Chapter 108: Nick Fury, Now It's My Turn

The greatest enemy in life is oneself; humanity is ultimately doomed by humanity itself.

Nick Fury felt this truth deeply.

New York now resembled a massive reactor, where even the slightest disturbance could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.

Coulson had experienced a snowy Eastern European winter. He had led recruited operatives through an unexpected incident in Kosovo, assisting the FBI and successfully carrying out an interception operation, making two new allies in the process.

Thanks to Hill's coordination and Osborn’s vast financial backing, the panic sparked by the carrier was quickly quelled.

Citizens of Washington, like those in New York, reset and refreshed each night at the stroke of midnight.

Due to Hydra’s influence, both the government and the Security Council harbored deep dissatisfaction with S.H.I.E.L.D. At a fortuitous moment, Roald used Vicahn to inform Tony Stark about Bucky. Since Bucky was with Coulson, this cleverly pitted S.H.I.E.L.D. against Tony Stark, further souring already strained relations.

During this attack, Hydra used S.H.I.E.L.D.’s carrier to crash into Congress, giving the government ample reason to suspect S.H.I.E.L.D. harbored nefarious intentions. Hill and Pierce, both S.H.I.E.L.D. veterans, led by example with a public declaration of self-examination under U.S. oversight. Behind the scenes, however, they restructured the organization, infiltrating key positions by leveraging state power.

S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization founded and guided by the United States, was now officially stripped of its raison d’être.

Nick Fury, watching all this unfold from the shadows, was filled with dread.

He focused on Hill’s televised speech, quietly organizing his thoughts, retracing each step meticulously.

Identify the problem, locate the source, then solve it.

From Hill’s establishment of the new "Thunder Hammer" agency, to the congressional voting sessions, and then the federal court hearings—each institution enacted measures in rapid succession, completing the entire process in an astonishingly short time.

He recalled how, in the past, securing funds required painstaking accounting—expenditures exceeding six figures demanded over twenty pages of justification, with months of financial audits. The IRS agents would even argue over cents beyond the sixth decimal place.

But now...

From Hydra’s control of the carrier to the swift implementation of policies, the complete overhaul of S.H.I.E.L.D., and the creation of new agencies—it all happened within a week.

Not even the old congressional members took as long during their golf games.

Reflecting on the previous upheavals across agencies, Fury realized they seemed premeditated.

All institutions deliberately excluded S.H.I.E.L.D., kept it in the dark, and executed a plan to cut off its lifeblood.

Hill was the executor and mastermind.

From the outset, Hill’s intentions were crystal clear.

She had outmaneuvered everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Damn it… was it really like this all along? When did I start being played? During Pierce’s review? Or when Natasha betrayed me?”

Fury clenched his fists, crushing the hamburger in his hand with a crisp, squelching sound.

Staring intently at the television, he saw Hill’s trademark poised smile as she spoke. To Fury, every gesture was a mocking reminder of his impotence.

When did I become this inept?

And Coulson—did he truly betray me?

A flood of questions surged through his mind. Impatient, Fury stuffed the remaining hamburger into his mouth and pushed open the door to step outside. He still had numerous safe houses, money, and the means to devise new strategies.

He had pieced together the key points.

S.H.I.E.L.D. wielded immense authority. Hill’s enforcement of the Superhuman Registration Act was evidence this had been planned well in advance.

He had been nothing more than a lab rat in their experiment.

As he walked, Fury’s mind raced.

“I should have seen it coming—from Stark’s kidnapping, from the rise of that Apocalyptic organization, there was a hidden thread guiding all of this. Natasha’s abduction was just the beginning. That ancient group had planted agents not only beside Stark but also in the military. So it’s no surprise they had operatives in Congress too.”

“Everything was orchestrated. The military, Congress, the federal courts—they all had their pawns, creating an enormous web of influence.”

“First, they used Natasha to misdirect all my attention. Then, through Tony, they probed my limits. The military applied pressure. Their agents within the armed forces and government struck at critical moments. And Hydra? Merely a pawn thrown forward to be sacrificed and distract us.”

“Maybe Hydra will resurface under a new identity.”

“Indeed, Hydra could be a branch of Apocalyptic. The military might have their own agents too. Otherwise, Tony could never have learned that the Winter Soldier, Bucky, was the one who killed Howard Stark. Ross wouldn’t act so brazenly. Hill wouldn’t be so domineering.”

“Pierce’s scrutiny of Hill was riddled with strange undertones. The whole net was woven from the start. In trying to trap Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D., I fell right into their snare.”

After connecting all these events, though some mysteries remained, Fury finally saw clearly.

“From the very beginning, with the Natasha incident, my focus was confined to Hydra. That was the setup. They laid traps at every position, making me aware of Hydra’s presence within S.H.I.E.L.D. as nothing but bait—repeatedly diverting my attention, repeatedly buying time to alter my judgment.”

“Besides Hydra and its branches, the Apocalyptic mentioned eight other organizations. That has to mean something. Hydra was once destroyed by Rogers, so now they’re orchestrating this event to utterly dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. This isn’t just revenge—it’s part of a grander scheme to control the country from the shadows.”

Standing in the middle of a bustling street, amid the crowd flowing past, Fury looked up at the sky and smiled, a rare sense of relief washing over him.

He had figured it out.

They knew how much he valued Hydra—that was the overt strategy, a maneuver neither he nor Rogers could refuse.

And Hill? She was never truly loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. from the start; she was Apocalyptic’s agent. That explained how she managed to overthrow S.H.I.E.L.D. and establish a new agency so swiftly.

Most of Congress, the federal courts, and the Security Council had their people embedded.

And he, Nick Fury, was fighting alone.

Feeling like a fool, Fury realized he had spent half his life scheming against others, never imagining he would one day be the one outmaneuvered.

Frustration gave way to sorrow, then his heart filled with rage.

“Yes... Fury, what can you do now? Nothing.”

He chuckled bitterly, then suddenly felt a surge of exhilaration.

He touched the communicator in his hand.

“Well then, since the mask is torn off, let the new round begin. I still have one trump card left.”

The first step: find Rogers.