C236

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters

After the Avengers' defeat, the Sky Mothership under S.H.I.E.L.D. vanished from the skies above Washington. Back at headquarters, Alexander Pierce quickly received reports from the scene.

Pierce's face twisted with anger, his brow furrowing deeply.

"Useless!" he spat, slamming his fist on the desk. "They're all a bunch of incompetent fools!"

The outcome had caught Pierce off guard. He had placed high hopes on S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers to neutralize the Justice League. 

Instead, the result was a crushing defeat. The scenario he had envisioned—a mutual loss that would weaken both sides—was nowhere to be seen.

To make matters worse, Batman and the Justice League had emerged as the heroes of the battle. Even the Sky Mothership's reckless attack on the city in its final moments had only served to elevate the Justice League's image, particularly cyborg , who had stolen the spotlight.

In the end, Pierce's plan had backfired spectacularly, unintentionally bolstering Batman and his team.

"Batman, you may have won this round," Pierce muttered darkly, gripping the phone on his desk. "But this isn't over."

He dialed a number—a direct line to the U.S. representative on the World Security Council. After all, it had been the Council that had approved S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operation against the Justice League.

Now that the battle was lost, Pierce intended to employ political tactics. He would manipulate public opinion, paint Batman and the Justice League as villains, and shift the narrative to protect S.H.I.E.L.D.

But the call didn't go through.

"What's going on?" Pierce muttered, his expression darkening as unease settled over him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, someone knocked on his office door.

"Who is it?" Pierce barked, his voice laced with suspicion. He turned his gaze toward the door, his hand instinctively moving beneath his desk to press the hidden alarm button.

The door creaked open.

"My name is cyborg ," came a low, steady voice.

The Justice League member stepped into the office, his presence imposing. He stopped a few feet from Pierce, staring him down. "Pierce, we're not strangers to each other."

Pierce's eyes widened in shock. "How dare you come here?" he snapped, his hand discreetly pressing the alarm. "You're criminals! Aren't you afraid of being hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Criminals?" Cyborg chuckled, his expression mocking. "Coming from you, the highest-ranking leader of Hydra, that's rich. A bit of magical realism, don't you think?"

He paused, glancing at the desk where Pierce's hand hovered. "Oh, and don't bother pressing that button."

Pierce froze.

"I disabled the entire security system before I got here," cyborg continued with a faint smile. "Why do you think it took me a bit longer to show up?"

Cyborg's smile grew sharper. "By the way, your precious Sky Mothership? It's already in the Washington Military District. Your men are waiting for me to bring you in."

Pierce's pupils dilated in fear. His plan had unraveled completely. All he could do was stare at cyborg in desperation as the Justice League member approached.

Washington Military District

"A massive warship just arrived outside!"

The soldier's report sent shockwaves through the conference room. Secretary of Defense John Keller and the military leaders seated around him exchanged knowing glances.

The Sky Mothership.

Earlier that morning, the military had convened to approve the Justice League's request to take action against S.H.I.E.L.D. Hours later, the battle in Washington had erupted, pitting the Avengers against the Justice League.

And now, the Sky Mothership had appeared at their doorstep.

During the battle, the Avengers were defeated despite S.H.I.E.L.D.'s urgent deployment of the Sky Mothership in their support. Even with such reinforcements, the outcome remained unchanged.

The events of the battle were widely broadcast, eliminating the need for military intelligence channels. 

Furthermore, it was now clear that the Justice League had mastered alien teleportation technology, which explained how Batman and his team had arrived so swiftly.

"Don't be nervous," John Keller said, rising from his seat. "Let's go."

A group of officials departed the conference room and headed toward the military training grounds. Despite it being broad daylight, the massive shadow cast by the floating Sky Mothership blanketed the area.

"So, this is the Sky Mothership..." Keller murmured, his eyes gleaming with interest.

The Sky Mothership represented the pinnacle of Earth's advanced military technology. In fact, its capabilities even outstripped the technology of the current military base. 

To Keller, it was clear—this vessel was like an aircraft carrier in the sky, the ultimate symbol of military power.

A sudden thought crossed his mind: If the military could seize and utilize the Sky Mothership, their power would grow exponentially.

"Mr. Keller," a commanding voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned to see Batman standing at the forefront of the Justice League. Behind him stood his team, along with the prisoners they had taken from S.H.I.E.L.D.—including all the captured Avengers.

Batman didn't wait for Keller to speak. "If you came here to question me, I've already handled everything."

Keller raised an eyebrow as Batman continued. "We retrieved Nick Fury from the hospital and brought him here. Based on DNA extracted from him, he's an exact match to the Zartan clone lying in your morgue."

Keller nodded grimly. "It's confirmed. The Nick Fury in the hospital is an imposter—Zartan, the master of disguise from the Cobra organization."

