Relying on the Stealth Suit's ability to mask his heat signature, Peter followed the individual sabotaging the Wild Pack. He intended to see exactly what Hydra was plotting in Budapest.
The Wild Pack member drove away after completing the sabotage; shortly after, his face shifted into that of another person. Peter was immediately reminded of Chameleon. Did this person have similar equipment, or had he simply taken Chameleon's "face"?
Peter followed the vehicle onto a Hungarian highway until it pulled into a roadside gas station. Watching the man enter the convenience store, Peter quietly shadowed him from the outside, observing his movements.
Was he here just for gas? Or was this gas station another Hydra outpost?
Peter watched the man go inside and sit down to eat. Checking the time, Peter felt it was an odd hour for a meal. He first used infrared vision to confirm the man's physical presence. Then, he circled around to the kitchen's back door. After detecting no electronic devices on the door and confirming his Spider-Sense was quiet, he had Venom pick the lock.
"I'm really glad this Stealth Suit is made of polymer materials. I don't have to worry about grease stains at all; otherwise, I'd seriously have to figure out how to do laundry," Peter muttered, smelling the heavy fumes of the kitchen.
When he reached the dining area, he found the place pitch black and completely empty—a total contrast to what he had seen from the outside. It dawned on him instantly: the entire scene was a layer of holographic imagery designed to conceal the reality within.
Naturally, the man was gone. Peter used his tactical goggles to scout the area and located a passage hidden beneath the floorboards. Using Venom's molecular state ability, he seeped through to the other side of the passage before reforming.
"Alright, I should use that move less often. It makes me a little nauseous," Peter grumbled as he descended, dodging the sensors and surveillance equipment scattered throughout the elevator shaft. Upon reaching the bottom, he cut off all network signals connecting the suit to the outside to prevent Hydra technology from detecting him.
Once on the ground, he realized this place was different from the secret lab at the bottom of the Hudson River. There, everything had been high-tech and sleek. Here, not only were there no advanced white metal walls, but there wasn't even sufficient lighting. Water dripped everywhere against stone walls carved directly from the bedrock, with only a few LED strips plugged into the stone.
Peter moved forward slowly, calculating his approximate position. As he advanced, the light sources in the distance became more prominent. Eventually, he emerged from the long passage into a vast, open space.
Wow, Peter thought. He didn't dare speak aloud; the space was so cavernous that any sound would produce a glaring echo.
At least I can crawl on walls. No need to make a sound with footsteps.
With that thought, Peter quickly climbed to the ceiling of the massive chamber and surveyed the area. He discovered that this was still just the entrance to an even larger facility—it looked like a parking lot or staging area, with several vehicles parked on a central stone platform.
Peter muttered to himself as he lowered himself on a web line, searching the surroundings for an entrance. He soon found what he needed. After slipping through in his molecular state once more, Peter finally arrived at a brand-new location.
He saw the moon.
The moon? Why would there be a moon? Weren't they underground?
Peter moved forward cautiously while pondering this. He realized he was looking at a small-scale city, seemingly capable of supporting ten to twenty thousand people. If the large door he'd seen earlier opened, vehicles could drive down directly to the town's entrance.
Does Hydra have many cities like this, allowing their people to live here?
Beautiful pedestrian walkways were built on both sides of the roads, allowing people to weave through landscaped greenery. A few cars were driving about. As one followed the vehicles deeper into the city, they would see a massive Hydra emblem and a giant statue. It was the likeness of a bald man, one hand behind his back and the other thrust forward in a clenched fist, resembling a determined leader.
Peter thought for a moment. He knew the only figure who fit that image was Hydra's Baron Strucker. He continued forward to see what else this Hydra stronghold was hiding.
He had a premonition that this town might only be a tiny, insignificant part of some massive apparatus. For instance, it was unlikely that this giant underground sky-canopy was developed solely for a town of twenty thousand people.
He soon noticed something strange about the town. Although it was nighttime, not a single house had its lights turned off, yet there were no people in sight. This was not normal.
Wait?!
His Spider-Sense blared. Peter instantly dove for cover. A moment later, a squad of robotic soldiers marched out of the houses and began patrolling. Simultaneously, from the top of the sky-canopy, a large group of Hydra soldiers fast-roped down and began engaging the robots.
Peter noticed that the robotic soldiers were equipped with what appeared to be the U.S. military's most advanced gear, yet their combat proficiency far exceeded that of the actual U.S. Army. As the two sides exchanged heavy fire, the Hydra soldiers pulled out weapons far superior to American hardware and began to steamroll their opponents. In just a few minutes, thousands of "American" robots were "wiped out" by the Hydra contingent.
"Simulation over! Fall in!"
A Hydra soldier dressed as an officer gathered the troops. "Your time improved by four seconds! Excellent. But remember, you are dealing with living people. That means we might win faster, but we might not be able to achieve a total wipeout. Our goal is to kill every single enemy!"
"Now, let's do it again!"
A large door opened, and the soldiers filed out. Peter seized the opportunity, slipping in behind the line. He leapt to the ceiling and followed them out of the simulation town. Finally, he reached the inner sanctum of the Hydra base.
He had finally caught a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of the entire massive Hydra complex.
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