When Dragon Balls Descend Upon Marvel

Hill listened carefully to Smith Dole's suggestions, jotting them all down without missing a word.

"I'll report your conditions to the Director and submit them to the Security Council for approval," she said. "Once the base is approved, we'll notify you and Tony Stark immediately. As for the rest of your requests, we'll give them serious consideration."

Smith blinked. He'd only been speaking offhand — but from the look on Hill's face, she meant to take him seriously.

What a waste, he thought, that this kind of capable person would one day be sidelined thanks to one of Fury's ridiculous maneuvers.

Extending his hand, he said, "Agent Hill, I like your work ethic."

With a flick of his thumb, a gold coin bearing the Assassin Brotherhood's universal insignia spun across the table to her.

"This is a coin for a wax bath session. It's yours," he said.

"Though you'll have to cover the costs yourself."

Hill picked up the spinning coin, studying it. "Thank you. But with my salary, it's not exactly cheap — hopefully the Bureau will reimburse me. Ideally, I'll never have to use it."

A wax bath coin was only the ticket for the treatment; the healing costs were separate. Still, Hill accepted it without hesitation, tucking it into her pocket.

After a few more words, she excused herself and left.

…

Back at the Triskelion, Hill reported her meeting to Nick Fury.

When she finished, Fury let out a sharp laugh. "He wants to audit S.H.I.E.L.D.'s books? What's next — does he think he can fly?"

Hill glanced at him and replied matter-of-factly, "Director, Smith Dole does have the ability to fly."

Fury froze for a second, his already dark expression deepening. "And this application of his — intercontinental missiles, nuclear reserves… what does he think the Avengers are? A second S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Reject all of it."

"Yes, Director," Hill said, setting down the file.

As she left, Fury picked up the application, reading over the details. After a moment's thought, he amended a few items before forwarding it to the Security Council.

…

Days later.

General Ross was neck-deep in the Blonsky situation. His plan was to clear Blonsky's name in the Broadway incident, pinning all the destruction on Hulk, and then award Blonsky a war hero commendation.

Back at the base, Ross had run tests on Blonsky's transformed state. Just as Blonsky claimed, he retained full control of his mind — nothing like Bruce Banner's uncontrollable rage. That was all Ross needed to commit to protecting him.

Still, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s opportunism and the Security Council's interest in Abomination left him annoyed. But under the International Extraordinary Events Accord, S.H.I.E.L.D. had jurisdiction.

At a food truck, Coulson — after hitting a dead end investigating the Sky Curtain incident — was now handling the Abomination matter. Fury's orders were clear: do not accept Abomination. At the same time, Fury had leaked the Broadway incident, leaving Ross scrambling.

Inside the truck, Sitwell sipped his coffee as Coulson slid into the seat across from him.

"You hungry?" Sitwell asked. "They make a good pancake here."

Seeing Coulson's expression, he added, "Not going well, is it?"

Coulson nodded. "No, not well at all."

"They rejected the Director's request?" Sitwell asked.

"On the contrary," Coulson replied. "They approved it — but with what might be the most foolish and ill-considered demand I could imagine."

"They want Blonsky on the team."

Sitwell's eyebrows shot up. "Abomination?"

"He doesn't like us calling him that," Coulson said with a wry smile.

"And the Broadway incident…?" Sitwell asked.

"They're putting it all on Banner, same as Ross. He's not the kind of guy we want to recruit, but the Council sees him as a war hero. They're working with Ross to give him a clean slate and a slot on the military roster."

"Fury's leak has Ross in a bind right now."

Sitwell frowned. "Does the Council think Blonsky is in our custody?"

"What's your clearance level?" Coulson asked.

"Six," Sitwell said with a smirk. "Same as you."

When Coulson stayed silent, Sitwell groaned. "Come on — is this Level Seven?"

But he was wrong.

After a pause, Coulson said, "Blonsky is still under General Ross's jurisdiction."

"So does the Director actually plan to recruit him?" Sitwell asked.

"Of course not," Coulson replied. "But he can't outright defy a direct order from the Council. Our job is to make sure he doesn't have to — as long as Ross doesn't release Blonsky, we're in the clear."

"And how do we make that happen?" Sitwell asked.

"I've got no idea," Coulson admitted. "But within 24 hours, we need to send a liaison to Ross to 'request' Blonsky."

Sitwell thought for a moment. "So according to the Council, we've got to send someone to Ross to ask for a man we don't actually want."

"Exactly," Coulson said.

A slow smile spread across Sitwell's face. "Then let's send an idiot to blow it up — someone so incompetent that Ross refuses to hand Blonsky over. I'd be perfect for the role."

"You're good," Coulson said. "But when it comes to being an arrogant pain who drives Ross up the wall, I've got someone even better in mind. Someone who'll offend the General so much he'll fight to keep Blonsky.

"And the Director would love nothing more than to see Ross suffer a bit — keeping Blonsky would just make things easier."

Sitwell considered. "The would-be Overseer? Or the would-be Consultant?"

"The Consultant," Coulson said without hesitation. "Our Overseer just helped Ross clean up a Broadway disaster."

(End of Chapter)

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