Before Harry and the others arrived, Nick Fury was already watching their every move through surveillance satellites, so he wasn't surprised to see them.
But the moment Harry opened his mouth—those words, loaded with accusation—instantly made Fury's nerves go taut. A thousand thoughts flashed through his head, his heart jumping straight into his throat.
So what exactly had been exposed?
Was it the tens of billions he'd quietly diverted from operating funds?
Were some of the dozens of hidden bases he'd secretly built around the world—meant to handle all kinds of potential threats—accidentally uncovered?
Surely not all of them… right?
Or was it the secret project researching the Tesseract, and the attempt to use the Tesseract's energy to create high-yield weapons?
Or maybe the recently restarted "Super Soldier Program," or the newly launched "Talos Project" that had gone wrong?
Or was there an issue with the research into the "Infinity Formula"?
Fury looked up. Harry and the others stood ready, faces grim, radiating a murderous pressure as if they were one second away from throwing hands.
Fury sighed, helpless, and decided to test the waters first—to see how much they actually knew.
"Alright. So you all know. But I didn't divert that funding for personal gain. It was entirely for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sake.
"In a world as dangerous as this one, one more hidden base means one more layer of security.
"Only by building more secret strongholds can we keep more contingency options for emergencies—so we can survive the kinds of crises that can destroy the world, and protect this fragile planet.
"I admit, my methods may have been… questionable. But my intentions were absolutely good. You can understand that, right?"
He had barely finished when he realized everyone was looking at him like he'd grown a second head. Tony, in particular, snapped immediately:
"Oh, wow, Nick Fury. No wonder even with me and the World Security Council backing S.H.I.E.L.D., you're still always 'short on funds.' So you've been skimming money this whole time!
"Talk. What else are you hiding? At this point, I'm honestly wondering if you're a HYDRA plant inside S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Fury's face darkened. He instantly realized this wasn't what he'd assumed at all.
But after a brief surge of panic, he quietly exhaled in relief.
Being suspected of embezzlement was, in a way, the best-case scenario. Ugly, yes—but not unrecoverable.
As long as it wasn't something more serious getting exposed—especially the Tesseract weaponization project—then it was still manageable.
Fury knew perfectly well that Steve and Tony would never agree to something that dangerous, something that could trigger massive disasters.
If that secret came out, the Avengers—barely held together as it was—would take a devastating blow, maybe even splinter apart completely.
Fury's expression sharpened. He stuffed every emotion back into a box and put on a stone-serious face, his voice calm and firm.
"That's it. Nothing else. S.H.I.E.L.D. does have other classified matters, but those are things only Level 10 agents are authorized to know.
"They violate no laws, and for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s overall security and operational secrecy, you cannot be allowed to know them.
"And me being HYDRA? Don't be ridiculous. I'm the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I carry the responsibility of maintaining world peace and fighting evil forces.
"If even I were HYDRA, then S.H.I.E.L.D. might as well change its name to 'Hydra-Shield.'"
Harry had always respected privacy. He understood everyone had secrets they didn't want exposed, so he didn't casually probe other people's minds.
But HYDRA was a threat tied to the safety of the entire world. This was not a situation where he could cling to rules for their own sake.
He also wasn't going to announce to the room that he could read people's memories.
Because no one wants to live next to someone who can flip through their mind whenever they feel like it—even if that person is usually restrained.
The moment his eyes met Fury's, Harry quietly used magic—so discreet it was almost imperceptible—to take a shallow skim of Fury's thoughts, searching for clues and confirming whether Fury was telling the truth.
So while Fury was insisting he absolutely wasn't HYDRA, Harry had already confirmed one thing:
Fury truly had no idea that Alexander Pierce was HYDRA leadership.
Harry's expression turned strange. He spoke slowly to Fury:
"You actually got part of it right. S.H.I.E.L.D., in a sense, really is close to becoming 'Hydra-Shield.'
"HYDRA has planted a large number of spies inside S.H.I.E.L.D.—and even the top brass isn't exempt."
Fury immediately caught the abnormal looks coming from Harry, Coulson, Natasha, and the others.
He'd worked with Coulson and Natasha for years. He knew them well—disciplined agents who didn't let emotions show.
If something truly serious hadn't happened, they would never look this heavy.
