Chapter 8
The very moment Coulson returned to headquarters, he was subjected to what was undoubtedly one of the most exhaustive verification processes under Protocol X—designed to confirm that he had not been mentally manipulated.
At last, after what felt like countless hours, he entered Fury's office, leaving his phone and communicator in a small containment box outside the door.
The moment he crossed the threshold, he noticed his boss finishing a conversation. Coulson could only hope Naruto wouldn't interpret what he knew perfectly well was happening as a betrayal. After all, Romanoff probably wouldn't fare well if an individual with near-divine power took offense at having someone assigned to watch him—especially after Coulson himself had assured him he was free to go.
"As instructed, we need all the information you can obtain in case our man has been compromised. Reinforcements are standing by," Fury said, looking up and gesturing for him to close the door.
As soon as Coulson did, a series of whistles and hums echoed throughout the office. They were produced by an electromagnetic field—the unmistakable sign that one of the new protocols had just been activated.
Without a word, Coulson drew his weapon, removed the magazine and the rounds, and placed both on Fury's desk, the barrel pointed toward himself.
It was part of Protocol X.
The procedure had been designed for situations in which agents might encounter individuals with psionic, psychic, or other forms of mental-altering abilities, and needed to eliminate the possibility that they themselves had been compromised.
Even so, considering Naruto's open demeanor, Coulson couldn't help but wonder how they would ever know if he had been manipulating them. There would be no way to tell.
Setting that thought aside, the moment the weapon was placed on the desk, Fury let out a breath of relief. He didn't allow himself much more than that before continuing.
"Confirm your status again, Agent."
"All green. Authentication code: Zeta, Lema, Beta, five, two, four," Coulson confirmed once more.
"Good," Fury said, reaching for the phone on his desk.
He received a long report from the technicians who had been monitoring every possible anomaly in the room since Coulson had entered.
When he hung up, he allowed himself a single second of relief before disconnecting the phone entirely.
"You're clean. The technicians report no signs of psionic influence or mental intrusion. Now I need your report," Fury ordered.
"We need to handle this under Protocol Fifteen, Subsection C," Coulson said flatly, hoping Fury would take it well.
"The office is completely clean. I checked it myself. We're fully isolated until further notice. Should I be concerned about what happened?" Fury asked, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Romanoff has already made contact, and we have a response team on standby—snipers included."
Let's hope he doesn't see them, Coulson thought, genuinely hoping Naruto wouldn't notice—or they'd be dealing with a very angry mage.
"There's really no reason for concern, sir. He's… actually quite cooperative, and willing to work with us as long as we can keep him off the radar," Coulson explained, pausing to organize his thoughts. He knew what he had to say next would be bad news from a certain perspective. "Sir, I'm afraid I have some bad news—at least in part."
"What happened?" Fury asked, instantly more alert, even ready to reach for his weapon if Coulson made the wrong move.
"We have a Level Ten case, Code C. Information must be restricted to the smallest number of people possible," Coulson explained.
Fury stared at him in disbelief for a second before his expression shifted into deep irritation.
"You're telling me you can't give me the information we need to maintain a stable relationship with a subject who triggered Protocol X? That's highly unconventional—and it contradicts just about every rule we have," Fury snapped, not entirely sure whether he should grab the gun and blow Coulson's head off right then and there.
"I know it's not standard procedure, sir, but… this is a truly unique opportunity. And he explained the limits of his psychic capabilities to me: he requires direct eye contact. A simple pair of sunglasses would be enough," Coulson explained, gesturing toward the sunglasses tucked into his coat. Fury had no idea where they had come from—Coulson hadn't been wearing them when he left.
Even so, the mere fact that Coulson had identified a concrete weakness was enough to pique Fury's interest and make him ease off… for now.
"What can you tell me?" Fury asked.
Coulson let out a deep breath before dropping into the chair across from Fury's desk and explaining what little he knew.
"He comes from another universe, by means we don't understand—but which he confirmed are tied to information I can't disclose at this time."
Naruto had been very specific that the entire incident had been a magical accident, and Coulson was far more inclined to believe that explanation than the much more complex—and deliberately vague—story the redhead had initially offered.
"So he's not an agent of a foreign power… and he's what our sensors detected. He's the one who knocked out our men, destroyed our instruments, and has been misleading us this entire time. And you want us to give him the benefit of the doubt?" Fury's tone dipped into a near-growl.
