"Now~! Tell me everything you know!"
The light of the Space Stone flashed, and Artoria vanished from the air. In an instant, she appeared inside a sealed submarine. Looking at the Hydra crew who were stunned by her sudden appearance, Artoria smiled and reached out her hand—the one wearing the Infinity Gauntlet—toward the commanding Director. The yellow Soul Stone on it lit up. Agonized wails echoed throughout the submarine, but soon the vessel exploded. A silver figure burst out from the sea and stood quietly on the surface; it was Artoria.
"Has Hydra already started acting this blatantly?"
Through a minor application of the Soul Stone, Artoria had searched the soul of a Hydra member, the price being that the man's soul was consumed by the stone. Artoria saw fragments of the orders being transmitted. Looking around at the smoke rising from the sea and the remaining enemies, Artoria didn't want to solve this all at once. There were too many Hydra cells; she wanted Tony to lead all the Avengers to settle this matter.
"Beep—beep—beep—!"
While dealing with the enemies who had landed on the island, Natasha suddenly heard the sound of her communicator. Frowning, she turned on the earpiece and connected. She recognized the voice instantly; it was their One-eyed Director Egg.
"Natasha, I assume you've encountered an attack. Now, listen carefully to what I have to say. From this moment on, contact all the Avengers and completely dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. Until the enemy is fully eliminated, trust no one, including myself. Most of the control over the Helicarrier has been seized. Right now, the Captain and I are on one of them. Hydra has begun to resurface, or rather, they've awakened after years of slumber. Proceed with caution."
Nick's words were urgent, but the orders were clear. He feared being monitored, so some important matters weren't fully explained. Considering the possibility of someone impersonating him to harm the Avengers, the task Nick gave Natasha was incredibly difficult. 'Trust no one until the enemy is eliminated' was like giving you a field and telling you to guess whether the seeds in it were good or bad. If you guessed wrong, you'd starve for the next year, or perhaps even die.
"This is quite a puzzle, Director."
Natasha listened with a wry smile to the static in her earpiece. This task was truly not simple; her judgment now concerned the safety of the world. The name Hydra was a nightmare from her era. She was puzzled as to why this terrorist organization, which had disappeared for a century, would suddenly resurface. She couldn't figure it out, but these people must be Hydra! That terrifying will that disregarded life and death was truly chilling.
"Is this okay, Director?"
The Captain looked at the dense array of buttons before him, feeling a massive headache. You could ask him to fly a fighter jet without issue, but asking one man to pilot a Helicarrier—and a flying one at that—was really putting a man in a tight spot... a real tall order. But if they didn't fly it, the two of them would have no chance of escape. It was simply too much trouble.
"Password incorrect. Your iris scan failed."
After tossing the Captain a thick manual and relying on the auxiliary systems in the main computer, Nick believed the Captain could handle it. If he couldn't, they would plummet from an altitude of over ten thousand meters. Nick was currently trying to use his authority to lock down all of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the enemy seemed to have anticipated his move. Nick's clearance appeared to have been erased by the opposition; no matter how he scanned his iris, it was useless.
"Captain, I'll leave the rest to you. I need to take a rest now."
Rubbing his forehead, Nick felt extremely fatigued. It wasn't just the side effects of the healing potion; having lost so much blood, Nick needed to rest—or rather, he needed to think of a solution. He was now certain that his superiors must be Hydra. Aside from the President, only a man like Pierce could have revoked his clearance. Thinking about how a comrade of so many years was actually Hydra, Nick felt more than just a headache; he felt a chilling cold in his heart.
"This is too hard for me."
The Captain glanced at Nick, who had closed his eyes immediately after speaking. He then looked at the various buttons in front of him. After letting out such a sigh, the Captain fell silent and focused on piloting this Helicarrier. There were three more such Helicarriers at the Base, but they had all been seized. The two of them had hijacked this one, blasted through the top deck, and escaped.
"In other words, these guys wearing S.H.I.E.L.D. insignias are antiques from the last century? That's hilarious, Miss Natasha. The standards on them should be S.H.I.E.L.D. standards, right! Could it be that your S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually Hydra, or rather, you're all members of Hydra?"
After clearing out the Hydra forces around the island, Natasha gathered everyone and gave them a brief, clear summary of what the Director had said. Tony was the first to speak, looking at Natasha and Barton with sarcasm and contempt. He hadn't trusted this organization from the start, and as it turned out, he was right. The fact that so many Hydra members appeared within S.H.I.E.L.D. proved his judgment.
"Calm down, Tony."
While Natasha and Barton remained silent, Thor, who was standing nearby, frowned as he spoke to Tony. He had also joined the Avengers. His initial impression of S.H.I.E.L.D. might not have been great, but the smooth-talking Phil had given him a decent perception of the organization. However, tonight's events gave him a very bad feeling about S.H.I.E.L.D. These people were clearly not good-natured, and yet they were all members of S.H.I.E.L.D. while you claim they are undercover. In such a situation, who are they supposed to believe?
"Miss Natasha, we won't argue with you about other matters for now. Regarding Hydra, are you certain they only exist within S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Artoria stepped forward and patted Tony's shoulder, signaling him to calm down. Tony, who had originally wanted to provoke Thor, sat obediently on the sofa under his sister's comfort. Artoria began to steer the conversation elsewhere; she wanted Natasha to realize that Hydra's presence wasn't limited to just S.H.I.E.L.D.
Natasha frowned after hearing Artoria's words, and she quickly grasped her meaning. A trace of cold sweat broke out on her fair forehead. She realized this wasn't as simple as just eliminating them. If the Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D. were merely ordinary soldiers, then there had to be a leader above them. A leader would surely have assistants and lower-level Captains, meaning the leadership above S.H.I.E.L.D. could also be Hydra.
That was the only way to explain where so many Hydra Special Agents came from and how they entered S.H.I.E.L.D. There must be a leader with immense power and authority at the top of Hydra. At this thought, Natasha's back broke into a cold sweat; this was what Nick had left unsaid.
"Then what do you think we should do, Miss Artoria?"
Taking a deep breath, Natasha looked at Artoria with admiration. This woman thought much deeper than she did and was better suited to lead everyone in a counterattack.
"Since we're already Avengers, what kind of Avengers would we be if we didn't seek vengeance after being ambushed?"
"Naturally, it's time to strike! Avengers, crush your enemies."
Artoria said with a smile to all the Avengers present. Did such a simple question even need discussion? Wiping out all your enemies—isn't that a perfect revenge?
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