In Alexandria, inside a dilapidated cabin, Browning, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, walked in cautiously, carrying a box with vital intelligence.
Inside the wooden cabin were two people: a man in a black suit and a woman in a strikingly attractive outfit. These were Agents Idaho and Hartley, working for S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Look at our senior—so desperate he has to sell S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets just to survive. Hartley, should we… kindly assist Agent Browning?" Idaho sneered as Browning entered.
Though they were merely agents hired by Phil Coulson, they were now firmly in the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp. Idaho looked down on Browning, the former agent, with disdain.
"Hmph. If it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D., how would my identity have been exposed? Now I'm hunted not only by HYDRA but also by the military. What do you mercenaries know?" Browning retorted coldly.
Because of the Insight Project, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' identities had been fully exposed to the public, leaving them vulnerable. Meanwhile, HYDRA controlled most of the power, creating chaos worldwide.
"Agent Browning, hand over the 084 information," Hartley ordered, stepping forward with a detached tone as directed through the headset.
"Where's my $5 million?" Browning refused to surrender the 084 intelligence easily. After all, the $5 million would buy him freedom from his fugitive life.
"Since when did Agent Browning get timid enough to bring a bodyguard?" Idaho mocked further. Browning had indeed entered the cabin accompanied by someone.
"What? I've always been alone," Browning said suspiciously.
Just as he turned, a man in a black suit strode toward him, his skin appearing as hard as stone.
"Peng."
The bodyguard struck Browning's head, and the agent slumped, unconscious. The man casually bent down, picked up the box Browning had been carrying, and walked away.
"Shit! The intel was wrong! A third-party force is involved… initially, we thought it was HYDRA," Hartley reported quickly. Despite her disguise, her reflexes as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent were sharp. She drew her pistol and fired.
"Bang, bang, bang."
The bullets struck the man, but only chipped his stone-like skin. He ignored the agents, grabbed the box, and left swiftly.
"Bichi." Seeing him stride away, the two agents were powerless. Even Phil Coulson, remotely commanding from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, fell silent for a moment.
"Skye, May, collect samples of the enemy's tissue and keep close eyes on this guy," Coulson ordered.
"Understood," May responded, pressing her communicator and accelerating the vehicle in pursuit.
The fleeing man pulled a palm-sized communicator from his pocket. A HYDRA agent appeared on the screen.
"Carl Creel, deliver the 084 information to the designated location. Someone is waiting." A cold voice issued the command. Around the cabin, cars screeched to a halt, and HYDRA elite agents leaped out.
"Shit… it really is HYDRA," May muttered, punching the steering wheel. She slammed the brakes and, alongside Skye, jumped out of the car.
"Boom."
An explosion erupted behind them—a HYDRA agent had detonated a grenade, destroying Skye's vehicle.
"Bang, bang, bang."
May and Skye exchanged fire with the HYDRA operatives. Hartley and Idaho, the two mercenary agents, arrived, but even together, the four S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives were outmatched.
"Retreat! Repeat, retreat!" Coulson ordered remotely, his expression grim. He could not risk losing his remaining elite agents.
Not far from Alexandria, two figures appeared: Lena, a stunning woman, and Allens, clad in a black hooded robe. Their partnership was tenuous—Lena did not trust Allens—but it didn't matter. Allens had already found what he was searching for.
"Show me what you've got," Lena said, her tone faintly excited. She wanted to understand this new partner.
Although Allens was shrouded in a robe, Lena could still perceive his form. He had little to hide.
"Now is not the time," Allens replied, his eyes deep and unreadable. Hunting Carl Creel was not his immediate priority; he intended to let Creel develop further first.
"Come on, let's go to Parkerson Park. Don't you want the Obelisk?" Allens said with a playful smile. Lena, talented and sharp, was not someone he intended to lose easily.
The scene before them mirrored what Allens had seen before in S.H.I.E.L.D. files: the desperate pursuit of the Obelisk, with S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA scrambling to capture Creel.
Though HYDRA was powerful, Phil Coulson's high-tech equipment still provided an advantage. At the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Fitz, the scientist recovering from injury, had found a way to temporarily restrain Creel's superhuman abilities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 50+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: Rise of Heroes]