Sarah came to David with information she'd been sitting on for weeks, clearly wrestling with whether to share it.
"I found something," she said without preamble, closing his office door. "And I don't know what to do with it."
David gestured for her to sit. "Show me."
Sarah pulled out her tablet, displaying a network diagram that made David's stomach drop. It was an updated version of the research network she'd discovered months ago, the biotech companies with suspicious funding structures.
"I know you told me to stay away from this," Sarah said. "And I did, mostly. But I kept passive monitoring running, just watching for new connections or changes in the network. And David, it's grown. Significantly."
The diagram showed at least fifty companies now, all connected through opaque funding structures and data sharing. Biotech, materials science, advanced computing, weapons development, private security, psychological research.
"This is bigger than a super soldier program," Sarah said quietly. "This is something else. Something comprehensive."
David studied the diagram, his mind racing. This could be Hydra's research network, preparing for their eventual emergence. Or it could be legitimate SHIELD research, compartmentalized for security. Or it could be something else entirely, another player in the MCU's complex landscape of organizations and agendas.
"Have you shared this with anyone else?" David asked.
"No. I wanted to talk to you first."
"Good. Don't share it. Not even with the team."
Sarah looked troubled. "David, if this is what I think it is, if someone's running human experiments or developing weapons programs, shouldn't we do something?"
"Like what? We're a community development organization, not an intelligence agency or law enforcement. We don't have the capability to investigate this, let alone stop it. And trying to expose it publicly would just put targets on our backs."
"So we do nothing?"
"We do what we can do: we document it, we stay alert for connections to our work, and we focus on building capacity to help people regardless of what's happening in the shadows." David met her eyes. "Sarah, I know this is frustrating. But we have to be strategic about which fights we pick. This isn't our fight, not yet."
"When does it become our fight?"
"When it intersects with our ability to protect the communities we serve. Until then, we gather information and stay prepared."
Sarah clearly wasn't happy, but she accepted David's decision. After she left, David sat staring at the network diagram, feeling the weight of knowledge he couldn't act on.
This was the curse of foreknowledge: knowing threats existed but being unable to address them without exposing how he knew. He couldn't tell Sarah this was probably Hydra's research network preparing for their coup. He couldn't warn SHIELD because Hydra was embedded in SHIELD. He couldn't go public because he'd look insane and become a target.
All he could do was build. Build infrastructure that would survive whatever was coming. Build networks that could help people when systems failed. Build foundations that would stand when everything else collapsed.
It felt inadequate. It was all he could do.
His phone buzzed. A news alert: "Billionaire Tony Stark Announces Advanced Weapons Expo, Showcasing Future of Defense Technology."
David pulled up the article. Stark Industries was hosting a major expo in a few months, featuring the latest developments in defense and security technology. It was essentially Tony showing off while also signaling his company's continued evolution away from traditional weapons manufacturing.
It was also, David remembered, where Vanko would make his appearance. Where Whiplash would attack Tony publicly, revealing that the arc reactor technology wasn't as unique as people thought.
Another MCU event approaching, another piece of the timeline falling into place.
Nine months until the Chitauri invasion.
David pulled up his project timelines, adjusting schedules, pushing teams to move faster without compromising quality. Nine months wasn't enough time to complete everything he wanted to build, but it might be enough to get the most critical pieces in place.
The South Bronx fortress-building. Three more community centers designed to double as shelters. Expansion of their medical clinics. Establishment of emergency supply caches. Training programs for rapid response.
All of it disguised as normal community development, but all of it designed with one purpose: helping ordinary people survive when the extraordinary arrived