Tony Stark joining S.H.I.E.L.D. as a consultant?
To Ross, that was practically the same as S.H.I.E.L.D. recruiting Iron Man.
He refused to believe Stark had signed on merely to offer technical advice. And even if that had been the original agreement, Nick Fury was exactly the kind of man who could talk Tony into suiting up whenever the agency needed someone to clean up a mess.
Ross had been consumed with dealing with his own affairs lately, leaving him somewhat out of touch, but even he’d heard the headlines.
The military and the government had pulled every lever they could to bring Stark under their control.
Instead, the billionaire playboy had humiliated them in full view of the public, batting away every demand with effortless confidence. By the time the dust settled, S.H.I.E.L.D. had quietly walked away with the prize.
Useless, Ross thought bitterly.
Still, Iron Man wasn’t his problem.
He’d already learned firsthand how troublesome S.H.I.E.L.D. could be.
What truly ignited his temper was Aurecess’s next sentence.
"And we also have reason to believe..." she said, watching him with an amused smile, "...that S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to gain the Hulk."
"Impossible!"
Ross shot to his feet.
"No one controls the Hulk!"
No one understood that monster better than he did.
He had helped create him.
He’d chased him across half the country.
He’d watched entire military units get flattened trying to contain him.
If there was one thing Ross could swear to with absolute certainty, it was this:
The Hulk obeyed no one.
Saloras smiled.
"Perhaps the Hulk can’t be controlled."
She tilted her head.
"But what about Bruce Banner?"
Ross let out a cold laugh.
"You think I only tried to capture him after he transformed?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"I always went after Banner first, while he was still just a scientist."
His expression darkened.
"And every single time, the slightest provocation turned him into that green monster."
"So no, that approach doesn’t work."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can save itself the trouble."
For a fleeting moment, Ross almost smiled.
He could vividly imagine Fury’s agents surrounding Banner, only for the Hulk to emerge and reduce the entire operation to twisted wreckage. The image was deeply satisfying.
Aurecess shattered the fantasy.
"Nick Fury isn’t that foolish."
She looked at Ross as if correcting a particularly stubborn student.
"He isn’t going to send heavily armed soldiers carrying assault rifles to negotiate with Bruce Banner."
"Iron Man won’t make a difference either," Ross replied with surprising confidence.
Aurecess pinched the bridge of her nose.
Does this man believe every problem in the universe is solved by punching it?
"What if," she asked patiently, "the person standing at Banner’s door is Phil Coulson?"
"Or Natasha Romanoff."
"The two friendliest faces S.H.I.E.L.D. has."
Before Ross could respond, Saloras leaned forward with theatrical sincerity.
"’Dr. Banner, we’re truly sorry for everything you’ve endured. We know what happened wasn’t entirely your fault. We’d like to help you. You don’t have to face this alone.’"
She clasped her hands together.
"’You don’t trust us? That’s understandable. Give us time. We’ll earn that trust.’"
Then she glanced sideways at Ross.
"You’ve never tried anything like that... have you?"
Ross’s face twitched.
From the very beginning, he’d treated the Hulk as a dangerous military threat that had to be neutralized.
Negotiation had never even entered the equation.
If someone were capable of reaching Banner...
His own daughter would probably have been the best choice.
Unfortunately, Ross could already imagine how that meeting would begin.
"Bruce, run. My father’s coming."
"When bullets can’t penetrate someone’s skin," Aurecess said evenly, "you aim for the heart instead."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has plenty of people who excel at that."
Saloras couldn’t resist twisting the knife.
"And after years of your relentless pursuit..."
She smiled knowingly.
"...simple kindness would feel priceless to Bruce Banner."
"If necessary, S.H.I.E.L.D. could even stage a few fake rescue operations. Save him from dangers of their own making."
She shrugged.
"Do you really think Banner wouldn’t eventually trust them?"
Ross’s expression twisted.
Without another word, he marched behind the bar, poured himself an enormous glass of whiskey, and drained it in one swallow before slamming the glass onto the counter.
He knew Bruce Banner well.
The man had once come dangerously close to becoming his son-in-law.
Banner’s intellect was extraordinary.
A genuine genius.
But emotionally?
He was painfully straightforward.
Brilliant enough to rewrite equations that baffled the world’s greatest physicists.
Naive enough to believe people usually meant what they said.
Ross also knew Natasha Romanoff’s reputation.
If Fury truly sent the Black Widow...
Banner wouldn’t stand a chance.
The thought made Ross irrationally furious.
It felt like watching the troublesome kid he’d spent years chasing suddenly decide to call his greatest rival "family."
He poured himself another whiskey.
Before he could drink it, Aurecess reached out and stopped him.
"General."
"We’re not finished."
If you pass out now, we’ve wasted two hours getting you here.
Ross sighed heavily and lowered the glass.
"Fine."
"What else?"
Aurecess continued.
"Once S.H.I.E.L.D.’s superhuman response team is complete, they’ll possess the capability to conduct covert operations against virtually any nation."
She let the words hang.
"Even the United States."
"They’ll never allow enhanced soldiers to erase the advantage they’ve worked so hard to establish."
Ross stared at her through bleary eyes.
"So..."
"That’s why you refuse to give me enhancement technology?"
He gave a dry laugh.
"Funny."
"After listening to all of this, I’m more convinced than ever that America needs that technology."
Whatever S.H.I.E.L.D.’s intentions might be, Ross would never accept an unelected organization deciding what a sovereign nation could or couldn’t develop.
Saloras slid a thick document across the table.
"Then read this first."
"The Gospel Project."
"It can achieve results comparable to enhanced soldiers."
"And at this stage..."
"...it’s a far better fit for what your military actually needs."
Ross finally focused.
He opened the proposal and began reading carefully.
"’Mechanical neural linkage...?’"
His brows rose.
"What a crazy idea."
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