After Peter returned from the restroom next door, he asked Nick Fury a question that had been on his mind since he arrived: "I was wondering about something. Did you temporarily rent this place, or is this actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost? Because, you know, this is just a very ordinary… restaurant."
"Regrettably, this is genuinely a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost. Our bases come in all shapes and sizes: barbershops, small restaurants, bookstores. You're lucky to have come directly, so I didn't have to message you to rush over."
Fury continued to twirl the Rubik's Cube in his hand.
"I didn't think it would be you in person. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. should, theoretically, have a lot of work."
"Life Model Decoy, or LMD. You should be quite familiar with it. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. elite agents, for the safety of their families, apply to use LMDs to replace their relatives or even themselves to ensure their security. If you need it, I can also provide a similar device for your family, keeping them in your Queens home, while your real family is hidden elsewhere, just like Agent Silk."
This was the first time Peter had heard an update on Cindy's family. Before this, besides a family photo in the Christmas gift she sent him, he hadn't heard much about the Moon family. Now he realized the Moon family had been relocated, and probably, except for Cindy, only LMD replicas remained in their home.
Doesn't that mean Cindy is living with a group of LMDs?
Before Peter could dwell on it, Nick Fury interrupted him: "Next, regarding the Elementals. Several well-trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents infiltrated their vicinity and gathered relevant intelligence. We now know that the man behind the Elementals is actually Arnim Zola. Are you familiar with him?"
Peter nervously looked around, but then heard Fury's explanation: "Relax. The entire room is sealed. All electronic devices are non-functional, and signals cannot be transmitted out. Eavesdropping would require an actual person present, and I have Spider-Man."
Peter breathed a sigh of relief but immediately thought of something: Fury had just mentioned LMDs, then said no electronic devices could function here. Doesn't that mean the Fury in New York and the Spider-Man in New York are actually LMDs?
Is the Nick Fury in front of me the real one?
"I know. The famous Hydra scientist. He obtained US citizenship after the war through Operation Paperclip, avoiding the international tribunal. You've now found out he's back with Hydra?"
"Yes, undoubtedly. It's clear that Operation Paperclip wasn't a good idea. Back then, to gain a technological edge in the post-war new world order, the US used the Soviet ideology and American preferential policies to intimidate and attract a large number of Third Reich scientists, a considerable portion of whom were former Hydra members. But they never repented; instead, they became a part of us."
As Fury spoke, he placed the Rubik's Cube on the table and lowered his leg: "Of course, perhaps the United States was never inherently good, and the two sides simply hit it off. Initially, S.H.I.E.L.D. was somewhat passive on this front, as its predecessor, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, was an organization specifically created to combat Hydra, already bringing together the Allied forces' top talent. We weren't particularly concerned about the average Hydra scientist."
"Average? I guess Arnim Zola isn't one of the average ones."
Peter's observation was confirmed by Nick Fury. Compared to other Hydra scientists, Arnim Zola had two advantages. First, he had been captured quite early by the Allies and was highly cooperative, providing extensive intelligence on Hydra's military and technology, gradually earning the Allies' trust. Second, he was genuinely an outstanding scientist; a significant portion of Hydra's technology, including the research on the Tesseract, was led by Zola.
Because of this, S.H.I.E.L.D., in its early days, considered Zola a "reformed" scientist and recruited him into the agency. They never expected that once Hydra, always Hydra.
That old man truly taught Fury a lesson on what it meant to "cut off one head, and two more shall take its place."
"I now suspect that the Third Reich was merely Hydra's previous host. When they encounter a powerful opponent, they choose to surrender, infiltrate the opponent's internal structure, and then ruthlessly exploit all their resources to grow and expand. The Third Reich was like this, the Soviet Union was like this, and the United States is the same. Hydra's existence may be even more ancient, even more terrifying."
In terms of combat power, Hydra was never the most formidable adversary they faced. The "Thanos" and his Chitauri army introduced by the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Kree and Skrull empires mentioned by Captain Marvel, or even Thor's Asgard—each was far more powerful than Hydra.
But Hydra's greatest danger lies in the fact that they are embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D. and even the entire country. They are slowly corrupting this nation and trying to replace it, ultimately establishing their own Hydra-specific order. The unknown is what causes fear, and if everything you're familiar with is actually unknown, merely another entity wearing a disguise, the problem becomes even more frightening.
Especially after Nick Fury discovered that Zola was still alive, he realized something was terribly wrong. Hydra had managed, as early as the seventies, to find a way to save Zola and ensure his continuous existence from within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Does that mean virtually no one in S.H.I.E.L.D. can be trusted?
Starting from the seventies, Fury began to scrutinize his superior, Alexander Pierce, the Chairman of the World Security Council. Could he also be Hydra?
Peter nodded, then countered with a question: "So, what do you want me to do?"
"As always, draw attention. I'm quite certain Zola is researching how to deal with you, and subsequently, the Elementals will also choose to target you. Be careful; they replaced Molten Man with Jim Hammond. The Elementals are still four people."
Peter frowned, feeling confused. Why would Zola target him? Shouldn't it theoretically be the other way around, with him helping the Wild Pack against the Elementals?
Nick Fury remained silent for a moment before finally giving Peter an answer.
"Because you are Richard Parker's son, Spider-Man. I don't know what Richard ultimately found in Europe, but undoubtedly, that discovery instilled fear in Hydra."
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