Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division – Trident Building
A few days ago…
Agent Phil Coulson, not yet in deep cover, walked briskly toward the Director's office, a tablet in hand.
"Director, we've identified the individual responsible for the Paris incident. Please take a look at this footage."
Director Nick Fury took the tablet and examined it closely.
On the screen played a recording of the battle beneath the Eiffel Tower between Alex Ray and the Marquis Vincent de Gramont. The footage captured Alex picking up a sword and slicing through an assassin with extraordinary speed—cleanly beheading the target. The shockwave from the strike shattered the ground around them.
The final moments of the footage showed the Marquis pressing a small black cube…
After watching, Nick Fury remained unfazed. "Just a skirmish. No real threat to us. Track down the origin of that explosive the Marquis used."
For someone like Fury—who had dealt with alien invasions, Captain America's awakening, and Captain Marvel's interstellar escapades—this kind of violence was far from extraordinary.
Still, he replayed the footage, this time focusing on Alex Ray's sheer speed and swordsmanship.
"Coulson, the guy in the video—he looks familiar. Have we ID'd him?"
Coulson replied without hesitation. "Yes, sir. The man is Alex Ray, godson of Wilson Fisk—Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen. He was part of the team that extracted Tony Stark recently. Natasha had contact with him while undercover with Stark."
"You ordered us to monitor them after the rescue, but we withdrew when there was no further activity."
Fury scratched his chin thoughtfully. He had been busy developing the Avengers Initiative lately and hadn't paid attention to Alex's movements.
"Right… Alex Ray. I recall he's listed as a mutant. Didn't expect him to be that capable. And those two with him—they're not the mutants I remember."
Coulson nodded. "Correct. The two individuals seen in the footage are skilled, but non-mutant operatives. The blind man is named Caine—Marquis had taken his daughter hostage, and Alex helped him get her back. Since then, he's followed Alex loyally.
The other is John Wick, the catalyst of this whole mess. Alex stepped in to support him in a duel against the Marquis. Both are legendary assassins tied to the High Table.
As for the mutant siblings you're referring to—they didn't participate in this incident. All of them currently live together in an apartment complex in Hell's Kitchen."
Fury scoffed. "Legendary assassins? More like vermin scuttling through the shadows. Even our Level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. agents could mop the floor with them. Wick's aging out of usefulness. Not worth recruiting."
"But Alex and the two young mutants? They're different. Still in their twenties, parentless, and powerful. Potentially very valuable."
Fury's disdain for the assassins was clear. But when it came to young, trainable superpowered assets? That was a different story.
"If we can brainwash—ahem, I mean—recruit them, it'd benefit our operations. And our scientists would get a chance to study their abilities in a controlled environment."
"Coulson, contact them. See if they're open to joining S.H.I.E.L.D. What good are three mutants running a Hell's Kitchen diner?"
He scoffed again.
"Alex runs the place like a family business. He's wasting potential dragging those two siblings around instead of training them properly."
"Oh, and isn't there some nutjob in a red suit that hangs around there? Mercenary type?"
Coulson blinked. "You mean Deadpool, sir?"
"Yeah, him. Leave him out of it. Not exactly 'agent material.'"
Fury's tone turned pseudo-heroic. "Only under our guidance can they become more. Staying stuck in a rundown kitchen? That's a waste. With us, they can grow—and help save the world."
He conveniently ignored S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own war-mongering history.
"And Coulson," Fury added, "Natasha's cover with Stark was compromised anyway. No new assignments lined up for her. Bring her along—you'll need her for this one. She's already familiar to them."
Coulson nodded, saluted, and left the office to find Romanoff.
A Few Days Later – Hell's Kitchen
"Come again soon," Alex Ray called after the last guest as he closed the restaurant door.
Just as he turned, he spotted a striking redhead and a suited agent walking in.
Natasha Romanoff wasn't dressed in her old Stark Industries secretary disguise this time. She wore her black tactical suit—sleek, form-fitting, and designed for fieldwork.
The suit accentuated her physique perfectly, from her crimson curls to her flawless face. She radiated a dangerous kind of beauty.
Alex raised an eyebrow and mused silently, No wonder they call her the Marvel bus—everyone's ridden it, and she still looks amazing.
Just then, Deadpool burst out of the kitchen, somehow armed with a bouquet of roses.
He dropped to one knee before Natasha. "Ms. Rushman, since our last encounter, I've been unable to eat, sleep, or kill with joy. I can't let this love go unanswered. Take my heart!"
From his post near the apartment entrance, John Wick—now acting as the complex's security—leaned over and murmured to Alex, "They're here for you. Smell like government. And not the good kind."
Wick had no romantic interest in Romanoff. His loyalty lay with his departed wife, his dog, and now Alex Ray.
Alex gave him a small nod.
Wick responded with a subtle "should I kill them?" throat-slashing gesture.
Alex shook his head.
Coulson, meanwhile, had spotted the quiet exchange and decided to intervene. He pulled Natasha away from Deadpool and approached Alex calmly.
"Mr. Ray," he said, presenting a badge. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson with the FBI. May we speak with you?"
Alex glanced at the ID and resisted the urge to scoff. "The FBI again? It's always the FBI. Every agency pretends to be the FBI now. You guys are really overusing the brand."
Still, he played along.
"Of course, Agent Coulson. What can I do for you?"
Then, turning to Natasha, he feigned surprise. "Ms. Rushman? You're with the FBI too now? I thought you were Stark's assistant."
Coulson answered for her. "Her real name is Natasha Romanoff. She's my colleague. Previously embedded with Tony Stark to investigate his disappearance."
Natasha nodded and produced her own credentials from her suit—pulling them from a somewhat eye-catching location that left Alex momentarily speechless.
"Well then," Alex said, regaining composure. "Please, take a seat. I'll prepare some tea."
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