If something had gone wrong with Coulson’s resurrection, and Nick Fury himself had come to fetch him...
Then there was no time to waste.
"Let’s go," Evenson said without hesitation.
Fury had expected resistance.
Instead, Evenson agreed immediately.
Finally, Fury thought. The kid’s acting like a professional for once.
That impression lasted all of three seconds.
Because Evenson started ushering Claire toward the door as well.
Fury frowned.
"I asked you to examine a patient," he said. "Not move in with your girlfriend."
Evenson looked at him blankly.
Fury continued with the weary tone of a man who had dealt with far too many talented idiots.
"I understand that some men enjoy showing off in front of the women they like."
"But I expect you to know when something is more important."
He knew who Claire was.
He also knew how much Evenson cared about her.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had investigated her once, and Evenson had nearly bitten his head off over it. They had apparently gone through a rough patch recently, but judging from today’s events, they had reconciled.
That still didn’t mean S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets could be shared with civilians.
Agents were allowed to reveal their identities to immediate family under very limited circumstances.
Operational details were another matter entirely.
The rules protected classified information...
...and they protected the people agents cared about.
"This situation is more complicated than it sounds."
Evenson disappeared briefly to change clothes.
Claire had shredded his previous outfit earlier, and he’d worn the Robes of the Corruptor during Melinda’s empowerment ritual.
Powerful or not, wandering through New York dressed like an apocalyptic cult leader wasn’t exactly practical.
A few minutes later, he returned wearing ordinary clothes.
Looking directly at Fury, he said calmly,
"She may be able to help."
Fury studied Claire skeptically.
Before he could object again, Melinda quietly nodded.
"I agree."
Seeing his most trusted agent support the decision, Fury finally relented.
"...Fine."
"I expect a satisfactory explanation on the way."
"Follow me."
The group left the shop.
To Evenson’s surprise, Fury didn’t head toward a waiting vehicle.
Instead, he walked toward the subway entrance.
Evenson frowned.
No government car?
Has S.H.I.E.L.D.’s budget gotten that bad?
Please don’t tell me we’re taking the subway...
I didn’t even bring my MetroCard.
Fortunately, just before reaching the station, Fury turned into a nearby office building.
They took an elevator straight to the rooftop.
The roof appeared completely ordinary.
No personnel.
No landing pad.
Nothing.
Yet Evenson and Claire both found themselves staring toward one particular empty corner.
Moments later...
The air rippled.
Light bent.
A sleek Quinjet shimmered into existence as its cloaking system disengaged.
Claire’s eyes lit up.
"That is incredibly cool."
"Invisibility isn’t all that rare," she admitted. "I can manage it myself, and an astral projection can pass through walls."
"But watching an entire aircraft appear out of nowhere..."
She smiled.
"...that’s impressive."
Evenson snorted.
"It looks cooler from the outside."
"The inside is another story."
His last flight aboard a Quinjet had not been an experience he wished to repeat.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Evenson looked toward Fury.
"We’re flying somewhere far away, aren’t we?"
A Quinjet could travel at supersonic speeds.
Given enough fuel, circling the globe wasn’t much of a challenge.
"Tahiti."
Fury’s answer was concise.
"...Where exactly is that?"
"A magical place."
Fury’s expression gave nothing away.
Then he turned serious.
"Now."
"Explain your girlfriend."
Before Evenson could answer, Claire extended a hand with practiced elegance.
"Claire Ludwig."
"Senior Deacon of the New York Sanctum, Kamar-Taj."
"It’s a pleasure to meet the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
A golden spell circle bloomed above her palm, forming a radiant sphere of magical light.
Even Nick Fury couldn’t hide his surprise.
For several seconds...
He simply stared.
Watching one of the world’s most unflappable men lose his composure was deeply satisfying.
Claire almost smiled.
"So..."
Fury finally found his voice.
"She’s a... mage too?"
"A white mage," Evenson corrected.
Then he launched into a heavily edited version of recent events.
A very heavily edited version.
When he finished, Fury rubbed his shaved head.
"Let me see if I’ve got this straight."
"By pure coincidence..."
"A young mage traveling the world ended up living next door to you."
"You became friends."
Evenson and Claire nodded together.
"Then the Battle of New York exposed your identity."
"So the leader of this... order came looking for you."
"They intended to eliminate a dangerous spellcaster."
"You fought."
"Neither side could defeat the other."
"You realized you both wanted to protect the world."
"So you called a truce."
Claire nodded solemnly.
"A true mage understands another mage through battle."
Fury accepted that explanation with admirable restraint.
"I see."
"And to improve communication between your organizations..."
"They assigned an envoy to remain at your side."
He looked at the pair sitting shoulder to shoulder.
"...For some reason, I feel like what actually happened was that you beat their leader so thoroughly they had no choice but to cement the peace by sending you their favorite apprentice."
Claire coughed delicately.
The history itself was one thing.
Saying it directly in front of her was another.
"...Apologies."
Fury inclined his head without hesitation.
Then he leaned forward.
"If both your order and S.H.I.E.L.D. are dedicated to protecting Earth..."
"Would cooperation be possible?"
"That depends on the Sorcerer Supreme."
Claire’s answer was diplomatic.
"But don’t be overly optimistic."
"The Sorcerer Supreme remains... deeply unhappy about what S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted with the Tesseract."
Fury immediately looked uncomfortable.
"In fairness..."
"We lacked proper guidance."
"If we’d established contact sooner, none of that would’ve happened."
Evenson raised a hand.
"Let’s get back to Coulson."
"How exactly did you bring him back?"
Fury answered with a single designation.
"CH-325."
Evenson blinked.
"...What’s that?"
He frowned.
"It sounds less like a medical procedure and more like the title of a very questionable video."
He shrugged.
"At least, that’s what Sarah once told me."
...
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