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There was nothing in this world that got his blood pumping anymore. The whole debacle with the Tesseract and alien invasion was more of an exception rather than the rule.

But seeing someone that SHIELD was hunting, personally ordered by himself, standing in his office as if he owned the place, almost gave him a heart attack.

Fury's hand immediately drew his sidearm and aimed at the being, though he didn't fire. His curiosity getting the better of him and in all likelihood, Fury had an inkling that doing so would only annoy the being rather than do any actual harm.

Plus, Fury was still alive. He was, after all, standing in one of the most secure buildings in the world. If the being wanted to kill him, then by simple deduction the Director of SHIELD would already be dead.

The Director of SHIELD didn't live this long by being stupid. If he wanted to walk out of here alive he would have to stall for time.

And that meant that he couldn't exactly piss the guy off.

The Golden Warrior, or rather...Apollyon—according to Stark and the Fantastic 4—was standing there, hands clasped behind his back and armored to the nines in what looked like the armor of an ancient Greek warrior. He was peering out through the reinforced glass panes that gave Fury's office a rather scenic view into the wider DC metro area and the Potomac river, gazing as if he were observing and analyzing its waters.

The being regarded him for a moment, casting a glance to the pistol before looking back out into the city.

Fury didn't lower his weapon. "Mind telling me what you're doing here?" He skirted the edge of the room, keeping the man in front of him.

There was a pause. "You have quite the view here," the being spoke. His voice was like that of grinding metal. The unnatural sound made him internally recoil. Just like it did when they first met on the Helicarrier. Another pause, though this one was shorter. "It really gives you a perspective doesn't it?"

"You could say that," Fury answered. "Something tells me that you didn't come here to scout office spaces."

What sounded like an honest chuckle came from him. "Working a nine to five. That's a joke I haven't heard before." He relented. "But no. I didn't come here for a job. I don't think I'd do well, stuffed and crammed into a small office all day." Fury glanced around, his office was quite big, almost the size of an apartment. "I came to talk to you."

"Talk to me?"

"Just talk. Maybe even enlighten you a little."

Apollyon turned to face him fully, and Fury's head ached as he did. Though the SHIELD Director visible tell was that his only good eye twitched. "And what could you possibly want to enlighten me about? Maybe your real name? I doubt you're actually called Apollyon."

One of the being's eyes twitched and he even frowned. Something that Fury took note of. "In a sort of twisted way, it really is my name."

"Sorry if I don't take you at your word." Fury retorted, his handgun still raised and his voice anything but sorry. "Take off your helmet, and maybe we can talk."

"You and I both know that's not going to happen." Apollyon laughed at the idea and was still remarkably flippant despite the situation.

"Then I think we reached a crossroads. Either I start shooting and you stay on SHIELD's shitlist forever, or you play it my way and we start with some measure of trust."

"I think I'll take the latter option." Though the man smiled and didn't move to remove his helmet. "So in the spirit of trust, we're going to play a little game. We each get to ask a question and answer as honestly as possible. Since it's my suggestion, I get to go first." Apollyon didn't allow Fury to speak his refusal and instead immediately asked his question. "How did you lose your eye?"

Fury responded immediately with his practiced story. "Lost it to a grenade. Wh-"

Apollyon laughed at that, cutting through what he was going to say. "I suppose that's a much better explanation than the truth is it?" Fury was about to respond when he spoke again. "Tell me, does the word, Flerken mean anything to you?" Fury couldn't help the shocked expression that wormed its way onto his face as the being continued unperturbed and seemingly having fun with this. "What about Project: PEGASUS? Vers, or rather Carol Danvers? Skrulls? Kree? How about the fact that the Tesseract was almost lost then as well?"

For the first time in a long while, Fury was caught completely and utterly off-guard and speechless.

Everything he was talking about was classified at Alpha-Level and couldn't be accessed without him being in the same room. How many people that knew what really happened in 1995 could be counted on a single hand. Hill, Coulson, Rambeau and Vers… 'Danvers' he mentally corrected, to be exact.

