daytime.
Osborne House.
Several elite agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were carrying a silver-white box, led by a bald man.
"Sitwell? Are you handling these matters now?" Big Harry was a little surprised to see the newcomer. In his impression, matters involving Hyperion and the Data Dimension, no matter how big or small, were handled by Nick Fury's trusted aides. For example, Mr. Phil Coulson, who was usually either on or off a business trip.
"Agent Coulson is on a business trip in another world. Don't worry, he will be able to meet us in the data dimension." Agent Sitwell nodded.
Behind him, the team leader, Rumlow, observed Reed and the other two standing beside Big Harry. He silently placed the silver box on the table. His eyes met Sitwell's, and at Sitwell's prompt, he entered various verification methods, finally entering a long, unusually complex password. Only then did he open the box, revealing five silver, pen-like metal cylinders.
SHIELD has changed a lot over the years, and the existence of Hydra has become an open secret, even to Captain America. But everyone, including Nick, tacitly acknowledges the existence of Hydra because Hydra has changed its charter.
It's not a complete change of heart, but at least from the new program, we can see a strong willingness to cooperate.
Of course, such a change in the charter would inevitably lead to some internal conflict, as there were simply too many fanatical Hydra members. This was especially true within S.H.I.E.L.D. When Nick Fury discovered that his own combat forces were almost entirely Hydra, and that other departments, especially those in key areas like research and intelligence, also had a large number of Hydra members, his face darkened to the point of looking almost like water dripping from his eyes.
He had imagined Hydra might exist within SHIELD, but he had never imagined its presence would be so excessive! It was as if the other party wasn't in his SHIELD, but in his own HYDRA lair! The infiltration was outrageous!
Eliminating Hydra would completely shut down S.H.I.E.L.D., severely crippled. The time, money, and effort required to rebuild would be astronomical. Furthermore, no one knew whether the newly established S.H.I.E.L.D. would still harbor remnants of Hydra, and whether they would resurrect in the future.
Abandon S.H.I.E.L.D. completely?
Neither Nick nor anyone else dared or wanted to make this decision. The purpose of S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer held the same significance as when it was first established. It now served a far more vital purpose. If it were to cease operations and disappear, it would effectively cut off the source of new monetary funding for all Council members. Worse still, they would undoubtedly be burdened with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s debts to the Energy Bank. Furthermore, other aspects like communication, liaison, and technical exchange would be disrupted for a period of time, a truly fatal outcome.
No one wants to bear this kind of loss.
Alexander Pierce, the top leader of Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., keenly grasped this point and seized the opportunity to propose a new program and re-brainwash many people.
He has discovered that with a huge mountain like Heberon around, no matter how hard Hydra tries, it will never be able to truly control the world and make it operate as they planned.
Even if Heberon didn't care, the exposure of mysterious forces such as Kamar-Taj, Asgard, and the Nine Realms Races, the rapid technological explosion, and the increasingly incomprehensible changes of the times all made Alexander understand that their goals were destined to be impossible to achieve.
Hydra, which used to seem like a behemoth, has lost the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D. It will be difficult for them to deal with Hydra, not to mention those mysterious forces, but even some social groups.
If you don't want to be swept into the trash heap, you can only find ways to save yourself.
Alexander found a way. After changing his charter, he proactively approached the council members for a frank exchange. This approach was somewhat fraught with potential consequences and, simply put, foolish. However, Alexander knew that his identity, like Hydra's, could not remain hidden for long. Rather than wait until the end, he would release some intelligence and information now, hoping to reap the benefits while a deal was still possible.
Alexander had originally intended to negotiate a deal with Luke, as he saw him as the true kingpin of all this, possessing extensive connections, formidable technical prowess, and a shareholder in the Energy Bank. If Luke could become New Hydra's backer, both his and Hydra's safety would be guaranteed. After all, Luke's support for Nick suggested he wasn't interested in power; he simply needed a spokesperson to handle the nitty-gritty matters.
But Luke didn't give him this opportunity. He stayed in his laboratory mysteriously.
As for attacking Luke, controlling him, or even eliminating him, Alexander had no confidence. After all, it wasn't the first time a snakehead had attacked Luke. For example, a certain snakehead lady possessed some mysterious power, but her forces were completely wiped out by the mages of Kamar-Taj. Not only did she herself have to pay various extraordinary taxes for a long time, and eventually, due to debt, she was forced to work as a laborer, doing all kinds of dirty work. She currently worked for the Time Administration, responsible for the affairs of a certain region of the universe.
There was also a certain Hydra financier, a certain old-school Hydra who was obsessed with reclaiming his god and using him to control the world. However, Luke easily beat the god half to death and then captured him for research in a laboratory. According to the latest intelligence, the earliest prototype of a certain biological weapon capable of large-scale expansion and reproduction in Hebron came from this unfortunate Hydra god. As for that venerable family, it has long since faded into obscurity.
The mistakes of the past are lessons for the future.
Alexander didn't want to follow in the footsteps of his peers.
His actions had indeed bought himself and his Hydra crew a chance to survive. Because SHIELD needed them, they were willing to cooperate unconditionally with Nick. After all, while they'd done plenty of bad things behind the scenes over the years, SHIELD wasn't exactly a benevolent organization. Nick Fury was certainly no paragon of morality. Take, for example, the secret withholding of funds—Nick was quite experienced, wasn't he?
