S.H.I.E.L.D. Has a Mole

"You're saying there's a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D.? How is that possible?"

Steve sat on the sofa, staring out at the view beyond Stark Industries, unable to believe what Tony had just told him outside.

"The facts are right in front of us."

Tony brought over a test report and placed it before Shendu and Steve.

Unknown Substance Test Report.

Shendu looked over the report in his hand. It included testing categories such as material composition, hardness, appearance, sharpness, density, and heat resistance.

Under material composition, it read: unknown.

"An unknown material. It's harder than any currently known metal, yet its density is strangely low. Clearly, it isn't a material from Earth."

Tony placed the dart on the table between them.

The dart looked completely ordinary. Tony brought a sheet of paper close to it, and the paper slid through the dart as though it had encountered nothing, cleanly sliced apart.

"Very sharp," Steve commented from the side.

Tony looked at Shendu. "Someone really did use you as a weapon."

Steve, standing nearby, was somewhat confused. He did not understand what Tony meant.

Tony gave Steve a brief explanation, only leaving out the matter of the talismans.

"There really is a mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Steve still found it hard to believe.

Stark looked toward Manhattan, which was still recovering. "I thought it was strange at the time. Why would the portal close for no reason? Loki was clearly still in the upper hand. There was no reason for him to use the scepter to shut down the portal."

"So it wasn't a retreat. They let some Chitauri soldiers enter S.H.I.E.L.D., planning to bring it down from within before launching another attack?" Steve quickly reached a conclusion.

"That possibility can't be ruled out."

Tony agreed with Steve's assessment. "And Loki was teleported away by the Tesseract too. Thor returned to Asgard, but we have no idea what exactly happened there."

Listening to their analysis, Shendu could only nod in agreement.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. needs an internal review."

The two reached that conclusion before long.

"You contact Fury. This is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal matter. Stark Industries still needs me here, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to interfere too deeply."

Tony handed Steve a card. "This is the access card to one of my private labs. They're studying that dart there right now. If S.H.I.E.L.D. needs any data, you can go there anytime."

After Steve left, Shendu and Tony went to another laboratory.

The sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air. Test tubes were everywhere, and some of them contained red liquid.

Shendu could sense those liquids resonating with his body.

"As you can see, this lab was built specifically for you."

Tony raised both hands and introduced the equipment to Shendu. "By the way, changing forms with those so-called talismans doesn't affect your blood, does it?"

"That was caused by the tongue Quill gave me," Shendu corrected him. "Changing forms has no effect on the blood in my body."

Tony waved a hand. "Doesn't matter. Talismans, rocks Quill gave you, whatever. As long as it doesn't affect my research."

Tony motioned for Shendu to sit down and extend his arm.

Tony took out a syringe as thick as a thumb from the side. "Don't worry. It's sterilized."

As he drew Shendu's blood, Tony asked, "What do you think about the mole in S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Shendu watched the syringe gradually fill. "What opinion could I have? What emotion could I feel besides anger? After all, I'm the one who got used as a weapon."

Tony put away the syringe and placed the blood into a testing machine. "The testing will take a week. I'll be staying here for the next while."

Shendu raised an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me that?"

Tony did not answer. Instead, he handed Shendu an ID card. "This is a S.H.I.E.L.D. high-level clearance card. I'm very interested in the material that dart is made from. I need more of it."

"You want me to find that mole for you?"

Tony reclined in a nearby chair. "No. I'm only interested in the dart's material. You just need to get me some."

"Why should I help you? What do I get out of it?" Shendu asked.

Tony looked as though everything was under his control. "Like I said, I'll be staying here for the next week. During that time, I won't be involved in any S.H.I.E.L.D. affairs, and Stark Industries facilities within S.H.I.E.L.D. will have problems too."

Shendu remained unmoved. "That's the so-called benefit?"

Tony had expected that question. He sprang from his chair and stepped closer to Shendu. "Mr. Valmont, I know you're not a good person. We're just using each other."

"You know as well as I do that without Stark Industries' support, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security systems will be greatly weakened. You'll be able to do much more."

"You don't care about S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Shendu asked.

Tony's voice was filled with disdain. "From the moment S.H.I.E.L.D. launched a nuclear missile into a crowd, I stopped having any favorable impression of them. At least you protect humanity."

Tony looked at the machine still running its tests. "Compared to S.H.I.E.L.D., you're a better partner for me, even if I know you have ulterior motives."

Shendu found Tony's explanation laughable. A demon, protecting humanity? That had only been necessary under the circumstances.

"After all, in my original world, a demon ruled the place, and I stood with humanity." Shendu forcibly suppressed his laughter and spoke with righteous conviction.

"Good. Looks like I chose the right partner." Tony was very satisfied with Shendu's answer.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

Fury frowned deeply as he looked over the documents Steve had handed him.

Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had gone through layer upon layer of screening. Before becoming official agents, they also underwent a series of brainwashing procedures. In theory, there should have been no possibility of a mole.

But now, Steve had appeared before him with evidence, leaving him no choice but to believe it.

"That dragon was used as a weapon?" Fury still remembered Shendu's performance during the Battle of New York. Without him, that nuclear missile would have caused even greater damage.

"Yes."

Steve handed over another document folder. "Based on my observations these past few days, Valmont holds no hostility toward humanity. On the contrary, he may even become an ally."

"No hostility toward humanity, and he may even become an ally." Fury repeated the words.

Fury seemed to realize something and clapped his hands. "Clearly, they don't want Valmont to join us. They even want Valmont to see us as enemies."

"Driving a wedge between us!" Steve added.

"How insidious. We don't know what technology the Chitauri used to place the mole among us, and they also have Loki." Fury looked at the documents before him. "The God of Mischief indeed."

"Make preparations," Fury said firmly. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will undergo another internal review in the coming days."