And even then, they only knew a few details and not the full story, even Hill and Coulson only knew that aliens had shown up but were subsequently kicked out. Only Danvers and Rambeau knew how he truly lost his eye and only Danvers knew what happened in its entirety.

"How-"

The being continued to interrupt him, though he had the decency to finish Fury's thought. "How do I know these things?" The being laughed at Fury…or to himself? Fury couldn't tell exactly and that disconcerted him more. "I could go on this whole tirade about manipulating your staff and even SHIELD itself, breaking and hacking into your stuff and to be fair, that was the plan just to let you simmer in your disbelief a little more for the hell of it but I have neither the know-how nor the patience to do any of that." He dismissively waved his hand as he leaned against a supporting segment of the wall that divided the windows, crossing his arms as he did so. "So I'm just going to be straight with you and say that I was there."

Fury's response was a mixture of noises that failed to form any words, though he felt that, to his credit, he was able to keep his sidearm raised and pointed and the noises that came from him didn't sound entirely humiliating.

Still, the Director could recount the events of 1995 decently, albeit with a rather splitting migraine and some clouded moments. The car chase, the bar, Pegasus, the Rambeau Residence and lastly their subsequent adventure to reclaim the Tesseract.

The Flerken debacle caused his migraine to almost split his head in half. Not literally, but it certainly felt like it.

"You want an aspirin? Looks like you need it." While the man's voice still held a humor to it, there was a noted concern there as well, if the furrowing of his brows was any indication but he didn't move from his relaxed position.

"Like I'd take anything you'd give me."

"That lines up with the Fury I know." Apollyon commentated. "Give me one minute, a promise that you won't shoot me and that migraine will be as good as gone and I'll answer whatever questions you may have to the best of my ability." Fury seriously considered it and after a moment of no answer, the being before him continued, his tone drastically shifting from its relaxed casualness to one that was more hardened and level. "You have my word that I will not harm you. If I had desired it, you wouldn't have even known of my presence until you were dying."

Fury took an extra moment longer to think.

And then he nodded, taking a huge leap in entirely unwarranted trust. He had attacked the Avengers and nearly killed a couple of them. He had held the lives of thousands of SHIELD personnel hostage. Trusting him, was not something that Fury wanted to do.

But for some reason, he felt as if he could trust this being's more practical and straightforward manner. Even Fury had noted before, that had Apollyon wanted, he could've already killed him a dozen times without batting an eye.

Or he was like Loki and was just trying to get under his skin just to gloat.

That parting thought caused him to consider again before, ultimately, he nodded. "Fine."

Apollyon nodded and pushed himself off the wall, walking slowly and purposefully to Fury who still had his sidearm pointed at the approaching man. "Now, what I'm going to do is merely touch the side of your head. Is that alright?" He held an unscarred hand up with the forefinger pointed. Fury watched it carefully as the being stood right in front of him within his reach, lowering his sidearm only slightly.

"Will it hurt?"

The being didn't answer as he lowered the pistol with his other hand and then tapped the side of his head with his forefinger.

Fury blinked.

Blinked again.

And then he blinked once more.

And then Nicholas Fury closed his eye one final time and remembered.

In the span of a breath, Fury recalled the events of 1995 once again, but this time in near-perfect clarity instead of veiled moments and events. He could see…Percy there with him and Vers…err Danvers…and saving his life not once, not twice, but on three separate occasions.

He opened his eye and regarded the being before him. A slight smirk from underneath that helmet as he stepped away from the Director.

"Seems like we have some things to settle," Percy said as he pulled his helmet off with practiced ease and cradled it against his side, that same light smirk still resting on his face. Despite nearly twenty years passing, he didn't look a day older than when he had last seen him. He had certainly looked healthier, that much was sure.

But it was confusing to think that when he had met him not a year ago…wasn't he just some scrawny young adult? And wasn't he born in 1992? The questions only mounted from there.

Fury slowly holstered his sidearm but still keeping a wary hand on it. "I remember you grabbing my head and then blacking out?"

