Jack gave Tony Stark a call.
"Tony, come over—I've got something cool to show you."
"Just tell me. I'm in the middle of building new armor."
"It's about HYDRA."
"On my way."
Ever since getting that intelligence on HYDRA last time, Tony had been developing all kinds of armor. A full month had been eaten up by Jack's lithography machine, and he was still forging weapons for the strike on the Sokovia HYDRA base Jack had pointed out to him.
Now, hearing that Jack had more news on HYDRA, Tony set down his tools, suited up in his newest armor, and flew toward New York.
At twice the speed of sound, Tony reached Jack's New York residence in under an hour.
But after knocking and scanning the house, he found no one inside, so he called Jack.
"Where are you? Nobody's home."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Triskelion. Same room as last time. Use the front entrance—I'll have someone let you in."
Hearing that, Tony got back into his armor and flew toward the Triskelion.
He stayed armored the entire way and, under the guidance of an agent, arrived at the same office as before.
When the door opened and Tony saw Jack sitting in the main seat, he blinked.
"Why are you sitting there? Where's that ten-dollar premium slave?"
Jack tapped the table, gesturing for Tony to sit.
"Tony, sit down. I've got plenty to show you."
Tony stepped out of the armor, sat down, and looked at the projection—Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, all densely dotted with red marks.
"What does this mean? Are those red dots dangerous?"
Jack didn't answer. Instead, he switched the feed to underground surveillance footage.
Tony showed no immediate reaction, which surprised Jack—until Tony suddenly zoomed in on a corner of the image.
"Jack, I think that's my dad's anti-gravity rig. Look—something that big is already off the ground."
Jack had never paid attention to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research. Following Tony's gaze, he saw that it really was floating.
Tony was stunned. His father's project had actually succeeded.
And judging by the scale, it had to be massive.
Tony quickly checked other feeds, piecing things together in his head, then suddenly blurted out:
"Oh my god."
"Oh my god—they're trying to make a carrier fly. And it's completely doable."
It was the first time Tony had seen this, and he was amazed. The monkeys he used to look down on had actually built something this big.
"There are other geniuses in the world. Using tech my old man left behind and spending this many years to finish it—yeah, they're geniuses. Just… way behind me."
Jack folded his arms. "Alright, now let's get to why I asked you here."
Tony shut off the projection.
"Right. What about HYDRA?"
Jack stood up, spreading his arms.
"Welcome to the HYDRA branch of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony froze, then tapped his own head.
He even reached out to tap Jack's head, wondering if his brain had short-circuited.
Jack dodged. "Sit. Let me explain."
Tony finally sat back down.
"S.H.I.E.L.D., created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby—"
"Wrong. Let me start over."
"S.H.I.E.L.D., under the World Security Council, handles supernatural incidents and global crises. Its long-time enemy was HYDRA. During World War II, its predecessor—the Strategic Scientific Reserve—was formed to counter Nazi super-tech divisions…"
Tony cut him off. "Get to the point."
Jack sighed. "Fine. Point is, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been infiltrated and taken over by HYDRA. It's a snake pit now. Might as well call it Snake S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony slammed the table. "JARVIS, alert mode. Anti-eavesdropping—on."
Seeing Tony tense up, Jack stepped forward, pressed him back into the chair, and continued:
"Relax. I'm currently the head of the HYDRA S.H.I.E.L.D. branch. In this building, I'm in charge."
He pointed toward the corner.
"See that eyepatch?"
Tony nodded. "Looks familiar. Like the one your slave wore."
Jack nodded. "Exactly. I had him locked up."
Tony frowned. "Then why would HYDRA pick a Black guy as their leader? And you just took over the whole thing that easily?"
Jack realized Tony misunderstood.
"No. He was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Right now, I'm the Director—while also temporarily managing the snake-shield bureau."
Tony looked even more confused. "If he's on our side, why are you going after him? Shouldn't we work with him and wipe out HYDRA?"
Jack face-palmed. "Tony, use your brain. Does that guy look like someone worth teaming up with? Seventy percent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is HYDRA. That's the Director he was."
Tony's heart skipped a beat. "You sure it's three-seven, not seven-three?"
Jack nodded. "Exactly. Three S.H.I.E.L.D., seven HYDRA."
Tony leaned back and wiped his face.
"Yeah… kick the idiot out."
"It's not that simple," Jack added. "Most field agents are clean, but senior agents still follow Nick Fury."
Tony asked, "Like who?"
Jack counted on his fingers.
"Maria Hill, Hawkeye, Coulson, Melinda May, Sharon Carter, Fitz, Simmons…"
Tony forcibly folded Jack's fingers down. "Stop. I don't want to hear any more."
"So you're telling me you became HYDRA's leader," Tony said, "and you're not here to talk me out of revenge?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "HYDRA S.H.I.E.L.D. branch leader."
"So?"
"Idiot. We lie low first, find every HYDRA cell, then wipe them all out in one go."
Tony nodded, though he still looked uncomfortable.
"You're right… but I still feel like shit."
Jack walked over and sat on Tony's desk.
"How about now?" Jack placed Tony's hand on his thigh and slowly stroked it.
"Ew—fuck off!" Tony yanked his hand back and wiped it on his pants. "Now I feel even worse."
Even so, Tony's expression relaxed slightly.
Jack slumped back into the luxury chair Brock Rumlow had provided.
"Tony, I've got a plan. JARVIS must've told you some of what Ethan and I are doing, right?"
Tony nodded. "I know a bit. I even sent two armors to guard him, though they've never activated."
Jack waved it off. "No need. The Middle East is about to turn into the kind of hell seen during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period—or the Wei–Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties."
Tony blinked. "That… sounds bad?"
JARVIS helpfully chimed in:
"Sir, the Wei–Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties were a wonderful era. Many women dream of traveling there to admire delicate men and experience the age of dominant female leads. A popular saying: 'I want to time-travel to the Wei–Jin era, see gentle men, heroic women, and love blessed by heaven.'"
Jack: (꒪ж꒪ ‧̣̥̇)
Tony: ୧(·•᷄ࡇ•᷅ )?
"You expanded that fast in the Middle East?" Tony asked.
Jack laughed and nearly cried. "JARVIS, filter out gender-brainrot garbage and search again."
"Understood, sir."
Several seconds passed.
"JARVIS?" Tony asked. "You still alive?"
Jack frowned. "Did it crash?"
"Apologies, sir. I appear to have encountered… questionable data."
Jack muttered, "I think JARVIS needs a virus cleanup."
Tony snapped back instantly. "Impossible. JARVIS doesn't catch viruses."
"Sir," JARVIS continued, "the Wei–Jin era was when women held supreme status. Men were prized for softness. On the battlefield—"
Jack: (°mouth°๑)
"Tony, cut him off the network. If this keeps going, his circuits will melt."
JARVIS (꒪ั﹃ ꒪ั):
"Wei–Jin Southern–Northern Dynasties—absurd yet wonderful! Steam the men, stir-fry the women, stew the old, roast the young—"
"SHUT HIM DOWN!"
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