When Fury heard Aetheris's words, the coffee in his hand suddenly tasted bitter. He couldn't deny it. Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. had secured the Tesseract, they had poured immense manpower and funding into researching it. Just the construction of the superconducting magnetic impact station had cost over a billion dollars yet after all that, they hadn't made any real progress.
Back in World War II, the Red Skull had already used the Tesseract to develop an entire arsenal of futuristic weapons personal rifles, vehicle-mounted cannons, railguns, and more. And that was in 1942.
At the time, even nuclear weapons based on Einstein's theories hadn't seen real deployment, yet the Red Skull was already decades ahead in tech.
If Captain America hadn't intervened, the course of the war might have ended in disaster.
But now, more than seventy years later, these so-called scientists at S.H.I.E.L.D. still couldn't even figure out how to open the cube. All they did was spout theories, run endless tests, and get nowhere.
Eventually, even the notoriously hard-headed Director Fury had to admit the truth—his research team was just average. Real scientific breakthroughs came from rare, once-in-a-generation minds. Sometimes, a single flash of inspiration just 0.001 microseconds could be worth more than a lifetime of slogging by ten ordinary scientists.
Science is like math: either you solve the problem, or you don't. You can't bluff your way through. It's not a multiple-choice test where picking option "C" might earn you dumb luck.
"Director, your coffee's gone cold."
Black Widow's voice broke his train of thought. Fury looked down and realized he'd been holding the cup absentmindedly. He downed the lukewarm coffee in one gulp and said,"Alright. I'll hand over the Tesseract. But I want your word if there's any progress, I need to be notified immediately."
Aetheris let out a hearty laugh. He picked up the phone on the table it was still connected and said,"No problem. With the relationship we've got, of course you'll be the first to know. But let me be honest, there's a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D. I only trust you, Natasha, maybe Coulson and Hill. This has to stay between us. If this leaks, we'll end up shooting ourselves in the foot."
Fury nodded."Don't worry. Only Romanoff and I know for now. So, when do you want the Tesseract?"
Aetheris didn't hesitate."Today."
"That fast?"
"I'm not in a rush. But I figured you might be. Isn't Dr. Octavius getting a little impatient?"
Aetheris stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the bright sky and endless ocean. His mood had clearly lifted.
Fury leaned back, putting his feet up on the desk."So, are you coming to get it yourself, or sending someone?"
Aetheris glanced at Betty Ross. She understood immediately and walked into the next room to grab his clothes.
"Of course I'll go myself. I don't trust anyone else not to mess it up."
His tone was firm, no room for doubt. And it made sense if the movies had taught him anything, it was that the Tesseract was passed around like a party favor. It was stolen, lost, recovered, and mishandled repeatedly. The simplest tasks somehow became convoluted chaos.
Foreigners were always so careless and impulsive, everyone just did whatever they wanted. Compared to the citizens of the East, they lacked a sense of responsibility and discipline.
After sharing a deep farewell kiss with Betty, Aetheris suited up in the Mark IV armor and blasted off toward the coordinates Fury had sent.
Xalapa-Enríquez, capital of Veracruz State, Mexico.
A top-tier nightclub. This was Sam's base of operations. It was always his choice for deals and entertainment.
Why?
Because it had the most women stunning, wild, and in every variety imaginable. The guests were all high rollers, and Sam believed they deserved the best good food, good drink, and a whole lot of fun.
Tonight, Uncle Sam had a warm sit-down with Charles, the second-in-command of New York's infamous Skyfire Gang. Thanks to Sam's deep network, he had finally built a connection with the city's biggest criminal organization.
Their leader, Tony, had personally dispatched his younger brother Charles to handle the talks. It was both a test of Sam's capabilities and a move to secure a stable, long-term supplier for their exclusive product.
The two sides quickly reached a deal on supply volume, transport routes, and exchange locations.
A few seats away sat Tiger and Watson, both lounging in pleasure, surrounded by scantily clad, drop-dead-gorgeous women Black, White, but curiously, no East Asians.
"Hey there, handsome, let me buy you a drink."
A beauty poured a cold beer down her throat, and Watson had no choice but to enjoy it straight from the "source."
Tiger, on the other hand, was less patient. With a casual flex of his bulging muscles, the women swarmed him like seductive serpents, coiling around him eagerly.
Tiger welcomed all of them with open arms, he wasn't picky.
Sam roared with laughter at the sight.
"In Veracruz, I may be second, but no one dares claim the top spot. I've got the most product, and my guys run land, sea, and air. You want to run the whole game?"
Charles lit a cigar, and Watson hurried over to clip the tip.
(End of Chapter)
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