Hidden within the thick shadows of the tree line, Ghost adjusted the scope on his compact binoculars, peering toward the glowing Stark mansion atop the cliff. Beside him, crouched low and relaxed as ever, Ezio observed through a pair of tactical goggles, his mouth twitching in faint amusement.
The faint hum of engines caught their attention. Several black SUVs rolled up the winding private road, their headlights off, moving with silent coordination. The vehicles split off, parking at strategic points along the outer perimeter.
"Here comes the party," Ghost muttered.
Doors swung open, and SHIELD agents—dressed in dark suits with discreet tactical gear—emerged quickly, fanning out into formation. Some checked communication devices, others took subtle defensive positions hidden behind walls and sculptures.
One particular SUV didn't stop with the others. It glided up closer to Stark's main entrance before pulling to a halt. From the backseat, a tall figure in a black coat stepped out—only the signature eyepatch was needed to confirm who it was.
"Nick Fury himself," Ezio said, his voice low with amusement.
They watched as Fury confidently strode up to Stark's grand front door. He reached for the handle—only for the door to stubbornly stay shut. Fury jiggled the handle again. Nothing.
For a moment, Fury simply stood there, turned back toward his SUV, and threw up both arms in a clear gesture of 'Are you kidding me?'.
A few seconds later, a faint beep sounded from the mansion's AI system. The door clicked and finally slid open.
Fury grumbled something under his breath and entered. His SUV promptly pulled away, blending into the night with the rest of the security setup.
Ezio let out a low chuckle, nudging Ghost with his elbow.
"Did you see that?" he whispered. "We need to arrange that kind of grand entrance for Hunter someday. Walk up to a locked door, arms flailing like a king denied his throne."
Ghost gave a rare, soft snort. "By that time, I think Hunter would prefer to blow the door up instead."
They barely had time to savor the humor. A flicker of movement caught Ezio's eye. His smile faded instantly.
Out of nowhere, a SHIELD agent had wandered very close, standing only ten feet away, scanning the surroundings with sharp, professional eyes. The agent adjusted his earpiece, unaware of how close he was to the two hidden operatives.
Ezio's hand instinctively brushed against the hidden blade strapped under his cloak, but he didn't move. Ghost remained perfectly still, his breath steady, merging seamlessly into the shadows.
The silent tension wrapped around them. One wrong move could blow everything.
The SHIELD agent shifted his weight, eyes scanning the darkness. For a moment, his gaze passed dangerously close to where Ezio crouched, hidden among the brush and low-hanging branches.
Ezio's fingers tightened around a small metal sphere hidden in his palm — a micro flash device. No bigger than a coin, designed to create a faint light blip in a different direction, mimicking motion.
Ghost, without a word, gave the faintest tap on Ezio's arm — their silent code for distract, not engage.
Ezio flicked his wrist subtly.
The device skipped across the ground like a pebble tossed over a pond, landing few meters away among the rocks. After a short delay—ping!—a tiny, almost imperceptible flash of light pulsed once.
The SHIELD agent immediately turned his head, hand reaching toward his sidearm. He moved cautiously toward the source of the flicker, radioing in quietly, his boots crunching on the gravel.
The moment his back was turned, Ezio and Ghost moved as one, shifting their position to an adjacent location overlooking the driveway.
Settling back into cover, Ezio exhaled slowly.
"Remind me," he whispered with a smirk, "next time we stake out, you deal with the trigger-happy suits."
Ghost just adjusted his binoculars again, never looking at him.
"You're faster at lying than I am. You distract. I shoot."
Ezio chuckled under his breath but focused back on Stark's mansion, where through the windows, the faint silhouette of Nick Fury could be seen talking animatedly to Tony Stark.
They didn't have long.
And tonight, secrets would be spilled.
Ezio adjusted the small device strapped to his forearm — a tiny, sleek tracker the size of a pen cap.
Ghost handed him a small remote-linked module. "One chance. Make it clean."
Ezio offered a cocky grin. "Always do."
Keeping low, he slipped along the side of the driveway, staying just outside the illumination of the SHIELD perimeter lights. The SUV that had dropped off Fury now sat idling quietly, a few yards from Stark's main gate, driver absent — most likely inside coordinating.
Perfect.
Ezio approached, body molded to the shadows, and with a precise flick of his wrist, he attached a small dart-shaped tracker just underneath the SUV's rear fender. The device magnetically latched itself, hidden from sight.
He tapped the control panel on his wrist — beep.