Percy nodded. "Believe it or not, I was doing you a favor. I removed myself from your memories for your protection. Back then, there were beings out there that would've killed you just because you spoke to me."

Fury swallowed slowly. He didn't like having his head played with and the thought of it sickened him to no end. It's why he had a few experimental countermeasures ready to be used in case Professor Xavier got any ideas, though the Director doubted that the man would ever do something like that.

But Percy had saved his life, whether he genuinely protected Fury by redacting his memories was up for debate and the Director doubted that he would believe whatever explanation he made.

Fury didn't trust Percy, not as a person. The guy just had too many secrets for the spy in Fury to ever straight-up trust anything he said. However, Fury recognized a soldier when he saw one and if there's one thing that Fury's instinct could trust, it was the soldier in Percy. He would do what he believed needed to be done.

And, if nothing else, that was something Fury could respect. The least Fury could do for the guy that saved his life, would be to give him the benefit of the doubt. It worked out in 1995, he figured he'd give it a shot right now. The fact that he didn't like him didn't mean he couldn't trust him.

The Director gestured with his hand towards his desk where they both sat, he tapped his desk. "Clear my schedule for the next couple of hours."

He didn't need to say anymore, Fury knew his schedule would be cleared.

The man, Percy Jackson…Apollyon… Fury figured he should probably clarify that before he started another bad habit of mistaking names.

Fury cleared his throat after taking a solid few minutes to digest this particular revelation. It didn't appear that Percy was in any rush as he set his helmet on Fury's desk and reclined in his seat, though he did look a little uncomfortable in the comparatively small seat if the way he kept adjusting his posture and leg position was any indication.

When Fury was finally ready to speak it was to clarify the name thing. It would take him a moment longer to figure out which questions he actually wanted and needed to be answered rather than ones to satisfy his own curiosity.

"So what is your name exactly? What do I call you?"

He answered easily, bouncing his shoulders as he did so. "You can call me whatever you want really. Percy. Perseus. Jackson. Apollyon. It doesn't make a difference to me. Though, if we're going to be making this a recurring thing, I would rather we keep it more professional."

Fury nodded but he did bring up a good question. He figured he could start there. "You say recurring thing. You want to join the Avengers?" In Fury's opinion and if he had any say, which considering his position, he had the only say that mattered, Percy had a spot if he wanted it. That was not to say that Fury thought it would be a good idea. The guy was not a team player.

Hell, while the guy was technically a founder of the Avenger Initiative alongside Vers…err Danvers, now that he thought about it, having him a part of the Initiative as an actual member would probably do more harm than good. The guy was a soldier and a killer, and those hardly melded well with the image that the Avengers were supposed to put up. Sure, the current team had those as well, Rogers, Romanoff and Barton were definitely those but Rogers had the charisma and Good Guy aura about him, and his actions in World War 2 had endeared him to the world. If the man was killed, he was sure he would be a martyr and many nations would mourn the loss.

Barton and Romanoff on the other hand, their affiliation and employment with SHIELD made it so their more…questionable actions would never see the light of day.

All the world saw of the being before him was someone that could call down a biblical storm on a city and, if he wanted to, destroy it with little effort. Despite the public opinion being relatively positive regarding him, there was an undercurrent of fear.

In the wake of the Battle of New York, there had been a significant uptick in cult activity. Not counting the fanatic pagan cults, quite a few doom cults had sprung up, spewing all kinds of nonsense that he was the harbinger of the apocalypse.

Of course, his moniker…Apollyon…certainly didn't earn him any points now that Fury knew it. He would be a good addition for the sheer firepower he could bring to bear but beyond that, and the sparse information he had on him, Fury knew that Percy would be a public relations and internal affairs nightmare.

Percy chuckled lightly at his question even as he shook his head.

Fury breathed a sigh of relief. The Director found it almost hilarious, that he was oddly comfortable in his presence as if he was sure that Percy wouldn't kill or stab him in the back. There were very few people that Fury could be relatively straight with.

