Smith settled behind his desk, the leather chair creaking softly as he leaned back. Three hours in the Gravity Chamber had left his muscles pleasantly fatigued, but his mind remained sharp. Time to check on Eddie's recruitment progress.
"Friday, show me the Red Ribbon Corporation's superhero recruitment data. Top candidates, voting statistics, demographic breakdowns."
The small robot that Bulma had upgraded from Tony's original AI design rolled forward on the desk, its spherical body rotating to project a holographic display into the air. The interface materialized with crisp clarity—the Red Ribbon website's main page, complete with candidate profiles ranked by public voting.
Smith's eyes tracked down the list, recognition sparking as familiar faces appeared among the top positions.
Matt Murdock, operating under the Daredevil identity. Chen Haoran styling himself as "Vermillion." Donnie Gill uses "Frost-Byte" as his hero designation. Danny Rand's Iron Fist persona was prominently featured. T'Challa had revealed himself as Black Panther. An Eternal named Kingo appeared with professional headshots. Frank Castle's Punisher identity showed.
Several other enhanced individuals Smith didn't recognize filled out the top rankings, each with video demonstrations of their abilities and personal statements about why they wanted to join.
When Smith saw Daredevil's profile, a slight smile curved his lips. He hadn't expected Matt to actually apply, considering their complicated history. Smith had nearly gotten the man killed interfering with Hand operations. Apparently Matt had decided the opportunity outweighed past grievances.
"Friday, break down why these specific candidates are ranking so highly."
The robot's projection shifted, overlaying analytical data across each profile.
"Daredevil uploaded his personal story to the website," Friday reported in her crisp feminine voice. "Many people he has helped over the years voluntarily organized campaigns supporting his selection. This grassroots movement propelled him to the top of the rankings."
The data showed thousands of individual testimonials—people Matt had represented in court, victims he'd saved from violence, families he'd helped in Hell's Kitchen. The genuine outpouring of support was impressive, speaking to years of consistent work in the community.
"Vermillion Chen Haoran and Frost-Byte Donnie Gill are canvassing for votes in organized, large-scale operations," Friday continued. "Multiple media outlets are promoting their campaigns. Their voting data has consistently remained in the top ten through coordinated effort."
Smith's eyes narrowed slightly, then understanding clicked into place. He pulled up additional data on both candidates, cross-referencing their backgrounds against intelligence databases. The patterns emerged quickly—too organized, too well-funded, too professionally managed for genuine grassroots campaigns.
"Nick Fury's work," Smith muttered. "Looks like his old habits are showing again. He wants to control everything, even private superhero teams."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Director couldn't resist inserting his agents into every significant operation. Smith had expected infiltration attempts, but Fury's execution was almost insulting in its transparency. Did the man really think coordination that obvious would slip past Fraternity intelligence?
Friday moved to the next profile. "Danny Rand, Iron Fist of Kunlun, is using Rand Corporation resources to canvass for votes. He has organized a 'Million Dollar Campaign' with plans to hold raffles across multiple states."
The hologram displayed promotional materials—slick advertisements promising that random voters who selected Iron Fist would be entered into drawings for one million dollar cash prizes. One winner per state, nationwide coverage, massive publicity.
"Every state will randomly select a lucky person from those who voted for him and award them one million dollars in cash," Friday explained. "This incentive structure has driven his vote count significantly higher."
Smith nodded, impressed despite himself. Danny had clearly reclaimed his inheritance after the Hand's destruction. Using wealth as leverage in the competition showed strategic thinking, even if it felt somewhat mercenary. At least the money would go to random citizens rather than political operatives.
"Black Panther T'Challa publicly revealed his identity in his application video," Friday reported. "As the first black superhero to appear prominently in this recruitment campaign, African Americans worldwide have rallied enthusiastically to support him. His voting numbers reflect strong demographic solidarity."
Smith studied T'Challa's profile without surprise. The Black Panther was benefiting from representation politics—understandable, given how few enhanced individuals of African descent had revealed themselves publicly.
"Kingo, through his status as an Indian actor, has attracted significant votes from Indian populations worldwide," Friday continued.
Smith's eyebrows rose. An Eternal participating in the recruitment? That was unexpected. The Eternals had supposedly decided centuries ago not to interfere in human affairs, maintaining their secret existence while humanity developed independently. What had changed to make Kingo break that policy?
Smith made a mental note to investigate further. The Eternals' involvement might indicate shifting priorities within their group, possibly related to Ajak's earlier visit.
"Frank Castle, operating as the Punisher, received substantial popular votes due to his personal history and reputation," Friday said. "However, he is not dominant in the rankings because he has not demonstrated superhuman abilities corresponding to other candidates."
Friday proceeded through several more profiles—enhanced individuals with various abilities and backgrounds, each bringing unique strengths to their applications. The sheer diversity was striking. Enhanced humans, mystics, technology users, alien hybrid descendants. The world contained far more powered individuals than anyone had previously realized.
