"JARVIS, who is he?" Iron Man asked, spotting a photo of a round-faced man with glasses on the central mainframe's monitor.
"Arnim Zola, a World War II Hydra scientist. He was one of the German scientists with strategic value recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D., and one of the original individuals under Operation Paperclip," JARVIS replied after a few seconds of processing.
"Then he should have been dead for years." Tony moved his fingers slightly, not having fully grasped the situation just yet.
The moment Dr. Zola displayed any abnormal behavior, Tony would immediately raise his palm repulsor and hit him with a charged energy blast.
"First, I need to correct you: I am Swiss," Dr. Zola's shrill, distorted voice sounded. "Second, look around you, Tony Stark... Though I am dead, I am still alive."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"In 1972, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Science could not save my body, but my mind was preserved. It was saved within 200,000 feet of databanks... You are currently standing inside my brain," Zola said in an unhurried tone.
Tony turned his head to scan his surroundings, then nodded:
"I see. Now I give you two choices: either tell me all the information regarding this man, or I will destroy your brain completely."
As he spoke, Tony Stark made his palm energy pulse ready with one hand, emitting a bright white light from his palm, while retrieving a photo out of nowhere with his other hand.
On the printed photo was precisely the blurry image of the mechanical-armed man who had ambushed Black Widow.
"Ah. I know him. He is a super soldier modified by Hydra," Zola maintained that same unhurried tone, showing not the slightest sign of being intimidated by Iron Man's repulsor blast.
"We just pushed back Hydra and neutralized one of your research bases," Tony stared at Dr. Zola's face. "You still dare to make a comeback?"
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," Dr. Zola let out a bizarre laugh. "Hydra strives for a grand ideal; how could it shrink back due to temporary setbacks?"
"How many more super soldiers like him are there?" Tony asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I cannot answer that question for you," Dr. Zola said shrilly.
"Aren't you afraid I'll blow your brain to pieces with a single blast?" Tony lowered his palm, firing a stream impact onto the floor beside a large tape drive.
He was making a show of force, yet Dr. Zola remained entirely unfazed, even bursting into laughter once more:
"Tony~"
Iron Man felt his scalp go numb, shuddering with a clench of his teeth, but he said nothing further, simply watching as Dr. Zola's laughter gradually subsided.
Click, click...
In the distance, several tape drives made the sound of reading data. Following that, Moire patterns flickered on several screens beside the central mainframe, and black-and-white footage surfaced.
"I have initiated recording mode," JARVIS said in a low voice.
Tony Stark offered a subtle nod without making a scene, gazing at the black-and-white screens.
"Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom, but we failed to realize that if we attempted to strip humanity of its freedom, they would rise in resistance."
As Dr. Zola spoke, scene after scene of wartime footage appeared simultaneously on those adjacent black-and-white monitors.
In several of those clips, Tony Stark was stunned to see Captain America rallying with a raised arm, Wolverine Logan, Werewolf by Night Jack, and Nick Fury.
Dr. Zola's voice continued without pause:
"The war taught us a great deal—such as the fact that humanity must surrender its freedom voluntarily. When the war ended and S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, I was recruited through Operation Paperclip..."
As Hydra's emblem of the skull and snake tentacles surfaced, a person appeared in the video that caused Tony Stark's heart to skip a beat:
Howard Stark, his father.
Standing beside his father was even Jarvis, the butler.
"The new Hydra grew continuously, becoming a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For seventy years, Hydra has been secretly fueling various crises, profiting from conflict.
"When the course of history diverged from expectations, Hydra would step in to alter its direction."
While Zola's words continued, something clicked in Tony Stark's mind, and his breathing gradually grew heavy:
"My father and mother's deaths were the result of Hydra's intervention?"
"You are very clever, Tony Stark," Dr. Zola said.
Right on cue, the screen displayed an old newspaper with the bold front-page headline: "Howard Stark and Wife Killed in Car Crash."
"Accidents will happen," Zola said.
A heavy, enlarged black "X" was drawn over the picture of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Stark, followed by Nick Fury, Richard and Mary Parker, Patriot Elijah's father Isaiah, and a string of figures so dazzling that Tony could barely catch a clear glimpse of their faces.
"Hydra is creating a world of absolute chaos, forcing humanity to prepare to sacrifice freedom in exchange for security. Once Project Insight is in position, Hydra's New World Order will be born."
Zola's voice carried a hint of self-satisfied triumph.
Tony did not buy Zola's nonsense. He was not alone; behind him stood the Avengers, the Justice League, Thor, and Batman.
Besides, Batman had already arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier and was currently stopping that so-called Project Insight.
"You must be thinking that Batman can put a stop to Project Insight," Dr. Zola seemed to see right through Iron Man's thoughts.
Tony's heart skipped a beat as a bad feeling came over him.
"Regrettably, from the moment he set foot on the Helicarrier, he became a little fish thrashing in a net," Dr. Zola said. "There is a gift meticulously prepared for him over there."
Iron Man's eyelids twitched. Knowing the situation was turning dire, he immediately attempted to establish an encrypted comm line with Batman.
At that exact moment, however, the Mark VIII armor emitted urgent, sharp beeps, as JARVIS suddenly spoke out in alarm:
"Boss! You are locked on by missiles—seventeen in total!"
The moment the words fell, Iron Man's metal visor slammed shut with a sharp clang. In the very next second, a thunderous explosion erupted, as roaring flames and debris completely buried Tony Stark.
While Batman was on the Helicarrier and Iron Man was ambushed, Captain America donned his suit, strapped his Vibranium shield to his back, and stepped inside an unremarkable-looking building located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
A kilometer away from this building, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Jack Monroe squeezed into the cab of the truck, remaining dead silent.
"Even knowing for a fact that Alexander Pierce is Hydra, we cannot act rashly. The Captain needs to go in to scout the situation and ideally steal the data regarding that mechanical-armed man.
"If a conflict breaks out, Jack, you're responsible for assisting the Captain. Natasha, you go retrieve them. I'll provide long-range support for you guys."
Hawkeye only spoke up as Captain America stepped inside that building.
Jack Monroe gave a heavy nod.
--
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