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Garrett tried to speak, but Alex tightened the shadows, shutting him up.
Alex shrugged. "He had a secret HYDRA meeting room under our feet. Pretty sure that counts."
Fury nodded once. "Good work."
Steve stepped closer, looking at Garrett with disappointment. "A Level 7 agent… trusted by everyone."
Tony frowned. "And he still picked the bad guys. What is it with traitors and secret basements?"
Natasha crouched beside Garrett, checking his pockets. "We'll get names. Contacts. Everything."
Bruce looked around the room. "This escalated fast…"
Fury pointed to two guards outside the door. "Take him to interrogation. Maximum security."
The guards pulled Garrett away. He yelled, "You're too late! HYDRA is everywhere!"
Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Evil organization talk. Very original."
Once Garrett was gone, Fury faced the team.
"This confirms HYDRA has already taken roots deep inside S.H.I.E.L.D. We keep digging. We find the rest."
Steve nodded. "Quiet and careful."
Tony crossed his arms. "We should also check if any of our tech is being stolen."
Natasha looked at Alex. "And you don't act alone again."
Alex smirked. "No promises."
Fury sighed. "Alex, we need him alive long enough to talk. No more killing unless necessary."
Alex shrugged. "They shot first."
Fury ignored his excuse. "Everyone — be alert. Trust no one who isn't in this room."
Tony raised his hands. "So what's the plan? We can't just walk up to people and say 'Hi, are you HYDRA?' They'll either lie or shoot us."
He glanced up at the ceiling suspiciously. "Also… why is this room not bugged? Everywhere else in this building has at least five hidden mics listening in."
Fury nodded. "This is one of the few tech-free rooms in the entire HQ. No cameras, no listening devices. If HYDRA is spying, they can't hear us here."
Tony let out a breath. "Finally. A room where evil spies aren't creeping on us."
Natasha crossed her arms. "We stay small. Only we five know the truth — for now. If rumors spread, HYDRA will hide even deeper."
Steve looked around the table. "We gather proof. Find who's involved. Then we strike all at once."
Bruce spoke carefully. "We also need to be sure we're not accusing the wrong people."
Alex smirked. "Don't worry. I'm good at sniffing out snakes."
Tony rolled his eyes. "You also jump into a nest of them alone."
Alex shrugged. "Worked fine."
Fury stepped forward.
"We need three teams:
• Tony and Bruce — monitor tech leaks
• Steve and Natasha — observe behavior inside the agency
• Alex — track anyone suspicious in the shadows"
Tony pointed at Alex. "No killing unless Fury says so."
Alex sighed. "You people are no fun."
Fury narrowed his eye. "Alex. I mean it."
Alex raised both hands. "Fine. I'll try."
Fury continued. "We move slow. We stay invisible. And when we find the head of HYDRA inside S.H.I.E.L.D.…"
Steve finished, voice firm. "We cut it off."
Everyone nodded.
Tony tapped the table. "Alright. Snake-hunting squad is now officially open for business."
Fury gave one last order: "Trust only the people in this room. No one else."
The team split — each heading to their task.
Alex stepped out of the briefing room and caught up to Tony in the hallway.
"So… how's your project?" Alex asked.
Tony rubbed his forehead. "Still need some adjustments. Whatever energy boost you gave me yesterday was insane. It was like trying to use the sun as a power source."
Bruce walked up beside them, raising an eyebrow. "What are you two talking about?"
Alex and Tony both answered at the same time — too quickly:
"Nothing."
Bruce stared at them, unimpressed. "You two are acting suspicious."
Steve and Natasha joined the group just in time to hear that.
Tony sighed and gave a bit of honesty. "Fine. We were working on the Abyss Carrier. Alex gave me a huge power upgrade — with way more functions than we expected. Now I'm trying to stabilize it… so it doesn't explode."
Bruce blinked. "Explode?"
Alex shrugged. "Only if Tony pushes too hard. Or presses the shiny red button."
Tony pointed. "Which YOU added."
Alex grinned. "Red buttons are fun."
Natasha shook her head. "You two are children."
Steve nodded. "Dangerous children."
Tony threw up his hands. "Look, it'll be fine. Probably. Maybe. Eventually."
Alex patted Tony on the shoulder. "Confidence level rising already."
Natasha sighed. "Let's just make sure HYDRA doesn't find out about that thing."
Tony nodded seriously. "Yeah. Last thing we need is HYDRA flying a shadow-powered death ship."
Bruce crossed his arms. "So — can we trust your 'upgrade' is stable?"
Alex paused for a second.
"…Mostly."
Tony groaned. "Great. Just great."
Natasha whispered to Steve, "This is why I miss paperwork."
Steve just nodded in agreement.
Steve cleared his throat. "Okay. Tony, Bruce — keep working on that carrier. Make sure it doesn't explode."
Bruce nodded. "We'll run more safety checks."
Tony pointed a wrench at Alex. "And no more surprise power upgrades while I'm working."
Alex smirked. "But surprises are my specialty."
Steve ignored the comment and looked at Natasha. "You and I should start reviewing personnel files. We need to find who else Hydra has inside."
Natasha nodded. "Already ahead of you. I have a list of suspicious names."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Anyone I know?"
Natasha looked at the list. "Probably. Hydra likes high-ranking people."
Steve crossed his arms. "We'll take shifts. Small checks at a time. Nothing obvious."
Tony tapped his arc reactor. "I'll also put a silent tracker in the S.H.I.E.L.D. network. If anyone tries to access hidden files like Garrett did, we'll see it."
Bruce added, "And if they try to erase data, we'll get alerts."
"Good," Steve said. "We need every piece of information."
Alex yawned. "And what about me?"
Natasha pointed toward the hallway. "Shadow surveillance. You can move around without being seen. If someone tries to meet secretly like Garrett, you follow them."
Alex stretched. "Fine. Sounds like more sneaking around."
Tony smirked. "Hey, you love that stuff."
Alex didn't deny it. "I'll keep an eye on the top suspects."
Steve nodded. "Keep us updated. Don't act alone unless you have no choice."
Alex saluted jokingly. "Yes, Captain."