Tony Stark was still lingering on the "Beautiful Deadly Viper" part, imagining Natasha Romanoff in various tactical (and non-tactical) scenarios.
"A Russian Spy," Tony grinned, swirling his drink. "I bet she has stories. And scars. Scars are sexy."
But the next line in the diary sobered him up instantly.
[If SHIELD is bad, Hydra is worse. Once you get tangled with the 'Snake Shield Bureau' (Hydra), it's a fight to the death. Unless you wipe them out completely.]
"Snake Shield Bureau?" Tony frowned. "Hydra?"
The term was new. Or rather, old. Hydra was a Nazi science division from World War II. Captain America fought them. They were supposed to be dead.
"Jarvis," Tony said, his voice sharp. "What is 'Snake Shield Bureau'?"
"Searching... No direct match found in public databases," Jarvis replied. "However, the term 'Hydra' is historically associated with the Red Skull and the Tesseract. It was dismantled by the SSR in 1945."
"Dismantled," Tony repeated. "But Lucas talks about it in the present tense. 'Once you get tangled with them.' That implies they are active. Now."
"And SHIELD," Tony continued. "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Fury's group. Lucas calls them 'Shield Bureau.' But then he calls Hydra 'Snake Shield Bureau.'"
"Shield and Snake," Tony murmured. "Two sides of the same coin?"
"Is it possible," Jarvis suggested, "that Hydra is operating inside SHIELD?"
Tony froze.
The idea was terrifying. If the world's premier spy agency—the one monitoring him, the one recruiting Avengers—was actually a front for a Nazi death cult?
"That would explain a lot," Tony realized. "Why Howard died. Why the weapons keep disappearing. Why the world is always on the brink of war."
"It's a parasite," Tony whispered. "Growing inside the host."
"Jarvis," Tony ordered. "Create a new file. Project: Insight."
"Not the SHIELD project," he clarified. "My own project. I want to know everything about SHIELD. Every agent. Every mission. Every penny they spend."
"If Fury is dirty," Tony said, his eyes hardening, "I'm going to find out. And if he's Hydra... I'm going to burn his whole organization to the ground."
"Sir," Jarvis warned. "Hacking SHIELD is a federal crime. It is also extremely dangerous. They have resources we cannot match."
"They have resources," Tony corrected. "I have Iron Man."
"And I have a diary," he added, looking at the black notebook. "Lucas says it's a fight to the death. Well, I've cheated death once. Let's see if I can do it again."
"Also," Tony added, "monitor the 'Novice Village Chief'—Coulson. And the 'Beautiful Deadly Viper'—Romanoff. If they are Hydra agents... they won't even know what hit them."
"Understood, Sir. Surveillance protocols initiated."
SHIELD Headquarters.
Nick Fury was staring at the same entry, his blood running cold.
[Snake Shield Bureau... Hydra... Fight to the death.]
"He knows," Fury whispered. "He knows Hydra is inside SHIELD."
"Snake Shield," Natasha repeated. "It's a clever play on words. SHIELD protects. Hydra bites."
"It confirms our worst fears," Coulson said, his face pale. "We are compromised. From the inside out."
"Alexander Pierce," Fury said the name he dreaded most. "He's my boss. He's the one pushing for Project Insight. The Helicarriers. The algorithm."
"If Pierce is Hydra," Fury realized, "then those Helicarriers aren't for protection. They're for execution."
"Millions of people," Fury said, his voice trembling with rage. "Targeted. Eliminated. Before they even commit a crime."
"We need to purge them," Natasha said, her hand resting on her widow's bite. "Now."
"Not yet," Fury warned. "We don't know who is loyal. If we strike now, we start a civil war inside SHIELD. And Hydra has the numbers."
"We need help," Fury decided. "We need someone outside the system. Someone they can't control."
"Stark," Natasha said. "Iron Man."
"And Lucas," Coulson added. "Superman."
"Exactly," Fury nodded. "We recruit Stark. We recruit Lucas. And then... we use them to cut off the head of the snake."
"But first," Fury looked at his team. "We need to survive the recruitment pitch."
"Stark knows about the 'Beautiful Deadly Viper,'" Fury smirked. "He's expecting a honey pot. Let's give him one."
"Natasha," Fury ordered. "You're going to Stark's mansion tonight. Not as a spy. As a guest."
"Wear something nice," Fury added. "And bring the diary. It's time to compare notes."
"And if he tries anything?" Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're the Black Widow," Fury shrugged. "I'm sure you can handle a billionaire playboy without killing him. Probably."
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