Chapter 104: Could Colson Be the Mastermind Behind It All?

“Boom—”

The mothership suddenly accelerated, and the inertia caused the entire vessel to tremble violently.

Were they really planning to crash into the Capitol building?

Rogers suddenly recalled Coulson’s analysis; his words had actually revealed a great deal of truth.

Or rather, everything unfolding now was exactly as Coulson had predicted.

“So, Coulson is the mastermind behind this?”

This suspicion was almost unbelievable even to Rogers himself.

But he dared not imagine the consequences of such a scenario.

A fierce roar erupted from the mothership’s power core, the speed shifting rapidly. The massive ship’s combined velocity and gravitational force would wreak terrifying destruction.

Rogers couldn’t bear to think about what would happen if the mothership struck the Capitol.

At the same moment the Blade Warrior sent out a signal,

Outside the ship, Falcon smashed through the skylight and burst inside, accompanied by Spider-Woman.

“Hey, guys, what’s going on? Why did the ship suddenly speed up?” Falcon swooped over everyone’s heads, scanning for bullets before looking at Rogers with genuine concern.

“We were having a party,” Rogers replied. “Seems like the host can’t wait to start the celebration.”

“Enough chatter!” Spider-Woman shouted as she darted swiftly through the air, the rushing wind tousling her black hair. “We need to find a way to stop this giant thing.”

“These terrorists plan to use the mothership to crash into the Capitol!” Blade Warrior shouted, swiftly cutting down a Hydra agent lunging at him.

“Oh, that’s quite the surprise,” Falcon remarked dryly over the comm channel.

“Boom—” An energy blast struck him, sending Falcon spiraling midair.

“Sam...” Rogers rushed toward his friend.

“I’m fine...” Falcon assured, barely maintaining control amid the violent shaking. Dodging fire from below, he pulled his body near the ground, shifting into a glide and landing smoothly.

“Gotta say, that was pretty cool,” Blade Warrior said as he helped Falcon up.

Spider-Woman fared even better, agilely evading Hydra fire before landing among the team.

Everyone was exhausted, and Falcon was gasping for breath.

“Looks like we’re really facing a brutal situation!” Rogers smiled grimly, addressing the group.

“Our goal is clear now: take down the purple guy on the bridge. I’m sure you all know his abilities. Controlling him means controlling the people on the ship.”

“What if he refuses?” Falcon asked, his heart pounding after that near-disastrous crash.

“Then we find a way to make him agree,” Rogers said, throwing his shield with force to knock away the Hydra agents attacking him, before charging at the purple figure. “We have no other choice.”

Even if they wanted to communicate with the lower deck, it was impossible now.

Elsewhere, Nick Fury watched Coulson carefully, his gaze shifting repeatedly.

He didn’t believe Coulson would betray them.

But certain coincidences forced him to reconsider his most trusted subordinate.

The anomaly aboard the mothership was first detected by radar, triggering multiple alarms.

The Air Force scrambled jets immediately, and all departments activated emergency protocols.

“This is sacrilege...” Ross slammed his fist on the table.

Meanwhile, Hill initiated the launch of three hidden motherships tasked with intercepting the rogue vessel.

Using motherships to counter a mothership.

---

Roald stood silently behind her, calmly absorbing all the intelligence.

Farther from Washington,

A figure clad in sleek red armor, trailing a fiery jetstream, shot through the sky.

No need to say, he was heading to join the lively Tony Stark. Through satellites, he had detected the unusual activity in Washington. This time, he had a new suit of armor designed to showcase himself.

Another was riding a Void-steed, also trailing jets of flame—Vikaan, here to make his mark and join the fray.

Of course, Roald had given him a mission as well.

“I want a mount too,” Grommash’s deep voice echoed through the psychic link.

“What good’s a mount to you, Grommash? I’m the only air force you need; you’re the ground troops.”

Vikaan promptly retorted, firmly rejecting pointless competition.

“I still want a mount!”

Grommash’s voice remained low.

“Hey, Grommash, that’s opportunism!”

“But I want a mount anyway!”

...

Shaking off the ridiculous exchange between the two, Roald refocused on Rogers.

In this moment of crisis, the power of the Mind Stone began to influence him. A flood of negative emotions and hallucinations seeped into Rogers’ mind.

Suddenly, charging forward, Rogers felt as if he were sinking into a deep, dark, sealed ocean. Beneath him lurked a monstrous beast, jaws wide, waiting to trap him as prey.

Pain, sorrow, hatred, loneliness, and an inescapable fate relentlessly gnawed at his consciousness.

The deaths of close friends, teammates lost in this mission, betrayals—he was powerless to stop the mothership’s descent. His mind was wracked with guilt and torment.

Rogers closed his eyes, beginning to reflect on himself, hope and will fading.

“Heh heh, Captain, are you okay? Wake up, wake up.”

Blade Warrior was the first to notice Rogers collapsing to his knees. The others looked over, sensing something was wrong.

Rogers’ current state was clearly troubled.

“His mind might be compromised?” Blade Warrior said, pulling out holy water and forcing it into Rogers’ mouth.

The pungent smell jolted everyone.

“Will that help?” Falcon asked anxiously.

“I don’t know, but if the Captain is like this, we need to rethink our plan.”

---

Nick Fury was in another safehouse.

But under surveillance, even a safehouse wasn’t safe.

He stared at Coulson, as if a thousand words were unspoken between them.

“Coulson, tell me. Why did you betray us?”

“What?” Coulson was stunned.

He had no idea why Fury would say that.

“The purple guy turned traitor, our plan exposed—was this a trap you set from the start?”

“???” Coulson was still baffled.

“You won’t deny it? No explanation at all. Looks like you admit your actions. How much of this did you orchestrate?”

“Orchestrate? Director, what are you talking about?”

“At this point, are you still pretending, Coulson?”

Pretending what?

Though his contemptuous attitude wasn’t new, could he at least speak coherently?

Coulson was still pondering when someone answered for him with action.

Bucky entered, holding a gun, standing silently behind Coulson, aiming at Fury.

His face was cold, an expression of a merciless killer.

No—

It was a twisted, indifferent smile.

“Bucky?!” Coulson was dumbfounded.

Wasn’t he on the mothership? How did he get here?

“Coulson, what explanation do you have for the current situation?”

Fury stood up, shouting sharply as he pressed a button on his device. The room around him flipped.

When Coulson regained his senses, Fury’s figure was gone.

---

In a distant district, the safehouse Fury had just left was guarded by the Defenders.

They were Fury’s Plan B, Squad C—cannon fodder sent to cover retreat.

They encountered Grommash.

Slowly stepping before them, Grommash raised his axe toward Luke Cage, expression cold and lips pursed.

The Defenders were confused, unsure of what was happening.

Before Luke Cage could react, Grommash leapt up, bringing the axe down hard.

“You should pay the price for angering your master.”

Grommash was in a very dark mood.

Grabbing Luke Cage by the throat and tossing him aside, he looked at the others.

“The Director sent his regards.”

Roald watched all this with satisfaction.

Between the three of them in S.H.I.E.L.D., it seemed reconciliation was no longer possible.