Chapter 56 Mark
May 2, 2023 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
Just like that, an unknown amount of time passed.
Colin had almost begun to think that Nick Fury was genuinely enjoying an afternoon in the cafe.
"Am I late?"
Inside the cafe, a slightly hoarse voice rang out.
She's here.
Natasha!
Inside the taxi, hearing the familiar voice, Colin's expression brightened.
He held his breath, continuing to drive the taxi in circles around the nearby streets while listening intently to the conversation between Nick Fury and Natasha inside the cafe.
...
"No, the timing is perfect."
Closing the book in his hands, Nick Fury looked at the red-haired woman in front of him, then smiled and motioned to the waiter.
Pulling down her hat, Natasha sat down opposite Nick Fury. She habitually glanced at the cafe's emergency exit, then her gaze returned to Nick Fury, scrutinizing him up and down, particularly lingering on his flawless Caucasian face. "A very good disguise," she commented.
"Thank you."
Nodding to the waiter, Nick pushed the coffee from the center of the table closer to Natasha. "Howard's new invention. You know, he's always good at this sort of thing, full of all sorts of wild ideas. If not for the impact of that incident, perhaps Stark Industries would be in a completely different situation today."
Natasha picked up the coffee in front of her and took a noncommittal sip.
"I admit, Howard is exceptionally talented. However, your reason for contacting me shouldn't just be to show off your new gear, should it?"
As she spoke, Natasha looked up at the time display in the cafe, reminding him, "You should know my private time is not ample."
"Phineas Horton."
Responding to Natasha's reminder, Nick put aside his thoughts. He placed the book on the table and leaned slightly forward, uttering the name in a voice only the 'two of them' could hear.
Natasha shielded her expression with her coffee cup, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Nick Fury opposite her.
"During World War II, Phineas Horton led a secret experiment called 'Project Rebirth'. A few years ago, the relevant data for the experiment was sealed and transferred by the German Military in the US at the time. We only recently found traces of it among the wreckage inside HYDRA Biotech's research laboratory at Fort Detrick."
"We need to know Hydra's purpose for initiating the 'Project Rebirth' experiment."
"..."
Putting down her coffee cup, Natasha glanced at the book cover in Nick's hand, then stated calmly, "I will investigate everything you've mentioned. Also, if you plan to contact me again next time, perhaps you could consider changing…"
...
"Taxi!"
Changing, changing what?
Inside the taxi, Colin was using Super Hearing to listen to their conversation when a pedestrian suddenly appeared on the roadside, waving at him.
Seeing the untimely passenger in front of him, Colin originally intended to ignore them and drive past.
At the last moment, he remembered Nick Fury's reminder and pressed the brake, bringing the car to a halt.
Looking at the taxi stopped in front of him, the passenger pulled open the door. Upon seeing Colin, disguised as 'Nick Fury,' in the driver's seat, a hint of hesitation clearly appeared on his face. He frowned and glanced at his wrist, then reluctantly got into the backseat, saying, "To the embassy. (German)"
From the driver's seat of the taxi, Colin observed the passenger through the rearview mirror.
He was a man with distinct Germanic features: prominent cheekbones, green eyes, golden hair with a hint of gray, slightly bald, and an ordinary face that held a subtle, inherent arrogance.
"What?"
Recalling his gaze from the rearview mirror, Colin heard the man's words and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
"I'm sorry, sir, could you please repeat that? I didn't quite catch what you said."
Looking at Colin, who appeared utterly bewildered, the passenger pursed his lips and seemed somewhat displeased, reluctantly repeating in English with a heavy German accent, "I said, to the German Embassy."
Striving to discern the destination from the man's accent, Colin nodded, offered a brief reminder to the passenger, and then pressed the accelerator, starting the taxi towards the embassy.
"...It's been confirmed... Dr. Hank Pym... perhaps with…"
As the distance grew, the content heard through Super Hearing began to become intermittent.
Beyond a range of ten kilometers, Colin inside the taxi could no longer hear the conversation between Nick Fury and Natasha inside the cafe.
Reluctantly retracting his Super Hearing Powers, Colin drove the taxi towards the German Embassy, silently pondering the information he had just overheard.
Undoubtedly, Natasha was a spy planted by the Dark Avengers within the Thunderbolts, or rather, Hydra.
This identity indeed aligns with Black Widow's original status as a S.H.I.E.L.D. super agent.
Meanwhile, Colin was silently contemplating all of this.
On the other side, as the taxi drew closer to the embassy, the surrounding street scenes began to change. In the district where the German Embassy in the US was located, there were noticeably more patrol cars on the streets, and numerous restaurants with German signs and pictures appeared one after another. Many Germans sat inside, enjoying their meals.
"Sir, we've arrived."
After parking the car in front of the embassy, Colin glanced at the heavily guarded German Embassy and the small groups of protesters holding signs near its entrance.
He turned to the passenger in the back and said, "That'll be 46 US dollars. Will you be paying in cash or by card?"
"Keep the change."
The man casually pulled two banknotes from his wallet and tossed them to Colin in front of the driver's seat, then exited the car without looking back.
"Sir, sir."
Watching the man's retreating back, Colin frowned and picked up the banknotes.
Examining the currency in his hand, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
On the front of the two banknotes, an image of a head with a side parting and a small 'toothbrush mustache' below the nose was printed, with a large number 5 on the left side indicating the denomination of the note.
This was not the US dollar, or any other currency Colin was familiar with, but the Mark.
A currency that had been replaced in Colin's original world.
(end of chapter)