Marvel's Princess - Chapter 73
Dealing with the spider eradication wasn’t Bella’s concern anymore. She took a long, hot shower at the hotel in Tucson, using up half a bottle of body wash. She couldn’t shake the feeling of spider fuzz still clinging to her skin, making her uncomfortable.
Natasha wasn’t as finicky. She took a quick shower and got to work trying to recover data from the damaged hard drives they had found. However, the damage was severe, and data recovery required specialized knowledge. In the year 2000, the internet didn’t have as much information as it would in later years. Natasha mentioned to Bella, who was still in the shower that she was heading to the Tucson library.
At the library, Natasha diligently perused books on data recovery, taking notes as she went. A tall, imposing man appeared behind her when she stood up to grab another book.
Dressed in black leather, with an eyepatch and numerous scars across his face and neck, the man took a seat where Natasha had been reading. His one good eye focused intensely on her.
“Natasha Romanoff,” the man said, pointing at her notes. “You know as well as I do that your current method of investigation is inefficient and has a low probability of yielding useful information.”
The young woman showed no sign of fear, her eyes probing the stranger.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Nobody important.”
“I’ll ask again, who are you?”
“You seem more assertive than the last person I recruited. Fine, call me Nick Fury.”
Natasha didn’t recognize the name and coldly ended the conversation. “I don’t know you. Leave me alone.”
Fury shook his head slightly. “I’ve read many teachers’ evaluations of you. Despite being proficient in many subjects, you intentionally score poorly. You get difficult questions right but mess up the simple ones. Why? Are you showing off your intelligence?”
“What I do is none of your business,” Natasha replied firmly.
“You have great potential, more than you realize. Right now, that potential is untapped,” Fury continued, his elbows resting on the table, hands clasped together, eyes on the bookshelves. “You could achieve more efficient, faster, and accurate learning. The current educational system isn’t suited for you. Your future should be much broader, not confined to searching for answers in these useless books.”
Natasha grabbed her bag and started to leave.
Fury’s voice grew louder. “What are you afraid of? What are you jealous of? That others are stronger, more decisive, play a bigger role in events, while you’re just a useless burden?”
The words stung, making Natasha stop in her tracks. She turned back, anger in her eyes. “You’re talking nonsense!”
Fury shrugged, looking at her like she was a child who hadn’t grown up. “You know it’s true. You should be able to objectively assess your role in recent events. If you can’t even do that, then I’m very disappointed.”
“What do you know about it? What organization are you from? FBI? CIA?”
“If you want to uncover the truth behind Prosperity Town, we can provide resources. Whether you find anything depends on your abilities. Our full name is the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.”
Natasha was silent for a few seconds. Fury pulled out a business card, sliding it across the table. “If you’re interested, call this number. Someone will train you. I see potential in you, but if you fail the training, our organization won’t take you.”
He stood up, adjusting his leather jacket, and turned to leave.
Natasha couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Why choose me? Why not her?”
Fury glanced back. “We’re not traditional good guys. Your friend is a traditional good person, not what we’re looking for. Besides,” he hesitated, “your friend is bad luck. Trouble follows her. If she came to our headquarters, I wouldn’t be surprised if an aircraft carrier fell out of the sky and hit me.”
“Aircraft carriers don’t fly. Do you even know basic science?”
“It’s a metaphor.”
“Achoo!” Bella, wrapped in a towel, sneezed loudly.
She rubbed her nose and realized she’d spent too long in the shower—two hours! She must have caught a cold.
Noticing Natasha wasn’t back yet, she got dressed and decided to grab some food.
Tucson offered no special accommodations for them. Their troubles from Prosperity Town were not Tucson’s problem. They were directed to state or federal aid. Beyond basic necessities, they were on their own.
Bella carried her bank card, which made things easier. Feeling it would be inappropriate to eat alone, she planned to invite Charlie and Samantha.
The middle-aged man who had claimed to own a mine had played no significant role in the crisis. Though he had a mine, it was now the spider nest. Regardless of salary, no one would dare work there. In the competition with Charlie, the middle-aged man was thoroughly defeated.
Safety is paramount for a woman. Charlie provided that sense of security, and combined with Natasha and Bella’s good relationship, Samantha made her final choice.
Entering the room, Bella found the two sheriffs discussing the future.
Samantha was worried. Prosperity Town was gone, with over three-quarters of the population dead. The military’s use of powerful weapons had obliterated the town. Scientists needed to investigate the cause of the spider mutations, making it uninhabitable for ordinary people.
The town’s mayor was dead, and as sheriff, Samantha had fulfilled her duty to protect the people. Saving a quarter of the population in such chaos was commendable. But with the town gone, her job was effectively over.
Finding a new job at her age wouldn’t be easy.
“What about you, Charlie?” Bella asked, probing her father’s intentions.
“It’s possible, but Forks is too small. I was thinking…” Charlie trailed off.
If he wanted to maintain the status quo, they could stay in Forks, where Samantha could become a deputy sheriff, running a family business together.
But as a man, he couldn’t only think about himself.
He had to consider Samantha’s future, and now even Natasha’s future was a factor.
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