Agent Hill looked at Ethan Hayes, her eyes bright with an intensity he rarely saw. "Tonight, I don't want any deals. I want you to see me as a woman—as your lover."
Ethan's expression softened. Hill's words were raw, deeply honest, and he could feel her sincerity. He reached out to touch her cheek, his voice warm and magnetic. "I've always seen you as a woman, Hill. I worry that my reputation burdens you, that being with me would bring too much risk. But make no mistake, my affection for you is real."
Hill smiled, her voice low and inviting. "Then what are we waiting for?"
With the office empty in the late-night quiet, they surrendered to the moment.
Meanwhile, Nick Fury stood across from Tony Stark, who sat slumped on the couch, looking drained.
"Tony, what happened tonight?" Fury's voice was low, pulling Tony back from his thoughts.
Tony rubbed his face, visibly troubled. "J.A.R.V.I.S., play the recording."
A virtual screen blinked to life, replaying the events from the hero gathering that night.
"The ice demon's power isn't what we thought. The freezing ability is just one of his methods, and it alone is lethal. J.A.R.V.I.S. detected that he can manipulate the atomic layer itself, dropping temperatures to absolute zero."
Fury looked at Tony, absorbing his words. "Explain it to me."
Tony took a deep breath, frustration bubbling over. "Absolute zero means that every physical movement caused by atoms and particles stops. It's complete stillness—no life, no energy, no radiation. It's a level of cold that humanity has only theorized about but never reached. And he can achieve it at will."
Tony's voice grew louder. "In that state, even space and time could stop. No life can exist in absolute zero; it's the end of all things."
Fury was silent, letting the reality sink in.
"And that's not all," Tony continued. "J.A.R.V.I.S., tell him about the heat ray."
"The ray's peak temperature exceeded nine million degrees, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported. "The precise reading was beyond my sensors' capability."
Fury froze, realizing the implications. Nine million degrees—a weapon that could incinerate anything on Earth instantly.
Tony nodded, grim. "Yes, it's all controlled by his will. His telepathy alone can pinpoint anyone, anywhere, and his powers make it easy to destroy them on a whim."
Fury's expression hardened. "Tony, I didn't form the Avengers to fight threats from within but to protect us from extraterrestrial threats. There are civilizations out there stronger than ours, and we need to be ready."
Tony's eyes sharpened, his weariness fading. "Extraterrestrials, huh?"
"Yes, extraterrestrials. I've encountered three different alien civilizations already, and they all pose a threat. We need to be prepared."
Tony gave a bitter laugh. "You want me to fund this team, and you're asking me to gather the survivors from tonight to create an independent base for the Avengers?"
Fury nodded. "Yes. S.H.I.E.L.D. is compromised. Hydra's roots go deep, and reforming it is a challenge I'm working on. But we need the Avengers to operate beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control—outside the influence of Hydra and any other threat."
Tony looked pensive, and Fury continued, "In exchange, I can tell you something about your father, something S.H.I.E.L.D. has been keeping from you."
Tony's eyes narrowed. "Go on."
Fury leaned in, voice low. "Your parents' deaths weren't an accident; they were murdered. Someone within S.H.I.E.L.D. erased all traces of it."
Tony clenched his fists, anger building. "Fine. I'll fund the Avengers. I'll see this through, Fury."
Fury handed him a small box. "This is your father's work. He'd started developing new elements, unlimited energy. This is his legacy—one that S.H.I.E.L.D. never managed to replicate. I believe you can finish what he started."
Tony took the box, his resolve solidifying. "I'll set up the Avengers Foundation and fund an independent base. But be clear, Fury—our world just changed. If that… monster becomes public knowledge, everything will be at risk."
Fury nodded. "We'll keep this between us for now. But remember, if alien threats come, the world will be glad to have the ice demon on our side, whether they like him or not."
Tony left with a final nod, his mind churning with the implications.
Meanwhile, Agent Hill sat with Ethan in his office, the two of them still entwined from their earlier moment. She sighed, exhausted but content.
Ethan looked at her with a soft smile. "I thought you came to negotiate some deal tonight."
Hill chuckled. "Sometimes, Ethan, it's not about the job."
She paused, serious again. "Since you warned Natasha about Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., I've kept secrets of my own—even my serum injections. Only Fury knows about it. But Hydra has eyes everywhere. This serum you developed, they're bound to come for it."
Ethan's expression turned sharp. "The serum they'll find is a weakened version. They'll get, at best, seventy percent of its full power. It's enough to keep them busy and, hopefully, out of my way."
Hill nodded, her voice softer. "Between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military, your version will create a balance, a buffer."
As dawn approached, Hill looked out the window, a playful glint in her eye. "Still three hours until morning."
Across the ocean, deep within an ancient cave, Count Dracula found himself searching for something long lost. He'd escaped the carnage at the Empire State Building and returned to the place where he'd first received his cursed gift of immortality.
He ran his fingers along the damp walls of the cave, trying to sense the ancient presence of the blood ancestor. But the shadows held nothing but silence. Dracula's mind raced; the ice demon had shown power unlike anything he'd encountered. When the demon's telepathy had swept over humanity, Dracula had hidden himself away, fearing discovery.
"Dracula," came a voice from the shadows, smooth and cold.
Dracula turned to see a figure standing just within the shadows—a thin, middle-aged man holding a glass of deep red liquid. Even through the seal, the blood's scent was potent, alive.
The man's eyes glinted. "You're looking for me, aren't you?"
Dracula's face was solemn. "I ran, like a coward, from the ice demon. I hid myself in a coffin to avoid his telepathic gaze. But I know that he's unlike any foe we've ever faced. And I know that to face him, I need the blood ancestor's power."
The man took a slow sip, his expression unreadable. "You're right to fear him. But whether the blood ancestor's gift will help or curse you further, only time will tell."
Dracula met his gaze, a mix of determination and desperation in his eyes. "I will face him. And with your power, I will not flee again."
The figure's lips curled into a faint smile, the promise of darkness swirling in his eyes. "Then come, Dracula. Accept the gift of the blood ancestor once more."
And with those words, the shadows of the cave grew darker, swallowing the two figures whole as the ancient power awakened once more.
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