FBI: Chapter 75/76

Chapter 75: Three Text Messages

"Dante, you really are the bane of my existence!"

"Hehe, thanks for the compliment."

"But so what if it's Peggy Carter? She's not the Director Carter from my timeline. What do I have to be afraid of?"

"You sure sound tough." Dante elbowed Fury in the ribs. "Then why haven't you sat down this whole time? What's the matter? Feeling guilty?"

"This is just me showing proper respect for a World War II hero and a Super Soldier from another timeline!"

"Damn… No wonder you're the boss. You're so good at flattering the higher-ups. Why don't you act like this around Pierce?"

"Alexander Pierce doesn't even belong in the same league as Peggy Carter"

Dante gave Fury a big ol' thumbs-up.

This is why he's Director.

A masterclass in flexible morals and bureaucratic integrity.

Peggy Carter, meanwhile, sat off to the side—serene, composed, completely unfazed.

Unlike Steve Rogers in the main timeline, who spent decades frozen and technically still had the mentality of a young man, this version of Carter had lived.

She had truly survived from the era of World War II all the way into the modern multiverse, with firsthand experience of battles across Earth, space, and even alternate timelines.

This was a real veteran.

A true stabilizing force.

Dante honestly wanted to shake hands with his future self for sending someone like her back.

"Oh, right, Director Carter. About what we discussed yesterday—joining the Bureau…"

"Hm? Didn't we already go over that?"

"We did. But what I meant was, I was hoping you'd take on the role of Commander... and I'm just a Special Task Force Captain. I don't really have the authority to appoint someone to that post."

But as soon as he said it, Peggy Carter raised a brow and cut in:

"What do you mean 'Commander'? I've never done that before." She shrugged. "I've always led from the front. I don't mind commanding small-scale ops, but the FBI's Commander position would mean staying behind the scenes, managing the big picture. Not really my style. That special team you mentioned? That's what interests me."

"Ah... well…"

Dante suddenly felt awkward.

Who would've guessed that she still wanted to charge headfirst into battle?

He shot a glance at Fury, silently signaling say something, you're the one in charge!

"Uh—ah—right! Well, technically, there's no one better suited to be Commander than Director Carter…So let's do this, we'll table the Commander talk for now. Agent Dante, Director Carter will be assigned to your Star Team for the time being... Don't forget to register her ID at Internal Affairs!"

Fury gave Dante a forced smile as the latter glared daggers at him.

What could he do? Even after wielding power for years, seeing Peggy Carter's face instantly dragged him back to being just another rookie agent.

Her authority was absolute.

And honestly...

In the original timeline, Carter had always wanted to stay on the frontlines. Age and seniority had pushed her into a leadership role she never really wanted.

But this version? She had the Super Soldier Serum. If she wanted to get out there and throw punches again?

Let her live the dream.

…

Seeing that Fury clearly agreed, Dante had no choice but to drop the issue.

Still, it was a huge win for his Star Team. Having a veteran like Carter on the squad was a godsend.

After all that, Dante left Director Carter at HQ and took his leave.

Fury and Melinda May clearly still had a lot to talk about with the legend in the room.

As soon as Dante stepped out of Fury's office, his old phone—which he'd only just gotten back from Hela after trading her a brand-new model—buzzed three times in quick succession.

Three different texts from three different numbers.

Dante tapped his screen and opened the first one.

It was from Bruce Wayne.

Ever since they met, Dante had been asking Bruce to help source rare materials through his insane billionaire connections.

Like, say... Terrigen crystals.

But when he saw the total price on this one, he physically winced.

Two Terrigen crystals. Almost three million dollars.

Yeah... definitely not giving up on embezzling funds anytime soon.

Then came the second text.

Short and sweet:

"It's all taken care of."

Dante nodded.

Grant Ward really was the king of efficient wet work.

He had stealthily eliminated Agent Sitwell—who held key positions in both the FBI and HYDRA—and from the phrasing, it sounded like he'd taken out an entire group of HYDRA-colluding U.S. politicians too.

Most importantly? No leaks. No evidence. Not even a whisper.

So far, no one had even noticed those people were gone.

In terms of assassination skill, this dirtbag was way more precise than Bucky Barnes.

Everyone loved to say the Winter Soldier was an unstoppable assassin, but honestly? That was mostly hype baked into his lore.

Still… Dante wasn't planning to let him off the hook just yet.

He had promised to spare Ward's life.

But others might not feel the same way.

Feeling good now that the day's plans were on track, Dante opened the third text.

It was from that narcissist Tony Stark.

Judging by the tone, he expected it to be something smug and unhelpful.

But then—

Dante's eyes went wide.

"Holy crap, Tony Stark! You're the real MVP, showing up right when I need you most!"

Dante hadn't expected Stark to hand him this kind of gift.

The message also included a request to meet up.

Only issue? Dante's Quinjet was out for maintenance, and sending the Airbus to pick up just him felt excessive.

So...

Dante casually strolled back into Fury's office.

Under the gaze of five stunned individuals, he started rummaging through Fury's stuff like he owned the place.

He grabbed a set of car keys—and bolted.

"Are you kidding me?! Can't you buy your own damn car?!"

"I don't have a driver's license!"

Dante flashed Fury a smug, unrepentant grin and sprinted out of HQ.

Even Peggy Carter, who had seen some wild things in her time across the multiverse, found this level of "superior-subordinate interaction" absolutely baffling.

The middle-aged Dante she knew from other timelines was always calm, strict, and deadly serious.

But this version?

Completely outrageous.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 76: Hydra’s Special Lure

It was noon. The sun was blazing.

