Inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters — Nick Fury's Office
Two agents stood stiffly in front of Nick Fury's desk, brought in by Natasha Romanoff herself.
Neither of them knew why they'd been summoned.
After all, their clearance was only Level 4 — mid-tier agents at best. They were nobodies in the vast hierarchy of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just as confusion settled between them, Nick Fury slowly raised his head. His one good eye fixed on them like a hawk's glare.
"Who sent you to monitor Linen?" he asked coldly.
The two agents froze. Their faces went pale.
The order to keep tabs on Linen had come from Agent Sitwell, but as far as they knew, their surveillance hadn't been discovered.
There were countless agents in S.H.I.E.L.D.—why would the Director himself single them out?
But now that they'd been exposed, they couldn't risk naming Sitwell — one of Hydra's key men within S.H.I.E.L.D.
The two exchanged a quick glance.
Then, in perfect sync, they drew their pistols and fired at Nick Fury.
Bang!
Bang!
But Fury didn't even flinch. The rounds never hit him — both agents screamed as their wrists were shot through by Natasha, who had already anticipated their move.
Their guns clattered to the floor. Fury's expression darkened.
Natasha had only suggested testing them — she hadn't expected to find an actual problem.
"Damn it," she muttered. "Just like in the video… looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. can't be trusted after all. The only question is—what's worse? This 'quagmire' or the Red Room?"
At that, Fury's expression hardened even more.
He remembered what the "Spoiler System" had shown — a glimpse of the future where Linen had warned Natasha that S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised.
And he knew she was right.
No matter how corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. might be, it was still cleaner than the Red Room—but if Hydra had infiltrated this deep...
The implications were terrifying.
"Natasha," Fury said grimly, "I want you to find out who's behind them — whatever it takes. I'm authorizing you to use the Hive device."
The moment Fury mentioned the Hive, the agents' faces turned ghostly white.
Other agents might not know what the Hive was, but they did.
Hydra had its own version of that technology — a neural torture interface. If Fury used it on them, they'd spill everything.
Without hesitation, both agents bit down hard on the poison capsules hidden in their molars.
Within seconds, they collapsed to the floor, foaming at the mouth.
Fury slammed his fist on the desk. "Son of a bitch!"
Natasha crouched to inspect the bodies. "Cyanide," she confirmed. "Whoever sent them isn't some small-time player."
Fury's jaw tightened. "Get out for now, Natasha. And forget this happened."
She frowned but nodded. "Understood."
She left, though she could tell from Fury's face that he'd already guessed who was behind it.
Ten Minutes Later
Alexander Pierce entered the office, smiling faintly.
"What's this about, Nick? You drag me all the way here to look at two corpses?"
Fury gestured to the bodies. "These two tried to kill me after I questioned them. They were low-level agents, but something's not right."
Pierce's smile faded.
"You think Hydra's involved?"
Fury leaned back, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "The way they acted, the suicide method — it all reminds me of the old days."
"I thought we wiped out Hydra decades ago," he said quietly. "But now… I don't know how deep they've gotten into S.H.I.E.L.D."
He looked up at Pierce, his tone grave. "Pierce, you know I trust you with my life. Hell, I'd take a bullet for you. I need your help."
Pierce paused, then nodded slowly.
"If Hydra really has its claws in S.H.I.E.L.D., that's a disaster waiting to happen," he said. "Those lunatics want to tear down order and rule the world. If they're back, we can't let them breathe."
He took out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a slow trail of smoke.
"As Director, you can't move too openly," he continued. "You'll tip them off. Leave the digging to me, Nick. Let's remind Hydra that I might be old — but I'm not dead."
For the first time in a while, Fury smiled.
Seeing the old fire in his friend's eyes gave him a sense of relief.
"Then I'm counting on you, Pierce."
"Don't worry," Pierce said, straightening his suit. "I'll give you a full report soon."
He turned and strode out of the office, his steps steady and confident.
Fury watched him go, exhaling slowly.
Good thing I had Natasha contact Linen when I did, he thought. If Hydra's really back, we'll need every advantage we can get.
If he hadn't found the clues early — if his most trusted ally wasn't still willing to fight — then maybe, just maybe, the future would play out exactly like the one he saw in that video…
A future where S.H.I.E.L.D. is destroyed.
He pressed the comm. "Hill, get in here. Clean up the bodies."
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