Since it's clear now that Hydra can no longer cause any trouble, and they're willing to give up everything and throw out some stubborn and malicious elements, if communication goes smoothly, in order to avoid turmoil at S.H.I.E.L.D., the Board of Directors, having received a lot of benefits, will give Alexander and his team some face and whitewash some of their crimes. After all, these hardworking and fearless warriors who treat S.H.I.E.L.D. like dogs are dangerous figures, and Hydra has a large share of them, and they have made some contributions.
So after several purges, the new Hydra no longer considers itself Hydra, nor does it regard SHIELD as a shell to live in. Although there is a boss who is deep-minded and always wants to reduce their number, with the support of various equipment and technologies, the number of casualties is still within an tolerable range.
As for now, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New Hydra is at best a faction within S.H.I.E.L.D., no longer the feared black hand that disrupts the world. Many of Hydra's secret bases and technologies have been divided up by the member states of the Council.
"I brought five injections. Who's coming first?" Sitwell stood in front of the open box and asked Reed and the other five.
Reed and the others subconsciously turned their gazes to Big Harry, hoping to obtain some information.
"The injection allows you outsiders to quickly establish a connection with the Data Dimension. It's like a networking device, and only with it can you connect smoothly," Big Harry explained to Reed and the other three. The natives didn't need this. They were immersed in the filtered psychic world, and once they reached a certain standard, they would automatically be captured by the Data Dimension, which would then guide them to apply for entry.
But outsiders need to be injected with high-concentration energy liquid to cross the threshold of being captured.
"Let me go first." Little Harry stood up, came to Sitwell's side, and asked, "What should I do?"
"You don't need to do anything. The injection will take effect quickly. Depending on your physical condition, you may feel a little uncomfortable, like having a high fever, but you may not have any symptoms or feelings at all, but it won't be dangerous." Sitwell took out a metal cylinder as thick as his little finger from the box. He twisted his finger lightly underneath, and the cylinder underwent a delicate deformation in front of everyone, revealing a plum blossom-shaped injection port.
Sitwell placed the needle tip against Harry's exposed skin, and Harry felt his mind instantly sharpen, as if he could sense a door in the surrounding void. If he pushed that door, he would be transported to another place. It was a calling, or perhaps a summons!
Next, Sitwell also injected Reed and others who were waiting in line one by one.
Reed felt his mind expand infinitely, then bend into a ball, bounded by some mysterious force. When he finally regained consciousness in a cool, scorching heat, he found himself leaving the Osborn mansion and entering a universe-like world. Beneath their feet were meteorites floating in the void.
"You're a little late."
A strange voice sounded from behind. Reed turned around and saw a man with thinning hair and a large bald spot walking towards them with a man and a woman. The man who was speaking had a smile on his face and gave off an extremely friendly aura, which made people quickly let down their guard around him and develop a good impression of him.
The other man and woman were dressed in somewhat special clothes. The man was wearing heavy plate armor and the woman was wearing a black robe. They were holding a strange stick with a ruby on the top.
"We're not late, are we?" said Sitwell, who appeared on the meteorite.
"Who are they?" Big Harry, who came over, saw the two people in strange attire. Based on his work experience, he analyzed that they should be from a certain world, at least a medieval world.
"Them? Oh, I should introduce them. I asked Sitwell to go over because I need to pick them up." Phil Coulson pointed to a man and a woman beside him. "This is His Excellency Arthas Menethil, the prince of the Kingdom of Lordaeron in the world of Azeroth. This is Lady Jaina Proudmoore, the daughter of the leader of Kul Tiras. You know, Lady Hela's operation is going smoothly. At least Azeroth doesn't have much resistance. The biggest trouble over there right now is the Burning Legion and the Void Lords. The two of them will be witnesses to the friendly alliance between Azeroth and our world. And these two distinguished guests will be studying with us for a period of time."
"Hello." Arthas seemed a little gloomy, but he still cheered up and simply greeted Reed and the others.
"Are you also here to study?" Jaina was more cheerful. After greeting them, she calmly asked for Reed and the others' information.
"We are here to take some kind of exam, if we understand correctly." Susan glared at her brother who was eager to try, and took the initiative to stand up and talk to Jaina.
"Is that so? Arthas is here to study the way of Holy Light, and I am here to learn magic. Lord Coulson told me that a powerful teacher will be assigned to me here, and I may be able to come into contact with the magic system here, as well as more magical knowledge." Jaina approached Susan.
"Holy light and magic?" Susan blinked, as if she didn't expect to hear such words from Jaina.
"Why are you so surprised? Don't you know magic?" Jaina looked at Susan and the others' bewildered expressions, somewhat puzzled. In her opinion, the world Hela inhabited was so powerful, so it must be a place where all kinds of combat techniques and magic were prevalent. How could someone not know magic?
"Sorry, we only know about science and some mutated superpowers. We've only heard of magic, but never seen it," Susan said apologetically. She accepted it quickly. After all, she'd seen the multiverse and all sorts of terrible situations, so the idea of magic wasn't surprising, right? Plus, she seemed to have heard about magic and wizards from Harry's side, or somewhere else.
"I actually came across a certain system of magic in the Dragon Tower before I arrived. It's not profound, but simple enough to allow even those with limited talent to experience its mysteries. It just requires tools like a wand to cast it. While its power isn't great, it's flexible and quick. Some of it is called black magic, and it's quite interesting. Just be careful not to let its power affect your mind."
"That magic system isn't Azeroth's arcane magic system, but it must have been placed there by a powerful mage," Jaina shared. Beside her, Arthas silently observed Susan and the others.