C227

After announcing that S.H.I.E.L.D. had entered a wartime state, Pierce instructed the team to prepare for battle. He then took Hill and Coulson aside to discuss strategies for dealing with Batman.

Combat Meeting Room

The team members exchanged glances, their expressions revealing a mixture of uncertainty and suspicion.

"Do you all believe Batman is the mastermind behind this?" Captain America-Steve Rogers, frowned as he looked around the room at his companions.

"There's unambiguous evidence," Crossbones (Rumlow) responded. "Both the Chief and Sitwell confirmed that Batman is behind this. Do we have any other suspects?"

"But have you considered this?" Rogers countered. "Hydra has been infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. for years, and the first person to publicly expose the connection between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. was Batman. If Batman really is associated with Hydra, why would he do that? Now that Hydra has been exposed, how does it benefit him to target Nick Fury?"

Last night, Rogers had gone through all the available information on Batman in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database. 

He even watched two films, Batman and The Dark Knight. After analyzing Batman's actions, his initial suspicions began to waver. 

Instead, his doubts turned to Alexander Pierce. Batman had accused Pierce of being a Hydra member from the start. 

Now, with Nick Fury hospitalized, Pierce had assumed full control of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Rumlow retorted, "Nick Fury suspected Hydra's existence long before Batman came into the picture. Batman saw the exposure coming and acted first, pointing the finger to deflect attention from himself."

"No, it's not like that," Black Widow interjected suddenly. "We were tipped off about Hydra's presence in S.H.I.E.L.D. by Batman himself. Long before the Daily Bugle exposed Hydra, we had warnings from him during earlier encounters."

Rumlow raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you know Nick Fury that well? Are you certain he only became aware of Hydra's existence after Batman's warning? What if Fury had already picked up on the signs before Batman appeared?"

This question caused Black Widow to frown. Even Hawkeye looked uncertain.

Given Nick Fury's secretive nature, no one could claim to know him completely. Even Coulson, one of Fury's most trusted agents, would hesitate to say so.

Rogers frowned deeply. While he didn't entirely agree with Rumlow's words, he couldn't bring himself to fully trust either Pierce or Batman. 

From his perspective, both sides were throwing accusations at each other, leaving him and his team in the middle.

"We're caught in a crossfire," Rogers muttered.

Rumlow broke the silence. "There's one more thing you should consider. Since his first appearance, Batman has been shaping his public image—making movies, publishing comics, writing autobiographies. He's turned himself into a real star, a symbol of justice. This kind of self-promotion makes him seem like the last person anyone would suspect."

He paused, letting his words sink in. "I believe Batman is using all of this to hide his true face. Think about it—right now, you're all questioning each other while giving Batman the benefit of the doubt. This is exactly what he wants."

His argument wasn't without merit, and the room grew quiet. Even those who had interacted with Batman—Tony Stark, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Dr. Octavius—couldn't entirely dismiss Rumlow's words.

"Eventually, we'll receive orders to act," Rogers said after a long silence. "If we do, where do we start?"

"I've identified a good first target," Rumlow replied. "Eddie Brock, editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle. He's also a Justice League member—Venom. He was one of the first to ally with Batman and a founding member of the Justice League. Capturing him could give us invaluable information."

"Eddie…"

Tony frowned. He had a good relationship with Eddie, and something about this situation felt off. With Pierce and Batman hurling accusations at each other, Tony found it hard to trust anyone at the moment. 

Emotionally, he leaned toward Batman, but strategically, Pierce's approach wasn't necessarily wrong.

"Eddie Brock is in Washington right now. This is our best opportunity," Rumlow said, his voice heavy as he scanned the room. "Since opinions are divided, let's vote on whether or not to take action against Eddie Brock."

After speaking, he raised his hand.

"I agree."

"I agree."

Dr. Octopus, Otto Octavius, slowly raised his hand. He had no personal connection to Eddie and, given the current circumstances, sided with S.H.I.E.L.D. as a matter of practicality.

"I agree," Hawkeye said after a moment of thought, casting his vote.

"Abstain," Tony said, his expression calm.

"Abstain," Black Widow added, shaking her head.

"Captain, what do you think?"

Rumlow turned to Rogers, the last to weigh in. As the highest-ranking and most respected member of the Avengers, his opinion carried the most weight.

The votes were already in favor of action, even if Rogers opposed. Clearly, Rumlow wanted to gauge Rogers' stance.

"Take action," Rogers said after a moment of deliberation, his voice firm. The situation didn't allow for prolonged indecision. Without more information, pursuing Eddie had become inevitable.

"Good," Rumlow said with a cold smile. "No time to waste. Captain, you'll lead the operation. Is that acceptable?"

"No problem," Rogers replied with a nod.

New York, Midtown High School

Peter Parker slumped over his desk, staring blankly ahead. He was distracted.

Anton had promised to pick him up today, but there had been no word so far. Had he forgotten again? Peter's mind raced with a million thoughts.

"Hey, Peter, why do you look so out of it today?" Ned, the chubby boy sitting next to him, asked curiously, eyeing his friend.

Peter shook his head. "It's nothing, Ned. I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh?" Ned grinned mischievously. "Were you up late following the news? Captain America, frozen for seventy years, now reborn! Isn't that amazing? Can you believe it? Captain America is still alive—"

"Ned," Peter groaned, massaging his temples. "Please, let me have some peace."

"Hey!"

The teacher up front slammed a ruler on the desk. "You two! Quiet down—this is class!"

Just then, the classroom door swung open abruptly. Everyone turned their heads as the principal entered, scanning the room. His gaze landed on Peter.

Peter's heart raced. He had a bad feeling about this.

Sure enough, the principal spoke.

"Peter, come out."

…

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