"There's nothing for us to discuss." Fury coughed twice.
His body bore multiple fractures, extensive muscle contusions, and a mild concussion. Waves of weakness surged through him, yet his single remaining eye burned with an unusually fierce intensity.
He had never imagined that his intuitive suspicion would turn out to be the final answer. This man had lingered on the fringes of various incidents, appearing unrelated yet filled with bizarre details worth pondering.
The director had harbored suspicions more than once. Judging from Sean Cyphers' life trajectory, every unexpected rapid rise was accompanied by the dramatic fall of some individual or corporation.
The mob, Kingpin, Oscorp, Worthington Industries, Stryker... A series of coincidences strung together could never be mere happenstance.
"Don't you want to know why you're here? I didn't go through all this trouble, risking exposure, just to bring you here for no reason." Sean looked at the one-eyed man seated before him.
So far, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director had maintained an indomitable will. Neither physical pain nor the bombshell revelation that Sean was the Sentinel had broken him completely.
Even without reading Nick Fury's thoughts, Sean could be certain the man was racking his brains for an opportunity to find a way out or to send a message.
Top agents like him, professionally trained, possessed extraordinarily resilient mental fortitude. Even under extreme torture, they might never talk. They often viewed interrogation as a game of wits. Compared to physical torment, psychological tactics and hallucinogenic drugs were far more effective.
"As Raven mentioned earlier, we brought you here to cooperate in a performance. So let me read the script." Seeing the director remain silent, Sean picked up a document from the table.
Emblazoned with the HYDRA insignia, the red skull with its writhing tentacles was strikingly conspicuous.
"Your full name is Nicholas Joseph Fury. You participated in the military's SSS program, taking Professor Berthold Sternberg's anti-aging formula to slow bodily decay. Natasha Romanoff, the agent sent to monitor me, received a similar serum injection."
Nick Fury's eye twitched. He hadn't expected Sean's intelligence network to be so extensive, even reaching back to the last century to unearth his records.
"You were an outstanding soldier, an even more exceptional agent and strategic expert. You underwent and passed all training for both the Green Berets and Delta Force. You served as an instructor, a military advisor to the White House, then joined the CIA, holding leadership positions across multiple intelligence agencies... Your appointment as S.H.I.E.L.D. director wasn't just due to Alexander Pierce's recommendation... your credentials and capabilities played a significant role."
Sean wore a gentle smile, yet Fury, restrained in his chair, sensed an unfathomable malice lurking behind that calm expression.
"Later, you caught the attention of the World Security Council. You established the 'Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law Enforcement Division', which frequently undertook international missions to mediate conflicts. Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East... all your battlegrounds. Notably, you joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as early as last century. Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, even Hank Pym... these founding figures all interacted with you."
"...That eye of yours... you lost it during one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s crises. Let me guess, the Skrulls?"
The moment Sean uttered these words, Fury's single eye blazed with a sharp light. He stared fixedly at the young man, as if trying to pierce through that amiable facade to glimpse the true face beneath!
The 'Secret Invasion' incident from last century had no surviving records within S.H.I.E.L.D., neither in core databases nor paper files. All were destroyed or classified. If Sean merely knew about his past, it could be attributed to formidable intelligence capabilities. But mentioning the Skrulls? That went far beyond simple background checks...
Of those who knew the truth... Howard Stark died in a car accident, Peggy Carter lay in a nursing home, frail with age, and Carol Danvers, the mighty heroine who experienced it firsthand, had long been forgotten.
Only Nick Fury remained, the sole living witness.
"Who the hell are you?" Fury gritted his teeth, his missing eye throbbing with phantom pain.
"Relax, I'm not some alien. Just an educated guess... though your reaction confirms I'm right." Sean waved a hand dismissively.
He was genuinely curious. Where exactly was the woman hailed as Earth's mightiest hero?
Judging by the original timeline, even during events like the Chitauri invasion of New York, the Dark Elves' attack, or Tony's Ultron crisis, Nick Fury had never called for Captain Marvel's aid. This suggested she might be unable to assist the Avengers.
Yet, when Thanos snapped his fingers, wiping out half of all life, the director had used his pager. What was the reason behind this?
