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"This might come as a surprise, sir, but she runs a school where people can learn magic."
Fury raised an eyebrow. "So she runs a secret magic school, huh?"
Coulson shook his head. "Not secret. It's practically in the middle of a bazaar in Kathmandu."
Fury stared at him. "I am not in the mood for jokes."
"I'm not joking, sir. It's true," Coulson replied.
Fury set his papers aside and leaned back in his chair. "Are you saying the Sorcerer Supreme—who once drove an alien god out of Earth and wields powerful artifacts—is teaching magic openly?"
Coulson nodded. "That's what Ethan said."
Fury leaned back further, considering. "At least then we can ask her for help."
"That won't happen," Coulson said evenly. "Ethan made it clear—the Sorcerer Supreme only protects Earth from mystical and magical threats. They've maintained a magical barrier around the planet for centuries, still active, keeping dark entities out of reach."
Silence settled in the office as Fury absorbed that.
"So," Fury muttered, "we handle the physical threats… and she handles the things that go bump in reality."
Coulson gave a slight nod. "That seems to be the arrangement."
Fury tapped his fingers on the desk.
"And this barrier," he said. "It covers the whole planet?"
"Yes, sir," Coulson replied. "Ethan said it surrounds Earth completely. It blocks most dark entities from entering. Only very powerful beings can try to break through."
Fury narrowed his eye. "And we—or anyone—didn't know about this?"
"No, sir."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Coulson cleared his throat. "It's not like we could have done anything against the one who drove Thor's father back. You saw the footage of the Destroyer… and Ethan's giant robot named, Megatron. I still think that name is cool."
Fury gave him a flat look. "It is cool. Just continue."
Coulson nodded. "As I was saying, we all saw how powerful it was. Ethan's tech—something that could probably defeat a small nation on its own—took that much effort just to destroy that robot. And now he plans to repair it and integrate the armor into his own Gundam. That's another matter entirely."
Fury's expression remain passive as he listened to Coulson who seems to be talking too much non sense today.
"All in all, we can't do anything against her," Coulson continued. "After all, Ethan told me the artifact she possesses is on the same level as the Tesseract. But unlike the Tesseract, which controls space, her artifact controls time."
Fury did not interrupt.
"She can see the future as easily as someone eats breakfast. Wanda warned me not to antagonize her at any cost. It would only lead to our defeat. No strategy would work against someone who already knows the outcome. And we don't have anything capable of stopping her."
Fury stayed silent for several seconds.
Then he spoke calmly.
"Everyone has limits."
Coulson did not answer immediately.
"Sir," he said carefully, "with respect… if she controls time, her limits are not something we can measure."
Fury folded his hands on the desk.
"Time control doesn't make someone untouchable," Fury said. "It makes them responsible."
Coulson frowned slightly. "Responsible, sir?"
"If she can see possible futures, then she chooses which one happens," Fury replied. "That means she already decided we're still here."
The thought hung in the air.
Coulson considered it. "You think she allows things to happen?"
"I think," Fury said, "if she wanted us gone, we wouldn't even know we were gone."
That was not comforting.
Fury leaned back.
"So we don't challenge her. We don't test her. And we definitely don't threaten her," Fury continued. "But we prepare anyway."
"For something that can bend time?" Coulson asked.
"For everything," Fury corrected.
"Just when I thought the world couldn't get any crazier, it gets worse," Fury muttered.
"We're starting Project Pegasus," he said firmly.
Coulson nodded. "We'll need approval from the World Security Council."
"I know," Fury replied. "The problem is they'll ask how the Destroyer robot was destroyed. And that will put Arasaka back in the spotlight. Nations on Earth are busy fighting each other, while Arasaka is fighting and defeating alien machines. I can already imagine a long line of desperate generals running to Ethan's door, talking about patriotism and global security—when all they really want is dominance and power."
Coulson gave a small nod. "We can't avoid it anyway. They've probably already figured it out. There's no way to hide two giant robots fighting in public."
Fury nodded once. "Exactly."
He paused, thinking.
"As for the Sorcerer Supreme," Fury continued, "send Black Widow. See if she can learn magic—or at least establish contact."
Coulson raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.
"And ask Ethan to send Hawkeye… I mean, Deathshot," Fury corrected himself. "If there's even a chance he can train there, I want him to try."
"You want one of ours and one of his inside the school?" Coulson asked.
"I want options," Fury replied calmly. "If magic is a battlefield, we need at least two soldiers who understand the terrain."
Coulson straightened. "Understood, sir."
"And Coulson?"
"Yes, Director?"
"Keep this quiet. If the Council finds out we're trying to put agents inside a magical institution, they'll want more. Or worse—they'll try to weaponize it."
Coulson gave a firm nod. "I'll handle it personally."
Fury looked out the window again, his expression unreadable.
"Aliens, gods, time manipulators, giant robots…" he muttered. "And people still think nuclear weapons are the biggest threat."
Coulson allowed himself a faint smile.
"The world's getting bigger, sir."
Fury shook his head.
"No," he said quietly. "It's getting exposed."
"That's why we need to stay ahead," Fury added.
Coulson nodded and left the office to find Natasha.
Five minutes later, he reached her quarters.
"Do you need something?" she asked as he walked in, finding her in the middle of a yoga session.
"Yes. A new assignment," Coulson said, sitting at the side of the room. "And this one you might enjoy."
Natasha glanced at him while holding her pose. "If you're saying that, then it's definitely something unusual."
"There's no file," Coulson replied. "It's a personal assignment from Fury himself. He wants to keep it hidden from any possible moles."
She slowly stood upright and walked toward him.
"So," she asked calmly, "am I driving… or am I spying?"