Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

Evenson immediately tried to look at the situation from Nick Fury’s perspective.

The hidden motive became obvious.

Or, more accurately, it was the motive Fury believed Gideon Malick had.

"He wants to recruit me?"

"Exactly."

Fury nodded.

The kid really was sharp. He could see through the surface of a situation and get straight to the heart of it.

"Right now, the Avengers are extremely popular with the public. But there are plenty of people who are losing sleep over their existence."

The Avengers had made themselves famous overnight during the Battle of New York.

That victory had also created a very different kind of problem.

The people losing sleep weren’t criminals. Criminals had a much simpler attitude toward the Avengers.

If the Avengers came after you, you were probably going to die.

What could worrying accomplish?

Better to eat a few good meals while you still could.

The people genuinely concerned were the bureaucrats sitting at the top of the world’s political hierarchy.

The Avengers had never received formal approval from the World Security Council. Fury had effectively forced the project into existence only after Loki stole the Tesseract and the situation became too dangerous to ignore.

Even then, he’d had to dress the initiative up in enough bureaucratic language to give the Council a way to save face.

Then something unexpected happened.

These superheroes, who had previously operated independently, each pursuing their own targets and fighting their own battles, suddenly joined forces.

They stopped playing small-scale games.

They entered the same battlefield.

And when they did, their combined combat power was staggering.

They drove back an alien invasion.

To people already suspicious of S.H.I.E.L.D., that looked very different.

In their eyes, Fury had effectively created a private army.

S.H.I.E.L.D. already possessed an extraordinary amount of authority.

Now the organization also had a battle group powerful enough to repel an extraterrestrial invasion.

How was anyone supposed to keep an organization like that in check?

It wasn’t necessarily paranoia.

There was an uncomfortable truth behind their concerns.

Power without oversight was a dangerous thing.

If S.H.I.E.L.D.’s leadership remained honest, the organization could protect the world and preserve global stability.

But what happened if the people in charge changed?

What if ambition replaced duty?

The entire future of humanity couldn’t reasonably be entrusted to the personal morality of whoever happened to occupy the Director’s office.

The problem was that there was no easy solution.

The Avengers already existed.

The World Security Council couldn’t simply order them to disband.

And after the Battle of New York, nobody could seriously argue that the world didn’t need them.

The next alien invasion could come tomorrow.

Or next year.

Or ten years from now.

So if the Avengers couldn’t be eliminated, there was another option.

Divide them.

Recruit them.

Build enough independent relationships that, if S.H.I.E.L.D. ever became corrupt, the Avengers wouldn’t automatically stand beside it.

They could become the force that stopped S.H.I.E.L.D. instead.

That was why, when Gideon Malick offered to host Evenson, the Council had moved so quickly to make the arrangement happen.

It wasn’t merely because Malick had swallowed his pride and called in favors.

Several people genuinely hoped that the former Council member, with his reputation for political wisdom and an eye for the bigger picture, could use the opportunity to bring one of the Avengers into his camp.

"Recruit me..."

Evenson clicked his tongue.

"I never expected him to start with me. I’ve never exactly considered myself one of the Avengers’ core members."

That was true.

Evenson wasn’t one of the team’s most recognizable faces.

Most civilians probably couldn’t even pick him out of a lineup.

Fury gave him a flat look.

"Can you think of anyone on the Avengers who’s easier to recruit than you?"

"Ouch."

Evenson gave a dry laugh.

"That actually hurts."

The most legendary members of the Avengers were Captain America and Peggy Carter.

Both had reputations for integrity so spotless they were practically saints.

Trying to recruit either of them would be an uphill battle.

Then there was Iron Man.

Tony Stark was easily one of the most popular Avengers, but what exactly could Malick offer him?

Money?

Stark had more money than he could spend.

Women?

Tony certainly wasn’t lacking options, and somehow managed to find his own.

Power?

With Stark Industries behind him, Tony could cultivate political connections all over the country if he wanted them.

Hulk was another matter entirely.

There was no point trying to control him.

Even if someone wanted to, they probably couldn’t.

Black Widow and Hawkeye were both Fury’s trusted agents and high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives.

Trying to recruit them would be absurd.

Even if they appeared to switch sides, who would believe it?

For all anyone knew, they’d simply be infiltrating the other side.

Thor wasn’t even worth considering.

So, after eliminating everyone else...

Evenson really was the obvious choice.

First, he wasn’t exactly known for saintly behavior.

There had been an incident where someone had sold him counterfeit goods. Unfortunately for the seller, the counterfeits had been so terrible that Evenson had apparently ordered his men to break the man’s legs.

Then there was the Battle of New York.

Evenson had been injured during the fight and had reportedly made quite a fuss with Fury afterward over his compensation.

In short, Evenson wasn’t exactly rich, powerful, or morally untouchable.

He was the poor guy who needed everything.

If you wanted someone to recruit, why not start there?

"Don’t worry."

Evenson looked at Fury.

"I won’t accept their offer."

"No."

Fury waved a hand.

His expression was surprisingly complicated.

"Actually... I think it would be fine if you did."

Evenson blinked.

Now that was unexpected.

Was Fury planning to send him in undercover?

"I’ve been Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time."

Fury’s voice became quieter.

There was an unusual weariness in it.

"I wouldn’t say the journey has been smooth. But somehow, every problem has eventually been solved. We’ve managed to maintain this fragile peace."

He gave a faint smile.

"Sometimes, I’m proud of that."

Then his expression changed.

"But this situation made me realize something."

His single eye settled on Evenson.

"When I look back at S.H.I.E.L.D., I realize how big it’s become."

He paused.

"How much authority it holds."

His voice hardened.

"Maybe we’ve gone too far."

"For most of my career, I’ve been the judge, the jury, and the executioner."

Fury looked away for a moment.

"There are plenty of things I could do."

"The problem isn’t that I’m incapable."

"It’s that I don’t want to."

Evenson remained silent.

"And if things continue like this..."

"You’re worried that once the power is out there, you won’t be able to put it back in the bottle?"

Fury nodded.

"People change."

He looked down.

"Even I don’t know whether I’ll always be able to stay true to the person I am now."

He gave a humorless smile.

"And the Director’s position isn’t hereditary or permanent. One day, I’ll leave."

His gaze sharpened.

"What happens when the next Director takes over?"

The question hung between them.

"And there’s another problem."

Fury’s eye narrowed.

His expression turned cold.

"You know S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t clean on the inside."

Evenson said nothing.

"If Hydra gets an opportunity, they could exploit the enormous power S.H.I.E.L.D. possesses precisely because so little of it is subject to outside oversight."

Fury’s jaw tightened.

"They could do something unforgivable."

"And if that happens, everything I’ve spent my life building could collapse."

He leaned back.

"So maybe having someone capable of pulling on the reins isn’t entirely a bad thing."

Evenson remained silent for a long time.

Then, finally, he nodded.

"All right. I understand."

It wasn’t easy.

Once power was in your hands, voluntarily giving some of it away was almost unnatural.

How many people in the world could swallow their pride and willingly surrender authority they’d fought years to acquire?

But S.H.I.E.L.D. was already showing signs of becoming too large to control from the top.

If Fury wanted safeguards now, perhaps waiting until the organization was truly beyond saving would be too late.

Evenson finally made his decision.

"I’ll go."

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