"Alright, let's return to the script." Setting aside his musings, Sean flipped through the document.
"You took over as S.H.I.E.L.D. director from Alexander Pierce, restructuring the organization with the World Security Council's approval, and rapidly expanded its influence. You implemented compartmentalized clearance levels, researched the Tesseract, assembled the Avengers, initiated Project Insight... step by step, you climbed to the pinnacle, seeking to place the entire planet under your surveillance."
"...But what's the truth behind all this? How many secrets have you concealed? Was everything you did truly for S.H.I.E.L.D. to become the world's shield?" Sean's lips curled into a mocking smile, "Of course not. History teaches us that beneath every glorious legend lies something filthy and unspeakable..."
"You are HYDRA, Director Fury." The young man delivered this verdict unhurriedly.
"That's a hilarious joke." The director snorted.
Even if this was an attempt to smear him, it was laughably clumsy.
"...Your grandfather worked as an elevator operator for forty years. Every night, his lunch pail contained a wad of tips and a loaded .22 Magnum. Your father fought in World War I. When the Great Depression hit, over 25 000 veterans demanded their promised bonuses. The government had pledged $1 per day of service plus 25 cents for overseas duty."
"...But they never saw that money. After the war, Congress passed the Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924, issuing veterans certificates redeemable in 1945. Yet as the Depression deepened, desperate veterans began demanding immediate payment."
"...In June 1932, veterans marched on Washington, setting up camps to pressure the government. Thus began the 'Bonus Army' protests..."
"On the night of July 17th, veterans occupied abandoned buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue, while 8000 gathered before the Capitol. President Hoover ordered their forcible removal, deploying two cavalry companies under General Douglas MacArthur."
"Five tanks rumbled through D.C. streets. Two hundred cavalrymen brandished sabers, charging across the White House lawn. Three hundred infantry in steel helmets, armed with rifles and tear gas, advanced on the protesters... It was a warzone. Gunfire, screams, curses, blood... veterans' corpses lay amidst smoke."
Sean closed the file, smiling at Nick Fury as overwhelming malice crashed over the director like a tidal wave!
"Your father lost a leg in that chaos. He died two months after returning home. Perhaps that was when the seed of hatred took root in your heart."
"Later, joining S.H.I.E.L.D.'s precursor, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, you met Arnim Zola, a German scientist, a core HYDRA member. That seed flourished. With HYDRA's covert support, you gained everyone's trust. Alexander Pierce, the patriot, never suspected you. He even recommended you as his successor."
"This is why you implemented compartmentalization... to let HYDRA infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D... Researching the Tesseract continued Red Skull's plans. The Avengers were a smokescreen. Project Insight became your sword of Damocles to cleanse the world... Nick Fury, you are HYDRA's deepest mole."
"What the hell are you... You're insane! These are lies! You've lost your mind!" Fury's expression was one of stunned disbelief, a flicker of panic crossing his dark features.
The ominous premonition in his heart grew terrifyingly real.
"In about an hour, you'll send the Winter Soldier to assassinate Alexander Pierce because he started suspecting you... Your faked death was to evade scrutiny, to hide in the shadows."
"Eventually, Captain America will uncover everything. Steve Rogers, that war hero who embodies justice and freedom, will expose the truth." Sean stood up, looking down at Nick Fury.
He had crafted this script to perfection.
"Mother f*cker! This is all your fabrication! No one will believe you... Captain America won't believe this!" Fury's eyes were bloodshot. His body strained against the restraints like a enraged beast, but it was to no avail.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. director's psychological defenses finally crumbled under this chilling calculated onslaught.
"He will believe. I've provided convincing evidence. Arnim Zola will identify you. Alexander Pierce will leave crucial clues. Most importantly... Captain America will 'discover' the truth himself."
"'You' sent him encrypted messages. 'You' led him to the USB drive. 'You' guided him to the New Jersey bunker where Dr. Zola makes his grand entrance, completing the final act."
Sean smiled pleasantly, his deep eyes fixed on the furious Nick Fury as he calmly declared: "You are HYDRA."