Things had not been meant to turn out this way. It was only because, after returning to the Triskelion and reporting to Howard, Fury found that he actually had some free time.
After giving it some thought, he decided to head out and check on the aftermath of the morning's sewer explosion. New York's streets were covered in filth and dirty water. If it triggered an epidemic, or if some other force tried to exploit the chaos, he needed to be prepared.
Unexpectedly, while driving aimlessly through the streets, he ended up near his own neighborhood. Then, in an alley, he saw his wife talking intimately with an unfamiliar man.
They did not seem particularly close. Their words and gestures carried the air of official business, but Fury was certain he had never seen that man in S.H.I.E.L.D.
He had always suspected Valentina of being Hydra, but after all these years, he had never found any evidence. Gradually, he had abandoned that suspicion.
But what he saw today brought all his old doubts rushing back. Hidden inside his car, Fury took out his binoculars and watched carefully.
Valentina spoke with the man for a while, then they embraced. The man brought his mouth close to her cheek, seemingly about to give her the ordinary farewell kiss of a friend, but Fury read the words from his lips.
"Hail Hydra."
The long-standing suspicion had finally been confirmed, but Fury felt none of the joy he usually did when rooting out a Hydra agent. There was only confusion in his heart.
Valentina had been his wife for so many years. They had built a family together. Other than having no children, everything had been good.
Yet today's reality proved that all their past happiness had merely been an act. What was wrong