Chapter 41 - First Attack and Grief

(I hope everyone is enjoying the novel. I know I am enjoying writing this! That's why. Join my Patre-on, and you can access all the chapters that have been drafted for this month, and the next month! The Link is in the Synopsis!)

"Yo, can anyone hear me? Is this even working? Hello!" Gwen's voice resounded in the ears of everyone.

Captain America put his finger in his ear, "I am still not used to this. Can you keep it down?"

"Yes, sorry, Captain."

Jay's voice entered the ears of everyone, "there are two teams. Captain, Spider-woman, and Ghost (Ava). You three are attacking a SHIELD facility. Unless your lenses show you, do not kill."

Ava touched the comm in her ear, "why are we attacking SHIELD? Not that I mind."

"If we just attack Hydra, then the Hydra's leader might realize we are targetting them. So, this is to keep them confused. If you are killing, then do not kill all of the Hydra agents. Try knocking them out and insert the chip in them," Jay explained.

"Won't these chips be found?"

"Ultimately, yes. But it will give us the time to attack more of Hydra's hideouts and give Nick and others curious as to why these people were inserted with chips."

Jay was sitting with Banner in the underground Bunker, "Now, the other team is Felicia, Natasha, and Tony. Natasha, this is a Hydra base, so take all the data you can. Hopefully, that would allow us to know more about the personals, and their projects, get to know what Hydra is doing these days. Tony..."

"Yeah?"

"Go ballistic."

"I plan to."

Tony rushed into the facility, sending off missiles, blasting everything around him without even looking.

Natasha and Felicia ran after him while Natasha put her hand on the comm, "Jay, are you sure everyone here is Hydra?"

"Yeah, I sent bees before. Everyone there is an operative of Hydra."

Natasha reached the t-point, seeing Tony go towards the left, the two of them towards the right, seeing Hydra operatives point guns at them, "Electrical Burst!"

Natasha passed by them, riding at walls, with thunder and electricity following after her, knocking out any Hydra Operative in the way.

Felicia stopped following, talking to Jay, "Why am I here?" Looking at the way Natasha and Tony were going. She was filled with doubts that anyone would get away.

"To take Data."

"I can do that. Also, can I get something like what Natasha has?"

"No."

Felicia was just kidding when a storm rose, breaking apart half of the facility, causing a hurricane, "No, I am serious. I want that."

"There is only one."

SHIELD Facility,

Captain America threw his vibranium shield, reflect on the wall, and the head of the men guarding this facility. He took the shield back in his hand, protecting himself from the hail of the bullets.

He stepped towards them when Ghost walked over, the bullets passing through her. She passed through agents, her eyes checking for who was SHIELD and who was Hydra. She killed the Hydra agents, while Gwen knocked out the SHIELD agents.

Captain America looked at them, gesturing Ghost to go straight and Gwen to go right. He, himself, took a left.

Gwen whispered under the mask, crawling on the wall, as she crept over the two agents, firing her web, trying them to the wall, "everyone is so serious. I have only worked alone, fighting the thugs and gangs. It has never been this serious."

Jay chuckled on the comms, "you talk too much. You are in the middle of the fight, surrounded by enemies. It will do you good if you focus."

"Talking keeps me focused. Like there is a guy on my left, he is the point- was pointing his gun at me, now he is hanging on the roof."

"Shut up!!" Tony growled, punching the agent in front of him, in the face. His eyes were filled with rage, the thoughts of his mother, his father flashing in his mind.

There was only one goal, one thought that was inside him, "I will destroy Hydra!"

Underground Bunker,

Banner ate ice cream from the cup, muting the comm, "Is it really ok to let him loose?"

Jay shook his head, "maybe it wasn't. But if Betty was killed...then would you want me to hide your enemy from you? Worried over whether it will affect your psyche?"

Banner sat up, staring at his cup of ice cream, "No... I wouldn't."

"He will sleep tonight, and tomorrow, we will know..." Jay whispered, staring at the screen, looking at the view of two facilities.

"Have you taken the data?"

