"Gentlemen, we absolutely cannot agree to this. The power contained within the Tesseract far surpasses these so-called super soldiers. During World War II, the power of the Tesseract nearly..."
"Far surpasses the so-called super soldiers? Excuse me, Director Nick, do you know how many human enhancement projects the United States is currently conducting simultaneously? And do you know how many have succeeded so far? Only one, and that's Captain America!"
Before Nick Fury could finish, a Congressman interrupted him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Nick, but I believe this should now be time for the Senators to deliberate. SHIELD, as a subordinate agency of the International Security Council, only needs to follow the Council's orders at times like this. That is the authority and duty granted to you by the Constitution and Congress."
"Mr. Nick, you need to understand that the reason SHIELD has its current status is because Congress and the Council authorized it. If SHIELD disobeys the orders of its superiors, then there is no need for its existence."
After saying this, the Congressman got into his car and left.
He had the authority to say this. If he wanted to, this man could potentially push through a bill to revoke all of SHIELD's power and make Nick Fury a prisoner.
After the Congressman left, a member of the International Security Council approached Nick Fury. Out of consideration for their years of cooperation, he offered a reminder. "Director Fury, if you want to stop this, you'll need to come up with something stronger than the Super Soldier Serum. Oh, and don't bother bringing out those Level 2 weapons. They're a bit embarrassing."
Having said that, the Council member put on his sunglasses, got into his car, and slowly rolled down the window. "By the way, Director Fury, we should have a decision within about three days."
"Shit!"
After everyone had left, Nick Fury cursed, running a hand over his head.
Willing to hand over the Tesseract so easily—what idiotic political thinking. But he felt utterly powerless against it. SHIELD might seem powerful to others, but when facing the Council and Congress, they had no choice but to obey.
"Shit. I hope Tony Stark can give me some information..."
Then Nick Fury got into his car, but when he opened his phone, he saw a message from Natasha.
"What? Recruiting more superheroes? Counting that inexplicable Strong Girl, that's at least three people. Shit, where are they all coming from?"
Nick Fury felt like Future Biopharmaceutical was boxing him in at every turn. From the Avengers Initiative to the Tesseract, nothing was going his way.
He sat quietly in the car for a moment, then could only forward the message to Hill, asking her to assist Natasha with the investigation. He himself directly ordered SHIELD personnel to retrieve the items Howard had left behind. He would take these items and go see Tony Stark immediately.
Based on his understanding, Tony Stark should still be struggling with palladium poisoning. But since he hadn't dispatched any high-level agents to Stark's side, Nick Fury could only speculate that Stark's palladium poisoning had been cured by someone from Future Biopharmaceutical.
"Welcome, you two. Looks like you've made your decision. What are your plans now?"
Hyuga Mirai smiled at Quicksilver and Wanda upon seeing them. These two had great potential, especially Wanda. Once fully developed, her abilities would become Chaos Magic, holding significant research value. But they were still too young now; it needed to be studied slowly.
Quicksilver Pietro shook his head. "We don't really know what to do next. But it feels like coming here is a bit better than staying there."
"Of course. Hydra doesn't understand your powers. Even if they help you develop your abilities, it's just groping in the dark. That process is slow and ineffective. You'd be better off exploring and developing them yourselves."
Hyuga Mirai snapped his fingers, and a virtual projection appeared before them, displaying information about Wanda and Pietro's abilities. Judging from a pile of failed cases, Hydra was also quite confused about their powers; everything was still experimental.
Quicksilver Pietro shrugged after reading it. "So, do we just continue developing our abilities now?"
"Develop abilities, go to school, play video games—it's your choice. But if you want revenge, I'd advise waiting until you're eighteen. I generally don't advocate for kids to kill. Without self-control, it can become addictive. If you don't have a clear preference, I suggest you go to school."
Not for the diploma, but simply because Hyuga Mirai didn't like communicating with dimwits. At least school can help develop emotional intelligence, unless someone is naturally low in that area.
