New York.
Sewer system, Ninja Dojo, Temporary Prison.
"Anton, hand over the Winter Soldier to us," said John Keller, the Secretary of Defense, in a solemn tone.
"If what you're saying is true, only the military has the capacity to handle this. Captain America has joined S.H.I.E.L.D., weakening his ties to the military.
But if we can make the Winter Soldier an asset of the military, it will put us on equal footing with S.H.I.E.L.D. That critical for us."
By "equal footing," Keller was referring to the super-soldiers created by the super serum.
While the Justice League was nominally under military jurisdiction, they were not entirely obedient to military commands.
The military itself was severely lacking in super-soldier combat capabilities.
Their pursuit of such power far exceeded Anton expectations.
"We have no intention of keeping the Winter Soldier. For us, he more of a liability," Anton replied.
"Secretary Keller, the military can take the Winter Soldier at any time.
But through his existence, you should be able to pinpoint HYDRA and verify that everything I've said is true.
That the evidence you're looking for. So, I hope you can meet our demands."
"The Winter Soldier is indeed evidence, but he cannot serve as conclusive proof," Keller said with a slight frown.
He understood Anton point clearly.
Anton and Batman request was straightforward: they wanted the Justice League, under the banner of the military, to take action against S.H.I.E.L.D. to root out and eliminate the HYDRA elements hidden within.
Frankly, if the evidence were solid, the military would gladly watch the Justice League and S.H.I.E.L.D. clash.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was based in Washington, effectively setting up shop right in the military backyard.
From the beginning, the military had never been particularly fond of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But the current situation was complicated.
The Winter Soldier had been brainwashed by HYDRA, and much of the critical information he held would take time to uncover. The lack of decisive intelligence was a problem.
If the military rashly allowed the Justice League to engage S.H.I.E.L.D. under its banner, it would inevitably invite widespread criticism.
S.H.I.E.L.D., after all, was backed by the World Security Council.
The World Security Council, akin to a United Nations-style organization, comprised representatives from many countries.
While the United States was a permanent member, it was one of several, alongside other major powers.
If the Justice League attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. without concrete evidence that S.H.I.E.L.D. was at fault, it would undoubtedly trigger significant and unforeseen repercussions.
This was the crux of Keller hesitation and reluctance to make a decision.
"As long as the military agrees to let the Justice League act, the evidence will naturally surface," Anton said.
"You've likely already heard that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury was attacked and is now in the hospital…
But you might not know that before he fell unconscious, Fury claimed that the mastermind behind the attack was Batman."
"What?" Keller was startled. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Anton nodded. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that Nick Fury has been replaced. The man lying in the hospital right now isn't Nick Fury at all."
"Then who is he?" Keller frowned deeply. "Who could possibly impersonate the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Do you remember why you came to New York in the first place?" Anton asked calmly.
Anton pressed further.
Keller looked puzzled.
The reason he had come to New York was because of the deaths of the Cobra prisoners the military had taken from the NYPD the previous day.
The lack of evidence had enraged the military.
Keller expression was thoughtful yet uncertain. "Does this have something to do with those dead prisoners?"
"Exactly," Anton nodded.
"Among those prisoners was Zartan, the Cobra organization master of disguise.
He a mimicry expert capable of completely transforming into another person, replicating their movements, speech patterns, and even their daily habits."
"So, the person lying in the hospital isn't Nick Fury but Zartan," Anton added.
Keller eyes lit up as he murmured, "Then, does that mean the body in the military morgue is fake?"
"Not necessarily fake," Anton replied, shaking his head.
"Cloning technology is advanced enough now to easily create a body. However, with the military capabilities, you should be able to verify if the body was cloned."
"Of course," Keller agreed.
"The one thing clones can't replicate is the brain. The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, and no matter how advanced cloning technology becomes, it impossible to recreate the brain of a thirty-something adult."
After saying this, Keller seemed impatient.
From every angle, the military had high hopes for the Justice League.
If the Justice League could act under the military banner and deal a significant blow to S.H.I.E.L.D., it would certainly enhance the military reputation.
The key, however, was that the Justice League actions had to be justified.
They couldn't just launch an attack recklessly.
Any official force needed to adhere to the rules.
For a group to act outside of those rules would label them as a terrorist organization.
HYDRA, for all its behind-the-scenes scheming, had expended significant effort not just to erase its presence but also to manipulate the system.
It was carefully constructing a scenario to pit the Avengers against the Justice League while fabricating evidence to provoke the Avengers into action.
Anton patience, meanwhile, was deliberate. He hadn't led the Justice League into an immediate assault on S.H.I.E.L.D. because he needed the military approval.
That endorsement would allow his actions to proceed seamlessly.
If Anton wanted the Justice League to emerge from this situation with maximum advantage, he needed to follow the rules.
Charging into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters unilaterally, apprehending Pierce in full view of the public, and using Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth to win over public sentiment might seem satisfying but would embarrass the military.
S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was in Washington, which was indisputably military territory.
