The battle that night had been quite a spectacle, and naturally, it drew the attention of the powers lurking in the shadows.
Iron Man, a superhero whose identity was public, was one thing. But Spider-Man, whose identity S.H.I.E.L.D. had helped conceal, Norman Osborn, whose exposed identity involved countless vested interests, and the Kshatriya, which had remained mysterious from beginning to end, all became targets of those powers' covetous attention.
"I'll say it one more time: Norman Osborn is already in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Until we've confirmed that his mental condition is stable, we will not hand him over to anyone! Do you understand? Anyone! If you have a problem with that, take it to the World Security Council! Motherfucker!"
Nick Fury unleashed a torrent of abuse into the receiver, then decisively hung up.
"Those hyenas. One whiff of blood and they come lunging in, without even considering whether they have what it takes!"
Even after hanging up, Nick Fury couldn't stop cursing. Ever since the robot free-for-all at the Stark Expo, he had received countless calls from various powers, all openly or subtly demanding that he hand over Osborn, who was already in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, or telling him to investigate Spider-Man's and the Kshatriya's identities.
"Agent Hill, have you uncovered AX-201's true identity?"
AX-201 was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s designation for the Kshatriya. A stood for "arms," while X stood for "unknown."
The Kshatriya's color scheme and conspicuous Zeon insignia had led most people to mistake it for a prototype weapon belonging to some nation or organization. Compared with Spider-Man, a superhero, its existence made these people far more uneasy.
"I'm sorry, sir. After the machine climbed to high altitude, it activated some kind of cloaking device. Our radar couldn't track where it went."
Agent Hill shook her head helplessly. S.H.I.E.L.D. had cloaking devices