Fury's Sh*t week.

~SHIELD HQ, New York

"What an absolute mess!" I muttered as I surveyed the chaotic scenes displayed on the various screens before me.

~A week prior...

I found myself staring at the large screens bearing the words "Please hold for the security council." Knowing that I would have to endure yet another encounter with their incompetent presence was far from appealing. These meetings, with their greasy personalities, tended to be unproductive and draining.

"Director Fury, thank you for making time in your busy schedule to take this call," greeted Alexander Pierce, the former director of SHIELD and current Secretary of Defense.

"You didn't leave me much choice after pulling the plug on my frostbite operation," I retorted in frustration. This week alone, they halted the search for the body of Steve Rogers, despite clear evidence from the wreckage indicating his burial beneath the icy tundra of the Arctic.

"Have you been able to locate the super soldier?" inquired Gideon Malik, another individual I found unnecessary on the council. Although he held power as a businessman and served as one of the president's advisors, I failed to comprehend why he had any say in my operations.

"No, we have discovered a crucial clue that could have led us in the right direction, but with the constantly shifting topography of the Greenland ice sheet, we will likely be starting from scratch again," I responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

"A pity," Pierce remarked, his expression fueling an intense desire within me to deliver a satisfying punch.

"Could you kindly enlighten me as to the purpose of this meeting?" I pressed, eager for them to get to the point. Staring at their infuriating faces was already wearing thin on my patience.

"We would like to engage in an open discussion regarding the primary objective of S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agency, and your role as its director," stated one of the council members.

"You're referring to the Tesseract, I assume," I scoffed, realizing that it was, indeed, the topic of discussion. As if they didn't bring it up in every godforsaken meeting.

"Reigniting the Tesseract, precisely," Pierce responded with a greed-laden smile.

"Well, no arguments here. I absolutely love that objective. It's certainly one of my top three or four favorites in the entire damn handbook," I replied, without a hint of falsehood. The glowing box held a genuine fascination for me. After all, who wouldn't want access to unlimited free energy and formidable weaponry?

"But after trying nuclear, geothermal, electric, magnetic, electromagnetic, static, kinetic, solar, and about 47 mixed variant energy sources without any results, we are a little short on ideas," I add.

"There is a way, Fury. Both history and legend can attest to it. Inspiration will strike," Chao Yen interjected, injecting a glimmer of hope into the conversation.

"And we hope to expedite the process moving forward. Now, the lion's share of SHIELD resources will be directed to the Tesseract," he continued, emphasizing the shift in focus.

"Say that again," I asked, unable to believe what these greasy bastards were proposing. I hoped I had misheard them.

"A prospectus outlining new budgetary allocations will arrive shortly. In accordance with the agency's mandate, the majority of funding, equipment, and manpower will be dedicated to the analysis of the Tesseract, codenamed Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.," Pierce stated with a self-satisfied smile, delivering what I considered to be one of the worst decisions imaginable.

"The purpose of this redistribution is to shift focus away from current wasteful programs and redirect it towards P.E.G.A.S.U.S.," added a councilwoman, further emphasizing their incompetence as mere armchair experts.

"What do you mean by 'wasteful programs'?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, genuinely curious about their perception of wastefulness in contrast to their obsession with a glowing cube.

They proceeded to list how searching for Steve Rogers was deemed a waste of valuable resources, considering him useless in the modern day. They insisted that I should stop wasting time coddling Tony Stark and instead focus on acquiring his weapon technology. Furthermore, they criticized my allocation of manpower to surveilling Dr. Banner, citing him as an enigmatic and poorly understood variable.

"We appreciate your enthusiasm, but your approach is misguided. Our decision is that the Tesseract holds greater significance at this point in time," Pierce declared, driving home the point of his personal desire to plunge his privates into the glowing cube.

After the call ended, I couldn't help but stare at the blank screen for over 30 minutes. Eventually, I turned and left the meeting room, only to find Agent Coulson waiting for me.

