Chapter 111: Necessary Evil
Inside the SHIELD base in the Adirondack Mountains, within a monitoring room equipped with hundreds of screens and a dozen sentries maintaining constant vigilance.
Black Widow Natasha, dressed in a wrap dress and white blouse looking like a high-level executive, used her body to conceal the data receiver and transmitter she'd installed on one of the computers.
She handled the sentry she was manipulating with ease, making casual conversation while mentally counting down the seconds.
Just one minute. That's all Black Widow needed to package and transmit detailed Tesseract data to Crossbones waiting outside.
The Tesseract information was stored on SHIELD's internal local network. Natasha's action wouldn't trigger any alarms.
It certainly wouldn't be detected by the firewall Tony Stark had created for Nick Fury recently.
But just as the data receiver and transmitter entered its countdown phase, Black Widow suddenly noticed something.
On an auxiliary screen monitoring the internal local network server's performance, the metric representing cooling system network latency showed an extremely minor fluctuation, almost negligible.
The fluctuation remained within normal parameters, but Black Widow had received the most rigorous training. She possessed beast-like instincts during missions—or rather, counter-surveillance capabilities.
Last time, this ability had helped her detect Hawkeye following her at the Raft, allowing her to immediately turn the tables and frame Hawkeye as a "Hydra spy."
This time, Black Widow instantly realized something abnormal was occurring with the cooling system network.
"Natasha, just give me two months! Two months and my current duty assignment ends. I'll get half a month of vacation time," the sentry named Meyer continued beside Black Widow. "How about we take a trip to Miami together?"
Black Widow frowned slightly. This sentry Meyer stood too close, and others were watching them with amusement.
Black Widow was considering how to send him away so she could remove the data receiver and transmitter hidden behind her.
The cooling system network fluctuation conveniently provided an opportunity to redirect the monitoring room's attention. She pointed at the auxiliary screen.
"Guys, there's a problem there."
Any anomaly within the SHIELD base could result in losses of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Almost the instant Black Widow Natasha pointed out the issue, everyone turned to look at that screen.
"It's just normal fluctuation, but since the captivating Black Widow pointed it out, guys, let's conduct a sweep of the cooling system area." The monitoring room sentry spoke, then everyone quickly dove into their respective tasks.
"Network status normal. No signs of firewall attack detected."
"Initiating low-level status query on cooling system network hardware."
"Contact patrol sentries. Dispatch a team to the cooling system area to check for anomalies."
A series of orders issued from the monitoring room. Black Widow Natasha watched these sentries while mentally counting down.
Nine, eight, seven... When the countdown reached zero, her data theft of the Tesseract would be complete.
Inside the SHIELD internal local network server's cooling system area.
The moment Black Widow inserted her data receiver and transmitter into the monitoring room interface and began receiving data, Batman detected this extremely covert, encrypted, non-standard protocol data stream.
Under normal circumstances, this hidden data stream might be generated by internal SHIELD members accessing the local network.
But Batman always considered the worst-case scenario. For instance:
"Besides me, someone else is currently infiltrating the SHIELD base, or there's someone here with technical capabilities far exceeding mine who has already discovered my presence."
Batman showed no panic. He'd already planned for this worst-case result before infiltrating.
He didn't intercept the data stream to avoid interfering with legitimate internal SHIELD access. Instead, he used the Batcomputer to reverse-trace the data stream, rapidly obtaining virtually all information including source IP, target IP, data packet size, transmission frequency, and more.
"The source is located in the SHIELD base monitoring room. Information originates from a reading device in the internal local network server room. The receiving device is... a data receiver and transmitter?"
Just then, the cooling system low-level hardware audit Black Widow had prompted arrived.
This time Batman made no intervention regarding the audit. His hardware man-in-the-middle device implanted in the cooling system was self-powered. Network audits couldn't detect its existence.
The only remaining risk was that someone might physically inspect the cooling system area. Batman needed to retreat before their arrival and hide aboard the vegetable transport truck.
