Bab 16: Taking down a Hydra Base!
The cold wind of Sokovia was sharper on the outskirts of the City, the air was biting into Maxim's skin as he led Wanda and Pietro through the desolate streets. People were all in their homes, or what was left of various homes, huddled up to protect eachother.
The darkness of night had already fallen, perfect for the mission Maxim had planned for. The trio's journey through the ruined city had been quiet, none of them wanting to increase the already high tension and uncertainty.
The twins just slowly but surely followed Maxim, intrigued by the promise he had laid out for them. For Wanda and Pietro, this was finally a chance, a chance to actually make some serious change in Sokovia, instead of just being useless protesters.
For Maxim, this was just another step in his carefully orchestrated plan ever since he had exited Sokovia. Currently S.H.I.E.L.D were currently busy secretly investigating themselves under the command of Nick Fury, and Maxim knew he was getting closer to be cleared.
After getting himself cleared, Maxim would naturally head to the US, to visit his sister Katya, all the while training Wanda and Pietro. He suspected he could awaken their powers using his own Astral Powers inherited from Astra.
Once he was done with his visit with Katya and Wanda and Pietro had reached a suitable combat level, he'd wait until after the New York attack, protecting the City and taking away the Mind Gem to use temporarily.
Then, he'd recruit the Black Widow to take down the Red Room and go from there. Naturally, the first step in all of this needed to go well, and so he needed to defeat this Hydra base to prove to Wanda and Pietro he meant business.
As the trio reached the edge of the city, Maxim crouched behind a crumbling concrete wall, motioning for the twins to do the same.
Ahead of them, a Hydra base stood looming in the darkness. Floodlights illuminated the perimeter, revealing armed guards patrolling the ground, each of them in pairs.
"Look," Maxim said, his voice low but firm. He gestured toward the base with a subtle movement of his hand, "That's Hydra's heart in Sokovia. Everything they're doing to your country, every atrocity, every manipulation, it all stems from there."
Pietro squinted into the distance, his jaw clenched tightly as he spotted the guards, "So, what's the plan? We sneak in, take them out? Steal their files?"
Maxim shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips, "Not 'we' You two stay here. Watch. I'll handle this."
Pietro's brows furrowed, his fists clenching as if insulted, "You're joking, right? We didn't come all the way out here to sit on the sidelines."
Wanda sensed her brothers anger and cautiously placed a hand on his arm, holding him back as she turned towards Maxim for him to respond to Pietro.
"You're not ready for what's inside that base. What combat power do you have? You're not trained, you have no powers as of yet. You go in there like this, without preparation, and you'll die."
Hydra isn't just soldiers with guns; they have weapons, tech, and experiments you've never imagined. I've seen it firsthand. You go in there without powers, without preparation, and you'll die."
The sting of Maxim's words hit Pietro harder than he cared to admit, but he kept quiet, though his jaw remained clenched in frustration. Wanda, however, was more reflective. She stared at Maxim, her mind turning over his words.
"We're just supposed to sit here and wait?" Wanda asked, a hint of doubt in her voice.
Maxim nodded, "Yes. I need you to watch. See what's about to happen. It'll prove to you exactly what kind of enemy we're dealing with, and why you need me."
Pietro opened his mouth to argue, but Wanda gave him a look that quieted him. She was the more measured of the two, the one who knew when to take a step back and listen, "Fine," she said, though there was a note of hesitance. "But if this is some trick—"
"It's no trick," Maxim interrupted, his gaze steady and serious, "This is just the beginning."
Without another word, Maxim stepped forward, his form almost disappearing into the shadows as he approached the Hydra base. The twins stayed low behind the concrete wall, their eyes following his every movement, unsure of what to expect.
Maxim's body seemed to dissolve into the darkness, his incorporeal state taking hold. He moved like a dark wraith, effortlessly slipping through the defenses of the base.
From their vantage point, Wanda and Pietro could only see the flickers in the darkness as Maxim appeared, instantly striking down a duo of guards before vanishing back into darkness, taking out one pair of guards after another.
Pietro let out a frustrated breath, his fingers digging into the cracked concrete as he watched Maxim's silhouette disappear into the Hydra facility, "How is he doing that?"
"I don't know," Wanda whispered, her eyes narrowing as she tried to follow Maxim's movements and failed, "But it's… it's like he's not even there."
Inside the base, Maxim was a total killing machine. He could feel every pulse of life, every footstep, every breath of every Hydra agent inside the base.
Maxim slipped through walls and doors with ease as if they weren't there, immediately annihilating any and everyone in his path. He took them down before they could even react, moving deeper and deeper into the base.
He had one goal, the heart of the base, it's generator room. Once he took that out, the entire base would crumble. Maxim raised his hand, and the shadows around him thickened, coalescing into inky tendrils that snaked along the walls and floor.
