Sitwell had not been having an easy time lately. Too much had happened over the past month. Alexander Pierce had been assassinated, and the killer had been Hydra's ultimate weapon, the Winter Soldier. For a time, the bald agent could not make heads or tails of it. Was this an internal struggle, or an attack from an outside enemy?
Having lost both his superior and his patron, this opportunist who always followed the wind could only keep his head down and make himself as inconspicuous as possible, lest he be targeted and purged. What surprised him, however, was that after Pierce's unfortunate death, Nick Fury had not returned to reclaim power. Instead, the White House and the military had intervened forcefully, with General Thaddeus Ross becoming the new leader.
Sitwell could not help finding it ironic. S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra had fought each other, yet neither had claimed the victor's throne. Instead, an unrelated third party had reaped the fruits of victory.
The moment General Ross took office, he appointed a new commander: Helmut Zemo. Rumor had it that he came from Sokovia and had once served as a colonel in an elite unit. He had been seconded to S.H.I.E.L.D. to replace Maria Hill.
This newcomer, who had no foundation within the organization, had almost uprooted every Hydra force lurking inside S.H.I.E.L.D., including the long-hidden John Garrett and his prized student, Grant Ward. Those deeply embedded moles were all quietly brought under control before being secretly eliminated.
From field operations to upper-level internal affairs, everything underwent a complete reshuffle. The methods were decisive and swift, yet they caused no panic at all. That alone proved Zemo's capabilities. With the powerful backing of General Ross and Umbrella behind him, he gradually established his own position.
Sitwell began to wonder whether he should