To say Fury was furious would be an understatement.
This whole situation—from the arrival of the damn redhead, to him playing them like their best agents were amateurs; to Coulson—one of his most stable operatives—requesting blackout status; and on top of that, invoking Protocol X…
Too much had happened, too fast. Honestly, Fury would've preferred dealing with another Asgardian incursion.
Or worse—Stark.
"To be fair, sir… he hasn't lied to us. He answered everything we asked. We're just so used to dealing with hostile agents that we treated him like he was hiding information, when in reality he was speaking completely naturally and simply didn't mention things he had no reason to bring up," Coulson explained.
And he was convinced that if they'd asked him directly, Naruto would have been honest from the start—or at least far more forthcoming than during the cat-and-mouse game.
"Explain," Fury demanded again.
"He laid the situation out in great detail. His world is… actually fairly stable, all things considered. He came here because they were testing a form of long-distance teleportation that went wrong and ended up throwing him here. What we found on the beach turned out to be nothing more than a test dummy they sent first to make sure the trip was safe for living beings," Coulson said.
There was nothing about magic in that explanation, and Coulson suspected Naruto had been that open precisely so he wouldn't reveal anything about his true nature.
"And what about Udgard?" Fury asked. The question was deliberately vague—meant to draw out everything Coulson had.
"Basically… he's a red-haired Tony Stark, but far more cooperative. A rich kid who, from what I can tell, joined the project that brought him here mostly because he was bored. He was also some kind of environmental preservation agent, an athlete… and, in essence, we're dealing with what amounts to a prince in his own land."
"He doesn't distrust us, but he doesn't trust us blindly either. As I said, the subject is completely cooperative and neutral toward us… unless we initiate hostilities," Coulson concluded.
He let the information settle.
In essence, he was telling Fury that they had misread someone fundamentally normal, treating him as if he were a hyper-trained hostile super-agent.
He hoped Fury would take it calmly.
Fury said nothing.
Part of him wanted to shout that Coulson was being played by a skilled liar.
But another part—far more rational and far less paranoid—knew Coulson was probably right.
If the subject truly were a threat, he wouldn't have bothered playing cat and mouse.
He wouldn't have limited himself to being unbearably ambiguous, vague… and surprisingly cooperative.
He would have caused enormous damage from minute one.
For once, his paranoia was the enemy—and he wasn't sure he liked that realization in the slightest.
"Sir… may I speak freely?" Coulson asked.
Fury simply nodded, still too shaken by the realization that he might have overreacted.
A situation that could have been resolved far more easily if he'd shown a bit more restraint.
"Sir, Naruto is… too straightforward. I was in the same position as you. He hides nothing from us, and that makes him impossible to read. But he's also incredibly honest—naturally reserved, yes, but he doesn't give his trust lightly. I don't know what happened, but something flipped. He went from being vague and uncooperative with information to completely open, cooperative, and very direct," Coulson explained.
He still remembered the amusement in the redhead's eyes when he'd told him that S.H.I.E.L.D. had essentially made a mountain out of a molehill.
"The point, sir, is that he's willing to work with us. And I can't stress enough how important it is that we take that opportunity. He doesn't seem to have a strict moral code—or if he does, it's a very flexible one. But I know he's a good person," Coulson added.
Internally, he cursed Naruto: he wished he could tell Fury everything. They needed Naruto on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s roster, no question about it. A mage with his capabilities would possibly be the most valuable asset the organization had ever seen.
"You sound desperate to have him on our side. Are you sure he didn't tamper with your mind?" Fury asked.
"He didn't even try, sir. He gave me information the moment I asked for it. He never looked me directly in the eyes, and when I asked why, he told me he could—but that he saw no benefit in hiding it, and that in my line of work, it was something I'd want to know," Coulson explained.
"As for my admiration, sir… it's more a healthy respect for what I know he's capable of. He showed me some of his abilities, and despite being a spoiled rich kid, he's willing to help us. I don't know his motives, and I don't know if he's being completely honest—but he is willing to work with us, and to let you personally see what he can do."
Fury watched him with a completely neutral expression.
He might have been more sympathetic to the situation if the man in question had combat experience they could relate to… but being, in essence, a red-haired Tony Stark meant Fury's well of goodwill was surprisingly shallow.
"And you're sure he's not lying through his teeth—securing himself a position inside our organization to gain access to everything we handle… and eventually conquer the world?" Fury asked, letting a bit of his paranoia slip through.
