S.H.I.E.L.D., Triskelion Headquarters.
In a windowless conference room, where even the air seemed to be sucked into a vacuum, the only sound source was the almost imperceptible low-frequency hum of equipment operating.
A real-time, three-dimensional holographic projection of an island was displayed on the central holographic table.
North Brother Island, once scorned even by New York's homeless, now resembled a sandbox game on fast-forward.
Steel frameworks rose from the ground at a visible speed.
Nick Fury leaned on the table with one hand.
His sole eye, sharp as an eagle's, scrutinized this project, which he had personally approved and which was now furiously devouring the budget.
"Director."
Maria Hill sat beside him, arms crossed over her chest, her expression as icy as the conference room's constant temperature.
"The budget this island has already consumed is enough for us to establish a brand-new, fully staffed branch in Eastern Europe. And all of this is just for an insurance salesman."
"I'm sure the Security Council doesn't know the true purpose of this money, otherwise we wouldn't be discussing this project right now, but rather your hearing."
Her tone held no questioning, only a statement.
Phil Coulson sat on the other side.
His demeanor remained gentle, and now was the time for him to speak up.
"Rodriguez is no ordinary insurance salesman. Last time, I merely wanted to consult him by phone about New York's recent peculiar weather patterns, and five minutes later, I found myself almost nodding in agreement to purchase a 'Comprehensive Existential Crisis and Overwork Damage Insurance' for the Triskelion Headquarters' central air conditioning system."
Hill's gaze didn't waver in the slightest. She raised her hand and swiped lightly on the holographic projection, and the screen immediately switched to a design blueprint of a gigantic cage, with a complex structure and materials so exquisite they were infuriating.
"This cage is one of the contingency plans for containing the Hulk. Now, we are going to hand Emil Blonsky, a completely out-of-control biological weapon with only killer instincts remaining, along with this cage, to a civilian?"
She looked at Fury, her doubts unconcealed.
"What's his emergency plan? If Blonsky escapes, is he going to knock him out with an insurance policy?"
"We are personally handing the launch key to a nuclear bomb to an amateur who doesn't even know where the safety catch is."
Silence filled the conference room.
Hill's questions concerned cost, and her worries concerned safety.
Nick Fury finally spoke.
"You're both right. The cost is high, and the risk is enormous. But you're only seeing one side of the coin."
He extended a finger and lightly swiped it through the air, and the holographic projection switched to William Rodriguez's archive photo.
On his face was an innocuous, professional smile, enough to make anyone drop their guard, with his three-person shell company in the background.
"Let's assume he fails."
Fury's single eye swept over everyone present.
"Rodriguez gets slapped into an abstract mural by his 'not-so-friendly' client. The Abomination breaks free and starts 'renovating' his new home, intending to level the island."
He paused, letting this bloody yet darkly humorous scenario ferment in everyone's minds.
"Then what?"
Fury's single eye scanned each person.
"We deploy, suppress, and recover the 'asset.' Finally, we naturally take over the island—a ready-made Base generously sponsored by Stark Industries, equipped with the world's top security and containment facilities. We only need to send a sympathy card and a banner to Mr. Rodriguez's two new wards, thanking him for his 'outstanding contribution' to global security. We can even name a conference room after him."
Coulson's eyelid twitched slightly. Hill and Barbie fell silent.
The abacus was being played so hard, the beads were almost sparking.
"This is the worst-case scenario."
Fury continued, his finger again swiping through the air, and the image switched back to the bustling island.
"But… what if he succeeds?"
This question instantly made the air in the conference room even heavier.
"Think about it,"
Fury's voice dropped even lower, filled with a strange, seductive power.
"An ordinary person with no record of superpowers, an insurance salesman who makes a living by talking, what does he rely on? His well-tailored suit? Or his eloquence that could sell a refrigerator to an Inuit?"
"He walks in, faces a monster that even we are helpless against, a creature with only pure destructive urges remaining. Then, he calms this monster down, and even… gets it to accept his so-called 'risk management' plan."
Fury's single eye fixed on his most trusted subordinates.
"Coulson, tell me, if he does it, what does that mean?"
Coulson pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "It means that behind him stands a power that we completely cannot comprehend."
"Exactly."
Fury enunciated each word, as if hammering in nails.
"This power, we cannot see, touch, or even evaluate. And William Rodriguez is this power's… tentacle reaching out to us, or rather, its business card."
"So, what are an island and some building materials? That's not an expense, it's an investment! It's an overture to a potential, immeasurable, powerful variable."
"Even Tony Stark contributed some resources. We give away an island, and what we get in return is an observation window, a communication channel, a trump card to have in a future, unimaginable crisis."
Nick Fury's gaze became unfathomably deep, like a bottomless abyss.
"He's not selling insurance to the Abomination; he's selling it to us. The policy's content is: 'Hey, I can handle things you can't.' And the premium is that island."
"So, ladies and gentlemen. With this plan, whether William Rodriguez lives or dies, succeeds or fails, we are the winners."
"We either get a well-equipped black site Base, or we gain a mysterious 'friend.' "
"This is a… sure-win deal."
He turned off the holographic projection, and the conference room returned to dimness, with only the faint glow of equipment indicator lights flickering in the dark.
"Now, let's discuss the next matter."
Fury's voice regained its usual cold hardness.
"Things in New Mexico have been a bit too lively recently, haven't they?"
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