"Director, the storm has dissipated. Our satellite now has visual access to the town!"
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters, the command center—tense for hours—finally received a piece of good news.
Nick Fury, who had been standing in silence, stepped forward immediately.
What was supposed to be a routine containment mission in New Mexico…
Had spiraled completely out of control.
…
Initially, the operation had seemed simple—an anomalous object had fallen from the sky. Strange, yes, but nothing outside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s experience.
Fury had sent his most trusted agent—Phil Coulson—to handle it.
But what followed…
Was anything but routine.
Along with the hammer—
Came a man.
An alien.
Fury was no stranger to extraterrestrial encounters.
He had seen enough to know one thing:
Aliens did not come bearing gifts.
Not in this world.
This wasn't a fairy tale.
Their arrival meant only one thing—
War.
"Establish contact immediately," Fury ordered sharply. "Any surviving personnel on-site—connect them. And Stark—can we reach Tony Stark?"
It had been over four hours since Coulson's last transmission.
And Tony—
Even departing from the East Coast, he should have arrived within two.
Yet now—
Nothing.
No signal.
No report.
That lack of control…
Irritated Fury more than anything.
"Director—we've got a connection! Agent Coulson is online!"
The technician's voice cut through the tension.
Fury stepped in front of the screen instantly.
"Coulson. Status report. Are you alive?"
"Yes, Director. I'm… still here."
The moment Coulson's voice came through clearly, a wave of relief spread across the command center.
Even Fury allowed the faintest trace of a smile.
But only for a moment.
"Report the situation. Now."
"Yes, sir… though I think it's better if you see it yourself."
The screen flickered.
Stabilized.
And then—
The scene appeared.
"…You can see for yourself, Director."
Coulson's voice grew heavy.
"We've got a problem."
What filled the screen…
Was devastation.
Total.
Absolute.
There had once been a town here.
A modern settlement, home to tens of thousands.
Coulson had evacuated the civilians in time.
But the battle that followed—
Had erased everything.
Buildings.
Roads.
Infrastructure.
Even the foundations—
Gone.
…
It was as if an invisible eraser had swept across the land, wiping away every trace of human civilization.
Humanity could achieve this level of destruction.
There was only one way—
A nuclear strike.
A high-yield warhead could replicate such annihilation.
But this—
Was not a nuclear explosion.
This…
Was the result of a battle.
Between a man—
And a suit of armor.
"…Understood," Fury said quietly.
But his tone remained steady.
"More importantly—are you safe?"
"That individual claiming to be from Asgard—is he still present?"
Coulson hesitated.
Then glanced around.
He was standing inside a crater.
More precisely—
The underground vault of what had once been the town's bank.
The most secure location in the area.
When the storm began, he and a handful of agents had taken refuge there.
Otherwise—
They would have died in the aftermath.
"…Director," Coulson said slowly, scanning the surroundings.
"I don't think he's here anymore."
No Thor.
No other figures.
Nothing.
Just as he finished speaking—
A shadow dropped from above.
"Hey—so this is where you guys were hiding."
Coulson flinched.
The figure landed directly in front of him, stepping into the frame.
Red and blue.
Armored.
Peter.
His gaze swept casually across the area before he reached out—
And took the communicator straight from Coulson's hand.
"Well, good news—your agents are alive."
He tilted his head slightly, looking directly into the screen.
"And I'm guessing you're already aware things didn't exactly go according to plan… Director Fury."
The sudden intrusion left the agents on-site completely stunned.
They didn't recognize him.
Or rather—
They didn't recognize the man inside the Spider Armor.
To them, this was a hostile act.
In an instant—
Weapons were drawn.
Guns aimed.
Peter glanced around.
Then shrugged.
"Seriously? This is how you treat the guy who just saved your lives?"
…
On the other side of the screen—
Fury's eye narrowed briefly.
Then—
He spoke.
"Stand down."
His voice was calm.
Authoritative.
"Put your weapons down. Mr. Parker is the one who came in as backup. He's the reason you're alive."
"Lower your weapons."
There was a brief hesitation.
Then—
The agents complied.
But beyond the camera's view—
Fury turned slightly.
His expression hardened.
"Hill," he said quietly.
"Pull everything we have on Peter Parker."
Because whatever had just happened in New Mexico…
This kid—
Was now at the center of it.
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T/N:
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