A small green light blinked twice: active.
The tracker wasn't designed to stay static.
As soon as Ezio triggered it remotely, it would detach, spring out, and latch onto the next target that approached the vehicle within a preset radius — in this case, Nick Fury himself.
Sliding back to cover, Ezio settled beside Ghost, who hadn't moved an inch.
"Tracker set," Ezio whispered. "Waiting for the crow to come home."
Ghost checked his watch, eyes flicking toward the mansion. "Won't be long. Fury's not a man to waste words."
Sure enough, inside, they could now faintly see Tony gesturing animatedly, while Fury stood composed, delivering sharp, clipped sentences.
Ezio grinned slightly under his hood. "This is gonna be fun."
From his position, he gently tapped a sequence on the remote, putting the tracker into latch mode.
Now... all they had to do was wait for Nick Fury to walk back to his ride.
Ghost watched Ezio for a moment, then said quietly, "If that thing can latch remotely... why the hell are we even sitting here freezing our asses off?"
Ezio chuckled under his breath. "Insurance. If something goes wrong, we're the backup plan. Plus..." — he nodded toward the SHIELD agents dotted across the perimeter — "Wouldn't you wanna watch Fury's face when our little surprise sticks to him?"
Ghost gave a rare, faint smirk. "Fair."
Inside Stark's mansion, they could now faintly see Tony pacing, his hands moving animatedly while Fury remained a stoic wall of calm, occasionally speaking.
Minutes ticked by. Finally, Nick Fury turned, heading back toward the front door.
Ezio tensed slightly, eyes locked on the SUV.
Fury stepped outside, muttering something under his breath as he pulled his coat tighter against the cool night air.
As he approached the SUV — beep — Ezio lightly tapped the remote control.
There was a faint mechanical whirr, almost imperceptible.
The small dart released from under the SUV, propelled by a tiny magnetic pulse, and zipped forward — latching itself neatly onto the hem of Fury's coat just as he pulled the door open.
Fury paused for a second, glancing around suspiciously — but the tracker was so small and light, he didn't even notice.
With a grunt, he slid into the SUV, and the vehicle smoothly pulled away into the night.
Ezio leaned back into the darkness, tapping his wrist console again — the signal from the tracker was steady and clear.
"Tagged and bagged," Ezio said, satisfaction in his voice.
Ghost nodded once.
Ezio tapped swiftly on his wrist console, sending the encrypted confirmation ping to Red Room Command.
The message was short, efficient:
Target tagged. Tracker stable. Standing by for further orders.
A faint vibration buzzed at his wrist — Hunter's acknowledgment already received.
Red Room HQ
In the soft blue glow of the Red Room's command center, Hunter leaned back in his chair, reading the incoming data on a floating hologram.
A small green blip marked Fury's exact position — flawless.
Hunter leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing at the city map now displayed before him. A pulsing blue dot marked Fury's SUV as it moved steadily through New York's streets.
He tapped another icon, bringing up a secondary set of files — labeled 'Project Initiation: Shield-Break'.
Several operations were now ready to unfold — contingencies, information sieges, controlled leaks — but timing was everything.
He flicked his fingers, minimizing the hologram, before standing up and turning toward the main strategic console — already preparing for the next move.
Meanwhile, inside the moving SUV, Nick Fury adjusted the collar of his black coat.
He glanced over his shoulder at the city lights blurring past the tinted windows, sharp eye scanning the darkness.
Nothing unusual.
Hunter stood on the tarmac, glancing at the Quinjet as it prepped for departure. The sleek aircraft hummed to life, its engines beginning to roar in anticipation of the mission ahead. Behind him, Jiraiya was already on task, ensuring the Anbu were properly monitored, their movements tracked as carefully as any potential threat.
"Jiraiya," Hunter called out, turning to face him. The older shinobi nodded, his usual calm demeanor in place.
"I'll keep an eye on them," Jiraiya confirmed. "If anything goes wrong, you'll hear about it."
Hunter's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the situation. With his trusted allies already scattered across various sectors, it was important to ensure the organization operated smoothly in his absence. "You've got this. I'll check in with you when I'm back from New York."
Hunter on comms connected to Ghost and Ezio, "You two, take it easy today. Rest up. You've earned it."
"Enjoy the downtime," Hunter said with a grin, before slipping into the cockpit of the Quinjet.
The Black Widow pilot, a sharp and quiet woman, offered a brief nod as she adjusted her seat and flicked a few switches on the control panel. Her eyes flicked to Hunter. "Ready when you are."
