Coulson asked the question that had been weighing heavily on his mind, "How's Director Fury? Is he still alive?"
Koenig's expression turned grave as he replied, "Fury… didn't make it out of D.C. alive. It's hard to accept."
"We were all pretty shaken."
Hearing that Fury hadn't survived extinguished the glimmer of hope in everyone's eyes.
However, Killer Bee remained skeptical. He trusted the intelligence from Lord Charles more.
If Charles said Nick Fury was hard for even a ninja to kill, it meant Fury's survival was almost guaranteed. Hydra wouldn't be capable of what even highly skilled shinobi found difficult.
Koenig continued, "And recently, the Fridge was compromised."
Coulson froze. Ward had been part of the team transporting Garrett and Hand there. He immediately turned to Fitz.
Fitz quickly pulled out his phone, moving aside to make a call.
Koenig raised his voice, "Who's he calling?"
Coulson explained, "One of our team members went to the Fridge."
The phone rang and rang, but no one answered.
"Ward, pick up!"
"Ward!"
But in the end, the only response was, "The number you dialed is currently unavailable."
Fitz looked at Coulson and said, "No answer."
At this point, the team could guess what had happened to Ward.
Killer Bee relaxed internally. As expected, the Cloud Shinobi must have secured the 084 items from the Fridge. Now, it was time to find a chance to bid farewell to Coulson and leave.
Koenig then turned to Coulson, "Can we talk privately?"
He gestured to a side room and walked away, with Coulson following him.
Once inside, Koenig's demeanor shifted from solemn to relaxed, "It's good to have company. Don't get me wrong, it's not that this place isn't nice."
Coulson noticed the scenery displayed on the room's windows and asked, "What's with the fake windows?"
Koenig explained, "It helps with the isolation. Seven days a week, different scenic environments. If you like nudist beaches, Wednesdays are a treat."
Coulson raised an eyebrow and asked, "How long have you been here?"
Koenig responded, "Since the Chitauri invaded New York."
Coulson exclaimed, "Wow, that's quite a while."
Koenig chuckled, "It's not so bad, really—reading a ton of historical novels, gaming online with my brother, listening to music."
Coulson cut to the chase, "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"
Koenig grinned, "Yes!"
"Almost forgot—Fury isn't dead."
Coulson was stunned, "What?"
He had originally believed Fury was alive, but Koenig had just told him he wasn't. Now he was saying the opposite.
Koenig explained, "Yeah, Hydra thinks they killed him, but he managed to escape from D.C."
Relief washed over Coulson as the truth clicked into place, though he couldn't help but point out, "So you lied to my team."
Koenig replied, "I don't know them. Fury's orders—only a select few can know he's still alive."
"Maria Hill, Captain America, a few others, and now you and me."
Coulson noted, "But the ninja didn't believe for a second that Nick Fury was dead."
Koenig nodded, "Charles knows. He's met Fury."
Coulson silently acknowledged this. The Charles Agency's intelligence had never been wrong.
He asked, "Where is Fury now?"
Koenig shook his head, "No one knows. After he vanished, no one's heard from him."
"This is top-secret, absolutely classified. No one else can know."
Coulson stated, "I don't want to keep secrets from my team."
Koenig firmly replied, "They haven't been vetted. If you tell them, you'll be in serious trouble."
Coulson, taken aback, "Is that a threat?"
Koenig nodded, "Absolutely. Fury's orders."
"He's not exactly big on trust, is he?"
Then, looking Coulson in the eye, he asked, "Are we clear?"
Coulson nodded, "Crystal."
Koenig beamed, "Fantastic. Let me get you a badge."
"Have Agent May fly the plane in. I've got a landing pad ready," Koenig said, turning to fetch the ID badge.
Coulson stopped him, asking, "What about the Fridge? Do you have detailed intel on what happened there? And my team member, Ward—any news about him?"
Koenig smacked his forehead, "Almost forgot about that."
He moved to his computer, opened a file, and began showing footage from the Fridge.
"Bad news: the Fridge was compromised."
"Good news: the base was reclaimed."
But for you, this might not be good news after all."