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The glass door slid open.
Three figures emerged.
Natasha Romanoff was in black casual clothes, looking travel-worn; Clint Barton followed closely behind her.
Finally, there was the eternally black leather trench coat, the one-eyed bald man—Nick Fury.
Although he was currently a globally wanted fugitive, the "S.H.I.E.L.D. rat" in the media's words, he still walked with an air of authority.
"Woah."
Tony exaggeratedly spread his arms, but made no move to hug them, instead leaning against the lab bench, a playful smile on his lips.
"Look who it is? The HYDRA Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Tony." Natasha nodded in greeting.
Then her gaze lingered on Banner, a smile playing on her lips: "Hi, Bruce."
"Natasha." Banner responded somewhat awkwardly.
Nick Fury ignored Tony's sarcasm. He strode to the center of the laboratory, his single eye scanning the surrounding high-tech equipment before finally resting on Tony.
"We need to talk, Stark."
"If it's about how to apply for Stark Industries' hardship relief fund, I can have Pepper give you a form." Tony shrugged. "I'm very busy right now, figuring out how to stop my green friend from tearing Earth apart."
"I just came to get my things back." Fury ignored Tony's sarcasm and walked directly to the holographic table, leaning his hands on it, body forward, exuding an oppressive aura.
"Your things?" Tony scoffed, "Every screw here belongs to Stark."
"I want my team back." Fury said in a deep voice, "The Avengers."
"Ha!"
Tony threw his hands open exaggeratedly, as if he had heard the joke of the year.
"Avengers? You mean that loose civilian group that can't even get enough people for a regular meeting?" Tony walked up to Fury and pointed out the window. "Nick, wake up. Look outside. It's Vought's era now. Anthony and his The Seven are putting out fires all over the World, a million times more efficiently than us. Avengers? They're obsolete."
"Vought?" Fury sneered, his tone full of disdain. "That's just a private corporation. A capitalist monster that only cares about ratings and profit."
"Tony, you're a smart man. Do you really think it's a good idea to entrust the World's safety to a bunch of actors packaged by a PR department?"
"Actors?" Tony retorted, "At least these actors are doing things. What is S.H.I.E.L.D. doing? Playing a HYDRA game? Under your nose, HYDRA has riddled S.H.I.E.L.D. like a sieve. And now you come to me to talk about trust?"
"That was my mistake, I admit it." Fury gritted his teeth. "So now I'm correcting it. We need the Avengers, the World needs a team not beholden to capital, not swayed by sponsors."
"Save it, Nick." Tony turned around and fiddled with a small part with a screwdriver. "I'm also capital. Stark Industries' capital is no smaller than Vought's. By your logic, I'm not trustworthy either."
"You're different." Natasha teased, "You have a conscience, Tony. Not much, but you have it."
"Thanks for the compliment, Miss Romanoff. But right now my conscience tells me not to get involved in this mess." Tony said without looking back, "I'm busy right now, no time to play spy games with you."
He waved his hand, his back to Fury.
"If there's nothing else, Jarvis, please show them out. And pack them some sandwiches, my treat."
After several rounds of verbal sparring, Fury realized he couldn't persuade the stubborn billionaire.
He knew he had to play his trump card.
"Tony Stark!"
Fury roared behind him.
"What do you think allows you to stand here drinking your green sludge?"
Tony stopped moving.
"Is it because you're smart? Because you're rich? Or because of that iron suit?"
"It's because I goddamn saved your life."
Tony turned around, his eyes sharp: "What are you talking about?"
Fury pointed to Tony's chest, "Back then, when your blood was full of toxins, and you were waiting to die like a useless person in a donut shop. Who injected you with lithium dioxide? And who gave you Howard's will? Who gave you a second chance at life?"
"It was me."
Fury pointed to his own chest.
"I pulled you back from hell. I put your father's will in your hands. I let you solve the reactor problem, I let you live."
"You owe me, Stark. It's a debt you haven't repaid."
The laboratory suddenly fell silent.
Only the faint hum of the holographic projection could be heard.
Banner stood awkwardly to the side, pretending to look at data.
Natasha and Barton, however, were calm, clearly having known that Fury would play this card.
Tony slowly put down his tools and looked at Fury.
Complex emotions flickered in his eyes.
He hated being morally blackmailed, but he was a proud man.
He didn't like owing favors, especially a life-saving one.
"...Tsk."
Tony irritably chugged the disgusting green juice.
"Fine."
He pulled over a chair, plopped down, and crossed his legs.
"You win, Cyclops. This round is yours."
Tony impatiently waved his hand.
"Alright, what do you want? If it's to help you hack into the Pentagon to clear your wanted status, I can have Jarvis do it right now."
Seeing Tony relent, Fury's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. He knew that once Stark was on board, half the battle was won.
"Not the wanted status. That thing is irrelevant to me."
Fury pulled a photograph from his pocket.
"I need you to help me get something back."
The photograph showed a long golden scepter, its embedded gem wrapped in a faint blue glow.
"The Mind Stone?"
Tony recognized it at a glance, "Loki's back scratcher?"
"Yes, it was supposed to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault." Fury's face darkened. "But HYDRA stole it. To be precise, they legally transferred it right under our noses."
"Now, it's in Sokovia."
The map zoomed in, showing an ancient castle fortress in the Eastern European mountains.
"Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. One of HYDRA's current supreme leaders. He's using the scepter for human experimentation, trying to create more super soldiers."
"I need you to get it back."
Fury looked at everyone present.
"Once we get the scepter back, I can use its mind control ability to counter Pierce."
"Although Pierce is cunning, he's still human. If the scepter stirs his mind just a little, he'll obediently spill all of HYDRA's secrets, lists, and accounts."
"This is our only chance to turn the tables. To thoroughly clean out the darkness within S.H.I.E.L.D. and let it see the light again."