Inside Alexander Pierce's office at S.H.I.E.L.D.
Standing before the tall French windows, Alexander Pierce watched the city lights glitter across the night.
Behind him, (Crossbones) Rumlow and Sitwell stood at attention.
"Oh? You're saying all the Council of Elders' bases in Europe were wiped out by the Avengers?"
"Yes, sir."
Sitwell looked up. "According to reports from our contacts in Europe, every HYDRA base controlled by the Council of Elders has been destroyed."
"That includes the one jointly operated by the Council and AIM."
Hearing this, Alexander Pierce nodded with clear satisfaction. "Those old fossils… always preaching about HYDRA's 'glory.'"
"In the past, I tolerated them because we shared the same roots, but in recent years, they've grown far too bold."
"The United States is our territory. Yet they not only interfered—they even tried launching a new plan."
"Heh. Idiots. No one stops the Insight Project. Not even other HYDRA factions."
Turning away from the window, Alexander Pierce slid a deck of playing cards into the shredder.
Up close, it became obvious the cards were printed with portraits of the Council of Elders.
"Are the HYDRA bases in Sokovia secure? Is Strucker still wavering between us and the Council of Elders?"
Sitwell immediately answered, "Sir, the Avengers have no knowledge of the Sokovia HYDRA base. The European intelligence we provided already omitted Sokovia entirely."
"Even if they knew it existed, they would never find it. Baron Strucker is currently constructing a new castle and preparing to relocate the base from underground to the surface."
"As for him… now that more than half of the Council of Elders is dead, I believe a smart man like Strucker understands that only by aligning with us can his human enhancement experiments succeed."
Rumlow stood silently nearby, listening to everything.
As the leader of the strike team, he didn't interrupt. He waited until Pierce dismissed him and Sitwell.
Only then did Rumlow speak. "Sir, it's one thing for Nick Fury to place so much importance on the Avengers—but what about Lynn Hall, that NYPD detective? How should we handle him? Why don't I take my team and eliminate him?"
"Hm?"
Alexander Pierce gave Rumlow a strange look. "Among the HYDRA operatives he killed… were any of them your relatives?"
"No, sir!"
"Then any of your brothers?"
"None, sir!"
"Then why are you so eager to kill him?" Alexander Pierce returned to his chair and sat down. "Lynn may be a capable little detective, but he's nowhere near being a threat to us." (Natasha hid his reports from the database as she had promised.)
"And once the Insight Project launches, no matter how skilled he is, he won't escape the algorithm's targets."
"Rumlow, remember this: nothing in this world is absolute. Even Steve Rogers—aren't we able to manipulate him into doing our work now?"
"I've read Lynn's file. He's relaxed, loves good food, fine wine, and beautiful women. He's human—full of weaknesses. He and the Avengers aren't on the same path at all."
Pierce paused thoughtfully. "Sitwell, are we lacking any of those things?"
"Of course not, Mr. Pierce. I understand what you want."
"Then go handle it."
"Yes, sir."
Sitwell and Rumlow left Pierce's office.
Inside the elevator—
"I don't get it," Rumlow muttered. "He killed so many of our people, and we're going to offer him money and women?"
"What else?"
Sitwell shrugged and chuckled. "For someone that capable, of course HYDRA wants to recruit him. Compared to those boyscounts, noble superheroes, Lynn is more… human."
"Besides, Rumlow, Mr. Pierce has wanted to get rid of the Council of Elders' plants in the U.S. for a long time."
"If you think about it, didn't Lynn actually do us a huge favor?"
"That's true."
Rumlow thought for a moment, then nodded. "Forget it. I'd rather just lead the strike team. Fighting and killing suits me better than playing mind games."
"But if we can really bring Hall over to our side, that'd be ideal."
"Tsk. In a single room, he took out more than a dozen fully armed, professionally trained HYDRA soldiers, and even spotted and killed a sniper. I like guys built like that."
...
Is Lynn a tough guy?
Without question.
At least, that's how the blonde beauty who stepped out of the hotel bathroom the next morning described him.
And let Mephisto bear witness—Lynn hadn't even hit on her.
After destroying the HYDRA base and enjoying a good fight, Lynn returned to the city, planning to grab a drink and unwind.
But the women here were far too enthusiastic.
Especially after he'd just come out of battle—his sharp, dangerous aura and "don't come near me" vibe only drew bolder women straight toward him.
Lynn needed to relax anyway, so things naturally fell into place.
"Do you think I'm going to believe that?"
Natasha sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, smiling as she listened to Lynn talk.
"Everything I said is true."
Lynn grabbed a can of beer and downed it in one go.
"Ahh~"
Only after draining it completely did he let out a satisfied breath. "What about the other Avengers? They all head back?"
"Stark did. The others are still resting. I came to see you because I finally had some time."
She looked at him steadily. "Aren't you curious about what the resonator showed me?"
"I've only told you a small portion of the 'future' I saw. In reality, I saw many more fragments."
"Not curious."
For Lynn, he already knew most of what the future held.
So what was there to be curious about?
"What if I told you one of the scenes I saw showed you wearing a cape and armor—and Tony Stark in white armor—standing against us Avengers?"
"And beside you was someone who should have been dead for more than twenty years. Still not curious?"
"Hm? White Iron Man?"
The moment Natasha said that, Lynn—who had been completely uninterested—found himself a little intrigued.
"White Iron Man?"
Surprised by the name he came up with, Natasha raised an eyebrow but nodded. "That description fits. In that future scene, he really was wearing pure white armor."
Oh... fuck... Tony's white armor ..don't tell me ...the inverted Tony from AXIS
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(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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