Comments to Your Reviews:
~ to Izi Wilson: So glad you love this, when I read Godzillman's version the ideas just took off in my head and it's nice to know someone else like it too.
~ to bigHirosixFan: Glad you're excited to see where it's going, I usually update my stuff once a week unless and usually around the same time each week if that helps any.
All About the Why
Nick Fury stormed onto the helicarrier, trench coat snapping with every turn as he made his way to his office.
"Welcome back, sir." A cold, hard, black eye glared at her, but Marie Hill was far too used to her superior's looks to be intimidated or even annoyed. "I take it things did not go as planned?"
While there was no visible difference in Nick Fury's expression, Hill had the distinct impression her boss was sulking. Hill resisted the urge to smirk as she fell into step beside Fury.
Recruitment was a tedious process that required a great deal of patience and diplomacy, neither of which Fury had a great deal of. Normally recruitment was left to her or, if she was busy, someone Hill trusted to get the job done. The only reason Fury was sent on this particular recruitment mission was because he'd made the rather grievous mistake of insinuating that her job was easy, to which Hill had told Fury that if he thought it was such a simple task then he wouldn't mind doing the next recruitment on his upcoming, mandatory if he wanted to keep his job, break.
"They agreed," Fury snapped, dropping into his chair.
Hill cocked an eyebrow and Fury grudgingly continued.
"On conditions."
"Conditions?" Hill repeated, unsure whether she should be worried or laugh at the disgruntled air Fury was giving off. It was pity the man's expression never changed, she would have loved to see a disgruntled Nick Fury. "What kind of conditions?"
"The boy wouldn't tell me," Fury growled.
"Wouldn't tell you?" It was becoming harder and harder to hold back her smile. Hill only knew of one other person that could get Fury so upset so quickly: Tony Stark.
Fury glowered at her and slapped a device on the table.
"We accept."
The fact that Fury had recorded the conversation didn't surprise Hill, rather she was surprised at how young the voice was. She knew that one of the members was barely into his teens, but she hadn't expected for the boy to be the group's spokesperson.
"On three conditions."
"And what 'conditions' are those?" Fury's voice was the same tone it always was, but Hill could detect the note of wariness and annoyance.
"I'll let you know tomorrow. See ya."
Hill bit the inside of her cheek. A kid, a barely into his teens kid, had just dismissed the great and powerful, incredibly intimidating Nick Fury as if the man was just another one of his friends.
"I want everything we have on the. . . boy and his group of friends." Fury ordered, and Hill straightened at the tone. "I want to know what 'conditions' I can expect and why, and I want it now."
"Right away, sir." Hill saluted and left.
Fury studied the picture of Big Hero 6, resolutely ignoring the sound of Marie Hill laughing at his expense. He never should have taken her up on that stupid bet.
"Conditions, Hiro?" Go-Go asked, slamming the door to the lab, a sign of just how upset she really was. "What do you mean by 'conditions'?"
The rest of the group looked at Hiro who sighed and flopped onto the chair by his desk. The hour following the Nick Fury's departure had been tense and filled with whispered questions and half answers, and it seemed everybody was on edge and annoyed now.
"I needed to buy some time," Hiro explained.
"Why?" Go-Go's asked tersely and Honey placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, why?" Hiro repeated, and looked at Fred, who'd been unnaturally quiet. "Why, Fred? Why did you want me to say no?"
The rest of the group, minus Baymax who was petting Hiro in a rather misguided attempt to comfort what he believed to be a distraught child, looked at Fred. Fred grimaced and fiddled with some of the spare parts lying around.
"Fred!" Hiro called, annoyed at everything that had happened in the past hour.
"No need to shout, man," Fred said, lounging in his usual carefree way. A glare from Hiro and Go-Go made him twitch. "Alrigh,' dudes, alright. So ya know how I'm all into conspiracies and stuff?"
They nodded.
"My research into psychology suggests your interest has reached the point of an unhealthy obsession," Baymax added.
"That's an understatement," Hiro muttered.
Fred just rolled his eyes and gave them his usual lazy smile. "Everyone's gotta have a hobby."
"That still doesn't explain anything." Hiro snapped, scowling at Fred.
