No matter how surprised Tony was or how much he questioned Artoria, he couldn't stop her desire to witness the Cosmic Rays that could grant extraordinary power. It was clear and helpless; Tony couldn't stop his sister's'suicidal behavior' and could only give up. Artoria could do whatever she wanted; he could no longer control his dear sister.
"You just woke up? You've been asleep for over two days."
Ending the call with Tony, Artoria returned to her room. Looking at Sharon, who was clutching her head and still dazed, she spoke with amusement. Indeed, vodka wasn't something just anyone could handle. Artoria was only fine after a sleep because of her special constitution.
"I slept for... two days?"
Hearing Artoria's words, Sharon, whose head was already spinning, felt her vision go dark and almost fainted again. How many things had she delayed? Not contacting her superior for two days was a major taboo for an Special Agent. A simple recruitment task had taken her two days. Now her promotion in Special Agent rank was in jeopardy. Although her aunt was the founder, Peggy Carter, she still had to follow the rules; S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't keep incompetent people.
"How is it? Does your head still hurt?"
Bringing a glass of warm water to Sharon, Artoria asked curiously. But seeing her state, she must still be feeling miserable. Artoria could only say this; there was no other way, who told them to drink so much!
"Artoria, I have to go back now. Do you want to come with me?"
Sharon had no mind for anything else. she quickly put on the clothes that had been washed and neatly folded nearby. Even with Artoria present, she wasn't shy because she was in such a hurry. While putting on her underwear, she spoke to Artoria, who was watching from the side.
"Seeing as you're in a hurry, I won't disturb your business. Just give me an address, and I'll go by myself!"
"...Alright!"
Sharon quickly finished dressing. After hearing Artoria's answer, she went silent for a moment, found a piece of paper, and wrote down the contact info and address with a pen from her clothes. She told Artoria to call her when she arrived, then grabbed her gun and ID and left quickly.
She made an urgent phone call as she walked, looking very hurried as she departed.
"This girl is quite interesting. It's just a pity she fell for an 'old man.' Although he doesn't look that old, why does it give me a feeling like seeing Yang Buhui?"
Sitting on the soft bed, feeling the residual warmth and faint fragrance, Artoria spoke with a smile. This counted as the official start of her contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. Recently, she had been curious about why Kree blood was blue-green. Did Captain Marvel gain Kree blood to perfectly exert her power, or did she have the power before the blood? If she could use her power perfectly before gaining the bloodline, then the human bloodline wasn't weaker than the Kree, and the Kree weren't that noble.
"Space! As expected, I still need to go to Space to broaden my horizons."
Thinking of the vast Universe, Artoria lay quietly on the bed. Human exploration of the Universe's mysteries hadn't even reached one percent; it was all guesswork and fantasy. Even if people knew mysterious alien creatures existed, they couldn't leave Earth to explore. This was backwardness.
Reed's words were indeed correct: only by venturing out can humanity find new possibilities. Although his experiment was destined to fail and the Space station was destined to crash, new possibilities were born from it—the birth of the four heroes. Thus, there is both chance and necessity in all things; from destruction comes new Hope. Truly worthy of the old man, integrating the philosophy of life into his world; he is the well-deserved Father of Marvel.
"Old man, if it were you, you'd probably have the answer already!"
Analyzing the Marvel heroes she had seen, Artoria felt deep respect for the old man who created various heroes with different charms. Closing her eyes, Artoria murmured. Her words seemed to be for herself, but somewhere unknown, the hand of an old man teasing a cute little orange cat paused. He looked up at the sky, his sunglasses hiding his eyes, but he indeed wore a happy smile. After nodding, he disappeared somewhere else with the little orange cat.
He gave his everything to all the heroes—or rather, a trace of the old man could be seen in every hero. These heroes were like the old man's children.
"Why did it take so long to make contact? Did something happen? Special Agent Carter."
The black-faced Director's face was indeed dark at the moment. He looked with a serious expression at Sharon, who stood before him with her head lowered in apology. He thought this girl was already a qualified Special Agent, but he didn't expect her to make such a low-level mistake. From the smell of alcohol on her, he knew she must have drunk a lot. More than the mission, he cared about the safety of his Special Agents. He hadn't expected that his day-long worry was for nothing; this girl had been off having fun somewhere, leaving this 'old man' to worry about their safety.
"That... I'm sorry, Director, I got wasted."
She couldn't lie; no one was a fool. She could still smell the alcohol on herself even now, so she could only tell the truth. Sharon spoke with a blush; it was truly embarrassing. As a Level 5 Special Agent, she had actually been drunk under the table. This was a huge embarrassment; she didn't even dare to imagine how her aunt would look at her.
"How is the mission?"
Sighing inwardly, Nick spoke helplessly. The people under him were in a period of transition, and there weren't many capable Special Agents left. He didn't want to lose any Special Agent now, so he could only minimize the issue and tell himself to forget about the small things.
"Artoria agreed to see Special Agent Peggy. With her abilities, I believe Artoria will consider it."
Not daring to be too certain, Sharon recalled that Artoria's attitude was clearly not very interested in their organization. But there was no helping it; she couldn't force Artoria to join, could she?
"I see. After she drank with you, was she like a normal person?"
Suddenly catching a point, Nick curiously asked Sharon. If even a person like Sharon, who had undergone Special Agent training, could be drunk under the table, then the 'ordinary' Artoria definitely wouldn't be fine. If she was like a normal person, then this girl's physical fitness was absolutely beyond that of an ordinary person.
"No different from a normal person."
Not knowing why Nick asked this, Sharon still answered him.
"Go back and rest first. Continue to keep in touch with Artoria."
"Understood."
Watching Sharon turn and leave, Nick narrowed his one eye. Artoria was not simple; her ability should be more than just that suit. Was it a superpower? Or something else? He'd find out next time.
Nick glanced at the file analyzing Artoria in his hand and tore it up; this information was now even more inaccurate.
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