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Chapter 194: The Broken SHIELD
🕑 Added 2025-06-19 15:19:53 +0000 UTCFury drove in silence toward SHIELD’s headquarters in New York. At the moment, he looked almost withdrawn.
Of course, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way—Coulson was equally dazed.
He hadn’t understood a single thing that had happened so far, and even Fury hadn’t spoken a word throughout the ride. One thing was certain: none of the people behind them were ordinary.
Putting aside everything else, the green-skinned, grotesque man from earlier had suddenly transformed into a middle-aged man right before his eyes. That alone was hard to digest.
Honestly, Coulson had thought it might be a mutant, but even mutants didn’t look that distorted.
With unease simmering inside them, they arrived at the SHIELD building and parked quickly before heading inside.
Although routine security checks were in place, they passed through with little resistance—after all, Fury and Coulson were with them.
Still, Noah noticed Fury signaling subtly to a nearby agent. He acted like he didn’t see it.
Not that it mattered. Noah didn’t believe SHIELD could do anything to him anyway. What would they do? Try to arrest him?
"Pancho Bar? Let me search for it." Fury sat down at his desk, powered up his computer, and started typing.
SHIELD’s database and network were among the most sophisticated in the world. It wasn’t like when Captain Marvel had to use one-finger typing in a shabby internet café, only to be disconnected repeatedly.
Soon enough, the data popped up on Fury’s screen. He quickly zeroed in on a location—Rosamund, California.
"I think this is the place... unless something’s changed," Fury said, somewhat uncertainly.
Noah walked over, glanced at the screen, and nodded. “Probably. Doesn’t matter much either way. Do you have a map?”
“Of course,” Fury replied. “But wouldn’t it be more convenient if we took you there ourselves?”
Noah tilted his head. Convenient?
He could open a portal and be there instantly.
But he didn’t bother arguing. Captain Marvel rode a motorcycle all the way there; who knew how long that took? If he arrived too early, he’d just end up waiting pointlessly.
“Alright, since you insist.” Noah nodded, then suddenly smirked. “So... tell me. Why hasn’t the person you called arrived yet?”
“Who?” Fury’s hands paused, his gaze shifting to Noah in confusion.
“Huh? Didn’t you signal someone earlier? I saw you gesture.”
“Uh, I…”
Before Fury could finish, a knock came at the office door.
Fury’s face darkened. Damn magician actually caught that?
Just as he was trying to think of a way to defuse the situation, the office door opened.
To his utter shock, his superior—Director Kohler—strolled in casually and glanced around with a strange expression.
“Didn’t expect you to have guests,” Kohler said awkwardly, before freezing mid-glance.
He’d spotted someone familiar—his own subordinate.
What’s going on?
Had Vader, his agent, also tried to infiltrate Earth’s most powerful intelligence agency?
But something was off. He could feel it. The two young men nearby weren’t ordinary either.
“T-Talos?” Vader stuttered, confused.
Then realization struck him—his boss had also come here with an infiltration plan!
“Wow... another Skrull? SHIELD calls itself a shield, but it looks more like a sieve!” Noah said mockingly, glancing at Fury and Coulson.
Their expressions soured immediately.
Sieve was an understatement. This wasn’t just a breach—it was complete exposure.
SHIELD, the so-called protector of Earth’s safety, hadn’t even noticed they’d been infiltrated. And worse—this enemy looked exactly like their own director!
Even without the Skrulls, SHIELD had long been decaying from the inside. Its entanglement with HYDRA ran too deep.
It reminded Noah of Nagini’s soul fragment—so deeply embedded, yet nearly impossible to extract.
“Who are you?” Talos, now exposed, stepped forward warily.
“You barge into our territory and ask who we are? Don't be ridiculous, Skrull. If you’re here for asylum, fine. But if you’re here to stir up trouble, I promise you, it won’t end well.”
Wong had noticed Talos reaching for a weapon and spoke with disdain.
“Asgardian? Or Kamar-Taj?” Talos asked, narrowing his eyes.
“The second,” Noah answered simply.
“Oh... a magician from Kamar-Taj. My apologies for intruding.”
“Your friend already explained the situation,” Noah said, “and I mostly understand now. But I still can’t fully trust you—you get that, right? I’ll confirm everything once I find the Kree. That a problem?”
“Not at all. I’ll cooperate fully. Thank you for understanding.”
“Good.”
Noah nodded, then glanced at Fury and Coulson, who were still shell-shocked.
Fury fared slightly better. He knew bits and pieces, but the fact that his superior had been replaced shook him to the core.
If I can’t even trust my own boss... then who?
Coulson, meanwhile, had just caught up.
Aliens? Magicians? Kamar-Taj? Asgard?
How many secrets are buried on Earth?
And these aliens knew of organizations Coulson had never even heard of.
He was starting to question whether he was truly human.
Under Talos’s lead, Fury’s earlier signal was explained away as a “test exercise.” SHIELD even provided a plane for Noah and his team to head to their next location.
Talos added that they would shadow the mission for support but remain out of sight to avoid complications.
Noah didn’t object. These were SHIELD’s resources, not his concern.
As for Fury and Coulson, they were still utterly confused.
Despite being elite agents, they found themselves helpless in this chaotic situation.
Reveal everything and fight back?
Please—let’s not even discuss whether they could escape from these people.
Even if they did, who would believe them?
More likely, they’d be institutionalized for sounding insane.
“So... are you going to erase our memories?” Fury asked as Noah and the others prepped for departure.
“No, not yet. I still need you two. Why? Don’t want to tag along?” Noah tilted his head, watching him.
In Noah’s memory, Fury was always meddlesome—whether young or old, director or not.
And Coulson? Forever the designated driver.
With that, Noah and his group of four set off. Vader, like Talos, wouldn’t be able to hide long—especially not from Captain Marvel.
Noah left magical marks on both of them to track them later.
Not that it was essential. Noah, who knew the plot, already understood the interstellar refugee situation.
Still, precautions were worth taking. Wong agreed with Noah’s approach—it was logical.
Onboard the helicopter, Fury’s curiosity finally broke through.
“So... why do you magicians stay hidden?”
“Ask the Ministry of Magic. How should I know?” Noah shrugged indifferently.
Fury narrowed his eyes. “Ministry of Magic? As in—?”
“Yes. It’s the organization that manages wizards. You probably know it as the Magical Congress of the United States. I just prefer calling it the Ministry of Magic. The difference lies in how they distribute power. You probably know that better than I do.”
“...”
Fury was stunned. Even Coulson, piloting the helicopter, paused mid-flight.
It took a long moment before Fury managed to speak again.
“So, magicians have always existed... right under our noses?”
“Not just magicians. Monsters, too. And all kinds of strange, explainable and unexplainable beings,” Noah replied, stretching his arms. “Last year, I went to Hungary—tons of vampires. And your country’s no exception. A few years ago, I visited Los Angeles. My God... angels and demons were running wild.”
“...”
Fury wanted to ask if angels and demons were real, but the question felt pointless.
Given what he’d seen today, anything seemed possible.
After all, America was a place where people carried a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other. If angels and demons existed, it would make sense they'd show up here.
“But it’s a shame,” Noah added.
“Hm?”
“Those beings probably won’t come back anytime soon. Last time, they crossed a line. Your American Ministry of Magic got involved, and the Sorcerer Supreme stepped in. The rest? Sent packing. Back to their homelands—or their mothers.”
“...”
Fury’s eyes widened again. Noah almost laughed at the look on his face.
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