AN: Big news everyone. This story passed 100,000 views. Thank you all for continuing to read my story. I started this story almost three years ago to the day with the idea of doing a simple one-shot with the idea that I might do a few more when the feeling struck me. Instead this has turned into a multi-arc story that is almost 200 pages long in Microsoft Word (at least in Size 12 Bookman Old Style Font). It would not have gone this far without you all continuing to support me, and from time to time, asking me questions that made me go 'Damn it. Now I have to write a new arc with a scene in it just to explain that shit'. Seriously though, I feel the love on my end. I hope you all enjoy this arc as much as the last arcs.
Chapter 1
Nick Fury Sr. rode by himself in his Quinjet. The aircraft flew on autopilot over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caucasian, middle-aged looking, eyepatch wearing spy worked in the cargo area. The sun shone high in the sky, leaving nothing to hide in the airspace around the advanced aircraft. The clouds below the jet gave anyone inclined to look outside something other than deep blue water below to look at. Fury had no desire to look at anything outside. The covert agent was too busy cleaning his rifle to admire the picturesque view.
Fury sat at a workbench and pulled the bolt carrier group out of his rifle, a heavily customized AR-15 10.5'' SBR (Short barrel rifle). The weapon was not as advanced internally as newer model rifles, but it was what he was comfortable with using. In fact, the only internal change he had made was rechambering the system to fire .300 Blackout ammunition. Externally, the weapon had the usual additions of a holographic optic, foregrip, and a suppressor.
"FITS." Fury stated. He said it phonetically 'Fitz'.
"Yes sir. How may I assist?" came the electronic voice of the Field Intelligence System.
"How long until we reach Virginia?"
"We will be arriving in six and a half hours."
"Excellent." Fury said.
His last operation in Venezuela started off as a bit of a clusterfuck in his opinion. It involved long hours, bad luck, and several body bags. Normally this would have drawn attention in a civilized portion of the world, and at SHIELD. Luckily, since Nick Fury Jr. was the prize show dog of SHIELD, and the South American country in question didn't really qualify as civilized in the midst of it's failing economy and potential revolution. This allowed the elder Fury to run his less than legitimate side projects though one pf his slush funds without anyone caring.
"What shall I note about this operation in your personal files?" asked FITS.
Fury separated the bolt carrier into all of its components on a rag, and began to wipe down the excess carbon. As he did this, he reflected on the exact things that happened in his trip to Caracas. He leveraged a number of officials in various countries and positions into giving him information on a regular basis. Some of these people were in dangerous positions, and were sometimes threatened as a result. In this particular case, his guy was being pressured to take certain actions because his daughter had been kidnapped. Fury reassembled the bolt when he was satisfied. He moved onto the charging handle.
Fury needed to keep his snitch happy to protect his information stream, so naturally he was going to help. A quick poke around some of the criminal elements in the favelas led him to the locations of several local gangs that specialized in kidnapping, ransom, and extortion. In South America, this is one of the better ways to make money if you were poor. Fury spent two days tracking down the locations of each of the gangs. It was relatively easy to do, since a daughter of a diplomat stands out in the slums.
Fury finished wiping down the charging handle and grabbed a wire brush to clean the chamber of the AR-15. A setback came when he discovered that the girl had been moved from the slums. The kidnapping ring had been paid to turn over the girl, which meant that someone else other than the kidnappers wanted leverage over his source. Not that really mattered to Fury, weather bad guy A or bad guy B was the source of the extortion, it just mattered that it was happening.
Fury wound up tracking to the girl to a lawyer's office in a high rise in downtown Caracas. He had FITS retrieve the building blueprints, and hack into the security system of the building. This allowed him to surveil the guards patrol patterns, and find structural weaknesses. This allowed him to infiltrate the building. He made it as far as actually cutting the girl free from a chair…at which point she screamed and brought every guard to his location.
The agent grunted as he finished with the chamber and strung a barrel snake through the upper receiver. Once the gunfire started, it was extremely dangerous of the hostage, and Fury had to stand in front of the girl. His battle suit kept him safe, but bruises would be sore for several days. Luckily the only person who was aiming for the head was Fury himself. Still got his weapon dirty on the inside though.
The plus side to the engagement was that it gave him the opportunity to root though the computers and find out who was behind the extortion. A political competitor to his asset was behind the crime. This worked to Fury's benefit, because he lied to his source, and told him he didn't know who was behind the kidnapping. Not he had more leverage over his source, and blackmail material to coerce and develop another snitch.
Fury smiled as he reassembled the rifle. "FITS, record the mission as a total success." Even though it started off as a clusterfuck, Fury managed to turn it around. Once source indebted to him, another he was about to put the screws to.
"Logged onto your personal server." FITS responded in monotone. "Would you like an update on potential situation?"
"Yes." Fury said as he stood up and put the AR-15 into it's gun case. He then moved to the pilot's seat and read the readout on a nearby screen.
"I have aggregated a priority situation in Europe. The High Altitude-Thermal Energy Weapons Satellite plans have been stolen from the Kingsbrook Lab in London." The computer explained.
"Shit." Fury groaned as he ran through his hands through his brown hair. The Infinity Formula in his system had slowed his ageing in addition to the other performance enhancements, but he been around long enough that his temples were starting to go gray. Or maybe that was just the stress of fighting world altering/ending crisis for 70 plus years. "Who's behind the theft?"
"Intelligence indicated a Zodiac artel Cell in Monaco would be robbing a weapons supplier in the London Metro Area. This is one of the few groups that would have the ability to steal the HATE Weapons Satellite."
Fury sighed and leaned back in the chair. "A high tech weapons system, stolen by one of the most dangerous private criminal/intelligence groups in the world, based out of one of the most upscale and secure nation-states on the planet." Fury rubbed his good eye, trying to avoid moving his eye-patch.
"I'm gonna need a little help." Fury resigned. He pulled out a lighter, a Vegas Gold cigar, and a cutter from a nearby humidor. He cut the end off the cigar, lit it, and puffed it a few times, enjoying the smooth taste. "And I know just who to ask." he said to himself. "FITS. Redirect to Manhattan."
"Yes sir." FITS responded. "Might I remind you sir that FAA regulation prohibit smoking on aircraft?"
Fury too another puff of the cigar. "Might I remind you that I don't give a shit."
AN: And we're off. I had to rewrite and edit this particular chapter. It originally had scenes with Fury in the jet going over his report, while flashing back to the mission. It was decent, but ultimately, this is a tail end of a mission that does not do anything to service the events that will take place in this arc, so i decided to cut them out and streamline it. This allows you to understand how Fury operates. It cuts out a little of his 'badassness', but he'll have opportunity for that later.
Of note, this is Nick Fury Sr. I thought that I made it pretty clear, but a reminder just in case. I always like Fury more as a character when he's in the field doing some shady stuff as opposed to when he's playing a spymaster. I'm drawing a little from his experiences as 'the man on the wall' as well as the old Xbox Punisher game where he helps Frank siege a Russian held island to secure a nuke. His character model is smoking a cigar the whole time (much like the 616 version at many points).
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my mysterious Guest who reviewed about 5 way earlier chapters with a single word. I'm glad you think they were 'Good' and 'Great'. I hope that you continue with the rest of the story.