The young man—or however old he is—continued to laugh. This time, Fury was sure that it was at him. "I'm offended that you don't want me a part of your little band of heroes." A note of mocking alongside a derisive snort. Percy wasn't offended in the slightest.

Fury decided to move on to his next most pressing question. "Where were you when you left and why now? Why not tell me last year, on the Helicarrier?"

At that, Percy's mirthful expression soured, though shifted just as quickly into one of resignation as if he was expecting to be asked. "That's a complicated question with a complicated answer. To make it incredibly simple, I was fighting a war." He shifted in his place, massaging his left leg. "I wasn't in any position to make contact."

Fury's eye widened. A war? "Nearly twenty years and you couldn't make contact?"

He sighed, exhaustion in his next words. "It was a long war."

"I'm guessing that it relates to these beings you talked about before." Thunder rumbled above them, causing Fury to look out the window. The sky was still clear which was odd… He looked to Percy with a questioning look to see that his gaze was locked on the outside in slight concern.

"Yeah, you could say that. They aren't your concern though. So don't worry about it." Percy said in a tone of finality, ending that particular conversation.

Fury was silent for a moment before deciding that perhaps it was best to leave that in the hands of the professional. If it was enough to give someone like Percy concern, then it wasn't like Fury could help. He wanted to know what was going on, of course, but the dangerous look that flashed over Percy's face was very telling.

Still, a war? A term like that isn't one that Fury and he guessed—taking all he knew of him into consideration—Percy would use lightly. The way he said it. The small mannerisms… pointed out that it was a particularly violent and harsh one.

And one he hadn't seen any signs of. He mentally grimaced.

The SHIELD Director moved on to other questions, particularly one that was grating on him since his revelation. "How are you…" Fury thought of how to phrase his question. "What's your age?" His eye twitched at how crude and basic the question sounded.

Even Percy cringed at it and looked deeply unsettled and uncomfortable with that. "I'm not going to answer that." It wasn't said with any anger but he did sound disturbed.

"Then who is Sally and Estelle Jackson?"

There was a momentary pause as Percy just looked at him as if he was stupid. "Well, Sally is my mom." He answered slowly. "And Estelle is my sister."

"You know what I mean. Sally Jackson can't be older than forty-"

"Don't let her hear you say that," Percy muttered.

Fury continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "Your age brackets don't line up."

Another momentary silence, before he answered extremely carefully as if what he was saying was a minefield. "Sally is my mom and Estelle is my sister, but even if I wanted, I can't tell you because I made a promise that I can't afford to break. Just know that it's one of those things you don't have to worry about."

"You seem to have a lot of things that 'I don't have to worry about'," Fury noted, unamused.

Percy shrugged, scratching at his face. "They're the kinds of thing that I get involved in." He paused. "Let's put it this way, if you had to worry about it, then something is seriously wrong."

"So I'm supposed to ignore the fact that Sally and Estelle Jackson may be un-"

Percy interrupted, his previously easy-going but slightly stressed features shifting drastically in a moment as his eyes flared and Fury felt a certain pressure being exerted on him. Fury felt himself freeze in his seat. "They're none of your concern." His voice laced in threatening promise. "If you bother or inconvenience them in any way then I'll tear you and your organization apart."

Fury wasn't usually cowed. He had stared down Thor and Loki and even had a face encounter with a very enraged Banner.

In the end, Fury was able to play off their personalities and egos pretty easily. Thor had a nobility to him that was easy to exploit. Loki, while maniacal, was just that, maniacal. Magic or no magic, insane people liked to gloat and were terribly easy to predict once you picked them apart. Appeal to Banner's logical and scientific mind and you didn't have to worry about his Green Friend at all.

Someone like Percy on the other hand…was practical, straightforward and much more visceral than Thor and Loki despite the latter being much more diabolical. So far, Fury had no reason not to believe whatever he said. He may be evasive but as far as Fury could tell, he hadn't lied yet.

