"Yes, a female. She's also a classmate of Loren Morgan's. It's said they have a pretty good relationship."
Coulson nodded and relayed all the information he'd gathered to Nick Fury.
"Puppy love? A romantic involvement?"
"I haven't heard anything concrete, sir. But they're both young—it's not impossible they've developed feelings for each other."
Fury snorted. "While most kids their age are still figuring out algebra, these two are already knee-deep in covert ops. One's operating like a one-man black-ops unit, the other's swinging through the city like she owns it. Next thing you know, they'll be hosting a bug-themed tea party."
"Sir," Coulson said, steering the conversation back on track, "I think Gwen Stacy is our best entry point. If we bring her in—use her existing connection to Loren as leverage—we might be able to recruit her. After all, at their age, personal bonds carry a lot of weight."
"Fine. Try it your way. If it works, great. If not… we still need to secure Spider-Woman."
"Understood." Coulson paused, then added, "By the way, while looking into Gwen Stacy, I uncovered something unexpected."
"What kind of information?"
"About two months ago, the head of the Morgan family was shot and killed by two gunmen in broad daylight. The incident caused a citywide uproar—you remember it."
"The assassination of Patriarch Morgan? Of course. The President called it a national security concern. He even assigned a special task force. Pierce was put in charge."
"Yes. Minister Pierce personally accepted the President's directive at the funeral."
"He accepted it, alright—but there's been no progress since. No leads, no suspects, nothing."
"I thought the same at first," Coulson admitted. "Assumed Pierce's team just dropped the ball. But my investigation suggests this goes deeper."
Fury frowned. "Go on."
"Do you remember the funeral?"
"Vaguely. Crowded. Half the government showed up."
"More than fifty dignitaries—including you. But there was one notable absence: Maeve Morgan, the patriarch's elder sister."
"That is odd."
"Very. Turns out, Maeve severed ties with the family years ago over a bitter inheritance dispute. She vanished shortly after. But here's the twist—on the night of the shooting, surveillance footage from nearby streets captured her in the area."
Fury's eyes narrowed. "Her own brother is murdered after years of silence… and she just happens to be back in town that night?"
"I can't confirm her involvement," Coulson said carefully, "but it's a possibility we can't ignore."
"And Pierce never mentioned this footage?"
"That's what troubled me too." Coulson handed Fury a slim dossier. "So I dug deeper—into both Maeve and Pierce."
Fury flipped open the file, curiosity giving way to shock as he scanned the contents: grainy photos of clandestine meetings between Maeve Morgan and Minister Pierce… detailed logs of her movements over the past five years… and on the final page, a symbol that made his blood run cold.
A skull crowned by six writhing octopus-like tentacles.
To the untrained eye, it might look like abstract art.
But Nick Fury knew better.
"Hydra…" he whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. "This is Hydra."
Because of the intelligence Coulson had gathered, his old friend Pierce and Maeve Morgan were very likely among Hydra's leaders.
"Who have you shown this file to?" Nick Fury asked, fixing Coulson with a stern look.
"Sir, you're the only one who's seen it."
"Good. Destroy this information immediately—and pretend none of this ever happened."
"Sir… why?"
"Because if your findings are accurate, then S.H.I.E.L.D. may already be compromised. If word gets out that Hydra still exists—and that we know about it—the enemy will go deeper underground. That'll make them far harder to root out. We need to stay steady while everything around us shifts."
"I understand!" Coulson said. Without hesitation, he lit the file with his lighter and watched it burn.
Fury changed the subject. "Does that mean Loren Morgan knew Pierce was a Hydra agent before we did?"
"Given that he uncovered Pierce as the true mastermind behind his father's murder, it's highly probable."
"This kid's full of surprises. Looks like we underestimated him."
"It wasn't really a mistake. Before his parents died, he played the part of a carefree playboy. But after their deaths, he changed completely. Not only did he personally capture the two men who killed his father—he dismantled the entire network behind them."
"A notorious dandy suddenly becoming this resolute and decisive? Either he was playing dumb to catch a tiger… or someone's pulling his strings."
"The 'playing dumb' theory doesn't hold much water. As the sole heir to the Morgan fortune, he had no reason to feign incompetence. So the latter seems more likely."
"According to several officers who were at the scene, there was a silver-haired woman with Loren at the time."
"Our analysis confirms she's the same woman spotted at the World Security Council building a month ago."
"You're saying this silver-haired woman was planted by some unknown faction to watch over Loren?"
"That's the leading hypothesis—but we won't know for sure until Natasha finishes her investigation."
"Well, we'll find out soon enough whether he's the real deal or just a decoy. By the way—Pierce is dead. What about Maeve Morgan?"
"Shortly after Kingpin's death, Maeve went to Morgan Manor… and never left."
"You think she's being held captive? Or worse—dead?"
"We don't know yet. But judging by the silver-haired woman's ruthless methods, Maeve's in serious danger."
"If that's true, the Morgan family's tearing itself apart. Sisters killing brothers, nephews turning on aunts… they're a madhouse."
"Rich families always have their… eccentricities."
"Yeah. That's the truth."
Of course, Loren had no idea about the secret conversation between Nick Fury and Coulson.
And right now, he wasn't in the mood to care—because his head was about to explode.
"Washing the boss's clothes is my duty as housekeeper. Sister 2B, you can't just snatch that away!"
"Well, warming the boss's bed is clearly part of my role as personal assistant. Sister Tifa, why are you trying to take that from me?"
"That's not right. Your official title may be 'personal assistant,' but your real job is protecting the boss. Security is your only responsibility—leave the domestic tasks to me."
"You've got it backwards! I was handling all these duties long before you even existed. You're the butler—your job is managing the manor, not meddling in internal affairs!"
"You're wrong!"
"No, you're wrong!"
"Fine! Let's ask the boss himself and let him decide!"
"..." Loren stared blankly.
Watching Tifa and 2B bicker like squabbling children—then turn to him for judgment—left him utterly overwhelmed.
All he wanted to do was scream for help.
Just then, Alice's voice echoed through the hall.
"Warning: an intruder has been detected inside the manor."
At the alert, 2B and Tifa instantly snapped to attention. Their playful squabble vanished, replaced by identical, cold-eyed glares.
"Intruder alert! Sister Tifa, you can't steal this one—this is security work, and it's my responsibility!"
2B bolted out the door.
Tifa wasn't far behind. "Protecting the manor is part of my duty as housekeeper too! Sister 2B, wait for me—we're going together!"
"No! If you both leave, who's going to protect me?!"
Loren groaned.
"I'm so done. I've basically created two living dads!"