"Trash! Idiot! Dumbass!"
The elders in front of him accused and cursed incessantly.
Councilor Stern's fat body sat on the sofa, cold sweat constantly beading on his forehead.
Yes, this Senator Stern is the one who later demanded Tony Stark hand over his armor. He is also a part of HYDRA.
Generally speaking, his current status isn't the highest, but he is still a member of the Senate and considered a core member of HYDRA. Usually, people within HYDRA don't have the right to reprimand him, let alone point their fingers and curse at him!
But ever since the Red Skull, Johann Schmidt, disappeared because of the Tesseract, HYDRA has been run by an elder council. Stern is merely an elite, roughly on the same level as Sitwell—the guy who got kicked down the stairs by Natasha Romanoff, caught by Falcon, and spilled everything when facing Steve!
Therefore, when faced with the elders' reprimands and curses, Stern could only turtle his neck and listen.
"Sir, I didn't expect Tony Stark and that Silver Moon Knight to investigate this far. I—"
"Trash! That's exactly why you're trash!"
The elder, who looked even older than Stern, pointed at him in disbelief: "When Howard Stark and his wife were killed by the Winter Soldier, I told you to stir up Obadiah Stane's ambition."
"But it took you so many years, and not only did you not succeed, you didn't even clear the connection to that idiot Obadiah's private channel!"
"He's been dead for over two months, and you still let Tony Stark investigate this far?"
"Even an idiot should know to clean up from the start! If Tony Stark follows this clue to track us down, I'll personally send you to see Mr. Johann Schmidt!"
"Yes... I'm sorry, sir. This is my negligence!"
Facing the elders' constant accusations and curses, Councilor Stern quickly raised his head and said, "Sir, I didn't expect Tony Stark to uncover this much."
"I was just thinking of using Obadiah Stane to get rid of Tony Stark. After all, if we act ourselves, Nick Fury will notice."
"So you used your secret connections and had the FBI guys let him go?" The elder looked at Senator Stern with a gloomy expression and snorted coldly: "Did you know that since Howard Stark died, Nick Fury has paid even more attention to Tony Stark?"
"Otherwise, I would have had someone eliminate Tony Stark long ago. I wouldn't have needed you to manipulate that idiot Obadiah Stane!"
"I don't care what method you use now. Cut off all clues immediately. Tony Stark absolutely cannot investigate us."
"If this affects our decades-long HYDRA Insight Plan, then even dying a hundred times won't be enough for you!"
"Understood! I will cut off all connections immediately!"
Nodding constantly like pounding garlic, Stern hesitated for a moment, then cautiously ventured, "Sir, I think we could cause some trouble for Tony Stark openly."
"For example, he shut down Stark Industries' weapons division but developed the iron armor. So, we could hold a hearing, arguing that the armor is a weapon. Regardless of the hearing's outcome, it will delay Tony Stark for a while."
"I can use this time to have the people below sever all clues."
Listening to Senator Stern's cautious proposal, the elder thought for a moment, then agreed: "This proposal isn't bad. At least you're using your brain a little, which is better than that idiot Obadiah Stane."
"But you must do it seriously. If you can get Tony Stark to hand over the armor or its core technology, that would be best."
"Even if you can't, don't force it. At the very least, don't attract Nick Fury's attention!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing the elder agree to his proposal, Senator Stern felt somewhat relieved. He quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued: "Sir, about that Silver Moon Knight—"
Before Stern could finish, the elder narrowed his eyes at him. His expression was like looking at a stupid pig: "You still don't know the real identity of the Silver Moon Knight? That Silver Moon Knight didn't hide it at all; he almost announced it publicly in front of the media!"
He heavily tapped his cane on the floor. The elder felt some regret—why did he push such a fool into Congress in the first place!
"Nick Fury has been following a young psychiatrist named Su Che, who now owns a coffee shop."
"Natasha Romanoff is also very close to this Su Che. The Silver Moon Knight first appeared when he and Natasha Romanoff took on that damned thing with horns on its head!"
"Then Nick Fury sent Steve Rogers over there. Those two spend every day together."
"And then, when Tony Stark fought Obadiah, the Silver Moon Knight showed up with Captain America!"
"After that, Tony Stark got on really well with him. Then Iron Man appeared on that damned island with the Silver Knight!"
Looking at Stern, the elder felt he could hardly contain his patience: "He's so obvious, and you still can't figure it out? He didn't even hide his identity at all!"