Fury eyed him for a moment before deciding that he or SHIELD would have nothing to do with the Jackson family. He wasn't going to test the waters and see if the guy was bluffing or not. "You mistake me for threatening, Jackson." He said diplomatically. "I simply want to know what's going on. I'm not the only SHIELD agent you met, Coulson and Rambeau are still around and if they…they don't have their memories of you either…" Fury deduced, his mind whirred with the possibilities of what Percy may be capable of. While he had considered taking Coulson to Professor Xavier to give the revived man permanent memories, the older gentleman was almost guaranteed to take issue with what happened.

If Percy can alter memories, then maybe he'd be able to help Coulson if he started to get unhinged. It was probably better to see if the good Professor might provide assistance in case the man before him got any ideas.

He tucked that away for later. So far, Jackson proved to be a wild card with a wide breadth of ability. The mutants, with their own varied powers, might be the only option he had against Jackson if he ever proved to be an actual threat.

The pressure seemed to lessen and Percy nodded, relaxing slightly in his seat. "I was rather thorough in tying up loose ends. I'm still not sure I want to restore their minds but that's a problem for another day."

"I'm going to ask you to hold off on that," Fury stated as he leaned forward. "While I despise you messing with their heads, I don't think Coulson would appreciate it if we told him you messed with his. I'm not sure if you're aware but Loki, the Asgardian you talked to on the Helicarrier, was mind-controlling quite a few of my people and as a result, they don't take well to…well." He tapped his head. "The Rambeaus will probably be a non-issue as long as we keep the people in the know to a minimum. Will that be a problem?"

Percy nodded. "I'd rather not do so unnecessarily, it's best if they remain ignorant. So long as you don't go telling the world, there won't be an issue."

Fury waved the concern away. "That brings me to my next point. What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here? If you're not here to join the Avengers, then I don't think there's much you can do to help us."

At this, Percy's posture straightened. "There is a purpose to me being here and it is not just to reconnect. I've been…reassigned to protect this world from threats that would see it destroyed."

"So like the Avengers." He deduced in no small amount of confusion. "And reassigned?"

"Not quite." He began to correct. "I believe delegated is a more apt term but it's still a reassignment. This world has always been protected but now it's solely my responsibility and I intend to take a more… hands-on approach."

"I still don't see how this is different to what the Avengers do."

"Where I differ is that I won't be fighting your battles for you. Frankly, I disagree with how they operate, they're a band-aid at best and a nuisance at worst. I don't like intervening unless I'm left with no choice and even then unless it is absolutely necessary. It's my belief you wouldn't benefit if someone else just came in and cleaned up all your problems. Your people wouldn't learn a thing and would continue to make those same mistakes." Jackson took a breath. "My intention is to work with SHIELD in the background to provide the necessary resources and authority for the world to come together so that I don't have to intervene."

"Sounds like you're gunning for my job," Fury remarked with a narrowed eye. "I don't plan on retiring or dying in the near future if that's what you're hoping for."

Jackson laughed casting a look about the room as if the very idea unsettled him. Fury noted that. "No, as nice as this office is I don't want it."

"Then what exactly are you saying?" Fury pressed. "SHIELD is overseen by the World Security Council, they provide all the resources we need and are the authority here."

Jackson smiled. "My reassignment comes with sweeping authority in regards to this world. I answer to very few people and this council means nothing to me. As it happens, those that I report to have seen to it that I am provided with the necessary tools to accomplish my task."

Fury blinked at the claims Jackson was making. He was not "How do I know this isn't a trick? You can mess with people's minds."

His answer was immediate, as was his shrug. "I don't know the details, those I report to simply tell me it'll be done and that's that."

"And who do you report to? How can I trust them?" There was a rumble of thunder and Fury's gaze looked to the outside. Dark clouds were moving in from the Atlantic. " You should know that your little show doesn't scare me, Jackson." Fury looked to Percy as he said it but his gaze was, again locked on the outside, some mild concern crossing his features.

"I think it would be wise that you don't pry into business that isn't yours."

"If it involves me, it tends to become my business."

