FBI: Chapter 82/83

Chapter 82: It’s Time to Get the Big Stuff

J'onn J'onzz didn't understand.

Why did this young agent named Dante not only know his name, but also know that he was the last Martian?

Compared to that, the fact that Dante identified him through fire wasn't even the weird part.

After arriving on Earth, J'onn J'onzz had been constantly changing identities.

He'd passed through multiple countries and eventually decided to settle in Washington.

On his very first night in D.C., he happened to stumble upon Sitwell—who had just been murdered.

Although J'onn J'onzz used his telepathic abilities to copy part of Sitwell's memories in the moment he took his final breath, it wasn't complete.

He only got fragments—memories from the past few decades, nothing more.

After weighing his options, J'onn J'onzz still chose to assume Sitwell's identity.

He then boarded the Lemurian Star to carry out the last mission stored in Sitwell's memory.

What he didn't expect was that not only would he be seen through as a fake Sitwell, but his true identity would be completely exposed.

Absolutely absurd!

And this agent—Dante—who saw through him? He was strong. Way too strong.

It was the first time J'onn J'onzz had encountered an Earthling with this kind of power.

For context, even in his base form, Martian Manhunter could casually lift a hundred tons.

And if he fully activated his molecular abilities, his strength could go toe-to-toe with your average Kansas Big Guy.

Even so, he'd been slammed into a wall by this Dante guy like it was nothing.

"J'onn J'onzz, as a Martian, how does it feel to be stuck settling on Earth? Doesn't feel so great, huh?"

"No. Earth is a beautiful and vibrant planet," J'onn J'onzz shook his head, clearly not agreeing with Dante's statement. "To me, this place gave me a new life. It's my second home. I will do whatever it takes to protect Earth's safety."

Dante wasn't surprised by that answer.

He was just testing him—to see if this Martian Manhunter had been tampered with or not.

After all, assuming there were no timeline screw-ups, Martian Manhunter's moral compass should still be pointing True North, about on par with the Big Blue Boy Scout.

"Then do you know that the guy whose identity you copied with your shapeshifting powers—not only was he a senior agent in the FBI, he was also a member of HYDRA?"

"HYDRA?"

J'onn J'onzz frowned.

While he'd been traveling across the world, he mostly lived as a civilian. Evil organizations like HYDRA weren't even on his radar.

"That's right. HYDRA. A secretive, evil organization that's been around for thousands of years. The Nazi HYDRA you've heard about from World War II? Just one tiny branch in a long-ass historical river," Dante explained briefly. "Bottom line? Their endgame is world domination. And Sitwell—he was internal affairs. He came to this ship to obtain the Project Insight algorithm that HYDRA needs for its next move."

Of course, that so-called "algorithm" was a complete fake. Dante had Skye cook it up—just convincing enough to bait HYDRA into crawling out of their hole.

"So, do you remember who Sitwell was supposed to report to after getting the algorithm?"

"I do. The name… was Alexander Pierce."

"Tsk tsk. Yep, that old bastard." Dante nodded, then shoved the portable hard drive in his hand into J'onn J'onzz's palm. "If you really consider Earth your second home, then complete this mission. Hand this over to Alexander Pierce."

"Can I trust you?"

"If you don't want to live in a world with no freedom—where everyone's lives are under the crosshairs of flying aircraft carriers—then yeah, you'd better trust me."

...

"DANTE! Do you only know how to act first and report later?!"

Inside Nick Fury's office, Dante was casually cracking sunflower seeds with Professor X, while Fury was already on the verge of blowing a gasket.

Dante pulling the "act first, explain never" routine on other ops? Fine.

But this?

This was on another level.

He was planning to take down HYDRA. Directly. In one clean sweep.

A massive, globe-spanning evil organization.

Couldn't the guy maybe give a little heads-up beforehand?

But the worst part?

Every step so far had gone off without a hitch. So even if Fury wanted to chew him out, he had nowhere to direct his anger.

He was suffocating on it.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

"Can you stop cracking those damn sunflower seeds?! We're in the middle of a serious conversation!"

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch...

"Serious conversation? How about you explain first why you tricked Tony Stark into perfecting those flying aircraft carriers? And then sent a whole squad of hot female agents to distract him? Why didn't you send any to distract me?"

"Ahem, I just thought Stark was a bit idle recently. Gave him something to keep busy."

"Hmph. Yeah, you're just looking for excuses to cause trouble," Dante snorted. "Using an algorithm to launch three fully armed flying aircraft carriers to monitor every human being on the planet?"

"That was the World Security Council's idea. I thought... maybe it had some potential…"

"Oh, now you're playing the victim?" Dante flung his sunflower seeds at Fury. "The Council is just a glorified spy ring created by a bunch of politicians who all want global clout. Alexander Pierce only humored them so he could hijack the entire American General Bureau."