"That took a while," he said with a hopeful smile, anticipating good news regarding the search for Steve Rogers.

"They had a lot to say," I simply replied.

"Anything worth repeating?" Coulson inquired.

"Well, not in polite company," I responded, and Coulson understood the implications.

"So... what do we do?" he asked, seeking a way forward.

"We keep doing what we're doing and tell them that we're doing what they want us to be doing," I said, offering a glimmer of hope to Coulson.

"How?" he asked with puppy eyes.

"Hell, I don't know. Get creative, cook the books, whatever it takes to let us do this job right," I replied with a hint of frustration.

Coulson suddenly remembered something and began to speak.

"Boss, there is this ..." as I walked to the operation room.

upon entering, we were bombarded with requests and updates from the agents.

"Sir, Senator Stern wants to schedule a sit-down with the Department of Defense to discuss acquiring the Iron Man weapons," one agent informed me.

"Sir, I need your signature for the budgetary redistribution," another female agent requested.

"Sir, Agent Sitwell just checked in. He said that Banner cleared customs," yet another agent reported.

"Tell Sitwell to stay on him," I instructed without hesitation.

"Sir, General Ross is asking for..." the agent stuttered before I cut him off.

"Tell him no," I replied firmly, fully aware of what Ross would request and why.

"Director Fury..." Coulson called out amidst the swarm of agents vying for my attention like a lost puppy.

"I need you to see something. My team has picked up an atmospheric disturbance above New Mexico. At first, they thought it was a subtle Aurora, but the electromagnetic signatures are off the charts and highly abnormal," he explained, presenting the data to me.

"Moreover, the activity has intensified, resulting in atmospheric flares and significant gravitational lensing. There's a possibility that this could be the precursor to the opening of an Einstein-Rosen bridge," he added, emphasizing the 'gravity' of the situation.

"A what-what bridge?" I asked, feeling a bit perplexed by the scientific jargon.

"An Einstein-Rosen bridge, also known as a wormhole in layman's terms, is essentially a portal that opens below the ozone layer, leading to another universe," he explained, simplifying the concept.

"Well, I believe that warrants my attention," I responded, fully aware that whatever lay on the other side was preparing for a significant entrance.

"This is a mighty big fish, Coulson, are you sure you want it attached to your line?" I asked Coulson if he really want to take on this mission.

"I understand how unrealistic it may sound, but I have confidence in my conclusions," Coulson replied with a determined expression, reminding me of his knack for discovering wayward aliens or crashed alien artifacts ever since he was a rookie.

"I also acknowledge the importance of the work we're doing here and my significant role in it. However, the activity in New Mexico represents a blind spot for us, sir. We're not the only ones who have noticed the atmospheric anomaly. There's a woman named Jane Foster, and we just intercepted a call she made to her old mentor, Erik Selvig. She has been at the scene for weeks and likely possesses more information than we do," he continued, delivering the significant revelation.

"Congratulations, Coulson. You've just earned yourself a considerable amount of paperwork. Now, get your ass to the desert as soon as possible," I commanded.

"Yes, sir," he responded with a sheepish smile.

~Two days later...

Natasha Romanoff entered my office and found me buried in a chaotic mess of papers, clearly sleep-deprived and disheveled.

"Sir, my cover at Stark's is still intact, and I've discovered why our servers were flooded with photos of Stark. It wasn't his doing. It turns out he himself fell victim to a prank and lost a significant amount of hardware. Whoever targeted him managed to make its way through the backdoors we had in his system," she explained, glancing at her datapad. When she looked up at Fury, she saw him holding his head, while contemplating putting a bullet in it.

"You don't look so hot, boss," she quipped.

"I haven't had much sleep in the past few days. Thanks for noticing. I need you to go to Culver University. I've received information that General Ross is planning to make a move on him," I ordered the redhead, my fatigue evident in my voice.

"But I thought Sitwell was assigned to Banner?" she questioned, clearly confused.

"He was, but I had to send him to New Mexico," I replied.

