Lockdown initiated

As the Hydra agents roughly dragged the two surviving terrorists inside the bunker, another operative took the wheel of the stolen SUV, guiding it toward a makeshift garage adjacent to the facility. The heavy steel doors slid shut behind them with a deep metallic groan, sealing them off from the outside world.

Tony remained motionless, a ghost in the back seat, watching through his suit's HUD as his cloaked drones silently detached from their compartments and hovered into action. One drone, equipped with high-resolution optics, tailed Madame Viper and the prisoners, its sensors recording every detail of the facility's interior. The other two split off, scanning the perimeter and discreetly mapping out the structure's layout.

As they moved deeper into the facility, Tony's eyes narrowed at the tech on display. He had expected a heavily digitized setup, something he could easily infiltrate and manipulate. But what he saw instead made his stomach twist with irritation.

Hydra had learned.

The usual weak points—wireless networks, cloud-based surveillance, and remote-controlled defenses—were nowhere to be found. Instead, the facility operated on a patchwork of analog and optical fiber-based systems. Everything critical was air-gapped, isolated from outside interference, making remote hacking impossible. Old-school mechanical locks replaced biometric scanners, and encrypted hardlines ran through the walls like veins, ensuring no digital signals could be intercepted.

Tony clenched his jaw. "Clever bastards," he muttered under his breath.

Zola's AI had adapted. It must have analyzed past breaches, tracing them back to external hacks that compromised Hydra's entire network. Now, Hydra was using a hybrid defense system. It was an infuriating mix of old and new, designed specifically to counter someone like him.

He needed another way in.

Inside the bunker, the two prisoners were shoved into metal chairs, their wrists locked into thick steel cuffs bolted to the floor. Madame Viper sauntered in front of them, a cruel smirk playing on her lips.

"Now," she purred, "let's see if you're worth keeping alive."

Tony watched through his drone's feed, carefully analyzing her movements. Viper was no fool. If she was here, that meant this location was important. It wasn't just some random hideout, it was a core piece of Hydra's resurgence. And she might know the location of Zola AI. So, killing her wasn't an option. He needed her alive.

He turned his focus to his other drones, studying the facility's blueprints as they pieced together a virtual layout. Multiple underground levels, thick reinforced walls, old-fashioned security checkpoints… and somewhere, deep inside, the mainframe. If he could get inside physically, he could still find a way to break through.

But first, he needed an entry point.

And more importantly, he needed to make sure Viper didn't suspect a thing.

Tony smirked. 'Time to get creative. If I can't find a solution, I'll do it the old-school way. Kill them all and interrogate that bitch.'

Madame Viper tapped her gloved fingers against the hilt of the knife at her hip, watching the two prisoners with an amused smirk. "Now, tell me," she drawled, tilting her head, "Who killed your entire team?"

Scar swallowed hard, his muscles tensing. The other man, still gripping his sore wrists, glanced around the room. They knew they were trapped. But before either of them could utter a single word...

BZZZT.

Both men suddenly convulsed, their eyes rolling back as their bodies seized violently. A faint sizzling sound crackled through their skulls, and within seconds, their bodies slumped lifelessly in their chairs. A faint whiff of burnt tissue filled the air.

Brain dead.

Viper blinked, her smirk faltering. The guards stiffened, stepping forward in alarm.

"The hell?" one of them muttered, nudging Scar's motionless body with his rifle. No response.

Viper's eyes narrowed. Her instincts screamed that something was wrong. "Check their vitals," she ordered coldly.

A guard pulled out a scanner, placing it against Scar's neck. The display blinked red. No brain activity. The same result came from the second prisoner.

"They're… dead," the guard confirmed, baffled. "Both of them. Just like that."

Viper exhaled through her nose, her lips pressing into a thin line. This wasn't a coincidence. Someone had just silenced them before she could extract any information. 'They are here in this base, watching us...' She looked around.

"Initiate the agent number count," she snapped. "And double the security. There is a rat or rats among us... Capture them alive."

As the Hydra agents scrambled to comply, Tony was already several steps ahead.

Still cloaked in the garage, he watched the scene unfold through his drone's feed, allowing himself the slightest smirk. 'Stupid bitch should have checked the car first. Well, that takes care of that.'