This guy—Nick Fury—you say he trusts people? Then why is he running segmented management with all his elite agents?

You say he doesn't trust people? Then why the hell did he let Alexander Pierce—who was practically flashing neon HYDRA signs in his face—slip past him?

Only now was he starting to feel that something was "off," but still couldn't put his finger on it.

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

Even Fury lost his temper now. Hands up. Let Dante do what he wanted.

"What to do? Just go with the plan!" Dante said irritably. "Before a beast dies, it goes insane. If everything's gone smoothly, that fake algorithm's already been delivered. So the other side will definitely gather their forces and try to pull off a final, decisive move—directly replacing the entire General Bureau."

"Like that FBI rebellion a few years ago?"

"This'll be way bigger than that. That was just a sacrificial pawn, a bait-and-switch. A strategic withdrawal to gain more ground later."

Though Dante always looked down on HYDRA's sketchy pyramid-scheme-style operations, he had to admit—they'd been around for millennia. They were bound to have a few trump cards left.

Which is why he didn't plan to waste time trying to eliminate them one by one around the globe.

Much simpler to lure them all into one big fiery pit—and torch the whole nest.

"So, are the three flying aircraft carriers in the Project Insight hangar fully built?"

"They'll be done in three days. The progress has been synced continuously with Alexander Pierce."

"Perfect. The nest's been stirred, the bait's been set—now get the net ready…"

Dante grinned like a fox who already smelled feathers.

"It's time for the big catch."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 83: Whoever Hits You, You Hit Them

Dante had always been wary of Alexander Pierce and the handful of HYDRA higher-ups whose names he had on file.

But…

These guys were all old foxes. Why bother with tricks here?

Why wouldn't Alexander Pierce be just as wary of Fury and Dante?

The morning after the Lemurian Star incident wrapped up, Dante's personal terminal lit up with a barrage of messages.

"HYDRA made their move early."
"Attacked, but successfully rendezvoused with Captain Rogers."
"HYDRA has gone all in. Agents have infiltrated the FBI, and dozens of Winter Soldiers are leading an all-out assault on the Bureau's HQ."
"Coulson is already heading to The Fridge to set up defenses."

Dante sat on his bed, his heart stayed calm.

The Star Team was intact. The X-Men were in position.

HYDRA? Just a bunch of turtles stuck in a jar.

But what about the three Helicarriers that were supposed to be completed in three days?

Looked like Alexander Pierce had streamlined some features—cut a few corners to finish early and catch the Bureau off guard.

Makes sense. No one here's stupid.

And what was this about dozens of Winter Soldiers?

Could HYDRA really field that many troops?

Dante immediately called Tony Stark.

"Hello, Tony, is it time?"

"Time for what? I just lay down… Pepper finally let my old back rest."

"HYDRA made their move, damn it! You still lying in bed doing your conjugal duties?"

"What!? The Helicarriers aren't done yet—they need at least two or three more days!"

"Pierce couldn't wait. He probably stripped them down for speed. Doesn't matter. Since he took the bait early, we reel them in early."

"Hell! Can't even enjoy a post-sex nap anymore. I swear, I'm personally punching Pierce later."

"You go meet up with Fury and Steve Rogers. I've sent you their coordinates."

Dante hung up and walked from the bedroom into the living room.

His team was already assembled.

The three Asgardian siblings were probably the calmest in the room. After all, this wasn't their homeland. To them, this was just one of countless future ops.

Captain Carter, a battle-hardened vet herself, had already gone into combat mode. She'd fought HYDRA in her own timeline, and her eyes were already flashing with kill intent.

Only Wanda and Pietro looked a little flustered—this was their first major FBI op, after all.

Ada and Harley had already finished gathering intel and were giving their sitrep.

"Even though there are HYDRA moles helping from the inside, today happens to be the Bureau Academy's big philosophy lecture. Professor X is the keynote speaker, and all students are present. Combat capability shouldn't be an issue. Just to be safe, the X-Men's main force is on the way."

"The Coulson Team has already locked down the Sandbox Research Base and is en route to The Fridge. John Garrett's leading HYDRA soldiers there now."

"The American General Bureau has basically fallen. Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff are leading street-to-street guerrilla resistance to buy time, but the Helicarriers are preparing for takeoff…"

The two women turned to Dante.

"Now, it's time for the Star Team to make their move."

Dante nodded and started assigning missions.

The Asgardian trio, being the heavy hitters, had destructive power off the charts. They'd clear HYDRA's outer perimeter.

Everyone else would parachute directly into the American General Bureau. Wanda and Pietro would be the tactical core. Objective one: reclaim critical floors and rendezvous with Hill and Romanoff.

"What about you?" Harley asked.

"Obviously, I'm heading straight to the source."

