Alexander Pierce sat in his office, visibly exasperated as he endured a barrage of questions from the five members of the World Security Council. What was supposed to be a meeting about dividing up the Chitauri technology left behind after the invasion had turned into a full-blown interrogation. Normally, Pierce could handle such situations adeptly, steering discussions toward the outcomes he wanted. But this time, things weren't going his way.
The British representative, Ms. Holly, was particularly dissatisfied with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s handling of the situation. While the Council had detailed files on all the Avengers, one individual stood out conspicuously as a glaring blank: the knight who had supposedly inherited King Arthur's mantle. Despite his pivotal role in the Battle of New York, both the Council and S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to know next to nothing about him. Considering his display of power—comparable to a tactical nuke—the Council believed S.H.I.E.L.D. had a responsibility to monitor him closely.
Holly seized this as a reason to attack Pierce, leaving him unable to counter her accusations effectively. Other Council members joined in, using the opportunity to reduce the share of alien technology and research opportunities allotted to the U.S. After painstakingly stabilizing the discussion and promising Ms. Holly a full report, Pierce finally ended the meeting and poured himself a drink, slumping back in his chair.
S.H.I.E.L.D. technically did have a file on Solomon Damonet, but it was utterly mundane—a standard civilian record with nothing remarkable. There were no hints about his true nature, abilities, personality, or connections. Pierce suspected that only Nick Fury had real knowledge of the knight, but if that were true, Fury wasn't sharing.
Suddenly, an unsettling thought struck Pierce, and he straightened in his chair: what if Fury did know everything about the knight but was deliberately keeping it secret? If so, what was he playing at?
Pierce decided to test the waters.
The truth, however, was far simpler than Pierce imagined. Nick Fury wanted to share at least some information about Solomon but found himself unable to. Every time he tried, the words slipped away, like water poured into sand, vanishing into nothingness. The memory of what he wanted to say would fuzz over, leaving only a vague sense of loss. Fury quickly realized this was magic at work—a contractual spell binding him to silence.
This revelation made Fury think of the agents who had worked directly with Solomon. Among them, only Natasha Romanoff was still alive. Unfortunately, when he questioned her, she admitted to signing a similar contract, leaving her equally unable to help.
"Mother f***er! That little punk really sealed every loophole!" Fury slammed his desk in frustration before letting out a resigned sigh and leaning back in his chair. When Pierce summoned him for a meeting, he still wore the same sour expression.
Pierce greeted Fury in his office with a glass of whiskey before casually mentioning Project Insight to gauge the director's reaction. Fury expressed no objections to the project, even suggesting they accelerate its timeline. He agreed that relying entirely on the Avengers was impractical; S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to remain the dominant force.
Pierce, however, wasn't convinced by Fury's agreement. He knew the man too well—lying came as naturally to him as breathing.
"You need to give me something, Nick. The World Security Council is furious about your secrecy regarding this... knight. Fine, let's call him an Avenger for now, though the Council has used far less flattering terms. Toss them a bone. It doesn't even need meat on it—just enough for them to feel like they're doing their job."
"I don't need to hear it to know what they're saying: 'costumed vigilantes,' 'undisciplined militia.' Politicians have been throwing those words around since the Chitauri were defeated. So what? If aliens invade again before we finish our plans, we'll still need the Avengers," Fury countered, dodging Pierce's request and taking the opportunity to mock the politicians. "I didn't see them stepping up during the invasion. Especially not Councilman Malick—he hasn't even been held accountable for launching that nuke."
"That's coming soon, Nick. Have you located the missing nuke?" Pierce's question was sharp, reflecting the U.S. government's greatest concern. No nation could rest easy knowing a nuclear weapon had gone missing. Every intelligence agency—FBI, CIA, NSA—was on the case. A nuke couldn't just disappear.
"We found it." Fury's tone darkened as he recalled the ordeal. Solomon had returned the missile, but the location he chose for the handoff had been... less than ideal. Fury had never imagined that Solomon would stash the nuke in the Pentagon's basement. If anyone had accidentally activated it, the entire building would have been obliterated.
"The nuke's intact, right?"
"Yes," Fury said, deciding it was best not to mention the screwdriver scratches covering the warhead. It was painfully obvious who had tried to tamper with it. Solomon Damonet was nothing if not infuriatingly unpredictable. Fury saw no need to inform the Council about this detail—better to let sleeping dogs lie than to watch politicians panic like headless chickens.
With a sigh, Fury downed his drink.
"Good. With the nuke recovered, we can proceed with Malick's impeachment," Pierce said. If the nuke had truly gone missing, Malick's decision to launch it could have been justified. But with its recovery, it was clear his judgment had been reckless. Removing Malick from the Council would please Pierce immensely—he had no love for Hydra's old guard, whom he saw as relics clinging to outdated traditions.
"But it's not enough, Nick," Pierce continued. "The Council won't be satisfied with just that."
"What do you think caused the nuke to disappear?" Fury asked, deliberately leading Pierce's thoughts without revealing anything directly. While he couldn't speak about Solomon due to the contract, he could nudge others toward their own conclusions.
"Magic tricks?" Pierce guessed.
Fury shook his head.
"Mass hallucinations?"
"No."
Pierce shrugged. "What else could it be? Don't tell me it's actual magic."
Fury said nothing.
Pierce's expression hardened. "Are you serious?"
"One hundred percent," Fury replied. "Remember the alien creatures from the Orogrande police station attack? Same source."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Nick? You knew how much harder this made my position with the Council!"
"Do you remember what the devil's greatest skill is, Pierce?"
"Deception... contracts?"
"Exactly. Contracts. I'm bound by one."
"Can you at least tell me his name?"
"I can't. Believe me, I've tried. The moment you recognize it's magic, the name becomes unspeakable."
Pierce leaned forward, frustration etched on his face. "Your agents worked with him. Did they sign contracts too?"
"They did."
"Shit! Has everyone in this world signed one of his contracts? How am I supposed to learn anything about him?"
"You'll have to talk to him yourself, Pierce," Fury said, standing and finishing his drink. "But you'd better bring a bundle of grass."
"Grass? Why?"
"Because he just might turn you into a goat."
_________________________
just head over to https://www.patreon.com/Mutter/redeem/4DCCA to get 1 month of free membership and enjoy tons of advanced chapters from the novel!