Marvel Disassembler

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"Internal theft would be easier to handle," Arthur muttered, rubbing his temples. "What worries me is if the item was already in the hands of the 'thief' to begin with." 

Natasha sighed. "Neither Steve nor I had direct authority over Loki's staff." 

"That's not surprising," Arthur said with a faint smile on his face. "To put it bluntly, you're both just weapons. If I joined SHIELD, I'd be no different - just another weapon in their arsenal. They have no reason, nor would it be feasible, to entrust such a thing to either of us." 

Natasha nodded. "We haven't stopped investigating SHIELD's internal affairs, but we haven't made any progress. We used to have some leads, but after the Battle of the New York, all traces were erased. The person we had under surveillance died in a car accident." 

"A car accident..." 

"There were suspicious circumstances, but no matter how deeply we investigated, in the end it appeared to be a genuine accident," Natasha said, taking a deep breath. "That leaves only one possibility: whoever is behind this has access to resources outside of SHIELD - perhaps a vast and unknown network. They could even have multiple computer teams involved, calculating every detail of something as mundane as a car accident." 

"Or maybe this person, realizing that he'd been exposed, deliberately threw himself under the wheels," Arthur added. 

"Steve suspects the same thing," Natasha said. "If Hydra is involved, they have no shortage of agents willing to die for their cause. But regardless, our trail has been completely cut off." 

"Not necessarily." 

Arthur thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I need information on someone." 

"Who?" 

"Alexander Pierce," Arthur replied. 

Natasha's expression changed when she heard that name. "Are you serious?" 

"Very serious," Arthur confirmed. "Since investigating from the bottom up isn't working, I'll take action myself." 

"...All right!" 

Natasha agreed without hesitation or asking any further questions. 

"You trust me that much?" Arthur asked in surprise. "Frankly, I still don't understand why you have such unwavering faith in me." 

'Is it the halo of the protagonist? Or the blessing of fate? Or is it because I am handsome?' 

"Because someone trusted you for a lifetime, and I inherited that trust," Natasha said, looking directly at him. "I can give you my complete loyalty. But if one day I discover that what you do and what you say are two different things, I won't hesitate to betray you. So far, though, you haven't let me down - especially after what you did at the Battle of New York. That only solidified my belief." 

Her eyes reddened slightly, and suddenly she threw herself into Arthur's arms, whispering, "It's such a relief to have you back. 

Arthur froze, his arms hovering awkwardly in the air. Finally, he patted her head gently and said, "All right, all right. I've told you I'm a proper man. How can you just throw yourself at me like that? Especially with a figure like yours... I 'am' a man, after all." 

Arthur pushed her back gently and looked serious. "Don't investigate internally anymore. The fact that the person you were pursuing is dead suggests that your actions have already been noticed. In this situation, digging for internal information could alert the enemy. Be careful, take your time - we can afford to wait. The worst case scenario..." 

"Worst case scenario?" Natasha asked, watching him closely. "We can't let it come to that." 

"True. But the worst-case scenario is that we discover their moves just before they act. By then, any conflict that ensues could expose everything to the world. Whether SHIELD would survive such exposure is uncertain. To us, a Fury without SHIELD and a Fury in control of SHIELD are two very different prospects." 

"I see," Natasha said with a nod. "The web you're weaving hasn't fully taken shape yet. Only by securing SHIELD can Earth's defenses truly begin to take shape." 

"You know... Smart women aren't always likable," Arthur muttered. 

"If I were less clever, would you like me more?" Natasha asked suddenly.

Arthur froze for a moment, thinking that Natasha was teasing him again. But when he looked at her, he saw nothing but seriousness in her eyes. 

For a brief second, he felt a strange chill, an inexplicable shiver, and said, "Well, being too stupid could get you killed. 

"That's true," Natasha replied after a moment of thought, sighing softly. "I'll be careful. Shall I tell Steve to meet you?" 

"Let him know when the time is right," Arthur said. "He has too many eyes on him compared to us. Frequent contact could attract unwanted attention, and that is the last thing I want." 

"Got it." 

Natasha took a few steps back, then looked back at Arthur and smiled suddenly. "You've definitely put on some weight." 

"...Huh?" Arthur blinked in confusion. 

"I'll say goodbye for now," Natasha said. "But after that, if possible, we should establish a more discreet means of communication." 

"I'll take care of it," Arthur nodded in agreement. 

---

After returning to his room, Arthur noticed that his back was soaked with sweat. 

For a moment he was dazed. Was Natasha serious about what she had said earlier? Or was she joking? 

"That look in her eyes..." 

Arthur scratched his head as phrases like "life's greatest misunderstandings" swirled through his mind. 

Considering Natasha's identity as a spy and her teasing him back on the Helicarrier, Arthur came to a conclusion— one he didn't fully believe himself: "She's just 'too' good at acting." 

Saying that, he flopped down on the bed. 

The soft mattress cushioned his back as he stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting. "Suddenly, I feel more connected to this world. It's true - bonds form easily between people. Had it not been for those seventy lost years, I might not have felt so disconnected from this world. But now there's Steve, Natasha, Tony, Banner... even Thor, Odin, Queen Frigga, Star-Lord out in the stars... and Lily. More and more people, and more and more connections... It's nice." 

Sitting up abruptly, Arthur grabbed a pen and paper from the bedside table and began organizing the information at hand. 

Tony's research plans were given, but the two pieces of information he had received from Natasha were critical. 

One concerned his personal combat capabilities. 

The other... hinted at the potential for major events to unfold in the future. 

'(End of Chapter)'