Urgency (Part Twelve)

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Ross. You've got it exactly right!"

President Ellis gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. He looked elated to have found a way forward. "You're absolutely right. S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters is only a dozen or so kilometers from the White House, while the Helicarriers they built have enough range to cover the entire East Coast!"

"Just thinking that some Hydra madmen might still be lurking in a dark corner of S.H.I.E.L.D., ready to activate those deadly things again the moment they get the chance and point their guns at my residence, at my family—ahem. I mean, point them at Washington and millions of innocent Americans—I can hardly eat or sleep."

"Hmph. This is no longer merely an internal S.H.I.E.L.D. problem. It directly threatens the heart of America's national security. The White House and the U.S. Federal Government must therefore exert decisive influence over S.H.I.E.L.D.'s overhaul and rebuilding, and impose the necessary checks on it."

"That's right. It's our responsibility, and it's our authority!"

The more President Ellis spoke, the more excited he became. He could almost see the crowds of Americans cheering as he stepped forcefully into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rebuilding efforts as the guardian of national security.

But then his next step abruptly halted. The excitement on his face froze, as though an even bolder idea had struck him.

He turned back to Ross, a tentative yet eager glint in his eyes. "Ross, tell me—if those damned headless Hydra operatives are so dangerous, and they've burrowed so deeply into S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Security Council, while Nick Fury has always been stubborn and impossible to control—why don't we use this opportunity to dissolve S.H.I.E.L.D. outright?"

"Or at least gut its authority until it exists in name only?"

"Wouldn't that put an end to the problem for good? Then we wouldn't have to