"I'm starting to doubt it was a mistake to let you join HYDRA after your father died!"
(The psychiatrist profile was fabricated by Nick Fury, as mentioned earlier.)
"Ah?"
Hearing the elder's words, Senator Stern was visibly startled. He had secretly sent people to investigate the true identity of the silver knight who appeared with Captain America against Obadiah Stane but found nothing.
Now the elder actually already knows his true identity?
Well... it seems the initial investigation did find Su Che, but he didn't pay attention because the information seemed too clear. Su Che was just a psychiatrist who was squeezed out and opened a coffee shop! Although he's very close to Steve and Tony Stark, there was originally no doubt—he seemed like an ordinary person no matter how you looked at it! So he ruled it out himself.
Unexpectedly, the Silver Moon Knight's real identity is actually this young man?
"Don't touch him!"
Seeing the expression on Stern's face, the elder warned very solemnly, "Since this Silver Moon Knight named Su Che doesn't care if his identity is revealed or even hides it, it means he either doesn't know about our HYDRA's existence..."
"Or, he just doesn't care at all."
"You should have seen his abilities. Bullets and even miniature bombs can't harm him."
"He also has the ability to control water to create extremely terrifying disasters. This proves he has absolute confidence in his capabilities!"
Looking at Stern, the HYDRA elder looked extremely stern: "Remember, our main task is to complete the Insight Plan!"
"Under this great plan, no individual matters!"
"So, don't send people to do something stupid like assassination and create an enemy. It's too foolish!"
Hearing the elder's stern tone, Senator Stern nodded solemnly... promising he would never use dark powers to engage in assassinations, kidnappings, or the like!
Only after the elders left did Senator Stern let out a sigh of relief. He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
What the hell? Someone almost in his seventies still treats me like a child, pointing and calling me an idiot! He should look at how many years he has left to live. Does he really think he'll live as long as Steve Rogers?
Leaning heavily on the sofa, as his tense nerves relaxed, a strong sense of fatigue washed over him.
However, it was indeed necessary to quickly sever all connections related to Obadiah Stane's private channels. After all, the guy is dead, and the money he gave over the years is enough to last a lifetime.
The hearing about Tony Stark will be held, causing him some trouble and keeping him occupied.
As for that Silver Moon Knight, he also needs to create some difficulties for him. Of course, stupid things like assassination and kidnapping are out of the question. But causing a little open trouble to distract him would prevent him and Tony Stark from clinging to this clue.
Hmm... let the IRS folks look into him. Even if his taxes are clean, it can still distract him a bit!
Thinking of this, Stern rubbed his cheeks. These days... didn't I just take some money from Obadiah Stane? It's really...
Stern, stunned by the elder's scolding, planned to use his surface power to cause trouble for Su Che and Tony Stark.
Little did he know, Su Che also wanted to cause trouble for this Senator Stern at this very moment!
Especially after Natasha Romanoff told Steve and him about the HYDRA base in Sokovia incident. To protect Wanda and Pietro and ensure they aren't connected, she hoped he and Steve could help figure out how to destroy the Sokovia HYDRA base without implicating the twins.
Instantly, a perfect plan formed in Su Che's mind!
Back then, the guys from the Sokovia HYDRA base attacked him secretly. He still remembers this grudge. It's all because of his identity as a "superhero from a parallel world." Otherwise, he would have personally gone to Sokovia to destroy that Man of Steel long ago, after obtaining his powers. He just lacked a suitable excuse.
Look, isn't this delivered right to his doorstep now?
As for linking? Easy.
Tony Stark is investigating Obadiah Stane's private money transfer account, right? That remittance account can be linked to this guy Stern.
Whether it's actually him or not, it can be made to be him. Others might not know his true identity, but he knows it himself—HYDRA!
Then, it can be "accidentally" discovered from him, a HYDRA member, that he has connections to Sokovia. This could be through Tony's investigation or through Natasha Romanoff's "investigation."
This way, Wanda and Pietro are kept out of it. Even when it's time to destroy the Sokovia HYDRA base, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s HYDRA investigation will find the problem originally lay with Senator Stern.
Thus, he not only gets his revenge but also, as Natasha Romanoff hoped, avoids implicating Wanda and Pietro in the matter.
Perfect!
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(TL : More Chapters @)[1]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/c/Gooberilla