Cooperation on His Terms

"Sorry." Phil Coulson, who had been sitting quietly off to the side, finally spoke for the first time. "Melinda was only concerned about everyone's safety, Mr. Stark, Mr. Zod. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't prejudiced against any of you. It's just, well, you know—your powers are so great that sometimes we have to pay them a little extra attention."

His words, delivered neither humbly nor arrogantly, made both Tony and Melinda feel much better. They exchanged a glance, then closed their mouths in tacit agreement and sat back down.

"All right." Aeo Zod was getting impatient. He and Bruce had been enjoying some peace and quiet in Gotham City, waiting for Wayne Manor to be renovated so they could move back in, when they had both suddenly received an invitation from Hill asking them to come to the headquarters in Washington, D.C. and talk. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to discuss some issues concerning security and cooperation with them. After thinking it over, Bruce and he had decided that it might be best to go, so S.H.I.E.L.D. and the United States government wouldn't worry about them.

But ever since they arrived, the one-eyed old fox and the other agents had been making small talk without getting to the point. He'd had enough, so he cut them off.

"You can spare me the rest. I know you're uneasy about me, about us..." He gestured in turn to Iron Man, Captain America, and Batman. "You're uneasy about people with special powers. But since we exist, you have to face that reality, rather than thinking about controlling us, restricting us, and so on. Because..."

His voice was calm but firm.

"You'll never be able to control us!"

"..."

Every superhero, every Superman, had powers beyond the reach of ordinary people. Those powers were their responsibility, their pride, and what set them apart. Without them, they'd be no more than ordinary people—a thought inconceivable to anyone who had ever possessed such powers. And being controlled was just as hard to accept for those with power. After all, it meant losing their freedom! Without freedom, what was the point of having power? So when the reborn man twisted the issue to make it seem like it applied to everyone, Iron Man and the others all looked displeased.

Nick Fury was seething, but he didn't dare admit it. Instead, he argued, "No, we never thought of controlling you. We just want to cooperate more closely. Yes, cooperate. This world is dangerous. War, conspiracies, viruses, poverty—any one of them could destroy our country, our civilization, and that could happen even without you..."

He looked seriously at the four known superpowered individuals seated before him and spoke sincerely. "It's just that your existence could make those dangers more complicated and widespread, and more likely to cause irreversible harm... That's why we have to handle matters involving you with greater care...

"None of us has a problem with you personally. Can you believe that?" The Black director looked earnestly at them with his remaining eye.

Aeo shrugged. "Your assurances don't mean much to me, anyway..."

Now it was Iron Man and the others' turn to show their displeasure. "What did you say..."

"Listen," Son of Krypton cut in before they could continue. "I know that even if you—or I myself—act more kindly and make more concessions, you'll still have reservations about me. It has nothing to do with trust or lack of it. It's a flaw, a weakness, written into your genes. So..."

"Why don't we speak plainly, Nick Fury?"

Aeo Zod's expression was cold.

"I'm willing to cooperate with you. But if I feel that my interests or my freedom are threatened or harmed, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

"I won't leave Earth until I've secured enough energy and the means to develop! Whether you like it or not, that won't change! Understood?"

No one had expected the alien boy to be so blunt. Not only was he taking a hard line, he'd even threatened war if the people of Earth ever endangered his interests. How could the great American Empire, which had always seen itself as the world's police, stand for that? People slammed the table and shouted.

"What did you say?!"

"You want a war? Then we'll give you one!"

Only Bruce and Natasha looked grim without openly taking offense. One had spent time with aliens and knew he wasn't some warmonger; he spoke this way simply because he genuinely didn't trust people from Earth. The other had a complicated background and a difficult past, and didn't feel much allegiance to the American Empire. As a result, they were the calmest people there apart from the old fox Nick Fury.

As everyone condemned the alien for his "outrageous words," no one knew what the old fox, Director Nick Fury, was thinking. He simply said coldly:

"Then what kind of cooperation are you talking about?"

"Director!" Melinda cried out. She and Captain America, whose feelings toward the alien weren't entirely negative but whose patriotism ran deeper, both said, "Is someone like him really worth cooperating with?"

Director Fury raised a hand, stopping his subordinates and Captain America from getting worked up. He looked expressionlessly at Son of Krypton. "Tell me what you can offer in exchange for the right to live and develop in the Federation, in our world, in peace!"

Aeo smiled.

"Allow me to introduce a partner from my home world! A personal Smart Terminal—AI Life, Eiffel!"

...,...

As they left S.H.I.E.L.D.'s magnificent headquarters, Bruce looked at Aeo thoughtfully.

"You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

"Why would you say that?" Aeo was in a great mood. He'd just resolved one of the biggest problems of this life. The bag hanging from his finger, filled with documents like his driver's license, social security card, passport, and S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant credentials, swung back and forth. "It's not like I was hiding it from you. You just never asked."

Aeo had slyly twisted the argument.

"..." Batman.

"Hey, isn't this a good thing?" He didn't want to fall out with this steadfast superhero, who was determined to uphold public order. After pulling a little trick, Aeo spoke sincerely to Bruce. "S.H.I.E.L.D. got what it wanted, and I got their promise to stop bothering me. We'll stay out of each other's way. Isn't that for the best? Bruce, you have to understand: all I did was protect my own interests..."

Aeo's gray eyes were calm and sincere. Batman wasn't sure whether to believe him. After a long pause, he shook his head. "I hope so..."