"What?"

The Avengers stared in shock and disbelief.

They had already heard this revelation from Rumlow under the Lasso of Truth, but now hearing it officially confirmed by the military shattered any lingering doubt.

The most stunned among them was Tony Stark.

"That's impossible!" Tony exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I compared Nick's DNA myself—it matched the data in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system. How could he be a fake?"

His voice faltered as the implications sank in. "Could Fury have been replaced from the very beginning?"

"It's not hard to replace DNA records when S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated by Hydra," a calm voice replied, cutting through the air.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a silver figure descended, carrying a thin, frail man.

It was cyborg .

The frail man he carried was immediately recognizable to many of those present—Alexander Pierce.

"Wrong."

Tony, still full of doubt, spoke in a deep voice. "Jarvis has checked the data in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. There were no signs of tampering. I wouldn't have been fooled by such a simple trick."

"That's because you underestimated Hydra," cyborg interjected. "Hydra has a cyber-lifeform, Dr. Zola. He's like a ghost on the internet—able to move freely, just like your AI butler, Jarvis. Covering up traces? That's child's play to him."

"A network ghost… Dr. Zola…" Tony's face darkened as realization hit him. He had been outplayed by Hydra.

The other Avengers, as well as Coulson and Hill, exchanged uneasy looks. Their expressions were a mix of shock and shame.

All the evidence made it clear: S.H.I.E.L.D. had been manipulated from the start. Hydra's audacity in operating so brazenly beneath their noses was unprecedented.

"Dr. Zola? But he's dead!" Coulson protested. "He was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 1972 and died shortly after. Plenty of senior agents in the bureau even attended his funeral!"

Hill nodded in agreement. As key figures in S.H.I.E.L.D., both Coulson and Hill were familiar with Zola's history.

Zola's full name was Arnim Zola. During World War II, he was a brilliant geneticist from Switzerland and a close ally of Hitler. 

He was the first human genetic engineer in history, tasked with helping create Hitler's vision of a "superior race."

However, the Nazis lost the war, Hydra was dismantled, and Zola was captured by the U.S. military.

Later, Zola supposedly died.

Before his death, Zola was even trusted by Howard Stark, Tony's father, one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Then you should ask the relevant person directly," cyborg said, his gaze shifting to Pierce, who was now restrained.

"Of course he isn't dead," Pierce sneered, his expression twisted with triumph. "Shortly after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Zola transferred his consciousness into a massive computer. He became a cyber-lifeform—a ghost on the internet, as you said."

A collective shiver ran through the room, and many present felt a cold sweat forming.

But as Pierce spoke so freely, some couldn't help but feel suspicious. Why was he being so cooperative? Why didn't he try to conceal Hydra's secrets or his own identity?

The answer became obvious when they noticed Wonder Woman's golden Lasso of Truth wrapped around Pierce's body.

Realization dawned on the group.

They had gathered enough information about Wonder Woman through the movies Anton had made to recognize the lasso's power.

The Lasso of Truth—a tool of absolute honesty. A perfect weapon for extracting confessions.

"But Hydra was wiped out after World War II under the coalition forces' assault," Coulson said, still struggling to comprehend. "How did you come back from extinction?"

"Thanks to Howard Stark," Pierce replied, his gaze falling on Tony.

"What?" Tony froze, his mind racing. He hadn't expected his father to be mentioned in any of this.

"Stop spouting nonsense!" Tony snapped, gritting his teeth. "My father would never be part of Hydra!"

"You're right," Pierce smirked, "but it's not what you think…"

Captain America- Steve Rogers, nodded firmly. "Howard wasn't that kind of person."

As a comrade-in-arms during World War II, Rogers had absolute faith in Howard Stark, despite Stark's eccentric behavior.

But as he glanced at Rumlow, doubt crept into his mind.

"The reason I say this," Pierce began slowly, "is because your father approved a certain plan after founding S.H.I.E.L.D. with Peggy Carter and Chester Phillips. That plan is what allowed Hydra to resurrect and preserve its legacy."

"The Paperclip Project," Coulson murmured, his eyes widening in realization. "So that's it."

The Paperclip Project was an operation to recruit select German scientists after World War II to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. 

Among those brought in were remnants of Hydra, like Dr. Arnim Zola, who embedded Hydra's roots deep within S.H.I.E.L.D.

In hindsight, it was undoubtedly the worst decision S.H.I.E.L.D. ever made.

"Exactly," Pierce confirmed.

Suddenly, John Keller chuckled and began clapping slowly. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!"

He wasn't alone. The military leaders standing beside him shared knowing smirks, their expressions full of schadenfreude.

They weren't strangers to the Paperclip Project.

Thanks to the competitive relationship between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the U.S. military, this old classified information from the 20th century was no longer a secret. 