Hunter strapped himself in, briefly glancing at the systems around him. "Let's get moving," he replied, settling into the seat and glancing at his wristwatch. The mission ahead was crucial, but his thoughts remained focused on the bigger picture. There were projects to manage, teams to lead. A lot was riding on these next few days.
As the Quinjet lifted off, Hunter leaned back slightly, watching the red room disappear into the horizon. In the back of his mind, his thoughts turned to those under his command. Jiraiya had the Black Widows, Hiroshi and Q were handling Grant Enterprises. Pandora was under Azmuth's watchful eye, and Aizawa was on the lookout for any sign of trouble. Everything was falling into place—except for one thing. He needed leaders, project managers who could oversee the operations when things got too complex. He would have to discuss it with everyone once he returned. A team needed to be more than just individuals; it had to function as a cohesive unit. And for that, he needed people he could trust.
The day had been long, and both Ezio and Ghost were ready for some downtime. They had wrapped up their surveillance on Stark's mansion and were heading to a quieter spot, a little farther down the road. They were still on comms with HQ, letting HQ know they were calling it a night.
"I'm logging off for the day," Ezio spoke first, "Got enough excitement for now."
Ghost chuckled, stretching his legs as they walked down the street. "Yeah, I think we've seen enough for one night. Let's call it."
The two agents made their way toward the spot where their SUV was parked, their steps slow as they tried to relax after the mission. But when they rounded the corner, they stopped dead in their tracks.
Their SUV, which had been parked just a little distance from the street corner, was sitting there—completely deflated. All four tires were flat.
Ezio's eyes narrowed. Across the street, a small group of people were laughing. Their voices were loud, full of mockery, and clearly enjoying the sight of two highly trained operatives standing before their useless vehicle.
Ghost, his mask still covering his face, let out a low chuckle, but there was no amusement in it. "Well, that's a first."
Ezio didn't waste time. Without another word, he stepped toward the group. His movements were quick, smooth, and almost instinctual. Within moments, he had crossed the street, one hand outstretched as he grabbed the first person in the group by the collar, lifting him off the ground with ease.
"Having fun?" Ezio asked, his voice calm, but the weight of his tone was enough to make the goons freeze. The others took a step back, realizing too late that they had picked the wrong targets to mess with.
Ghost followed Ezio's lead, walking over to the remaining goons, cracking his knuckles in a show of intimidation. "I think you should apologize to our SUV. Don't you think?" His voice was chilling, his tone far more menacing than his words suggested.
Before the punks could muster any kind of response, Ezio and Ghost made quick work of the situation. The goons were forced to their knees, visibly shaken. A quick check revealed they had used some sort of cheap tool to slash the tires.
"Next time," Ghost said, his mask reflecting the dim streetlights as he bent down, "you might want to pick on someone who isn't capable of this." He gave one of the goons a shove, knocking him sideways onto the pavement.
With the situation handled, Ghost activated his comms again, connecting with HQ. "Ghost to HQ, we've got a situation here. Need an extraction. Some punks decided to mess with our ride." He glanced at Ezio, who was already taking out a small device to check the damage.
Hiroshi's voice came through the comms, slightly amused. "Got it. Extraction will be on the way. Stay put."
"Understood," Ghost replied, making sure to watch over the goons who were now cowering on the ground.
As they waited for the extraction vehicle, a sleek sports car suddenly zoomed past them at a high speed, its engine roaring in the night air. The car screeched to a stop a few meters ahead before quickly reversing toward them. Ghost and Ezio exchanged a look, both of them instinctively reaching for their concealed weapons—just in case.
The car came to a smooth halt, and the door opened. Out stepped none other than Tony Stark himself. He was dressed casually, with his signature swagger, a wide grin on his face.
"Well, well, look who's here," Tony said, his eyes narrowing in recognition. "Ghost, right? I'd recognize that mask anywhere. What are you doing hanging out here?"
Ezio raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the sudden appearance of the infamous billionaire. Ghost just crossed his arms, his posture relaxed. "Taking a break."
Tony grinned, looking between the two agents. "You two seem like you could use a drink. You know, I was just thinking, how about you come with me for a drink? I owe you for the—uh—'work' you did for me."
Ezio shrugged, "I will skip this one."
Ghost chuckled, "I will also skip, I have somewhere else to be"
Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise at the instantaneous response.
"Fine! you won't be getting another chance though."
Dejected Tony after seeing no reaction from them went back to his car and drove off.