Smith leaned forward, studying the data with satisfaction. "Since everyone is showing such enthusiasm, Friday, inform Eddie Brock that I will personally attend the final selection event. And let him know I'm bringing Tony Stark and Ivan Vanko as well."
Having the three primary sponsors present for the final selection would send a clear message about the team's legitimacy and importance. It would also give Smith an opportunity to assess the candidates in person, using his scouter and enhanced senses to verify their claimed abilities.
"Message sent to Eddie Brock," Friday confirmed. "He acknowledges receipt and expresses enthusiasm about your attendance."
The superhero recruitment campaign's global reach naturally attracted HYDRA's attention.
In his comfortable office at the Triskelion, Alexander Pierce reviewed the same data Smith had examined, though with very different thoughts. The elderly statesman's fingers drummed against his desk as he considered possibilities and limitations.
Pierce was genuinely interested in the superhero team concept. Having HYDRA assets embedded in such a high-profile organization could provide tremendous advantages—intelligence gathering, political influence, the ability to shape public perception of enhanced individuals.
But HYDRA's current roster of enhanced operatives presented significant challenges.
The Winter Soldier program was HYDRA's crown jewel—enhanced assassins with decades of conditioning and battlefield experience. They excelled at assassination, infiltration, sabotage, all the dark work that kept HYDRA's influence growing beneath S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose.
However, the Winter Soldiers were fundamentally broken as people. They required regular memory wipes and reconditioning to maintain control. Even kept out of cryogenic storage, they couldn't function normally for extended periods before psychological degradation set in. Violence and paranoia emerged within weeks without intervention.
Asking them to behave like conventional superheroes, maintaining public personas and interacting normally with civilians... Pierce might as well ask them to perform brain surgery. The psychological damage was simply too severe.
"Asking Winter Soldiers to be normal superheroes is embarrassing for me," Pierce muttered to himself, allowing rare frustration to surface.
The past two years had seen HYDRA attempting to recruit naturally enhanced individuals, leveraging their infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. to identify and approach candidates. But success had been limited. Nick Fury kept close watch on promising recruits, making it difficult for HYDRA agents to establish contact without raising suspicion.
Pierce sat back, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It seems HYDRA will have difficulty getting directly involved in this seven-person superhero team. Our best chance is if Nick Fury's own infiltration attempts succeed and we can co-opt those agents afterward."
A thin smile crossed his face. "But these enhanced individuals who are applying publicly... they represent opportunities. Even if they don't make the final team, we can approach them afterward. Offer resources, support, suggest alternative teams or initiatives. The recruitment campaign is essentially advertising hundreds of enhanced individuals to anyone paying attention."
That was the real value from HYDRA's perspective. Let Smith Doyle and Eddie Brock do the hard work of identifying and vetting enhanced individuals. Then HYDRA could cherry-pick promising candidates who didn't make the cut, recruiting them into HYDRA-controlled initiatives.
Patience and opportunism. That was how HYDRA had survived and thrived for decades.
The recruitment campaign's influence spread beyond government organizations and criminal networks. In a hidden sanctuary known as Afterlife, isolated from the modern world, news of the superhero team finally penetrated the community's deliberate separation.
Afterlife maintained limited contact with the outside world, but it wasn't completely sealed. Members occasionally left to gather supplies, information, or recruit potential Inhumans who'd undergone spontaneous Terrigenesis. Through these connections, word of the Red Ribbon Corporation's campaign reached their leadership.
Jiaying, who led the Inhuman community, sat in her private quarters reviewing printed documents her scouts had brought back. No internet connected to Afterlife—too easy to track, too dangerous to risk exposure—but physical intelligence gathering still functioned.
She spread photographs and news articles across her desk, studying the faces of enhanced individuals who'd revealed themselves publicly. The concept seemed almost incomprehensible.
"Enhanced people can reveal their identities to the public now?" Her voice carried disbelief mixed with old trauma. "They're celebrated? Protected?"
Memories rose unbidden—S.H.I.E.L.D. agents restraining her, scientists in white coats approaching with scalpels, the horrifying sensation of her chest being opened while she remained conscious. They'd harvested her organs like she was livestock. Heart, lungs, liver, taken while she screamed. Then disposal in a drainage ditch, left to die slowly in filth and darkness.
Only her Inhuman regeneration had saved her, allowing her to crawl back from the edge of death over weeks of agonizing recovery. But the psychological scars remained deeper than any physical wound.
Those experiments. The casual cruelty. The complete dehumanization by official government scientists who viewed Inhumans as research subjects rather than people.
And more recently, an Inhuman member had stolen Terrigen Crystals and returned to the outside world, secretly using them to awaken his daughter's abilities. S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered them both. Killed them both. Taken their bodies for research.
The cycle continued even decades after Jiaying's own torture.
She made her decision quickly, motivated by protective fear that had governed her leadership for years.
"No Inhumans are permitted to leave Afterlife to participate in this superhero selection," Jiaying announced to her council. "Awakened Inhumans are forbidden from engaging with this Red Ribbon Corporation campaign in any capacity."