After handing the man over to Gordon, Steve planned to leave Gotham. He ignored the fact that his visit had caused the police station to work overtime, and naturally didn't notice the look of hatred in the man's eyes as he was taken away by Gordon.
Soon, Steve arrived at a car dealership.
He hadn't requested a private jet or car from Vought. Instead, he wanted to buy one himself and drive back to New York.
It was there that Fury, who had been waiting for some time, appeared beside him.
"You've been following me for a while now. Finally decided to come out and talk?" Steve asked calmly.
Fury hadn't expected the man to be aware of his presence ever since he left the police station.
"I didn't think you'd actually spot me. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of staying hidden."
Steve nodded. "You're skilled, no doubt. But from the start, you had no real intention of hiding. You wanted to talk. And my senses are... a little sharper than most."
The main reason he allowed Fury to follow him this far was because he hadn't sensed any hostility from the man. Otherwise, he'd had plenty of chances to strike along the way and take him down.
"Looks like our Captain America still hasn't lost his touch. In that case, I'll get to the point."
Now that he had been exposed, Fury saw no reason to keep up the act.
"I'm guessing you came here after talking to Tony. And from Gotham, you got the information you were looking for, right?"
Truthfully, Fury didn't know what Tony had told Steve, nor what Joker revealed at his base. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence in this world was far from what it used to be. Even with its partnership with Stark Industries, the agency remained in a weaker position.
Fury also had no idea about Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I'm sure you've looked into me," he continued, trying to steer the conversation in his favor. But Steve wasn't some gullible rookie; he wasn't about to be led around by the nose so easily.
"Before we go any further, how about introducing yourself properly first?"
"...Fine." Fury took a deep breath, accepting reality.
After taking a heavy blow from LexCorp, S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost its authority. In the eyes of Steve and the other heroes, they were no longer special. That was why, despite Vought being around for quite some time, the agency had failed to recruit even a single super-powered individual.
Exposed to the public eye, S.H.I.E.L.D. had lost its mystery, and with it, its appeal.
"I'm Nick Fury, current director of S.H.I.E.L.D. You've probably heard of us through Tony."
"So you're with S.H.I.E.L.D., huh?"
Of course Steve knew who they were. It was the organization founded by Howard, only to be later corrupted by Hydra, which had ultimately led to the man's death.
Fury just assumed Tony had warned Steve in advance, which explained the captain's calm reaction.
"Since you already know about us, Captain, then you should also know that the organization was originally created by two of your old friends. That's why we're confused. Why would you join Vought? Why become one of their so-called superheroes? Don't you see what's wrong with the world they're building?"
'So that's it.'
Steve quickly figured out Fury's real goal: he wanted to recruit him to take down LexCorp.
Though he hadn't been awake for long, he had heard bits about the ongoing conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D. and LexCorp. To him, the latter wasn't perfect, but the former wasn't any better either.
With the U.S. government now publicly distancing itself from S.H.I.E.L.D., the organization had lost its credibility. Without something more solid to offer, just preaching about 'protecting the world' was not going to win Steve over.
"So, can you offer a better alternative for superheroes? At the very least, can you guarantee that those celebrity heroes living in luxury and fame would actually show up when people are in danger?"
Fury was momentarily speechless.
He wasn't sure if it was because Steve was more rational than expected, or if S.H.I.E.L.D. had truly fallen that far from grace.
"I won't deny it. We don't have a better solution. S.H.I.E.L.D. has always stayed out of American politics. All we can do is work behind the scenes, doing what we can to maintain peace. But we also can't just sit back and let LexCorp take full control of the country. Captain, do you really want the people you've sworn to protect to live in a world where everything they see, hear, and believe is just part of a script written by LexCorp?"
Steve frowned slightly at that. He had already sensed Fury's intentions. Still, it was hard to ignore what he said.
During this period, he hadn't been blindly caught up in hero work. He had spent time observing the world with his own eyes. And what he saw revealed the ambition LexCorp was hiding behind its golden age.
Yes, the company had ushered in an era of prosperity. Under its leadership, America had grown rapidly, rising to become the undisputed superpower of the world, its global influence greater than ever before.
But if the price of such success was for the entire nation to bear the name Luthor, was that really worth it?
Steve had been wrestling with that question for a while. It was just that Tony's visit had pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, but now Fury brought it back to the surface.
"Go ahead. Say what you came to say. But you should know by now you can't convince me with promises. I won't trade away the smiles of ordinary people just for your vision of the future."
He wasn't sure about many things. But one thing was clear. In areas influenced by LexCorp, people really did seem happier. That fact couldn't be denied, and it was also LexCorp's strongest weapon in its standoff with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Not lofty talk about justice, but the support of the people.
"Agent Carter. She wants to meet you. As for what she wants to say, I don't know. You know as well as I do that S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer has the power to threaten anyone inside the U.S. We're not looking to give LexCorp another excuse to come after us."
"…Take me to her."
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