Liam leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, letting the silence sit heavy in the air. Fury's mind was clearly running wild.
Liam waited. He didn't rush him. He could almost see the denial and anger twisting in Fury's head. The cracks forming. The realization settling in like ice.
Then, he dropped the next bomb.
"I know," Liam said suddenly, his voice calm but sharp as glass, "the names of some of the people who are the face of S.H.I.E.L.D. right now… but actually belong to HYDRA."
Fury's head snapped toward him instantly. His voice dropped to a low growl. "What did you just say?"
Liam met his gaze, steady as ever. "You heard me. Not all, but I do know a few."
Actually this information wasn't from the memories of the man whose body Liam now had. It came from him. From his world. From the movie he'd seen on a screen — the ones that, somehow, had become his reality.
Fury leaned forward, voice tight. "Then talk. Who are they?"
Liam didn't answer. He just smiled — that same calm, knowing smile that made Fury's blood boil.
Fury's good eye narrowed. "You're holding back," he said flatly.
Liam shrugged, casual as ever. "Information like that doesn't come cheap."
The two of them stared each other down. Director versus ghost. Predator versus survivor. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
Fury finally exhaled through his nose, leaning back slightly. He could read people better than anyone — and he knew Liam wasn't bluffing. The bastard knew things. But Fury hated being cornered. He hated when someone else held the cards.
He finally cut through the silence. "You got any idea what the hell you just did?" Fury said, voice low and sharp. "You didn't just walk away from HYDRA, you spat in the face of the people who built you. They won't forgive that shit. And they'll chase your ass to the ends of the goddamn earth."
Liam didn't even blink. "Yeah," he said simply. "I figured that much."
Fury leaned forward, his tone harder now. "Good. Then you understand you're done with peace. You won't sleep without wondering who's creeping up on you. You won't eat without thinking someone slipped something in it. Every goddamn day you'll feel that bullet in the dark before it ever hits."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "But I can keep you breathing. That's the one thing I can still put on the table."
Liam chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "Protect me? From HYDRA?
Fury's glare went razor-dark. "Don't play dumb with me. You think I don't know what HYDRA is capable of? I've dealt with more traitors, killers, and sneaky sons of bitches than you've had birthdays. I know the risks. Question is, do you even understand the mess you crawled out of?"
Liam leaned forward, meeting his intensity head-on. "No, Director. I think you don't realize how deep this runs. Also do you really think that I need your protection? Do I need to worry about a bullet being shot at me when it can't do shit to me?"
Fury didn't flinch. His voice dropped to that cold, hard edge he rarely bothered to hide.
"Don't get cocky. HYDRA's got more than bullets, and you damn well know it."
He let that hang for a second, then narrowed his eye.
"So cut the crap and tell me what you're really here for, Walker. What the hell do you want?"
Liam looked at him and spoke slow, like he was counting the words. "Look… the normal shit. An ID. A passport. A real name on paper so I'm not a ghost in every database. A bank account. A driver's license. The usual bullshit that lets you walk around without everyone treating you like a suspect."
He paused, then kept going. "I want to move freely. No checkpoints every five minutes. If I need to cross a border, I cross it—no diplomatic red tape. I want access to S.H.I.E.L.D. transport when I need it."
Another brief beat. "I want the files. The Enhanced Individuals roster. Black-site locations. Containment rosters. The paranormal dossiers — every weird-ass thing you've buried under six folders and half a dozen passwords. I want unmonitored comms for ops, and access to Stark's satellite feeds so I've actually got eyes on the field."
He leaned in a fraction. "And if I call for backup, you send it. No politics. No signatures. No 'we'll see.'"
Liam met Fury's eye, flat and steady. "Give me a legal life and the keys to your toys when I need them. Give me the freedom to use them. Do that — I start cutting HYDRA out of your walls. Don't — well, you saw what happens when your agents act like puppets."
He finished, calm as ever. "That's what a ghost needs."
Fury blinked once, then let out a short, dry laugh. "Motherfucker....you must be outta your goddamn mind." he said flatly, shaking his head.
He leaned forward, anger bubbling in his voice. "You stroll in here with a list that sounds like you're trying to run S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of asking for help.....and you say it like it's nothing. Like I'm some damn vending machine for classified information."
Fury stared at him for a long second, then shook his head again. "You're fucking crazy. Don't think you're turning S.H.I.E.L.D. into your personal war room. I'm not giving you the keys to the kingdom."
He stood up slowly, his coat shifting as he straightened. "You want a legal life? Done. I'll make you a ghost with paperwork...name, ID, clean history. That's easy. But the rest?" He jabbed a finger toward Liam. "Forget it. You're not getting full access. You get limited clearance. You need transport or intel, you go through me or Hill. End of story."
Liam didn't move. He just smiled, almost pleased, like Fury had said exactly what he expected.
"Deal," he muttered showing his full teeth.
Fury froze for a second, completely thrown off by how fast Liam agreed.
That wasn't what he expected. Not even close.
For a guy who had just demanded half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, access to black sites, and a clean record, such immediate acceptance made him feel stifled.
Then it clicked —
'The little bastard played me.'
Liam hadn't meant half the things he said. All that crazy bullshit, unmonitored comms, full satellite control, unlimited clearance.... it was bait. He'd said ridiculous things on purpose so that the reasonable ones sounded fair.
Classic manipulation. Fury had used that trick himself more times than he could count. Just never had it used on him. The HYDRA thing had really thrown him off more than he admitted.
He narrowed his one good eye at Liam, who was leaning back in his chair now, that smug little grin still sitting on his face. The kid knew exactly what he'd done.
And worse, Fury couldn't even do a damn thing about it.
On the outside, he looked calm, collected, unreadable. But inside, he was fuming. Every instinct in him screamed to knock that grin off Liam's face, to remind him who the hell he was dealing with.
But he didn't. He couldn't.
There were bigger problems now.
HYDRA wasn't dead. It was still here. Buried deep in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bones. And if Liam was right....if the kid really knew names, then Fury wasn't running an intelligence agency anymore. He was standing on top of a crazy nest of vipers.
Fury took a slow breath, forcing himself to calm down. Getting pissed at Liam wouldn't fix anything.
He turned slightly, his voice low but sharp. "Hill," he said without looking away from Liam, "get the paperwork started. New identity. Full clearance, level three. Transport privileges, limited to active missions. Keep it quiet. No digital trace."
Hill nodded, already pulling out her tablet.
Tony raised a brow, watching. "Wow. You're really giving him the ghost package, huh? Didn't think you'd fold that fast."
Fury shot him a glare. "I didn't fold, Stark. I'm making a tactical investment."
Tony smirked. "Sure. Let's call it that."
Liam leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, grin still plastered on his face. "Glad we could come to an understanding, Director."
Fury's voice dropped an octave. "Don't push it."
Liam's grin widened. "How could I? You already handed me everything I needed."
For a few seconds, no one spoke. They just stared at each other, two men who knew exactly what the deal meant. One held authority. The other held leverage.
Finally, Fury straightened his coat and turned toward the door. "You'll get what you need," he said, his tone clipped. "But if you screw this up, Walker… if you so much as breathe wrong..."
Liam cut him off, voice casual. "Yeah, yeah, the 'I'll make you disappear' routine. Save it."
Fury let out a long, tired sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
'I swear… I can feel my blood pressure rising. Should've taken that checkup.'
"Alright, Walker," he said as he shook off his thoughts. "Tell me the names."
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