"Tony Stark? How did you get into our private channel?"
Hearing that voice, Dick was shocked. External access to an internal comm system wasn't just a big deal for a superhero team like theirs. It would be a crisis for any modern organization.
"Hey! Nightwing, after all this time, you still haven't adjusted to the team you're in? You thought Gotham's Batcomputer was backing you up? Please. With the level of skill Vought's support division has, even if they had the most advanced system, they still wouldn't be able to stop me. I'm Tony Stark."
He bragged on the other end, but Dick could only give a bitter smile.
Tony wasn't wrong. He really hadn't gotten used to the Fantastic Four's team dynamics.
Because at the core, just like his counterpart in the DC universe, he'd been trained following Batman's model.
Not that Batman couldn't work in a team. In fact, with his sharp intellect and strategic mind, his coordination in group operations was nearly perfect, only slightly behind those who shared a telepathic connection.
What Dick truly couldn't adapt to was the Fantastic Four's atmosphere. They weren't just teammates. They were like a family who lived together.
As an orphan adopted and raised by Batman, the only person he ever truly considered family was Bruce.
Living in a team like the Fantastic Four always felt strange.
"What's wrong? Why'd you go quiet? Don't tell me I hit the mark. The kid from Gotham can't handle normal life in New York?"
Tony was quick to notice something was off on the other side, but Dick had no interest in dragging this conversation further.
"Stop wasting time. You didn't hijack Vought's channel just to say hi, did you?"
"Of course not."
Right now, Tony was in a city in the American Midwest, fighting Hydra operatives who had attacked a Stark Industries branch. Alongside him were reinforcements from Sokovia, Wanda and Pietro.
With the three of them working together, those Hydra agents, who didn't even have the special serum, stood no chance.
But America was huge. Crossing from the East Coast to the West wasn't quick.
Tony knew there was no way he could reach L.A. in time to join the battle on the Helicarrier. Still, he couldn't just ignore what was happening there. So he had J.A.R.V.I.S. crack into Vought's communication channel.
"Listen. I designed the Helicarrier's security program. But from what I've seen, Hydra's got some serious talent. The system's logic has completely changed. I can break it, but I'll need you to sync with me from your side. That's the only way we can bypass the checks without triggering alarms."
Dick straightened. He wasn't as strict as Batman, but when it came to work, he was dead serious.
"What do I need to do?"
"Your suit should have an onboard computer. Link it to the security gate. J.A.R.V.I.S. will assist and keep you in sync with me. Every command must match my input exactly, down to the millisecond. If not, the system I designed will flag you immediately. Think you can do that? Batman must've taught you how to use a computer, right?"
Tony said it like it was simple, but anyone who understood knew that to hit that level wasn't just about knowing how to operate a computer. It demanded deep technical knowledge.
Breaking a security protocol like this was a race against the other program.
Tony couldn't slow down to match Dick's pace. That meant the latter had to keep up with the former's operations with J.A.R.V.I.S.'s help. And that was no small task.
But he had no thought of refusing.
"Let's start."
"Good. One more thing. Once the security system triggers during this, the Helicarrier will completely lock down. No one gets in or out. If that happens and you don't have the key card, your only option will be to shoot it down over L.A."
The pressure just skyrocketed.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the control room, Pierce was at the final step. After completing the complex authorization process, he fully activated the Helicarrier's weapons system. It was at that exact moment that a transmission came through his earpiece.
"Pierce, there's no time left. Start it now."
Just hearing the tone, Pierce recognized who it was.
It belonged to one of the first scientists to defect to Howard's side. A man who had worked tirelessly to keep Hydra's ideals alive within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Someone who, according to current records, should have been long dead.
Arnim Zola.
He had once helped Red Skull harness the power of the Tesseract. After being captured, he betrayed Red Skull. When the war ended, he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. under Howard's offer of protection and continued to assist Hydra in infiltrating the agency from inside. Diagnosed with cancer in 1972, he uploaded his consciousness into a computer and kept pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
"Dr. Zola, just a little longer. Once Project Insight is fully online, we won't just be able to destroy Los Angeles. We'll identify every potential Hydra threat in the coming decades and prepare in advance!"
The Project Insight. Officially launched by S.H.I.E.L.D., but in reality, it served Hydra's agenda.
In the movie, the project worked by analyzing massive amounts of data to study behavioral logic. With the terrifying processing power of a supercomputer, it could predict the future actions of individuals on a global scale, identifying those who might become a threat to S.H.I.E.L.D. long before they acted. And because the timeline in the film was more than a decade later, Hydra could then use the agency's resources to eliminate those targets instantly, strangling potential threats in the cradle.
But things were different now. This version of the Project Insight had no military force to support it. Even if it succeeded, all it could do was produce a list of names.
Yet that list was critical. Hydra had been exposed and needed time to rebuild its strength. In such a situation, this list would be invaluable.
That was why Pierce prioritized activating Insight over the weapons system. If he could buy Hydra this last advantage, it would all be worth it.
"There's no time."
What came through his earpiece then was not encouragement, but a weary sigh from Zola.
"Stark has joined the fight. He's personally breaking through the system. And with that man matching him in skill, before Project Insight gathers enough computing power, Nightwing will open that door and take you down."
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