…
Nick Fury had the distinct feeling of a dog biting into a hedgehog—no idea where to start.
If he didn't believe what Ryan Cole just said—something that would sound like a joke to almost anyone—then how did he explain the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't find a single scrap of information about him?
S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't monitor random civilians for fun, sure. But once they did focus on someone, even a homeless guy on the street would have a traceable history.
And Ryan Cole was very obviously not an ordinary man.
Under those circumstances, finding nothing at all wasn't something Fury could chalk up to incompetence.
But believing it outright?
That wasn't how Nick Fury survived this long.
"So," Fury said evenly, "why do you know about S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why did you appear in our world? And what are your future plans?"
Whether he believed Ryan or not was impossible to tell as question after question followed.
Faced with what was essentially a soft interrogation, Ryan answered calmly:
"Knowing about S.H.I.E.L.D. is simple. The world I come from is the year 2015."
"As for why I ended up here—on some level, it was an accident."
"And my future plans? Just as simple. Find a way home and reunite with my family."
As the head of intelligence, Fury could roughly gauge how plausible those answers were. Still, given Ryan's abnormal nature, he instinctively applied a heavy mental discount.
"You're saying you're from the future?" Fury asked sharply.
"You could put it that way," Ryan replied with a nod.
"Then what exactly were you in your world?" Fury pressed. "And don't tell me classified S.H.I.E.L.D. intel was public knowledge."
"Identity…" Ryan paused, turning to look out the window at the street below, a faint smile on his lips."You can call me an Observer."
"An Observer?" Fury echoed, his mind already racing.
"Yes. An Observer—someone who watches how things unfold." Ryan improvised smoothly."To us, your so-called top secrets are just data points."
"For example?" Fury asked, cutting straight to the point.
"For example, HYDRA was never wiped out," Ryan said casually."It simply went underground."
"And over nearly seventy years, it rebuilt itself."
Even Fury's legendary poker face didn't crack.
But his breathing, heartbeat, and blood flow betrayed everything to Ryan's enhanced perception.
Not waiting for a response, Ryan continued—twisting the knife:
"And here's a free bonus. HYDRA isn't somewhere else."
"It's hiding inside S.H.I.E.L.D. itself."
"Believe it or don't. I'll pretend I never said it."
Almost the instant Ryan finished speaking, Fury's earpiece—silent until now—came alive.
After listening without reacting, Fury learned something shocking:
Not only had the conversation not been recorded—
Even lip-reading had failed.
Which meant everything said in this café existed only between the two of them.
The relief Fury felt barely outweighed the fear.
If that information leaked—and if it was true—it would cause an earthquake inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and the U.S. government.
"Director Fury," Ryan said lightly,"to your world, I'm just a passerby. And a harmless one at that."
"So instead of wasting resources on me, you'd be better off doing something useful."
"Oh—and the tea today was excellent."
Without waiting for a reply, Ryan stood and headed for the exit.
Without explicit orders, the hidden agents and strike teams could only watch as he calmly walked through their encirclement.
"Oh, by the way—Phil's been transferred to New Mexico, hasn't he?"
Ryan stopped at the door, then nodded to himself.
"Yeah. Figures. Guess it's time to take a little trip."
As Ryan prepared to leave, Fury finally spoke:
"How can I trust you?"
"Trust or don't—that's your problem," Ryan replied with a smile, pushing open the door while ignoring the guns aimed at him."That said, if you want, you can place someone in my company. Same way you did with Tony."
"But if you do—don't send just anyone."
"I think Agent Hill would be perfect."
With that, Ryan Cole walked out.
After a brief hesitation, Fury ordered all units to stand down.
Ryan wandered the streets aimlessly, sampling food or buying interesting items whenever something caught his eye.
Since being dumped into this world, this was the first time he'd truly relaxed like this.
Of course, it would've been perfect if not for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents disguised as civilians tailing him.
"Huh… ended up here, didn't I?"
Ryan smiled as he looked up at the towering building marked STARK INDUSTRIES.
Moments later, a striking businesswoman stepped out of a private elevator.
"Wow. It's been a while, Pepper—you just keep getting hotter," Ryan said exaggeratedly.
"Welcome, Ryan. Long time no see—you're looking even better yourself," Pepper Potts replied, hugging him warmly.
After confirming the mid-tier gene optimization serum was harmless, Pepper had received a dose herself.
The results were… excessive.
She'd needed extended leave just to explain the changes under the guise of cosmetic surgery.
"Research hit a critical phase. You're not mad I'm late, right?" Ryan teased.
"Of course not—I'm thrilled you're here," Pepper smiled.
"That I believe. But someone upstairs might disagree," Ryan said, pointing upward.
Pepper laughed awkwardly and ushered him into the elevator.
"Where's Tony?" Ryan asked.
"Testing a new armor prototype," Pepper sighed."What would you like? Tea?"
"No tea. Champagne," Ryan said, gazing out over New York."Today's a day worth celebrating."
"Something good happen?"
"Yeah," Ryan smiled. "For example—running into someone as beautiful as you."
"That's on you," Pepper laughed, raising her glass.
"No—someone else deserves the credit," Ryan said."See? Speak of the devil."
A streak of metal roared in from the sky.
With a thunderous clang, a red-gold-silver suit of armor landed on the circular platform outside.