The night was still, the faint hum of the city below a distant backdrop as Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton stood on the Manhattan Bridge, staring at the spot where The Wraith had vanished moments ago. The air between them was heavy with unspoken tension, the weight of their encounter lingering like a storm cloud.
"Barton, are you okay?" Natasha asked, her sharp eyes scanning him for any signs of injury. Her voice was calm, but there was an edge of concern she couldn't quite hide.
Clint let out a long sigh, dusting himself off as he straightened up. "I'm fine, mostly. Heh! That guy is really something else," he said, his tone a mix of exhaustion and grudging admiration. He shook his head, as if trying to dispel the lingering unease from their encounter.
Natasha crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing slightly. "How did he find you? Looks like he got the drop on you there, judging from how you looked."
Clint grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "I was tailing him. As soon as he came out in the open, I should've figured out that he knew where I was the whole time." His voice carried a hint of frustration, but there was also a note of resignation. He'd been outplayed, and he knew it.
Natasha studied him for a moment, then nodded. "And personally? What's your take on him?"
Clint's expression turned serious; his eyes gleaming with intensity. "He's not a complicated guy, to be honest. But one thing's for certain—he's not playing any games. He's deadly serious about everything he does… Still doesn't know what kept him out almost every night though,"
The two agents made their way back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, their steps quick and purposeful. They didn't stop to chat or debrief along the way; there was too much at stake. When they arrived at the Triskelion, they headed straight for Director Fury's office, bypassing the usual protocols.
Inside Fury's office, the atmosphere was tense. Nick Fury sat behind his desk, his one eye fixed on the door as Natasha and Clint entered. Maria Hill and Phil Coulson were already there, standing before Fury with stacks of papers in their hands. The room was silent, save for the soft hum of the overhead lights.
"Well, Barton," Fury said, his voice calm but laced with an undercurrent of impatience, "we received your distress signal a few minutes ago… And to me, you look fine as usual."
Clint didn't waste any time. "The Wraith found me," he said bluntly, prompting Fury to gesture for Natasha to close the door behind them. The sound of the door clicking shut seemed to amplify the gravity of the situation.
"Speak," Fury commanded, leaning forward slightly, his hands clasped on the desk.
Clint took a deep breath and began recounting the encounter in detail, leaving nothing out. He described how The Wraith had appeared out of nowhere, how he'd disarmed him with terrifying speed, and how he'd delivered his chilling warning. When he finished, he pulled out a small recording device and set it on the desk.
"Ignore my warning, then, I will wage a war against the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D.," The Wraith's low, growling voice filled the room, sending a visible chill through everyone present. "And when that moment comes, I will tear apart your body, limb from limb, gut every single one of you, starting with you, Nicholas Joseph Fury."
The recording ended, leaving the room in stunned silence. Even Fury, who was known for his unshakable composure, seemed momentarily unsettled. Maria Hill shifted uncomfortably, while Phil Coulson's usual calm demeanor faltered for a brief moment.
"What do you think, Barton?" Fury asked, his voice steady but his eye sharp. "Will he follow through?"
Clint didn't hesitate. "He said that to me while holding an arrow to my eye. Then he vanished like a ghost. Will he follow through? In my opinion, 100%. He will."
Fury leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply as he processed Clint's words. "He knows all about us. Clearly. The motherfucker even called me by my full name like it was common knowledge," he said, his tone a mix of anger and disbelief.
Maria Hill stepped forward, her voice calm but firm. "The first time we cornered him, he killed 24 people without batting an eye, sir. I think we should play it safe this time."
Phil Coulson nodded in agreement. "Personally, to me, it sounded like he was waiting for us to ignore his warning so he could justify hunting us down. He's looking for a reason to escalate."
Fury's eye narrowed as he considered their words. "Still, I suppose now we know one of his powder kegs," he said finally, his tone grim. "At the very least, from this threat, we know a little more about the elusive Wraith."
The room fell silent again, the weight of the situation pressing down on everyone. The Wraith was no longer just a shadowy figure in the background—he was a clear and present danger. And S.H.I.E.L.D. would need to tread carefully if they wanted to avoid igniting the powder keg he'd so clearly laid out before them.
The room was heavy with tension as Fury leaned back in his chair, his one eye narrowing as he processed the information. "He knows a lot of things," Fury said, his voice low and measured. "Awfully strong, possibly a mutant—given how much he seems to care about them—and volatile. Extremely volatile."