"Your involvement doesn't matter, if it isn't yours, then stick your nose elsewhere." Jackson's tone was harsh and full of warning. "It doesn't matter who I answer to. It doesn't matter who you answer to. This is bigger than the both of us. This is bigger than SHIELD. This is bigger than your Avengers. My concern is the future of this world and unless I got the wrong impression, that's your concern as well. What I'm doing here is expediting that security and process and if necessary act as a failsafe should the world come under threat in the meantime."

It was odd and discomforting to see him passionate. Even in the short time that he knew him, he was calculating and mechanical and could be downright vicious. Passionate wasn't an attribute that came to mind. Yet here it was. Maybe it was because it gave him a sense of duty. Soldier types were like that. Always needing some grand objective to throw themselves at. Give it all or nothing at all. Fury stayed silent as Jackson continued. "I'm not after your job. If it was my choice, I would've never come back at all. I would've stayed home, relaxing on a nice beach and enjoying the peace that I fought for…" He trailed off. "But I know better than anyone, that people like us don't get what we want. We're here to bleed so that those that come after don't have to and I intend to make sure that they don't ever have to make that decision. That someday I can relax on a nice beach and enjoy that peace."

Fury blinked. He hadn't expected a speech and he also hadn't expected to feel an odd invigoration at his words…

He felt his blood pumping. Not in anxiousness or fear but rather…in inspiration. That was the dream, wasn't it? To retire in peace, to not have to constantly check over his shoulder and to just relax.

It's what drove him to join SHIELD and leave the CIA. To have his blood, sweat and tears mean something and not just toil away and have all his work towards stoking someone's ego.

He didn't say anything for a long moment as the both of them simply stared at each other. Two old souls that were willing to sacrifice their lives for the betterment of the world. Had he any alcohol in his office, he would've offered the man. The Director certainly needed a strong drink.

What Percy was talking about… was not something that Fury was comfortable with. It was something he was wholly against. Both from a moral and ethical standpoint but also from the immense harm it had the potential to cause.

This was Phase 2.

What most people in the know knew that Phase 2 was the research and development of an alternate energy sources. They had mostly accomplished that with Stark's Arc Reactor tech.

Here is where the Director drew a line and dug his heels into the sand. A few of those, namely most of the Level 7 and 8 agents that were cleared for it, knew that it was also for the development and production of weaponry utilizing that technology not unlike what Hydra had done in World War 2. Fury knew that these weapons falling into the wrong hands could lead to disaster and would kick-off an arms race not seen since the Cold War.

Only Fury, Pierce and the World Security Council knew of the penultimate and last objective. The unification of the world's governments into a single entity. Something that Fury had long thought that he wouldn't have to worry about in his lifetime. They all knew the risks. They all knew that to try something like this would undoubtedly lead to war. Even still, now that they knew they weren't alone in the universe, these very governments still bickered with each other when they should be looking outwards. Not everyone would be onboard. Fury could think of quite a few countries that would kick up a fuss over it. The US, Russia, China, Latveria and Wakanda…and many others around the globe wouldn't want their autonomy stripped away. A single misstep could lead to a war of untold proportions.

Any sane person, including Fury, would be reluctant and hesitant to risk something like that happening.

But with Percy? Maybe it was possible…He had the temperament. He had the motive, the ambition and he had the power to see it through. Where he would help the most, Fury could only guess at but having someone with the kind of strength Percy could bring to bear would probably be a massive deterrent to whatever may happen.

But that only left one problem. Fury didn't need another Victor von Doom to deal with. Percy was powerful to be sure, but Fury wasn't going to be as stupid to just work with him without failsafes and countermeasures in place should the guy get unhinged. The Director may trust the soldier in him but the world had seen it often enough to know that someone like Percy may just decide that it was better off if he was the sole person in charge.

Fury may need to have a talk with Professor Xavier sooner than expected by the looks of things.

Fury finally nodded. "Alright. I'm on board. I don't like how this came about but if you're here, then maybe we can ensure this doesn't blow up in our faces." Fury elected not to inform him about Phase 2 and what it entailed just yet. Better to get all his pieces on the board before getting him on board.

Percy breathed a sigh of relief. His shoulders sagged just a little and even Fury felt his own burden lighten as well.

