The Intelligence and Infiltration Department at the Vought Tower operated with a style quite different from the efficiency of the rest of the building.
The lighting here is dim, a faint fragrance fills the air, and an expensive carpet absorbs all footsteps, giving the entire space a languid yet dangerous tranquility.
Ada Wong was leaning back in her office chair, her long legs crossed and propped up on her expensive desk.
She admired with great interest the surveillance wall in front of her, which consisted of dozens of small screens.
The screen above was showing a live broadcast of an "accidental" fire that had occurred inside an embassy in a Europe country, with the flames casting interplay of light and shadow on her face.
There was a knock on the office door.
"Please come in."
Tifa walked in and placed an encrypted data terminal on Ada's desk.
"The boss's orders."
Ada picked up the terminal, her fiery red fingernails lightly tracing across its black casing.
Instead of looking at the contents directly, she leaned back in her chair and leisurely observed Tifa.
"Such meticulousness is uncharacteristic of a girl your age. The boss's taste remains as refined as ever."
Tifa pouted. "The boss likes business attire."
"You need to relax sometimes, otherwise you'll rust."
"My job is to ensure the procedures run precisely, Minister Ada. Clothing is part of that precision."
Ada chuckled softly, finally focusing her attention on the terminal.
When she saw the names " Project Pegasus " and " Wendy Lawson," the languid look on her face faded slightly.
"Oh? It's this old relic."
Excitement gleamed in Ada's eyes.
"I thought it was buried in its grave along with Howard Stark a long time ago. Is the boss going to... dig it up?"
"We don't need to guess the boss's intentions. We just need to execute them."
"Also, the boss asked me to remind you that the enemy this time isn't human, so don't let your people die too horribly."
"Of course, of course."
Ada stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet, poured two glasses of whiskey, and handed one to Tifa.
" S.H.I.E.L.D. a very high level of secrecy surrounding this plan. It'll take some effort to dig out the intelligence without any problems. Consider this a prepayment for your overtime work."
Tifa did not accept the glass.
I don't drink alcohol.
"How boring."
Ada took a sip herself.
"I like challenging missions. I'll have Nina personally visit the old site of Project Pegasus; there's always something interesting left there."
Watching Tifa's departing figure, Ada downed the drink in her glass in one gulp.
Aliens, shapeshifting races, sealed military black technology...
This is getting more and more interesting.
CEO's Office.
Lynn was resting with his eyes closed, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. He was waiting.
He awaits all the clues to converge in his hands, and he awaits the unveiling of the truth that has been concealed for many years.
The office door was pushed open.
Tifa arrived at the CEO's office with a document and began her report.
"Boss, the files have been declassified."
"The program was secretly launched after Howard Stark accidentally discovered the Tesseract while searching for Captain America's remains. Partners included Stark Industries, the military, NASA, and the fledgling S.H.I.E.L.D.."
"The core research subject is the Tesseract. Through his research, Howard discovered a theoretically New Element, but it could not be synthesized due to the limitations of the technology at the time."
She paused, then pulled up another file.
"The person in charge of the later stages of the project was Dr. Wendy Dr. Lawson. The ultimate goal of the project was to develop a light-speed engine. However, in a test flight accident, Dr. Lawson and a test pilot died at the same time, and the project was therefore shelved. And that missing test pilot... her photo looks exactly like Vers, whom we met today."
Tifa placed a yellowed paper photograph on Lynn's desk.
In the photo, a dashing blonde female pilot is leaning against an experimental aircraft, smiling brightly.
Her name is Carol Vers.
Lynn picked up the photo and gently stroked the young and confident face in it with her fingertips.
The so-called test flight accident was actually a meticulously planned murder and kidnapping.
The Kree took the Earth pilot away, erased her memories, and turned her into their weapon of war.
This is not a simple alien invasion at all.
This is a proxy war that has lasted for decades, spreading from the depths of space to Earth.
" Howard..."
That genius's lifelong pursuit was to obtain energy and power that transcended his time.
He glimpsed a corner of the future from the Tesseract, but he didn't live to turn it into reality.
Tifa.
Lynn put down the photo.
"Exist."
"In the photo, there is another woman next to Carol Vers."
Lynn pointed to a corner of the photo, where a Black female pilot was arm in arm with Carol, both laughing heartily.
Maria Rumble.
Tifa gave her name.
"A former Air Force pilot and close friend of Carol Vers. He retired due to emotional reasons following a test flight accident and currently lives in New Orleans, raising his daughter alone."
The Kree believed that erasing his memory would give them a perfect soldier.
They were all wrong.
They simply don't understand that memory and emotion are not weaknesses.
In the hands of those who know how to use them, they are the sharpest weapons in the world.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. black sedan merged into the congested traffic, becoming indistinguishable from the surrounding vehicles.
Inside the car, Nick Fury's expression was not good.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Phil Coulson could clearly feel the oppressive atmosphere emanating from his boss.
He tried to break the silence.
"That woman, Nina Williams, is Ada Wong's second-in-command. The number two in Vought's Intelligence and Infiltration Department, she's known for her Coldblood and efficiency. We know less about her than some of the KGB's top agents. Her presence on the front lines suggests something is far more serious than we imagined."
Fury did not respond.
Coulson didn't give up; he continued from another angle, "Perhaps we can start with the battle at that nursing home. There were so many witnesses—the elderly, the caregivers... No matter how much power Vought has, he can't silence everyone or erase everyone's memories."
"It's no use, Phil."
"Once we get the search warrant signed by the higher-ups, once we've gone through all the trouble of persuading those bureaucrats who only care about money and votes, guess what we'll see? I'm telling you, Phil, we'll see a brand new nursing home that just received a million-dollar donation from the Vought Charitable Foundation."
"The floors there will be cleaner than the White House lawn, and every elderly person there will tearfully thank Vought International for saving them from a gas leak."
He turned his head and looked at Coulson.
Vought International.
This behemoth is no longer just a business empire.
Its tentacles have long since penetrated every corner of this country, from law to media, from finance to the military.
In its presence, S.H.I.E.L.D.. is like an old-fashioned cop trying to hunt down its adversaries on the information superhighway with an outdated map.