"Alexander Pierce."

Tony didn't bother beating around the bush. After Steve agreed to work together and arrived at Stark Tower in Los Angeles, he got straight to the point and shared the intel he had.

"Alexander Pierce?" Steve repeated.

Traveling from Washington to Los Angeles had basically taken him across the entire country. During the trip, he hadn’t just been sitting idle. He had gone through the files the Vought intelligence division provided in detail and was already aware of who Pierce was.

"He was the previous director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Don't tell me he's also…?"

Tony shook his head helplessly. He had done thorough research himself. And being Howard’s son, the information he got from his father only made it even clearer to him: Alexander Pierce was Hydra.

"Captain, after you were frozen, the war ended, but peace didn’t follow. The remnants of Hydra spread all over the world. Dad and your old flame, Agent Carter, set up S.H.I.E.L.D. specifically to counter them. And at first, they succeeded. Hydra vanished from the public eye for decades. But in the end, they still failed."

Tony pulled out a document. It was an old project drafted by Howard.

After Hydra was nearly wiped out, a major question arose: what should be done with the remaining Hydra scientists, especially the ones led by Zola?

Ordinary Hydra members were dealt with accordingly. They received the punishment they deserved, and the scientists were no exception. But aside from that, Howard had chosen a much riskier solution.

"Dad believed that bringing those Hydra scientists into S.H.I.E.L.D. would allow them to make use of their talents while keeping them close enough to monitor at all times. If those people were simply allowed to serve their sentence and then return to society, they'd be a huge threat to the entire world."

Steve nodded. Howard’s logic wasn’t wrong, but he underestimated just how deeply rooted Hydra’s beliefs were.

Back when the plan was first put into motion, Howard was still young. He spent his entire life keeping a close eye on those former Hydra members. As long as he held power, none of them dared to make a move.

However, time waits for no one. He grew old, and eventually, he retired.

He thought that after so many years, even those who had once followed Hydra would’ve let go of their unrealistic ideals after living quietly for so long. But the truth was, Hydra had never truly disappeared. Their ideals didn’t fade in the peace and quiet. Rather, they spread even more deeply within S.H.I.E.L.D.

As the agency expanded and recruited global talent, Hydra used the same system to spread its reach into different nations. And by now, most of the World Security Council countries had almost certainly been infiltrated by them.

"I can't speak for others, but you don’t need to worry about the U.S.,” Tony said, noticing the concern on Steve’s face. "America may have been deeply infiltrated in the past, but now, it's not much of a problem. What we really need to focus on is rooting out Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D. And through them, we can track down the guy who killed my parents."

Focused on the national issue, Steve didn’t even notice the hatred in Tony’s voice when he mentioned Bucky. Instead, he asked, "Why? From what I know, America gave S.H.I.E.L.D. the most freedom. That should’ve made it the easiest target for Hydra, right?"

Tony’s response was straightforward. "Due to the existence of LexCorp."

He picked up a cheeseburger from the table, took a bite, then continued, "You've probably noticed too. I’m not really on bad terms with them. Everything that happened before was just us playing different roles. We were simply claiming the remaining parts of the U.S. that weren’t yet under LexCorp or my control.”

It was exactly because of Tony’s falling out with LexCorp that those who opposed Lex saw him as one of their own. That’s why Stark Industries had such a smooth path when shifting into the energy sector.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Tony said with a sigh, "Luthor’s not someone Hydra can fool. The government is now under LexCorp’s control. In this situation, they don't even have a chance to make a move. That guy’s a control freak. Nothing gets past him."

Steve silently took note of that evaluation. He knew Tony was just like a younger version of Howard, equally arrogant, reckless, and full of ego. For someone like him to sincerely respect Luthor, it showed just how terrifyingly capable that man really was.

"I get it. LexCorp truly is powerful."

Tony nodded. "And right now, I know there’s already trouble brewing inside S.H.I.E.L.D. This is the opportunity LexCorp gave us. The cosmic energy that fell into the agency’s hands... has been stolen.”

* * *

Not long after, Tony and Steve arrived together at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s base in Los Angeles. The place was already in chaos. Traces of battle were everywhere, and judging by the scene, the fighting had been anything but light.

It wasn’t until Steve finally stepped inside the base that Fury’s expression softened a little. Just moments earlier, after returning to the base, he had learned that Reed had used the cosmic energy to gain superpowers. And with that power, he had escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Fury’s leniency had ultimately caused the freshly recruited Reed to become completely disillusioned with the organization. He had underestimated the man’s sense of independence.

Reed had accepted LexCorp's betrayal. After all, the accident during the experiment had indeed been caused by a miscalculation on his part. But that didn’t mean he was some obedient pushover.

Once he realized that S.H.I.E.L.D. was unfit to possess the cosmic energy, he made the firm decision to walk away.

"So, what now?" Steve asked after getting a full picture. "Are you planning to bring him back?"

Fury shook his head. "No. We can’t do that. We have no authority to go around arresting people within American soil. Reed’s escape will probably be the final blow LexCorp deals us. It’s time for S.H.I.E.L.D. to leave the U.S."

He was calm about it, not too fixated on the loss. In his view, Reed leaving on his own, even with powers, was still a better outcome than another country getting their hands on a superpowered individual.

Still, he wasn’t planning to sit still before S.H.I.E.L.D.’s departure.

He looked at Steve and said, "There’s someone. He used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. A partner of Howard Stark. If you step in personally, I think you might be able to convince him to help us again."

"Wait!" Tony suddenly interrupted. "Let me guess. You’re talking about Hank Pym, aren’t you?"

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