As the plane landed on the runway at North Brother Island, a faint hint of dawn appeared on the horizon.
He arrived quickly and returned even faster.
Stepping off the gangway, the cool breeze of early morning brushed his face, dispelling the dust and gunpowder scent from the small town in Tennessee.
Everything in the Base was orderly, as if he had never left.
This sense of control, isolating chaos and risk, made him incredibly comfortable.
"Sir, welcome back."
The voice of the AI, "contract," rang out.
"Mr. Stark's 'Family Fun Protocol' has been successfully activated, and the first batch of War Machine armor is expected to arrive in the designated airspace in forty minutes."
"Very good."
Back in his office, William untied his tie and tossed it onto the sofa, then comfortably sank into his boss's chair.
He had configured a top-tier "risk solution" for Tony Stark—Captain America, Cloak and Dagger, plus an Iron Legion that was about to arrive.
This lineup, let alone dealing with a quack like Killian, would be more than enough to fight a localized war on another Planet.
And himself?
He merely moved his lips and made a few phone calls, successfully transforming a friend's crisis into a perfect team drill.
He also gained a priceless Extremis research sample.
Zero cost, high return.
Just as he was about to pour himself a glass of whiskey to reward himself, an urgent ringing broke the silence.
William frowned.
Only one person could be contacting him at this hour.
"contract, connect."
A holographic projection unfolded before him, and a red-haired figure appeared on the screen, with a rapidly moving night scene in the background.
Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow.
Her face showed a rare solemnity and urgency.
"William." Her voice was brief and powerful, without any wasted words, "Nick Fury was attacked by HYDRA. He is now of unknown status, and I need your help."
Fury was attacked?
So fast?
It had been less than twenty-four hours since he sold the Insight Project intelligence to him.
That old fox hadn't even had time to fully initiate his purge before HYDRA preempted him with a direct "decapitation strike."
His mind raced.
S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was already in chaos.
HYDRA was undoubtedly relentlessly pursuing Fury to gain complete control of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The fact that Natasha came to him instead of the Avengers at this time indicated that the situation was extremely critical.
She no longer trusted anyone within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Well!
Although he was a businessman!
He was still very trustworthy!
"Agent Romanoff, I am sorry to hear that news."
"However, my company's main business is risk management and asset insurance, and we do not provide armed rescue services. This is beyond my scope of business."
He wanted to refuse.
Why didn't Nick Fury buy his insurance?
Getting involved in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s murky waters was too risky.
"One hundred million U.S. dollars."
"As long as you are willing to protect Fury until we clear the threat. One hundred million U.S. dollars, transferred to your account."
Hearing that number, William almost laughed out loud.
"Agent Romanoff, you may not be very familiar with market prices."
"Just yesterday, I sold Director Fury a piece of intelligence worth five hundred million U.S. dollars."
"Now, you're telling me that his own life, the life of the esteemed Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is only worth one-fifth of the price he paid to look at a document?"
"This is too insulting. Not only is it insulting to Director Fury, but it is also insulting to our company's professionalism."
Natasha on the other end of the line fell silent.
She clearly hadn't expected William to bargain so directly.
This profiteering bastard!
"...What do you want?"
"It's simple."
William held up five fingers.
"Five hundred million. I will provide Fury with the highest level of security and protection until the crisis is resolved. One price. After all, saving the World always has to have a price that matches it, right?"
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