Chapter 9: Mark vs Abomination (1)
Late one night, Mark was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard a noise from the living room. Half-asleep, he figured it was probably a burglar. Home security in the US wasn't the greatest, after all. But he was too tired to get up and investigate. He'd just have his Stand take care of it.
But then...
Steve walked into the living room, iron sword in hand, and found a one-eyed black man sitting on the sofa. The man was bald, with a serious expression, a black leather trench coat, and an eye patch over his left eye.
Mark knew instantly who it was. Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. The guy everyone called "Motherf*cker."
From what Mark had seen in the movies, Fury liked to sneak into people's houses and catch them off guard. He probably thought it gave him an edge in conversations.
But Mark wasn't falling for it.
He slowly extended his hand, and the purple aura of the Ender Hand formed an invisible force field that reached through the wall. Suddenly, the sofa in the living room started floating, gliding into the bedroom as if it had a mind of its own.
And just like that, a very surprised Nick Fury was face-to-face with Mark.
"Evening, Director," Mark said with a grin.
Looking at Fury's dark skin, Mark couldn't help but tease, "Looks like your little trick didn't work. Aren't you going to say 'Motherf*cker'?"
"Mark, the Stand user," Nick Fury said.
As the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury didn't get rattled easily. Instead of cursing or getting angry, he acted like nothing had happened. "You're a mystery, you know. There's no record of you anywhere. It's like you just appeared out of thin air."
"You mean even the Chinese government has been looking into me?" Mark chuckled.
"You're well-connected, Director," Mark said with a smile.
"You seem to know a lot about me."
Nick Fury remained calm, unfazed. "Are we old friends, or have I met you somewhere before?" he asked.
"Since you've been spying on China, have you ever heard of divination?" Mark asked.
"Divination?" Nick Fury thought for a moment. "Is that like... predicting how long someone's going to live?"
"It's kind of like prophecy in your culture," Mark explained. "Basically, I can see the future."
"Is that so?" Nick Fury paused, considering his next move. "Well, why don't you tell me what my future holds?"
"Let's just say it's pretty average," Mark said, unable to hide his amusement. Tricking a fictional character was too easy. "You've got a good idea with this team of yours, but you know, those superpowered folks tend to cause a lot of trouble. You're going to be cleaning up their messes like a babysitter. Not everyone's going to be as well-behaved as Captain Marvel."
"You seem to know quite a bit," Nick Fury's one eye narrowed. He hadn't told anyone about his plans for the Avengers, or about Carol Danvers. "So, are you part of this team?"
"Sorry, not interested," Mark shook his head. "I'm not into the whole superhero thing."
"Oh? Why not?" Nick Fury asked, curious.
"Because I hate being told what to do," Mark said bluntly. "If they know I have no morals, they won't try to force any on me."
"Interesting perspective," Nick Fury said. "So, what do you want?"
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad guy, just not a good guy either," Mark shrugged. "I'm a reasonable man. We both have needs. Let's help each other out."
"What are your needs?" Nick Fury asked immediately.
"Not sure yet. Maybe to see some supernatural stuff happen," Mark thought for a moment. He realized that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources could help him unlock more modules. "But it's a win-win. I can help you deal with those troublesome problems you mentioned."
"Why do you want to see supernatural events?" Nick Fury asked.
"Just curious, I guess," Mark said casually. He couldn't tell Fury the truth. "It's kind of cool to see your own predictions come true, right?"
"Is that so?"
Nick Fury didn't believe him, but after thinking about it, he decided to agree to Mark's request. Mark was a wild card. It was better to keep him close, where Fury could keep an eye on him. "Actually, I could use a consultant," he said.
Just then, Nick Fury's phone rang.
"What is it?"
He glanced at Mark on the bed and answered the call. "Hmm... Are you sure? Okay, I understand. Stay put and wait for my orders."
What Fury didn't know was that Mark had already used Steve to listen in on the conversation.
"Looks like we'll have to cut this short," Nick Fury said, standing up. "Something's come up. I have to go."
As Fury turned to leave, a flash of purple light appeared, and the bedroom door slammed shut.
"..."
Nick Fury didn't say anything. He just slowly turned to look at Mark.
"If I heard correctly, you just offered me a job as a consultant," Mark said, getting out of bed and stretching. "And I'm pretty interested in that thing you mentioned. What's this about a green-skinned creature?"
On the helicopter, Nick Fury's face was like a thundercloud.
His skin was practically the color of charcoal, and even the other agents kept their distance.
Fury knew he'd been tricked. Mark must have used some kind of magic to listen in on his phone call. Now Fury was stuck with him.
He hadn't actually agreed to Mark's request before.
He didn't trust Mark at all. If Mark had ulterior motives, things could get messy. As for being locked in a room with Mark... Fury had faced worse. He wasn't afraid.
But then Mark had done something unexpected. He'd held out his hand and produced a massive gold bar, like a giant gold disc, out of thin air. Fury was stunned. And then he'd heard Mark say something like, "Don't you want your agents to have plenty of funding, Director?"
Fury had almost said no, but the offer was too good to refuse. That gold bar alone was worth millions. Fury had been running all sorts of secret experiments without Congressional approval, and funding was always tight. Could he really turn down this kind of opportunity?
He was conflicted, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed to bring Mark along. That gold bar was just too valuable.
Fury had a lot of questions for Mark, but things had been too hectic earlier. Now that Mark was on the helicopter with him, he decided to continue the interrogation.
"Are there any limits to your abilities?" Fury asked. "Can you really just create gold whenever you want with this... alchemy?"
"Depends on when I can get back home," Mark shrugged. "Once I build a Zombie Pigman farm, I'll buy the whole S.H.I.E.L.D. agency."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Fury asked. "What's that?"
"It's the organization you work for. The name's a bit of a mouthful, though. Let's just call it S.H.I.E.L.D. from now on." Mark waved his hand dismissively. He didn't wait for Fury to respond. "You ask too many questions. How about we talk about this green-skinned monster?"
"You're interested in this creature?" Fury asked. "Did you see it in one of your visions? What do you know about it?"
"Dr. Bruce Banner... had an accident during a military experiment, got exposed to gamma radiation, turned into a green monster," Mark said casually. "You guys call him the Hulk."
"You seem to know a lot," Fury said. "So, what do you suggest we do?"
"Let me fight it."
Mark thought for a moment. "It's been a while since I had a good brawl. I need to test my strength."
"I can't do that," Fury said.
He looked at Mark, sensing his eagerness for a fight. "Dr. Banner loses control when he transforms, but it's always been a military issue. We just observe."
"I see," Mark nodded. He'd seen the movie. S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't in the Hulk movie.
Actually, back then, Marvel Studios hadn't really planned out the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe thing. Each movie was its own thing, and in the Hulk movie, the military was the main antagonist.
"The military had Banner contained, but something happened,"