Footsteps approached from a distance. Batman showed no panic, following his pre-planned escape route, swiftly heading toward the SHIELD base's food storage area.
The vegetable transport truck sat quietly in the staging area outside the base perimeter. Batman used black webbing to silently slip beneath the truck, then grabbed a corner of his bat-cape with each hand before gripping the truck's undercarriage.
Almost the second Batman secured his position, the vegetable transport truck slowly started, gradually driving toward the SHIELD base's outer gate.
At that same moment, Batman activated the man-in-the-middle hardware implanted in the cooling system, making it precisely control coolant flow rates and affect the server's core processor calculations.
The instant that extremely difficult-to-replicate minor error appeared, the SHIELD satellite Batman had previously hacked received its command.
Oracle AI had already prepared. After the SHIELD satellite received the command, Oracle AI immediately began extensive queries for information about handlers, departments, and other data related to Stark weapons.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
"Bruce, all information regarding Stark weapons handlers has been queried."
The next moment after Oracle AI finished speaking, the vegetable transport truck completely departed the SHIELD base perimeter, continuously accelerating toward New York.
"Meyer, did you find any anomalies?"
Inside the SHIELD base monitoring room, Black Widow Natasha quietly removed the data receiver and transmitter, hiding it again inside her wrap dress against her thigh.
Her mission was complete. The Tesseract data had been transmitted to Crossbones Brock Rumlow waiting outside. Soon Crossbones would preserve and transport it to the Hydra base interior.
Black Widow Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, asking the sentry Meyer in a relaxed tone—he'd been forced into activity by the cooling system fluctuation.
Meyer shook his head. His expression looked somewhat troubled, even though the cooling system screen wasn't his responsibility.
"Besides the initial fluctuation you pointed out, another one just occurred."
"Looks like we'll be working overtime again soon."
Black Widow Natasha ignored sentry Meyer, turning to examine the screen monitoring the cooling area system more closely, then hurrying away.
"Natasha, where are you going?" Meyer called quietly from behind.
"To inspect the cooling area." Black Widow tossed the answer over her shoulder.
The SHIELD base's local network server area wasn't large. When Black Widow arrived, the base members dispatched to inspect had just left. They'd found nothing.
But Natasha's mind harbored vague suspicions. She turned on all lights, searching inch by inch, overlooking no corner.
Nearly an hour later, Natasha finally discovered Batman's man-in-the-middle hardware on the cooling system's coolant delivery pipeline.
"Well, that's something. SHIELD's already been infiltrated once by a mysterious player."
Black Widow Natasha wasn't foolish. She quickly realized this device's working principle involved controlling coolant flow rates. After careful consideration, she gave a cold laugh, speaking quietly.
Natasha casually removed the man-in-the-middle hardware. She was about to destroy both the data receiver and transmitter hidden beneath her wrap dress and this hardware simultaneously when she suddenly stopped.
If this mysterious person could physically infiltrate SHIELD's internal local network, could they also detect her previous data transmission of Tesseract information from the monitoring room?
Black Widow didn't dare gamble. She hurried from the cooling system area back to her room. Just as she was about to send information to Crossbones Brock Rumlow, she suddenly realized a problem.
She and Crossbones had no meetings or communications during this operation. Everything was arranged entirely by Hydra.
If the mysterious person discovered her activities and planted tracking viruses in the information Crossbones Rumlow received...
Not only might the Tesseract information be altered or leaked, but when Rumlow reached the Hydra base, that would also be the moment that Hydra base was exposed!
Black Widow Natasha's expression turned extremely ugly.
Four hours later, Batman—who had maintained the same position beneath the vegetable transport truck the entire time—finally released his grip.
He'd followed this vehicle to New York City and quickly returned to his City Hall subway station using the Batmobile.
Thump!
Footsteps echoed through the subway station. Venom immediately raised its head from the habitat box, watching Batman curiously—his suit covered in dirt.
