Let's Pick an Eco-Friendly Name

Nick Fury slapped his credit card down hard on the table.

He was genuinely starting to think he might not leave this shop if he didn't pay up.

Across from him, the massive leopard shimmered again and turned into a tiny bird.

One of those fast-flying kinds, clearly—because the moment he blinked, it landed right on his bald head.

"Shit, it's slippery!"

"Hey!"

Nick Fury rubbed his shiny dome in annoyance, and the bird was back on the other side.

"Alright, now I get how you traveled to and from the Amazon without any entry or exit records or flight logs!"

A bird that small wouldn't be caught by the most advanced radar, would it?

And was this an ordinary bird?

Who the hell could tell him if ordinary leopards could turn invisible too?!

"That's awesome, buddy!"

Tony had fully calmed down by now. As probably the first genius to detect the Nature Force, his cross-disciplinary acceptance was off the charts:

"Can you turn into anything else?"

"Yeah, but I won't show off too much. Not every animal works."

Oaks shifted back to human form and sat down next to Tony again. Nick Fury's mouth twitched, and he grabbed a chair for himself.

"So, you've really given me a big surprise, Mr. Oaks."

His eyes were practically green now.

The mechanics of the ability? That wasn't his concern as a spy chief.

He only cared about what the guy could do—and whether it could be controlled!

In Oaks, he saw the perfect template for an agent.

Telepathy with animals—top-tier intelligence gathering;

Control over plants, even developing special ones—excellent support;

Shapeshifting into beasts with special abilities—outstanding combat potential—

Especially that invisibility, a dream for any spy or assassin!

Sure, S.H.I.E.L.D. had optical camouflage tech, but that wasn't portable gear!

And the guy was a brilliant scientist who could even boost S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reputation—

Though if Tony didn't screw things up, S.H.I.E.L.D. probably didn't need the boost.

Compare that to Hulk... ha.

He was a spy chief, not a military general. He didn't care if super-soldiers could be replicated—

Under his command, one agent with special abilities could pull off what a bunch of brainless enhanced soldiers couldn't!

"So, you modified yourself?"

Fury rubbed his chin. With Bruce Banner as a precedent, scientists doing weird things to themselves didn't surprise him anymore.

"Lab accident, yeah. But my experiment was for environmental protection—

I wanted to give myself a 'nature affinity' constitution, like the 'Elves' in mythology.

If it worked, I could observe life's essence from a truer perspective and solve the shrinking ecosystem and declining regeneration."

Oaks' bullshit successfully pulled Fury and Tony's attention, and even Zhang leaned in curiously:

"Elf constitution? Lord of the Rings? Ah, sorry..."

"...Ahem, obviously I failed, but not completely.

You know, in Celtic Mythology, there's a kind of clergy, advocates of nature and neutrality, who use their special powers to protect nature and balance the world.

They're said to use nature's power for harvests, heal wounds, talk to animals, even transform into animals to spread divine decrees.

They're masters of geography, natural science, medicine, and astrology—astronomy, basically—and serve as knowledge spreaders..."

"Druid?"

Tony held up his phone, already pulling up info:

"Shit! I just learned Halloween's connected to them!"

"Exactly."

A green light coiled around Oaks' finger, and the split sofa slowly sprouted fresh green grass:

"So, you can call me Druid."

"...Perfect match."

Tony pocketed his phone. Every trait of the legendary Druid showed up in Oaks, and he even had half-Celtic blood.

"I think you could start a new religion, Saint Son? Huh?"

"...Not interested. I don't believe in theology."

Oaks curled his lip:

"The gods in Earth's legends are just beings with special abilities—powerful people or odd creatures. And you call yourself a scientist."

"Good, keep it that way!"

Nick Fury snapped irritably. If Oaks actually wanted to play with religion, with his current abilities, it'd be a huge headache:

"I've approved the Benevolence Society. But you, Oaks... I want you to join the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

"Not interested."

Oaks refused flatly:

"I'm used to my freedom. No way I'm letting you, Director, boss me around all day. Things are fine as they are."

"Besides, that name of yours is way too un-eco-friendly. A pain to even say, let alone write out."

"Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D."

Nick Fury finally decided on the spot to give his organization a shorthand. He couldn't stand Oaks roasting it like that:

"Eco-friendly enough?"

"Not bad."

Oaks nodded in satisfaction and shot Tony a "look how awesome I am" glance. Tony, always happy to stir trouble, started clapping.

"Nice one!"

Nick Fury ignored Tony's provocation and coldly emphasized:

"I'm not inviting you to be an agent. A qualified S.H.I.E.L.D. agent takes serious effort to train—not just anyone can handle it, even metahumans!

But at the very least, you need to be on file with S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll consider hiring you as a consultant."

"Consultant?"

Oaks raised an eyebrow: "The kind that doesn't have to clock in?"

"Hey, buddy! You turned down my personal health consultant offer!"

Tony protested loudly:

"I offered you a five-hundred-thousand-dollar annual salary! What about this... S.H.I.E.L.D., what are you paying?"

"...Five hundred thousand is absolutely impossible!"

Nick Fury nearly spat blood. Damn fat cat:

"Every cent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s budget goes where it's needed. We're civil servants! There's no way we're giving a consultant such an outrageous salary!"

"Yeah, figured."

Oaks laughed, high-fiving Tony:

"Looks like they can't afford me."

"Hahaha..."

Zhang's eyes were about to pop out. A cushy job at five hundred thousand a year, and Mr. Oaks turned it down?!

And now he was rejecting this high-and-mighty global organization's invitation too!

Mr. Oaks, truly a comrade of the proletariat...

"But I can station a permanent liaison at the Benevolence Society as a contact with S.H.I.E.L.D."

Nick Fury saw Oaks's expression turn serious and secretly gloated. Got you, kid.

"You should understand what this arrangement means."

Oaks understood perfectly.

It meant that in the eyes of the outside world, the Benevolence Society wouldn't just be a nominal branch of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Though it would put him directly under Nick Fury's surveillance, he could also not just fly S.H.I.E.L.D.'s banner, but to some extent, actually borrow some of their power.

"Deal."

One consultant in exchange for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection until it fell—in Oaks's plan, that was a steal.