"Miss Potts, where is my best brother Tony Stark? I've called him over twenty times, and he didn't answer once!"

Dante had driven all the way from Washington, D.C. to Stark Tower in New York, and now barged into the CEO's office on the top floor without knocking.

Of course, the current CEO and majority shareholder of Stark Industries wasn't Stark himself—Pepper Potts held that title. Stark was just freeloading with flair.

Maybe after getting completely shut down by Lois Lane, the man had finally realized who he actually loved. His relationship with Pepper had rapidly heated up over the past month.

How could Dante tell?

Because Pepper was radiating honeymoon glow.

"Calm down, Agent Dante. Tony will be here soon—he's meeting me for lunch," Pepper said, guiding Dante to the sofa. She sat beside him. "So, what's the rush? Did Tony do something… again?"

"Oh, Miss Potts, he absolutely did something. And this time, it's genuinely good."

"Uh-oh… Wait, this isn't serious, right?"

"What do you mean serious? It's not serious—it's just… shockingly helpful. And for once, I'm not being sarcastic."

Dante shook his head, amused and slightly exasperated.

What was Tony Stark doing every day?

Judging by Pepper's tone, the man probably racked up more drama than a daytime soap.

"Don't worry, Miss Potts. Tony might be impulsive, flawed, a walking narcissist—but he's not the kind of guy to do anything truly evil."

"I hope so." She smiled and extended her hand. "And from now on, just call me Pepper."

Right then, Tony Stark walked through the door carrying a massive paper bag, sunglasses halfway off.

"Oh, Pepper, these cheeseburgers are insane. Swear on my dad's beard, there's nothing better in all of Queens—what the hell?! Dante! Why are you here? And why are you holding hands with my girlfriend?!"

Tony's voice shot up an octave, and even his mustache seemed to bristle.

Pepper looked at him with a mix of triumph and embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, it was a polite handshake. Unlike you, not everyone treats handshakes like foreplay."

Dante couldn't resist roasting him.

But Tony wasn't fazed. He set the bag down, took two quick strides, and dropped himself between Pepper and Dante, cutting them off like an overgrown toddler.

"Hey, hey, hey. Are you seriously acting like a jealous middle schooler?" Dante shoved him a little. "Pepper's like a big sister to me. Even if I were a scumbag, I wouldn't make a move. Okay?"

"Don't give me that. Everyone at the FBI knows you've got a thing for older women. You're tangled up with three of them in your Star Team alone!"

"Cough! Older women and older sisters are totally different categories! Pepper, don't listen to his garbage."

Dante waved it off quickly. He wasn't shameless enough to flirt with a friend's girlfriend—especially not in front of said friend.

"Hmph. Fine, spill it. What brings a busy man like you to my tower at lunchtime? You're not here to mooch lunch, are you? I only bought two burgers. Haven't you heard? People who interrupt a couple's private time get kicked to death."

Despite the grumbling, Tony finally cooled off.

Dante laughed and threw his arm around Tony's shoulder.

"Because my good brother Tony Stark just did something amazing. Didn't you text me this morning? You said you helped Fury upgrade the latest Helicarrier, right? And that the collaboration between the FBI and Stark Industries was speeding up construction? Estimated completion—soon?"

At the mention of that, Tony immediately threw his arm around Dante too, like they were frat bros.

"What's our relationship, huh? Your business is my business. Besides, I'm curious about a lot of your Bureau's tech… Ever since that little hacker Skye joined your team, I can't even hack the FBI's database anymore. She's that good."

"It all started when Fury reached out asking me to help solve a propulsion issue on the Bureau's satellite launch system. I looked at the schematics and made a few minor adjustments. The satellite can now do continuous sub-orbital flight without needing to land."

"Then, of course, Fury brought a bunch of beautiful agents to thank me. You know how it is, I don't chase women—I just demonstrate excellence in front of them."

"So I went underground with Fury, looked at those old Helicarriers. They were pretty busted, but nothing I couldn't handle. They'll be operational in two weeks, tops. Ninety percent were already built. Naturally—" Tony pointed to himself with both thumbs "—I filled in the critical ten percent."

Dante listened and finally understood.

Still, intentional or not, Tony had just saved him a ton of trouble.

So Dante leaned in and whispered in Stark's ear—laying out the full, hidden risks of the Insight Project.

Tony's expression started to shift as the implications sank in.

"Wait—so… did I just make everything worse?"

"No, no, no." Dante grinned. "They're so focused on catching their mark, they haven't noticed the sniper aiming at them."

The Insight Project?

It was just bait.

A shiny, world-ending, high-tech, juicy worm on the hook.

Originally, Dante had been planning to wait for a better opportunity to take out HYDRA in one clean sweep.

But thanks to Grant Ward's precision assassinations, there was now a brief window where HYDRA was flying blind.

And Tony? He'd just completed the most critical piece of the trap.

There wouldn't be a better time.

With no major missions on the table, it was time to push the plan forward.

Use the Insight Project as bait—let HYDRA think they were on the verge of "controlling the world."

They'd bite. No question.

"Wait, Dante—did you tell Fury about this?"

"I'll tell him after I finish setting everything up. I don't plan to let the Insight Project go live anyway. HYDRA's gonna come knocking at the Bureau's front door soon enough—and that'll be our chance to crush them all."

"You make it sound like squashing a bug."

"We're both seasoned foxes. Don't play innocent with me."

Dante elbowed Tony in the side, grinning.

"Don't tell me you didn't leave a backdoor in those satellite and Helicarrier systems. One only you can crack open."

"Do I look like the kind of guy who'd do that?"

"So… is there one or not?"

"…There is."

(To be continued.)