"Why?" she pressed further, with more unnecessary questions. That was the final straw, and my frustration finally erupted.

"BECAUSE I'VE GOT AN ALIEN OBJECT IN NEW MEXICO! THAT'S WHY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, the weight of everything I was dealing with finally taking its toll.

Wide-eyed, Natasha quickly complied: "I'll get on it."

Hours later, I received a call from Natasha.

"Sir, Banner...uh...changed," she stammered through the phone, fully aware that her next words would only further ignite my rage, surpassing even the fury of the green monster.

"MOTHERF*CKER!" I cried in frustration.

"Yeah, it's quite a sight... and General Ross is here too, and they are going at it pretty fiercely...what are my orders, sir?" She asked, the sounds of roars and explosions echoing in the background.

"Stay close, and no matter what, do not let Ross take Banner, dead or alive," I ordered firmly.

"Copy that," Natasha replied, her voice slightly muffled as a flying piece of debris struck her, filling her mouth with dirt and tarnishing her appearance.

After receiving that disheartening news, I reached out to Stark, who appeared to have pulled himself together since our last encounter. My scientists informed me that he had successfully resolved his blood poisoning issue, a problem I had hoped to assist him with to gain some leverage. Clearly, I underestimated him.

Stark also offered to provide us with a new energy source in exchange for intelligence on other countries' advancements in Iron Man suits. I gladly accepted his offer, as this energy source could potentially help us activate the Tesseract and silence those greasy basterds mouths.

Even if Stark has refused to share with me how he discovered the new element or any details about it, he only provided an arc reactor with the element in its core, which my eggheads have trouble understanding.

This new version of Stark I'm witnessing is different from the one I'm familiar with. He has fully dedicated himself to advancing his technology and rarely leaves his lab. He even appointed his girlfriend as CEO, a rather peculiar decision. However, as long as he doesn't create problems that I have to clean up, I'm fine with it.

So I was glad he imprisoned himself in his lab because I was contemplating doing the same anyway.

After concluding the meeting, I discovered Natasha waiting for me outside the safehouse where I had met with Stark.

and, if I may say, she didn't look hot.

"We need to talk," she said, her tone far from jovial, and I could understand why.

"Did Banner do this?" I inquired, curious about what had happened to her.

"A building that he knocked over, yeah," she replied.

"Do you need a doctor?" I asked, attempting to soothe her frustration.

"Maybe a psychiatrist," she exploded.

I raised my hands in surrender, not wishing to further stoke her anger.

"Did Ross capture him?" I inquired about her mission.

"No, Banner managed to escape, but..." she began, informing me about the super soldier Ross had unleashed, which, from what I heard, spelled trouble.

Then I received a call.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Sir, it's Coulson..." he said, out of breath, with explosions echoing in the background, causing me to inwardly curse, realizing that the problems were piling up.

"...we have a small problem." He proceeded to explain all the chaotic situations he had encountered over the past two days and how I now had to deal with gods and metallic titans.

"Sir... *boom*...we need backup," he pleaded for assistance as whooshing sounds and explosions filled the air.

"Goddammit," was all I could muster.

As soon as I arrived at SHIELD HQ, I was met by one of my top eggheads. The cautious manner in which he approached me signaled that he didn't bear good news.

"I apologize for interrupting, Director Fury, but our technicians have detected an unauthorized user in the database," he admitted, his tone filled with sheepishness.

"We've been hacked?" I questioned, a hint of concern in my voice.

"Not exactly, sir. This individual possessed the proper encryption keys and authorization codes, but..." he trailed off, hesitant to disclose the full extent of the situation.

"Who is this person? Who has managed to breach our security?" I asked, growing increasingly frustrated and unwilling to deal with yet another problem.

"It's General Thaddeus Ross, sir," he revealed.

"Unbelievable..." I uttered, hanging my head in defeat and frustration.

~Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

"General Ross, may I have a word?" I called out to the well-decorated general, his uniform adorned with medals and stars, shining brightly.

