chapter 164 part 1
Chapter 163: Top Secret File
"Mr. Hawkeye, I found it!"
Governors Island, Secret Prison Area B.
Doreen Green shouted to Clint, her curly tail swishing behind her.
After spending a short time together, she had learned Clint's codename, Hawkeye, which she found quite enviable.
In fact, she had once given herself the title of 'the Invincible Squirrel Girl'.
Unfortunately, her career as the 'Invincible Squirrel Girl' had barely begun before it hit a snag.
She became an inmate in the Thunderbolts' prison.
At Doreen Green's call, Clint made his way to her location.
Following the direction the girl was pointing, he saw a narrow, chimney-like structure. It seemed to be the recreational yard for Prison Area B. The entire structure was built with a large amount of concrete, with only a ventilation opening at the top to let in sunlight.
Climbing up Doreen Green's pant leg to her shoulder, the squirrel 'Tippy-Toe' squeaked, as if taking credit.
"Good job, Tippy-Toe."
Doreen Green patted the squirrel's head on her shoulder and praised it before turning to Hawkeye beside her. "Mr. Hawkeye, are you planning to escape through here?"
Clint glanced up at the vent of the recreational yard. Shaking his head, he drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and nocked it on his bow.
He narrowed his eyes and replied in a low voice, "No, I'm going to send a signal."
*Swoosh!*
As his voice fell, the arrow flew up along the towering wall into the air, creating a dazzling flash of light that illuminated the yard.
The intense white light forced Doreen Green to squint. As she endured the discomfort caused by the flashbang, she stared at the vent above. On her shoulder, 'Tippy-Toe' also covered its eyes with its tail, curiously watching the spot.
Under the expectant gazes of the girl and the squirrel, a backlit figure appeared.
Blocking the light from the top of the vent, it descended from the sky.
…
"Decryption successful."
Inside the Thunderbolts Base.
Natasha pulled her gaze back from the flash outside the window. The program's cracking code on the screen was also nearing its end.
As Tony's jaunty voice rang out, a series of confidential files requiring special clearance appeared before her.
Natasha scanned the files. Some of them, concerning collaboration with Hydra, were marked with the words 'Top Secret'.
Clicking on one of the top-secret files revealed it to be data on space exploration.
"...In 1967, the Saturn V super-heavy launch vehicle was successfully launched. In November of the same year, the German Air Command secretly launched the Saturn 6 manned rocket, initiating the Moon Landing Program... Moon landing failed..."
"February 1968, Von Braun, director of the Air Command, committed suicide. In the same year, the Leader gave the order to seal all aerospace-related programs... 1970, the Satellite Barrier Project was established... Are humans alone in the Universe?"
Why would the Thunderbolts' top-secret files contain data on German space exploration from decades ago?
Natasha frowned. Looking at the intelligence displayed in the top-secret file, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.
Indeed, she wasn't sure when it had started.
Countries around the world had simultaneously slowed their pace of space exploration. The Federal Government of America had even announced the suspension of NASA's Aerospace Program more than a decade ago, citing insufficient funding as the official reason.
However, based on the information in this top-secret file, it seemed there was an unknown secret hidden within.
Although she had her doubts, Natasha knew that now was not the time to investigate these secrets. She took a deep breath, pulled her gaze away from the top-secret file on space exploration, and commanded Tony, "Open the 'Wasp' data file."
"Got it."
At Natasha's command, Tony, connected via the USB drive, immediately found the content she needed among the decrypted files.
Opening the 'Wasp' file, she skimmed through the contents displayed on the screen.
Finally, Natasha's gaze lingered on the last line of text, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
In the data room, she opened her mouth, about to say something more.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps from outside made Natasha's expression change slightly.
She reached out and unplugged the USB drive connected to the computer, then turned her head with a feigned look of obliviousness.
"What's happening?"
"Ma'am."
An internal staff member of the Thunderbolts pushed open the door to the data room, saw Natasha inside, and immediately reported, "There's a riot in the secret prison. We need backup urgently..."
"Take me there!"
Hearing the answer, Natasha immediately stood up. Her face took on a grave expression, but the hand clutching the USB drive inconspicuously pressed a button on its side.
…
"Target confirmed!"
Near the Hydra tower.
Beneath the Nanomask, the Mechanical Eye in Howard's socket flickered with a faint blue light.
Revealing the Mechanical Arm hidden by his sleeve and glove, he tapped a red light on his wrist and looked at the intelligence displayed there, then gave the command in a hoarse voice.
"Begin the operation!"
As his voice fell.
*Click-clack!*
The Punisher, Frank, racked the slide of his pistol.
*Hooo...*
Beside him, Ant-Man, Scott, took a deep breath.
"Everything for Dr. Hank Pym."
…
"You took a little longer to send the signal than I thought."
Governors Island, in the secret prison.
Colin controlled his descent, his gaze sweeping past Hawkeye to land on Doreen Green and the squirrel on her shoulder, and he complained casually.
"There were fewer suitable places to send the signal than I imagined."
Seeing Colin appear with the signal, Hawkeye's expressionless face shifted slightly as he explained in a low voice.
Colin nodded, not dwelling on the issue of the signal's timing.
He stretched his body, and with a slight focus of his gaze, he saw the guards on alert behind the wall.
"Anyway, according to the plan, I just need to get you out of here."
According to the original plan, Colin didn't have much to do in this operation.
He was just a failsafe to ensure that Hawkeye, who had entered the Thunderbolts' secret prison, could escape smoothly.
For Colin, who possessed the [Flight] ability, this was obviously not difficult at all.