His telepathic abilities reached into the minds of the guards nearest to him, planting seeds of terror, feeding their latent fears until panic began to bloom in their subconscious.
One by one, the guards started to falter, looking over their shoulders, gripping their weapons tighter as a sense of dread washed over them. They couldn't see anything, but they could 'feel' the danger approaching.
Back outside, Pietro shifted uneasily, watching as Hydra members ran in and out of the base, their movements slowing. Pietro could see the guards looking around nervously, muttering to each other, their hands gripping their rifles tighter.
Something was happening, something they couldn't see but could feel.
"Do you see that?" Pietro whispered to Wanda.
She nodded, her eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and awe, "He's doing something… but I don't know what."
Inside, the chaos was spreading. The lights flickered as Maxim reached the generator room. His hand hovered over the main power conduit, a cosmic nebula swirling in his hand.
~BOOM~
With a boom, the wave of cosmic energy crashed into the machine, and the entire facility went dark.
An instant later, the alarms blared.
Outside, Wanda and Pietro jumped at the sudden sound, watching as the base was plunged into darkness, only the distant glow of emergency lights casting a faint red hue over the scene.
"What's happening?" Pietro asked, his voice edged with both excitement and anxiety.
In the darkness, the Hydra guards scrambled to restore order, their radios crackling with frantic voices. But they couldn't see what was coming. From every shadow, Maxim emerged, incapacitating the remaining guards with brutal efficiency.
Like a ghost, Maxim swiftly dispatched guard after guard, his incorporeal state allowing him to pass through walls and floors, striking from all angles.
~RATATATATATA~
Hydra soldiers shot into the darkness, terrified as their bullets hit nothing, and before long, a swift punch through the chest and crushing of the heart killed them.
jMaxim's telepathy filled their minds with confusion and fear, his abilities amplifying their terror until it became all-consuming.
Back outside, Pietro's hands clenched into fists as he watched the chaos unfold, his heart racing, "He's… he's taking them out. By himself."
Wanda's gaze was fixed on the base, her mind racing. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. This man who had approached them was dismantling an entire Hydra base on his own, using abilities that defied everything she understood about the world.
Minutes passed, though it felt like an eternity to the twins. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the chaos subsided. The alarms stopped, and silence fell over the base.
Maxim reappeared at the edge of the base, walking calmly back toward them, his form solidifying from the darkness. There wasn't a scratch on him.
Pietro stood up, staring at Maxim in disbelief, "How did you…?"
"I told you," Maxim said, his voice cool and composed. "You weren't ready for what was inside that base. But now, it's gone."
Wanda stepped forward, her eyes locked on Maxim's, filled with a mixture of awe and apprehension, "What are you?"
Maxim smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it. "I'm someone who's been through what you're about to face. Hydra wants to control you, but with my help, you'll be the ones in control. I told you I could give you power, and now, you've seen a fraction of it."
The weight of his words settled on them both, the reality of what they had witnessed sinking in, "You said we'd destroy Hydra," Wanda said, her voice quiet but steady.
Maxim nodded. "And we will. But first, you need to become something more. Something stronger."
Pietro's excitement was barely contained, but even he knew the gravity of what lay ahead. "So, what now?"
"Now," Maxim said, turning toward the distant horizon, "We begin your real training."
Bab 17: S.H.I.E.L.D Meeting!
S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters!
Nick Fury sat behind his desk, looking ahead as the atmosphere in the office was rather tense. In front of him was his right hand woman Maria Hill, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow, most of which were seated in front of him.
The only one not seated was Maria Hill, who stood beside him, a tablet in her hand. Fury gave a signal for Maria to begin, and she straightened her posture, her face a mask of professional calm as she began the briefing.
"After conducting our secret investigation into recent security breaches, with information provided by Maxim, we've uncovered something disturbing," she started, her tone clipped and efficient. "Hydra agents have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D as he claimed, more deeply than we initially thought."
Fury remained silent as he listened, but his single eye narrowed, a storm brewing behind it. Captain America, arms crossed, shifted slightly in his chair, his expression set in a grim frown. Black Widow and Hawkeye exchanged a glance, but neither said a word.
Every single one of them were just taking in the information. Although they had suspicion, having it actually confirmed shocked them to their cores, and left them with lots of thoughts floating around their mind.
Hill tapped her tablet and continued on, bringing up a series of holographic images and files that floated in the air before them, photos of several low- and mid-level S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, "These individuals," she continued, "were recently identified as Hydra sleeper agents. They've been working under deep cover for years, and it's only through our internal investigation that we managed to dig up their true identities."
She gestured to one of the photos, a nondescript agent with a bland, forgettable face, brown hair, brown eyes, bland face and smile, "This man here, Andrew Kessler, works in logistics. His records show him as having a clean history, nothing suspicious. But we dug deeper, and his background is full of inconsistencies. Birth records, educational history, even employment records have been falsified."
