Hearing the words of his three apostles, Jason Kin smiled and shook his head. His eyes moved to Natasha and Barton, whose expressions had already shifted drastically.
"What do you two think?" Jason asked.
The question made both of their hearts sink. Something felt terribly wrong.
"Mr. Phils, there must be some kind of misunderstanding," Natasha quickly replied. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has no intention of being your enemy. The only reason we came here today was to take precautions, nothing more. Please allow us to investigate what happened. I promise you, we will give you an explanation."
Her tone was calm and clear, the perfect balance of logic and submission. Natasha Romanoff was, after all, the best of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents, and right now she had no choice but to bow her head.
If this had been before they arrived at the Roland estate, she and Barton would have assumed Roland Phils was just another rich heir. Even if he stood against S.H.I.E.L.D., it would have been troublesome but not terrifying. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vast resources and influence were more than enough to crush ordinary opposition.
But now, after seeing these women with their godlike powers, women who could level the sky and earth with a single strike, the two agents could not help but feel fear.
Could S.H.I.E.L.D. truly resist power like this? Could the entire United States? Could the whole world?
They didn't know, and that uncertainty chilled them to the bone.
"No intention of being my enemy?" Jason chuckled coldly. "Then why send a squadron of F-22s to bomb my estate?"
Natasha's face went pale. "That's a mistake. It has to be a mistake. S.H.I.E.L.D. never issued such an order!"
"No one gave the order?" Jason narrowed his eyes. Something didn't add up.
"Bismarck," he said suddenly, turning toward his loyal apostle. "Play the transmission you intercepted earlier."
"Yes, Commander!" Bismarck nodded and activated the recording.
The room filled with static, punctuated by thunderous explosions. The comms were choked with noise, but even so, everyone clearly heard the final words of the doomed pilots.
"Hail Hydra!"
"What?!"
"Hydra? That's impossible! Hydra was destroyed long ago!" Natasha and Barton both shouted, their faces twisted with disbelief.
The apostles remained calm, but for the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the words cut deep. Hydra was a name burned into their bones, the eternal enemy that had haunted S.H.I.E.L.D. since its very founding.
By every official record, Hydra had been eradicated. Yet here it was again, surfacing in the most terrifying way imaginable.
Could it be? Had Hydra infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. itself?
Both agents felt a storm rise within their hearts, their thoughts swirling in chaos.
Jason Kin, on the other hand, remained composed. He had known Hydra was still alive. He had even met one of their leaders, the sinister Madame Viper, not long ago. By his reckoning, Hydra had been the first organization to truly recognize his strength.
From their schemes to seize his family fortune, to today's brazen assault on his life, Hydra had pushed far enough. The hand pulling the strings was now clear as day.
"First my wealth, now my life," Jason said with a cold laugh. "Hydra grows more arrogant by the day. It's about time I cleaned up these rats."
"Those who offend our Lord's majesty must perish!" Bismarck declared with devotion. "Commander, allow me to lead the strike against Hydra!"
"Commander, leave it to me," Laffey added with surprising fire in her voice. "I'll let them taste the fury of my torpedoes!"
"Master, let me be the one," Icarus chimed in as well.
For them, Jason was everything. He was their sky, their earth, their entire existence. To offend him was worse than offending themselves. Hydra had crossed the line, and for that, they deserved annihilation.
Jason nodded. "Bismarck, you will take the lead. But remember, I promised that I would meet Viper face to face. I will not go back on my word. Bring her to me alive. Everyone else, kill without mercy."
He had kept his power in the shadows for too long. That restraint had only encouraged pests to crawl out of the dark, emboldened by his silence. That would end today.
Even without this Hydra attack, Jason had already been considering a show of force. This was the perfect opportunity, a warning to all who thought to test him.
"By your divine will," Bismarck said with fervor, excitement gleaming in her eyes. To serve her Commander was the highest honor.
Jason was about to speak further when suddenly his head snapped upward. A flicker of darkness, sharp and oppressive, brushed across the skies.
"So, he's here already?" Jason murmured, his tone low.
The moment he sensed it, his apostles felt it too. They rose to their feet as one, their overwhelming power surging forth and shaking the heavens.
The air itself grew heavy. Natasha and Barton nearly collapsed under the weight of it, their faces red as they struggled to breathe. Once again, they were reminded of the sheer terror these women embodied.
"This matter is not yours to handle," Jason told his apostles. "I will see for myself."
He turned to the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, a smile tugging at his lips. "Lucky for you two. Get lost for now. I'll deal with you another time."
With a flick of his hand, a glowing portal opened beneath their feet. Natasha and Barton had no chance to react before they fell through.
The next moment, they were inside their Quinjet, stunned and speechless.
With the agents gone, Jason's figure shimmered and vanished, moving to confront the source of the dark presence.
At the same time, Effie and Vog, both attuned to the forces of light, felt the disturbance in the sky. They lifted their eyes, sensing the oppressive aura.
"Such thick darkness," Effie whispered. "What is it?"
Vog's expression hardened. "Something powerful. And it's coming for us."
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