"Colonel Fury, in person," he replied with a sarcastic tone.

"I had a feeling you'd send one of your spies to lurk in the shadows and gather information," he retorted, his tone filled with disdain.

"I assume you had that thought while illegally breaching my encrypted database?" I asked, cutting to the chase and questioning his motives for snooping around in my domain.

He paused and looked at me with a wide, smug smile.

"Oh no, you've got it all wrong. The World Security Council granted me clearance for that," he responded, oozing with smugness.

"I mean, did you really believe they would trust you alone with the responsibility of protecting this world?" he continued, raising his eyebrows.

"The world needs both of us, Fury. I'm out there on the battlefield, eliminating our enemies, while you're safely tucked behind a wall, safeguarding secrets that ordinary citizens can't handle. You're the shield, and I'm the sword," he added, his tone filled with a smart-ass attitude.

I chuckled at his analogy, well aware that he was no sword but merely an obsolete bayonet.

"You're not sharp enough to be a sword, General," I retorted, not holding back.

"That may have been the old me. The new me embraces the practical application of advanced science in modern warfare, and my team and I have achieved significant breakthroughs," he began to explain, with a touch of arrogance.

"I know you prefer digging up antiquated weapons from the ice, but I place more value in moving forward," he concluded his long-winded monologue.

"The "new you" could learn a few things from the "old you", especially on the subject of rushing into things you don't fully understand. "Your half-assed super soldier experiment is dangerous, and I strongly suggest that you pull Blonsky from the field immediately," I advised the aging general.

He turned and began to walk away, his dismissive attitude clear.

"I don't take orders from you, colonel," Ross said, a smug chuckle escaping his lips.

"Stay the course and you will soon enough" I replied.

"Whatever helps you shut that eye at night, if you'll excuse me, I have a monster to catch," he retorted, before stepping into a chopper and flying away.

I swiftly dialed a number on my phone and made a call.

"Lock onto the location of Mr. Green, and then relay that information to Agent Romanoff. I need her to move immediately," I ordered with a sense of urgency, fully aware that Ross was on the verge of doing something dangerous.

~Later that night....

"Director Fury, General Ross beat me here, he's taken Banner into custody. "They're taking him out in a helicopter, which I won't be able to pursue." Natasha's worried voice came through the phone.

"Our intelligence indicated that Banner had a meeting with Dr. Samuel Sterns, a cellular biologist with a lab on the first floor. Ensure that Banner hasn't left anything behind for him to work with," I instructed, frustration mounting as I silently cursed every possible god that may also be out there.

"Copy that..." Natasha's response was cut off abruptly as she groaned in pain I also heard an explosion and a roar in the background, leaving me concerned but certain that more trouble was brewing. It seemed Natasha had been hit by debris once again.

Now, I found myself sitting at my desk, contemplating the events of tonight and the past week, surrounded by a multitude of intelligence reports strewn across my desk.

whoever made good work of Blonsky seems very powerful, I thought Hulk was the strongest player out there, even with the appearance of the alleged god in New Mexico which seems to possess immense raw power and abilities.

But whoever this Individual who's donning Armor and a cape he seems to have an agenda, people don't pop out of nowhere.

"So, you're telling me this is our prime suspect in the attack on the Strategic Operations Command Center?" I questioned Coulson as I studied the photos displaying the melted interior of a vault.

"Yes, sir. Furthermore, if you recall the Ulysses Klaus incident a couple of months ago, the damage matches this individual perfectly. Even the witnesses' testimonies mentioned a person wearing black armor and shooting lasers. Considering the state of the locations we found, it all seems connected to this individual," Coulson explained with enthusiasm.

"What are the estimations of his power levels, from what I saw he trashed the Blonsky, and strategically target key locations. It appears his intelligence is on par with ours, and his objectives seem to align with mine, particularly in preventing Ross from experimenting with super soldiers," I inquired, pointing at various data points.