"I asked myself the same thing, sir. And I wouldn't have believed him either if he hadn't shown me what he can do so freely. Things that could genuinely change the course of the world. And while I can't tell you everything he's capable of, I can assure you he's not a bad person," Coulson replied.
He deliberately avoided saying a good person. He'd already compared Naruto to Tony Stark more than once—and while Stark was undeniably on the right side, his morality was… questionable in more ways than one.
"If you can't trust him, sir… then I ask that you trust me," Coulson added, pausing once more. This was the moment to finish.
"He was very direct when I asked why he changed his stance so suddenly. Something big is coming, sir. Something for which he needs us as much as we need him. He doesn't know what it is—but he's convinced that whatever it is, his power won't be enough on its own… and neither will ours."
For once, Fury was genuinely surprised.
"You know you're one of the people I trust most, Coulson. And the way you're defending him says more about you than it does about him, frankly. But if you insist he's not hostile, then for now, I'll consider him a neutral element with potential as a future ally."
"But for that, I need to know what he can do—and we need to understand his source of information. If there's a threat to our world, we need to know what it is… and we need to prepare."
"He knows that himself, sir," Coulson said. "He told me outright that he couldn't trust me with everything, since there can always be leaks. But he's more than willing to speak with you personally—under whatever precautions you deem necessary—to explain his capabilities. And believe me: what we've already seen pales in comparison to what I witnessed with my own eyes."
He was fully aware that Naruto's brief disappearance from the hotel, his ability to knock people unconscious, and his talent for disabling electronic devices were nothing compared to what he had revealed once he decided to truly open up.
"Are you telling me that what he can do isn't part of his psionic abilities?" Fury asked.
"In a sense, no. But his psionic abilities do stem from his true capabilities. Let's just say that where he comes from, there are beings with abilities we don't understand… and that could benefit us. I suspect the one who warned him about what's coming falls into that same category. But even he wasn't given the full picture. He's just as much in the dark as we are on that front. All he knows is that he needs to be here… and that he has to trust someone. I don't think that person is me."
"But the point, sir, is that as much as I'd love to tell you everything—and frankly, it's fascinating—I suggest we bring him up to speed and start briefing him on the world he's entered. Once he's ready, we can determine where he'll be most useful."
"However, we need to handle this carefully. I suspect that if he feels threatened, he could vanish from our radar entirely—and we might never find him again," Coulson warned.
"Interesting," Fury said dryly… because lately all his agents seemed to be maddeningly vague.
"Alright. I'll think about it. Abilities like his could be useful for intelligence gathering, provided we keep him under observation. Are you sure there's nothing else?" Fury asked.
"Sir, if there were more, I'm certain he'd tell me directly. With the exception of his family, he spoke openly about almost everything I asked… even a couple of things I really didn't need to know," Coulson replied, still uncomfortable with the fact that Naruto had indirectly confirmed he really was like Tony Stark when he casually mentioned having his first sexual experience at fifteen.
"And based on everything he told me, if we manage to turn him into an ally… and if he somehow manages to contact his world and convince them that it's better to have us as allies rather than enemies, we could potentially gain ten nations rivaling Asgard in power—and prevent situations like Puente Antiguo from ever happening again," Coulson added, letting one final piece of information slip.
He still didn't understand why Naruto preferred talking about politics rather than his mother or his siblings.
"They're that powerful?" Fury asked, sounding both intimidated and impressed.
"Probably more so, sir. I can't say for certain, but from what I saw… what he can do is simply beyond this world," Coulson said. He knew it was a bad pun, but it was the only way he could describe what he'd witnessed.
"You sound like a kid on Christmas morning," Fury commented after a moment of reflection. He hadn't heard anything like this since 1995.
"I'm not sure what you mean, sir," Coulson replied, standing up with his usual neutral smile.
Fury reconnected his phone and dialed a code. The door unlocked, and the shields protecting the office from communications and psionic abilities faded away.
"I want your official report and documentation on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."
"Sir, level ten, code C. Restricted-access information."
"Yes, I know. Even so, I need your official report with as much information as possible. It'll also help me decide exactly what needs to stay classified," Fury replied.
At that moment, the phone rang, and Fury answered immediately.
"Fury speaking."
He listened in silence, frowning as the person on the other end finished speaking.
"It seems our new friend has been keeping busy," he said, looking at Coulson.
End of chapter.