Batman ignored Venom, not even bothering to remove his suit, rapidly directing Oracle AI to organize the data.
He'd planted viruses in another data stream at the SHIELD base, but currently that virus hadn't detected the data receiving terminal being activated.
Batman needed to query Stark weapons-related materials first.
The data showed that the batch of Stark weapons that had flowed from SHIELD, transported by Aias Security, and ultimately fallen into Kingpin's hands—all approval processes were completely compliant. The handler for these weapons was a SHIELD veteran Level 8 agent named Garrett.
Garrett's action reports were flawless, but those weapons had definitely entered the black market.
This proved Stark weapons leakage wasn't due to a simple corrupt agent but rather a tightly structured, deeply hidden internal organization.
They acted cautiously, using SHIELD's own legitimate processes as cover for all operations conducted offline, leaving no direct evidence online.
They were Hydra.
"Stark's weapons leaks are connected to Hydra?" Batman stared at the organized data, his brow furrowing.
Batman now held the direct evidence chain for Stark weapons entering the black market. He could deliver this evidence to Tony, perhaps wake him up.
But Batman didn't choose to do that. Earlier today when trying to dissuade Tony Stark, Tony's almost reflexive deflection of responsibility, handing everything to his legal team—that scene remained vivid.
Even if he no longer used Peter Parker's identity but instead wore the Arkham suit, presenting this evidence to Tony Stark as Batman, Tony would still choose internal handling.
That might alert Hydra, causing them to hide even deeper.
Batman needed a devastating strike to completely destroy this supply chain, not merely remind Tony.
He needed to launch a commercial assault to terminate Tony Stark's weapons business production, at minimum stopping supplies to the military and SHIELD.
Batman wouldn't believe the entire SHIELD interior contained only one Hydra member like Garrett. He also didn't believe SHIELD was the only channel for Stark weapons entering the market.
Today during daylight, inside Stark Tower, the bullet shown on television from the Queens precinct was completely different from the Stark weapons models Batman had previously investigated.
This sufficiently demonstrated that SHIELD, the military, and possibly even Stark Industries all might have Hydra figures hiding in the shadows. Batman had to adopt extreme measures.
As Batman's operations unfolded from the City Hall subway station, scenes of meeting Tony Stark flashed through his mind.
Every meeting, Tony would raise his glass, inviting Batman for a drink, occasionally cracking jokes. Even when Batman raised the price for that half-finished AI model, Tony showed no displeasure.
He'd promoted Happy Hogan to bodyguard and driver. He'd assigned Batman the SHIELD firewall project.
When he developed a new missile and considered it a profitable project, he'd chosen to invite Batman to invest, though Batman had refused.
Batman could sense that the sharp-tongued, alcoholic playboy considered him "an ordinary friend worth talking to."
Though merely an "ordinary friend," that modest friendship genuinely existed.
Batman knew once he deployed his strike tactics, stopping Tony Stark's weapons business, causing stock prices to plummet and orders to cancel, the damage wouldn't hurt only Tony.
Tens of thousands of ordinary Stark Industries employees—assembly line workers, secretaries, R&D personnel... they would lose jobs, families would face hardship.
Batman would provide anonymous assistance, establishing an emergency relief fund for Stark employees who lost jobs because of this.
But regardless of whether Tony Stark knew "Batman is Peter Parker," there was high probability they would sever contact afterward.
"Are you certain about doing this, Bruce? This might hurt him."
As Batman sent anonymous information to the SEC and Department of Defense, using AI to simulate online accounts creating public opinion, Oracle AI asked.
After prolonged silence, Batman's voice dropped even lower.
"I might permanently lose a friend I could discuss everything with. But if I don't do this, his weapons will kill more people."
"This is the necessary evil I must bear."
"I'd rather he live and hate me than attend his funeral pretending we were once friends after he's dead."
"Execute the plan, Barbara."