As Nick Fury led Bruce and the others toward the current Three Feathers arsenal—
Outside, HYDRA was already feeling uneasy.
The U.S. government had started calling in, and if it weren't for their ability to respond using mimicked voices, they would have already been exposed.
Even so, they couldn't stay here much longer.
Because someone from the U.S. government was coming back to reclaim control of Three Feathers.
They planned to reinstate S.H.I.E.L.D.
Although no specific time had been mentioned, the HYDRA commander knew he couldn't afford to wait for everything to settle.
Not to mention, there had been no news from their rear base for a while now.
It was highly likely that it had already been destroyed by the missiles fired from that supersonic jet.
"Motherfucker," the commander cursed loudly.
He had already sent a warning to the rear, yet those idiots still got wiped out.
They had completely disgraced HYDRA!
If those fools weren't most likely already dead—
He would have personally sent them to meet their maker.
Quickly regaining his composure, he knew he had to decide his next move.
Cursing the incompetence of his subordinates wouldn't solve the crisis he was facing.
He had two options:
One, he could lead his troops in a direct assault on the Three Feathers building. But inside was the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Nick Fury, who had likely already reactivated Three Feathers' defense systems.
Or—he could lead his men out of New York and look for another opportunity to rise again.
Before making a final decision, he needed to consult someone else.
"This is our situation right now, Count. I'm taking my soldiers and leaving," the commander explained over the phone, detailing his predicament.
No matter how one looked at it, the Count was HYDRA's current leader, and all actions required his approval.
No one knew why Madame Viper had mysteriously disappeared, but everyone suspected it was the Count's doing—though there was no proof.
"Just hold your ground. We'll take care of the rest."
What the commander didn't see was that, at that moment, the Count was enjoying his life in Dallas, Texas.
Once, he had dreamed of conquering America. But now, he was living the life he had once envisioned.
He was now a distinguished guest of the New Texas Republic.
His past dealings with Trask were long obsolete—
Worthless, even.
As for the HYDRA soldiers in New York, they had always been loyal followers of Madame Viper.
They might have pretended to obey him, but in truth, each one of them wanted him dead.
Now was the perfect time to let them disappear.
The New York commander tried to say something else, but the other end had already gone silent.
"Damn it."
He threw his phone to the ground in frustration.
It was clear now—the Count had never considered them his own.
But they couldn't just sit here and wait to die.
Gritting his teeth, he made his decision and stepped out of the tent.
"We're evacuating New York!"
But no one responded.
When he looked up, he saw two figures floating in the air.
"I don't really want to say this line. It only sounds right when it comes from Captain America's mouth," Iron Man muttered.
Thor glanced at him.
"Ahem."
After a brief cough, Iron Man addressed the HYDRA soldiers.
"Welcome back to the United States."
Everything had begun when the U.S. contacted the Winter Plan's military base in New York.
Carol had immediately called Iron Man.
At that time, they had been in New Mexico, and the three core members of the Ultimate Alliance had just finished dealing with their own situations.
"Welcome back to the United States."
Captain America stood beside Iron Man and Thor, looking at the subdued rebels as he coldly repeated the words.
"So, where have you been?" Stark was clearly curious about Captain America's sudden disappearance. After all, the guy had vanished from the Ultimate Alliance and even New York without a word.
Captain America gave only a short answer:
"I left."
"Then why did you come back?" Stark asked with a grin, retracting his helmet into his armor.
"Because I've been gone too long."
"You're right. More than missing a good glass of champagne, I missed you."
Stark looked at Captain America.
Since the formation of the Ultimate Alliance, this man had always been their leader.
Now that he had returned, Stark couldn't help but feel relieved.
Thor, carrying a child on his shoulder, spoke as well.
"I agree, Captain. But while you were gone, many things changed. Still, it's good to have you back."
"Tony, Thor… This is insane. What happened while I was away?"
Captain America had never seen the U.S. in such turmoil before.
His face was full of disbelief as he questioned them.
"Wait, hold on—I've got a call."
The persistent beeping from his armor had been ringing non-stop.
"Carol! What an honor. Where are you? What's—"
Before he could finish his usual greeting, the voice on the other end cut him off.
"Carol, hold on."
Stark ended the call and turned to Captain America and Thor.
"Looks like we're heading back to Three Feathers. Some guys are causing trouble there. Thor and I will go first, and Carol will send a Quinjet to pick you up."
Captain America nodded.
"You two go ahead."
And that was how Iron Man and Thor ended up hovering over the HYDRA soldiers.
The Ultimate Alliance had returned to where they belonged.
Now, back to the present—
The commander gritted his teeth.
Against these two, his HYDRA soldiers had only one option: raise their hands in surrender.
Their weapons were useless here.
Just then, a Quinjet landed beside Iron Man and Thor.
Captain America and another figure stepped out.
"Looks like you did a good job," Captain America remarked, nodding at the surrendered HYDRA soldiers.
Carol, meanwhile, paid no attention to them.
Her purpose here was to temporarily take command of S.H.I.E.L.D.
As for the rest, she would gradually bring everything back on track.
Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would return to their posts.
The U.S. still needed S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I never thought we'd meet again at Three Feathers," Nick Fury said, walking out with a young black Spider-Man.
Seeing the kid behind Fury, Captain America instinctively frowned.
They had had a Spider-Man before—
And because of them, that Spider-Man had died in some unknown incident.