Fury's already dark face turned even blacker, like charcoal. "Then say it. What happened?!"
Natasha took a deep breath, face grave.
"We wiped out HYDRA's Sokovia base. And there, from Baron Strucker's mouth, we dug out a lot of HYDRA's secrets.
"Now we can confirm it—S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated to the point it's riddled with holes. There are a huge number of HYDRA agents buried inside."
"Who?!" Fury's face tightened, his mind racing through names as he tried to guess which HYDRA agent had made it into the highest levels.
Harry lightly sensed Fury's physical state and warned him, "Your blood pressure's been high lately, and your heart isn't in great shape. You should brace yourself. This name is going to shock you."
"Say it. I'm not that fragile."
"He's—Alexander Pierce."
Even with mental preparation, the moment Fury heard the name, disbelief slammed into him. He shot up from his chair.
"No. That's impossible. Pierce can't be HYDRA!"
But when he looked forward, Harry, Coulson, Natasha—every one of them—was staring at him with the same grim certainty.
Those serious faces were cold reality, crushing the last trace of hope he'd been clinging to.
Only then did Fury have to accept it:
That elder he'd respected for so many years… was truly HYDRA.
Harry continued, "Pierce isn't just some ordinary HYDRA agent. Right now, he's HYDRA's highest leader.
"And he's been plotting 'Project Insight' in secret—planning to use three Helicarriers, combined with Zola's Algorithm, to identify and eliminate every individual and organization that could threaten HYDRA's rule in the future."
The veins on Fury's forehead bulged violently, swelling like furious worms under the skin, as if they might burst at any moment—enough to show how hard the shock and rage were hitting him.
After a long silence, Fury finally bent down, opened the drawer beneath his desk, and took out a black-and-white photo. It showed Pierce in middle age.
Fury stared at it for a long time before speaking in a low voice:
"This man refused the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace isn't an achievement—it's a responsibility.
"I thought I knew Pierce. But now…
"One thing I can confirm: he's always been cautious. Especially after he got older, he would never willingly put himself in danger.
"No wonder he left right before you set out—went on an overseas vacation. He must've anticipated the risk of exposure and ran to hide."
Tony's face twisted with mockery, his usual sharp tongue cutting in:
"Look at this. Now even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s former Director turns out to be HYDRA.
"Harry wasn't wrong earlier. If you're going to call it S.H.I.E.L.D., you might as well just rename it 'Hydra-Shield' and be done with it. At least it would match reality—and people wouldn't be kept in the dark."
Thor, the big bearded brute, couldn't help joining in.
He scratched his head, baffled.
"Are Midgard's law enforcement agencies always this unreliable? The enemy slips into the top ranks, and nobody notices a thing?
"In my opinion, if that man Pierce wasn't wary of Harry's strength, you'd already be criminals wanted by your own government."
Thor usually came across as simple and straightforward, but people forgot one thing:
He was Asgard's crown prince.
He'd been tempered by thousands of years. He'd seen enough schemes and power plays to cut straight to the heart of the issue with one sentence.
The moment he said it, several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the room looked at each other in embarrassment, speechless, forced into awkward, bitter smiles.
While everyone was talking over one another, the office door creaked open.
A tall, graceful figure walked in. Hill held a file in her hand, went straight to Fury, placed it on the desk in front of him, and reported:
"Director Fury, we've confirmed that dozens of agents have disappeared along with Pierce. Their travel records have been completely deleted. In the short term, it'll be very difficult to track them down."
Fury nodded and said heavily, "That's Pierce's style. He probably pulled most of the HYDRA agents out of S.H.I.E.L.D. with him.
"But no matter what, S.H.I.E.L.D. must undergo a complete internal purge. Not a single corner gets overlooked."
"Need help?" Harry offered.
Fury shook his head, politely refusing.
He didn't want outsiders interfering too much in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal matters, but he still gave a relatively tactful reason:
"Thanks, Harry, but don't worry. Trust our professionalism.
"We have a complete, rigorous screening process. Even agents who are highly trained and disguised perfectly won't be able to slip through layer after layer of checks.
"This is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s issue. We're confident we can handle it."
Nick Fury was extremely confident.
He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. inside and out. He believed he had absolute control.
No one could escape judgment under his gaze.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.