In the corridor, the crisp sound of high heels approached from afar, finally stopping at the door.
The door was pushed open gently.
A tall woman stepped inside.
The dull S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform she wore actually showed a bit of ascetic beauty; her long black trench coat swayed slightly with her steps, and her long red hair, shimmering with an orange-pink luster, was braided into a neat plait that hung lazily in front of her.
She looked up, her light green eyes curving slightly into a spring-like smile that was so perfect no flaw could be found.
"Sorry, I'm late. I just finished processing some documents."
That's right, the third member of the Welcoming Committee was indeed Makima.
Her voice was gentle and magnetic, making one subconsciously want to trust and get close to her.
Tony Stark was stunned for a moment, then sized up this new Agent.
Decent, gentle, and seemingly emotionally stable.
This was simply... too normal.
"Phew..."
"It seems S.H.I.E.L.D. still has normal people."
Tony straightened his tie, which had been knocked askew by the fright, and switched back to his suave billionaire mode with a trademark smile: "Tony Stark, I don't think I need much of an introduction."
"I am Makima, the psychological assessment expert for this operation."
Makima nodded slightly, polite yet distant.
On the other side of the room, Reze was curled up on the sofa, bored.
She didn't even lift an eyelid at Makima's appearance.
After all, Reze had long known that Makima would join this operation.
Even so, a hint of dissatisfaction still flashed across Reze's face.
This was a great opportunity for her to prove herself to Sumire-chan, and she finally had Sumire's attention all to herself... how did this woman manage to sniff her way here?
Forget it... now is not the time for jealousy; helping Sumire is what matters.
Besides... though she didn't want to admit it, this plan was indeed orchestrated by Makima.
It's a long story—
After Makima's brief three-day vacation ended.
She first went to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy to help Annie handle her enrollment procedures.
Immediately after, through Agent Sitwell, she obtained a key piece of intelligence.
The World Security Council pressured S.H.I.E.L.D., specifically demanding that "Abomination" Emil Blonsky join the Avengers.
In the original plot, this matter was also handled by the Bald Guy and Coulson, which gave Nick Fury a real headache.
But Sumire came up with a plan; wasn't this the perfect opportunity for Makima to contact or even Control the Abomination?
Although the Abomination wasn't a particularly strong supervillain—the type that starts high and ends low, with high stats early on where his strength and size could even suppress the Hulk—his growth potential was almost zero.
The Hulk gets stronger as he fights, but the Abomination peaked at his debut; he either stayed the same or regressed, becoming more pathetic as time went on.
By the later stages, he was nothing more than a useless super-minion.
However, at this point in time, the Abomination was still a top-tier thug and meat shield.
In terms of stats.
High damage with the left fist, high damage with the right fist.
If she could successfully Control the Abomination, it would definitely be a good thing for Sumire—might as well take it!
Thus, Makima had a devious idea.
She first had Sitwell recommend her to Fury.
Fury was worried about having no one available, and he also wanted to test the mettle of this newly promoted Level 6 Agent, so he went along with it; to protect Makima, Fury even specifically assigned Reze, an outside consultant he had never used before, as her bodyguard.
Yes, Makima not only found work for herself but also solved the employment problem for her "good sister" along the way.
It could be said to be killing two birds with one stone.
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