Bab 275: Chapter 275: Pinning the Blame on Hydra
"Clark, calm down for a moment," Tony said, attempting to soothe Clark, who was visibly upset upon learning of Hank Pym's decision to turn himself in. "The Ultron incident was significant, and someone needed to take responsibility. Dr. Pym's decision to step forward was brave, and meant to spare others trouble. We should respect his choice."
Clark was somewhat skeptical of Tony's morally upright explanation.
Taking responsibility for one's mistakes is right, but if there's another way to solve the problem, why suffer unnecessarily?
Then, Tony continued, "Clark, I know you and Dr. Pym are close. Don't worry, we're not just going to stand by. I've already discussed with Mr. Matthew about the legal aspects in America. We can find ways to reduce Dr. Pym's sentence, and the president might even pardon him. If we handle this well, he could be out in a year or two."
"A year or two?"
To Clark, this seemed trivial compared to the chaos Pym had caused. It even seemed like an unfair legal privilege of the wealthy.
But Clark wasn't satisfied!
"Not even a year or two, not even a month... No! Not even a day is acceptable!"
"I'll take care of this. You guys don't need to worry," Clark decisively took responsibility and left Stark Tower. "Don't worry, I'll handle this legally and won't do anything rash. I'm going to visit Uncle Pym first to hear what he has to say."
At the New York City Police Department, in the visiting room, Clark looked questioningly at Hank Pym, who seemed calm. "Uncle Pym, do you really intend to take responsibility by going to jail?"
Hank Pym smiled serenely and said, "I just don't want others to suffer because of me. There are many eyeing the Avengers now. By stepping forward and taking my due responsibility, I can shut many mouths looking for trouble."
"As for serving time in jail…" Pym's smile turned sly, "I don't plan to waste my precious time there. After a while, when things have calmed down, remember to sneak the Ant-Man suit to me."
That's right! The old man planned to escape from prison! This seemed quite fitting for Hank Pym's style.
Being in jail was out of the question for him. If needed, he could change his identity, making it hard for anyone to catch him. This wouldn't be difficult for someone like Pym, who had no shortage of cutting-edge technology.
Knowing the old man's attitude, Clark finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I was really worried you might insist on serving time to atone. If that happened, I'd have been powerless to help."
"If you don't want to serve time, there's no need for an escape plan," Clark assured. "Hank Pym is like a mentor to me, and I won't allow his name to be tarnished. Whether it's escaping prison or being labeled a criminal, neither is acceptable."
As Clark stood up, he was determined: "Leave it to me. I'm going for... an acquittal!"
Having decided on his approach, Clark immediately began his work. He utilized his contacts and power, pulling numerous secret files from S.H.I.E.L.D. He also enlisted the help of Egghead and Hill, deploying numerous agents to gather the required secret information.
A week later, Clark personally visited the judge, prosecutor, and some politicians looking to stir trouble in this case…
Throughout this process, Clark didn't resort to bribery. He simply presented some black history he had dug up about these individuals, letting them introspect.
Some of these histories were already on file in S.H.I.E.L.D., which Clark unhesitatingly used. For those not on file, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents managed to create a record within half a month.
Hill, the deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D., objected to Clark using S.H.I.E.L.D. resources for personal matters.
Egghead's response to her concerns was, "Why don't you discuss this directly with Clark?"
"Based on my personal relationship with Clark, I'd like to help him," Hill stated pragmatically. "But this decision isn't mine to make. Without such a personal bond, I believe your position should be to stand firm against him."
Hill had a clear principle: public matters are public, private are private, never mixing the two.
Egghead shrugged off the concerns, "Even if we don't help him, can't he solve this on his own? Remember, he has level-nine access in S.H.I.E.L.D., just below mine. Accessing those files is easy for him."
"And for the files not in our database, if he's willing to spend money, private detectives could potentially find the information, though it would take more time and be riskier without logistical support."
"But even so, that would just be a hassle."
"More importantly," Egghead said with a resigned smile, "Clark is the only one who's ventured beyond Earth and is willing to plan for its future. If we really upset him over this, my understanding of the guy tells me he'll keep future alien tech away from S.H.I.E.L.D. Next time, we'll only be able to watch as the Eastern S.P.E.A.R. feasts while we drool helplessly."
Hill couldn't help feeling frustrated. Based on her understanding of Clark, he'd definitely do that!
This understanding made Hill relax. According to Egghead, everything was still being handled officially, so she no longer had to worry.
However, she couldn't help feeling annoyed again.
Wait, how come Fury seems to understand Clark better than I do? Am I his lover, or is Fury?
…
Unaware of Hill's tumultuous thoughts, Clark had more pressing issues. The impact of the Ultron incident was so severe that even if all the jurors were inclined to favor him, a convincing explanation was still necessary.
Next was the task of fabricating evidence. The details are omitted here, but all the false evidence revolved around a single piece of real evidence.
To avoid mishaps, Clark had Matthew personally vet all evidence. It didn't need to be airtight, but it absolutely couldn't be traced back to fabrication. In other words, better to have less but reliable evidence.
Ultimately, Clark didn't need to make an ironclad case. As long as other evidence greatly outweighed anything pointing to Pym, his goal would be achieved.
So, after a month of hard work, on the day of the public trial, Clark presented a series of evidence pinning the creation of Ultron and the endangerment of humanity on the deceased Hydra leader, Baron Strucker.
All evidence revolved around a very real document found in Sokovia, detailing an AI development program.
Clark's legal team convincingly argued the true story: After the Battle of New York, the great scientist Hank Pym intended to develop a new AI, "Breeze II," to combat extraterrestrial threats, but it was invaded by an AI secretly developed by Hydra.
The union of the two gave birth to the malicious AI "Ultron."
Later, to prevent this evil AI from causing greater disruption, comrade Pym, along with Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Helen Cho, and others, cooperated with the Avengers to besiege Ultron, eventually securing victory.
In this battle between man and machine, Pym played a pivotal role. Although he made mistakes, he was merely exploited. The court decided on a fine as punishment...
As for the mastermind behind it all, Baron Strucker, being dead, was exempt from punishment.
The case ended in a way that satisfied everyone.
The public received a satisfactory explanation, and the idea of Hydra committing crimes was more acceptable than superheroes doing so.
The government, in turn, received Clark's special attention.
In short, collaborating with him had benefits. Whenever he acquired advanced alien technology, they would get a share. If they didn't cooperate, Clark warned that he couldn't guarantee the safety of the black material he held, which could end up in the media and become a scandal.
Under the carrot and stick approach, politicians unanimously agreed that the evidence Clark presented was convincing enough to blame Hydra. It was clear that only Hydra could commit such atrocious acts, and Pym was innocent!
After all, isn't politics a game of mutual compromise?
With no objections from the government or the public, the media also had no issues. A few who tried to be different were invited by authorities for a "coffee chat."
If you want to support Hydra, then we can't help but suspect you have some unknown ties to them.
During this process, most troublemakers wisely chose submission. For the stubborn few, Clark used their detainment for "heart-to-heart talks" with authorities to expose them to the power of the media, showing them what it means to be under public scrutiny.
Remember, Clark had a say in how one-third of America's media portrayed events!
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