Clairvoyant

The next half month was practically a disaster for Hydra. Without any warning, S.H.I.E.L.D. launched one attack after another, destroying five or six subsidiary bases that had been hidden right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose for over a decade in just two short weeks.

Most of the field teams carrying out the missions answered directly to Nick Fury. Every raid was highly classified; even other senior S.H.I.E.L.D. officials with Level Ten clearance heard nothing of them. Their operations were swift and decisive, each battle ending within ten minutes, like precise and efficient surgical excisions.

On top of that, Hydra lost two valuable superpowered assets in succession over those two months. The first was Carl Creel, who could absorb matter through skin contact and alter his body's form. He was the first to be captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. Next came Marcus Daniels, who could manipulate a type of dark cosmic radiation known as Negative Energy. Unfortunately, his abilities were neutralized by a weapon specially equipped by S.H.I.E.L.D., and he too was ultimately captured.

Although the number of superpowered individuals in the world was steadily increasing, they had not yet become commonplace. Even with Hydra's resources, the number of superhumans under its command remained quite limited. Losing two of them in half a month was an extremely severe blow.

But this seemed to be only the beginning. Nick Fury had sounded the horn of war against Hydra, and the footsteps of battle were drawing closer by the day.

Inside a Hydra facility, location classified.

This was a completely sealed room, so dim that even people standing face-to-face could not make out one another's features. The only light came from a metal round table in the center of the room, around which faint blue holographic projections sat, conducting a special meeting through remote connections.

Everyone present was among Hydra's highest-ranking officials. Each held immense power and possessed the ability to shake the world order with ease. These powerful figures controlled different divisions and rarely gathered in one place. They only occasionally dealt with one another when their respective factions intersected over major matters. A gathering on this scale had not occurred in Hydra for decades.

The reason was simple: they had sensed an unprecedented threat to their very survival.

"Nick Fury has been eliminating our bases one after another and purging our people. Thirteen agents we planted within S.H.I.E.L.D. have been removed. Ten of them had Level Five clearance, while the other three had Level Six."

The speaker sat in the central position. Through the dim projection, they could barely make out his bald head and the round monocle over his right eye. His voice was grim and hoarse.

"Fury is becoming a problem," he said.

"The problem is not Nick Fury, but the person feeding him this information." The next speaker sat to the left of the round table. He was Alexander Pierce, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s former director. "And the worse part is that we know nothing about this enemy."

An executive wearing round glasses and looking refined spoke up, his tone carrying a faint hint of reproach. "Isn't finding that out your responsibility?"

"Fury refuses to disclose any relevant information," Pierce said coldly. "But I suspect it has something to do with that first attack."

"You mean the incident where someone in high-tech powered armor single-handedly wiped out the base we had disguised as a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility?"

Pierce nodded. "Not long afterward, Fury ordered the creation of an independent high-risk file. The project was called 'Black Knight,' and its access level exceeded Level Ten. That means no one besides Fury himself can access it—not even others with Level Ten clearance."

"You're saying that attacker gave Fury the intelligence?"

"I can't rule out the possibility that they made contact," Pierce said. "For a long time, no one knew we still existed. The entire world believed we had been destroyed along with the Axis defeat in World War II. Then this mysterious figure suddenly emerged and raided one of our bases. Within days, Fury discovered Zola's existence and then the fact that Hydra had survived. Coupled with everything that has happened lately, it is difficult not to draw a connection."

"My people say it was Dr. Norton." This speaker sat on the right side of the round table, his outline blurred. "Randall Mallory, a Level Six Agent. I rather liked that kid. He told me the attacker asked him to pass us a message, and he seemed quite certain that person was Dr. Angus Norton."

"Impossible," the man with glasses declared. "For more than three years, we have never stopped searching for Dr. Angus Norton, yet he has remained completely untraceable. Our eyes are everywhere across the globe. Our influence reaches everywhere. If he were still alive, there is no way he could have stayed beyond our sight."

"And we are talking about Angus Norton." The man on the right spoke again. "Everyone here should know that he was no ordinary man. Hydra has never lacked talent, but we must all admit that, to this day, we have yet to find anyone capable of replacing him."

"Even so, he could not have left no trace whatsoever for more than three years." The man with glasses pushed up the frames on his nose. "You cannot do that. Neither can I. No one can."

After a brief pause, he continued, "Besides, even if Norton truly is alive, there is absolutely no reason he should know so much."

"That is true." The man on the right rested his chin on his hand. "Norton did once possess very high clearance, and he did participate in several of Hydra's most classified projects. But the information he had access to was limited, after all."

"And everything he knew was classified information from three years ago." The man with glasses emphasized, "After Norton defected, the base where he was stationed was immediately abandoned. Every sensitive site he had visited was relocated. The outdated intelligence he knew could not be of much use at all."

"No matter what, the current situation is not optimistic for us. Whether we like it or not, the period of hiding is over. We must take action." The monocled man in the center straightened up and leaned forward. "Pierce, find out exactly where Fury's intelligence is coming from, at any cost."

The man with glasses turned his gaze toward the right side of the table. "Garrett, you should be more careful as well. Your little act of pretending to be this so-called 'Clairvoyant' seems to have drawn quite a bit of unnecessary attention from S.H.I.E.L.D. lately."

The man across from him laughed. "No need to worry. So far, S.H.I.E.L.D. only believes Clairvoyant is a superpowered individual with mind-reading abilities, which is why Clairvoyant has always been one step ahead of them. They have never considered that Clairvoyant might be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with very high clearance. For now, they have not linked that identity to Hydra."

The man with glasses gave a low snort. "For now."

Inside Michael Passo's home, in his private underground laboratory.

Michael sat in a chair before the workbench. Several floating 3D screens around him displayed the various results S.H.I.E.L.D. had achieved with his help over the past half month.

"Nick Fury really does not waste time when it comes to getting things done." Michael browsed the list of Hydra bases that had been wiped out and the names of Hydra agents who had been purged. "Honestly, I thought he would spend quite a while bogged down in bureaucratic formalities before actually taking action."

Sherry's voice rang out from the speakers around the room. "I believe this is a good thing, is it not, sir?"

"Of course. It means the plan can be moved ahead considerably."

"Then I assume you have already prepared the next target as well?"

"More or less." Michael moved his fingers, bringing a new transparent interface before him. It displayed the information of John Garrett, a level eight agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I hear Clairvoyant has troubled S.H.I.E.L.D. for quite some time." Michael lightly tapped the armrest with his knuckles. "Perhaps they could use a little help."