With Nick Fury presumed dead, John Garrett immediately rose to the highest authority within the Iron Soldier Program.
Not only did he become the new First Commander of the Iron Soldier army, but he was also rapidly promoted to Level Ten Agent and appointed as the acting Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D.
His rise to power was swift and decisive.
The moment he assumed command, Garrett issued his first order to the Iron Soldier army.
"Execute Operation Beheading."
The objective of the operation was simple and terrifying.
Every Iron Soldier unit would be dispatched across the globe to assassinate key political leaders and eliminate all known enemies of HYDRA. Once those individuals were removed, HYDRA agents embedded within each nation would immediately step forward as successors, quietly assuming control of their governments.
With the world's leadership replaced by HYDRA loyalists, the organization would effectively control the entire planet from the shadows.
Thirty thousand Iron Soldiers launched simultaneously from a hidden S.H.I.E.L.D base beneath the Triskelion.
The sky darkened as the armored machines lifted into the air and spread out in every direction, heading toward targets all across the world.
Most S.H.I.E.L.D agents had absolutely no idea what was happening.
"What's going on?"
"Why are all the Iron Soldiers deploying?"
"Is there another alien invasion?!"
Confusion spread through every department of the agency. No warnings had been issued. No emergency alerts had been announced. The entire army had simply launched without explanation.
If the agents were confused, the civilians of Washington were even more shocked.
People on the streets looked up at the sky in disbelief.
Hundreds of armored figures streaked overhead like swarms of metallic locusts.
"Oh my God… are those Iron Man suits?"
"Is this some kind of movie shoot?"
"Hey! Mr. Stark! Can I take a selfie with you?"
Most people still believed Tony Stark had something to do with it. After all, the Iron Man armor was his invention.
Of course, if they had stopped to think about it, the truth would have been obvious.
Even Tony Stark wasn't rich enough to suddenly produce thirty thousand suits of advanced combat armor overnight.
The Iron Soldier Project had required nearly a trillion dollars in funding from the governments backing the World Security Council. On average, each suit of armor had cost nearly thirty million dollars to produce.
But the public didn't know any of that.
Washington, D.C.—the political heart of the United States—became the first victim.
Fifty Iron Soldiers descended toward the White House.
President Matthew Ellis was still inside.
Missiles deployed.
Pulse cannons activated.
Energy beams rained down from the sky.
Within seconds, the White House was reduced to a smoking pile of rubble.
The Iron Soldiers scanned the ruins with mechanical precision.
"Target confirmed."
"Target eliminated."
"Proceeding to next objective."
The fifty units turned and flew away toward their next destination.
Nearby civilians stood frozen in horror.
Moments ago they had believed they were witnessing some kind of spectacle.
Now they understood the truth.
The nightmare they had only seen in movies had suddenly become reality.
And it wasn't limited to Washington.
Over the next several hours, similar attacks erupted across the entire planet.
Government buildings exploded. Military leaders were assassinated. Intelligence agencies were crippled before they even understood what was happening.
The world descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, inside a hidden safe house, Nick Fury sat surrounded by a handful of trusted allies.
Captain America.
Natasha Romanoff.
Clint Barton.
Maria Hill.
Phil Coulson.
These were some of the very few people Fury still believed he could trust.
Fury leaned back slightly, studying the group in front of him.
He remembered something Ethan Blake had once told him during the Thor incident—that nearly half of S.H.I.E.L.D was secretly HYDRA.
At the time, Fury had assumed Ethan was exaggerating.
Now it was painfully obvious the truth had been even worse.
Fury turned toward Natasha.
"Natasha," he asked quietly. "Have you managed to contact Ethan yet?"
Although Fury had used tetrodotoxin to fake his death and escape HYDRA's assassination attempt, the damage to his body was severe.
His spine had been injured.
His sternum fractured.
His clavicle crushed.
His liver pierced.
His lungs partially collapsed.
If not for the Infinity Formula still sustaining him, Fury might have already died from his wounds.
Natasha shook her head helplessly.
"No contact," she said. "We can't reach him… and we can't even reach the two kids at his house."
Fury frowned deeply.
He turned toward Coulson.
"What about Tony?"
Coulson's expression became strangely awkward.
"I spoke with Pepper," he said slowly. "She told me Tony left Earth with Ethan."
Fury blinked.
Coulson hesitated before continuing.
"Apparently… they went to the Moon."
Fury stared at him.
"The Moon?" he repeated.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Since when does the Moon have cities people can go visit?!"
Fury had meant the question as a sarcastic complaint.
But Coulson nodded seriously.
"That's actually what Pepper said."
Fury fell silent.
He really wanted to know what kind of city existed on the Moon. But at the moment, HYDRA's global assault was a far more urgent problem.
"Can Pepper contact Tony?" Fury asked.
"No."
Coulson shook his head again.
"We can't reach him either."
Captain America finally spoke.
"So what's the plan now?"
His tone carried obvious dissatisfaction.
Steve Rogers had warned Fury multiple times in the past. After learning about the scale of HYDRA's infiltration, he had urged Fury to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D entirely and rebuild it from scratch.
But Fury had always insisted the time wasn't right.
Now that hesitation had allowed HYDRA to seize control.
Fury looked at him.
"What do you suggest?"
Steve's answer was immediate.
"We expose everything."
His voice was firm.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. HYDRA. All of it. We make it public and destroy both organizations."
Fury frowned.
"Destroy S.H.I.E.L.D too?"
"Yes."
Steve didn't hesitate.
"HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D are already inseparable. If we don't tear down S.H.I.E.L.D completely, HYDRA will never disappear."
Maria Hill nodded slowly.
"He's right."
"I support the captain," Coulson added.
"Me too," Natasha said calmly.
Fury glanced at Clint Barton.
Hawkeye shrugged casually.
"Don't look at me," he said. "I'm just the guy who shoots arrows. But the captain's logic sounds solid."
Fury sat quietly for several seconds.
Finally, he sighed.
"Fine," he said.
"We'll do it the captain's way."
He turned to Natasha and Hill.
"You two handle the public disclosure."
Then he looked at Coulson.
"Maintain contact with Pepper. The moment Tony or Ethan returns to Earth, I want to know immediately."
Two days later, Ethan Blake and his group finally left Attilan.
Returning to Earth was far easier than getting there.
Wanda raised her hand and opened a crimson portal.
A swirling gateway formed in the air.
Without hesitation, the four of them stepped through and returned to Earth.
....
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