"What do you think, Mr. Pennyworth? Join us and contribute to world peace."
As Reid kept an eye on Tony and Luthor's conversation, he nonchalantly responded to Nick Fury's invitation.
Fury had finished his pitch, but something felt off. Normally, young people at this age—unless they were born evil—would at least be excited about the idea of protecting world peace, especially with the generous pay involved.
And Reid wasn't just any young man. He had the skills to be more than qualified.
So why wasn't he reacting at all? If anything, he seemed... distracted?
Reid was indeed distracted.
Even though he had Martian Manhunter's abilities and could easily handle multiple things at once, that didn't mean he wanted to.
To him, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempt to recruit him was pointless, so he couldn't be bothered to care.
Fury wasn't even the director yet, and even if he was, Reid had no interest in the organization.
He had already decided—S.H.I.E.L.D. would cease to exist in the future.
What was the point of joining? To fight with Hydra's spies over who'd be the next director?
He had no time for a doomed organization.
Still, since Fury had gone through the effort of making his case, Reid figured he should at least respond—if only to maintain his persona as Alfred's adopted son.
He met Fury's gaze and spoke calmly.
"Mr. Fury, what kind of answer are you hoping for?"
'As if there was any other answer.' Fury didn't say it out loud, but they both knew the answer.
He wanted Reid to join S.H.I.E.L.D., ideally as his direct subordinate, which would make future operations much easier.
But admitting that outright would sound like he was begging.
In reality, though, he kind of was.
"World peace... what a beautiful idea," Reid said with a faint smile. "But tell me, Mr. Fury, do you really think it's possible?"
Fury's expression darkened.
Unbothered, Reid continued, "Take identical batches of dough and bake them in the same oven. The weight, color, texture, and appearance of the bread will all turn out differently. Some loaves will stand out—more desirable, more sought after. When everyone wants the same piece of bread, how do you plan to stop them from fighting over it?"
Fury said nothing.
Reid wasn't preaching complex philosophy—he was simply stating reality.
Humans competed at every moment in life. And when competition became most brutal, it was called war.
World peace could only exist if humanity stopped competing. But if humans stopped competing, they would also stop progressing.
It was an inherently contradictory concept—purely emotional, with no real basis in reality.
Even the definition of "world" kept expanding as time moved forward.
"But we can at least control the scope of conflict," Fury countered. "By uniting our strength, we can protect humanity. We can protect Earth."
Reid raised an eyebrow.
"What strength have you united? A handful of elite soldiers borrowed from different nations? If they were truly powerful, why would those nations hand them over to you?"
"I—"
Fury tried to argue back. He couldn't just let someone dismiss his ideals so easily.
Maybe in the future, once he became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, he'd learn to stay calm. But right now, there was still a part of him that was impulsive.
But Reid didn't give him the chance.
"If the U.S. and other superpowers went to war, what would you do?"
Nick Fury fell completely silent. What could he do? If a world war truly broke out, how much could he actually accomplish?
The answer was simple—nothing.
Even now, when he wasn't yet the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the truth was clear. Even if he were, S.H.I.E.L.D. was an organization that relied on funding from the World Security Council just to function. It had no power to intervene in conflicts between nations.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was just a fancier version of the United Nations—nothing more than a tool for world governments.
In that moment, Fury realized something.
The young man standing before him, despite his age, already had his own understanding of the world. There was no way he could convince Reid to join S.H.I.E.L.D. with talk of ideals. Any further effort would be a waste of time.
"My apologies for the disturbance. Mr. Pennyworth, let's just pretend this conversation never happened."
With that, Fury turned and left the funeral with Coulson.
But deep inside, his resolve hardened. If he wanted S.H.I.E.L.D. to truly protect the world, it couldn't remain shackled by the governments of the world.
It needed to stand apart. Independent.
...
As the funeral came to an end, the guests gradually departed. But Tony was still deep in conversation with Lex Luthor.
"If a space station needs to be built in the future, I can provide the Arc Reactor technology to LexCorp."
Their deal was nearly finalized.
All Tony wanted was a single satellite. One that could monitor Earth for any signs of Hydra activity.
While eavesdropping on their conversation, Reid couldn't help but compare.
Both were billionaire heirs. Both loved their high-tech suits. Yet, Tony and Batman couldn't have been more different.
Tony was good—genuinely so. But he was also still that carefree, reckless playboy at heart. He had principles, but those principles were flexible, always following his own instincts.
This collaboration with Luthor, for example.
He was essentially launching a surveillance satellite to monitor the entire planet. A floating eye in Earth's orbit, always watching.
His justification? To track Hydra.
This was a direct violation of people's privacy. It meant putting the entire world under his watch. Hardly the actions of a conventional hero.
But Tony's morality wasn't bound by strict rules. If he believed something was right, then it was—no matter what anyone else thought.
Batman, on the other hand, was different.
His sense of justice didn't stem from pure kindness but from a deep hatred of crime.
That hatred burned within him, threatening to consume him entirely. Not even Batman was immune to its pull.
To prevent himself from being swallowed by that darkness, he had strict rules.
Unbreakable lines he would never cross. He only fought crime—nothing else.
There was even a moment in the movie The Dark Knight where Batman did something similar to what Tony was doing now.
Using Wayne Enterprises' resources, he developed a system to eavesdrop on all of Gotham's soundwaves. A way to instantly locate any criminal hiding in the city.
But he only used it once.
Against the Joker.
And the moment that battle was over, he destroyed the system.
That was the difference between them.
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