"Well, sir, his power levels are off the charts from what we calculate from the strangest of his punches and speed he moves with or even the beams he shoots. Also, the handheld weapon he utilized is highly potent and unlike anything we possess in our arsenal," Coulson elaborated. Just then, Natasha entered the room, placing an ice pack on her head.

"Good timing, Natasha. What happened to you?" I asked, once again observing her less-than-ideal condition.

"Him. he happened to me!" she replied, pointing at the picture of the armored individual shooting beams from his head.

"You encountered him? And what about Sterns? Did you manage to apprehend him?" I asked, puzzled by the turn of events.

"No, I didn't reach Sterns. This individual actually aided in his escape. Also, I should inform you that Sterns's appears to have undergone physiological changes. His head has grown larger, and his skin has turned green. That's definitely not normal. He must have received his dose of whatever Blonsky and Banner have inside them," Natasha explained.

"But what transpired during your encounter with this person? did you get who is he or who he worked with or his intentions?" I probed, hoping to gather as much information as possible about this enigmatic figure.

"No, I didn't get much. However, he seemed to recognize me from the moment he laid eyes on me. He even laughed, as if meeting an old friend or something. I tried everything, but nothing worked against him. It was like facing an impenetrable wall. In the end, he incapacitated me," she confessed, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"He didn't kill you, which suggests he's not our enemy. I choose to believe that. In our line of work, people don't usually spare witnesses. Moreover, his objectives align perfectly with what we were striving to achieve. It's almost as if a prayer has been answered, and he has resolved all of my problems," I explained with a hopeful tone, seeing this individual as a potential ally. After all, it was only two days ago that I formed an alliance with a living god and a legend. So, I'm inclined to believe that this could be another favorable alliance.

However, beneath the surface, an unsettling notion lingered, refusing to dissipate. The idea that the person before me might harbor motives less virtuous than they portrayed sent a shiver down my spine. The sheer magnitude of their power filled me with an uneasy sense of caution.

The thought of placing such unwavering trust in someone who possessed such immense power made my heart race with trepidation. I was torn between embracing the hope of a newfound alliance and the fear of the consequences if I were wrong.

"Sir.." Natasha cried and then looked down, her frustration evident.

"... it's too much, too much for us to handle," she said while looking down and looking super tired, while Coulson stood beside her, nodding in agreement, his weariness mirroring hers.

"Well, I never thought I'd hear you say that," I quipped, brushing aside the scattered papers on my desk and directing my full attention to her.

"Don't misunderstand me because I fear no man..but this is different. "These are gods and monsters and armored machines of war that we're mixed up with," she started to cry out.

"I'm supposed to go up against the Hulk with 17 rounds of piercing bullets? I don't think so," she explained, while I observed her, fully understanding the weight of her emotions. If this week has taught me anything, it is that the challenges are simply too immense.

"I don't like it any more than you do, sir.. But we are outmatched, and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we can fix it... or the sooner we can stop wasting our time pretending that we can make a difference." She finished hammering down her points.

"you're right. and I'd like you both to see something." I announced as a message appeared on the screen, displaying the words, "Please hold for the Security Council."

Before long, the familiar faces of the council members appeared on my screen, their expressions revealing their usual cunning and sly demeanor.

"Director Fury, we understand that you have an important matter you wish to discuss," Pierce inquired, assuming the role of the group's de facto leader as usual.

"Yes, indeed," I replied, acknowledging their query.

"I am in the process of sending you a prospectus detailing the new budgetary allocations for S.H.I.E.L.D.," I explained, as I tapped on the keyboard to transmit the documents for their perusal. "You will notice a substantial increase in funding for the agency, along with an expansion of jurisdiction for my agents and a reinforcement of my strategic authority."

"You are requesting quite a substantial amount, Director Fury," Malick interjected, his furrowed brow suggesting his disapproval of the direction this conversation was taking.

"The whole world, some might say. I retorted.

"Tell us.. has there been any significant progress with the tesseract recently?" Pierce inquired once again as if those were the only words in his vocabulary.

