He wasn't seeing things.
From this height, at this distance—
That explosion was definitely coming from the direction of New York.
Even this far away, the shockwave shook the entire Triskelion. The clouds in the sky scattered as if ripped apart by the force.
Besides an S3 Season Event, Nick Fury couldn't think of anyone who could cause that kind of "nuclear blast" on U.S. soil.
Unless… America nuked itself?
Wooo—wooo—
The Triskelion's alarms began to wail in rhythm.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor outside.
"Director Fury! There's been a meteor impact near Crystal Lake, New York!"
Agent Hill's expression was grim as she handed him a folder.
"Satellite scans suggest… the impact might be related to these individuals."
Fury glanced at the file and froze.
Even with the blurry, pixelated photo, one name flashed through his mind instantly—
Crystal Lake… Damon and Madison!
So that bastard dropped a meteor… just to deal with that demonic freak?
"You son of a—" Fury's eyelid twitched violently.
On one hand, he was furious that Damon had caused such massive collateral damage.
But on the other hand, he was relieved—relieved that he hadn't tried to bring Damon in by force earlier.
Because if that destructive power were ever aimed at the Triskelion… or the White House...
No one would be left to write the report.
At that moment, Coulson stepped in.
"Sir, I—"
"No need. I already know."
Fury's single remaining eye locked on the grainy image of Damon.
"Effective immediately, raise Damon's threat level to maximum. Classify him as an 084."
Coulson blinked. "Same as the Hulk?"
Fury took a deep breath.
"No. Above the Hulk."
He added, "Mark him as 'extremely dangerous—do not engage unless absolutely necessary.' And call Barton and Romanoff back."
"But sir, they're on vacation—"
"Vacation? When New York just got blown off the map?"
Fury forced himself to stay calm, his voice steady despite the tension.
"Coulson, you'll personally lead a recon team to Crystal Lake. Gather all intel. And find out what happened to Jason."
Jason Voorhees. Another 084.
Since Jason's first appearance, S.H.I.E.L.D. had kept tabs on him. After his initial "death," agents only did a cursory investigation before shelving the file.
But when Jason kept coming back from the dead—stronger each time—they had no choice but to upgrade him to a high-priority anomaly.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had tried to "clean him up" five separate times.
Every team sent in either failed or never returned.
Eventually, they realized there was no killing him—only containment.
Jason was sealed beneath Crystal Lake, with a monitoring unit stationed nearby.
Everything had been "normal"… until Damon showed up.
Then came the "meteor."
Fury didn't need to think hard to connect the dots.
Jason had revived—again—and somehow managed to piss Damon off.
Well, now they were both buried under a smoking crater.
Under a meteor, all are equal.
Still, Fury knew he needed to handle Damon carefully.
Someone that dangerous loose in New York?
If he ever dropped another one of those meteors downtown—
The thought alone made Fury's stomach churn.
As he was deep in thought, his old mentor walked in.
Alexander Pierce.
Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director.
"Nick, I've been briefed about the Crystal Lake incident," Pierce said sharply. "I want to know what you plan to do about this man."
Fury's voice was low. "I'm planning to observe for a while before taking action."
"Observe?" Pierce's voice rose.
"You mean to tell me that a terrorist drops a meteor on U.S. soil, walks away, and our taxpayer-funded superhero agency decides to 'observe'?"
He sneered. "Nick, let me give you some advice—from someone who's been in your chair."
"Call the Avengers. Deploy your best assets. Make sure that lunatic knows America isn't his playground."
He puffed up, full of patriotic fervor.
"America won Season 1 and Season 2! Wherever our army marches, our enemies crumble like dust! Invincible! Unstoppable!"
"And now some foreign bum thinks he can take a dump on our heads?"
Fury was silent for a long moment. Then, in a low voice, he said,
"He's not just any foreigner. He's from the Dragon Kingdom…"
Pierce paused mid-sentence, his expression faltering for a split second.
Then, ignoring the comment, he slammed the desk.
"Enough! Just tell me what you're going to do!"
Fury hesitated, recalling the sight of that burning meteor slamming into the Earth.
"I mean… we'll wait. As for your suggestion, maybe… next time."
"Nick Fury!!"
"Enough, Alexander. I'm the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. now."
Fury's calm never wavered. "If that's all, you can leave."
Pierce's face darkened. "Hmph! You'll regret this, Nick."
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind him.
Fury sighed.
Politicians could rant all they wanted—it cost them nothing.
But he was the one who had to deal with gods, monsters, and demons on a daily basis.
He was the one walking the tightrope.
He was the real Alexander.
His one eye fixed on the frozen image of the meteor's descent.
For a long time, he said nothing.
"I've walked on thin ice my whole life…
I wonder if I'll ever make it to the other side."
Meanwhile, in New York—
After their rather explosive vacation,
Maria finally decided to leave.
Though as she walked away, her face carried a faint, suspicious blush.
As for Yurenka and Jenny, they stayed behind for the time being.
Damon's house was spacious—five rooms in total.
He usually only cleaned his own bedroom, so the rest were thick with dust.
Jenny, acting like the new mistress of the house, immediately began tidying up.
Yurenka busied herself serving warm water to Damon and Madison.
Damon raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Thanks. How did you know I like warm water?"
Yurenka smiled sweetly.
"My teacher once told me people from the Dragon Kingdom prefer drinking boiled water.
So I prepared two warm glasses—and one hot. When it cools, you can drink it."
Damon chuckled. Interesting.
Madison's lips twitched, her gaze flicking uneasily between them.
A sudden worry crept into her mind—
Please tell me Damon's not about to do something stupid…