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[Frog] Chapter 218: Phase Two - The Fall of HYDRA
🕑 Added 2024-12-18 19:52:59 +0000 UTCAt Alan’s house, in a laboratory brimming with electronic devices, the entire wall in front of him served as a massive projection screen.
On the screen, the image displayed was from Alexander Pierce's office. Pierce and the Secretary of Defense stood before a laptop, their postures exuding utmost reverence. On the laptop’s screen was a green, digitized face.
“Red Queen,” Alan asked, “how does Zola’s AI program compare to you and J.A.R.V.I.S.?”
The projection of the Red Queen appeared beside Alan, her tone confident. “I surpass both of them.”
Alan nodded, as though it was a matter of course. After all, the Red Queen was the fusion of two world-class artificial intelligences, each capable of global destruction on its own.
“Master, I can now infiltrate Zola’s algorithms without being detected,” the Red Queen reported.
“Begin,” Alan instructed, a cold glint in his eyes. “Since Zola has reignited HYDRA, let’s make HYDRA bury itself by its own hands.”
“Understood.”
The Red Queen glanced at Alan. “Master, Nick Fury is calling.”
“Patch him through.”
The moment Alan spoke, Nick Fury’s voice echoed throughout the lab. “I’ve done what you asked—handed over the Insight Initiative, networked and all, to Pierce. I hope you’re not lying to me. Otherwise, no matter where you’re hiding, I’ll drag you out myself.”
Hearing Fury’s veiled threat, Alan smiled faintly. He didn’t particularly like Nick Fury, but with their shared goal of taking down HYDRA, cooperation was a logical choice.
“I’ve already told you everything you need to know,” Alan replied calmly. “And I’ve given you only two options: Either HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. disappear from Earth together, or you work with me to destroy HYDRA completely.”
“What’s wrong? Is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. regretting his decision now?”
---
In the underground parking garage.
Nick Fury sat in his car, his expression shifting as he mulled over Alan’s words. After a moment, he asked, “What do I do next?”
“Just follow the original plan. But be careful—don’t lose your life in the process.”
As soon as Alan finished speaking, the call abruptly disconnected, leaving Fury to listen to the beeping tone.
Recollecting recent events, Fury felt a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
Earlier, when he was planning his investigation into internal traitors, an email mysteriously appeared in his inbox.
Opening it had left him stunned.
The email contained an exhaustive list of traitors within S.H.I.E.L.D., with details so thorough that even Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., wouldn’t have had access to such information.
What terrified him even more was the revelation that these infiltrators weren’t just deeply embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D.—they were all HYDRA agents.
Initially, Fury didn’t believe it. After all, HYDRA should have been eradicated alongside the Red Skull years ago. How could they possibly resurface?
But as this skepticism crossed his mind, another email popped up, referencing an early S.H.I.E.L.D. operation: Project Paperclip.
Regaining his composure, Fury glanced at the syringe in his car’s glove compartment. “If I die, I’ll haunt you as a ghost, Emperor!”
Based on the precision and methods employed, Fury could only think of one person capable of such things: Emperor.
“Only Emperor could pull this off…” Fury muttered to himself, starting his car. “I must be crazy.”
---
Elsewhere, in a lab.
“Initiative Insight… Project Paperclip…”
Tony Stark and Bruce Banner stared at the decrypted data with shock.
“Gentlemen,” J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupted, “I believe someone is aiding us.”
The two exchanged glances. Tony asked, “Why do you say that?”
“When I began decrypting S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files, I discovered these two projects were protected by a unique algorithm, constantly altering its password combinations in real time. Just when I was about to report a delay in the decryption process, the algorithm suddenly stopped.”
Tony’s eyes widened in surprise.
As J.A.R.V.I.S.’s creator, Tony was intimately familiar with his AI’s capabilities. For an algorithm that even J.A.R.V.I.S. needed extra time to crack to be neutralized so effortlessly?
“Could it be…” Tony hesitated. “Spider-Girl?”
He recalled how Spider-Woman had previously hacked Ivan Vanko’s robots before he had the chance.
“It must be her,” Tony concluded.
