Meanwhile-
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters-
Agent Coulson looked at Ward and asked, "How did your meeting with Kabuto Yakushi go?"
Ward smiled, then threw a punch that caused a sonic boom.
"Now, I'm no weaker than you."
Coulson, surprised, said, "Wait, that's not the Curse Mark of Fire."
Ward nodded, "It's a body enhancement serum."
Coulson, delighted, asked, "How did you get it? Didn't you lend all your money to May?"
At that moment, Ward recalled the events of the previous day at Orochimaru's base.
Kabuto looked at Ward and said, "You're not just an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., are you?"
Ward, confused, replied, "Kabuto, what are you talking about?"
Kabuto smiled, "Your strong and powerful heartbeat is something I can detect from 100 meters away."
"At that time, you were my supervisor, but I didn't find any records in the Charles Agency's files of them selling you any body enhancement serums."
"However, I did hear that the Puppet Shop of Sunagakure sold quite a few items to other organizations. If you're not the leopard man who appeared, then you must be part of a different group."
Ward's mind flashed with panic. His deepest secret had been uncovered. Did this mean that even Killer Bee could sense it too?
But why hadn't they exposed him?
In that moment, Ward's muscles tensed up.
Kabuto chuckled, "No need to be nervous. We may have more in common than you think."
Kabuto then pulled out a document with a hand-drawn illustration on it.
"Perhaps we might become family."
Ward's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the file, "This... this..."
Kabuto grinned, "This should be an item of worship for your organization, right?"
The drawing wasn't the symbol of Hydra, but rather the image of Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent.
However, the Eight-Headed Serpent could be interpreted as Hydra, couldn't it?
Kabuto had learned from Lord Charles that there was a large organization on this world that worshiped this very creature.
Furthermore, one of the factions in that organization had the goal of reclaiming Hydra.
For Kabuto, the opportunity to inherit a ready-made organization was too good to pass up.
As for Hydra's notorious reputation, Kabuto's plan was to hollow them out and then discard them.
After all, if they could survive under the guise of S.H.I.E.L.D., they could do the same under Hydra's name.
Kabuto's aim was to gather more magical items for Lord Charles.
Ward looked at the ambiguous depiction, hesitating, "I'm not sure... Does this thing really exist?"
Kabuto nodded, "You may need to confirm with your organization, but I can tell you that its presence is felt in the ninja world."
Ward nodded, then asked, "How are you so sure that I'm part of this organization?"
Kabuto smiled but didn't answer.
Ward continued, "Alright then, how do you want to cooperate?"
Kabuto replied, "Take news of its existence back to your organization. Someone will reach out to you. As for the specifics of our cooperation, we'll discuss that when the time comes."
Ward nodded, then said, "I'll tell Coulson that you gave me the body enhancement serum."
Kabuto agreed, "That's fine."
Back in the present moment, Ward looked at Coulson and said, "It was Kabuto. Before they defected, they took a batch of enhancement serums. It's only thanks to our past relationship, he gave me one."
"Though I would have to pay for it. Until I pay him back, it'll be tough to get any more help from him."
Seeing Ward's troubled expression, Coulson asked, "How much?"
Ward held up three fingers.
Coulson was shocked, "Three billion dollars? You'll never pay that off in your lifetime!"
Ward shook his head, "30 million."
Coulson punched Ward playfully, "Buddy, you made a fortune!"
"Now our team really is a dream team. We've got you, me, May, and our consultant Killer Bee. This lineup is practically a fantasy!"
"I need to report this to the Director. We can't afford to have our team disbanded," Coulson said firmly.
Ward, surprised, asked, "Did May manage to gather all the money?"
Coulson nodded, "She mortgaged her house and borrowed some from former colleagues and supervisors."
Coulson then patted Ward on the shoulder, "But enough about that. We've got a new mission."
…
London, England –
Greenwich-
Coulson led the entire team to the location. Although Charles had dealt with the enemies and taken the largest alien ship, a lot of debris remained on the site, including alien corpses, weapons, and equipment.
Fitz surveyed the aftermath and sighed, "Besides the weapons, we'll also need to analyze the alien spectral characteristics of each small stone one by one."
Ward responded, "It's a necessary precaution. We don't want alien tech falling into the wrong hands."
Fitz grumbled, "Even so, this is the kind of job even a monkey could do."
Ward chuckled, "Well, you're our little monkey."
At that moment, Simmons' phone rang. Seeing that it was her parents calling, she hesitated but eventually declined the call.
Simmons turned to Fitz and said, "Don't give me that look. I'll answer it when I'm ready."
Ward, curious, asked, "Who's calling?"
Simmons sighed, "My mom and dad. They want me to explain everything… but I don't have the answers. And more importantly, I haven't spoken to them since I was infected."
"If they knew, it would only worry them more. You understand, don't you?"
Ward, still carrying alien weapons, listened as Simmons spoke.
Simmons, putting her phone away, said, "Why waste time? Let's get back to work."