Back aboard the SHIELD helicarrier, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye moved with purpose, heading straight for Director Fury's office. Their footsteps echoed through the steel halls, the weight of their recent encounter with Max Ryder hanging heavy in the air.
As they reached Fury's office, Captain gave a slight nod, signaling the urgency of their report. Fury raised his eyebrows, sensing the tension, but said nothing. Instead, he waved his hand, signaling the agents and operatives present in the room to leave. Moments later, only Fury, Phil Coulson, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye remained.
Fury leaned back in his chair, his eye studying each of them carefully. "Alright," he began, his voice low and gravelly. "Tell me what happened."
Captain America, still processing what had happened, stepped forward. "We found him, the one responsible for the destruction of those bases. But it's more complicated than we thought."
Fury raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. "Complicated how? From what we knew, he wiped out innocent men at SHIELD facilities."
Black Widow shook her head. "That's what we thought, too. But Max Ryder, he… claims those weren't SHIELD bases. He says they were HYDRA."
Fury's one eye narrowed as he straightened in his chair. "HYDRA? Inside SHIELD? We vetted those locations. They were supposed to be secure."
Captain clenched his fists. "I know how it sounds, but Max was adamant. He said there's HYDRA still operating within SHIELD, using those bases for their own purposes. He told us to check ourselves if we didn't believe him."
Hawkeye, standing off to the side, added, "He knew things, Fury. Classified things. This guy's not just some rogue killer. If he's telling the truth, we've got a problem."
Fury exchanged a glance with Coulson before turning back to the team. "You're telling me this Max Ryder claims he's targeting HYDRA, not SHIELD? And you believe him?"
Captain hesitated for a moment. "I didn't want to. But he destroyed my shield, Nick. The Vibranium shield. It wasn't like anything I've seen before—he's got powers that can't be explained easily. immense strength, at least. But that wasn't what made me listen. The conviction in his voice… it felt like he wasn't lying."
Captain paused, glancing at the shards of his broken shield he'd brought along, still in disbelief. "He shattered my shield. My Vibranium shield."
Fury's face tightened slightly, though he hid his shock well. "And how exactly did he manage that?"
Widow said. "And that's not all. He knew things, Fury. About HYDRA, SHIELD… He kept insisting that HYDRA was the real target. Said if we didn't believe him, we should check SHIELD ourselves."
Widow then added. "He could've killed us, Fury. But he didn't. He was making a point. He's convinced we've got HYDRA operatives hidden inside SHIELD."
The room fell silent as Fury processed the information. Finally, he leaned back in his chair, his face a mixture of frustration and contemplation. "If this guy's right, we're sitting on a time bomb. HYDRA inside SHIELD... It wouldn't be the first time they've wormed their way into our ranks."
"but we had them eradicated last time too, maybe few rats managed to slip away" He added
Coulson stepped forward. "We need to dig deeper, Director. Investigate those bases. If HYDRA's still here, hiding under our noses, we have to root them out."
Fury nodded slowly, tapping his fingers on the desk. "We'll quietly start an internal investigation. But no one can know. If HYDRA's embedded in SHIELD, any wrong move tips them off."
Captain America exhaled. "So what do we do about Max? He's dangerous, Fury. If we let him run loose—"
Fury cut him off. "We keep an eye on him, but we don't act. Not yet. If he's telling the truth, he might be our best chance at exposing HYDRA. And if he's lying…" Fury's gaze hardened. "Then we'll take him down. But first, I want answers."
Fury added, his decision made. "Alright. I'll get our best agents on it. But keep an eye on Ryder. If he's playing us… I want to know."
Hawkeye crossed his arms. "And if we find out he's right?"
Fury didn't hesitate. "Then we burn HYDRA to the ground, once and for all."
"And set a meeting with him. This time, I'll go myself," Fury said, looking at Phil, who was visibly stunned by the statement.
"But... he's—" Phil started, only to be cut off.
"It's okay," Fury interrupted, holding up an old communicator that suddenly appeared in his hands. "I've got my insurance."
Phil blinked in surprise as Fury eyed the communicator with a knowing expression.
"It's time to meet you again, old friend," Fury thought to himself as memories of Captain Marvel crossed his mind.
'I might need your help, but first, I have to see if he's truly dangerous or not,' Fury mused silently, closing his eyes for a moment.
Captain America and the others nodded in understanding, but Captain added, "I'll come with you."
Fury glanced at him and then nodded in agreement.
Black Widow, who had been silent up until now, spoke up. "I'll get everything ready. We'll approach carefully. But, Fury, don't underestimate this guy. He's dangerous."
Fury smirked. "Dangerous? Maybe. But I've faced worse."
As Phil left the room to set up the meeting, Fury leaned back in his chair, staring down at the communicator. "It's time to meet you again, old friend," he thought to himself, imagining the face of Captain Marvel. The world had changed since they last met, and now, there was a new threat—or maybe an ally. Either way, Fury knew he couldn't face this situation blindly.
"I don't think he's the kind of threat we assumed," Captain America finally said, breaking the silence. "He claims Hydra's still out there, and after seeing what he's capable of, we can't ignore the possibility."
Fury nodded slowly, his eye narrowing in thought. "He's dangerous, no doubt. But the real question is... to whom?"
Black Widow chimed in. "We've got no proof he's lying. If there really are Hydra cells hidden in our own organization, Max might not be the villain here."
****
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