They sat there for a moment. Simply stewing in comfortable silence in the moment of decision. Even now, Fury felt like they accomplished a huge milestone. Something bigger than the Avenger Initiative, the…band-aid that it is…was what Fury had worked on for his entire career, merely a stepping stone. He had never expected…something like this could be possible within his lifetime. It was a naïve hope. But the aged man didn't know why it felt like that was possible now rather than before. It seemed like they only made a decision to work together.

They had sat there for a solid half hour in just silence before Fury spoke again, Jackson was simply staring ahead at his helmet seemingly locking eyes with it, his hands resting on the armrests. Whatever he was thinking, Fury pulled him from it. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask, how'd you get in here?"

His head seemed to mechanically shift to him. "There are very few places in this world that are forbidden to me." Fury simply looked at him, not satisfied with the answer and a slight smile seemed to worm its way on Jackson's face and his rather tense and mechanical posture shifted into a more relaxed one. "But to answer your question, I just walked in the front door."

Fury remained unamused. "You teleported didn't you?"

At this, Jackson did laugh. Not a mocking one, but a genuine laugh as if Fury told the greatest joke in the world. After a bit, he managed to compose himself. "No, really, I just walked in the front door."

"Funny." Fury deadpanned.

"You believe all this mystery and all this stuff about me messing with your mind but you can't wrap your head around me just walking through the front door? That's a joke if I ever heard one!"

"So you used your…mind weirdness?"

"Partly." He conceded as he fished out something from some sort of leather satchel that he had clasped to the back of his hip. "I also have this." Fury instantly recognized it as he tossed the bit of leather on his desk.

It was a SHIELD badge.

"I forgot about this…Aren't you just a consultant?" Fury opened it, it certainly said that. Then he realized something. A simple name search in the SHIELD personnel files and he would've popped up. His investigation probably would've stopped right then and there if he knew Percy was already in SHIELD and wouldn't have bothered him. Only a handful of all SHIELD personnel ever interacted with him, a consultant being recruited and then falling off the radar wasn't unheard of, it happened quite often when their use ran out. A sad truth but it's what happened.

He digressed since it didn't matter any more as Percy responded. "That's where the partly…part comes in." He gestured to the badge again. "Check again."

Fury's eyes flicked back to the badge. Instead of Consultant, it had 'Field Officer' and instead of Level 3, it was Level 8. Fury blinked.

As far as clearances went, Jackson now had the highest he could possibly get without taking Hill's job.

"How does that work exactly?" Fury asked as he eyed the badge in his hand, even taking a moment to check the database. Even on his screen, while the old file was digitized, the age did show. It said the same exact information. "I know you're a consultant, but this is legitimate."

"Magic." Was Percy's simple answer. "You know I'm a consultant but that's because I've allowed you to know it. What I do is basically show people what I want them to see, that's about the gist of it but I can't go into details since I don't know them."

"Let me guess. Even if you did, you wouldn't share."

Percy smirked.

Fury shrugged as he tossed the badge back. Maybe he'd make a personnel file for him. Wouldn't be that hard to redact to hell and back. Relying on magic simply didn't sit well with him. It wasn't like he could stop the guy even if he wanted to. Having him work with and in SHIELD only gave him a suitable cover and if needed commandeer operation if SHIELD accidentally got in the way. "Don't abuse it." He muttered.

"Wouldn't dream of it." While Jackson's tone was noncommittal. Fury knew that given his manner today that he actually wouldn't.

Now to explain that to Agent 13. Fury may be her superior officer, but she was going to give him an earful regardless for work wasted. Oh well, I've just had a sit-down with someone that could rip me to shreds and not bat an eye. Carter could only wish she had that type of presence.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before Jackson stood up. "I think that's it from me for now. If you need anything let me know. Come hell…" He pointedly paused and cringed as the word left his mouth but continued. "…or high water, I'm going to see this through."

Fury also stood, a really important question came to mind at his words. "How am I supposed to contact you?"

