She's not a U.S. citizen, has no identity records, and no immigration history."
"The only existing identity she has was fabricated by the Assassin's League. It's well done—completely legitimate on paper—but when we dug deeper, there was nothing behind it."
"Still, her research credentials are endorsed by Tony Stark himself. So we can't take her lightly."
Nick Fury asked, "Could she be just a public face for the real scientist, who's still in the shadows?"
"There's a possibility," Coulson admitted. "But based on our intel, it's unlikely."
Fury stared at the photo.
"Blue hair. If that's natural, do people even have that color?"
Coulson shook his head.
"Human hair naturally comes in five base colors—black, brown, blonde, red, and white. Variations only exist in brightness or shade."
"No such thing as natural blue hair. It's probably dyed."
"And so far, none of the known alien races share human appearance traits."
Fury nodded. A kid like her was unlikely to be an alien in disguise. The Skrulls, even with scientists among them, wouldn't infiltrate the Assassin's League so deeply and flawlessly.
"I'll be attending that product launch myself. I want to see what they've come up with that made them bold enough to invite agencies like us."
Given the kind of organizations invited by Universal Capsule, Fury could tell none of them were ordinary. Most were violent institutions in some way.
"Also, increase intelligence gathering on Bulma. There's no way she has zero trace. Unless she was raised in total isolation by the League."
"But can they really cultivate a scientific genius in a closed environment like that?"
"I understand, Director." Coulson nodded.
Fury continued, "And notify the science division—we need a device that can detect the energy emitted from Smith Doyle's hands."
"If we can build a detector, we'll be able to sense it the moment he activates his powers."
"That might take a while," Coulson replied. "The energy Smith Doyle uses is unlike anything we've seen. We'll need to capture a burst or isolate a signature wave to start reverse-engineering it."
Fury nodded. "Tell them to speed up. The sooner we have that detector, the better for us."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, Coulson stood up and left the office.
---
Two Days Later.
Inside the Assassin's League.
Smith Doyle had just woken up when there was a knock at the door.
He opened it to find Fox standing there, holding a custom-tailored suit.
"Boss, there's a shareholder meeting at Stark Industries this morning. You're required to attend. I prepared your suit."
Smith took the suit from her, leaned in for a quick kiss, and smiled. "Thanks, Fox."
"Have the chef prepare my breakfast. I'll be down shortly."
Fox checked her watch and replied, "Two hours until the board meeting begins."
With that reminder, she turned and left to relay the breakfast request.
After a quick shower and grooming session, Smith got dressed in the suit Fox had picked out.
---
New York. Stark Industries Headquarters.
John Wick pulled up outside the building. As soon as Smith stepped out of the car, a swarm of reporters surrounded him, cameras flashing wildly.
The world was obsessed with this so-called "God," and as one of Stark Industries' shareholders, he had become the center of attention. Everyone wanted to know more about this extraordinary man.
The last publicly known superhuman had been the late Captain America, after all.
"Mr. Smith, as a shareholder in Stark Industries, do you believe the company will resume weapons sales?"
"Mr. Smith, what are your thoughts on Tony Stark's latest suit of armor?"
"Mr. Smith, are you involved in any super soldier serum research with Stark Industries?"
Before the questions could pile up any further, John Wick rushed over, clearing a path through the crowd. At the same time, Fox stepped forward and announced:
"We won't be taking any questions until after the shareholder meeting. There will be a press conference later."
With that, the three of them entered the Stark building, leaving the media outside.
Smith chuckled. "These reporters are insane."
Fox smirked. "Boss, just wait until the new product is released. This is nothing."
Smith just shrugged and headed upstairs to the conference room.
The meeting room doors opened. Smith, flanked by Fox and John Wick, stepped inside.
Tony Stark spotted him immediately, stood up from the head seat, and greeted him with a warm hug.
"Hey, man!"
Smith grinned. "Tony. Long time no see."
---