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Chapter 188 Fury And Natasha’s Situation
TL: Kyous
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dormitory was built behind the HQ. Not only were the rooms spacious and beautiful, but they also equipped facilities such as swimming pools, gym, training rooms, etc.
It was truly luxurious!
The ant-sized Leo rapidly sped through each room in the dormitory one by one, searching for traces of Natasha. Finally, in one of the single rooms on the fifth floor, he found her.
Currently, Natasha was sitting in the study, reading a book without any sense of urgency. As Leo quietly approached her, he realized she was reading a book about philosophy and didn’t carry any anxiousness about being imprisoned.
Circling the room and making sure there weren’t any hidden cameras, he flew behind Natasha. With a surge of Mechanical Force, he abruptly returned to normal.
Before he could greet Natasha, she already sensed the uninvited guest behind her and launched a back whip kick. He hastily clasped his hands, receiving the kick before retreating a few steps back, pulling his distance away from Natasha.
Natasha turned around and withdrew her leg, posing a battle stance before clearly viewing Leo’s get-up. It was the black armor she was particularly familiar with.
She cautiously asked, “Leo?”
Leo surged his Mechanical Force and shrunk his visor alone, revealing his increasingly handsome face. Straightening his thumb, he praised, “Quite keen, Natasha!”
Seeing the man was Leo, a flash of happiness appeared in Natasha’s eyes before she frowned and asked, “How did you enter? Why didn’t I hear the door opening? Also, there are soldiers outside!”
Faintly smiling, Leo instantly shrunk and vanished right before Natasha.
“Leo, where are you? What trick is this?”
The shrunken Leo hovered on the ceiling and felt a sense of delight as he stared at Natasha gazing around with a shocked expression. Surging his Mechanical Force again, he returned to his original size and removed the armor before shrinking it and stuffing it into his pocket.
At the moment, Natasha was still befuddled by Leo’s magical act and stared dumbly at Leo in his casual outfit with her jaw agape.
Leo waved at Natasha’s eyes and called out her name with a smile to regain her attention.
After snapping out, Natasha pursed her lips and carefully asked, “Did you just… shrink?”
Leo nodded in response.
“How did you do that?” Natasha pursued.
“Technology!” Leo calmly answered.
“Then, can you become a giant too?” She continued pursuing.
“Of course!” He continued calmly answering.
Natasha pondered for a moment and said, “Looks kinda fun!”
She gave her fleeting comment about the Pym Particles. Leo helplessly twitched his lips, choosing not to mess with Natasha anymore, and began talking about the crux of the matter. After a brief conversation, they exchanged with each other to grasp a general idea.
Then, Leo asked, “Now that you’re imprisoned, what should we do? Should I help you escape here first?”
“Everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. is imprisoned and they are suspected to be a H.Y.D.R.A.’s spy. If I escape now, then it’ll just paint me ugly.”
“Do you still care about this?” Leo asked in return.
“I do! Why wouldn’t I…” Natasha added, “I’ve already been unfairly accused once in the Soviet Union, and I don’t want to experience that feeling again. Besides, I rather like the United States. If I’m branded as a H.Y.D.R.A., then I can’t remain here anymore.”
Remaining silent slightly, Leo said, “Alright, you’ll stay here and deal with the investigation. I’ll drop by every morning and evening to make sure of your safety. If you passed the interrogation without any issues, then everything is fine. If not, it’s not too late to leave.”
Natasha nodded, accepting Leo’s goodwill.
Leo thought for a bit and asked again, “Where’s Fury?”
“He and Pierce were directly named by Dr. Zola and received extra care. They are probably in the detention room.” Natasha was unsure and could only provide a reasonable guess based on the current circumstances.
Leo nodded, “Then, I’ll go and find him to discuss something. You should take care of yourself.”
Then, he didn’t forget to poach her and said, “Make sure to be careful. Bucky is worried about you and Erik misses you. Also… you still owe me a lot of money. And Fury can’t even pay it for you, there’s no promise in following him.”
