"You don’t have anything you’d like to explain?"
Nick Fury sat behind his desk, his expression dark as he fixed Evenson with an unwavering stare.
The battle between the Hulk and the Abomination had left New York scarred. Civilians and soldiers were dead, property damage had climbed into the billions, and every intelligence agency in the country was scrambling to contain the fallout. Ignoring the disaster simply wasn’t an option for the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
What complicated matters further was Evenson.
A registered S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant had openly joined the fight.
Whether he’d acted on orders or not hardly mattered. To anyone with inside knowledge, especially General Ross, it looked as though S.H.I.E.L.D. had involved itself in the operation and therefore shared responsibility for everything that followed.
Sure, Evenson had acted entirely on his own.
But how was Fury supposed to explain that?
By telling the world that Evenson was only a part-time consultant acting independently, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. had nothing to do with his actions?
That excuse belonged in the same category as every corporation insisting an employee’s misconduct was "purely personal" the moment a scandal broke.
Nobody would believe it.
Since the agency had already been dragged into the mess, Fury had no choice but to own part of it.
Evenson, who had been summoned to headquarters first thing that morning, turned his head with a huff.
"Nothing to explain."
"He wrecked the first car I’d ever owned."
He folded his arms.
"What was I supposed to do? Stand there and watch?"
"And another thing."
He shot Fury a pointed look.
"I distinctly remember someone calling me and confidently promising this whole mess would stay far away from me. You told me to stay home and enjoy a quiet day."
He spread his hands.
"Turns out disaster literally fell out of the sky."
To be fair...
It had.
A flying taxi had destroyed his car.
Fury’s eyelid twitched.
He had indeed assured Evenson that Ross’s operation wouldn’t affect him.
Reality had wasted no time proving him wrong.
"I didn’t know it was going to turn out like this," Fury said with an exhausted sigh.
He wasn’t omniscient.
No one had predicted the Abomination.
Not even Evenson, who already knew the monster would exist someday, had expected the fight to wander all the way into his own neighborhood.
New York was enormous.
The odds should have been microscopic.
Apparently, luck still hated him.
Fury rubbed his forehead.
"I’m letting the unauthorized action slide."
Strictly speaking, Evenson wasn’t a full-time S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. His status gave him far more freedom than ordinary personnel. More importantly, Fury’s original order not to interfere had been based on the assumption that the battle wouldn’t involve him personally.
Once his own home had become collateral damage...
That assumption no longer existed.
Besides, regardless of Evenson’s actual motives, the public image was excellent.
The military had created the monster.
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s consultant had helped stop it.
Compared to General Ross, the agency looked positively heroic.
"So," Fury continued, "how exactly did you convince Ross to hand over the Abomination’s body?"
Knowing Ross, that couldn’t have been easy.
Evenson answered honestly.
"I promised S.H.I.E.L.D. would help keep the incident buried."
Fury’s expression immediately hardened.
"You promised him that?"
"Wouldn’t you have done the same?" Evenson asked.
He leaned forward.
"What good comes from telling the public the truth?"
"That the military used taxpayer money to create two monsters..."
"...who then leveled part of New York and killed who knows how many people?"
He shook his head.
"That’s not just a political scandal."
"That kind of revelation destroys faith in the government."
"Generals lose their jobs. Cabinet members resign. Hell, the President might not survive it politically."
Fury knew he was right.
Imagine if the military accidentally detonated a tactical nuclear weapon inside an American city.
Public outrage would be immeasurable.
The government, the armed forces, and every federal agency would do everything possible to keep events under control.
Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to expose the truth, someone higher up would almost certainly bury it. The World Security Council valued stability above nearly everything else.
Truth rarely ranked first.
Fury sighed.
"That’s not what I meant."
"I wanted to know..."
"He means," another voice interrupted, "what gave you the authority to make that promise."
The office door swung open.
A man in his fifties stepped inside without waiting for permission.
His blond hair had begun turning gray at the temples, and the expensive tan suit suggested someone accustomed to power.
Seeing him walk into the Director’s office unannounced was enough for Evenson to guess his identity.
The newcomer smiled politely.
"Alexander Pierce."
"Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Fury immediately stood.
"What brings you here?"
Pierce gave a faint smile.
"Half of New York became a battlefield."
"You really think I could stay away?"
He turned his attention toward Evenson.
"Evenson Richter."
"Our newest consultant."
"I’ve heard quite a bit about you."
Even when Evenson’s file had carried the highest security clearance, Pierce had possessed the authority to read it if he wished.
He had simply chosen not to.
Once Evenson officially became a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, however, learning about him had become... remarkably convenient.
Pierce had wanted to meet, in person, the mysterious warlock responsible for exposing Hydra’s existence.
Evenson met his gaze without the slightest hesitation.
"The honor’s mine, Secretary."
Facing Hydra’s true leader, his expression never changed.
Pierce smiled warmly.
"To be honest, I owe you my thanks."
"I just finished speaking with the World Security Council."
"They’re extremely pleased with how quickly S.H.I.E.L.D. responded to yesterday’s crisis."
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