Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 493 I am the Hydra (Part 5)

This was an unregistered S.H.I.E.L.D. facility disguised as a small hydroelectric power station, permeated with a damp smell, but it wasn't just the smell of spring. The water was almost dried up, with only shallow rainwater still lying in the channels. A raised concrete slab in the channel stood silently like an island in the water, overgrown with weeds that rose from the surface, flourishing and clustering into a whispering green family.

When they arrived, it seemed as if it had just rained; the geometric concrete buildings were stained a mottled black, and the rusted railings and abandoned pipes bore the blood-red marks of years of rainwater. The pervasive smell of decay and the almost white, rotting leaves on the ground reminded Steve Rogers of his former home. When Agent Maria Hill pulled open the gate that wasn't even meant to be locked, they found the dampness even stronger inside. Old pipes stretched into the illuminated interior, but no amount of light could dispel the large patches of rust on the corrugated iron walls.

He thought again of the person he had met not long ago who should have died. For some reason, when he thought of that person, the image in his mind would often be tinged with a yellowish hue, like the rust on the outside of a hydroelectric power station.

Everything was rusty, including himself, Steve Rogers thought sadly.

"She's been shot!" Maria Hill said to the doctor running towards her. "She's lost a pint, or two."

"Leave it to me." The doctor took the patient from Sam. When Agent Maria Hill led them to a room inside the base, they finally saw Nick Fury, who was supposed to be dead, and Salomon Damonette, who had been waiting there for a long time. Even Natasha Romanoff, who was nearly unconscious from blood loss, stared wide-eyed.

Steve Rogers looked at the two men with ulterior motives before him, seemingly wanting to ask something, but Nick Fury cut him off. He shut his mouth, confident that he would get the right explanation.

The doctor raised an eyebrow at Salomon. The sorcerer stood up, took the doctor's seat, and resumed his work. The doctor had already witnessed Salomon's use of a scalpel; that time, he had allowed the unlicensed young man to operate based on Nick Fury's trust. This time, he wanted to teach the young man how to use medicine.

"As you know, I guarantee there won't be any scars, and it will heal quickly." Salomon put on latex gloves. Natasha Romanov glanced at him, forced a smile, and released her hand from the wound. In just one day, she looked much more haggard, pale, and her lips dry and cracked. Only after the doctor determined the dosage of anesthesia did Salomon begin this textbook-perfect, rapid surgery.

"Your prophetic abilities are remarkable," Agent Romanov said in a low voice. "We have indeed figured out what that thing is."

“Prophecy isn’t a panacea.” Even while busy, Salomon had the energy to answer. “Karmar-Taj specializes in prophecy and protection; what we see are possibilities,” he said. “The possibility of parallel universes, but wherever you are, you can accomplish your mission.”

"Did you foresee my injury?" Agent Natasha Romanoff asked meaningfully. Salomon didn't answer. After a long while, he put down the special ultra-fine hemostat and began to take out medicine from his dimensional bag.

"Yes, I know," he said. "Drink this. You've drunk several bottles before. You've injured your ribs, and if you don't get it treated, you won't be able to breathe in a few years."

"Spinal injury, fractured sternum, comminuted clavicle fracture, perforated liver, and a terrible headache." Lying in his hospital bed, Nick Fury announced his condition to everyone while explaining the latest developments. Although he said he had suffered so many serious injuries, he looked energetic and lively, even though Natasha's bleeding symptoms were more severe than his.

Nick Fury looks like he could jump out of bed at any moment.

"Don't forget, there's also the lung tissue collapse," the doctor added after checking Salomon's progress.

"Yes, that's something we can't forget. Everything else is fine."

"They performed open surgery on you, and your heart stopped beating!" Natasha Romanov exclaimed in disbelief. After treatment, her complexion quickly returned to normal, her hematopoietic function began operating at full speed, and positive energy replaced some of the nutrients in cellular processes. She glanced at Salomon, who was cleaning up medical waste; she suspected Nick Fury had contacted the wizard before she did.

"That's a story for later. This young man helped me get back on my feet. Don't thank him yet; I paid him gold," Nick Fury said. "I used tetrodotoxin B, which can reduce your pulse to one beat per minute. Banner developed it to relieve stress, and although it didn't work for him, we discovered other uses for it."

"Why keep it a secret?" Steve asked. "Why not tell us?"

"To make the assassination attempt against the director appear successful," Agent Hill said.

"You can't kill a dead man. Besides, I don't trust many people, and in this situation, I can't be sure who I can trust."

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"You knew all along!" Steve Rogers called Salomon aside. In this barely dry passageway, Steve felt like every breath he took was filled with metallic dust and fungal spores. The feeling of being crammed into a dilapidated, damp shack had returned, along with the memories he had been trying to escape.

"You showed me that video; you already knew who the Winter Soldier was." He stared intently at Salomon. The corridor wasn't very high, and the white lights overhead made Salomon's eyes appear blindingly bright, making him look completely different from a human. Steve Rogers stared intently at the boy, who was now taller than him, wanting an answer.

"Yes, I know." Salomon's tone was icy, even mocking. "But what can you do after I tell you? I know what you're thinking, Rogers. He's your only living friend. Hey, Sam!"

"I just came to check if you guys were alright," Sam said, his hands in his pockets. He'd noticed Steve Rogers looked rather grim when he called Salomon out, so at Agent Hill's suggestion, he'd come out to see what was going on, lest the two of them get into a fight. And just then, he'd overheard news about the Winter Soldier—the Winter Soldier and a group of plainclothes armed men had attacked them on Virginia Boulevard. Sam still couldn't believe that someone would use a Gatling gun in the street.

They are incredibly lucky to have survived.

Steve shook his head and went into the room. It seemed he didn't really want to talk about that topic anymore.

"Hey, buddy!" Sam patted Salomon's arm familiarly. "You're a doctor?"

"Perhaps," the arcane mage said kindly. "Let's go. I'm sure Nick Fury won't be idle. He has a mission for you."

"He refused the Nobel Peace Prize..." Nick Fury was interrupted by Salomon's laughter before he could finish his sentence. The somewhat serious atmosphere of the meeting was broken, and Nick Fury rolled his eyes in annoyance. If he weren't in sore all over, he would have been the first to jump up and beat Salomon up.

"Okay, skip that. I know what you're thinking, you little bastard," Nick Fury said. "Let's get down to business, about Project Insight. Steve, I know you disagree with all the crime predictions..."

"This plan has been in place for a while now, and it's running." Salomon smiled triumphantly. "A brilliant programmer and algorithm engineer completed this work ahead of time. He turned the program into a black box and then gave it to the National Security Agency. In the face of a national-level terrorist incident, the program will provide advance warning, and there are many similar programs running at the same time. This is nothing new."

"But none of those programs included the installation of weapons," Nick Fury said. "I know about the Polaris team; S.H.I.E.L.D. carried out those missions. But now that program has failed, and S.H.I.E.L.D. wants a new one."

"Very good." The sorcerer's expression remained unchanged. "I have."

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(End of this chapter)