Watching Nick Fury fall silent, Nolan took a slow sip of his coffee.
What he hated most were people who believed they could control everything.
Everyone was an independent individual. Whatever Nick Fury thought didn't really matter. What mattered was what he showed on the surface, and that alone was enough to make Nolan deeply uncomfortable.
Soul-searching?
To hell with that.
He only opened up to women.
As for someone like Nick Fury, the fact that Nolan hadn't already thrown him out was generosity.
After more than ten seconds of silence, Fury finally spoke, his expression resigned.
"Fine. You win. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs technical support from Rock Technologies."
"That's more like it."
A faint smile appeared on Nolan's face.
"Since this is cooperation, I think we can finally discuss the details properly."
Right now, he was seriously short on cash.
The G5 combat robots were powerful, but they burned through resources at an alarming rate.
Rock Technologies was already close to being stretched to its limit just from developing them.
It was only because the company had grown large enough that it could survive this kind of aggressive investment. Otherwise, pushing development like this would have been suicidal.
Seeing Nolan Rock smiling so calmly, Fury's eyelid twitched. He already knew this was going to cost him dearly.
For nearly the entire afternoon, Nolan chatted with Fury.
Nolan was relaxed. Fury, on the other hand, felt like he was losing his sanity.
But there was nothing he could do. Right now, he was like meat on a cutting board.
Just the appearance fee alone was five million dollars.
Five million, just to show up.
That didn't even include operational costs.
The final bill would be anyone's guess.
Seeing Fury's sour expression, Nolan paused, then added casually,
"Trust me. One day, you'll realize just how wise this decision was."
Fury's face remained blank.
"I hope so. Five million isn't cheap. If I don't see corresponding value, I won't pay."
"Of course."
Nolan waved it off, unconcerned.
Outwardly, he acted indifferent.
In truth, Samuel Stan was anything but a simple problem.
Most importantly, the man had tried to assassinate him.
As long as Samuel Stan lived, Nolan would never feel at ease.
Fury showing up now was an unexpected bonus.
Once everything was settled, Fury stood up.
"In that case, Mr. Rock, I hope you'll honor the agreement."
"I'm a businessman."
Nolan smiled.
"And businessmen value credibility above all else."
Fury neither agreed nor disagreed. He only sighed inwardly.
Before Carol Danvers went after Nolan Rock, it probably would have taken nothing more than a conversation to secure Nolan's help.
But now, that bridge was clearly burned.
Just thinking about it made Fury's chest ache.
Carol Danvers, that unreliable ally.
Fury cursed silently.
This should have been a mix of force and reason.
Instead, she used force alone.
And worse, it didn't even work.
Even now, remembering the glimpse of Nolan Rock's capabilities was enough to make Fury uneasy.
He had already listed Nolan Rock as one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest-risk individuals.
Not because he wanted to, but because that was all he could do.
If Nolan ever decided to act, Fury had no confidence he could stop him.
A man with teleportation technology and a massive mechanical army behind him deserved to be feared.
Nolan's smile never faded.
He knew exactly what Fury was thinking, and it didn't matter.
He only answered to one thing.
His own bottom line.
S.H.I.E.L.D. did not represent justice. The White House did not represent justice. No one did.
That was why Nolan never wrapped himself in that word.
As for people like Nick Fury, who committed countless questionable acts while claiming moral superiority, Nolan had nothing but disdain.
Fury could abandon lives without hesitation for a mission and lie without the slightest guilt.
Maybe, in Fury's mind, that was justice.
Unfortunately for him,
"I don't need that kind of justice."
Nolan turned and sat back down.
He was at ease. Fury, however, left with a dark expression.
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., the first thing Fury did was authorize an operation targeting Samuel Stan.
Samuel Stan was clever.
But S.H.I.E.L.D. had no fools, and their job was to uncover even the smallest trace.
"Director, we've narrowed it down to the area near Boston," an agent reported.
"Boston?"
Fury was visibly surprised.
Coulson nodded.
"Yes. He's extremely careful, but Samuel Stan stands out too much from ordinary people. Big data analysis flagged multiple sightings near Boston. We can't confirm it with absolute certainty yet, but there's a very high probability."
Fury considered this carefully.
He had expected Samuel Stan to hide somewhere inland, in a small, forgettable city.
Instead, he chose a major coastal metropolis.
"I don't need probability. I need certainty," Fury said firmly. "We won't get a second chance."
