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S.H.I.E.L.D.
The new Triskelion building.
Nick still harbors resentment over Luke's words in Asgard. What does a dark-skinned elf mean? Does that mean someone with dark skin can't be an elf? Despite his thoughts and complaints, Nick remains fascinated by the idea that arcane energy can alter life forms.
Especially the energy from that alien universe, it seems that each type can transform life into the life form that best suits their wishes.
"Bang, bang!"
A few muffled knocks on the door interrupted Nick's thoughts. He first looked at the door of his office, then felt something was wrong. He turned his head in surprise and looked at the glass behind his desk.
After a brief flicker of light and darkness, the glass revealed the exterior. Two Iron Man suits, clearly reminiscent of Mark's suits, were suspended in mid-air. One of them was knocking on the window.
Then Nick opened his eyes wide, watching the two Iron Man suits lightly remove his glass, revealing a glass door. The wind from high above howled in through the removed glass window, and along with the wind, came the two Mark suits.
For a moment, the two people who came in met the eyes of Nick who was looking at them in astonishment at the desk.
"I said to enter through the main gate." A voice came from one of the iron suits.
"Don't panic, we are here to visit." The helmet was opened, and it turned into black particles and transformed into a black suit. Tony Stark, who was discovered by the host, did not look embarrassed at all, and looked at Nick calmly.
Nick withdrew his hand from pressing the alarm and asked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligent system to cancel the alarm. He looked at Stark angrily and said, "Can't you just go through the main door?"
"This is a bit of a waste of our time. In fact, I really want to use magic devices to open the door directly, but the protection measures here are good, and you didn't give me the authority to intervene in the coordinates." Stark didn't care. The other Mark suit quickly faded away as if it was dissolving, revealing the honest and friendly face of Dr. Bruce Banner.
"I'll install the window glass for you before we leave, I promise!" Dr. Banner raised his hand when he saw Nick turning his gaze.
"This isn't a question of whether to install glass or not. Anyway, let's talk about why you're here. What brings you two together? Is there something you can't talk about?" Nick wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back in frustration. He wasn't going to argue with Stark, the sharp-tongued man. They were both short on time, but did Nick have plenty of it?
"I've looked at the project list. Stark Group is responsible for the transformation of Mars. It will serve as a buffer point in the future." Stark walked to the desk and started the conversation.
"Any questions? I remember I've already sent you the transformation technology and project procedures." Nick thought for a moment and nodded. Stark was indeed responsible for the initial transformation of the Martian environment to quickly make it suitable for human survival.
"Do you know what technology Luke used?" Stark stared at Nick.
"I'm only responsible for allocating projects and supporting technologies. You know, I've long given up trying to understand Heybolun's technology." Nick spread his hands helplessly. "However, what I do know is that this technology also comes from another world. In his words, it's simple, convenient, and safe. What's wrong? Is there a problem with the technology?"
"The technology is fine, the problem is the thing he gave us. That's a life! In order to understand that thing, Dr. Banner and I had to go to the data dimension to find information and supplement a lot of knowledge." Stark said with some excitement.
"Life? I know that. This is an alien species called the Thorn Beast, a plant-based life form. It represents the native natural force of a planet. According to the information provided by Hebolun, its responsibility in the other world is to transform the planet, making the planetary environment habitable for life.
Of course, its role in environmental transformation is immense, but this power also creates a huge problem for flesh-and-blood life. They are extremely hostile to flesh-and-blood life forms and will compete with them for territory and survival.
Haibolun's suggestion was to conduct targeted modifications, or to create some kind of inhibitor. Someone in Haibolun's lab had already accepted this task. However, this project, like all others, was packaged and distributed as part of a larger project.
After careful consideration, I believe the only one who can compete with Heberon is Stark, who you control, so I'm assigning it to you. "Any questions?" Nick retrieved the information he wanted to read, glanced at it, and then asked Stark and Dr. Banner.
"No problem? I don't want to discuss technical issues with you, because you won't understand at all. So I'll just state my request. I need more materials. The kind called Jing beast." Stark stated his request concisely.
"Allocation based on demand, Stark. The resources allocated have been carefully planned and researched by the Heberon Technology Management Committee. You know, without this step, those giants wouldn't even know what "enough" means." Nick flatly rejected Stark's request. He'd seen similar situations so often that he had his own set of procedures in place.
After all, compared to those giants, he trusts Hebolun's analysis and statistics more.
"Don't compare Banner and I with those guys. We can complete this technology as soon as possible, but the prerequisite is that you have to provide more materials. Or tell me, how can we obtain the plant life of this thorn beast? I understand the process and I can pay for it." Stark also has rich experience in dealing with Nick's veto. His words "I'll pay for it" are enough to make Nick change his mind.
Isn't it just a bit of agency fee?
Despite the pain, Stark could accept it. He believed in spending money when it was needed, not hoarding it. Meanwhile, the other Dr. Banner was more like an ascetic monk, content with a little real money, and pursuing more knowledge.
"I can ask for you, but don't get your hopes up." Nick thought for a moment and nodded. Seeing the two men about to leave immediately after achieving their goal, Nick pressed, "How many Thorn Beasts do you need? What are they for? Don't tell me it's for experiments. The ones Heberon allocated for the project are more than enough for you to complete the initial experiments."
"Life armor, Director Fury. Don't embarrass yourself with technical issues. Just tell those people from Heberon that I want to upgrade my armor and make technical modifications to it. If you don't come, then Banner and I will have to stop Luke next time." Stark wrapped himself in the black Mark battle suit again, said in front of Nick, took off his helmet, and then walked towards the empty window where the wind was sweeping in, and jumped down in front of Nick.
