Chapter 15: A deal with Fury

Seeing Emma's gaze staring at him intensely as if she knows every secret he is hiding, the agent king feels uncomfortable.

He made a gesture to Emma as if he were asking her to calm down before replying in his softest and most diplomatic tone: "Ms. Emma, we didn't mean to spy on you."

He said this instinctively because lying came as naturally to him as drinking water, but then he remembered she could tell if he was lying, and he suddenly felt more out of his depth.

He continued, but more cleverly this time: "Well, I view this as a form of protection to assure your security and well-being."

"I've already mentioned this to you, but let me reiterate: you're an important asset to Earth. The world has never seen someone with abilities like yours, and the potential threats… well, you know what we're dealing with. This is bigger than mutants or anything else, bigger than any one of us. It's about those who have the kind of technology to invade Earth."

Emma knew this, of course, but how could she let this well-earned opportunity to rid herself of SHIELD's surveillance go to waste?

She said: "Let me also remind you of what I said yesterday: I'm ready to sacrifice myself for the survival of humanity. I don't fear death or anything like that, and I don't fear going to fight if it's required."

"But there are things I would never allow to be touched. They are the principles that make me feel alive. To be honest, death has never been a fear for me."

"What I truly fear is the hollow feeling inside me, the one that makes me question whether anything is worth it, whether I should even continue living. I fear that one day, a thought like, 'Why should I sacrifice my life for people who don't even care about it?' will cross my mind."

"I fear that you will do something that makes me question if it's worth it, so please, stop putting me in these kinds of embarrassing situations."

Well, what she said wasn't a lie. Whether from her previous world or from Tsunade's memories, they didn't place too much importance on life and didn't fear death that much.

Fury was listening to her seriously; every word she said gave him more insight into what kind of person she was. After yesterday and today's talk, he had a more profound understanding of her.

Now, his assessment of her was that she was someone suffering from depression and perhaps even had suicidal thoughts. This was simply crazy, the person with the potential to become the greatest healer in history was suffering from depression.

If she were to kill herself or act on one of her suicidal thoughts, would Earth really lose such a potential figure just like that?

He took a deep breath. His role as director over the years had shaped him into a more decisive person.

He took a chance and said: "Okay, I promise that, to the best of my ability, I won't do anything that would make your life uncomfortable, and I'll even try to make it as easy as possible."

When he paused, Emma said: "But?" She knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Fury didn't like how easily she predicted his words, but he continued: "But, I represent all the nations on Earth, not just the United States. I hope you can understand my mission and cooperate with me. Of course, we will work together to protect the Earth from all possible threats, and I will act as your SHIELD, protecting you from military and government interference. All you need to do is cooperate from time to time."

The chakra around Emma dissipated. Although she was lying about being able to tell if a person was lying, her intuition told her that Fury was speaking truthfully.

She said: "I hope I can trust you, Director Fury."

Fury smiled at her response and replied: "Don't worry, you definitely won't regret your trust. And, I'm not a Colonel, I'm a Director. Although I'd prefer to drop the formality, it's best to call me Director Fury in front of others, but in private, call me whatever you like."

Although Emma was tempted to call him by the nickname Stark gave him, she resisted the urge and said: "I understand. You can call me Emma without the formality."

Fury replied: "Okay, Emma. Now, it's time to address a serious question: what in Odin's beard happened to you, and where did the portal lead?"

'The old fox,' Emma cursed Fury in her heart, but she replied embarrassedly: "It led to some kind of magician's organization. They found out that my mutant energy is very suitable for magic and accepted me as a disciple. Aside from that, I can't tell you much because we've signed some kind of contract. I don't know what would happen if I violated it, and I don't need to know."

Although the idea had crossed his mind before, he had dismissed it. But now, he was shocked. He had never heard of a Mage Organization, and judging by their ability to manipulate space and create portals, they were definitely the real deal, not scammers.

He didn't have time to process everything before Emma spoke again.

She said: "Speaking of which, I have a small request I'd like to make to the government. Since you're representing the government, I think you're the medium between us. I hope you can relay my request."

END OF THE CHAPTER

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