"Ummm, Nope" I responded succinctly, having no interest in that objective for the moment.

"The reignition of the Tesseract has been and will continue to be your foremost objective as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, it appears that you have made no progress thus far," Pierce remarked with a disdainful tone. "Please, enlighten us. What have you accomplished recently that would justify such significant compensation?"

"Hmm, let me think... It has been an incredibly busy week," I began, reflecting on my recent activities. "I forged an alliance with the extraterrestrial Thor and successfully retrieved the Asgardian weaponized armor, which, if I'm not mistaken, originates from the same realm as the Tesseract. Perhaps my colleague, Dr. Erik Selvig, another recent ally, can glean valuable information about the Tesseract from the armor, or vice versa. Just a thought."

"In addition, I managed to secure an energy core from Stark, which holds great potential for reigniting the Tesseract. " Moreover, I ran interference to keep that halfwit goon Thaddeus Ross from destroying New York City with his enhanced psycho-solider, and I'd hate to speculate on how a man like Ross got his hands on the classified intelligence that led to that horrifying incident," I added, relishing in their discomfort as they were sweating themselves off.

"Director Fury..." one of them attempted to interject, but I continued speaking.

"Oh! And meanwhile, I've kept a small team on the hunt for Steve Rogers, which I know might be perceived as disobeying orders... I just thought it might be handy to have access to the only human being on this planet that had any direct experience with the tesseract... "Well, that's what I've been up to," I said, driving home my point, and paused for a moment before continuing.

"I've also done some thinking, and doing so, I've realized that the world is changing and getting more dangerous, and one thing I know for sure: nobody is better suited to protect this world than me and my people; all we need are the means to do what we do best." I finally delivered, expressing determination and confidence.

(...)

We have previewed your prospectus; you will have what you require by month's end."

As the call ended, I turned my gaze towards Coulson and Natasha, a wide smile gracing my face. "You two must be my lucky charm," I remarked.

"You think?" Natasha responded with a chuckle.

"I have made countless calls of that nature, and this is the first time they have truly listened," I explained to Natasha.

"That was excellent work, boss," she commended, walking towards the wall adorned with multiple screens.

"I just hope it will be enough," I replied, rising from my seat and joining her, watching the news frenzy over Thor, the Clash of Titans in New York, and everything in between.

"What an absolute mess!" I muttered as I surveyed the chaotic scenes displayed on the various screens before me.

As I glanced at the screens, one thing continued to capture my attention amidst all the chaos unfolding before me. The news coverage was abuzz with videos of this enigmatic individual they were referring to as "Sentinel." Whoever he was, he seemed to be a wildcard, and I have always harbored a distaste for unpredictability.

"Sentinel, at least they gave him a codename with some gravitas. Not like some lackluster monikers such as Taser-face, the Pounder, armor man, or black knight," I remarked half-jokingly, aware of the importance of a compelling alias.

Natasha shot me a sideways glance. I am not sure why, but I am too focused on the screens right now.

After all, not everyone is fortunate enough to win the codename lottery. Take Banner, for instance, who became known as the Hulk simply because people heard this Sentinel fellow calling him that. And then there's the now presumably deceased Blonsky, who was burdened with the unfortunate name of Abomination. Talk about a stroke of bad luck.

"Not as memorable as Captain America, Boss, but I understand your point," Coulson chimed in, his eyes rolling dreamily, undoubtedly picturing Steve Rogers in a less-than-dignified manner.

"Alright, everyone, the break is over. It's time to get back in the field and take care of this mess. Natasha, I need you to find out everything you can about this mysterious individual called Sentinel. I don't care what it takes, just get it done. Understood?" I commanded with a firm tone.

They both stood up straight and responded in unison, their voices synchronized.

"Yes, sir."

They promptly left the room, and I turned my attention back to the news, feeling a sense of unease creeping over me.

"The world has indeed changed, and even we cannot afford to remain hidden in the shadows," I contemplated silently, aware of the evolving circumstances and the need to adapt.