Marvelous Martial Arts (A Marvel Story)

Fury kept his composure, as he always did. The same could not be said about his two companions. Despite his major lack of context, Steve caught on to the accusation directly. Mason could almost feel the confusion emanating from him, but his military training made him stare at Mason instead, seemingly ready to interfere if things got violent.

Agent 19, on the other hand, looked guilty, which was an interesting response in and of itself.

If he thought anything of the reactions of the two, Fury made no sign of it as he leaned forward, saying lightly, ”Then there’s no need to beat around the bush. Yes, the order came from someone within SHIELD. They were… dispensed with, I assure you.”

Mason kept smiling, because he knew it was likely not really SHIELD who had given the order, but Hydra instead. Be it in comics or the MCU, Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD since basically its inception, so it only made sense it would be the case in this reality as well.

And if there was anyone the Hand would be friends with, it would be Hydra.

Looking at Captain America and Nick Fury, the temptation to just tell them about Hydra was definitely there, but Mason knew it would create more problems than solutions. The first of which would be to make his claim credible.

Considering who Nick Fury was, he definitely already had suspicions about a shadowy organization having infiltrated SHIELD, even if he did not know them to be Hydra in particular, so telling him would yield absolutely nothing but trouble for himself. Not to mention, he knew nothing about this Agent 19; she might be Hydra for all he knew.

But the bigger issue was that they were not ready to deal with Hydra yet. Knowing Captain America, chances were that if Mason told him about Hydra and Cap believed him, he would seek to face them directly, no matter how outmatched he was.

Dealing with Hydra was a whole different issue than the Hand. For all their years, the Hand did not have direct access to an Infinity Stone and the infinite energy it produced. Nor the satellites and literal armies Hydra could raise.

So Mason said nothing about Hydra. Instead, he said, ”Well, luckily for you, I am a reasonable man. Clear my name, keep some protective detail around my family, and I’ll forget this ever happened.”

Fury raised a single eyebrow, probably because the other one was covered, and commented, ”My nature would have me arguing for a better deal, but considering we were in the wrong in the first place, alright. You should know, though, that while we may remove the warrant for your arrest, people won’t just forget.”

Mason nodded, satisfied as well. ”It’s fine, I don’t do it to be liked. Besides, taking down the Kingpin should help with that.”

Fury smiled. ”That brings me to the final reason behind my visit. Since we’ve been agreeable so far, I suspect this might interest you. We can help you with Fisk.”

”Do I look like I need help?”

Fury played along, shaking his head. ”Maybe not with the physical side of things, but it is not so easy to put someone like Wilson Fisk behind bars. His influence reaches far and wide.”

”I guess this wouldn’t come freely.”

Fury smiled, clearly more at ease than when Mason had first entered. Although they had detailed reports on Mason, most of it was guesswork based on his actions, since they had failed to establish contact with him.

Their agents might be great spies; it was hard for even the greatest of them to make an approach seem natural when all Mason did all day was meditate.

So Fury had expected an arrogant boy whose power had gotten to his head. To find someone so agreeable had shattered his expectations, only in a good way.

”Indeed, but I assure you, it would be nothing too demanding. Actually, you would only be doing your job.”

Mason’s mind immediately went to the Avengers, but taking a second look at Steve and Agent 19, he understood Fury was talking about something else. ”You want me to train your people? Is that why you brought these two?”

Fury nodded. ”Honestly, your case has confused us ever since you got on our radars. 18 years of virtual insignificance, average grades, anti-social behaviour; your psyche evaluation was borderline suicidal.”

”How long have you been following me?” Mason asked, frowning. Fury’s description was extremely accurate for the old Mason, which was strange.

”Actively? Since the incident with the Fantastic Four. But even before that, you were a person of peripheral significance, because of your relationships. Well, because of your family. It took some work, but internet presence goes a long way.”

Mason nodded, appeased, and Fury continued, ”But then, everything changed in May. Your internet consumption became nearly non-existent, except for a renewed interest in Supers and mutants; pornography went down to zero, your dead social life rose from the grave, and you signed up for a ridiculous amount of fighting sports.”

”Should the class clap for your presentation?”

Fury ignored the jab like it had been meant for someone else. ”This depicts a rather clear picture. That of a young man who experienced a sudden, life-altering change. Say, a mutation.”

Mason laughed so suddenly that both Captain America and Agent 19 flinched, twitching for their weapons. He ignored them, saying, ”You think I’m a mutant? That’s one way to cope, I guess.”

”We couldn’t know for sure unless we got a sample from you. But it does explain your changes quite well, doesn’t it? Morphological changes deemed impossible through all metrics, or your even more absurd speed in Neidan.”

Mason shook his head, not really minding the assumption. It was not like a mutation would have made his achievements any lesser. Most of Mason’s results came from hard work. Not in the last four months, but rather in the 18 years he had been forced to live out as a prisoner. Mason could have easily entered some form of hibernation, but he had actively explored the mysteries of his own soul.

In a sense, the last four months had simply been the realization of those 18 years of stunted progress.

But of course, it was not only hard work. There was some measure of talent as well. Mason did not know how big of a role it played exactly, but he had grasped the Gravity and Fire Dao remarkably quickly.

And at the end of the day, a mutation was only another form of talent, in the sense that it was an inborn characteristic that some had more than others. Reed Richards was the smartest man in the universe without any enhancements, but it was still something he had been born with.

Fundamentally, there was no difference between him and a mutant whose power was enhanced intelligence. The two worked differently, but the result was the same.

So, Mason shrugged. ”Think what you will about me; I fail to understand how this pertains to the offer.”

Fury made a vague gesture, which Mason understood after a moment to be a lazy chop, and said, ”There is no doubt about your martial arts expertise; those hundred-plus fresh graves can attest to that. We already have some of the best in the world, but we would be more interested in the style you created.”

Mason nodded, understanding what Fury was referring to. He had learned a lot from Izo, but the old man had mostly given him guidance on cultivating the Three Treasures. For martial arts, though, there had been plenty of spars; Izo never really taught him techniques, and instead allowed him to develop his own fighting style.

And because of how fast Mason had awakened his Three Treasures, he had not yet had the time to settle for one style in particular. That had allowed him to create a somewhat unique style that blended martial arts with the power of the Three Treasures much more fluidly than most. The only setback was that someone required at the very least an excellent physique to learn it, as it had extremely high requirements for the body.

”But we are not only interested in your martial arts. Your cultivation, as you put it, is what interests us more. That would only be if your methods are replicable, however. If you only reached your current level through a genetic mutation, rather than a method, then your teachings on the matter would not be any more valuable than someone else’s.”