"Pierce? Hydra? This…"
Nick Fury stared at Kurogai in shock. The information he'd just been handed was too enormous to process. Pierce was one of the highest-ranking figures in S.H.I.E.L.D. If even he was a Hydra operative, then how many more of them were buried within their ranks?
The thought made Fury's stomach turn. And thinking back to their history of intelligence leaks — if Hydra hadn't infiltrated this deep, none of that would've happened.
For a long mont, Nick Fury remained silent, lost in thought.
But while Fury grappled with the implications, Kurogai was already moving on. He had no interest in sticking around. The only reason he'd let Fury inside was to deliver a warning.
Now that ssage was clear, he had no further reason to stay. Besides, there were more pressing matters to attend to.
Without hesitation, Kurogai conjured a shimring portal. Under the stunned gazes of the gathered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he stepped through the golden ring, the Winter Soldier close behind.
"Director! The heterochromatic-eyed man's escaping, should we pursue?!"
One of the agents turned to Nick Fury, his voice tense. Despite the shock, duty called. One of their own had been killed in cold blood inside S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters — they couldn't just let that slide.
But Fury held up a hand.
"Not now. We have bigger problems to deal with."
His voice was grave. Kurogai's words still rang in his head, chilling him to the core. Hydra wasn't gone. In fact, it was still latched onto S.H.I.E.L.D. like a parasite.
Years ago, after the orphanage incident, Fury had suspected Hydra's presence within their ranks. He'd even led a purge of suspected spies. But it clearly hadn't been enough. Pierce — soone who had worked at his side for years, a forr S.H.I.E.L.D. director — had been one of them.
If Kurogai's intel was accurate, S.H.I.E.L.D. was riddled with Hydra operatives. And before they did anything else, Fury had to clean house.
There would be a purge.
A bloody one.
And none of that, however, concerned Kurogai.
---
Kurogai and the Winter Soldier erged inside a desolate, long-abandoned base.
He hadn't forgotten his promise. Pierce might be dead, but the rest of Hydra still lived, and Kurogai wasn't leaving any of them breathing.
This particular Hydra base was… different.
There were no guards, no sentries — no living personnel at all. Because this was the hideout of one man: Dr. Arnim Zola.
Once a brilliant scientist working under the Red Skull, Zola had developed so of Hydra's deadliest weapons. He died of cancer decades ago — but not before transferring his consciousness into a massive computer system, buried deep within a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in New Jersey.
The irony of it was nauseating. A Hydra mastermind hidden away right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose, and they'd never known. It was yet another reason Kurogai had lost any remaining patience with Nick Fury and his so-called intelligence agency.
"Co on. Let's finish this."
He gave the order, and the Winter Soldier imdiately stepped forward, forcing open a rusted, reinforced door. If Kurogai rembered correctly, this base had once been a Strategic Scientific Reserve outpost during World War II — Captain Arica's old headquarters. Now it was Zola's sanctuary.
They bypassed several false doors and traps before finally reaching the inner chamber.
The secret room was cramd with ancient, dust-choked computer banks. Thick cobwebs hung from the ceiling. The air slled of rust and decay. No one had stepped foot in here for years.
Kurogai stepped into the gloom.
"No need to hide anymore, Zola. Show yourself."
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, one by one, the old computers flickered to life, their screens bathing the room in pale, sickly light. The base's dormant systems whirred back into operation. Finally, the central monitor displayed a digital human face.
Dr. Arnim Zola.
"Ah… heterochromatic Kurogai. How did you find ?" ca the tallic voice, distorted through ancient speakers.
Kurogai's expression stayed cold.
"Seems you've managed to keep yourself well-inford, even without a body."
The fact that Zola recognized him ant he was still connected to the outside world, still watching.
"Kurogai. Male, appeared six years ago, presud telepathic or mind-control enhanced, lethal tendencies. Neutralized Whitehall's Hydra cell. Missing for six years. Potentially oga-level threat. Extrely unstable."
Zola recited the data as if reading from a file.
Aside from a few buried secrets, the computer knew practically everything.
"Existing as a computer network has its perks, huh? I'm guessing you've already figured out why I'm here."
Kurogai spoke evenly, but his voice carried a lethal edge.
The digital face blinked.
"Calculating… 90% probability: elimination. 10% chance: recruitnt attempt. Given your unpredictable behavioral pattern, both remain plausible."
Zola's voice remained chanical, but there was a hint of unease in the words.
Kurogai gave a cold chuckle.
"Not 90%, Zola. It's a hundred. I'm not here to talk."
He turned to the Winter Soldier.
"Wipe this place clean. Smash every last piece of it."
Without hesitation, the Winter Soldier grabbed a steel rod from a nearby console and brought it crashing down on the nearest computer. Sparks flew, and the machine exploded in a shower of light and smoke.
One by one, the other machines t the sa fate.
The face on the central monitor twisted into a digital grimace.
"Wait… wait—"
Too late.
Kurogai conjured a glowing blade in his palm and hurled it straight through the monitor, silencing the system forever.
Another piece of Hydra, gone.
But there was still more work to do.
---
More Powerstones = More Chapter = Everyone's Happy.
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