Chapter 208: The God Among Men — Smith Dole
Elsewhere.
Nick Fury had already received the full account of the Broadway battle. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had managed to film a large amount of footage before the military arrived, and it seemed clear that Smith Dole had deliberately let Bruce Banner go.
With Coulson busy investigating the "Sky Curtain" situation, Fury himself had no plans to meet Smith directly. Instead, he picked up the phone.
"Commander Hill, come to my office."
Maria Hill arrived promptly.
Looking at her, Fury said, "Originally, Coulson was handling Smith Dole's case, but since I've just sent him to deal with the Sky Curtain, you'll have to make the trip."
He handed her a tablet loaded with photos and videos of Smith fighting the Abomination and Hulk.
"I need you to visit Smith Dole's base and test whether he's an alien. He's getting more and more like Superman — flight, invulnerability, heat vision, terrifying strength. Combined with his Capsule Corporation, he's practically Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne rolled into one."
Hill glanced at the footage. "Sir, you think he's Kryptonian?"
Fury shook his head. "His abilities are too diverse, not quite like the enhanced humans we've seen. I don't actually believe he's an alien, but in our line of work, we make bold guesses and verify them carefully. Just probe a little — and while you're there, ask about the Avengers Initiative. See if he has ideas. I'm planning to apply for a dedicated base for them."
Hill knew the truth — everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s upper ranks knew Fury had used the Avengers Initiative as a stalling tactic with Smith and Tony Stark. When Smith had tried to invoke his oversight authority, Fury had claimed the Avengers weren't officially formed yet. But rank outweighed protest.
"I'll visit his base tomorrow," Hill agreed.
"One more thing," Fury added. "Ask what they know about the military's experiments, whether Capsule Corporation has new products, and when they'll update their scouters."
Hill nodded and left.
Once she was gone, Fury pulled out Bruce Banner's file. "If he can keep his mind under control, he could join the Avengers. Taking hits from Smith Dole is rare enough."
He'd even discussed Smith's identity with his wife — the Skrull archives contained no race like him, no Krypton, no Kryptonians. There were Kree, but their appearance and blue blood made them unmistakable.
"The world's getting crowded… Carol, I may need you sooner than I thought," Fury murmured, glancing at the pager in his pocket before tucking it away.
…
The next day.
Smith Dole woke up, enjoying breakfast while watching the morning news — which was, of course, about him.
A reporter's voice filled the room.
"Last night, two massive green monsters caused heavy destruction on Broadway. Behind me are before-and-after images of the street — direct damages in the billions, indirect losses exceeding ten billion.
"Fortunately, our God happened to be out with Capsule Corporation's chief scientist Bulma and stopped the disaster from worsening, protecting the public."
A photo appeared on-screen — Bulma handing Smith an ice cream cone.
Smith blinked; he hadn't noticed being photographed. He let it pass and kept watching.
"Now we're live with a witness, currently recovering in the hospital," the reporter continued.
The camera cut to a man named Brian, head bandaged.
"Mr. Brian, what are your thoughts on yesterday's events? We've heard you were injured."
"God, you're our god on Earth. You have my eternal support," the man said fervently.
The reporter pressed, "Superman isn't always adored in comics. Why do you support Smith Dole so much?"
Brian scoffed. "What do you know? Superman couldn't even keep his house from being repossessed. But yesterday, my car was parked on Broadway, and one of those green monsters smashed it flat. Today, God's foundation contacted me to arrange compensation. Tell me how I wouldn't love him. He's our god — our own Superman!"
The reporter sighed. "Shame my car wasn't parked near Broadway — missed my chance for an upgrade. Seems being a superhero takes more than power; you need money too. Thankfully, our two heroes, God and Iron Man, are perfect examples."
Smith chuckled. For minor civilian damages, he didn't care — the military was covering most of the costs. He only paid for the damage from his fight with Hulk, and in the future, he planned to turn even that into profit.
Fox approached. "The whole world's seen you feeding our little scientist ice cream."
Smith smirked. "What, jealous?"
Rolling her eyes, Fox licked her lips. "If I'm eating anything, it's your ice cream."
Smith grinned. "So you're having me for breakfast?"
She leaned close, but instead of teasing further, she said seriously, "Enough jokes. Agent Hill from S.H.I.E.L.D. is here. Probably about yesterday. I've had her shown to the meeting room."
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]