Sharon Carter eyed Director Fury suspiciously.
"And what about Hawkeye, Hill, and Coulson? You disappeared for two days. So you weren't captured by HYDRA after all?"
Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the four in front of her. She began to wonder if they had ties to HYDRA.
Everything was too coincidental.
Rumlow stepped forward. "Director Fury, you vanished at a critical mont and then reappeared out of nowhere on the Helicarrier. You owe us an explanation."
He drew his gun and took a defensive stance. "Otherwise, it's hard not to think you're in on this with HYDRA."
"You're right," Fury replied, raising an eyebrow as he nodded. "I do need to explain."
Even with several weapons trained on him, Fury remained composed. He calmly pulled up a chair, sat down, and faced his accusers without flinching.
"You want the truth? Fine. Here it is."
"For the past two days, rumors about HYDRA have been spreading among global high-level intelligence circles."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current mobilization is ant to wipe them out."
"But what if S.H.I.E.L.D. is already compromised?"
"I'm telling you right now—no one knows how many HYDRA agents are already embedded among us."
He leaned back in his chair, surveying the room with a cold, calculating stare. Everyone here was a potential threat. His eyes briefly t Hawkeye's.
"That's nonsense," Rumlow barked, cocking his gun. "You vanish when we need you most, and co back just to stir up distrust? Since when did you beco HYDRA, Fury?"
So of the genuine S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who had begun to waver after hearing Fury, now looked uncertain again. The situation was too chaotic, and they lacked the information to make a clear decision.
"Rumlow, why are you so eager to shut down?" Fury's voice turned sharp. "I know exactly who you are. There's no need to keep pretending."
"There are more HYDRA agents in this room, aren't there? So why keep up the charade?"
Rumlow narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, Director. But I'm placing you under arrest for treason."
"Why so nervous?" another voice cut in.
One of the standard S.H.I.E.L.D. agents leveled a weapon at Rumlow.
"Could it be Fury's telling the truth?"
The agent turned to the others. "Everyone, hold your fire. Can't we at least trust the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Think about it—this doesn't make sense. Rumlow is the one acting suspicious!"
A dangerous glint sparked in Rumlow's eyes. His gaze locked onto the speaking agent like a hawk about to strike. He was about to respond when another voice interrupted.
"Everyone, you need to see this broadcast!"
A female agent at a computer quickly activated a projection, displaying a live feed on the main screen.
A live stream?
The tension in the room suddenly felt surreal. Just as things were about to explode, they were being told to watch a broadcast?
Despite their confusion, everyone turned to face the screen.
It was a press conference.
Standing beside the podium was a familiar figure.
"...In summary, I destroyed the last remnants of the Red Room just a few days ago."
Tony Stark sat casually with his elbows resting on the table, half-leaning back, yet his eyes were sharp with focus.
Behind him, a video played—footage of the Mark armor flying through a fortress. Jarvis had recorded that during Tony's reconnaissance over the Helicarrier before.
"From their external transactions, I uncovered a chilling secret."
Tony's tone turned grim. "HYDRA, the organization we thought had died with World War II, is alive and well. They've infiltrated nations, governnts, and secret organizations around the globe."
"From the data, I even deduced that forr Director Alexander Pierce was one of them."
"The so-called S.H.I.E.L.D. is..."
He began projecting docunted evidence behind him.
This broadcast was the result of a decision made between Tony and Malrick after a long discussion.
One goal was to expose HYDRA's infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D.
The other was to elevate Tony's credibility among world governnts, paving the way for his upcoming cross-border operation of revenge.
The press room was silent.
Many reporters had little context for S.H.I.E.L.D., and the idea that HYDRA still existed seed outlandish.
Online, viewers of the livestream were bombarding the chat with confusion and disbelief.
But on the Helicarrier, the reaction was very different.
Director Fury's expression turned dark. "Damn it! He actually made this public?! Coulson, is this what you were working on last night?"
"I don't know, sir," Coulson replied, looking flustered. "I tried everything but couldn't get in touch with him."
"What? Then how does he know all this? Did he really go after a Red Room base?"
Fury looked both stunned and furious. But as he noticed the agents around him absorbing Tony's words, he seized the mont.
"You heard it yourselves. Tony Stark just exposed Pierce as HYDRA. Do you still doubt ?"
Fury stood, gaze firm. "Rumlow, you and Pierce are both HYDRA. How much longer do you plan to pretend?"
At that, Rumlow exploded with rage. His hand lifted, aiming the gun directly at Fury.
But before he could fire, Hawkeye had already drawn his bow.
"Drop it," Barton ordered coldly.
The tension exploded like dry tinder eting fla.
Guns were raised everywhere. Suspicion turned into ard standoffs.
Sharon Carter and several agents had their weapons aid at Rumlow.
Others had theirs trained on Fury and his group.
The traitors were exposed.
Fury's voice remained calm. "I knew there were a lot of you... just didn't expect this many."
But before he could say more, a shot rang out.
The spark that lit the powder keg.
Gunfire erupted in every direction. Muzzle flashes lit up the room, smoke filled the air, and chaos took over.
Hawkeye tangled with Rumlow in a brutal lee, firing arrows and taking out a HYDRA agent amid the frenzy.
But then—one of the agents who had supported Fury was shot and collapsed. As he fell, his body shimred—revealing green skin beneath.
A shapeshifter. Not even human.
Fury's eyes widened. "No—!"
Distracted, he was tackled to the floor.
One by one, his allies were either killed or disabled.
Eventually, Hawkeye himself was overwheld, collapsing under the crackling hit of a stun baton.
The Helicarrier's internal resistance was crushed.
anwhile, in a corner easily overlooked—
The female agent who had stread Tony's broadcast was now hidden under the console.
She continued filming the chaos, transmitting the footage through a secure network.
She wasn't a regular agent.
She was an operative codenad Agent K, a Man in Black—sent to expose everything.
---
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