Coulson nodded.
"Understood. He slipped up this time. He won't make the same mistake again."
Then he added seriously,
"This time, we won't give Samuel Stan any opportunity to escape."
"Good."
Fury nodded.
Privately, he was already calculating.
One deployment of Nolan Rock was enough.
Millions per mission.
It was the first time Fury truly realized how easily money could vanish.
Damn it.
"Avengers, assemble."
All Avengers converged on Boston.
It was one of the most important cities in the country, a coastal hub with enormous influence.
"Samuel Stan's supposed to be smart. So why put his base here?" Clint Barton scoffed.
"His monsters are terrifying, but he doesn't seem to understand people at all."
"Not necessarily," Tony Stark replied seriously.
"Research requires resources. Equipment like that isn't easy to get in small cities. Even if you could, it would be too noticeable. Big cities provide access and cover. That's why he's here."
Barton chuckled awkwardly.
It did make sense.
Bruce Banner remained silent, but he agreed.
When he researched the Hulk serum, he faced the same problem.
Research required more than intelligence.
Money mattered too.
And there was another reason.
Boston Harbor.
Creatures like Stan's were hard to hide on land.
The sea provided space.
Otherwise, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s gene vault would never have been breached.
Steve Rogers looked at the team.
"This should be Samuel Stan's main base. You all know how dangerous this is. We may encounter the creature that attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility."
The atmosphere turned heavy.
Fury had already shown them the footage.
That monster was enough to unsettle anyone.
"We're ready," Tony said, his helmet sealing shut.
"Deploy Iron Legion."
More than a dozen suits lifted off simultaneously.
After repeated battles and losses, this was everything he had left.
Sometimes, Tony envied Nolan Rock.
That man never seemed to worry about numbers.
"Hulk, go!"
Bruce transformed and charged forward.
Ahead of him stood an ordinary-looking factory.
Everyone knew that beneath its calm exterior lay immense danger.
Inside, alarms suddenly blared.
In a laboratory, Samuel Stan lifted his head.
On the table before him lay a distorted ape-like creature.
Moments earlier, he had injected it with his latest serum.
He hadn't obtained Nolan Rock's genetic material, but he had fully acquired samples from Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers.
To others, that might not mean much.
But he was Samuel Stan.
This ape was his first true test subject.
Under the shrill alarms, it screeched.
Then its voice deepened.
Its fur receded.
Its body twisted into something monstrous.
It grew larger and larger, roaring violently.
It glared at Samuel Stan with murderous intent.
Stan merely observed, unfazed.
Then suddenly, like a bubble bursting, the creature collapsed.
Its entire form disintegrated into a pool of foul liquid.
"Another failure."
Stan sighed.
"Clean up."
The lab began automatic sterilization.
Stan turned and walked out.
The alarms meant discovery.
He needed to leave.
In the control room, another Samuel Stan stood watching the monitors.
"The Avengers are engaging. Deploy the gene beasts. I'm leaving."
The clone nodded.
"That's easy."
Stan removed a flash drive containing all his research data.
As he turned to go, the clone raised a gun.
Who said a clone had to serve the original?
They were both Samuel Stan.
If the original escaped, he would have a future.
The clone would not.
So he chose to kill him.
He smiled.
Then pain exploded in his chest.
A steel claw pierced through him from behind.
Samuel Stan glanced back and scoffed before walking away.
A clone dared challenge him?
Moments later, another Samuel Stan emerged from a cloning chamber.
He dressed calmly and entered the control room.
Seeing the corpse and the monitors, he frowned.
After reviewing the logs, he acted immediately.
A massive gene beast was released.
Boom!
Iron Man unleashed a saturation strike, leveling the factory.
Many gene beasts were destroyed.
But the advance stalled.
"How many monsters did that lunatic create?" Tony shouted.
"No matter how many," Steve replied grimly, "we end this today."
He activated his communicator.
"Quicksilver, find Samuel Stan. He won't sit still."
"On it."
Quicksilver vanished, weaving through the chaos effortlessly.
Soon, he found Samuel Stan in the control room.
And the body on the floor.
What the hell?
Even knowing about the clones, this was unsettling.
Was the one standing real?
In a flash, Quicksilver grabbed him.
"Quicksilver?"
Stan recognized him instantly. Even as a clone, his memory was flawless.
He shrugged.
"You caught me. But I'm just a clone."
Then he smiled.
"And you're finished."