It was never supposed to happen. None of it. They were Jedi. He was a Jedi, someone who was trained his whole life to protect and serve. It was because of Palpatine that the order fell. It was because of Skywalker, who had shamed the Order, that Palpatine lived. Broken, and defeated, hunted and forgotten. What good was a lightsaber, if it couldn't protect anyone?

"Director Fury?"

But perhaps…it could be awaken once more.

"Fury? Can you hear me?"

Nick Fury, opened his one good eye, and glanced around, taking in his surroundings at an inhuman pace. White walls, meant for calming atmospheres. Drawn curtains to keep the sun out. Maria Hill who-

Wait. What?

"Hill?" Fury asked, slowly propping himself up onto his arms. "Where am I?"

"SHIELD medical bay," she said, "We managed to extract you from the bottom of Avenger's Tower before Iron Man could confirm you're demise." Maria Hill held a manila folder close to her chest. "I don't suppose you'll be telling us how you managed to survive a fourteen storied drop, right?"

"Nope." Not that Nick could, he was unsure of it himself, but as the Jedi saying went, the Force works in strange ways.

"Either way, I have to data on you Nick Junior-"

"Don't tell me you're calling him that now too," Fury said.

"Oh no," Hill corrected, "I know his names Finn, but the rest of the personnel have taken to calling him Junior…seeing as he was attached to you at the hip when he first got here." Hill forced back a small smile, "Anyway, your kid is pretty remarkable. I had my doubts when you ordered him to take the full SHIELD mission X. Even Captain America had difficulties with that. But he did it." She handed him the folder and moved a stray hair out of her face. "What exactly is this kid?"

Fury looked through the folder. Heart rate charts. Data input. Nervous system breakdowns. All working overtime in a way that SHIELD's machines could not calculate. But Fury could, because Fury knew what they indicated. There was no doubt about it, Finn was a force-sensitive.

"Where is he now?" Nick asked.

"I stashed him in his quarters. He's resting, kid was too tuckered out to walk so I had one of the agents carry him." Hill smirked once more and raised her phone to Nick's eye level, "It was so adorable I had to take a pic."

Fury gently pushed her phone away, and rose out of bed.

"Sir, I have to protest. You're in no condition to move around, and-"

"Relax Hill," Fury said as he pulled on his leather coat, "I'm just going to check on the kid. And for the time being, you're in charge. See if you can't get some more Intel on whoever is mind controlling the Avengers."

"Mind control?" Hill asked, "You think it's simple brainwashing? How?"

Fury just shrugged, "Call it a feeling."

Hill was right, the kid was tuckered out. More so than even Fury had seen in his many years of service at SHIELD, or the Jedi Order. Finn slept with his body slumped against a cot. His long arms dangled from the edge, and his mouth hung open. The guy was too exhausted to even close his mouth. His arm was bandaged in certain places, probably from the mission's burns. Fury had designed that mission exercise to be nearly impossible for the normal SHIELD agent, it was meant to be a test to show potential super human abilities. Perhaps, deep down inside, Nick (or rather, Mace) had wanted to find another. Someone who could wield his lightsaber and take up the Jedi Order once more.

Perhaps…that time was now.

"Finn," Nick gently shook the boy's shoulder, "Wake up. We need to talk."

And gently, like a soldier awakening from a dream, Finn's eyes opened. "Fury?" he whispered. Nick could feel the boy's emotions in his chest, first confusion swirled with fatigue, and then quickly replaced with an over developed fury.

"You! You tried to have me killed!" Finn screamed. He leapt from his bed, and rolled onto the ground. His feet squared off, and he took a fighting stance.

Nick rolled his eye, "Come on now, you know that's not going to work."

"I'm a Stormtrooper of the First Order, even without my weapon, I'm more than a match for someone like you…and I want answers."

Nick tilted his head and grinned. "Really?" Fury slid his left foot back, and held out his hand…the perfect taunt. "You want answers, then come and get them."

Finn charged. His arms were close to his body, and his feet hardly touched the ground. Not a bad start. Finn swung, and Fury dodged with little effort. Finn jumped, and swung his leg so that the toe of his boots grazed the top of Fury's hairless scalp. Finn was trained, that much Fury could tell. The young man had good reflexes, a swift style, and a hard frame. It was almost as if he were genetically created for the sole purpose of combat.

Finn punched, but Fury's armed parried, and in the seconds, Nick had found himself behind Finn.

"You're not bad kid," Fury admitted, "But you lack a lot of technique and finesse."

Finn crouched down, and catapulted himself towards Fury chest…only to crash into the door frame, and hit the floor.

"See," Fury said, "You allow your emotions to get the better of you, and it impairs your judgement. All the combat skills in the galaxy are useless if you can't keep a cool head."

"Stop talking!" Finn said as he slowly rose from the floor.

Anger. Fear. Frustration…and yet so much untapped potential. Just like Anakin Skywalker. "You're not even listening, are you?"

Finn rubbed his shoulder and scowled, "What? Listen to the guy who tried to burn me alive?"

Fury shook his head, "Not to me…to the Force."

"T-the Force?"

Fury clasped his hands behind his back, "The reason you survived Mission X…isn't because of your natural fortitude, or your Trooper training, it's because you listened to your instincts. You were guided by something," Fury stopped, almost afraid to admit this, "something powerful, something that binds us all together. Every living being in the universe."

"But…that's impossible. I-"

"Finn," Fury said, "I don't know what life is like back where you're from. I don't know the state of the Order, or if The Force is something people even still believe in anymore…but I know you have it. I could sense it from the moment I saw you." Fury placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Think about it. Even during your training, haven't you felt a little off? Like your aim was just a little bit better than most. Your stamina was just a little more advanced. Am I right?"

Finn looked around, his hands were shaking, and his burns were still fresh from the flame. This whole day didn't make any sense, but…how could-

"How could I know about all of this?" Fury asked.

"I wasn't gonna say that." Finn lied. He rubbed the back of his neck slowly, swallowed hard, and looked into Nick Fury's eye, "Are you saying I'm some sort of Jedi?"

And Nick Fury tilted his head and sucked his teeth. "A Jedi? No, not even close. But with my help…a Jedi you may be."