Urgency (Part Three)

"Mala Island itself is a secret outpost of Monarch, located off the coast of Mexico and far from major shipping routes. Aside from Ultron's Demon Engine production base, there are no innocent civilians on the island!"

Nick Fury could not help raising his voice. "If we launch a tactical H-bomb at it now and carry out a surgical strike, the international community could well give its tacit approval at an emergency Security Council meeting, given the global threat of extinction posed by Ultron—especially once we show them the Demon Engine Helicarriers and Demon Engine Titan Jaegers he's about to complete, weapons capable of destroying nations across the world!"

The more he spoke, the more animated he became, as though he could already see the plan succeeding.

"Boom!" He spread his hands in an imitation of an explosion. "We wipe out Ultron's stronghold in one blow. His production lines, those Helicarriers and Titan Jaegers he hasn't finished converting, and those damned demons that keep pouring out of nowhere—we blow them all to dust."

"Without his greatest weapons and main production base, Ultron's threat level will plummet, even if he still has some Demon Engines operating elsewhere."

"He'll be back on equal footing with us. Then we'll have a chance to wipe him and the rest of his minions out within a relatively controlled area!"

Nick Fury practically ground out the words "equal footing" and "wipe them out." His voice was heavy with undisguised hatred.

It was not directed solely at Ultron. Anger at being forced into this final option seemed mixed in as well.

Because he, more than anyone, knew what this plan meant.

Those three Helicarriers were all that remained of Project Insight after its failure, the last symbol of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s aerial power. Each represented an investment of over a