Jackson considered it for a moment. "Well, I can't be trying to kill you every time you do so that option is out." He never said what that option was. "Uh, try picking this up for me?" He fished out a bronze coin, that was about the size of a quarter and tossed that onto the desk. Fury tried and creased his brows when the coin just phased through his fingers. Jackson coughed. "That would've been real awkward if you could pick it up."

"Why?"

"Don't worry about it." He waved it off. "Do you have a pen and paper?"

Fury fished out his personal notepad and pen from his trenchcoat, flipping it to an empty page. "Call me if it's an emergency and while I'm on that thought, you still have Carol's little pager thing?" The Director pulled it out.

"Never leave home without it."

"Huh…I'd have thought you might've called her because of the Chitauri. That also would've been awkward to deal with if you had."

"It was considered, figured you two would've hit it off killing aliens."

Jackson shrugged. "She's a handful. I'd rather no one was in my way in the first place."

"That she is…still if anyone can handle her it's you." Fury trailed off. Disregarding the fact that she refused to call him anything but Nick, Fury wouldn't mind if she stuck around as another counterbalance to Percy if for nothing else.

Still, he figured that if the man before him didn't have issues elsewhere to deal with and if Carol decided to stay on Earth, he would've been able to establish the Avengers well before Fury got them together to fight in New York. Maybe then, Fury wouldn't be having to worry about this dilemma.

No use in thinking on that 'If'. The SHIELD Director mused.

He didn't respond to his comment. "Keep it handy, never know when we might need an extra punch."

"I never leave home without it." Fury repeated. "I'll be in touch. I'll set the groundwork but if I need anything done, I'll be sure to let you know."

Percy nodded and with an awkward wave, he disappeared in a mist of seawater.

Just as he left, his computer dinged, the dividing glass between his office and the entrance lighting up with an urgent message designated as OMNI which could only mean it was from the World Security Council, reading as EYES ONLY. No rest for the wicked. "Display message."

To SHIELD Director Nicholas J. Fury –

Project: PEGASUS is reactivated. Proceed with PHASE 2. Additional funding and material has been made available. Additional details to follow…

END MESSAGE

It had a single attachment, a few gigabytes of storage as Fury transferred it to his datapad. His only eye widened. The amount of funding allotted could finance multiple Helicarriers and their personnel for a decent amount of time, surpassing even Project: INSIGHT. To say nothing of the resources being made available to him, even Pegasus Base was being reactivated into an active SHIELD installation, that place had long turned into a graveyard of canceled research and tech.

"At least, I don't have to make my case to them. That would have been humiliating." Fury muttered to himself.

'Power is dangerous. It corrupts the best and attracts the worst. And power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.'

-Ragnar Lothbrok, Vikings

Not much to say here. Wanted to show a growth and a sort of maturity on Fury's part when it comes to new and outlandish things. Back in 1995 I portrayed him as out of his depth and amateur but still willing to fight, here I hope I gave the impression that he had been in his job for awhile and that him dealing with world threats was something that was not only another day but also continued to take seriously.

This chapter also signifies the start of Act 2. I didn't want to start a whole other story for it and decided to just keep it here. Chapter counting will remain ongoing.

Plus, we are beginning a new arc, one I've tentatively and informally dubbed the SHIELD Arc. In fact here's a little Table of Contents of the road so far.

Chapters:

I-IX – (Haven't thought of a name for this one yet)
X-XXI – A Dark World Arc
XXII-XLII – Time Travel Arc (Informally; working on this one still)
XLIII- (?) – SHIELD Arc

Thinking this arc will at least be till Chapter 55 at least, most likely longer. We'll see what comes up!

And on that note, (and as always), you can find me on the Emerald Library Discord! It's a fantastic place to interact with other writers and readers where we just chill and chat about ideas, future works and generally just have a good time! You can also find an update schedule for Of Water and Salt on there! Also I'm posting the original nine chapter for Of Water and Salt on my companion project 'A Calm in the Storm' so go check that out! I like to think the chapters and my writing has greatly improved since then!

The link to the Discord is on my profile!