"Give it back to me! Give it back right now!"
When Nick Fury saw that Tifa had actually snatched the pager he used to contact Captain Marvel, he immediately panicked.
After all, that device was the only way he could reach her—and if Loren got his hands on it or destroyed it, the consequences would be catastrophic.
You have to understand: Captain Marvel was, in Fury's eyes, the most powerful being he'd ever encountered—possibly even more formidable than the Hulk.
On top of his panic, Fury was utterly incredulous.
No one else was supposed to know about the pager—just him and Captain Marvel. It was their secret. Yet somehow, that kid Loren seemed to know everything. It defied belief.
"You're that worked up over a little pager?" Tifa smirked. "Guess the boss was right—this thing really is important to you!"
"No, Miss Tifa," Fury said quickly. "The reason I'm nervous is that… it's a keepsake from my late father."
"Your father left you a pager?" Tifa scoffed. "Come on! Even if he wanted to leave you something sentimental, it wouldn't be that."
Fury sighed. "Miss Tifa… jokes like that aren't funny."
"You can't blame me," she shot back. "You started it with that sob story. Don't try to use cheap emotional tricks—they don't suit you. And more importantly, you picked the wrong person to fool. My boss knows exactly what this pager does—that's why he sent me to get it."
Before Fury could respond, Tifa raised her hand, sent him flying with a casual flick, and slipped the pager into her pocket.
"My boss says you can't have your cake and eat it too," she called over her shoulder. "You want the Hulk? Fine. But for now, we'll hold onto this."
"If you ever come back with something better—say, a Rubik's Cube or something equally ridiculous—he might consider giving it back."
With that, Tifa ignored Fury's stunned expression, leapt into the air, and vanished in a streak of light.
Fury collapsed to his knees, utterly despondent, as if his soul had been ripped out.
"Pager… my pager! Damn you, Loren—I'll fight you to the death!"
His face flushed with rage, and he surged to his feet, storming toward Morgan Manor.
But Coulson and Natasha yanked him back just in time. If he charged in uninvited, they'd all be dead before they crossed the threshold.
They didn't know much about Morgan Manor's defenses—but they did know this: Loren, that 18-year-old menace, was the most dangerous villain they'd ever faced.
And the worst part? There was absolutely nothing they could do about it.
"Sir, please—don't be reckless!" Coulson pleaded. "It's just a pager!"
"Yeah, sir," Natasha added, trying to soothe him. "It's not the end of the world. I'll buy you a new one tomorrow!"
"…" Fury stared at them, speechless.
"Do you even know who this pager can contact?" he finally growled.
When Coulson repeated his offer to replace it, Fury let out a bitter, incredulous laugh.
"Who? Your dead dad?" Coulson asked innocently.
"What?!" Natasha gasped. "Wait—this pager can talk to the dead?!"
"…" Fury pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Screw you both," he muttered, voice trembling with exasperation. "I swear… I'm disbanding S.H.I.E.L.D. right now."
"!!!!" Coulson froze.
"???" Natasha blinked.
"Forget it," Fury sighed, turning away. "You wouldn't understand even if I explained. Let's just go back to base. I'm exhausted."
Nick Fury seemed to have lost all his strength and didn't want to say anything more.
He didn't even want to look at Bruce Banner anymore. He turned around, got into a military vehicle, and quickly left, leaving Coulson and Natasha standing there, dumbfounded.
"Natasha, it seems we've said something wrong."
"To be more precise, you said the wrong thing. Why did you bring up someone's father for no reason?"
"He said the pager was a keepsake left to him by his father! I just mentioned it casually—how was I supposed to know he'd get angry?"
"I guess he's missing his father so much that seeing this object brings back memories. After all, acorns are like children without fathers. By the way… is your father still alive?"
Natasha stared intently at Coulson, her face full of curiosity.
"He passed away just two years ago," Coulson sighed, looking slightly saddened.
"Did he leave you any belongings?"
"Yes—an old house, two Labrador Retrievers, and an inheritance worth several million."
"Exactly. What decent person would leave a pager as an inheritance for their descendants?"
"So you think the Director's lying?"
"Of course. Loren isn't a good man, but he's not stupid—and he's not that easy to fool."
"And we have to admit," Natasha added, gazing meaningfully at the vast Morgan estate, "his vision really is more far-reaching than ours. That kid is strong—very capable."
Hearing this, Coulson, who had been standing to the side, narrowed his eyes and gave Natasha a half-smile.
"Natasha, this is the first time I've seen you praise an enemy. That's a dangerous mindset. Being drawn to your enemy's charisma is never a good sign!"
Without waiting for her reply, Coulson grabbed Bruce and General Ross, shoved them into the car, and drove off.
Natasha remained quietly at the entrance of Morgan Manor, her mind replaying the steamy scene she'd witnessed earlier—Loren and Viper together in the VIP room.
With a complicated expression, she murmured, "I'm just telling the truth… that kid really is strong."
As soon as the words left her lips, she felt a jolt of electricity surge through her body, and her legs involuntarily tightened.
Inside the manor, Loren toyed with the pager that Tifa had snatched back for him, a satisfied smile on his face.
"That guy with the black simmering egg must be worried sick by now, huh?"
"Yeah," Tifa replied. "When he saw me take his pager, he got so angry he tried to storm the manor—but his two goons held him back."
"Heh. That old man's just putting on an act. He doesn't have the guts. If he really dared to force his way in, the consequences would be more than he could handle."
"Boss," 2B asked curiously, "it's just a small pager—why go through all that trouble to steal it?"
"Because it's Nick Fury's only way to contact Granny Marvel."
"Who's Granny Marvel? And why are you so wary of her?"
"She's a powerful old woman who can absorb and manipulate all kinds of energy—and she's got strength that rivals even the Hulk's. She can travel faster than light, too. She's not usually on Earth; she's out there in space, 'maintaining cosmic peace' or whatever."
"Faster-than-light travel? Is that even possible?"
Hearing that Captain Marvel could exceed light speed, 2B, A2, and Tifa were all visibly stunned.
"It's more legend than fact," Loren admitted. "I haven't seen her myself, so I won't say for sure. But right now, she does pose a real threat to me."
"That's why I don't want anyone who could threaten me showing up before I'm fully ready. I can't control everything—but if something can clearly be delayed, I'll delay it."
"Boss," A2 said gravely, "if what you say is true… then we're still too weak. We need to become stronger."
After learning of Captain Marvel's extraordinary abilities, A2, 2B, and Tifa all grew serious. Their mission was to protect Loren—and if they couldn't do that, their existence would be meaningless.
"Yes," Loren murmured, "you do need to get stronger. But that'll take time… and I'll need to acquire more advanced black tech."
As he spoke, the image of a blonde woman flashed through his mind—Android 18 f
rom the Dragon Ball universe.
If he could get his hands on that world's android technology, he wouldn't have to worry about any of this.
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