Who Says I'm Retired (Happy New Year!!!)

One sentence.

What if S.H.I.E.L.D. used their credentials to secretly do bad things? What would happen then? S.H.I.E.L.D. would just pack up and leave, leaving all the blame for them to deal with.

So.

No law enforcement agency would ever tacitly approve S.H.I.E.L.D. using their credentials. S.H.I.E.L.D. could forge credentials, at most. They might tacitly approve such actions, but if anything went wrong, then too bad, the law enforcement agency wouldn't take the fall for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jason's tone grew stern as he began his countdown.

Rather than trusting the credentials in Phil Coulson's hand, Jason was more inclined to believe Lake's words.

Lake and Jason were brothers-in-arms who had fought on the battlefield together.

So...

Phil Coulson and the others dropped their firearms and were rounded up by the soldiers Jason brought.

The car set off, heading for Quantico Military Base.

"Bang!"

A soldier snatched the mobile phone Coulson was pulling out and tossed it out the car window. "Behave yourself."

Coulson: "..."

He had lost a lot of face this time.

They were supposed to be here to arrest people on orders, but instead, they were the ones who were rounded up.

Half an hour later.

Quantico Military Base.

Everyone got out of the car.

Jason said to the soldiers, "Take these people to the military court."

Coulson stammered, "Wait, I need to make a phone call."

Jason scoffed.

A phone call.

Let alone that you aren't the real FBI, even if you were, you're arresting people from the military and expecting preferential treatment?

Jason waved his hand, completely ignoring Coulson's request. Instead, he turned to Lake and said, "You know this place better than I do. Do you want me to accompany you?"

Lake waved his hand. "No need. You go ahead and do your thing."

Jason nodded, didn't say anything more, and directly led his team away.

Lake looked around, searched his memory, and then followed his recollection, walking towards a place not far away.

Jason was older than Lake.

But...

Lake had joined the military before Jason. Moreover, after Jason joined, Lake was one of Jason's military instructors. Later, when Jason joined the SEALs, he was initially in Lake's former C Team. After completing two missions, Jason left C Team for B Team and was now the Sergeant Major of B Team.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"..."

The door opened, and a capable-looking woman with blonde hair opened it.

Mandy, a CIA Intelligence Analyst stationed at the SEALs, responsible for planning overseas operations and intelligence analysis.

Yes.

A CIA agent.

"Lake?"

"Mind if I come in?"

"What, heartbroken again?"

"..."

Lake shrugged.

Mandy smiled, stepped aside, and opened a path.

Soon.

Inside, things got heated. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who had been escorted to the regulatory office of the Quantico military court, looked at each other, their eyes wide, wondering when S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters would realize they were missing.

The next day.

Lake opened his eyes and looked at Mandy, who was sitting by the bed, putting on her shoes. "Is there an operation today?"

Mandy smiled, stood up, and glanced at Lake on the bed. "You know I can't say."

Lake spread his hands.

Mandy kissed Lake on the forehead, then turned and pushed the door open to leave.

Lake yawned and also prepared to get up and get dressed.

His relationship with Mandy was complicated.

The two had a mutually beneficial, transactional kind of partnership.

Simply put, when Lake was in the military, he and Mandy were partners. After Lake left the military, whenever his romantic life hit a snag, he'd come here to find Mandy. If Mandy happened to be emotionally available at the time, she'd let Lake in. If not, she'd turn him away.

Mm.

It was just that simple and unpretentious a relationship.

Lake and Mandy were both well aware of this.

After a while.

As Lake was getting dressed, Jason came to knock on the door.

"Let's go."

Jason, dressed in a combat uniform, looked at Lake, who had just opened the door, and said directly, "Let's go, the General wants to see you."

Whenever Lake came to Washington, Jason would pick him up. So, Jason knew exactly where Lake would be.

After speaking, Jason handed Lake the plastic bag he was holding.

Inside… was a military uniform.

Military base building.

Dressed in a Marine Lieutenant's uniform, Lake exited the elevator with practiced ease and walked to the door of an office, knocking.

"Enter!"

"Hoo!"

Lake took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and then straightened up as he addressed Thaddeus Ross, who was wearing a General's uniform and was the head of Quantico Military Base, seated behind his desk. "General!"

Yes.

General Ross.

When Lake joined, General Ross was in the Navy. Back then, Lake had earned General Ross's approval and was promoted to Navy Lieutenant ahead of schedule. Afterward, he served as the commander of C Team within the SEALs under General Ross's command.

From a certain perspective, Lake had never truly left the military.

Ross greatly appreciated Lake. Although he agreed to Lake's departure, he hadn't removed Lake's name from the military roster, much like the treatment of Captain America, Steve Rogers.

Steve Rogers was widely presumed dead, but his name remained in the military system, simply marked as missing.

Moreover, every time Lake came here to see Mandy, General Ross would always ask Lake to wear his uniform to see him, as if hoping Lake would one day see the error of his ways and realize the military was his true home.

Lake found this rather exasperating.

But…

Ross was, after all, a patron who had recognized his talent, and they shared a certain special relationship. Therefore, for such a small request, Lake couldn't find a reason to refuse.

In the office.

General Ross was reviewing the documents on his desk. After a moment, without looking up, he said, "Caused trouble?"

Everything that happened at Quantico Military Base was within his purview. Naturally, General Ross was aware that the military police had apprehended several individuals impersonating the FBI last night.

Lake replied, "Minor trouble."

General Ross chuckled and looked up at Lake. He took out the fake IDs belonging to Phil Coulson and the others from his drawer and placed them on the desk. "Minor trouble wouldn't be able to produce such well-made fake IDs with the official seal of the FBI."

Lake shrugged.

General Ross stood up, gestured towards the sofa, and walked over. "Go on, tell me what happened."

Lake recounted the events in New York in detail, but he only mentioned an unknown organization using such methods for recruitment, omitting the organization's actual name.

General Ross let out a cold snort. In his eyes, Lake had been his man since he was young. Those past few years were merely a long period of suspension and leave.

Just then.

The secretary knocked and entered. "General, Secretary of State Allen is here."

Ross nodded and said to Lake, "They're trying to poach from me, and they've even brought in the Secretary of State. It seems they're determined to either recruit you or ruin you."

Lake smiled.

PS: Mandy – CIA Intelligence Analyst from "SEAL Team."

PS: Jason – Captain of B Team from "SEAL Team"!