Looking at Banner, Tony briefly explained what had happened.
“So you’re saying Spider-Woman has an AI as powerful as J.A.R.V.I.S.?” Banner asked.
Tony nodded. “The good news is, Spider-Girl is definitely on our side. With her help, we should be able to root out S.H.I.E.L.D.’s moles in no time.”
In Tony’s mind, the priority wasn’t helping Nick Fury—it was saving S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.
After all, the founding of S.H.I.E.L.D. also carried the hard work and dedication of Howard Stark.
Although Tony didn’t fully understand why his father had been one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s founders, he couldn’t ignore it.
“Tony, take a look at this.”
While Tony was lost in thought, Bruce Banner had been analyzing the two plans. Under Banner’s guidance, Tony noticed a specific scientist mentioned in the “Paperclip Project.”
“Arnim Zola…”
“The chief scientist of HYDRA under the Red Skull during World War II.”
Tony was no stranger to the Red Skull or HYDRA. Back in the day, his father Howard Stark had joined the Super Soldier Program specifically to combat this terrorist organization.
“The ‘Paperclip Project’ was about recruiting scientists from defeated nations into the U.S.”
“And this Dr. Zola was one of them.”
Listening to Banner’s explanation, Tony was momentarily at a loss for words to describe such behavior by his country. It seemed as though anything, no matter how morally dubious, could be forgiven if it served their interests.
“Many of the scientists mentioned in this plan were from the World War II era,” Banner continued.
“Does this Dr. Zola stand out in any particular way?” Tony asked curiously.
He trusted that if Banner was highlighting Zola, it was because he’d discovered something noteworthy.
“Look at this,” Banner said, pulling up additional information. “This is part of the ‘Insight Initiative.’”
A new document appeared on the screen in front of Tony.
“The Zola Algorithm—the core of the Insight Initiative…”
Tony examined it closely. “This is essentially a massive mathematical model designed to analyze a person’s behaviors and predict whether they might pose a future threat to the United States or the world.”
“If the model deems someone a threat, they’re marked for elimination. That’s the Project Insight Initiative.”
Banner nodded. “Exactly. And I believe the algorithm being named ‘Zola Algorithm’ isn’t a coincidence.”
“There’s undoubtedly a connection between it and Dr. Zola. Moreover, I’ve discovered that many of the people responsible for the Insight Initiative have ties to Zola in some way.”
As the two delved deeper into their analysis, J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice suddenly interrupted.
“Sir, Director Nick Fury was ambushed on his way back to S.H.I.E.L.D. He is currently unaccounted for…”
“What?!”
Tony looked in disbelief at another screen projection, which displayed footage of a chaotic street in New York.
The scene showed a black MPV lying on its side in the middle of the road. Tony instantly recognized the vehicle—it was Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D.-modified car. Its windows and body had undergone specialized bulletproof enhancements, capable of withstanding even heavy firepower.
Ordinary bullets wouldn’t even leave a scratch on it.
Yet now, the vehicle lay overturned, riddled with bullet holes, a testament to the immense firepower it had faced.
Even Banner, staring at the screen, found it hard to believe.
Nick Fury, a figure who practically held the U.S. in his palm, had been attacked in broad daylight on a public street?
“J.A.R.V.I.S., what exactly happened? Replay the footage,” Tony demanded.
“Right away, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
---
In a secluded corner of New York City.
A manhole cover suddenly shifted, and Nick Fury’s battered and bloodied figure crawled out of the sewer.
Exhausted, he slumped into a nearby corner.
“Damn it, Emperor,” Fury muttered bitterly. “I should never have agreed to your plan!”
He had narrowly escaped death—so close that he could still feel its icy grip lingering around him.
Pulling a syringe from his pocket, Fury didn’t hesitate for a second before injecting it into his arm.
Then, he retrieved a small, old-fashioned phone and dialed the only number stored on it.
“Hill, come find me now,” Fury said into the receiver. “The plan is entering Phase Two… Operation Codename: ‘Destroy HYDRA.’”
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of drowsiness overcame him. The phone slipped from his hand, and Fury fell into a deep sleep.
—(To be continued)—
