*Pov: General*
Continuing with the "main story", or at least whatever qualifies as main in this narrative casserole that makes Arkham Asylum look like a productivity seminar that can heal broken minds
We can currently observe three individuals aboard a sleek futuristic flying craft heading somewhere important.
And by "important" I mean dramatically classified at least in the original universe
And yes, it's Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff accompanied by the little idiot who until very recently thought he was the protagonist of Lord of the Mysteries.
Ironic really, because in a cosmic joke that even I didn't sign off on he sort of became one.
Well... deutero protagonist technically speaking
That's right dear readers, this story now features another being capable of influencing the ending based on his choices.
And given his track record?
Those choices will almost certainly be catastrophically stupid and shatter whatever remains of this story's internal logic.
To the point where even I won't remember what this mess was originally about.
Please, hold your applause.
*claps slowly sarcastically*
Why did this happen? Well I have no idea, I'm the general pov, not God.
You'll have to ask my master/boss/deranged creator why he thought adding another wildcard was a brilliant creative decision.
Writer: …I'm starting to think giving you this much personality was a mistake. Maybe I should kill you and replace you. (⌐■-■)
… *nervous sweat drop* …
Ahem, returning to this… "story."
The ship carries them across the skies of the United States toward a base located somewhere between Washington and Virginia.
Yep, that base, the publicly acknowledged S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Although… slightly upgraded from the original timeline.
You see, as you should know S.H.I.E.L.D. is a secret organization dedicated to blah blah blah blah
If you don't know please consult the internet, another fanfic, or literally any Asian web novel that explains it twelve times per chapter because so much bullshit is boring
Anyway.
During the Great Absolute Divine War.... yep, that is the official name personally given by Escanor after he single handedly humiliated every so called "god" present on Earth
S.H.I.E.L.D. participated because obviously they were created to protect Earth, what did you expect? A bake sale?
The point, Nick Fury being the number two fanatic devotee of Emily was understandably displeased when his goddess was publicly humbled by a walking solar ego with abs.
So he joined the war and as expected It accomplished nothing except revealing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence to the entire planet.
So with secrecy gone Fury simply pivoted to operating publicly and due to this universe… peculiar nature… S.H.I.E.L.D. became wildly popular.
So instead of the financially struggling intelligence agency from the original storyline you now have a S.H.I.E.L.D. funded by:
Mythical creatures, secret pocket dimensions, sentient transforming machines, Saints, MANY gods, and a handful of human secret societies that honestly contribute nothing because.... Well you already know why
They are absurdly overpowered and swimming in money, completely unnecessary by the way because ever since the Divine War, no being in the universe except Gol D. Roger dares touch Earth.
And Roger barely manages to steal anything before running away.
Now that you've swallowed that context (and you eat it without pretexts) you may understand why our dear Klein has been standing at the entrance like an idiot for three full minutes.
So long in fact that Natasha Romanoff simply smacked him on the head and knocked him unconscious.
Efficient woman, I'm starting to like her more
She then flagged down a random agent to haul him somewhere less publicly embarrassing, orders were issued, dragons appeared, they flew for a while.
And eventually we arrived at a futuristic holding cell in which time passed before Klein woke up inside a cell made of glowing energy walls nursing a headache from Natasha's loving tap.
He ignored it and not because he's brave but because at this point his spirit is shattered beyond repair.
"You're awake"
Nick Fury's voice echoed as a hologram of his body materialized inside the cell still with his... How do you call the clothes given by a church...?
Idk, better I just continue with the history
"…."
And our brilliant secondary protagonist did not respond to the man who might very well be the third most powerful non cosmic individual in this universe.
Spoiler: soon to be fourth
Back to the conversation who frankly nobody cares
"Listen I don't care what the hell you are or what you want, I care about what you know so talk and I'll let you go."
Wow, this Fury is very different from the original, I vaguely recall the real one at least pretending to negotiate... If I'm not wrong
"…What do you want to know?"
Klein finally looked up making eye contact with Fury
Honestly? Watching him fall from self proclaimed cosmic king to ordinary detainee has been delightful, even more since his "reign" lasted approximately forty seconds
That's record breaking, I'm pretty sure that it will go to the books of history
"Start by telling me everything you know about this universe, and everything about your own."
Once Fury said that Klein proceeded to narrate the history of Marvel, or at least what he remembered which wasn't much because he wasn't a die hard fan.
He also described fragments of his original world and very conveniently omitted everything he had learned from that history book.
Why? I have no idea, perhaps the final act of rebellion from a man who already considers himself dead.
"…That's all. Anything else?"
He finished with impressive indifference, and after a moment of silence Fury replied
"That's more than enough, now sign this"
Once he said that a holographic contract appeared, and our intellectual titan did not read it, literally he didn't give it even a glance.
Ladies and gentlemen, please learn basic contract law, and please don't be like the smooth brained organism above.
Also, he signed under the alias "Mr. Fool", why that name? There's no apparent reason.
Once he signed the contract vanished and a crooked smirk appeared on Fury's holographic face while he said
"Congratulations, you are officially a Level one employee motherfucker. Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D."
Once he said that the hologram disappeared with the energy walls while Klein stood there in stunned silence after realizing he had signed an employment contract and not a death warrant.
And before he could process this life development, two agents wearing green and red military uniforms entered the cell…
And knocked him unconscious again
Really I'm starting to love this version of SHIELD more and more
Anyway.
After knocking Klein out the agents dragged him from the holding cells into a massive room with an absurdly large table in the center.
