Coulson adjusted his glasses and continued his report in a businesslike tone.
"Sir, this is indeed highly unusual. But it's precisely because it's unusual that it tells us something."
"This afternoon, in front of the world's media at the press conference, Tony Stark announced that he was shutting down Stark Industries' most important military contracts and switching to making weapons for individual combat."
"The move has sent shockwaves through Wall Street, and people in the military have already started cursing him out."
"Also, according to close-range observations at the scene, they were very relaxed on the yacht. Luca Stark lay on the sofa while a model fed him drinks. Tony Stark and Luca Stark were also trading barbs."
"What were they arguing about?" Fury asked casually.
"Tony made fun of Luca's poor taste in shirts. Luca shot back that Tony looked pale and weak, and warned him to watch out for his chest reactor leaking electricity."
Coulson recounted the brothers' conversation with a straight face.
Fury shook his head, at a loss for words.
"That's in character for them. As long as they have breath in their lungs, their mouths won't stop moving." Fury rested his chin on his crossed hands.
Coulson closed the report.
"Sir, after the party, Luca Stark took three models, while Tony Stark took two models and Yinsen, and they went to a hotel downtown."
"Should we assign more people to keep a close eye on their movements? After all, they openly declared war at the press conference today. That's bound to invite retaliation."
Fury didn't answer the question directly.
His one eye fixed on Coulson.
"Coulson, you had close contact with them this afternoon. From what you observed, did you notice anything unusual about Luca Stark?"
Coulson paused.
He recalled the scene outside Stark Industries that afternoon.
He had tried to stop Luca Stark, but Luca had pushed him aside effortlessly.
"Yes." Coulson nodded, his expression turning serious.
"That's exactly what struck me as the most unreasonable. A rich kid who was tortured for two months not only showed no signs of malnutrition, but actually seemed to have grown stronger."
Coulson described his impressions in detail.
"He's noticeably taller, at least 190 centimeters now. His shoulders have become very broad."
"When he pushed me aside, I could feel tremendous strength. It was well beyond the limits of what a human should possess. Sir, to be honest, facing him up close, I felt like he was... like Captain America."
When Coulson brought up Captain America, Fury didn't disagree. Instead, he nodded.
"Your instincts have always been sharp, Coulson. That's why I sent you to approach them. Your guess is right. Let's take another look at the earlier footage. Then you'll understand why he's changed like this."
With that, Fury picked up the remote on his desk and pressed a button.
The holographic projector in the center of the office switched on at once. Footage appeared in midair.
It was footage captured by a high-altitude reconnaissance satellite.
Because of the distance, the image was full of static and extremely blurry.
Even so, Coulson could just make out a figure above a base.
The figure seemed unaffected by gravity, hovering motionlessly in midair.
Then the figure raised both hands, and a blinding pillar of energy erupted from them.
The beam blasted the camp on the ground flat.
The flames of the explosion filled the entire screen.
Coulson's eyes widened.
Fury pressed the remote again.
The footage vanished from the screen, replaced by several high-resolution photographs.
The photos showed Luca and Tony fighting enemies outside the cave.
In the first photo, Luca Stark lifted a pickup truck with his bare hands.
He then hurled it effortlessly at enemies in the distance.
In the second photo, Tony Stark wore a suit of heavy armor.
Long jets of flame sprayed from the armor's arms, burning back all the armed men around him.
After they watched the astonishing footage, the office fell silent.
Fury pointed at the projected photos, his expression grave.
"You see, Coulson. This is the problem. It's also what gives me the biggest headache."
"A rich kid who knew nothing but partying all day gets kidnapped for two months and comes back a flying superhuman."
"Not only does he have tremendous strength, he can also fire energy blasts."
Fury moved his finger to Tony's photo.
"The other one built a suit of heavy armor by hand in a cave without equipment. I have to admit, the armor is ugly. But Coulson, do you know what this means?"
Coulson nodded silently.
"It means something happened to them, sir. Or rather, they have secrets! Enormous secrets!"
"That's the most important thing right now," Fury said emphatically.
"A superhuman whose upper limit of power we don't know, plus a genius inventor with a head full of weapons of destruction."
"And when two guys with no scruples get together, what do you think they'll do? If they lose control, who can bear the consequences?"
Coulson said nothing.
There was no answer to that question.
Fury issued his orders directly.
"We need to be cautious with them. Don't approach them on your own under any circumstances unless you have a direct order from me."
"And don't try to test them. Just keep track of their whereabouts. For now, all we need to do is observe quietly from the sidelines."
"Understood, sir." Coulson nodded, then turned and left the director's office.
After Coulson left, Fury sat back down in his chair.
He pondered for a while.
The lights outside the window shone on his Black face, making him look inscrutable.
"Howard Stark's children really aren't ordinary, are they?"
Fury thought of the previous director.
A legendary figure to all of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Howard Stark!
One of the world's greatest geniuses decades ago, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a playboy even more dissolute than his sons.
And now, he recalled another plan Howard had mentioned.
So.
He pulled open his desk drawer and took out a classified file.
Several large words were printed on the cover.
"Avengers Initiative."
Fury opened the file.
Inside were several sheets of paper.
Each sheet bore a name and a brief evaluation report.
There were more than a dozen people in the earlier pages alone.
Fury's expression remained unchanged.
Those weren't the people he wanted; they weren't ready to be revealed yet.
He flipped further back.
On the last few pages were several names, written in what looked like fresh ink.
Natasha Romanoff, codename Black Widow.
A red check mark had already been drawn next to her name.
Clint Barton, codename Hawkeye.
A red check mark had also been drawn next to his name.
Bruce Banner.
There was also a check mark next to the name of the man who could turn into a big green brute.
Fury picked up the pen on his desk and turned to a fresh page.
He wrote two names on the paper.
Luca Stark.
Tony Stark.
Fury stared at the two names, the tip of his pen resting on the paper.
He hesitated for a while.
The two brothers were the very definition of disorganized and undisciplined.
They were mouthy, liked to argue, and were extremely rich.
Naturally, they would never take orders from anyone.
Recruiting them into the initiative would be extremely risky.
But when he saw Luca Stark's strength in the photos, and the destructive power of Tony Stark's heavy armor...
Fury knew that the world of the future would need that kind of power.
He hesitated no longer. With a firm stroke of his wrist, he drew a heavy check mark next to each of their names.
Then he closed the file and locked it back in the drawer.
Fury looked out the window again. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Starks, I hope you'll be greater than your father, rather than more cynical than he was."