For the Justice League to bypass the military and storm into its territory would implicitly suggest that the military was incapable of protecting its own domain.
Anton collaboration with the military had been smooth thus far, and it was worth taking a detour to deepen Keller trust in Batman.
In fact, once the military officially approved Anton request for the Justice League to move against S.H.I.E.L.D. and root out HYDRA, Anton would be able to act with overwhelming force.
He could not only dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. but also bring the Avengers to their knees.
From Eddie warnings, Anton already knew that HYDRA, hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D., had begun scheming against Batman.
But Anton wasn't worried.
He was fully aware that with the power he currently wielded, dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. was a trivial matter.
"Give me one night," Anton said.
Keller spirits lifted. Hearing Anton words, he felt he had found the key piece of information that would justify the military renewed involvement in the matter.
"As long as we can confirm the body is fake, your request will absolutely be approved. The military won't tolerate being played for fools again and again,"
Keller said as he pulled out his phone to relay critical information to the military.
The military was full of hotheads.
They might endure once or twice for lack of evidence, but if it happened again, they'd manufacture evidence to strike back.
And now, Anton had essentially handed them the knife all they had to do was sharpen it and return to cut down their target.
Anton remained calm.
He was confident in his deduction.
Coincidences of this magnitude simply didn't happen.
There was no logical explanation for prisoners in military custody suddenly dying, followed by Nick Fury being attacked and hospitalized, only to name Batman as the culprit before losing consciousness.
It was clear Zartan had been swapped in to impersonate Fury.
"In that case, you should stay here tonight, Secretary Keller. There no safer place in all of New York than this sewer dojo," Anton said before bidding Keller farewell and leaving.
He, too, had preparations to make.
After spending the last few days carefully setting the stage, it was finally time to gather his forces and launch a full-scale operation!
Queens, a residential home.
Peter lay in bed, trying to sleep. He closed his eyes for a moment but found himself unable to drift off.
Turning over, he muttered to himself, "What should I do?"
His mind was filled with anxious thoughts.
Finally, he got out of bed, donned his Spider-Man suit, and stared at the city lights outside his window, taking a deep breath.
"Batman won't forget about me!"
"I'm Spider-Man, after all!"
Peter opened the window, ready to head out for a late-night swing.
Beep beep!
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Startled, Peter immediately grabbed it. Seeing the caller ID, his excitement surged.
"Hello? Anton?"
Peter voice was filled with delight. "You finally thought of me! Is there anything I can do to help? I'll do whatever you need!"
"Get a good night rest. Tomorrow, wait for me at your school entrance," Anton said.
"You'll have quite the workout tomorrow, and you'll be meeting some very interesting people. One of them might even be someone you used to idolize."
"Interesting people? Someone I used to idolize?"
Peter was momentarily stunned but caught a hint of anticipation from Anton tone.
Clearly, something big was about to happen tomorrow.
"Alright!"
After hanging up, Peter immediately took off his suit and abandoned his plan for a late-night outing.
He pulled the blanket over himself, shut his eyes tightly, and willed himself to fall asleep, determined to be ready for whatever awaited him.
Hell Kitchen.
Daredevil residence.
Matt Murdock answered a call from Anton.
"It been a while since I last heard from you," Anton said with a chuckle.
"I need your help tomorrow."
"For HYDRA?" Matt asked.
"Yes," Anton confirmed.
Over the past few days, major news stories had been breaking one after another—from Batman resolving the New York crisis to the Daily Bugle exposé on HYDRA infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D., to S.H.I.E.L.D. announcement of a new superhero team, the Avengers.
This was followed by Tony Stark joining the Avengers, and the resurrection of Captain America—thought to have died seventy years ago—who also became a member of the team.
These headlines constantly bombarded people across America and even the world, leaving countless individuals overwhelmed by the sheer volume of news.
However, truly perceptive individuals could discern the core narrative.
From the beginning, it had always been a battle between two forces: Batman leading the Justice League and HYDRA, hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D., as revealed by the Daily Bugle.
As a member of the Justice League and an ally of Batman, Daredevil—Matt Murdock—had no hesitation in supporting Batman.
Once he chose his side, the truth became clear to him.
"It looks like you're ready to make your move," Matt remarked without surprise.
"Have you thought it through? If the Justice League acts without formal authorization, it will be viewed as a threat by many parties…"
"We'll have the military authorization tomorrow," Anton replied.
"HYDRA thought they were being clever, but their arrogance has backfired spectacularly. They've thoroughly enraged the military.
Once we have their authorization, the Justice League will have the green light to storm S.H.I.E.L.D., root out HYDRA, and cut off its heads one by one!"
"Good."
Since Anton had everything planned out, Matt saw no need to press further. He nodded decisively.
"Contact me tomorrow."
With that, the call ended.
Anton stepped into his courtyard, gazing at the starry sky outside. A cold smile spread across his lips.
Meanwhile, Eddie, still in Washington, had forwarded his intel to Tony Stark but had yet to receive a response.
He realized that the situation was becoming even more complicated.