Jessica's display of strength left everyone stunned. Foggy recoiled in shock, his neck craning backward.
The thought of all the times he'd teased Jessica—this seemingly harmless girl—made his neck ache. If she ever hit him, he'd be stuffed into a coffin and buried six feet under.
The older officer, Michael, winced and rubbed his ribs, as if recalling something unpleasant.
Natasha was even more surprised. She hadn't expected a young girl to possess such raw power. Leaving a handprint in a solid table wasn't something just anyone could do. At the very least, she'd never seen anyone at SHIELD capable of such a feat with pure physical strength alone.
The intel she'd received hadn't mentioned this absurdly strong girl. In fact, all the information about this restaurant was wrong!
Just then, the restaurant door swung open again. A middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit stepped inside, his thinning hairline and warm smile giving off an approachable vibe.
His genuine grin was disarming as he walked up to the counter and nodded at Alvin. "Apologies for the trouble. Phil Coulson, SHIELD agent."
Coulson then turned to Natasha. "Agent Romanoff, I regret to inform you that our intel was faulty. It was nearly a year out of date. The Purple Man hasn't been here for a long time."
He sighed. "I'm not sure how this happened, but you'll need to file a report with HQ explaining your… lack of initiative today."
Natasha's face remained icy as she nodded silently. She spun on her heel and strode toward the exit—she didn't want to spend another second here. Wasting time on expired intel was beyond stupid. Someone would pay for this.
Alvin watched the so-called "glue of the Avengers," Agent Phil Coulson, with amusement.
"You think you can just waltz in here, throw your weight around, and walk away unscathed?" Alvin's voice was light, but his words carried an edge. "Let me remind you—this is Hell's Kitchen. The Peace Restaurant. Nobody does wrong here without consequences."
The moment he finished speaking, Natasha—who had just reached the door—let out a sharp grunt as she was hurled back inside. She landed ungracefully on the floor, legs splayed, as the monstrously large black wolf, Thor, snarled at her with bared teeth.
Coulson reacted instantly, whipping out his gun and leveling it at Thor. But before he could take aim, the second wolf, Doom, slipped in through the door, circling along the wall to flank him. The beast bared its fangs, a low, guttural growl rumbling in its throat.
"Mr. Yé," Coulson said, his smile gone but his voice steady, "are you certain you want to assault a SHIELD agent? Have you considered the repercussions?" His gun swung between the two wolves as he fixed Alvin with a hard stare.
Alvin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he smirked. "I've got surveillance footage and audio recordings. Clear evidence of Agent Romanoff here abusing her authority to threaten a law-abiding citizen."
He tilted his head. "And you, Agent Coulson, think a simple apology is enough? That's… optimistic."
Turning to Matt, Alvin asked, "Matt, if I sued them over this, what would happen?"
Matt took a leisurely sip of his lemonade before answering. "You could nail them for abuse of power, intimidation of civilians—oh, and now, brandishing a firearm to threaten a citizen's pets."
He shrugged. "Result? Both agents lose their jobs. SHIELD would have to publicly explain why their operatives disregard civilian safety during missions. Why they think they can strong-arm people who refuse to cooperate."
A slow smile spread across his face. "Oh, and you'd probably get a nice financial settlement too."
Jessica clapped in delight. Her hostility toward any organization that would recruit scum like the Purple Man had only grown.
Coulson's forehead glistened with sweat. The seasoned agent could handle dangerous criminals, but against a sharp attorney like Matt—especially when both logic and force were against him—he was at a loss.
SHIELD had never been popular with U.S. law enforcement. And lately, after a string of incidents, relations with the FBI and Homeland Security had turned downright frosty.
Still, Coulson kept his cool. Instead of arguing, he said quietly, "Then what would it take, Mr. Yé, for you to overlook my colleague's… impulsiveness? She's bled for this country. I think you know that."
Alvin waved a hand, signaling Thor and Doom to return to their posts by the door. He then poured a beer and slid it toward Coulson. "You're right. I fished her out of the water last week and called her an ambulance."
Thinking the tension had eased, Coulson holstered his gun and took a seat at the counter. He lifted the beer for a sip—
"The ambulance and upfront medical fees totaled $2,000. Matt, add that to the bill. They're paying me back."
Coulson nearly choked on his drink. One offhand remark, and he'd just tacked an extra two grand onto SHIELD's tab.
"Oh, and Foggy," Alvin added cheerfully, "didn't you say you know people in the media? Give them a call. I'm sure they'd love an inside look at how SHIELD operates." He smirked. "Consider this a legal retainer—your firm takes 20% of the settlement as the fee."
Foggy perked up. "20%? That's lowballing it. Make it 50%. Going up against SHIELD isn't exactly risk-free."
"40%. Final offer. Your efforts will determine whether the corner kindergarten gets new jungle gyms or a pile of scrap."
Foggy snapped off a mock salute. "Sir, yes sir! I'll call the press right now." He whipped out his phone, grinning. "Alvin, you're a legend. I'm donating half my cut to the kindergarten fund."
Coulson dragged a hand over his thinning hair. Since when did civilians not only refuse to cooperate with SHIELD but sue them? Was there no respect for authority left?
He hastily intercepted Foggy—and, ever the sharp agent, noted the number dialed was indeed FOX News' tip line.
"Mr. Yé," Coulson said, forcing calm, "let's discuss this rationally. There's no need to escalate. This was one agent's mistake, not SHIELD's standard protocol."
He met Alvin's gaze pleadingly. "Name a reasonable price, and we'll settle this quietly."
By now, Natasha had picked herself up and stood behind Coulson. She studied Alvin with newfound interest.
In all her years, she'd never seen anyone handle SHIELD's pressure with such ease.
The faulty intel had led to her missteps, and while her goal—ending this mission quickly—had been achieved, the humiliation still stung.
Once Coulson smoothed things over, she'd track down the bastard who'd nearly gotten her killed. And then?
She'd be back.
A ace agent didn't stay down. She got up—right where she'd fallen.
Alvin caught Natasha's stare and suppressed a shiver. Not fear—just the unsettling sense that being on this old monster's radar meant trouble down the line.