"You can also ask Peter for help. He's been a superhero for a year now. As for the leader of the Super Seven, forget it. Although she's my wife, you'd better not learn from her."
Taking advantage of Tsunade's absence, Hyuga Mirai warned Quicksilver and Wanda. He didn't want them picking up her gambling and drinking habits.
"Mr. Mirai, there's one more thing. But I think you've probably guessed it." Quicksilver Pietro had thought about it for a long time, exchanged a glance with Wanda, and finally decided to speak up. "When we were little..."
"Well, you're not exactly big now either..."
Peter Parker couldn't help but interject. But after he spoke, he found the other four people in the room staring at him. Peter quickly apologized. "Sorry, please continue. I won't interrupt again..."
Pietro sighed, but his momentum was already broken. Continuing his story now felt like a simple narrative, lacking emotion.
After Pietro finished, Hyuga Mirai spread his hands apologetically. "Sounds like a sad story, but I might not be able to fully empathize. Sorry."
Pietro shrugged. "It's not your fault, sir. Actually, my own sense of empathy has faded quite a bit too, even though it's my personal experience..."
Peter Parker said, "Sorry..."
"I understand how you feel. Staring at a logo on a bomb for days, developing a considerable resentment towards Tony Stark. Looking at your list of targets, he should be at the bottom. What kind of price do you want him to pay?"
As Hyuga Mirai spoke, Quicksilver and Wanda looked at the projection screen. There had been over a dozen people responsible for the Sokovia conflict, now only seven remained. Hyuga Mirai had added Tony Stark to the list.
"You probably have no issue with how the first few are handled, whether it's killing them or putting them in prison. What you two are struggling with is Tony Stark. You hate him deeply for producing weapons supplied to war zones, but you don't know how to deal with him. Directly taking revenge feels unjustifiable, but letting it go and acting like nothing happened is hard to accept."
Hyuga Mirai paused, then finally said, "Why not leave it to the lawyers? I'll hire a team of lawyers to sue Tony Stark. We'll take him to court for every violation and illegal act he's committed since he can remember. If it goes well, he might end up doing hundreds of days of community service, maybe even spend some time in jail. At the very least, we can squeeze out billions of dollars in compensation. Then you can do whatever you want with it."
"Help children affected by war?" Wanda suddenly spoke up. After saying it, she noticed everyone looking at her and waved her hands sheepishly. "I was just saying that randomly."
"No, that's a good idea. It's your money, use it as you wish. Even if you want to custom-design a Wanda sports car, go ahead."
Hyuga Mirai smiled at her. "If you think this suggestion is acceptable, then we'll proceed with this plan. Any objections?"
Quicksilver and Wanda looked at each other, then both nodded. They couldn't think of a better option for now, and they both believed Hyuga Mirai's method was good, so they chose it.
If they had to take revenge themselves, directly killing someone was unlikely. But aside from their superpowers, they had no other means of retaliation.
"Peter, I'll leave Wanda and Pietro in your hands from now on. Oh, by the way, do you know where Tsunade went?"
Peter Parker looked a bit flustered, then coughed and stammered, "Uh, sir, Ms. Tsunade... she seems to have discovered some... atrocities in Las Vegas, so she went to stop them."
"Never mind. You guys go ahead."
Hyuga Mirai waved helplessly. No wonder Tsunade had turned off her communicator and hadn't come back. She must have given in to temptation again.
"Aside from the top three floors, floors forty-eight to fifty-seven are where we operate. Of course, you can also choose to live in the company. No one will bother you, and the environment is good. Besides that, there are also entertainment, meeting arrangements, marketing, and other things."
Peter Parker showed Quicksilver and Wanda around the Super Seven Team's area, explaining the company's situation and how the superhero operation worked.
They could choose to remain anonymous or reveal their true identities. But Wanda and Pietro were underage. Whether they could start superhero activities now would depend on the company's arrangements. Although Peter Parker always suggested they wear nano-tight suits, Pietro and Wanda weren't very interested.