"It kinda does," Fred corrected. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is like the biggest conspiracy in the history of conspiracies! It's bigger than – than like the Illuminati or the Freemasons only, like, it's the modern day version and like way more powerful and stuff!"
Wasabi and Hiro gaped at him, Go-Go looked skeptical, and Honey looked politely confused. Fred sighed and draped himself over a couple crates.
"How 'bout some facts, you smart people are all about facts, right?" Fred held up a hand and began ticking things off. "1: S.H.I.E.L.D is government, like all and every government. 2: because it's all gov. it's all political. 3: because it's all gov. and politics, it's a secret in a secret run by people with secrets who eat secret for breakfast, breathe secrets, whose jobs are to know everybody's secrets but will never tell you anything. . .because it's all a secret.4: S.H.I.E.L.D., like everything owned by politics, is obsessed with power."
"How-How do you know all this?" Hiro asked, slightly dumbfounded that Fred – lazy, laidback, carefree, comic book obsessed Fred! – knew so much about a something as. . .serious as S.H.I.E.L.D. sounded.
"My parents used to drag me to all these boring, political places back before they realized I wasn't cut out for the serious life, and made me memorize all sorts of stuff. I guess some of it stuck." Fred shrugged and looked over at them, eyes jumping from person to person, and frowned as he took in their uncomfortable expressions.
None of group, asides from Baymax who still hadn't figured out how to pick up on the social cues, really knew how to handle the whole 'Fred is rich, like crazy rich' aspect of Fred's life.
"Look, dudes, what ya need to know is this: S.H.I.E.L.D. is power hungry, but it's also afraid of power. If we get tangled up in it, S.H.I.E.L.D. will never let us go. Ever," Fred's jaw clenched, before relaxing again and continuing in his familiar lazy drawl. "But don't worry, dudes, Hiro's 'conditions' should keep us safe."
Hiro groaned and buried his face in Baymax's puffy belly. Go-Go and Honey leaned against the bot as well while Wasabi paced, fingers twitching nervously.
"First you were right about Yokai, and now this S.H.I.E.L.D. thing," Hiro said, voice muffled by Baymax's belly. "I'm starting to think you're actually a genius. A weird, conspiracy genius."
"Oh, well, I am awesome," Fred replied, his lazy smile widening. "But a genius? Too much work, man."
Go-Go snorted and Honey giggled, breaking the tension in the room.
"If you're so awesome then what kind of conditions should we give that Fury guy?" Hiro asked, peaking around Baymax to look at Fred.
Wasabi, Go-Go, and Honey looked over at Fred as well. Fred simply blinked at them.
"Don't know," Fred shrugged and waved at hand in their direction. "You're the geniuses."
"You should take this more seriously!" Wasabi snapped, voice strained from nerves. "After all, Fred, you're the one that knows the most about S.H.I.E.L.D. Surely you have some idea of what these conditions should be?"
Fred sighed, somehow making himself look even lazier, and fiddled with a spare bolt.
"Look, dudes, figure out what you want. Boom! There're your conditions. Just make sure one of them gives us an out." With that Fred pushed his hat over his eyes and slumped even more.
"Well," Wasabi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's a start. Anybody have any ideas?"
Author's Notes:
Ok, I'm sure you're all wondering about the conditions. Next chapter you'll find out what they are. If you're wondering about the sudden bout of intelligence from Fred, well. . . In the movie Fred is the stereotypical, idiot, fan boy who happens to be rich enough to live his fantasy. That seems really shallow to me. Fred is a person, and in this story he's going to be a little more complicated. Not by much! Fred will still be everybody's favorite cheerleader and comic relief, but he's got a past and comes from a rich lifestyle. I don't too many "high end" parents that let their kids just lazy around without making them do something worth while. Hence, Fred having exposure to politics. I'll explain it a bit more in later chapters, so if things seem a little confusing go a head and ask, but I might just tell you to wait for me to explain.
Like wise, I have a way of explaining San Fransokyo's crazy advancement over the rest of the world in the crossover universe, but I don't want to spoil the surprise so just wait until the chapter I introduce Tony Stark and I'll explain it then.
Hope this straightens out any confusing aspects, later!