From the feel of her hands, Aetheris could immediately tell—Natasha's palms and the base of her thumbs were hardened with calluses.
They weren't from weightlifting or sports. No, these were marks left by long-term firearms training.
"Come on now, why so serious? The Director was just teasing you," Natasha said, flashing a grin and giving him a playful shake. "The Avengers wouldn't be the same without you."
"Alright, alright! One more shake and my shoulder's going to pop out."
Letting out a sigh, Aetheris turned back around, feigning reluctance, and sank into the chair.
"Okay, let's hear it. What do you want from me? But I'll tell you now—murder, arson, robbery, and hitting on women are off-limits."
Nick Fury rolled his one good eye, clearly unimpressed.
As if you haven't done worse.
"I suspect there's a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D. That's why I plan to use its resources to build a new kind of organization."
"And why are you telling me something so classified?" Aetheris didn't seem surprised in the slightest. A mole? In S.H.I.E.L.D.? Except for a few trusted individuals, almost everyone else was either compromised or a Hydra agent.
"I'm telling you, 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' doesn't even fit you guys anymore. You might as well rename yourselves the Snake Division."
"Snake Division?" Natasha blinked, clearly confused by the term.
Fury, however, looked like he'd been struck. He'd only begun to uncover the depth of Hydra's infiltration. For Aetheris to know this much meant he was far ahead.
"Don't look so shocked. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s problems didn't start yesterday. Don't forget—my late old man, Howard Stark, was one of the original founders. Is it really that surprising I know some of its dirty laundry?"
"…Go on," Fury said, gesturing with his hands.
"Back in the day, there was a man known as Red Skull"
"Red Skull?" Natasha cut in before he could finish.
The name was taboo within S.H.I.E.L.D., known only to a select few.
"Hey, are you even listening? If not, I'm walking," Aetheris grumbled, annoyed.
No respect. Looks like this Black Widow needed a little stick-and-carrot training.
"Sorry! Go ahead," Natasha said sheepishly, sticking out her tongue.
"So anyway, Red Skull was eight feet tall, had the head of a leopard, eyes like fire, the chin of a swallow, and a tiger's beard. His voice roared like thunder, and his momentum was like a wild stallion."
"???" Fury stared at him, completely lost.
"Ahem. Wrong script." Aetheris cleared his throat. "Red Skull was one of the early leaders of Hydra. Their motto? 'Cut off one head, two more shall take its place.' It was inspired by the mythical Hydra beast. And they weren't kidding. The organization had a never-ending supply of pawns. In modern times, what people refer to as Hydra is actually the Nazi Hydra—Red Skull's version. It broke off from the Nazis during WWII. But remember, it's not the original Hydra—it's a twisted offshoot."
"…Can S.H.I.E.L.D. really not afford a glass of water?" Aetheris asked suddenly.
"Coming," Natasha quickly got up and brought him a glass of lemon water.
"Now that's more like it." Aetheris gave an approving nod. A teachable one.
"Anyway, after the Nazis fell, Hydra wormed its way into S.H.I.E.L.D., using its name to create fear and chaos. War was their profit."
"What? Using S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Natasha looked at Fury, who was now stone-faced. Clearly, Aetheris wasn't bluffing.
"That matches the intel I've got," Fury admitted. "And... I've also traced your father's death back to Hydra. It's all connected."
"I know. My old man was taken out by a brainwashed assassin—the Winter Soldier, working for Hydra," Aetheris said. His voice trembled slightly, but his eyes remained steady.
"Winter Soldier? What's that?" Natasha asked, eyes lighting up with curiosity. Today's meeting had already shattered her worldview.
And judging by Fury's silence, it was all real.
"If I really explained everything, we'd be here for days. But if we're talking Hydra, we've got to talk about our good old friend—Captain America. Steve Rogers," Aetheris said, sipping his lemon water.
Fury shifted in his seat. That name was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s deepest secrets, known only to Directors.
"Want to hear another secret?" Aetheris leaned forward and motioned them closer.
Fury and Natasha exchanged a look, then leaned in.
"Captain America isn't dead."
"What?!"
Fury leapt to his feet, knocking over his chair.
"You serious? Where is he?!"
"The ocean," Aetheris said after thinking a moment. "Frozen somewhere in the icy depths."
"Where he originally crashed?" Fury rubbed his bald head, already itching to go investigate.
"Now that I've said this much, I should stop here," Aetheris said, zipping his lips. Any more, and the timeline could spiral out of control.
"Tony, from today onward, I'm seeing you in a whole new light."
"Please," Aetheris laughed. "I've always been brilliant. You were just too blind to see it."
"So about that offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"I'm in. But we'll hash out the details later. Let's wait until you find the Captain."
He stood, ready to leave. Then he paused.
"Oh, one last thing. For that rescue yesterday, I'm getting a medal in Washington. Do me a favor—make sure that pompous congressman who tried to show me up is the one who hands it over."
Fury, who had been listening intently, stared at him blankly.
This guy, Tony Stark, really knew how to hold a grudge.
"Natasha?"
The Black Widow blinked in confusion. She was still trying to digest everything about Hydra and Captain America.
"Got plans tonight? How about dinner?" Aetheris asked, shooting a glance at her that was anything but innocent.
(End of Chapter)
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