However, Daisy was not someone Nick Fury could fool so easily.
After silently estimating what she considered a reasonable amount, he handed her a bank card.
“Remember, this is my personal money.
It has nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.” Daisy quickly nodded and accepted the card.
After their conversation ended, Fury got out of the car and drove away.
Watching his vehicle disappear into the night, Daisy scoffed.
Personal money?
As if anyone would believe that.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
had established more than a hundred secret bases around the world under the authority of the World Security Council.
On top of that, Nick Fury had personally set up numerous safe houses across the globe.
After later events—some being seized by the government, infiltrated by HYDRA, or destroyed through self-destruct mechanisms—a conservative estimate still put the number at around thirty.
These safe houses were far more than ordinary apartments.
They contained missile silos, helipads, training facilities, vast weapon stockpiles, and protection against explosions, poison gas, and countless other threats.
They were called safe houses, but in reality, they were fully equipped military installations.
How could a salaried director possibly afford to build more than thirty military facilities?
In Daisy’s opinion, Nick Fury was the greatest embezzler in the Marvel Universe.
His record was likely unmatched and perhaps never surpassed.
Even HYDRA, despite its talent for siphoning resources, could not compare, even if all of its senior leaders pooled their efforts.
The World Security Council’s dissatisfaction with Fury and its repeated attempts to replace him were not without reason.
His spending had become an increasingly heavy burden for several member nations.
No one knew how many contingency plans he had prepared.
He was even wary of the subordinates he trusted most.
Throughout the entire conversation, neither of them had mentioned her Superpower.
Daisy could only assume the worst: Fury already knew about it but deliberately chose not to bring it up, intending to keep it as a secret known only to him.
She could, in theory, try to eliminate him to keep the secret contained, but she had no confidence in succeeding.
Nick Fury was nothing like the comparatively limited version portrayed in the movies.
As a member of the Brotherhood of the Shield and the Zodiac, he had survived countless overt and covert attacks and undoubtedly possessed numerous hidden contingencies.
If she failed and he escaped, the consequences would be endless.
There was no reason for her to take such a risk.
Accepting a little of his money would make their relationship much more amicable—or so she believed.
She immediately checked the balance.
The card contained fifty thousand dollars, finally easing her financial difficulties.
Rather than heading straight to the S.H.I.E.L.D.
Academy, she met with her team the following day to discuss how to market their big data platform.
In the end, James Wesley had accepted her offer after all.
Ordinary high school dropouts held little appeal for him, but people with Superpowers were a different matter.
That had been a major factor in his decision.
Deep down, he still believed that strength determined influence.
James Wesley, the gang’s former strategist, became the company’s operations manager.
The patient and methodical David Lieberman handled technical development, while Maki Matsumoto, serving as legal counsel, rounded out the team.
This was Daisy’s core group.
At first glance, the team seemed underwhelming, but each member had tremendous potential.
James had once served as Kingpin’s right-hand man in managing his criminal empire.
David would eventually become the NSA analyst known as “Microchip,” and Maki Matsumoto would later become the assassin known as Lady Bullseye.
Their futures were anything but ordinary.
If Daisy could bring out the best in all three of them, reaching the Fortune 500 would not be out of the question.
“Everyone, I secured another unconditional investment last night—fifty thousand dollars.
I’ve already deposited it into the company account.
The research and development phase of our big data platform is complete.
Let’s discuss our plans for the next stage.” As the owner of a company barely staying afloat, it had pained her to transfer the money into the business account.
Maki Matsumoto spoke first.
It was obvious she had been thinking about the issue for days.
“We don’t have much name recognition yet.
Could we begin by targeting small and medium-sized businesses?
The profits would be lower, but building a strong reputation would ensure a steady flow of future clients.” She had once been a lawyer in Japan, and after escaping her previous circumstances, Maki had gradually returned to a normal state of mind.
Aside from becoming slightly excited whenever Daisy was around, she behaved calmly in everyday life.
Her reasoning was well organized, although she occasionally struggled to find the right English word and repeated a few terms in Japanese.
After spending several days together, Daisy could understand bits and pieces of Japanese.
James Wesley, meanwhile, was fluent in multiple languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian.
After listening to Maki, he replied in Japanese with obvious disdain.
“Why waste time on small businesses?
If we’re going to do this, we should work with major corporations.” His dismissive attitude irritated Maki.
With a swift motion, she pulled a dagger from her backpack.
The sudden movement startled James, who immediately looked toward Daisy.
Daisy found the situation almost amusing.
After only a few days of training, Maki’s edge was already beginning to show.
Even if she never became Lady Bullseye, she certainly wasn’t going to remain defenseless.
“It’s fine.
Let’s keep this discussion civil.
Maki is a very gentle person.” She quickly persuaded Maki to put the dagger away.
Maki’s expression immediately softened.
She bowed politely and apologized to both James and the equally startled David, bringing the brief incident to an end.
Daisy thought it over carefully.
Personally, she also wanted to secure contracts with major corporations, become an overnight success, and enjoy a constant stream of business.
That fit the fast-paced nature of New York’s business environment far better than slowly building a reputation.
Still, reputation mattered.
Large corporations were known for being difficult to approach and demanding in their standards.
Their team consisted of a high school dropout, a former gang strategist, a patient computer specialist, and a Japanese legal advisor.
None of them had the status or influence that would earn an audience with major corporations.
Expecting executives to welcome them with open arms was unrealistic.
She thought of Aldrich Killian from Iron Man 3, who had once been left waiting alone on a rooftop by Tony Stark for an entire night.
That alone demonstrated how difficult it was to gain the attention of powerful figures.
Compared to Killian’s team, theirs was in an even weaker position.
At least Killian held a doctorate and had been invited to the New Millennium Expo.
Their only real advantage was that they all made a favorable first impression.
In this era, appearance still carried considerable weight.
She turned to James Wesley.
“Mr.
Wesley, do you have any business connections we could use?” He looked back at her.
“If I had connections like that, would I be working for you?” Daisy was left speechless.
It seemed Kingpin’s organization truly had fallen on hard times if even his chief lieutenant lacked influential contacts.
She knew that once Kingpin rose to become New York’s underworld king, James Wesley, acting as his public representative, would be able to walk into the offices of powerful business leaders like Obadiah Stane or Norman Osborn without an appointment.
For now, however, she would have to find another way.