Now, another Spider-Man has appeared.
Carol let out a sigh of relief when she saw Nick Fury.
Although she had many conflicts with Nick Fury in the past, that was all history.
Now, they needed a common goal.
At the very least, they had to get the Triskelion back to normal operations.
And Nick Fury was crucial for that.
For S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury was the person those agents trusted the most—only he could fully mobilize all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s departments.
Even Carol had once tried to sideline Nick Fury, but she had never succeeded.
For Carol, seeing Nick Fury standing before her was the best thing that could have happened.
"I was wondering where you had gone. Right now, S.H.I.E.L.D.—" Carol started to speak, but Nick Fury raised his hand, stopping her mid-sentence.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can be rebuilt with you at the helm, but I have my own matters to attend to," Nick Fury stated firmly. He knew that if he wanted America to return to how it used to be,
The Sentinel issue had to be resolved.
He needed to go back to the territory controlled by the Sentinels and take care of everything.
So, for now, Carol would have to manage everything on her own.
"Honestly, I'm not sure I trust myself with this," Carol shook her head, feeling uncertain about rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D.
"You can do it," Nick Fury reassured her, giving her a pat on the shoulder before walking over to Captain America with the young black-suited Spider-Man in tow.
Carol stood there, scratching her head.
"Captain," Nick Fury extended his hand toward Steve Rogers.
"Fury, I had no idea you guys recruited another Spider-Man," Captain America didn't shake Nick Fury's hand but instead fixed his gaze on the young Spider-Man beside him.
He wasn't pleased about this new addition.
"Captain, while you were off dealing with your own matters, we found ourselves a new Spider-Man," Iron Man landed beside them at that moment. "Fury, looks like you haven't let all of this crush you yet."
Nick Fury simply smiled.
"Was this your doing?" Captain America eyed Nick Fury. He knew very well that Fury was capable of something like this.
But Fury shook his head. "Captain, this was the world's doing."
"How old is he?" Captain America asked, glancing at the young, slender Spider-Man standing beside Fury.
"Thirteen. A good kid, and he works hard," Fury said, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder.
"Thirteen?!" Captain America could hardly believe his ears. They had allowed a thirteen-year-old into something this dangerous, where lives were constantly at risk?
"You approved this?"
Captain America looked at Fury, trying to see if the man was still thinking clearly. A thirteen-year-old—how could Fury even consider bringing him into this?
"He's too young," Captain America said, and Iron Man nodded in agreement.
"If he's too young to enlist, he definitely shouldn't be wearing that suit. This is completely unreasonable," Captain America turned to the young Spider-Man. "Sorry, kid. I'm not saying you're not capable."
"But wasn't there a story about someone who wasn't allowed to enlist or fight in the war, yet still found a way in?" Iron Man suddenly remarked.
The young Spider-Man nodded at that.
"Well then, he's yours now. Train him well," Nick Fury said, pushing the boy toward Captain America before grabbing Iron Man and walking off.
Captain America wanted to refuse, but watching Fury and Tony walk away, he had no choice but to turn his attention to the boy standing before him.
"Hi…" Miles said nervously. This was completely different from talking to Bruce.
To Miles, Captain America felt like an imposing and rigidly strict teacher.
"Honestly, kid…" Captain America started to say something, but at that moment, a Quinjet suddenly took off from behind the Triskelion building, cutting him off.
Thor was about to rush over to see what was going on,
But Fury stopped him.
"So this is why you wanted me here," Iron Man muttered, starting to understand what Fury had hinted at earlier.
Who would have thought they'd end up with a completely unexpected new ally?
"Looks like I've missed a lot," Captain America realized. Fury's reaction to the Quinjet's departure suggested there was something they weren't being told.
"If you want me to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D., you'd better start telling me things I don't know," Carol said, stepping up beside Fury while watching the jet vanish into the clouds.
"If it's important, he'll show up in front of you," Fury replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, inside the Quinjet, Jessica, Peter Parker, and Mary Jane sat in silence, gazing out at the sky.
"Is Aunt May really okay?" Peter Parker asked, worry evident in his voice. He wasn't sure how she was holding up, or whether seeing him again would be too much for her.
Aunt May's heart had never been particularly strong.
If she was startled—or overwhelmed with emotion—it might not be good for her.
"Relax, Aunt May is in much better health than you think," Jessica reassured him, seemingly unconcerned. She turned to Bruce.
"The Batwing is gone just like that," Jessica's voice carried a trace of sorrow.
After all, she had built that thing herself.
Yet, before it had even seen much use, it was completely destroyed.
"There will be a new one," Bruce replied calmly, showing little reaction to the Batwing's loss.
"Alright then."
"Jessica, why didn't you stay with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Peter Parker asked. He was curious. Jessica had always been one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents.
Yet now, she preferred to follow Bruce instead.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't the right place for me anymore. Maybe it's just that spending so much time around this guy has messed up my routines," Jessica replied coolly.
"Are you still planning to be Spider-Man?" Bruce asked Peter Parker.
Peter didn't answer immediately. He turned to look at Mary Jane beside him.
She took his hand, gazing at him with unwavering determination.
No matter what Peter decided, Mary Jane would always stand by his side.
"Maybe… I'm better suited to being just an ordinary citizen of New York now. Or maybe, a citizen somewhere else," Peter Parker said with a small smile.
(End of Chapter)
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