Inside the medical bay of the Helicarrier.
The medics had already finished tending to Natasha's wounds, and most of them had withdrawn.
Nick Fury and Maria Hill stepped into the room.
"Director, Hill." Natasha lay on the bed. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head slightly.
"Natasha." Nick Fury's single eye fixed on her intently. Though the injuries had been treated, faint traces still marked her lower abdomen and right arm. It puzzled him — the mission he'd assigned her shouldn't have been difficult. She had already retrieved Dr. Stern safely, and he could barely remember the last time Natasha Romanoff had been injured on assignment.
"It was the Hulk," Natasha said with a wry smile. "An accident."
She had been preparing to leave after Harry departed, but Dr. Stern's condition complicated things. According to Harry, Stern's mind had been mutated by the Hulk's gamma-irradiated blood — something Natasha hadn't known, leaving her hesitant to act. When Stern finally lost consciousness, the transfer began. But at that moment, Hulk spotted Harry — the one who had fought him before. When the two clashed again, the shockwave and flying debris from their impact struck Natasha as she passed by.
In the end, Hulk roared and stormed off when Betty Ross suddenly appeared. The injured Natasha managed to deliver the unconscious Dr. Stern to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents waiting nearby before returning to the Helicarrier.
"Did you find anything?" Fury asked, his tone sharp. His instincts told him something unusual had happened.
"Yes." Natasha nodded slowly. "Dr. Stern's brain has been infected by Bruce Banner's gamma blood. It's mutated — that's what Harry Osborn told me."
"You mean Harry Osborn was there?" Maria Hill stepped forward immediately, the name triggering her attention. She didn't even notice Nick Fury's faint look of surprise.
"Uh…" Natasha blinked, startled by Hill's sudden reaction — the normally calm deputy rarely showed emotion. "Yes. It was Harry Osborn who told me about Stern's infection. He also said our people should come collect the 'goods' tomorrow afternoon. And…" She hesitated.
"That's it?" Fury's tone softened slightly; the skateboard project had apparently been completed. But Natasha's eyes said she had more to add.
"I think Harry Osborn knows too much about us," Natasha said after a pause. "He called me by name — even though we've never met — and he knew I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D."
"I see," Fury murmured, lowering his head. His face betrayed nothing, but his mind churned with unease.
He knew exactly how well S.H.I.E.L.D. concealed itself. Even Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark — one of the agency's founders — hadn't known of its true nature until Fury personally revealed it. For Harry Osborn, whose family had long been exiled from the world's inner circles, to have such insight… it was no small matter. Fury had already regarded the young man seriously — but now, for the first time, he considered him as an equal.
"I understand." Fury turned to leave, his voice steady but heavy with thought. He needed space — to think through the implications of everything he'd just learned.
"Get some rest," Maria Hill said to Natasha before following the Director out.
"Harry Osborn, huh?" Natasha murmured once they were gone, arching a brow. "Seems like quite the man." Then she shrugged. Whatever schemes Fury and Hill were running were above her clearance level. As a Level Six agent, she didn't need to concern herself with such matters.
…
Early morning sunlight streamed through the tall curtains of the old Osborn mansion. A thin beam of golden light slipped between the drapes, falling across the face of the young man sleeping peacefully in the large bed. As the sun climbed higher, the light crept toward his eyes.
"Mmm…" Harry stirred, frowning slightly in his sleep.
"This is…" he muttered, blinking open his eyes — then quickly shutting them again against the brightness.
After a moment, he sat up, letting his gaze roam across the familiar room. He was back in the old Osborn family estate.
Remembering what had happened before he'd blacked out, Harry raised his arm carefully. It still ached, but his bones felt solid again. The spider venom — originally developed by Norman Osborn to heal his own illness — had mutated within Harry, granting regenerative powers enhanced by his armor's nanotech. Between science and biology, his body had repaired itself astonishingly fast.
He unwrapped the thick gauze from his arm and flexed it. Aside from a few bruises, it looked normal again. "The power of science…" he murmured with a faint smile.
"Al? Al!" Harry called as he stepped toward the door.
Just as he opened it, Felicia appeared on the other side, her face pale and drawn. She was holding a basin of water, one hand raised to knock.
"Harry!" she gasped — then dropped everything and threw her arms around him.
With a loud clang, the basin hit the floor, splashing water over both of them. Harry didn't care. He simply wrapped his arms around her, patting her back gently.
"I'm fine," he said softly. He hadn't realized until now how fragile Felicia looked — or how genuine her fear had been.
"I was so worried about you, Harry," she whispered, her voice breaking as tears ran down her cheeks.
"It's okay, Felicia," Harry murmured, his tone warm and reassuring.
After a moment, her breathing slowed, and her body grew heavy in his arms.
"Sigh…" Harry smiled helplessly, catching her as she slumped asleep. He lifted her easily, laid her on the bed, and carefully covered her with a blanket. Her once vibrant face was pale, her eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Her slim body curled unconsciously beneath the quilt — worn down not only by fatigue, but worry.
Harry felt a pang of guilt — and the faint thought that he might need to scold her for overworking herself when she woke.
He drew the curtains closed, dimming the light, then quietly stepped out of the room.
"Master…" Old Al was waiting just outside, having already ordered someone to mop up the water by the door.
"Al, I'm starving," Harry said, rubbing his empty stomach.
"Breakfast is ready, young master," Al replied with a slight bow. "And the items you brought back have been stored properly."
"Perfect," Harry said with a faint smile.
---
A/N: New Fanfic Is Out " Naruto: I'm Boruto Uzumaki"
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