Chapter 139: Joining
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Nick Fury quietly avoided everyone and made his way to Mike's house alone. He had known Mike for over a decade, ever since he was a low-level agent in S.H.I.E.L.D.
They were comrades, and more importantly, friends. Mike had even saved his life at one point.
To many, Nick Fury was the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.—a paranoid, ever-cautious man who never trusted anyone.
But for him, Mike was one of the few people he trusted, and Mike was his source of confidence in handling special situations.
Over the years, he still found himself visiting Mike for a meal from time to time.
Mike never treated him like the S.H.I.E.L.D. director—he still teased him, mocked him, and even made him wash dishes without hesitation...
But, deep down, Fury enjoyed that feeling.
Because at Mike's place, he wasn't Nick Fury, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director. He was just Nick Fury, and it was one of the few places where he could truly relax.
Being the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't an easy job.
Nick Fury sighed deeply.
Especially in recent times...
Shaking his head, Nick Fury pushed the troubling thoughts aside and focused on getting to Mike's house.
---
Knock, knock!
A knock echoed at the door.
Mike yawned and walked toward the door.
Opening it, he saw Fury's familiar stern face, and he grumbled, "What took you so long?"
"Long?" Fury replied coldly. "Do you have any idea how busy I am?"
"Oh? You're the one who came to me, and now you're blaming me for your tardiness?"
Mike stepped aside and motioned, "Well, are you coming in or not?"
Fury stepped in with a purposeful stride, closing the door behind him. He leaned in and whispered, "So, what's going on?"
"I'll tell you in a bit."
"I swear, I can't take it anymore. Please, just stop making trouble for me. I'm about to lose my mind with everything going on lately."
"You brought this on yourself. Who told you to take the damn job as S.H.I.E.L.D. director, running around all over the place dealing with threats?"
"Do you think I wanted this?!" Fury shot Mike a glare and said, "If you'd just agree to help me, maybe I wouldn't be so busy."
"Help you?" Mike gave Fury a look as though he were a fool. "I'm not exactly sitting around with nothing to do. I have an entire farm to tend to! I'm just a farmer!"
Fury gritted his teeth in frustration.
"By the way, how's that situation going?" Mike asked casually.
He was curious about what had happened since he told Fury that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra.
Fury's expression grew serious. "You were right. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated. And it's worse than I expected."
He let out a bitter laugh, self-mockingly saying, "Ha, forget being S.H.I.E.L.D. director, I might as well be the Hydra director."
Two years ago, he had come to Mike to casually chat, and Mike had accidentally revealed this information. At first, Fury didn't believe it, but after conducting his own investigation, the truth hit him like a cold wind.
"So, what's your plan?" Mike asked.
Fury was quick to respond. "What can I do? S.H.I.E.L.D. is beyond saving. The only way to deal with Hydra is to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. entirely."
He paused for a moment before grinning, "But now's not the time."
S.H.I.E.L.D. still had its uses. As long as Hydra remained in the shadows, Fury planned to play ignorant and use S.H.I.E.L.D. for the time being.
But secretly... oh, there was a long-term plan in the works. It would take time, but Fury was determined to quietly empty out S.H.I.E.L.D. and eliminate Hydra with the least amount of damage.
"By the way, what's this all about?" Fury asked, unable to hold back any longer. They had been talking for so long, but they hadn't even gotten to the main issue yet. It almost felt like he was the one here to report to Mike.
"Come over here."
Mike motioned to Charles and Erik, who had been quietly observing the conversation from the couch.
The two brothers exchanged a subtle look and nodded.
It seemed their dad's relationship with the S.H.I.E.L.D. director was even better than they had imagined.
Nick Fury smiled and walked over to the two of them, extending his hand. "Charles, Erik, do you remember me?"
They both nodded.
Although they hadn't seen him since the Skrull incident, they clearly remembered how Fury had nearly been killed during the fight.
Fury smiled widely. "Mike's always talking about you two. He—"
"Why do you talk so much?" Mike interrupted.
Mike shot Fury a sidelong glance and placed a glass of plain water in front of him. "You're here to talk business, not to chat."
Fury's lips twitched as he stared at the glass in front of him. "Seriously? This is your attitude when you're asking me for a favor?"
Mike reached for the glass. Seeing this, Fury hurriedly picked it up and took a sip. "Alright, let's talk business."
Mike leaned back and gestured to Erik and Charles. "Go ahead, tell him your plan."
The two nodded and laid out their idea concisely.
Establish a school for mutants.
Eliminate the Black Queen.
Train mutant heroes.
Change the world's perception of mutants.
Secure the right for mutants to live freely under the same sky, without discrimination…
Even Nick Fury, a man who had seen the unimaginable, was left speechless. He sat there, stunned, unable to form words.
Gulp.
He took a long sip of water, his gaze flickering between Mike and his two sons.
He had always suspected Mike's family was extraordinary, even dangerous. But this…
Damn it. His instincts had been spot on!
He cursed internally, a strange mix of excitement and disbelief surging within him.
But he quickly regained his composure, his mind racing through possibilities.
This plan—no matter how radical—was undeniably beneficial. Not just for mutants, but for the world as a whole.
Mutants had always been a volatile factor, an unstable element in global security. But if Charles and Erik could truly solve that issue, then mutants wouldn't just stop being a problem—they would become one of the world's greatest assets.
When the time came to face threats from beyond this planet, Earth would have an ace up its sleeve that no one could even begin to comprehend.
And now, knowing the true state of S.H.I.E.L.D.—knowing it was a sinking ship riddled with Hydra—this proposal was even harder to resist.
After all, mutants belonged to this planet. They had every right to live here, just like anyone else.
That wasn't even a question in his mind.
But there was something else that caught his attention.
Mutant heroes.
It aligned with an idea he had been contemplating for a long time.
But… this kind of power, if left unchecked, could—
Fury let out a low hum, voicing his concerns.
Hearing this, Mike simply said, "Relax. Erik and Charles are more than capable of ensuring things don't spiral out of control."
"Not enough." Fury's sharp eyes locked onto Mike. "That's still not enough."
Mike sighed. "I'll be keeping an eye on things myself."
Fury chuckled. Then, all of a sudden, he said, "Alright, then. I'm in."
(End of chapter.)