Natasha, drop every other assignment and focus on helping the Captain get used to modern life.
Fine…
Hearing the order, Natasha was exasperated. Recent tests suggested she might still bear a child, so most of her thoughts were fixed on undoing the permanent damage the Red Room's surgery had done; she had little patience for a man in his nineties. But an Special Agent's first duty was obedience, so she agreed—anyway, she could always dump the task on someone else.
Phil was a solid choice. She knew that if she asked him to babysit Captain America, he'd happily take the chore off her hands—and thank her for the privilege.
Hill, still no sign of the big guy?
Nick knew his subordinate had other things on her mind, but the trusted Special Agents he could call on were few; he had to pile on the pressure. He didn't care how Natasha carried out her mission. Turning to his aide, he reflected that Special Agent Hill showed promise, yet she was too obedient, short on independent judgment. She could be groomed, but she'd never fill his chair. He needed capable candidates whose hearts were in the right place. At first he'd hoped Artoria would join; events had shown the girl was anything but simple, and a master at staying hidden.
If he could recruit her into S.H.I.E.L.D., he might finally be able to step down. But Howard and Maria flatly refused, so he could only dream about it—especially lately, when even that 'mystery knight' appeared yet Artoria still produced alibis. He was more convinced than ever that the kid had a bright future.
He dispatched Special Agent Sharon Carter—Peggy Carter's niece—to keep reaching out to Artoria. As peers of the same generation, Sharon and Artoria should have plenty in common. If Natasha kept approaching Artoria, Howard would probably kick up a fuss, but with Sharon he shouldn't object—he'd have to show some respect to the Carter name. The rest would be up to Sharon: win Artoria over, and if Artoria chose to enter S.H.I.E.L.D., Howard and Maria couldn't stop her—and it would no longer be Nick's problem.
The spymaster's plan was slick, but didn't he worry Artoria might poach Sharon Carter from S.H.I.E.L.D. instead? When it came to stubbornness, the man was in a league of his own.
Based on radiation shifts, we can pretty much pinpoint him.
Good. Get a plane ready; I'll go see Dr. Banner myself. Let's Hope he's still rational.
Yes, Director.
While the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. hunted suitable metahumans to build the Avengers, an unexpected visitor showed up at Artoria's door: 'Quake,' Daisy Johnson, a half-Asian beauty whose looks grew on you. She'd come for a job interview.
Miss Johnson, why set your sights on our company? We're basically a game developer—we need serious computer talent.
Hearing Artoria, Daisy exhaled in relief. With a Police record, she'd been rejected by every major firm; smaller ones didn't dare hire her. She'd spammed résumés on the off-chance—and landed an interview.
I'm pretty confident about computers, Miss Stark. If you don't believe me, give me a machine.
Daisy answered confidently; she was a prodigy hacker. Artoria merely smiled. Time to teach the girl a lesson—her company's defenses were run by Saturday. Some untrained genius hacker was awfully sure of herself.
Gwen, seeing Artoria's nod, handed Daisy a brand-new laptop. Daisy's finger speed made Artoria blink—worthy of the nickname 'human jackhammer.'
The heavens cover the earth, the tiger covers the earth.
Watching the focused Daisy, Artoria suddenly remembered something and blurted the old code phrase.
Daisy stared, bewildered. Artoria's heart sank—clearly not a fellow traveler. Soon Daisy's expression shifted; she'd finally noticed something wrong—the company's defenses were insane. Breaking through in the allotted time would be nearly impossible.
Um… Miss Stark…
No need, Miss Johnson. You're hired. I see drive in you. Keep at it, and you'll be one of us.
Daisy sat stunned, unable to believe she'd been accepted after making a fool of herself.
Gwen, show Miss Johnson around. I've got things to do.
Of course, Miss Stark.
Watching Gwen lead the dazed Daisy away, Artoria sighed. Time to contact S.H.I.E.L.D.—they had tech she needed. Her current team was too thin. If she could build a Moon Cell-grade computer, Saturday could evolve into a true AI, handle countless tasks for her—even open gates to parallel worlds.
It was a pity that even though her luck had improved significantly, she was at most an 'Asian' and not an 'African,' which was a relief; but she could forget about reaching 'Europe' in this lifetime.
"I need more talent. Let's Hope no more trouble breaks out lately."
"Ahahaha~~!"
Sometimes, the more you wish for peace, the less peace you get. Looking through the building's window, Artoria immediately spotted an arrogant figure dressed in a green battle suit, riding a flying glider and letting out an evil laugh in the sky. Dressed like a Hobgoblin, he occasionally pulled out spherical objects and hurled them at Spider-Man, who was leaping between buildings. For a moment, the massive explosions drowned out the surrounding noise. Little Spider looked quite battered.
It seemed the injuries from his last battle with Abomination hadn't healed yet, making his evasions somewhat difficult.
"Things are getting a bit too chaotic. Green Goblin—no, Norman Osborn."
Watching the arrogant Green Goblin from afar, Artoria saw the ordinary people being caught in the crossfire and children separated from their parents—a scene of pure disaster. With a flash of golden light, a silver knight instantly appeared where Artoria had stood.
"You guys with no conscience or morals... I really can't stand your arrogant attitude."
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