Chapter 149: Fury—You Think I'm Hydra?
Batman's original target had only been SHIELD Level Eight Agent Phil Coulson.
But SHIELD's network firewall had been designed by Batman himself using Peter Parker's identity. This meant that aside from physically isolated local networks within various bases, most files and information could be captured by Batman.
So after confirming a potentially higher-ranking SHIELD member than Agent Coulson had arrived in Manhattan, Batman decisively chose to infiltrate that person's safe house instead.
Nick Fury currently held his pistol in one hand, the other tightly gripping the small explosive extracted from beneath his eyepatch. He stood defensively, staring at the figure gradually emerging from shadow.
Batman said nothing, simply standing silently in the darkness confronting Nick Fury, like a statue.
"You are—" Nick Fury studied the shadowy outline, especially those sharp, pointed ears matching the description Agent Coulson had provided. "Batman?"
Batman remained utterly silent, wordlessly watching Nick Fury. The pressure from the darkness pressed toward the SHIELD director like deep water.
"We're not enemies, Batman."
After confirming the intruder's identity, Nick Fury gradually relaxed his defensive body language, standing upright again. He holstered his pistol, replacing the miniature explosive back into his empty eye socket.
Although just over an hour ago in that Los Angeles oceanfront villa, Nick Fury had loudly declared Batman a massive threat to Tony Stark—
Now with Batman standing directly before him, Nick Fury switched to entirely different tactics.
"Over an hour ago, I considered you a threat."
"Any uncontrolled individual with unknown capabilities and extreme operational methods qualifies as a threat in my dictionary."
Batman remained motionless. Since the Arkham armor's face guard hadn't descended, Batman's eyes similarly remained hidden in darkness.
"But since you've appeared here now, this proves communication between us remains possible, rather than immediately declaring war against SHIELD or even the entire world."
Nick Fury didn't conceal his identity. Since Batman had already tracked him down, Fury didn't believe Batman remained ignorant of his identity.
But hidden within his words, Nick Fury subtly conveyed the message "attacking me equals opposing SHIELD and the entire world," using this to threaten Batman against rash action.
Unfortunately, Nick Fury's tactics proved ineffective against Batman—who before crossing over had repeatedly opposed the entire world.
"Tell me, where is Norman Osborn?" Batman's voice emerged from darkness, even deeper than Nick Fury's.
Batman didn't directly inquire about the Cube prison.
The numerous clues he'd collected indicated Hydra existed inside SHIELD. Even the World Security Council that SHIELD directly reported to contained Hydra operatives.
In Batman's assessment, he directly assumed Nick Fury was Hydra.
If Nick Fury wasn't Hydra, fine. But if he was, directly asking about the Cube prison would trigger multiple associations, alerting the enemy.
"You're asking me?"
For the first time, Nick Fury found himself interrogated so directly. He felt somewhat angry yet somewhat amused.
"I should be asking you that question. Where is Norman Osborn?"
"Besides him, where are Banner, Connors, and Otto? Don't tell me you don't know. My intelligence shows you were the last person in contact with them."
Neither Batman nor Nick Fury would readily reveal their intelligence. Both harbored suspicions about the other's identity.
The compact safe house immediately fell silent, both waiting for the other to speak first. The atmosphere grew oppressively tense.
One minute, two minutes.
"This safe house contains no surveillance systems. Even if it did, with your ability to infiltrate silently, you'd detect them."
Nick Fury broke the silence first, his single eye watching Batman.
"Our conversation won't be overheard by anyone."
Batman naturally knew the safe house contained no surveillance. He was simply continuously applying pressure to extract maximum intelligence from the upcoming dialogue.
"What was your purpose—or your subordinates' purpose—in taking Norman Osborn?" Batman asked.
The scars on Nick Fury's face twitched. He badly wanted to fight Batman, but reason reminded him that as SHIELD's director, physical combat wasn't his responsibility—despite being a battle-hardened veteran who'd survived from World War II until now.
"Why would you assume I or my subordinates took Norman Osborn?" Nick Fury asked.
Nick fury watched Batman, retrieving from the Arkham armor's portable computer information he'd previously collected at Ravencroft Institute.
"When Norman Osborn was taken, surveillance was blocked. From data I collected, whoever took Norman carried weapons Stark Industries supplied to SHIELD."
"General Ross and his soldiers extracted him."
Batman displayed surveillance footage showing armored soldiers' silhouettes and weapon models. From equipment appearance and operational patterns, these soldiers belonged to a US military special operations unit.
Ross had directly served under orders from the World Security Council during the "Project Pegasus" operation at the Adirondack Mountains base.
Nick Fury's expression grew increasingly grim. Batman revealing this information exposed facts about SHIELD's internal divisions and power struggles that Fury had kept hidden.
"So SHIELD's founding resources have fallen into Hydra hands. You yourself are Hydra, Director Fury. Nothing surprising there."
Batman spoke calmly, watching Nick Fury's reaction closely.
"Only two types of people would say such things—those who truly understand nothing, or those genuinely affiliated with Hydra themselves."
Nick Fury stared directly at Batman, his voice lowering dangerously.
"SHIELD was never perfect. It carries complicated history and unavoidable dark chapters from its very founding."
"But regardless of what outsiders like you believe—"
"My goal has always been rooting out Hydra's disgusting tentacles from my organization and burning them to ashes, roots and all!"
"You think I'm Hydra? You believe I work for them? My objective, my only objective, is tearing every last one of those festering parasites from my organization and incinerating them completely!"
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