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Tony Stark, feeling overlooked, asked, "Lin, what about me?"
Link glanced at him and explained, "There are three options, but honestly, we're short on personnel."
"First, there's the security of Avengers headquarters. Nick Fury is still here, and if we all leave, who will protect him?"
"Second, there's the hangar. The helicarrier is in the underground hangar, which is massive. You're the only one who can handle it, but I expect that's where most of Hydra's forces will be concentrated."
"Third, you could come with me. The control center is crucial for operations, and we don't know what resistance we might face there."
"Hydra hasn't made a move yet because they likely haven't finished their final preparations. Fury's attempt to shut down their project has forced their hand, or they wouldn't have tried to kill him."
"But since they've already started, they must be close to launching. The biggest threat right now is those explosive agents."
Stark, realizing the gravity of the situation, nodded and said, "I'll take the hangar. It seems like it'll be the most complicated."
"So, when do we act?"
Link replied, "Now. The sooner, the better. Alfred, notify Maria Hill to head to the armory. Everyone else, grab your weapons and ammo."
The group headed to the weapons room, suiting up in their nano suits, made of titanium alloy—except for Link, who wore vibranium. Energy weapons were on standby, though there wasn't much need for them inside SHIELD. Link armed himself with two pistols and a set of throwing knives. He strapped several magazines to his belt and addressed the team, "Is everyone ready?"
"Ready!" they all responded.
Link opened a spatial portal. "Captain, you're first."
Steve Rogers, wasting no time, charged through. Link opened the next portal. "Hill, Bruce, you're up."
Hawkeye and Stark followed next, while Natasha had already left Avengers HQ in her jet and would arrive at SHIELD's headquarters in a few minutes. Link was the last one to step through, landing right outside the control room.
The sudden appearance of the portal startled the agents inside, who immediately drew their weapons and aimed at Link. He stood still, waiting. Just then, the Captain's voice echoed through the building, "Attention, everyone, this is Steve Rogers…"
Captain America's message relayed the situation at SHIELD, urging everyone to drop their weapons and wait for further instructions.
Meanwhile, Maria Hill and Bruce Banner stood face to face with Alexander Pierce. Pierce had anticipated many things, including the possibility of the Avengers storming his office, but he hadn't expected them to get there so quickly.
He asked in disbelief, "Is it the Tesseract?"
"You've lost your right to ask questions," Maria Hill replied sternly. "You're a prisoner now. Or would you rather talk things over with the Hulk?"
Hill didn't let her guard down for a moment, knowing she was dealing with SHIELD's former director.
Stark, Natasha, and Clint were now in position. SHIELD agents had two choices.
Link, standing in the control room with his guns raised, addressed the agents inside, "If you're loyal SHIELD agents, do not make any sudden moves. Get down on the ground with your hands behind your head."
Sharon Carter was the first to speak up, "Everyone, listen to Captain Rogers."
Without hesitation, she dropped to the floor and placed her hands behind her head. Sharon was the niece of Peggy Carter and a trusted SHIELD agent. It was clear she wasn't Hydra.
Following her lead, a few others also complied, while those still holding guns stood out like sore thumbs.
Link smiled and asked, "Hydra, are we?"
The remaining agents froze, clearly caught between difficult choices. Link's presence was well-known; he had been an agent of SHIELD before, and now he was an Avenger, a warrior who had fought aliens.
"Bang, bang!" Suddenly, gunfire erupted behind Link.
The bullets ricocheted harmlessly off his vibranium suit and clattered to the floor. The Hydra agents in front of him opened fire, but Link was quick to respond.
"Bang, bang…" He fired back, his shots precise, hitting each Hydra agent in the head, clearing the room of enemies almost instantly. "Everyone else, stay down."
Link glanced at the source of the gunfire behind him, recognizing Brock Rumlow. Rumlow wasn't alone, flanked by several others dressed in civilian clothes, clearly not SHIELD agents.
"Bang, bang!" Link unloaded his guns into the crowd, taking out the Hydra agents. But Rumlow survived, using one of the Extremis-enhanced soldiers as a shield.
Link tossed his pistols into the air, just as the Extremis soldiers charged at him.
"Whoosh, whoosh…" The sound of throwing knives cutting through the air followed, each finding its mark. The Extremis soldiers dropped, knives embedded in their foreheads. Rumlow turned to flee, but Link's final knife struck him in the lower back, severing his spinal cord.
"Ahhh!" Rumlow screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground but still alive. Link had no intention of killing him outright, knowing he had valuable information. Instead, he left him paralyzed from the waist down.
Link's guns fell back into his hands as he reloaded.
The Extremis soldiers began to rise again, pulling the knives from their foreheads.
"Bang, bang…" Link opened fire with rapid shots, aiming for their knees. Slowing down their regenerative process, he reloaded and continued his assault, systematically taking them down.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye was handling the situation outside. Hydra agents were making a run for the Quinjet, but Clint's arrows kept them at bay, ensuring none of them could take off. If they got airborne, he was ready to destroy the aircraft.
"Boom…" One of the Extremis soldiers exploded, shattering nearby windows and taking out several of his own comrades in the blast. A chain reaction of explosions followed, but fortunately, the area was clear, and no one else was harmed.
Link, now low on ammo, turned to the remaining SHIELD agents, "Pick up your weapons and secure the area. Don't move anywhere else."
He then walked away, moving on to clear the rest of the facility.
Stark, meanwhile, was holding his ground, under heavy attack from Hydra forces. Most of the agents in the hangar were Hydra, while the true SHIELD operatives were hunkered down, taking cover. Stark, no longer holding back, unleashed his full firepower in retaliation.
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