They didn't particularly like showing off their bodies, even though they had no excess fat.
Wanda and Pietro's guardian was 18, but she didn't show up herself; she had other company personnel handle the arrangements. As for where to live, they chose to stay at the company. They hadn't decided about school yet; they wanted to see first.
Living at the company would be easy. Superheroes had dedicated staff, and it was almost as comfortable as a five-star hotel. If he didn't have family, Peter would also want to stay at the company for a while.
Peter also promised to take them around New York after his classes, or let them experience some superhero activities.
It wasn't until after nine o'clock that Peter had to go home because it was getting late. The Parkers had already moved out of that small house, and Ben Parker had switched to an easier job. The reason he wouldn't retire was that he didn't know what to do with himself if he did.
After Peter left, Wanda went to Pietro's room, still somewhat in disbelief. "I still can't quite believe it. Coming here from that shabby experimental base, just like that. Pietro, what are your plans? Are you going to school?"
"I want to wait until after the lawsuit against Tony Stark is over before deciding. Then... maybe I'll go to school. Or maybe I'll try being a superhero."
Every time Pietro had talked with Peter Parker earlier and heard about his superhero activities, he could see Peter's eyes light up. If possible, he wanted to try it too.
"You're right. We'll decide then." Wanda felt the same way. She thought that once the Stark lawsuit was settled, she would feel more at ease. And the environment here was really good.
"Pietro, let's switch rooms. I like this corner with the floor-to-ceiling windows."
"What? No way! I like it too. Besides, you picked your room first."
"Stark, I hope you can give me information about Future Biopharmaceutical and its owner. This is for America's security. They've already gotten the Tesseract from SHIELD. It's an energy source even your father couldn't fully research."
"It's dangerous, you understand? The Tesseract itself is a huge danger. Rashly researching it could lead to Earth's destruction..."
This was Nick Fury's fifth time visiting Tony Stark. Several times in between, he hadn't even been able to see him. And Tony Stark had his own troubles lately; Congressmen were demanding he hand over the Iron Man suit. Although he had refused, they certainly wouldn't give up easily.
Nick Fury used some of his remaining authority to provide Tony Stark with certain information, finally earning a chance to meet and talk.
But by now it was too late. The International Security Council and Congress had already decided to make the exchange: the Tesseract for Future Biopharmaceutical's Super Soldier Serum. And when the decision was made, Nick Fury had been removed from his position as SHIELD Director, and the Tesseract had been transferred away by the International Security Council.
Once the transaction was complete, the Tesseract would belong to Future Biopharmaceutical. Although the International Security Council would also have rights to any subsidiary achievements from the Tesseract, Nick Fury didn't believe Future Biopharmaceutical's sole purpose was simply to study it.
"I'm busier than you can imagine right now, Mr. Nick. If you're here with the same questions today, I'm going to end this conversation."
Tony Stark said impatiently to Nick Fury. If it weren't for the Howard legacy items he'd brought, he wouldn't have bothered talking this many times with a regular US citizen. The other side had an AI more advanced than Jarvis; having someone like that as an enemy was a huge hassle.
Tony Stark didn't have that awareness or intention. He had also advised Nick Fury, but the former SHIELD Director seemed very stubborn.
"What's this?"
Tony Stark suddenly asked as Nick Fury pulled out a stack of documents and tossed them on the table.
"Future Biopharmaceutical's lawsuit against you. It includes 116 charges, including speeding and endangering public safety. This is the only thing I can tell you in advance. I'm no longer the Director of SHIELD."
Nick Fury played his last card. If this still couldn't convince Stark, he'd have to find another way.
"You'd better respond quickly. They've already hired the top twenty-five law firms in the US at 50% above market rates. If all charges stick, you'll be spending three years in a New York prison!"
"What the fuck?"
Tony Stark's face showed shock. He took off his glasses and began reading the documents carefully.