Initially, Natasha was moved but Leo’s last sentence swept all her emotions away. Just as she was going to roll her eyes, Leo had don Viper Mark VI and disappeared.
Ten whole minutes later, Leo finally found Fury in a heavily guarded room.
The interior and exterior of the room were made entirely out of metal and there was only a bed in the room. However, Fury wasn’t mistreated, at least he wasn’t wearing an inmate’s outfit. Apart from that, his breakfast consisted of eggs and milk and he could have a hot shower. Furthermore, he was allowed to visit the washroom once every two hours under watch. He appeared rather fine and was currently sitting on the chair, thinking about some matters.
When Leo entered through the gap, he saw “The Thinker” Fury. Compared to Natasha’s single room, this room had three cameras, providing no privacy. Therefore, he maintained his ant-sized body to avoid being exposed.
He quietly crawled Fury’s ear side and whispered, “Fury, it’s me, Leo.”
It wasn’t the first time Fury suddenly heard Leo’s voice right next to his ear and he gradually got used to Leo’s ghostly appearance. So, he didn’t express any oddities.
“Fury, what’s your current situation? Is there any danger?” Leo asked.
“It’s just an interrogation only. There won’t be any danger for now.” Fury’s lips trembled. His voice was akin to a mosquito as if humming.
But Leo heard it loud and clear, apparently not an issue between the two’s conversation.
Leo continued asking, “Do you need me to take you out first?”
“Of course not! I didn’t do anything wrong and I’m not afraid of the interrogation. If I left, won’t this mean everything is the truth?”
Fury’s reaction was within Leo’s expectations. Nonetheless, the decision lay in Fury’s hands. If Fury wasn’t willing to leave then he wouldn’t force Fury either. So, he thought for a moment and added, “Fury, according to our plan, you’ll end up at the director’s seat in the end. But from the present situation, do you think it’s still possible?”
“Fat chance.” Fury deliberated slightly, “At least, in a short period it’s out of the question. Now that I’ve been accused by Zola, even if the S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Security Council can prove my innocence, they won’t immediately let me be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. After all, I’m in the limelight now.”
He then added, “Leo, I’m hopeless to be the director now. So, the promised identity in S.H.I.E.L.D. may not be possible anymore.”
“It’s alright, it’s not your fault. We didn’t expect Dr. Zola would bite you out of the blue. Besides, I didn’t help you get the director’s seat and didn’t help you in anything at all either, so don’t feel bad about it.” Leo said.
Fury thought otherwise. “No, you’ve greatly helped me. You had singled out S.H.I.E.L.D. internal issues of spies and most of the spies’ identities had been revealed. In particular, Pierce will be interrogated too. This is the greatest help to me.”
“You contributed a lot too. You don’t have to put all the credit on me.” Leo smiled.
“Without you, I can’t do this alone, just by myself.” However, Fury still believed Leo’s help was huge and he even thanked Leo in the end.
Leo blatantly accepted the thanks. Ultimately, he pondered for a bit and decided to sell Fury another favor. He repeated what he said to Natasha to Fury once more, “I’ll be in touch every morning and evening until the investigation ends. During this period, if you notice anything wrong, remember to tell me right away. After all, safety first.”
Fury wasn’t a foolishly loyal person either and agreed to Leo’s suggestion.
They briefly talked for a bit and Leo took his leave. He didn’t leave S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ immediately and went to the room next door instead. The room where Pierce was imprisoned.
PIerce’s situation was similar to Fury’s and didn’t suffer any mistreatment. But compared to the unworried Fury, ferociousness glinted in Pierce’s eyes as if being livid albeit he seemed calm on the surface.
However, Leo left Pierce’s room after he quietly observed for a while. This man would be investigated by the Security Council. If the council couldn’t deal with him, then Leo would personally do it.
After leaving Pierce’s room, he flew out of S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ and headed straight to New York. For his following plan, he was going to upgrade his equipment using this window of time, integrating those three billion worth of supplies into his strength.