After all, Chester Phillips was not only a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. but also a representative of the military. Back then, many S.H.I.E.L.D. operations weren't kept hidden from the U.S. government.

It was only in the modern era that S.H.I.E.L.D. had distanced itself from U.S. control, becoming a thorn in the side of the military.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. made its own mess," Keller sneered. "Now there's no one left to clean it up for you."

Turning to Batman, Keller gave a nod of approval. "Batman, this time we owe you. You pulled out this deeply embedded thorn. From here, we'll take over. Don't worry, we won't disappoint you. I'll work with the generals to apply for the Justice League to officially become an affiliate of the military. From now on, the military will share law enforcement authority with the Justice League."

Pausing for emphasis, Keller added, "The Justice League and the military will become close allies—partners, if you will."

Hearing this, the Justice League members—except for Anton and his clone—couldn't hide their excitement. For them, being officially recognized was a great honor.

It was reminiscent of Captain America during World War II, who was a celebrated hero with official status and endorsement. Everything felt legitimate.

Unfortunately, the current Captain America, Rogers, was nothing more than a figurehead within the military. In reality, he was just another S.H.I.E.L.D. employee. After all, it was S.H.I.E.L.D. that had dug him out of the ice in the polar regions.

"As for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Keller continued, turning his attention to its representatives, "the president will be holding you accountable for this disaster."

Smiling coldly, he added, "After this, your headquarters will likely be relocated—assuming you don't get dismantled entirely."

The implication was clear: even if S.H.I.E.L.D. survived, it would emerge severely weakened.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. representatives looked grim. There was no denying that they bore responsibility for the catastrophe.

The resurgence of Hydra and the battle S.H.I.E.L.D. triggered this time were all tied to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s questionable "operations."

Regardless, the punishment was unavoidable.

"The punishment S.H.I.E.L.D. deserves, we will accept," someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. stated.

"However, these kinds of incidents were part of the plan. To draw out Hydra, we've made significant sacrifices."

"By the way, Mr. Secretary of Defense, Mr. Keller, I will explain the full context of this matter to you and the President," the speaker added.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

Hearing the familiar tone, Coulson and the others stiffened. Their pupils dilated in shock, and they instinctively turned toward the source.

Emerging from the crowd of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounded by the military was a figure many believed to be long dead.

This person removed his disguise, revealing himself to be none other than Nick Fury, the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D., presumed to have died.

The crowd was stunned.

"Nick, you're alive?"

John Keller's mind raced as conflicting thoughts flashed through his head. His face darkened, realizing the sudden shift in dynamics. Fury's reappearance wasn't just unexpected—it was a calculated move.

Nick Fury's presence, given the current situation, could salvage at least 30% of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s losses.

Batman, the avatar of Anton, observed Fury with curiosity. Although mildly surprised by Fury's "resurrection," he wasn't entirely caught off guard.

Knowing Fury's cunning and calculated nature, Anton understood that Hydra wouldn't have been able to take him down so easily.

"Yes, I'm alive," Fury said with a smirk. His eyes swept over Rumlow and Pierce before settling on the latter. "If I hadn't faked my death, they wouldn't have revealed themselves so openly. Pierce, I never expected you to be Hydra."

Pierce's face darkened, and he sneered. "Nick..."

Seeing Fury, he immediately realized he had walked into a trap. Everything was part of a plan to lure Hydra out of hiding.

"You really are meticulous," Pierce said sarcastically. "Your fake-death act was so well-hidden that no one suspected it. You stood by and watched the Avengers get beaten and S.H.I.E.L.D. suffer devastating losses. Nick, you've proven again that you trust no one."

Fury remained calm. "No, I trust certain people," he said, locking eyes with Pierce. "You were one of them once, but you disappointed me."

"Enough!" Keller interrupted, his voice sharp. "This is our territory, not the place for your arguments. Nick Fury, what explanation do you have? This operation of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s caused massive destruction and losses in Washington. You will bear full responsibility."

"As I said," Fury replied coolly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. will accept responsibility for everything we're accountable for."

He turned to Batman and added, "If possible, could you ask Wonder Woman to release our people?"

Batman glanced at Wonder Woman and gave a small wave.

"Fine."

Hearing the signal, Wonder Woman loosened the golden lasso of truth.

The Avengers, now freed, quickly recovered and restrained Rumlow, who had been exposed as a Hydra spy among their ranks. At the same time, Alexander Pierce, standing by the robotic figure, was cuffed.

"In that case, I'll leave the rest to you," Batman said nonchalantly.

He shrugged and added, "The Justice League has no further involvement in this matter. As for the remaining Hydra operatives..."

His gaze shifted to Nick Fury.

"I trust certain people have their own plans for dealing with them."

…

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