"Then see you later, my Pudding."

"See you later, dear."

...

At the top floor of the American General Bureau—in the conference room once used for remote World Security Council meetings—those high-ranking politicians from various countries had finally shown up in person.

But gone were their smug, satisfied faces from earlier.

What happened to that promised new way of eliminating crime?

Why the hell was Alexander Pierce also planning to wipe them out?

And control the entire world while he was at it?

Wasn't his appetite a bit too big?

Alexander Pierce, thinking he had the upper hand, even had time to make small talk.

"Imagine this. Your homeland gets invaded. Your parents, your wife, your daughters are rounded up and dragged to the nearest stadium for public execution. And all you have to do is press this button, and those three carriers will erase the invaders in seconds…"

"I don't need your button."

The speaker was an old, hardline, no-nonsense person.

He was also the only member of the World Security Council who'd openly opposed Project Insight.

HYDRA's discount pyramid-scheme rhetoric wasn't cutting it with someone like him.

And when persuasion failed…

They usually chose execution.

Clean. Efficient. Just meant the janitors had to work overtime.

Alexander Pierce knew the drill. He grabbed a pistol from a HYDRA agent and aimed it at the old man.

"Oh, Alexander Pierce holding a gun? About to kill a foreign politician? Weren't you the guy who once refused the Nobel Peace Prize? This is almost poetic…"

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a voice rang out.

A young voice—crisp and mocking.

But to Alexander Pierce, it might as well have been the last voice he wanted to hear right now.

Ever since that guy arrived, he'd done nothing but ruin HYDRA's good days.

As the voice echoed through the room, several elite HYDRA agents dropped dead on the spot.

Some had their spines crushed with bare hands.
Some had their foreheads pierced with heat vision.
Some were cooked alive by lightning tearing through their bodies.

The most pitiful one had his skull crushed, and blood flames poured straight into him, devouring him from the inside out.

Dante didn't even look winded. He ignored the horrified stares, casually walked up to Pierce, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and pinched his jowls like he was checking a melon.

"Nice to meet you, Alexander Pierce. I'm Dante Alighieri, your designated apocalypse."

Pierce opened his mouth to speak, but Dante clamped it shut, casually squeezing until Pierce winced.

Dante held the pose for a beat, then came another voice, just as smug.

"Alexander Pierce, I used to think you were a decent guy… But HYDRA? Seriously? Come on, old man. My late father—died a little too early—used to tell me every day: HYDRA's nothing but poison to the world."

Tony kicked open the door, gleaming in his brand-new MARK 10 armor.

Behind him came Fury—expressionless, one eye cold as stone.

"When Dante first told me you were HYDRA, I believed him. I'd found some clues too. But I still hoped… as a friend… maybe you'd just lost your way."

"Lost my way?" Pierce sneered.

Dante released his grip just in time.

Pierce laughed—wild, unhinged.

"Bogotá. That's when I saw the truth."

"This world is too dangerous! Terrorist attacks, military coups, missile strikes—any of it could destroy our lives in an instant!"

"So what if we sacrifice two million people to save seven billion? That's a good deal. It just takes guts."

"If you take that step, it's a brand-new world!"

Fury shook his head at his old friend, now swallowed by madness.

"But I've got the guts not to take that step."

Meanwhile, Dante was disabling every FBI security protocol in the building.

The Bureau never feared exposure, but HYDRA's roaches, those who thrived in the shadows? They weren't so eager to be seen.

"Dante, you're playing with fire. You, Fury, Romanoff, Hill—none of you are saints. You sure you want the whole world looking over your shoulder?"

"Unlock requires two Alpha-level admins. I'll borrow your eye, if you don't mind? Oh—and I mean you walk over and unlock it. Not me popping your head off and scanning it myself. I'm a little squeamish."

Dante shoved the withered old man forward.

"Hypocrite. Those two million sacrifices you talked about—bet none of them included you, huh? HYDRA's motto: 'cut off one head, two more grow back'? It's just greed, all the way down. Sacrifice is easy when it's never your own damn neck on the line."

He slammed Pierce's face onto the iris scanner.

Fury pulled off his eyepatch and leaned in to scan his damaged gray eye.

"Encryption unlocked. Confidentiality canceled."

"Stark, you and Cap, go join the fight."

Dante stepped to the window, punched through the double-layered glass—designed to withstand high-explosive rounds—and soared out into the sky.

"Damn it! I'm fine with fighting—but how the hell do I tell who's HYDRA?! Their agents are still wearing your uniforms!"

"Skye already uploaded HYDRA's roster to JARVIS. For the ones without data…"

Steve grabbed Stark by the arm and rushed him out the door, eyes already burning.

"Howard's kid, listen—on the battlefield, don't overthink it."

"Whoever hits you, you hit 'em back!"

(To be continued.)