Chapter 1
May 23rd, 2014
{}{OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT - HYDRA}{}
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The Triskelion, Top Floor
As a helicopter landed on the pad, everyone turned to look. Nick Fury stepped out, his leather trench coat flapping dramatically in the wind. The doors slid open, and the Director of SHIELD entered. Alexander Pierce smiled.
”Ah, Nick, good, you’re here, we can begin.”
The confusion in the room was evident. Fury stopped, perhaps sensing that he had severely miscalculated something. He began to walk backwards towards the doors and his waiting chopper, but the hiss and clank of the doors slamming shut and locking put a rapid end to that plan.
Pierce continued speaking all the while.
”Now, what I am curious about, is how you survived the Winter Soldier. No? Not telling? No matter, I’ll find out from Maria Hill, and I’ll be sure not to make the same mistake this time. Would you do the honours, Agent Romanoff?”
The pistol swivelled around to face Fury. It fired once, twice, three times. Nicholas J. Fury fell backwards, and the look on his face was, for once, surprise.
The infamous Black Widow’s face was expressionless as she lifted her eyes from the body and uttered two words.
”Hail Hydra.”
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Avengers Tower, Penthouse Balcony
Clint Barton and Bruce Banner were lounging in the sun.
Banner was reading, casually sipping from a glass of water, while Barton fiddled idly with one of his arrows.
Tony Stark was sitting behind the bar, working on his tablet. The peaceful silence was broken by the soft buzz of Tony’s phone, lying on the bar counter. He picked it up and read the message on its screen.
OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT - HYDRA
Tony sighed. He had been beginning to like the Avengers. As it was, he tapped the microchips in his arm, readying the new suit, but didn’t call it, not yet. He removed a Stark A7 semi-auto pistol from it’s hiding place on the underside of the counter, loaded it with quick deft movements, aimed, and fired.
Barton managed to twist out of the way at the last moment, the bullet hitting his shoulder instead of the heart it meant to rupture.
”What the fuck, Tony?!?”
”You pose a threat to Hydra. As such, you must be removed from the equation. It’s simple math, birdbrain.”
”Hydra?”
”Yeah, you know, cut off one head, two more shall take it’s place? All that jazz? And Brucie-bear, remember that water? I wouldn’t try to hulk out, if I were you. Of course, you’re welcome to try.”
“Tony, you’re insane!”
”No, just on the right side.”
Throughout this, the gun continued to fire, just missing. Eventually, the gun clicked, signifying no more ammo. Barton leaped out of the way of the matte black suit crashing through the wall behind him. The armour wrapped around Tony, the Arc reactor, repulsors, and eyes glowing menacing red, the Hydra octopus imprinted on the chest. Repulsor blasts tore apart the penthouse, before he abruptly stopped and cocked his head.
”Well, kiddos, it’s been fun, but I gotta jet. Our fearless one-eyed leader has been apparently messing with my algorithm. Oh, and don’t worry about not dying, Legolas, Project Insight will take care of you soon enough.”
Tony leapt backwards off the balcony, falling a bit before engaging repulsors and returning to balcony height.
”Hail Hydra, my friends, Hail Hydra.”
With that, he turned and flew away.
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SHIELD 616 (The Bus), somewhere over the mid-Atlantic
The message finally revealed on the big screen.
{}{OUT OF THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT - HYDRA}{}
As soon as the message was revealed, there were two loud bangs. Coulson fell to the ground, kneecaps blown out. Fitz turned in horror, to see Garrett’s hand holding a smoking gun. Skye’s voice snapped him out of his reverie.
“Hey Fitz, please don’t move, we need minds like yours. You can join Hydra willingly, or I can use more... painful methods. Either way, you’ll be joining Hydra. We already have Jemma.”
”What, no, you can’t, Jemma wouldn’t!”
He turned and ran, but before he could get far, an ICER round impacted in the back of his head. Skye looked pityingly at Coulson, unconscious on the floor.
”Sorry, AC. Hail Hydra.”
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The Triskelion, Comms Hub
Maria Hill could tell the exact moment Stark arrived. There were fireworks. He came to a stop just above the lead helicarrier.
”Agent Hill, I heard our good friend Fury has been attempting to bring down my algorithm. What’s up with that?”
”To maintain my cover, I had to provide Fury with dummy chips, Captain Rogers and the ’Falcon’ are attempting to insert them in the control bay. Is Insight compromised?”
”Falcon? What kinda name is that? Ah, but short answer, no. The idiots really thought that one chip would kill our Magnus opus? Why do you think there are so many control chips. Redundancies, Maria.”
Maria let out a breath. “Is Insight still go?”
”Hmm, let’s see.” Stark switched to Hydra-wide comms.
”Hydra mooks, Insight Carriers are at 3000 metres, targets locked in, and all systems online. Project Insight is go. You may fire on Agent Hill’s command.”
Maria grabbed the mic.
”Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not know, and what we learned during the Second World War, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. So Hydra went underground. We infiltrated SHIELD, where we have been hiding for the last 7 decades. We bred chaos, and catastrophe. Today, Hydra has finally created a world where Humanity gives up its freedom willingly. Hydra will correct the wrongs that uneducated morons have wreaked. Hydra will never fall. Because Hydra is not an organization. It is an ideology. Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Ladies and Gentlemen, Hail Hydra.”
The response echoed through the Triskelion, the helicarriers, The commline, and around the world.
”HAIL HYDRA!”
“Fire.”
The Insight cannons unleashed their first wave.