"Hollywood?"
Nick Fury looked at Evenson as though he’d lost his mind.
"So your grand diplomatic strategy is... taking an Asgardian warrior to the movies?"
"If that’s enough to make her side with Earth, why don’t we just beam every Hollywood film into deep space? Give it a few years and half the galaxy will show up asking to become our allies."
Evenson didn’t look remotely offended.
"I think you’re underestimating the idea."
He leaned against the desk.
"Sif is intelligent. When Thor isn’t around, she’s actually quite perceptive."
"But at the end of the day, she’s a soldier."
"A career warrior."
"If you surround her with politicians reciting carefully rehearsed diplomatic talking points, she’ll hate every second of it."
"It’ll probably have the opposite effect."
He smiled.
"And remember..."
"Whatever role she’ll hold in the future, right now she’s only one of the Crown Prince’s retainers."
"She’s here by accident."
"Not as an official ambassador."
"If Earth suddenly rolls out cabinet ministers, diplomats, and heads of state to court her favor..."
He shrugged.
"She may not think much of it immediately."
"But once she tells Odin about it..."
"He’ll start asking questions."
Diplomacy was built on balance.
Even formal state visits followed unwritten rules.
A foreign president wasn’t personally greeted by every world leader simply because they crossed a border.
Likewise...
Sif wasn’t the Queen of Asgard.
She wasn’t even an official envoy.
If Earth treated her as though she represented the entire Asgardian Empire, it would seem less like hospitality...
...and more like desperation.
"And once Odin becomes suspicious..."
Evenson began pacing across the office.
"He’ll ask Heimdall to take a closer look at Earth."
He gestured toward the window.
"And then what?"
"The world is full of things we’d rather outsiders never see."
"Governments hide them from their own citizens."
"They certainly don’t advertise them to alien civilizations."
Fury folded his hands and fell silent.
That was the real problem.
The intelligence imbalance.
Earth understood Asgard through ancient myths...
And Evenson’s firsthand knowledge.
Asgard, on the other hand...
Had Heimdall.
If Sif returned praising Earth while politicians had carefully staged everything she saw...
Then Heimdall glanced at Midgard and discovered a completely different reality...
Even if Odin understood why humanity had tried to present its best face...
He would still feel deceived.
Kings rarely appreciated being manipulated.
And that single misunderstanding could become the first crack in relations between Earth and Asgard.
Fury let out a quiet sigh.
Beginning a diplomatic relationship by planting seeds of distrust...
Wasn’t exactly ideal.
"So instead..."
Evenson’s eyelids lowered lazily.
"We openly admit we’re showing her an idealized version."
"Films aren’t reality."
"They’re aspirations."
"They show humanity at its best."
"Our courage."
"Our compassion."
"Our mistakes."
"And most importantly..."
"They show that we want to become something better."
He grinned.
"If Odin becomes suspicious anyway..."
"So what?"
"It’s only a movie."
"No reasonable person mistakes fiction for a documentary."
Fury slowly nodded.
The more he thought about it...
The more elegant the proposal became.
If it worked...
Earth benefited enormously.
If it failed...
No lasting damage was done.
After all, what host wouldn’t entertain an honored guest?
Watching films together wasn’t espionage.
It was hospitality.
Fury chuckled.
"I have to admit..."
"You’d probably make a decent politician."
"At the very least, you’d be an excellent diplomat."
Evenson laughed.
"If I ever run for office..."
"I expect your vote."
Politician?
He kept the thought to himself.
A Warlock can convince people to sell their souls.
Convincing them to sell an entire planet isn’t that much harder.
For a moment, the atmosphere relaxed.
Then Fury sighed.
"...I don’t enjoy this."
"What?"
"Having to accommodate someone this carefully."
He leaned back in his chair.
"We haven’t even established formal diplomatic relations."
"And we’re already worrying about every little impression we make."
"It feels..."
"...humiliating."
Evenson gave him a knowing look.
"You’ll get used to it."
"Think of countries like Haiti."
Fury’s expression stiffened.
He understood the comparison immediately.
For decades, Haiti had existed under the overwhelming influence of a vastly stronger power.
Whenever the balance of power became that uneven...
The weaker side lost the luxury of acting entirely on its own terms.
That was exactly what Evenson was warning him about.
Asgard casually referred to Earth as Midgard, one of the Nine Realms under its protection.
Humanity...
Had no intention of remaining in that position forever.
Which brought them back to the same conclusion.
Earth needed strength.
Real strength.
Unfortunately, that couldn’t be achieved overnight.
Unless...
Fury’s lone eye sharpened.
There was a shortcut.
"True diplomacy only exists between equals."
He leaned forward.
"So I’ve submitted a proposal to the World Security Council."
"It’s a special initiative."
"I’d like you to participate."
Evenson didn’t answer immediately.
"Tell me what it is first."
"I’ll decide afterward."
Fury clicked his tongue.
"I should’ve recruited you as a full S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"If you were, I could simply order you to participate."
Evenson looked out the window.
"Hm."
"Even if you offered..."
"I’d still refuse."
Becoming a full-time agent sounded suspiciously like volunteering to wear handcuffs.
No thank you.
"The purpose of the initiative..."
Fury continued,
"...is to rapidly strengthen Earth’s capabilities."
"The Destroyer project?"
Evenson guessed.
Fury shook his head.
"That’s only one small part."
His expression became serious.
"The project’s name..."
"...is Phase Two."
Evenson blinked.
"Phase Two?"
"So what’s Phase One?"
Fury answered without hesitation.
"We’re in Phase One."
Evenson frowned.
"...Didn’t you just say this was Phase Two?"
Fury slammed both palms onto his desk.
"The project is called Phase Two!"
"..."
Evenson nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
"Whoever named it..."
"Must’ve had a very strange sense of humor."
Silence.
Very slowly...
Nick Fury’s hand drifted toward the pistol holstered at his thigh.
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