"Not good!"
The Hydra squad leader in charge of the scene widened his eyes when he saw Tony switch into a new suit. Even though he didn't understand advanced technology, the difference between the armors was obvious. He quickly made a decision.
"Report! Request immediate reinforcement!" he barked into his comm, his voice sharp with urgency.
Without waiting for a response, he and his men aimed at Tony in the air and opened fire, hoping to wear down the new suit with a constant stream of shots.
But their efforts were useless.
LexCorp's influence was massive, especially in the military field. While the laser weapons Hydra carried were not exactly the same as the company's models, they were still based on the publicly sold designs, modified in secret.
And with LexCorp practically dominating the world's cutting-edge technology, no one knew how to counter laser attacks better than they did.
The new armor Tony wore was coated with a specialized LexCorp-developed material that refracted laser energy, bleeding away most of its force. Unless Hydra brought out something completely new to the table, even if Tony stood still and let them shoot until their weapons drained, they still couldn't break through his defense.
Of course, he wasn't the type to just stand there and let people shoot at him.
"J.A.R.V.I. S., focus all energy. Let's give them a big one."
With the order given, J.A.R.V.I.S. assisted in channeling power into the chest piece. A second later, a thigh-thick pulse beam shot out from the arc reactor, sweeping across the second floor ahead and cutting it clean in half.
The Hydra agents caught in its path were sliced apart instantly.
Tony's eyes stayed cold as he looked at the scattered bodies, the scene before him like something straight out of hell. There was no pity in him. He might have the heart of a hero, but he wasn't a saint. More importantly, these people were the same ones who had planned the attack on his parents.
He would never show mercy to anyone who aided Hydra. If anything, he regretted not making them die in more pain.
With that thought in mind, he prepared to head down to the first floor and wipe out the remaining enemies. But then J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came through.
"Sir, Stark facilities across the United States are under attack by unidentified assailants."
"Across the entire country?" Tony frowned.
He knew J.A.R.V.I.S. wouldn't bring this up unless it was serious. This wasn't about the decoy sites he had deliberately exposed; it was the real, valuable branches being hit.
Those places held important tech, sensitive data, and even a few unfinished Iron Man suits. If Hydra got their hands on any of it, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Damn it… But things here should be fine without me."
It was obvious now. Even if Hydra hadn't figured out that his cooperation with LexCorp was still intact, their caution had pushed them to investigate Stark Industries' critical locations nationwide. They had planned their moves carefully, hitting those sites at the same time as this operation.
Stark Industries wasn't run solely by Tony, not yet, at least. He had no choice but to head back and provide support, or the company would suffer huge losses. If not, even with Hydra suffering a heavy blow today, his control over the company would weaken rapidly.
The shareholders and investors didn't care about his personal grudge with Hydra. They only cared about whether their own interests were harmed.
After relaying the news through internal comms to the others, he took off toward the nearest branch in New York to start putting out fires from there.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the lobby, Tony's absence didn't leave the team defenseless. Doom was more than capable of handling the Hydra agents.
If Tony's strategy had been to catch Hydra off guard, then Doom's was pure, overwhelming force. His mastery of magic allowed him to crush the attackers head-on.
In just a few minutes, the lobby fell silent. But the fight wasn't over. The passage leading to the underground lab had been breached, and most of Hydra's forces were now inside.
"Victor, what's the situation?"
It was then that Steve arrived at the lobby with Reed, his brow furrowing as he looked toward the open passage leading to the underground lab.
They already knew what was happening on Tony's side. But with him gone, their manpower had dropped sharply.
This mission wasn't just about fighting Hydra. They also needed to fully expose the organization's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., burning them out in one sweep.
The battle here at Pym Technologies was only to gather proof. Over at S.H.I.E.L.D., someone had to take control of the situation. Otherwise, once Hydra sensed trouble, they could use the spies planted by various nations within the agency as cover and vanish again in no time.
They were here to root Hydra out, not help S.H.I.E.L.D. reorganize its personnel.
Doom turned to Steve and said, "You know Stark's situation. He can't just stand by while Stark Industries suffers losses, so we can't count on him now. At the moment, I'm the only one who can travel quickly. I'll head to Los Angeles first to take control of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and several key locations. Captain, I'm leaving this to you. You must find proof that Hydra exists inside S.H.I.E.L.D."
That was the missing piece: evidence. Without it, all their efforts would be meaningless.
"I understand," Steve replied, knowing this was the only choice. Even if he was the one taking command, there was no other way. They simply didn't have enough people.
As for Tony's recruits, Wanda and Pietro, Steve didn't know them well enough to rely on them. He couldn't place such a crucial mission in the hands of the mutant siblings.
"Then let's move."
Doom didn't waste another second. His body glowed with green magical energy, then transformed into a sphere of light that shot into the sky.
Steve clenched his fists and strode toward the underground lab. "Come on, Reed. We're the only ones who can handle this."
"Wait a second, Captain."
Just as Steve started to move, Reed called out to him.
He stopped and turned, confusion flickering in his eyes. "What is it?"
In the next instant, Reed reached and grabbed his hand. Brilliant cosmic energy flared from his body and surged into Steve's, flooding through him like a rushing tide.
"Captain, I'm not a real fighter. This power is wasted on me. So please… take it and use it well."
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!