Clint Barton, standing with his arms crossed, added with a hint of dry humor, "And possibly has a thing for our Black Widow over here."
The room fell silent again, all eyes turning to Natasha Romanoff. Even Maria Hill, usually unflappable, raised an eyebrow in surprise. Phil Coulson looked like he wasn't sure whether to laugh or be concerned.
"What does that mean?" Maria asked, her tone sharp but curious.
Natasha, ever composed, shrugged casually. "He said that if we'd met under different circumstances, we might've gotten married and had kids or something like that." Her tone was dismissive, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—amusement, perhaps, or maybe even a glimmer of curiosity.
"And?" Fury pressed; his gaze fixed on Natasha. "What else did he say?"
"And what? Nothing. He walked away," Natasha replied, her voice calm. "Though he did mention that he could cure me of my… condition." She hesitated for a moment, and though she tried to hide it, the faintest spark of hope flickered in her eyes.
The room grew quiet again. Everyone presents knew Natasha's story—the Red Room, the sterilization, the life of pain and loss she'd endured. It was a topic rarely discussed, but the weight of it hung heavily in the air.
Fury broke the silence, his tone firm and decisive. "Maria, I want all of our covert studies on mutants stopped immediately. Clear any traces of our involvement. If The Wraith is serious about protecting them, we're not going to give him a reason to come after us."
Maria Hill nodded, already tapping away on her tablet. "Understood, sir."
With that, the meeting seemed to come to an end. The agents began to disperse, each lost in their own thoughts. For Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., The Wraith was an enigma—a dangerous, unpredictable force that they couldn't control. No matter what they threw at him, he always came out on top, unscathed. And every time they tried to confront him; they paid the price.
---
Outside Fury's office, the Triskelion buzzed with its usual activity, but the shadow of The Wraith loomed large over the organization. He had shaken New York City to its core, his gruesome executions of corrupt individuals earning him both fear and admiration. To the public, he was a vigilante, cleaning up the city one criminal at a time. But to those in the shadows—the governments, the crime syndicates, and organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D.—he was a menace. His actions had disrupted countless plans, leaving chaos in his wake.
Governments feared he might expand his operations beyond New York. There were plenty of corrupt individuals in positions of power, and they knew they could be next. S.H.I.E.L.D. was no exception. Fury had watched 24 of his agents die in a single night, cut down by one man. The memory of that night still haunted him.
Fury was a pragmatic man, crafty and brave, but he also knew when to retreat. The Wraith wasn't someone S.H.I.E.L.D. could play games with. From their brief encounters, Fury had learned enough to know that provoking him would be a fatal mistake. The Wraith knew too much—about S.H.I.E.L.D., about Fury, about things that should have been buried secrets.
As the others left the room, Fury turned his chair to face the large window behind his desk. The city lights glittered in the distance, a stark contrast to the darkness he felt closing in. "He even knew about the cat," Fury muttered under his breath, a rare hint of frustration in his voice. It was a story he'd kept hidden for years, a private joke at his own expense. And yet, The Wraith had thrown it in his face like it was common knowledge.
For a man who prided himself on being unshakable, Fury had to admit—if only to himself—that The Wraith had gotten under his skin. The threat had been direct, personal, and, most importantly, credible. Fury had been threatened before, but never by someone who could actually follow through.
As he stared out at the night sky, Fury couldn't help but feel a rare sense of unease. The Wraith was out there, watching, waiting. And for the first time in a long time, Nick Fury felt truly spooked.
--A/N--
Hello Readers, Author here...first of all, sorry for taking to long to post chapter, (IRL issues swamp me + Price of Everything went up = Had to take 2 job to live.). I would still write and post both here and on my Kofi page, just take a bit of time.
About A.I : Yes, i use them, But only with my grammar and editing+ Spelling corrections. i am not an English speaking person, and i am just a high school graduate. i wrote my novel in my own language then translate it to my kind of english, then use A.I to make a proper sense of everything. Basically my thought process was like this "...is this correct? hmm sounds right... well probably it is...".
Last of all, i apologize if i offended anyone, or annoy anyone...your comment, i read it at times, and i thanked you all for commenting... also i don't really know what Power Stone does on this platform, even though i've been on this platform long enough... it doesn't really give me anything at all... but other author seem to asked them a lot, so give this novel a PS if you wanted to... also promoting time...Visit My Kofi page and follow me~ happy reading folks...see you all next week..