C 104

Anton quickly left the scene and made his way to an empty rooftop. Moments later, the Arrow clone arrived.

An arrow embedded itself into the edge of the roof, and the clone ascended swiftly to join him.

Under the moonlight, Anton studied the figure before him. Dressed in a green suit and holding a bow, the clone bore signs of his earlier battle with Hawkeye. 

Despite a few minor injuries, he remained calm and composed.

What surprised Anton most was that this was another version of himself.

However, the Arrow clone differed in appearance. While he retained Anton's memories, his body was that of Oliver Queen.

The clone gave Anton a brief nod before his body vanished, blending seamlessly into the night. On the now-bright rooftop, Anton was left alone.

"Convenient," Anton muttered to himself. Then, with a flash, he disappeared and went home to sleep.

Meanwhile, after concluding his conversation with Batman, Coulson instructed Black Widow and Hawkeye to continue their operations in New York. 

Without delay, he boarded a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft and headed straight to headquarters to meet with Nick Fury.

It was already the dead of night.

Nick Fury, having received Coulson's urgent message, had decided to stay at headquarters instead of going home. The seriousness of the matter made it clear that face-to-face communication was necessary to avoid misunderstandings.

In the director's office, Fury waited, an ominous feeling settling in his chest.

Coulson had significant autonomy in field operations, rarely needing approval unless the situation was extraordinary. The fact that he returned in such haste and refused to discuss matters over communication tools indicated something of grave importance.

"Coulson," Fury greeted him, his tone steady but sharp.

The spy king studied his subordinate, noting the grim expression on Coulson's face.

"What happened to bring you back at this hour? Is it about Batman?"

"Yes," Coulson replied, his voice serious. "But it's not just about Batman."

Fury's brows furrowed.

"I spoke with him," Coulson continued. "Convincing him to join the team is nearly impossible. He's already formed his own superhero team."

Before Fury could react, Coulson pressed on.

"But that's not the most important part. According to Batman, there's a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fury's face remained composed, but a flicker of shock crossed his eyes.

Coulson elaborated, "Batman's team was formed with the same purpose as yours: to counter external threats. He knows about the alien invasion over a decade ago… and his source appears to be within S.H.I.E.L.D."

Fury immediately understood the urgency of Coulson's return. Though he kept his expression neutral, the implications were deeply unsettling.

If there truly was a mole, the list of suspects would be alarmingly short. Any one of them being compromised would spell disaster for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"What else did he say?" Fury asked after a moment of thought, his voice calm but cold.

"Nothing more," Coulson admitted. "He seems wary and unwilling to involve himself with us directly."

"In that case," Fury mused, "his reluctance to engage with S.H.I.E.L.D. might be tied to the mole."

He fell silent, considering the implications. While Fury trusted his own instincts, he wouldn't dismiss Coulson's judgment or the credibility of Batman's intelligence. Batman's knowledge of the alien incidents from the 1990s was undeniable.

Regardless, Fury resolved to proceed cautiously. He would quietly conduct a thorough investigation to confirm whether the allegations held any truth.

Coulson, meanwhile, handed Fury a folder.

"One more thing," he said. "I believe it's time to reevaluate our assessment of Batman."

Fury took the file and began reviewing its contents, his mind already working to piece together the next steps.

"This is the information about Batman that I compiled on the way here," Coulson said.

Nick Fury opened the file and skimmed through it.

"Justice League..." Fury muttered under his breath. "Is this the name of the superhero team he's forming?"

As he continued reading, his expression grew more serious.

"Spider-Man, Venom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Daredevil… are all these members of the Justice League?"

Suddenly, his hand froze mid-turn, and a look of astonishment crossed his face. He had reached the most critical section of Coulson's intelligence.

"Green Arrow? DC Comics?" Fury's brow furrowed, his expression turning incredulous.

"You're suggesting that the fictional characters from DC Comics might actually exist?" Fury asked, his tone laced with disbelief.

"That's already a fact, sir," Coulson replied calmly. "Hawkeye is the best witness to confirm it."

He paused, then added, "Batman himself was originally a fictional creation by Anton Jameson, yet here he is. As far as we know, DC Comics holds full copyright to Batman, meaning that technically, Batman belongs to DC."

Fury tapped the file, his mind working rapidly.

"Anton's new movie Cyborg is currently in theaters," Coulson continued. "At this point, it's hard to say whether we'll see a real Cyborg appear in the same way."

Coulson leaned forward slightly. 

"Aside from Batman, Green Arrow, and Cyborg, DC has dozens of other fictional characters, including Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Superman... Do you believe these people might actually join the Justice League?"

Fury's one good eye narrowed slightly as he considered the question.

"I can't say for sure, sir," Coulson admitted. "But based on the current situation, it's a possibility we can't rule out."

Fury leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "If there really are so many superheroes in the world, maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing."

Coulson nodded but hesitated before bringing up the next topic. "There's one last issue—Batman's identity."

Fury gestured for him to continue.

Coulson said, "At present, it's still unclear if Batman is actually Anton Jameson. The evidence we've gathered so far isn't conclusive. It feels like he's deliberately misleading us."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Fury replied firmly. "If finding Anton means finding Batman, then it's irrelevant whether or not they're the same person."

He looked at Coulson intently. "If you think DC Comics is more significant than it appears, then I want you to focus your attention there. As for the internal issues within S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll handle those personally."

"Understood," Coulson said with a nod.

With that, he left Fury's office. His job wasn't over—there was still work to do in New York.

New York was now the epicenter of a growing storm.

On one side was Anton, tied to Batman and the Justice League. On the other was Tony Stark, dealing with the fallout of Obadiah Stane's machinations. Both figures brought their own unique challenges, each more frustrating than the other.

Anton was particularly troublesome. Batman had already appeared unannounced, dropped cryptic comments, and forced Coulson to rush back to headquarters in a panic.

Who knew what Batman might say the next time they crossed paths?

If he kept revealing secrets, it wasn't hard to imagine S.H.I.E.L.D. being torn apart from the inside.

….

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