Now, onto the next step.

His other drones were already deep inside the facility, slipping undetected through ventilation shafts, bypassing locked doors and security checkpoints. The goal? The power mainframe.

The facility was using a complex mix of analog and fiber-optic systems, but even the most paranoid security setups had one common weakness... power distribution. If Tony could get to the mainframe, he could disrupt their infrastructure, create his own backdoor, and most importantly, cripple the entire operation if things went south.

The drones whirred softly as they navigated the tight ducts, their micro-sensors mapping every inch of the facility. A cluster of heavily armed guards patrolled the main corridors, and several checkpoints had reinforced blast doors that wouldn't be easy to breach.

But that didn't matter.

Tony's drones were too small and invisible to be noticed. They slipped through vents, weaving through the labyrinth of air shafts until they reached a large, secured chamber.

Bingo.

The power mainframe was a reinforced room filled with thick industrial conduits, cooling units, and an array of analog switches lined along the walls. It was the control center for everything in this facility.

But Tony frowned as he analyzed the setup.

'Damn. Hydra really had gone old-school.'

There were no digital ports and no remote-access nodes. Everything was controlled manually through a network of insulated relays and switches. Even the circuit breakers were locked behind mechanical barriers. Zola's AI had ensured that no external hacking could penetrate this fortress.

But Tony Stark wasn't just any hacker.

He smirked. 'If I can't hack my way in… I'll just have to break it the old-fashioned way.'

His drones dispersed, scanning for vulnerabilities. They found them quickly—coolant pipes running too close to key transformers, a pressure release valve that could be overloaded, and most importantly, an emergency failsafe system that, if triggered, would force a facility-wide lockdown.

He could use this. He got out of the car and waited for the perfect opportunity...

Tony exhaled slowly, flexing his fingers as he watched the facility's main gate slide open from his position in the garage. A trio of Hydra patrol guards stepped through, rifles slung over their shoulders, murmuring among themselves about the sudden security increase.

This was his chance.

Tony activated his suit's silent propulsion system, slipping into the facility behind them. He was invisible.

The guards continued down the hall, oblivious to the silent predator trailing behind them. Tony took in every detail... overlapping patrol routes, security cameras mounted at blind angles, and thick reinforced doors blocking deeper access points.

'Fifty agents. Maybe more.' He smirked. 'Could've been a fair fight if I were feeling generous.'

But stealth was the name of the game tonight.

As the patrol reached an intersection, they split off. Two turned left, the other kept walking toward an access panel to input his security credentials. Tony seized the moment. There were no cameras around that area.

His arm blurred as he lashed out with a nanite-clad hand, clamping over the lone guard's mouth and pulling him into the shadows. A muffled grunt, a quick pulse of an electrified gauntlet, and the guard's body went limp.

Tony caught him effortlessly, dragging him behind a stack of metal crates. He scanned the guard's uniform and his suit was reshaped into a perfect replica of the Hydra uniform.

Moments later, he stepped out, fully disguised... Helmet on, visor dark and that guard's gun.

'It's like playing the Hitman game.'

...

[Command Center]

Madame Viper tapped her polished nails against the steel console, her emerald eyes scanning the live security feeds with cold precision.

"This doesn't add up," she muttered, narrowing her gaze at the motionless bodies of the two dead prisoners. "Someone wanted them silenced. And whoever it is… they're already inside."

A Hydra officer approached, saluting crisply. "Agent count is complete. No discrepancies."

Viper's lips curled downward. "Of course, there aren't. If our intruder is competent, they wouldn't be foolish enough to replace an existing agent. They would be a ghost."

Her grip tightened around the console as she turned to the officer.

"Shut down all external access points. Lock down the power grid. If we have a rat, they won't be leaving this base alive."

...

[Lower Level - Power Mainframe]

Tony smirked as he received the transmission from his drone. 'Exactly what I wanted.'

Hydra had just activated their own cage.

His drones, using pinpoint plasma cutters, targeted the emergency failsafe system.

BZZT-CHHK!

The moment the failsafe was triggered, a loud warning announcement blared throughout the facility. Thick blast doors slammed shut across every section, sealing off corridors and locking personnel in their designated zones. Emergency red lights pulsed violently as automated security protocols engaged.

...

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