Chapter 29: The Lich King's Friend Is Trying Hard

“Agent Coulson, regarding this so-called Apocalypse and the information that man mentioned, we need to conduct a much deeper investigation. Regardless of its authenticity, we must obtain firsthand intelligence.”

Coulson nodded. Natasha’s mission was to gather information about Shinra at the Osborn Group, leaving the matter of Tony Stark in his own hands.

Likewise, S.H.I.E.L.D. would not cease investigating Vikan simply because Tony himself felt there was no more danger, or because of Tony’s personal opinion. Without sufficient evidence, Vikan could not be cleared of suspicion in the Tony incident.

Because of a mere snippet of news, S.H.I.E.L.D. was thrown into a frenzy of activity.

So Hydra truly has nine heads, and now the others have emerged, no doubt plotting something even more terrifying.

Nick Fury was deeply convinced of this.

Meanwhile, somewhere beneath Manhattan, in the underground cavern of Zazaira, the air shimmered with spatial distortion. A ghostly blue light flickered, and Erika appeared.

She was draped in a spider’s cloak, hood pulled over her head, with eight segmented limbs dancing in blue frost behind her. Zazaira’s shadow loomed immense behind her, while countless ghostly blue specks—ghouls and crypt spiders’ eyes—glimmered all around.

A mist of frost spread, lending the illusion that Erika existed somewhere between dream and reality.

She cleared her throat before the camera held by a ghoul, then recited the script Roald had devised:

“The world shall be reset. The self will be made whole. Divine transcendence will guide us to supremacy. Gene evolution is the path we must walk…”

Erika’s current role was to further corroborate Vikan’s claims and to declare their responsibility for Tony Stark’s abduction.

Roald’s instructions for her during this time were simply to steadily weave a fabricated cosmology.

Once all the declarations were recorded, Erika directed a hacker to upload the video online.

No matter how deep S.H.I.E.L.D. dug, the most they would uncover would be information about the person who posted the video—nothing that could lead back to her.

On the very night Tony returned to Stark Industries, the video exploded across the internet!

This time, everyone knew of a terrorist organization called the Eight-Legged Spider, which claimed responsibility for Tony Stark’s kidnapping.

The video loudly proclaimed the Human Completion Project, genetic evolution, and called upon followers to embrace the highest divinity.

Nick Fury immediately saw it for what it was: a cult.

More troubling was that the spider, previously believed dead, had reappeared—this time alongside a woman—hinting at dire possibilities.

Roald watched the video go viral with a satisfied nod. Chaos bred high-quality soul crystals, and he found himself increasingly fond of the freedom New York offered.

He was thoroughly delighted.

Nick Fury, however, was livid.

“Coulson, have you tracked down the person who posted this video, or identified the woman in it?”

“Director, we’ve found the individual who posted the video, but our trail ends there. By the time we located him, he had already fallen into a strange condition. The situation in Afghanistan remains unclear.”

Coulson was equally frustrated. S.H.I.E.L.D. had few assets in Afghanistan, and with the military holding sway there, their work was hampered.

“What do you make of her talk about genetic evolution?”

Nick Fury understood Afghanistan wasn’t their turf, and the military’s possible involvement only made matters trickier.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had always been at odds with the military, and the incident with Ross and the Hulk had brought those tensions to a head.

Yet Fury was unfazed. He believed, no matter how busy Ross was, in the end, he would be the one to reap the rewards.

“Rather than wasting resources on our weakest front, we should focus our attention elsewhere. Even if we don’t investigate, the military will help uncover what we need. How could a local Afghan group possibly have the resources for such research? I suspect the military itself is behind this.”

“I’m curious: Why would someone like Tony be in a jeep, only to conveniently run into terrorists? It’s all too coincidental. Given the military’s obsession with super-soldier research—as we’ve already seen with Ross—nothing is beyond them.”

A restless unease gnawed at Fury; his suspicions toward the military deepened.

Just as they’d begun making progress, now there seemed to be new Hydra factions emerging? The timing was too perfect—he suspected the military was producing scapegoats.

Perhaps—there were no other Hydra heads at all.

New York remained calm and peaceful; perhaps Tony’s mysterious companion was the true deceiver.

“Director, may I offer a suggestion?”

Coulson spoke up.

“Go on.”

“If all the information originates from Tony’s companion, and we consider that so-called ‘Shinra Corporation,’ perhaps we needn’t expend too much effort on other targets.”

“If we focus all our resources on his intelligence, and since the messages come from him, he must know secrets we don’t. We might gain something valuable.”

“Hmm.” Fury weighed the possibilities and considered the pros and cons, planning their next move.

Both the military and Stark required attention. If the military was truly compromised by Hydra, or running super-soldier experiments in Afghanistan, disaster loomed…

But the mysterious figure at Stark’s side seemed equally knowledgeable about these monsters.

He was torn.

Now with Shinra and the Osborn Group added to the mix, the task of infiltrating these corporations fell squarely to Natasha—she was indispensable.

Coulson was evidently to investigate Stark Industries. Who else could he send? Melinda? Hill? Or Barton?

Fury hesitated, uncertain of the right choice.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the office door.

“Come in!” Fury quickly gathered the documents on his desk, signaling Coulson to leave as he stood to greet the blond man who entered.

Alexander Pierce strode in, nodded to the departing Coulson, and approached Fury.

“Nick, we’re in trouble,” he announced without preamble.

“Nick, I really think we should stop investigating the military for now. We need more time to stabilize Stark.”

“Why?” Fury frowned.

“The military isn’t our domain. Don’t forget which agency we answer to. You know the military’s always been at odds with us, especially after the Hulk incident. Sending Natasha was already stepping over the line.”

“If we interfere again, other departments will wonder if today we can meddle with the military, tomorrow it’ll be the FBI, and the next day the CIA. Before long, will we be running Congress?”

“I’ve always been mindful of the repercussions, Nick. We can’t be the only ones at the table, ignoring the impact on other agencies.”

Pierce’s expression was full of an urgent, unspoken anxiety.

“Do you know how many departments reported simultaneously to Congress after this? Do you realize what the Security Council thinks of us?”

“All the reports state one thing: S.H.I.E.L.D. has failed to fulfill its proper role.” He handed Fury a thick stack of reports.

“We haven’t done what we should. If we don’t show results soon—and we keep interfering with other agencies—the consequences will be severe.”

Three times he repeated “we,” emphasizing unity, a sense of shared struggle, and camaraderie with Fury.

“Nick, Hydra is our greatest enemy, no doubt. But we must be strategic. Our work depends on the support of other agencies. We can’t be the only ones reaping the rewards while others are left with scraps.”

With top-level clearance, Pierce had access to all S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence.

“Be strategic. We need cooperation. The military issue can wait. Stark and his mysterious companion are everyone’s true focus.”

Of course, Pierce was only saying what needed to be said, but he wasn’t wrong—resentment toward S.H.I.E.L.D. among other agencies had been simmering for a long time.

And the truth was, when it came to Congress, Pierce had the necessary influence.

All Hydras are kin; Pierce was merely doing a small favor for his fellow Hydra brethren.