Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 500 I am the Hydra (Part 12)

A deafening emergency evacuation alarm blared throughout the entire Tri-Wing Complex, shaking every pane of glass inside.

Brock Rumlow cursed inwardly at the guy who designed the emergency evacuation alarm; it sounded like a cat's claws scratching at glass—a sharp, piercing sound that ignored everyone's opinions and sent chills down his spine. He was trying to rendezvous with his special forces corps. "All personnel, proceed to designated safe areas," the automated announcement broadcast through the loudspeakers, making the building even noisier. "All S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, assemble at the D-Sector assembly point."

"Sir," came the voice of one of Rumlow's men through the headset, "the council has been breached."

"Repeat, control center." Rumlow pressed the headset. He was somewhat incredulous, because Alexander Pierce had already set up all the biosafety protocols. He wasn't so surprised until he heard his subordinates at the Hydra temporary control center say that Black Widow was up there.

He knew Black Widow's capabilities, so he wasn't surprised that this Level 10 agent had breached the Council.

Maria Hill, now the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control center, saw Rumlow, gun in hand, heading upstairs via security cameras. There were only three elevators authorized to directly access the Council building upstairs. One had its cable severed by the shield during Captain Rogers' escape and was currently stuck in the shaft due to the emergency braking system. Another was within the control of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and the last one was too far away to be in combat range. Rumlow had no choice but to ascend the stairs, bypassing the combat zone, to reach that elevator.

Maria Hill pondered for a few seconds before deciding to order Robert Gonzalez, who had just helped S.H.I.E.L.D. agents seize several areas, to send men to intercept Brock Rumlow. She just hoped they wouldn't make it in time. However, Robert Gonzalez brought bad news—the Winter Soldier had appeared on the Quinjet's landing pad, and the pilots and ground crew sent to seize the Quinjet had suffered casualties; they were short-handed.

It was utter chaos. Agent Maria Hill felt a chill run down her spine, a heat spreading through her body and making her palms sweat. The Winter Soldier, who had disappeared for a while, had reappeared and was attempting to seize the Quinjet. His intention was clear: to prevent Salomon from replacing the Blade Server chip. She dialed again, and after receiving confirmation, she called Captain America.

"Captain Rogers, we need you. The Winter Soldier has appeared," Agent Hill said in a low voice. She remained calm as she reported Bucky Barnes' current situation to Steve Rogers.

"Roger!" Captain Rogers ran towards the edge of the ship's side.

"Sam, I need a ride!" He jumped off the SkyCarrier before the Hydra Special Forces team fired their recoilless rifles at him, leaving the explosions far behind. Falcon swooped down, the wind whistling in his ears. This was why he loved the sky; the thrill of the rapid descent combined with the propulsion of his wings made it all so tense it was hard to keep his eyes open. But the SkyCarrier was still too low, far below the safe height for a parachute jump; it was in the category of ultra-low-altitude parachuting.

Falcon accelerated desperately, finally catching Captain America a hundred feet off the ground.

Maria Hill breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the news. She was now eager to know how things were going within the council.

"Wait." Just as Black Widow was about to press the publish button, a hand grabbed her wrist. It was only then that the World Security Council members in the Secretary General's office realized there was someone they didn't recognize present. "You can publish these documents," he said, "but are you sure there's no information about me in them? I don't want to be harassed; you should know how bad my temper is."

"What are you doing here, Salomon?" Nick Fury's eyes widened, almost bulging out of his blind eye. "Shouldn't you be installing chips on the aircraft carrier?" The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. realized something, then silently confirmed the worst possible outcome. "Tell me, who are you?"

"I am Salomon Damonet. The one replacing the chip is a snowman I made from Scandinavian snow, a temporary alchemical doll." Salomon released Natasha Romanov's wrist and smiled apologetically. "Don't worry, I just wanted to confirm something."

"Salomon Damonette! This is our first meeting, but Nick has often mentioned you to me." Alexander Pierce ignored the two pistols pointed at him and walked towards the sorcerer standing to the side. Tall and slender, dressed in a well-fitting black suit, with neatly combed hair and gleaming shoes, the sorcerer exuded an air of elite sophistication. Pierce, an Ivy League graduate, immediately sensed the aura of his prestigious university and wealth.

"You were the first sorcerer we knew, and the one who performed the most outstandingly in the Battle of New York." With all his backup plans now dismantled, Pierce seemed to be clinging to Salomon as a lifeline. His authority allowed him to see Salomon's achievements, and almost no one except Thor could stop him. "We seem to have had some misunderstandings in the past, but I believe you'll agree with me, as evidenced by your refusal to join the Avengers."

"I must say, I do despise individualism. I've seen Dr. Arnim Zola's algorithms, and in some cases, your approach is indeed beneficial to the United States. For example, eliminating capitalists and politicians, breaking the shackles of federalism, establishing an authoritarian government to improve efficiency, and completely eradicating the poor and low-educated population—especially the younger generation who are practically useless, receiving a 'happy education'—they don't even know who won World War II; they're just a burden on human society." Salomon's words made Nick Fury tuck his hand, which was hanging in front of his chest, into his coat, and the Chinese council member with the gun seemed to hesitate whether to point it at Salomon.

"If you were to achieve dominion and bring peace to the earth," Salomon continued, "would you then set your sights on outer space?"

"Why not?" Pierce said with a smile. "The alien invasions of New York and London have proven that humanity is not alone. Earth is now completely defenseless against aliens. We can't put our hopes on the Avengers. You should understand what I mean."

"Salomon, listen to me..." Nick Fury tried to interrupt, but the sorcerer just wagged his finger.

"Karmar-Taj has no time to concern itself with worldly affairs. For Kamar-Taj, the only thing that matters is ensuring the survival of human civilization; everything else is irrelevant. It doesn't matter who rules human society; the important thing is that humanity won't be destroyed by angels, demons, or various extradimensional beings," Salomon stated. "I'm involved in this only because of our friendship, Nick Fury. Although you released the Skrull bastards onto Earth, you've always stood by humanity, which is why I haven't killed you."

Salomon wore a black leather belt with brass buckles, on which his long and short knives were fastened. He placed his hand on the hilts, taking control of the situation in the Secretary General's office. Nick Fury had to admit he hadn't expected Salomon to suddenly appear. He gave Black Widow a wink, and Agent Romanoff immediately lowered his head and continued with his work.

Since Salomon didn't want his information leaked, then let him see it deleted. That information was just low-class stuff; Nick Fury wouldn't hide truly critical data in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s systems. He'd already made preparations when the hired pirates attacked the Lemurian Star.

The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. hoped to stop the conversation from spiraling into an unpredictable direction and to address this highly volatile factor. "You're on the kill list, Salomon," Nick Fury tried to buy time. "You're young, and you may not yet understand Hydra's crimes. This organization doesn't care about humanity as a whole; they only care about their own power."

Salomon gave a look of amusement.

"I know," he said. "I understand Hydra because I am Hydra."

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(End of this chapter)