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Upon hearing this, neither Nick Fury nor Coulson showed any sign of panic. It was clear they had prepared their response before they left.
Coulson immediately stepped forward and displayed his FBI credentials.
"We are affiliated with the FBI, a division specifically dedicated to protecting high-profile individuals. Please do not disclose our operations to anyone."
'FBI again.' Reid thought. Though he had expected it, it seemed that such frequent use of false affiliations was probably one of the reasons why S.H.I.E.L.D. and domestic U.S. special agencies had such a strained relationship.
However, Reid wasn't going to call them out on it. He smiled and said, "I see. Don't worry, I won't say a word. But could I trouble you to use your plane to take me to Gotham? My car..."
Reid pointed to the side where the Wayne family car, now riddled with bullets by Winter Soldier, was in ruins. They were in a secluded area, with hardly any traffic passing by.
"No problem." Nick Fury replied without hesitation. He wasn't going to turn down this request. In fact, they had no intention of letting the distinguished gentleman out of their sight anytime soon. They planned to investigate him thoroughly, making sure they understood everything about him.
Thus, Reid followed Nick Fury and Coulson to a New York's Hospital, where they handed over the unconscious Howard Stark to the doctors. Afterward, they took him directly to Wayne Manor's backyard in the Quinjet.
Once Reid disembarked, the Quinjet took off without any further interaction with him.
In fact, as the Quinjet ascended, Coulson pulled out a file containing all of Alfred's information.
"The Pennyworth family is really strange." Nick Fury muttered, flipping through the file. "They have a former MI6 super-agent take on the family butler role, but the thing is, the Pennyworths don't even have a fixed family to serve!"
He continued flipping through the file, but aside from that odd detail, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. It seemed that Alfred's rescue of Howard Stark was truly just a coincidence. For now, this matter could be set aside.
Now, their main problem was determining who had carried out the assassination attempt on Howard.
As Nick Fury pondered this, Coulson, looking out the window at the night skyline of Gotham City, couldn't help but reflect on the contrast. During the day, Gotham was just as bustling as New York, but at night, crime ruled the streets.
He had also looked into Alfred's background and learned much about Gotham through that research. The last Wayne heir had gone missing, leaving only Alfred as the sole member of the household.
Coulson didn't think Alfred, in his role as a butler, would be able to sustain Wayne Enterprises. If the company were to collapse, Gotham would fall under the control of crime and capital, and the city would descend further into chaos.
"Don't overthink it, Coulson." Nick Fury suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Gotham City was a place that was already enough of a headache just by name alone. This complex city had reached the point where it could swallow even the most skilled operatives.
The FBI, CIA, and even they had sent agents to investigate the entire city, but those agents either lacked the skills to gather any real information or, as they dug deeper, mysteriously disappeared into the city's dark underbelly.
Gotham wasn't like any American city. It felt more like a new world—one where they didn't have enough influence to interfere with its ongoing situation.
"....."