Felicia replied first, "Yes, I have."

Ghost replied after her, "I have to."

"Good, take anything that looks important, bring it to one room, and use the teleporter to come over."

"Will there be reinforcements?"

"No, Echo is blocking all signals in that area, erasing the feeds. Don't worry. You won't have any company anytime soon."

A few hours later, SHIELD Headquarters,

Natasha walked into Fury's room, "you called?"

"Two of our facilities were attacked," Nick gravely started at the screen in front of him.

Natasha looked towards Maria, "by whom? Did they take something?" Maria showed her the pictures of two facilities. One had been razed to the ground while the other was broken, "we have no idea about this one. While the other, it seems Captain America and Ghost were there."

"Primo? So he finally began an all-out attack," Natasha furrowed her brows, "I still don't understand why Primo is so hellbent on attacking SHIELD. It doesn't fit his profile."

Nick slammed his hand, "I don't care. Next time they attack, I want you on site."

"Yes. I will stay here."

Natasha walked out, with Maria following after her, leaving Nick Fury alone in the room.

Nick glared at the two different places, the damage, as he leaned forward, "why...?"

It made no sense, one site where everyone was killed, and then one where only a few were killed.

He covered his face, thinking deeply, "I will find out...why."

Natasha walked to her quarters, sitting down on the chair, staring at the floor, whispering, "figure it out, Nick. Before they come for you."

Underground Bunker,

Jay was in an empty room, reading through the data, looking at weapons, ammunition, other resources. There was a list of persons connected to this facility. Most of all, there was important information that the Hydra collected. Even some of their projects.

Dr. Banner was busy in his lab, working on his own project of gaining Hulk's power.

Jay had already given information on the few experiments that he had seen in parallel Earths. Which he chooses depended on him.

He was indexing the information when his cell rank, making him glance towards the cell before giving it a double-take.

He picked the cell, "Pepper?"

"Jay, Tony is acting strange. Do you have any idea why? I can't seem to get through him."

Jay hesitated, "I think I know why. How about this. I am coming over."

"Ok, we are in Malibu Mansion."

Jay cut the call, standing up, but it was like his body got divided into two. While the one kept working, the other leaned against the table, "Hm, I think I should go check on the others. It was a simple mission for me. But it might have a massive impact on the others."

His other body looked up, "you are literally talking to yourself. It's not even like we are clones or duplicates. I am literally you, the next thought process."

Jay raised his other body's chin, "I am really good looking. I am realllyyyy good-looking. I might fall in love with myself."

The other body didn't speak; he didn't need to because it was like he said. He was another through the process, parallel mind inside Jay's head. There was no main body, not the other. The two were one and the same.

Jay opened the portal, entering Tony's house, seeing Pepper pace around, "where is he?"

"Downstairs, in the workshop.

Jay nodded, taking the stairs down, looking at the workshop through the glass, thrashed, broken, with Tony dully sitting on the chair.

He messaged Pepper to come over as he walked in, raising his hand as if dragging a chair in his hand, and the chair appeared.

Jay sat down in front of Tony, "you are not doing so good."

Tony looked up, with bloodshot eyes, "No..." He slumped his head down, "I thought...killing those people would make me feel better...revenge...would satisfy me. But it doesn't matter..."

He stood up, throwing away the tools, "these tools don't matter!!" He raised his chair, throwing it at the nearest sports car, breaking it, "these cars don't matter!!!!"

He kicked his suit down, breaking it into parts, "these suits don't matter." He stumbled, falling down, punching the ground, sobbing, "nothing matter..."

Pepper stood in front of the door, covering her mouth with her hands, tears in her eyes, "do I matter?"

She walked over, falling on her knees in front of Tony, cradling his face, "do I matter, Tony?"

"Pepper..."

"Tony...do I matter to you?"

"Yes...you matter..."

Pepper stroked his hair, "Then why won't you tell me what happened? I am with you, and I will be. So tell me, Tony...what happened?"

Jay softly smiled at them, disappearing soundlessly, without disturbing them.