"Um, do I still need to help install the glass?" Dr. Banner, his battle suit already covering his neck, looked at the glass window in his hand with some embarrassment, then glanced at Nick. He didn't intend to refuse, but seeing Stark leave without looking back, he was eager to go home.
"Let's go." Nick waved his hand tiredly, watching Dr. Banner and Stark draw an arc in the air and disappear quickly.
The strong wind from the sky was still rushing towards the house desperately. The fierce wind made the hem of Nick's windbreaker flutter up and down like a flag, making a rustling sound.
However, the next moment, the alarm that Nick had suppressed finally sounded.
"The Spacetime Administration Bureau No. 03 was attacked by an unknown entity."
The information transmitted by the intelligent system made Nick even more confused in the wind. His single exposed eye was filled with astonishment, even more shocking than when he saw Stark and the other two dismantling the glass in his office in front of him.
The Space-Time Administration, a subsidiary of the Energy Bank, rapidly evolved into a military-like, violent organization after Hela's arrival. With support from various parties, the Administration boasts a wealth of talent. Its importance continues to grow, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s status and function in other universes are now far behind.
As an organization managed by Loki, Nick was well aware of the power it wielded. Furthermore, the other party was hidden in time, making it impossible for ordinary people to even find it, let alone invade it.
Nick did not gloat over the misfortune, but instead began to think about possible invaders.
Is he the remnant of Kang, the original owner of the Time Management Bureau?
Although a large number of Kang's mutants perished, a few mutated ones slipped through the net, more powerful and cunning than the other Kangs. It's hard to say the other side couldn't resolve their soul problems. As Luke put it, if someone was lucky enough to sever their connection to the other Kangs' souls before the soul poison spread, they might escape without immediate death. As long as they carefully disappeared and hid for a long enough time, there was a high chance they could still survive.
Is it revenge from the survivors?
But what good would that do? The Time Administration had already been completely transformed. The power to manage time had been forcibly seized, falling into the hands of the Director of the Time Administration. The chances of Kang making a comeback were practically zero.
"Mr. Norman Osborn has requested a call."
A transparent frame suddenly appeared in front of Nick, with a familiar figure applying for communication.
"Fury, tell me, where is the Time Management Bureau?"
After the call was connected, before Nick could speak, Norman Osborn's angry voice came through.
"What's wrong?" Nick frowned at the sight of an enraged Osborn. He was helpless against Stark and Dr. Banner because they were both incredibly intelligent. As technical advisors to S.H.I.E.L.D., they could solve many of the agency's technical problems and provide targeted upgrades.
You can't buy everything from Haibolun, right?
Hyperion's technology was indeed superior, exceeding certain specifications. But it was expensive! Deeply in debt, Nick had to start living a frugal life early on. While Stark and Dr. Banner's skills weren't as complete as Luke's, they were perfectly adequate as substitutes. They were also one of the few technical groups within S.H.I.E.L.D. that could compete with Hyperion Labs in certain areas.
But Norman Osborn?
Well, he wasn't unimportant, but he clearly wasn't as irreplaceable as Stark and the others. So, seeing Osborn coming angrily, Nick, as the client, certainly wasn't going to be polite. He was still angry.
Seeing Nick's equally dark face, Osborn was silent for a moment. His expression was still grim, but he softened his tone and said, "Harry is missing."
"Harry?" Nick was stunned again. He didn't think of this name for a moment.
"Harry Osborn. My boy! He's missing!" Although Norman Osborn felt somewhat disappointed with his son, he still gave him the attention and respect he deserved. Imagine how furious Osborn was when his heir suddenly vanished, his fate unknown.
"I remember that he was sent to work at the Time Management Bureau." Nick thought about it and searched for relevant information from his memory.
When the Time Administration was first re-established, it recruited many residents of this universe. As the heir to Osborn Industries, Harry Osborn was one of the applicants.
He is also the candidate recommended by S.H.I.E.L.D.
This situation is common. The giants all want their heirs to work at the Energy Bank, but the barriers to entry are too high. Fortunately, there is a workaround.
That is to join Hebron, S.H.I.E.L.D., or the Time Management Bureau.
Haibolun didn't have to think about it. It only recruited researchers now, and they had to be well-known researchers in a certain field.
As Nick Fury's one-man show, S.H.I.E.L.D. has the final say, and Osborn and others arranged for their own children to join. If there were vacancies for joining the Energy Bank, the old fox Fury would most likely choose his own people to join, rather than the heir of a giant who was destined to be at odds with him.
As a newly formed Time Administration, it was highly important, lacked trustworthy personnel, presented numerous opportunities, and was also a subsidiary of the Energy Bank. People like Osborn had arranged for their successors to be gilded, perhaps gaining access to a wealth of confidential intelligence and information.
For example, when it came to the various equipment orders sent by the Time Administration, Osborn and his team first got the news from their children and made sufficient preparations.
Normally, the heirs as non-combat staff can be guaranteed to be safe, but who would have thought that the Time Management Bureau would be invaded?
Norman Osborn knew that the Time Administration had been conquering universes one after another, and had recently discovered a universe of extremely high value. Their already stretched forces were being drawn upon one after another, practically sending out all their might. But who would have thought that while they were conquering other universes, their own base would be attacked?
And who would have thought that the number that was invaded was the place where their own child was?
"Nick, Harry is just a child, my only child."