"By the way, that Ten Rings hideout you destroyed last time, yeah, AIM. That Dr. Maya Hansen is missing. Probably got wind of it and ran..."
Tony was still babbling away.
But in front of him, Luca's mind had gone blank. Only one thought remained.
We're screwed...
The relaxation Luca felt earlier from Tony's casual attitude vanished, his heart leaping into his throat.
A paranoid guy like Nick Fury will definitely get suspicious once he hears this. If he gets suspicious, Hydra gets nervous. If Hydra gets nervous...
Those idiots only know how to flip the table!!
Luca wasn't doubting Nick Fury's competence as the "King of Spies."
Okay, actually, Luca was doubting the Black Egg's competence.
The guy acted all high and mighty, monitoring threats here and there.
But in reality, he spent most of his life clocking in under Hydra surveillance.
If Fury made a move, Hydra would notice immediately!
No, I need to review my interactions with Hydra carefully. Did I leave any leverage?
The Aurantius family's past cooperation was minimal, and they barely knew Hydra existed. There are countless companies like that worldwide. The key is my recent actions.
Damn it. If it goes like the original timeline, with Black Widow leaking all SHIELD and Hydra files to the internet... I better not get dragged down with them.
Luca's brain spun at high speed, combing through every detail of his contact with Hydra.
He didn't believe Hydra could win.
Even ignoring the questionable success rate of Project Insight or the status of the helicarriers...
Even if they gained the upper hand momentarily.
Thor wasn't on Earth right now.
If Hydra killed a few Avengers, a furious Thor would probably bring the Asgardian army to Midgard to crush the rebellion.
What Luca needed to do was avoid being dragged down by these idiots and ensure the safety of himself and his people in the coming chaos.
I need to contact the Sokovia base. Use Strucker's identity to probe the SHIELD faction's status!
Just as Luca was thinking this.
Tony patted his shoulder and looked at him weirdly.
"Kid, you asleep? Didn't hear your phone ringing?"
Luca snapped back to reality. His phone on the coffee table was buzzing.
The screen showed a Haro cat avatar.
Hakimi?
Luca picked up the phone but didn't answer immediately. He glanced at Tony.
Tony chuckled at the look.
"Hey~ Corporate secrets, right? Fine, fine, I'll walk away~"
Tony grabbed his glass and went to the ice bucket, giving Luca a "kids these days" look.
Luca didn't correct him. Tony's misunderstanding was convenient.
He answered the phone. Hearing Hakimi's report, Luca felt grateful Tony had stepped away.
"Sir, Alexander Pierce, the Hydra leader in the Americas, contacted Substitute No. 1. He warned that Hydra has been exposed and they need to initiate the Final Plan ahead of schedule."
Luca froze.
Well, no need to call Sokovia. Hydra is flipping the table.
"Substitute No. 1" was the robot replacing Baron Strucker. Pierce contacting him about the "Final Plan" meant Hydra was abandoning secrecy.
Just as Luca was about to have Hakimi use Strucker's voice to ask Pierce for specifics...
Hakimi's voice suddenly sped up, sounding urgent.
"WARNING! Alexander Pierce has dispatched two Hydra fighter jets to intercept and destroy Stark's private plane with missiles! Simultaneously, he instructed Strucker to take over Aurantius Group's factories in Sokovia immediately."
Buzz.
Luca's brain short-circuited.
He ignored the second half of the sentence. Only one phrase echoed in his mind: Missiles destroying the private plane!
"FUCK!!!"
Luca's scream startled Tony, who was adding ice to his whiskey.
Tony looked over, confused.
"Kid, what's wrong?"
Luca didn't have time to explain. He roared at Stark.
"TONY! SUIT UP!!"
Tony didn't know what was happening, but seeing Luca's panic, he put down his glass and turned serious. Still, he asked puzzledly:
"Why suit up? Besides, who keeps a suit of armor on a private jet?"
As soon as the words left his mouth.
Red lights flashed in the cabin, accompanied by blaring alarms.
The pilot shouted nervously from the cockpit.
"Mr. Stark! Radar shows two fighter jets closing in fast!"
JARVIS's voice chimed in over the cabin speakers.
"Two F-35Bs. Same model as those on SHIELD helicarriers. No identification codes. Both carrying supersonic missiles."
Tony's face paled. He rushed to a tablet to confirm with JARVIS.
Forget keeping a suit on board; this luxury jet had zero defensive capabilities.
But then...
POOF. POOF.
Two explosions of smoke erupted behind Tony.
While yelling at Tony, Luca had already pulled out his Hoi-Poi Capsule case and thrown two capsules.
Second Haro (Erha) and Fifth Haro appeared instantly in the cabin.
Damn it, I should have built a suit for myself!
Luca thought frantically, but his hands didn't stop. He put on his remote-control glasses and shouted at the stunned Tony.
"TONY! OPEN THE HATCH!"
But before Tony could react, JARVIS issued a new warning.
"Sir, hostile aircraft have launched missiles!"