"Garus, let me say something too."
Tony Stark patted Garus on the shoulder and stepped forward. He had been searching for Hydra operatives, eager to ask some questions himself.
"Were my parents killed by Hydra?"
"That's right. But it was Alexander Pierce who carried out the Winter Soldier program. Killing Howard Stark was his way of seizing control of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Baron Strucker admitted, attempting to distance himself from the act. "He orchestrated a car crash to make it look like an accident, but in reality, it was Bucky who carried out the hit. Yes, Bucky Barnes—Captain America's old friend."
"Steve's friend?"
Tony never had a great relationship with Steve Rogers. The revelation agitated him. "Where is Bucky now?"
"Hey, calm down," Garus pressed a hand against Tony's shoulder. "Bucky was brainwashed by Hydra. But he's long dead—I killed him myself. As for Pierce, he died a few hours ago."
Hearing that his parents' murderers were already dead left Tony feeling hollow. He had wanted to take revenge with his own hands.
Still, rage burned in his eyes. He turned to Strucker and spat, "Hydra bastards, you'd better get your affairs in order. Because I'm going to personally wipe you off the face of the earth."
With that, he cut the comms.
On the other side, Baron Strucker and Madame Viper exchanged uneasy glances.
"I'm leaving," Strucker declared. "And for now, don't contact me."
"Running away?" Viper mocked.
Strucker shrugged. "I'm preserving Hydra's strength. Do you really think we stand a chance against the Avengers and the mutants? The secrecy that once gave us an advantage is gone. Now that we've been exposed, the weak links in Hydra will be eliminated."
"You—!" Viper was momentarily speechless.
The relationships between Hydra's leaders were always tenuous at best. It was a miracle they hadn't already stabbed each other in the back.
"Relax. Hydra will rise again, just like after World War II."
"They'll find you. Have you forgotten about the Zola Algorithm?"
"Damn it!" Strucker cursed. The algorithm, created by Dr. Arnim Zola, could predict and track individuals with terrifying accuracy. Unless he fled to some remote jungle, far from all networks and electronic communications, there would be no hiding. But such isolation was unthinkable—without his global web of operatives, he would lose everything. And losing power was worse than death.
"But I have my own contingencies," Strucker muttered to himself. "And I will find new allies."
Strucker was nothing if not cautious. He knew he couldn't win, but survival? That was a different matter.
Besides, based on what he knew of Garus, the man wouldn't waste time hunting him down. Otherwise, Madame Viper would have been dead long ago.
"Garus, you knew all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"
Tony still sounded bitter. He hated being kept in the dark.
"It's all in the past, Tony. No need to bring up old wounds," Garus replied. "Besides, where did you even hear about this?"
"The last time you told Fury there were Hydra agents inside S.H.I.E.L.D., I got curious and hacked into a few agents' computers. Didn't get much, but I put the pieces together."
"Fair enough. But let's focus on the now—Madame Viper has gotten her hands on some Chitauri weapons. I need to handle this personally."
With that, Garus activated the Death Gate, opening a portal to Viper's base.
"Hey, wait for me!" Tony shouted. But before he could do anything, Garus vanished.
When Garus stepped through the Death Gate, he saw Hydra agents tightening their defensive perimeter. Above them, gargoyles swooped down in relentless attacks, while lich sorcerers bombarded their energy shields with arcane spells.
"Stand down," Garus commanded his undead forces. Breaking through the shield at this rate would take too long.
Surveying the battlefield, he quickly realized the energy barrier was powered by salvaged alien technology—likely Chitauri in origin. Disabling it wouldn't be easy.
From the other side of the shield, Madame Viper watched uneasily as the monstrous onslaught suddenly ceased. A lone figure in armor stepped forward, his blade dragging across the ground.
Instinctively, she called out, "Who are you?"
"I'm someone who's been looking for you for a long time."
As Garus spoke, the ground beneath him darkened. Death magic seeped into the earth, and the Hydra operatives who had already fallen began to rise again—reanimated as his minions.
"You!"
Madame Viper's expression turned grim. She recognized him immediately. Worse, he was even stronger than before.
But as long as the Chitauri energy shield held, she still had a chance. Didn't she?
Should she surrender? Would he even accept it?
Seeing Garus approaching, she couldn't shake the feeling that he could break through the barrier. Panic crept into her voice.
"Wait! Garus, perhaps we can negotiate."
"Step out of your shield, then we'll talk."
His runeblade, Frostmourne, pulsed with unholy energy, glowing as it connected with the shield. The moment the tip of the sword touched it, a blinding light erupted at the point of impact.
"Fire! Take him down!"
Viper's frantic command sent a hail of Chitauri energy blasts toward Garus. Hundreds of high-energy plasma bolts struck his armor… and did nothing. His armor absorbed the heat, rendering the attacks useless.
"Break!"
Garus unleashed his full power, channeling raw death magic into the shield. The base's lights flickered violently.
"Madam, we're losing power!"
Madame Viper felt despair settling in. She couldn't fight him. She couldn't stop him. And now, she couldn't even run.
Minutes later, the base's power finally failed. The room plunged into darkness. The Chitauri weapons—dependent on the base's energy—became useless.
Then came the screams.
Madame Viper could hear them—her operatives being torn apart in the dark. The wet crunch of bone and flesh being crushed sent shivers down her spine.
A shadow moved. Fast.
She lashed out with her whip—laced with deadly venom—hoping to catch her attacker. The whip wrapped around him, but it was useless.
Garus' armor covered him completely. And poison? It meant nothing to him.
Her forces fell, one by one. And in mere moments, she herself was struck down—felled by a single, crushing punch.
A deathly chill seeped into her body. Frost Fever. Necrotic Plague. The moment she succumbed to unconsciousness, she was already dying.
Boom!
A final explosion lit up the battlefield as the last of the Chitauri warships—overwhelmed by Garus' undead gargoyles—burst into flames and spiraled downward.
As his minions continued to chase down the remaining Hydra forces, Garus grabbed Madame Viper's limp body and stepped back through the Death Gate.
He returned to Tony Stark's mansion.
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