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"That's a sharp question…" Arthur rubbed his face with a helpless look, then turned to Coulson with the same weary expression. "Let me ask you, what is SHIELD to you?"
"An organization that protects the world," Coulson answered without hesitation.
Arthur nodded. "So are we. Which means, there's no difference between us and SHIELD."
"..."
Coulson's face darkened. 'Come on, this kind of deflection was too lazy to be taken seriously!'
"SHIELD is too large," Arthur continued. He knew that his previous answer wouldn't satisfy Coulson, so he tried another approach: "Do you know about something that happened last century?"
"…Huh?" Coulson looked confused.
"Last century, I made a deal with Fury. I helped him completely purge Hydra from within SHIELD, and in return… from that point on, he followed my orders." Arthur said calmly.
"Hold on, hold on, " Coulson quickly interrupted, "If I'm not mistaken, that didn't happen last century. I don't remember living that long!"
"Not last century?" Arthur blinked. "Why does it feel like it's been a hundred years since that night? No, maybe several centuries. Well, you know how it is. When you're busy, time flies. Anyway, after that, you died. But Fury and I fulfilled our agreement. That night... do you know how many people died?"
Coulson didn't respond, but he understood exactly what Arthur meant.
Some things are meant to be known by only a few. Some responsibilities are destined to fall on only a select few shoulders. There are those who can't handle these truths, yet they still demand the right to know, claiming they deserve the truth.
But even if they do find out, what then?
Not everyone is a Tony Stark. Not everyone is an Arthur. Most people aren't superheroes. Even if they pour all their effort into it, the best they can do might be tapping on a keyboard at home, doing their small part.
And those people, well, they're still lovable. Because at the very least, they don't cause trouble.
But when someone with power, ambition, or both, learns these truths, who knows how they'll twist what should be contained into something catastrophic?
No one can afford to stir up that kind of hornet's nest.
Which is exactly why Arthur couldn't tell the world. He couldn't let it become public knowledge. SHIELD was far from being a single, unified force. In such a fragile internal state, letting them know the truth would be meaningless; worse, it could be disastrous.
"Actually... there are many reasons," Arthur said as he leaned back in his chair and looked at Coulson. "I could come up with countless justifications on the spot. You have no idea, countless!"
Coulson sighed. "Why choose me?"
"Because you're the best fit," Arthur replied. "And… well, you happened to be in my hands at the time."
"…Don't I have the right to say no?"
"Of course you do," Arthur said. "You could even try to contact SHIELD through some means. But whether or not you'd succeed is uncertain. The more important question is, do you really believe that would be right?"
"So I've basically been placed, without my knowledge, in an environment I have no control over, forced into accepting a mission I might not even want to complete?" Coulson blinked as he spoke. "I thought heroes weren't supposed to operate like this."
"Maybe what makes someone a hero... is knowing how to use the right means,"
Arthur said as he patted Coulson's shoulder.
"Let me give you a quick overview of the situation we're facing. We can't afford to be controlled by anyone. If we are… the future of Earth might fall into utter darkness."
Scare tactics, huh…
Thanos Threat Theory, all kinds of terrors, bad guys drooling as they stare at Earth, just waiting to shove this delicious-looking planet straight into their mouths...
In short, Coulson couldn't really verify anything further at this point. And Arthur's words didn't sound like complete nonsense, either.
At the very least, based on the current state of Xandar, Thanos was indeed a threat, not just to Xandar, but to the entire universe. He always had been.
In the end, under Arthur's mix of half-truths and scare tactics, Coulson's head was spinning, and he reluctantly agreed to take on the job. But a moment later, he still looked puzzled and asked:
"So… what exactly am I supposed to do next?"
"You'll soon have a place to settle down," Arthur said. "On the surface, your identity will be simple, a small business owner. Of course, depending on how things develop, you might become a big boss later on. But beneath that cover identity, you'll actually be…"
Arthur laid out the whole setup smoothly. After all, he had crafted these kinds of roles a thousand times before.
Coulson listened carefully. There were some things he couldn't verify directly from Arthur's side anyway. But since he was already here, he figured it would be best to see the rest with his own eyes.
If there really was a con man behind it all, Coulson trusted that with his own judgment, he'd see through the deception. The whole conversation lasted around three hours, and T'Challa had quietly listened the entire time.
He didn't say a word, not even once, until someone knocked on the door.
When they opened it, Jeff stood outside, with a few others behind him.
He forced a helpless smile and said, "The meeting with Nova Prime is scheduled for 8 PM. Is that alright?"
"Of course." Arthur replied, "Want to come in for a bit?"
"Absolutely not," Jeff turned and walked away immediately.
Arthur had no idea where this chubby guy got his inexplicable pride from. He glanced at the other two in the room and said, "Wanna go for a stroll?"
So they went out for a walk. Nothing major happened. That evening, the meeting with Nova Prime went smoothly, too. They discussed what needed to be discussed, and Coulson was temporarily settled.
After the farewells, Arthur had just returned to his room when he received a communication request.
He glanced at it, and was a bit surprised. "Star-Lord?"
"Hey…" Star-Lord's face filled the screen. "You might not believe this, but I've got some really good news I have to tell you!"
"Let me guess, Gamora finally agreed to marry you?" Arthur asked. "Or maybe she said yes to doing something… traditionally meaningful?"
"…No," Star-Lord said excitedly. "I found my dad! Or rather, he found me!"