Nick Fury leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, taking advantage of a rare moment of quiet.
It had been an exhausting day.
Evenson Richter was manageable.
The possibility that Stark Industries had supplied advanced weapons to terrorists was not.
Neither was the sudden appearance of Umbrella, an organization capable of mass-producing enhanced humans.
For the first time in years, Fury felt genuinely outpaced.
A knock came at the door.
"Director, Agent Hill reporting."
"Come in."
Maria Hill entered with her usual crisp professionalism.
Fury opened one eye.
"Hill... have you ever heard of a company called Umbrella?"
She frowned.
"I haven’t. Not once."
"Neither had I."
Fury straightened in his chair, the weariness disappearing behind the practiced authority of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"But after learning about them today..."
"I believe we’ve just discovered the most dangerous enemy we’ve ever faced."
Hill’s expression sharpened.
That wasn’t praise Fury handed out lightly.
For him to describe an unknown organization that way meant it was something far beyond an ordinary terrorist network.
"The enhanced corpses recovered from the Special Storage Facility," Fury continued, "along with the specimens Coulson brought back from Afghanistan..."
"They’re all Umbrella’s work."
Hill immediately corrected her terminology.
"So they’re not mutants."
"They’re artificially enhanced humans."
"Exactly."
"And the technology is already mature."
Hill nodded slowly.
"Then they deserve that assessment."
History had already demonstrated what enhanced soldiers could accomplish.
One super soldier had once helped turn the tide against Hydra.
The creatures at the Special Storage Facility had fought an entire reinforced battalion head-on.
An organization capable of manufacturing soldiers like that in quantity was terrifying.
Fury shook his head.
"You’re still underestimating the danger."
He reached for the briefcase resting beside his desk.
"Do you know where I first learned about Umbrella?"
Hill waited.
"From a sales advertisement."
She blinked.
"...A commercial?"
"Exactly."
"Yesterday, Agent Sylvette intercepted an illegal arms transaction. Among the evidence was this."
He tapped the case.
"The advertisement."
Hill’s eyes widened.
"The shipment..."
"...contained the enhancement serum?"
Fury nodded.
"They’re selling it."
For the first time since entering the room, genuine alarm crossed Hill’s face.
"They’re selling enhanced soldiers?"
"Now you understand."
Fury folded his hands.
"The greatest threat isn’t the country that possesses nuclear weapons."
"Nor is it the nation with enough warheads to destroy the world a hundred times over."
"The truly terrifying threat..."
"...is someone willing to sell those weapons to anyone with enough money."
No ideology.
No alliances.
No restraint.
Only profit.
"You never know who will buy them."
"You never know when someone will decide to use them."
He paused before continuing.
"The promotional video had German narration."
"But the subtitles..."
"...were in Russian."
He looked at Hill.
"What does that tell you?"
Hill considered the question for only a moment.
"They’re marketing internationally."
"That’s one possibility."
Fury nodded.
"The five enhanced soldiers in Afghanistan attacked an American military search team."
"Shortly afterward, Middle Eastern terrorists attempted to purchase the serum."
He leaned forward.
"So who do you think the next customers are?"
"The Russians."
Hill answered without hesitation.
"The attack on the Special Storage Facility could easily have served as a live demonstration."
Fury didn’t mention Hydra.
Some secrets remained compartmentalized.
"But you’re probably right."
"Whether intentional or not, the operation demonstrated exactly what the product could do."
He stood and slowly walked toward the window.
"They attack American forces."
"They sell the serum to Middle Eastern terrorists."
"They stage another attack inside the United States."
"Then they market the product to Russia."
He turned back.
"What comes next?"
Hill’s imagination carried the scenario forward.
"They attack Moscow..."
"...and sell the serum to the United States."
"They strike Seoul..."
"...and sell it to North Korea."
"They hit Pyongyang..."
"...then market it to South Korea."
"They attack Paris..."
"...and sell it to Germany."
"They attack Berlin..."
"...and sell it to France."
Every conflict became a demonstration.
Every demonstration created new customers.
Fury gave a grim nod.
"Exactly."
"What follows is a new arms race."
"Once one nation fields enhanced soldiers, every rival will race to acquire them."
"Their rivals’ rivals will do the same."
"The chain reaction won’t stop until the entire world is involved."
"And throughout all of it..."
"There will be only one real winner."
"Umbrella."
Hill’s expression grew increasingly serious.
The scenario sounded extreme.
Unfortunately...
It was also plausible.
Military history had proven repeatedly that revolutionary weapons never stayed exclusive for long.
If one major power deployed an army of enhanced soldiers, every neighboring nation would feel compelled to respond.
The cycle would feed itself.
"We have to stop them," Hill said firmly.
"That’s why you’re here."
Fury returned to his desk.
"Agent Maria Hill."
"As of today, you’re authorized to assemble a special task force composed entirely of personnel you trust."
"The team reports directly to me."
"No other department has authority over your operation."
"Your sole objective..."
"...is to uncover everything about Umbrella."
"Yes, Director."
She accepted without hesitation.
"There is one more thing."
Fury’s expression hardened.
"Umbrella appeared out of nowhere."
"Organizations capable of hiding themselves that completely don’t survive without exceptional intelligence capabilities."
"Assume they’re watching."
"Every move your team makes must remain absolutely covert."
"No mistakes."
"Understood."
Hill gave a sharp nod.
The mission began with enormous determination.
Unfortunately...
It was doomed from the start.
Neither Fury nor Hill would ever think to investigate a tiny curiosity shop called Richter’s Oddities.
The terrifying international conspiracy they’d imagined had exactly four employees.
One demon.
One remarkably intelligent dog.
And a chairman, president, chief executive officer, and sole owner who couldn’t even afford a car.
At that very moment, that spectacularly underfunded CEO was completely absorbed in learning an exceptionally practical new spell.
One that had already cost him dearly.
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