In Marvel With Unique Skill Great Sage (MCU) [110]

Lemu continued his dramatic speech, his voice ringing with passion. "I have a dream that one day, my four children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, or the planet they were born on, but by the content of their character!"

Stark rolled his eyes so hard they almost got stuck. He actually looked away from his phone for a split second. Get a grip, buddy, he thought, you don't even have any kids!

Natasha covered her mouth, trying to hide a smile. Her eyes sparkled with amusement; she found Lemu's over-the-top performance quite entertaining. This alien kid was definitely interesting.

Fury coughed uncomfortably, nearly choking on his tea. He gritted his teeth, a very strained, dark smile spreading across his face. "...Okay, cut the crap. Talk normally."

Lemu nodded, instantly dropping the dramatic act. "Alright then. Let me just state a few fair points from my perspective."

He held up one finger. "First, you really shouldn't try to pressure a minor like this. It's not a good look, very unbecoming of a director."

He held up a second finger. "Second, to the victor go the spoils. That's been a human tradition since, like, forever."

He held up a third finger, a pleasant, almost friendly smile on his face, as if he were about to comment on the nice weather. "And finally..."

"What are you going to do if I just say... no?"

Fury ground his teeth in frustration. He was just casually testing the waters, seeing if he could get something, and this guy suddenly blows up like this? What crawled up his—? Then, following Lemu's pointed gaze, Fury noticed his own feet still propped up on Stark's expensive coffee table... Fine, fine, I'll put them down, alright? He grudgingly moved his feet.

"Alright, look," Fury said, his tone shifting to be more businesslike. "We all know the real situation here. I didn't come here today just to argue with you. Since you claim to be one of us now, I have a proposal regarding the protection of Earth. Interested?"

"The 'Big Boys Club'?" Lemu quipped.

"It's called the 'Avengers Initiative'," Fury corrected him, then gestured to Natasha. She opened the laptop she'd brought and turned the screen to face both Stark and Lemu.

"There are a lot of uncontrollable threats out there in the world," Fury explained, his voice serious. "Countless aliens like you, some good, some... not so good."

"Then there are the crazy genius scientists, the power-hungry billionaires with too much money, and creatures mutated by who-knows-what."

The laptop screen first showed familiar files on Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer. No need for explanations there; everyone in the room knew those two.

Then Fury hit a key. The screen flickered and a new video began to play. There was no sound.

The shaky camera footage showed a massive, green-skinned monster rampaging through what looked like a university campus, battling a heavily armed military unit. The creature leaped incredible distances, dozens of meters in a single bound. Bullets bounced harmlessly off its thick hide. It possessed unbelievable strength, tearing apart armored vehicles as easily as a child unwraps a candy bar.

Stark frowned deeply, his eyes fixed on the monstrous figure. This thing... he didn't even need to run calculations or analyze data. Just one look told him that if he went up against that beast, even in his advanced Mark III armor, it would be like a dragonfly trying to fight a human. Maybe he could escape, but if it caught him, he'd be crushed effortlessly, with no chance to fight back.

Lemu watched without any outward reaction. He recognized the Hulk, of course, he just hadn't realized these events were happening around this specific time.

"So, that's your 'mutated monster'?" Stark asked Nick Fury, his voice tight.

Fury didn't answer directly. He just pressed another key, and the screen switched to a different video.

This new footage showed four strangely dressed individuals in medieval-looking armor, wielding swords and shields. They were fighting a bizarre, tall, metallic war machine in the middle of a modern-looking small town. The war machine was firing destructive golden-red energy beams from its faceplate, vaporizing buildings and cracking the earth wherever the beams struck.

Then, a muscular, long-haired man in a red cape, looking like some kind of ancient warrior god, flew into the sky wielding a large hammer. He summoned a powerful storm, complete with lightning, and with a few mighty blows, completely disabled the robotic enemy.

Finally, the big guy with the hammer and his four companions were enveloped in a massive pillar of rainbow-colored light and vanished into thin air.

Stark's expression grew even more serious. If this footage was real... then the world had some very, very big problems. Problems far beyond what he had imagined.

"Jarvis," Stark commanded quietly, "analyze these video feeds for authenticity..."

Fury chuckled. "Everything you're seeing happened within the last couple of days. It's all real. Check all you want."

He then looked pointedly at Lemu, a knowing glint in his one good eye. "That last fellow... you might recognize him, or his kind. Agent Coulson found him in New Mexico... He claims to be from a place called Asgard."

Lemu looked slightly puzzled by Fury's direct address but just offered a polite, noncommittal smile and a nod. "Ah, yes, yes. Right, right." When in doubt, just agree vaguely. No big deal.

"Now then," Nick Fury said, his voice resonating with purpose as he stood up. He looked intently at Stark and Lemu, his expression solemn and dignified. "For the safety of humanity, and for the future of planet Earth, I am formally inviting both of you to join the Avengers Initiative. What do you say?"

Stark stared at his phone, where Jarvis was displaying the analysis results. His fingers scrolled continuously down the screen, his face growing darker and more grim with each passing second. After a long moment, he let out a slow breath, his expression heavy. He nodded once, decisively. "Okay. I'm in."

Lemu also nodded. "Fantastic! That's great news!... However, please allow me to respectfully decline... unless, of course, you're offering to pay me."