In Nick Fury's office at the Trident Building, Coulson stood before the director's desk, his tablet displaying footage from the previous night's incident.
"Director, during the crisis at Stark's villa, Smith Doyle demonstrated another new ability." Coulson swiped through several video captures. "Flight. High-speed aerial maneuverability. Obadiah's missiles couldn't even lock onto him at close range."
Nick Fury's single eye narrowed as he studied the images. The capabilities Smith displayed triggered memories of an old friend. Superhuman strength. An indestructible body. Terrifying speed in the air. The parallels between Smith Doyle and Carol Danvers were becoming harder to ignore.
The difference was, he knew where Carol's powers came from. The Tesseract had transformed her. But Smith Doyle? That remained a frustrating mystery.
"Coulson." Fury leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "Now that both Smith Doyle and Tony Stark have exposed themselves to the public, we need to adjust our approach."
He pulled up a classified file on his monitor. "The Avengers Initiative moves forward. I'll handle Tony Stark personally."
Fury's gaze locked onto Coulson. "You go invite Smith Doyle."
Coulson hesitated, his usual composure flickering. "Isn't this premature, sir?"
"They're in the public eye now. We can't afford to ignore them anymore." Fury's tone left no room for argument. "Our mandate is managing extraordinary threats. If we don't have arrangements in place, the Security Council will start asking uncomfortable questions. Questions I'd rather not answer."
Coulson nodded, filing away his concerns. "What about Natasha? Should I recall her?"
"According to her latest reports, the Fraternity made a significant profit from their Stark Industries investment. They've been engaged in heavy construction lately. Probably a new facility."
Fury drummed his fingers on the desk, considering. "If Smith Doyle joins the initiative, pull Natasha out. If he refuses..." A pause. "She stays in deep cover a while longer."
The logic was sound. If Smith joined the Avengers, surveillance became unnecessary. If he didn't, they needed eyes inside his organization more than ever.
"Understood, Director. I'll approach Smith Doyle immediately." Coulson tucked his tablet under his arm and headed for the door.
As it closed behind his agent, Fury rose from his chair. Time to have a conversation with Tony Stark.
After Pepper left, Smith pulled out his phone and dialed Tony's number.
On the other end, Tony had just left his villa and arrived at an Air Force base, where Rhodes had invited him for drinks. When Tony's phone displayed Smith's caller ID, he answered without hesitation.
"I really appreciate the AI," Smith said. "That's incredibly generous."
Tony's voice came through with his trademark cockiness, the clink of ice in a glass audible in the background. "We're friends, aren't we? Besides, my life is worth way more than some artificial intelligence. So don't thank me too much."
He took a sip of what sounded like whiskey. "If you really want to show gratitude, we can have a rematch after I finish developing my new armor."
Beside Tony, Rhodes raised an eyebrow. They'd already fought? His curiosity burned. Who was stronger? Probably Smith, considering how easily he'd dismantled the Iron Monger while Tony had struggled.
"Deal," Smith said, a smile in his voice. "Once your new suit is ready, we'll spar again."
Tony's tone grew more serious. "Smith, don't hold back next time."
Smith couldn't help but laugh. "Haha. Alright, but fair warning, you'll need to seriously upgrade your armor's defensive capabilities."
After a few more minutes of conversation, they ended the call. Rhodes immediately leaned forward. "You two are already that close?"
Tony grinned. "Everyone's calling us the real-life Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. Might as well live up to it."
Rhodes stared at him, an odd thought crossing his mind. Doesn't Tony realize that Batman built contingencies against Superman? Even though they're both in the Justice League?
Would Tony actually build anti-god armor?
"The higher-ups found out about your visit last time. Since I didn't secure cooperation with you, they tore into me pretty hard."
Tony raised his glass, took another sip of whiskey, and said nothing.
Rhodes recognized the dismissal. Message delivered. That was all his superiors had asked him to do anyway.
Another knock sounded on Smith's office door. John Wick entered, his expression neutral but his posture suggesting urgency.
"Boss, Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here. I've placed him in the reception room."
Smith rubbed his temples. One thing after another. He'd just handed Pepper's gift to Bulma for analysis, and now S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up again. This had better not be more bad news.
"Since he's here, I'll see him." Smith stood, straightening his jacket. "Hopefully he's not bringing problems."
He held little optimism about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s motives. Still, this gave him an opportunity to mention the product launch next week. Might as well get some use out of the meeting.
In the reception room, Coulson sat with a cup of coffee growing cold on the table before him. He'd been here just yesterday. Returning so soon felt awkward, but orders were orders. Hopefully this recruitment pitch would go smoothly.
The door swung open. Smith walked directly to the sofa across from Coulson and sat down, getting comfortable. "I thought our next meeting would be days away, not hours. What brings you back so soon?"
Coulson offered an apologetic smile. "I don't enjoy disturbing you, Mr. Smith, but I have a mission to complete."
Smith waved a hand. "Cut to the point. What does S.H.I.E.L.D. want this time?"
Coulson took a breath, organizing his pitch. "Mr. Smith, the world appears calm on the surface, but underneath, it's turbulent. As someone with extraordinary abilities, you understand there's a hidden world most ordinary people never see."
Smith leaned back, interest flickering in his eyes. "Oh? From how you're talking, Earth has quite a few extraordinary individuals?"
Coulson seized the opening. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is a special agency established by the World Security Council. Our mandate is managing extraordinary threats and individuals."
He leaned forward slightly, his tone growing more urgent. "Some people awaken powers they can't control. Their abilities expand, they panic, and they commit crimes that threaten innocent lives. Advanced technology far beyond Earth's current level appears without warning, presenting potential dangers we barely understand."
Coulson's expression hardened. "And beyond threats from our own people, we must prepare for extraterrestrial crises."
As head of the Tahiti Project, Coulson knew better than most that Earth's enemies weren't limited to internal threats. Alien forces existed out there. Threats humanity wasn't ready to face alone.
He pulled out his tablet, queuing up several video files. "Let me show you what we're dealing with."
The screen flickered to life, displaying footage of superpowered criminals in action.