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S.H.I.E.L.D., Triskelion Building.
Nick Fury stared at the press conference on the screen, his face darker than the bottom of a pot.
"Motherf..." Fury slammed the remote on the desk.
"He didn't even bother to notify us."
"Sir." Agent Hill, clutching a folder, looked just as grim.
"The Council just sent an urgent cable. Given S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 'severe lag' and 'major dereliction' in intelligence, they've decided... to temporarily freeze thirty percent of our budget and require us to cooperate unconditionally with Vought International during this crisis."
"Cooperate?" Fury sneered.
"They want us to babysit that blond bastard."
He could feel the net tightening. Vought wasn't just stealing their jobs—it was uprooting their very foundation.
"And..." Hill hesitated.
"They're discussing a proposal called the Near-Earth Orbital Defense Outsourcing Act. If it passes, future alien-defense missions will be handed to... Vought International first."
"One councilor even suggested S.H.I.E.L.D. is too bloated and recommended... splitting it up, or dissolving it entirely."
"Hah." Fury gave a cold laugh.
"Dissolve? They've got guts."
"They have no idea they're handing the sword to the devil." Hill was indignant.
"Those politicians are all dazzled by Homelander."
"Not just the politicians."
Steve Rogers strode into the office, still in that iconic uniform, shield in hand.
"Cap, you're here." Fury turned around.
"You think I shouldn't be?" Steve's eyes were full of disappointment.
"I just feel... Vought may be radical, but at least they're doing something. And us, Nick?"
"The Dark Elves are coming. The whole World knows because Homelander told them. And S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network? Still chasing ghosts all day."
"We're rooting out moles, Captain!" Hill protested.
"Finished rooting? The enemy ships are almost on our doorstep!" Steve slammed the shield onto the desk.
"At Vought I watched kids training to protect Earth. At S.H.I.E.L.D.... all I see is suspicion, buck-passing, and damn bureaucracy."
"If S.H.I.E.L.D. can't protect the World, then it really has no reason to exist."
"Natasha found some leads. After this is over, don't come looking for me; I want to do something meaningful."
With that, Steve dropped a flash drive and walked out.
Fury watched Captain America leave without a word...
Meanwhile, deep in the building's shadows,
Alexander Pierce was on the phone.
"This won't do." Pierce kept his voice calm, but the anxiety underneath was unmistakable.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is our life's work. If it falls, what were the last fifty years of infiltration for?"
After hanging up, he leaned back exhausted, rubbing his temples.
"Sir, what do we do next?" Rumlow asked nervously.
"Listen, Rumlow. This time... we help Fury."
"What?" Rumlow looked stunned, certain he'd misheard.
"You heard me." Pierce's tone was icy.
"Assist S.H.I.E.L.D. through this crisis with everything we've got. We need to prove the Agency still has value, even if only as Vought's sidekick. If the host dies, the parasite loses everything."
"But..." Rumlow struggled to accept it.
"No buts." Pierce slammed the desk.
"Carry out the order."
"Until this crisis ends, HYDRA suspends all sabotage operations."
"Cooperate fully with Nick Fury."
"We must appear more patriotic, more heroic than anyone. We'll show that S.H.I.E.L.D. is not only useful but indispensable."
"And if necessary..." Pierce gritted his teeth, "have our Agents take bullets for Nick Fury."
"Whatever happens, the S.H.I.E.L.D. brand will not be smashed on our watch!"
"Hail! Long live HYDRA!"
"Long live HYDRA!"
...Meanwhile, on Anthony's side, the system sprang another surprise.
"Ding! System detects the host-led organization now commands a large hero team!"
"League of Legends module officially activated!"
"Module description: When the host, as leader, directs large-scale public operations with this or other hero teams, ten percent of any positive popularity gained by all team members (including temps) will convert into popularity profit for the host."
"Note: This bonus is extra and does not affect members' own popularity gains."
"Holy shit!"
Anthony sprang from his chair.
A ten-percent cut?!
What did that mean? It meant he could scale up and reach new heights of glory!
Immediately afterward, Vought Media dropped another bombshell.
Who is the Next Superhero?'s official Twitter updated:
"This is war! This is no drill!"
"Reality-show format fully upgraded!"
"Ultimate Trial!"
"Iron Man Team, Captain America Team, Jewel Team! Thirty top recruits under three mentors will deploy as the vanguard in the alien-defense war!"
"Vought Tech will supply the newly developed 'Hummingbird' micro-drone swarms for first-person live feeds—broadcast in real time!"
"Top performer earns an immediate seat in The Seven!"
"Meanwhile, all Vought-contracted city heroes are to cancel leave before and after the showdown, crush crime, and make sure no scum exploits the chaos!"
The tweet detonated across the web!
Sending trainees to fight aliens?
That's seriously hardcore!
...Vought Headquarters, conference room.
The three lead mentors were assembled.
The mood was heavy.
Anthony sat at the head; Jessica was on his left, pouring whisky into her coffee.
Opposite sat a somber Captain America Steve Rogers and a scowling Tony Stark, who toyed with his phone.
"So..." Tony didn't look up.
"Did the Bifrost Bridge crush your brain? Those kids have trained for a few weeks and you're throwing them against alien regulars?! You think this is Half-Life?"
"It's live-fire, Tony," Anthony corrected.
"Not a game."
"This is war, Anthony!" Steve shot to his feet, palms on the table.
"This isn't a reality show! Some of those trainees are only sixteen—some have never even been in a fight! You'll get them killed!"
"Cap, how long did you train before you first saw combat?" Anthony countered.
"If I recall, you jumped straight from selling war bonds into a HYDRA Base, right?"
Steve was at a loss.
"That was different... I was a super-soldier, and..."
"It's exactly the same." Anthony rose, hands on the table, gaze sweeping the three of them.
"The Dark Elves want to destroy the World—literally. If the planet's gone, where can those kids hide?"
"We're selecting The Seven, not a boy band."
"Without baptism by blood and fire, why should they stand beside me? What gives them the right to join The Seven?"