S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters!
Nick Fury sat behind his desk, looking ahead as the atmosphere in the office was rather tense. In front of him was his right hand woman Maria Hill, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow, most of which were seated in front of him.
The only one not seated was Maria Hill, who stood beside him, a tablet in her hand. Fury gave a signal for Maria to begin, and she straightened her posture, her face a mask of professional calm as she began the briefing.
"After conducting our secret investigation into recent security breaches, with information provided by Maxim, we've uncovered something disturbing," she started, her tone clipped and efficient. "Hydra agents have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D as he claimed, more deeply than we initially thought."
Fury remained silent as he listened, but his single eye narrowed, a storm brewing behind it. Captain America, arms crossed, shifted slightly in his chair, his expression set in a grim frown. Black Widow and Hawkeye exchanged a glance, but neither said a word.
Every single one of them were just taking in the information. Although they had suspicion, having it actually confirmed shocked them to their cores, and left them with lots of thoughts floating around their mind.
Hill tapped her tablet and continued on, bringing up a series of holographic images and files that floated in the air before them, photos of several low- and mid-level S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, "These individuals," she continued, "were recently identified as Hydra sleeper agents. They've been working under deep cover for years, and it's only through our internal investigation that we managed to dig up their true identities."
She gestured to one of the photos, a nondescript agent with a bland, forgettable face, brown hair, brown eyes, bland face and smile, "This man here, Andrew Kessler, works in logistics. His records show him as having a clean history, nothing suspicious. But we dug deeper, and his background is full of inconsistencies. Birth records, educational history, even employment records have been falsified."
Hill swiped the image away, replacing it with another agent's profile, "Dozens like him have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. at low to mid-level positions. They're the cogs in the machine, the ones who handle information and logistics. On their own, they're not much of a threat. But together, they can do real damage."
Captain America leaned forward, his eyes locked onto Hill's. "How many have we identified so far?
"Sixty-Nine," Hill answered, her expression grim, "And that's just what we've confirmed. There could be more, hiding deeper, or in more sensitive areas of S.H.I.E.L.D. But it gets worse."
She hesitated for a moment, then swiped again, bringing up a series of names, "These individuals are Hydra agents operating at much higher levels. High enough that simply taking them out isn't an option."
The images that appeared were of senior S.H.I.E.L.D. officials, heads of departments, veteran field agents, and regional directors.
Each one held considerable power within the organization, and removing them without raising suspicion or causing a massive internal collapse would be near impossible. Each one of their deaths would cause massive uproar and incur immense investigations.
"We believe that Hydra embedded these agents early on, and these ranks have potentially been passed down between Hydra operatives to maintain power," Hill continued, "They've been positioning themselves carefully, making sure they're untouchable without creating a ripple effect."
Hawkeye's voice was low but full of tension. "So, we can't just pull the rug out from under them. If we go after the wrong person, we could be setting off a bomb."
"Exactly," Hill said, nodding. "Taking out the lower-end Hydra agents is doable. We can quietly remove them, one by one, without raising any flags. But for the higher-level operatives? We'll need a long, detailed plan, something methodical, strategic."
Captain America's jaw tightened, "So, we're talking about a surgical approach. Take out the ones we can, start planning for the others. But it'll take time."
"Time we don't have a lot of," Fury finally spoke, his voice a low rumble. He had been silent throughout the discussion, but now he leaned forward, his gaze piercing, "Hydra is moving fast. We have to be faster. They have bases all over Europe, operatives all over. According to Maxim, they even have agents in parliment and international government positions...We can't afford mistakes."
There was a heavy pause, the weight of their situation settling over the room like a shroud. They all knew the gravity of the situation, Hydra had grown its roots deep into S.H.I.E.L.D, and even deeper into the World's Powers, and rooting them out would be a delicate and dangerous process.
Hill closed the holographic display and looked directly at Fury, "What's our next move, sir?"
Fury exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him, "We start with the low-level agents. Quietly. Make it look like accidents, transfers, anything that won't raise alarms. As for the higher-ups… we plan. We wait until we've got enough leverage to move without blowing the whole damn thing wide open."
Captain America nodded in agreement, his expression resolute, "We'll need to be careful. One wrong step, and they'll know we're onto them."
Fury nodded, his face set in a grim expression. "That's right. And while you're doing that, we're making one more change to the plan."
Hill raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak, waiting for Fury to continue.
"We cancel the search for Maxim," Fury said firmly.
Everyone in the room turned toward him, surprise evident on their faces. Although they knew he was not guilty, he was still a dangerous loose end, and Fury wasn't the kind of leader to leave loose ends hanging, that was something they were very aware of.
"Why?" Maria asked.
Fury met her gaze evenly, "Because we don't need to track him anymore. He's not the threat we thought he was. In fact, we're going to help him."
Hawkeye crossed his arms, clearly confused,"Help him? You're sure about this?"
"I am," Fury said, his voice carrying the weight of certainty. "Maxim's been doing our work for us. He's been tearing through Hydra from the inside, and right now, we need all the help we can get. If we try to bring him in or neutralize him, we'll lose a valuable asset. Although I hate loose ends, I have priorities, and currently, dealing with Hydra trumps him."
Hill's brow furrowed as she processed Fury's decision, "So, what's the plan? If we're not tracking him, how do we make contact?"
Fury leaned forward, pulling out a small, encrypted communication device from his desk drawer, "We've already got a secret channel. Reach out to him. Tell him we've got a safe house set up for him in the States. Inside, he'll find new identity papers, resources, everything he needs to keep moving without drawing attention."
Black Widow raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair, "You're offering him a clean slate."
"Something like that," Fury said. "Maxim's dangerous, but he's not our enemy. He's going after Hydra, same as we are. Right now, we need him destabilizing them, and he needs us to stay out of his way. So, we help him disappear, and in return, he keeps doing what he's doing."
Captain America nodded slowly, considering Fury's words, "We give him what he needs, and he does the work we can't."
"Exactly," Fury said, his voice hard.
"Anything else, sir?" she asked.
Fury's gaze swept over the room once more. "That's it. For now, we focus on taking out the low-level Hydra agents and planning our next move. Keep your heads down, and make sure no one catches wind of what we're doing."
With a final nod from Fury, the meeting was adjourned, the gravity of their mission pressing down on them all as they dispersed to carry out their orders.