Yes, a conference room because apparently nothing says "interdimensional containment protocol" like corporate furniture.
Several people were already seated around the table also unconscious
Apparently they are matching Klein's current intellectual frequency because I don't believe anyone in that room haven't signed that contract
Within seconds every seat was filled, and that little act make me think SHIELD runs kidnapping logistics with impressive efficiency
Nice for them
Soon enough a few of the guests began waking up on their own and whenever someone regained consciousness a soldier would politely instruct them to remain silent until everyone else woke up.
And to their credit they obeyed, amazing what armed supervision can accomplish.
Once everyone had fully awakened from this… gracious invitation, a black haired and pale skinned girl hesitantly raised her voice and started to speak
"Excuse me... I know I'm not really in a position to ask but… what are we waiting for?"
Once she ended speaking, a soldier being the absolute gentleman that he was responded immediately with a gunshot.
No hesitation or warning by the way
Now for little context, even the most basic SHIELD sidearm hits with the stopping power of an anti materiel rifle.
So the situation resolved itself rather decisively when her head was blown apart, making that little scene incredible gruesome but epic if you put it in slow motion
As I said a complete gentleman.
After that demonstration of customer service, no one else felt inclined to speak for a solid three minutes of silence
It was a productive silence until the doors opened and Fury walked in and he looked even angrier than before, so angry in fact that he shot another seated individual on arrival.
Just because stress relief, perhaps, I'm not him to know what's going on in his mind
After that brief emotional adjustment that function better than therapy he finally spoke
"Clear this room, we will have important visitors soon"
Agents entered immediately removing the bodies, the chairs, and any evidence of inconvenience.
That was efficient, professional, and mildly concerning, so much in fact that it let you thinking how may times that have happened before...
... Anyway, not my problem
Once the room was spotless Fury spoke again still visibly irritated.
"Listen carefully you bastards, I know perfectly well that the answers you gave me earlier were either lies or incomplete truths.
So whether you like it or not this is your last chance to prove you're worth anything before you die"
Motivational leadership at its finest, I would choose him as president if he tried it some day
At the end that statement nearly everyone at the table except Klein and about nine other people showed varying degrees of panic.
Which is fair but incredible stupid, even more because the one in front of them it's the fucking king of spies
But before Fury could continue a massive pressure descended upon the room.
So crushing and overwhelming that everyone, soldiers included, dropped to their knees.
Everyone except Fury.
He didn't kneel because he expected that to happen, but the frustration on his face was… extraordinary
To be fair he was not enjoying being reminded that he failed to protect one pocket realm from the hands of Tony
But also to be fair it wasn't his fault, the Tony of this universe was simply incredible broken
Continuing with the story
The pressure lasted only a few moments before everyone in the room vanished and reappeared elsewhere.
Or rather they appeared in what seemed to be the exact same room.
Same layout, same table, same chairs, same brand, same positions, even the soldiers were standing in precisely the same spots.
Frankly, I'm impressed by the attention to detail here, is incredible if you think about it
After dealing with cosmic nonsense, divine wars, and reality breaking collisions S.H.I.E.L.D. apparently decided that if they're going to suffer for all that bullshit, they will at least maintain aesthetic consistency.
You have to respect that level of commitment
Now continuing this glorious mess, once they arrived in the room no one needed to be told what to do.
They simply walked to their respective chairs sat down and remained silent, this time there weren't instructions, hesitation, or complaints.
It's funny how efficient human behavior becomes after watching two people get eliminated in front of them
I suppose they finally understood the rules of this broken world
Obey or die, without middle ground, negotiation tier, or even the basic "let's talk this out", just compliance or termination.
Honestly? Rapid learning curve, I'm almost proud of them if not for the fact that nobody in that room it's important
Anyway.
After about two full minutes of disciplined trauma induced silence someone else entered the room.
And to absolutely no one's surprise the man walking in was none other than our dear Agent Phil Coulson himself.
Yep, that Coulson.
He stepped to the front of the rooma with his hands calmly folded, posture immaculate while radiating the warm corporate energy of someone about to apologize on behalf of an organization that absolutely meant to do what it just did.
Then he began to speak
"On behalf of SHIELD I want to apologize for what you've experienced so far and for the reception you've received.
You must understand… you arrived at the worst possible moment, and on top of that you represent an undefined threat to our universe"
Ah, Coulson.
Always the good guy or the polite one.
Nothing eases the tension better after two public executions like a professionally delivered apology.
To his credit, the silence in the room shifted somehow
The tension didn't disappear but the expressions changed, some shoulders loosened and even eyes softened.
Amazing what a friendly tone can accomplish.
I suppose meeting someone like Coulson face to face felt reassuring compared to Fury's approach.
Or, and hear me out because with the IQ showed so far by this group of people this might be the truth.
They might just be naive enough to believe that in this universe someone as narratively significant as Phil Coulson would remain exactly the same as in the original story
Adorable really, because it's exactly the second option but nobody suspect a thing because if there's one thing this universe has proven repeatedly, it's that stability is a myth.
But sure, trust the nice man with the friendly smile, that always works out.
#####
Sorry for the late update, the University take a lot of time and it's hard to get new ideas to write this book
But even so here I'm with a new chapter, if you like it I would love to know it
And if you feel that I need to change something please tell me, I'd like to read your opinion
Anyway, see you all in the next chapter, be careful out there, and remember, a Therian isn't the same as a Furry, don't believe the things you see in internet