Hill swiped the image away, replacing it with another agent's profile, "Dozens like him have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. at low to mid-level positions. They're the cogs in the machine, the ones who handle information and logistics. On their own, they're not much of a threat. But together, they can do real damage."
Captain America leaned forward, his eyes locked onto Hill's. "How many have we identified so far?
"Sixty-Nine," Hill answered, her expression grim, "And that's just what we've confirmed. There could be more, hiding deeper, or in more sensitive areas of S.H.I.E.L.D. But it gets worse."
She hesitated for a moment, then swiped again, bringing up a series of names, "These individuals are Hydra agents operating at much higher levels. High enough that simply taking them out isn't an option."
The images that appeared were of senior S.H.I.E.L.D. officials, heads of departments, veteran field agents, and regional directors.
Each one held considerable power within the organization, and removing them without raising suspicion or causing a massive internal collapse would be near impossible. Each one of their deaths would cause massive uproar and incur immense investigations.
"We believe that Hydra embedded these agents early on, and these ranks have potentially been passed down between Hydra operatives to maintain power," Hill continued, "They've been positioning themselves carefully, making sure they're untouchable without creating a ripple effect."
Hawkeye's voice was low but full of tension. "So, we can't just pull the rug out from under them. If we go after the wrong person, we could be setting off a bomb."
"Exactly," Hill said, nodding. "Taking out the lower-end Hydra agents is doable. We can quietly remove them, one by one, without raising any flags. But for the higher-level operatives? We'll need a long, detailed plan, something methodical, strategic."
Captain America's jaw tightened, "So, we're talking about a surgical approach. Take out the ones we can, start planning for the others. But it'll take time."
"Time we don't have a lot of," Fury finally spoke, his voice a low rumble. He had been silent throughout the discussion, but now he leaned forward, his gaze piercing, "Hydra is moving fast. We have to be faster. They have bases all over Europe, operatives all over. According to Maxim, they even have agents in parliment and international government positions...We can't afford mistakes."
There was a heavy pause, the weight of their situation settling over the room like a shroud. They all knew the gravity of the situation, Hydra had grown its roots deep into S.H.I.E.L.D, and even deeper into the World's Powers, and rooting them out would be a delicate and dangerous process.
Hill closed the holographic display and looked directly at Fury, "What's our next move, sir?"
Fury exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him, "We start with the low-level agents. Quietly. Make it look like accidents, transfers, anything that won't raise alarms. As for the higher-ups… we plan. We wait until we've got enough leverage to move without blowing the whole damn thing wide open."
Captain America nodded in agreement, his expression resolute, "We'll need to be careful. One wrong step, and they'll know we're onto them."
Fury nodded, his face set in a grim expression. "That's right. And while you're doing that, we're making one more change to the plan."
Hill raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak, waiting for Fury to continue.
"We cancel the search for Maxim," Fury said firmly.
Everyone in the room turned toward him, surprise evident on their faces. Although they knew he was not guilty, he was still a dangerous loose end, and Fury wasn't the kind of leader to leave loose ends hanging, that was something they were very aware of.
"Why?" Maria asked.
Fury met her gaze evenly, "Because we don't need to track him anymore. He's not the threat we thought he was. In fact, we're going to help him."
Hawkeye crossed his arms, clearly confused,"Help him? You're sure about this?"
"I am," Fury said, his voice carrying the weight of certainty. "Maxim's been doing our work for us. He's been tearing through Hydra from the inside, and right now, we need all the help we can get. If we try to bring him in or neutralize him, we'll lose a valuable asset. Although I hate loose ends, I have priorities, and currently, dealing with Hydra trumps him."
Hill's brow furrowed as she processed Fury's decision, "So, what's the plan? If we're not tracking him, how do we make contact?"
Fury leaned forward, pulling out a small, encrypted communication device from his desk drawer, "We've already got a secret channel. Reach out to him. Tell him we've got a safe house set up for him in the States. Inside, he'll find new identity papers, resources, everything he needs to keep moving without drawing attention."
Black Widow raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair, "You're offering him a clean slate."
"Something like that," Fury said. "Maxim's dangerous, but he's not our enemy. He's going after Hydra, same as we are. Right now, we need him destabilizing them, and he needs us to stay out of his way. So, we help him disappear, and in return, he keeps doing what he's doing."
Captain America nodded slowly, considering Fury's words, "We give him what he needs, and he does the work we can't."
"Exactly," Fury said, his voice hard.
"Anything else, sir?" she asked.
Fury's gaze swept over the room once more. "That's it. For now, we focus on taking out the low-level Hydra agents and planning our next move. Keep your heads down, and make sure no one catches wind of what we're doing."
With a final nod from Fury, the meeting was adjourned, the gravity of their mission pressing down on them all as they dispersed to carry out their orders.
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