Seeing that the situation was rapidly deteriorating to the disadvantage of both himself and the superheroes, Captain America found himself utterly at a loss. He was even prepared to let himself be thrown into prison first and figure out a solution later.
Except, if it came to that, God only knew what would become of a world controlled by Hydra—who held the reins of public opinion—and Latveria.
This was not World War II. Captain America knew that even if he raised his voice and made a rallying call right now, it would be nearly impossible for the superheroes and police officers present to abandon their own positions and form a united front with him.
This was entirely different from the battle they had just fought.
As severe as Ms. Von Bardas made it sound, in truth, only five or six people—including Daredevil and Wolverine—had taken part in the Latverian operation.
The other superheroes needed nothing more than a bit of time and a few words to explain everything clearly and distance themselves from those individuals.
Still, no one was foolish enough to jump out and defend themselves at a critical moment like this. Superheroes were hardly super-fools; with the exception of Tony Stark, few among them were willing to expose themselves to the spotlight.
"What should I do..." Captain America's mind raced as he desperately tried to find a way out of the predicament.
Just as the Venom-suited Robin collapsed onto the ground in a huge, gloopy heap, Batman descended from the sky, holding Nick Fury in a tight grip. Captain America's heart, which had been in his throat, suddenly settled back down.
During the previous battle, when Batman was absent, Captain America had felt a subtle pang of resentment, thinking that perhaps Patriot—Elijah—might not have died if Batman had been there.
Strictly speaking, though, Batman was not to blame. If anyone was at fault, it was Hydra. Captain America wasn't the type to cling to such grievances forever.
Seeing Batman arrive like a savior sent from the heavens, even Captain America couldn't help but cheer in his heart:
"Reliable as always!"
Nodding slightly to Batman, Captain America set aside their brief clash back at the Adirondack Mountains base and turned to ask Nick Fury:
"What on earth is going on, Nick Fury?"
Nick Fury said nothing. Pushing himself up from the ground, he stared back at Captain America with a stubborn, unyielding glare.
At that moment, Batman placed a hand on Nick Fury's shoulder, looking down at his grizzled, graying temples.
"Tell them everything. Or I'll speak for you."
Nick Fury glanced at Batman expressionlessly, then suddenly barked:
"Quake!"
BOOM!
The moment the word "Quake" left his mouth, Quake—who had been standing at a distance—acted!
The already heavily damaged ground of Times Square violently shuddered, as if absorbing the massive recoil of a heavy cannon firing an artillery shell!
Unleashing power far beyond anything she had previously displayed, Quake moved. The air, the ground, the surrounding skyscrapers, the bodies of the superheroes...
Virtually all matter vibrated violently at the exact same instant, pervasive and inescapable, like an actual natural disaster descending upon them.
Among the superheroes present, the last person capable of generating momentum on par with a natural catastrophe was Thor, the God of Thunder!
Regardless of her actual strength, this single strike thoroughly startled many in the crowd. Enveloped in an immense wall of wind pressure, Quake's silhouette surged directly toward Batman!
In a single instant!
Wolverine, Iron Man, Blade, Venom Robin, Black Knight, Jack Monroe, Electro, Vulture...
Whether their reactions were fast or slow, everyone's first instinct was to pounce toward Batman to intercept Quake!
Yet, there was no need for them to step in. Batman's exposed chin didn't twitch, nor did the corners of his mouth.
Because the very moment Quake moved, Thor had already gripped his short-handled hammer tightly.
The broad red cape behind Thor snapped almost completely straight. He took a massive step forward, swinging his hammer in a wide arc to meet Quake head-on!
THUD!
Quake collided solidly with Thor's hammer. Centered around the two of them, a circular shockwave exploded outward. The rolling gust of air swept away all the dust on the ground, snapped Batman's cape with a loud rustle, and sent the reporter Eddie Brock flying once again.
Amidst the violent shockwave, lightning flashed.
Thor's arm absorbed the heavy recoil, while Quake was sent flying backward in a clean, sharp trajectory. Her body breached the sound barrier in midair, producing a deafening sonic boom before slamming—in the blink of an eye—into one of the few remaining skyscrapers around Times Square.
Through a continuous cascade of rumbles, Quake shot right out the other side of the skyscraper, spraying glass and debris as she plowed toward the next building.
After tearing through three or four skyscrapers over a distance of several hundred meters, Quake crashed into an apartment building and went completely silent.
Electro glanced at Thor, his gaze lingering briefly on the hammer, before leaping up into the sky.
A dozen seconds later, Electro returned carrying the unconscious Quake. Mimicking Batman, he tossed her onto the ground with a dull thud.
"Now you can talk," Captain America said.
From start to finish, Batman kept one hand pressed firmly on Nick Fury's shoulder, standing aside expressionlessly.
Venom Robin found it a bit strange, but he didn't care enough to ponder it. Instead, he stared curiously at Thor, his eyes fixed greedily on the hammer once more.
"Cap, this isn't the right time or place to talk about this," Nick Fury said, his mustache twitching as the words forced their way out.
"There's nothing wrong with this time or place," Wolverine growled. "Everything that's happened today feels like an act of retaliation. Ms. Von Bardas claims we went to Latveria, but I don't have a single memory of it."
Wolverine fumbled in his pocket, only to find the small tin box that held his cigars had been sliced in two during the fight, the cigars long gone.
He raised the tin box to his nose, took a sniff, and tossed it onto the ground.
"I can't help but wonder what actually happened. Luke Cage getting attacked, Hydra sacking Manhattan, Elijah dying a tragic death..."
"These are all the consequences of things we once did. You're going to clear this up today."
The fury in Logan's voice was almost impossible to suppress, but he didn't pop his claws to impale Nick Fury. Instead, he gritted his teeth, forcing out every single word.
Eddie Brock, who had been blown away by the shockwave from Thor's hammer blow, limped over. A large patch of skin and flesh had been scraped off his leg, but he had managed to protect his phone so fiercely that it didn't have a single scratch.
The live stream broadcast to the entire world was naturally still running smoothly.
Seeming to realize there was no escape today, Nick Fury's expression turned exceedingly grim:
"Today's operation was an organized terrorist attack against the American homeland..."
"Cut the damn official speak! I want to hear the whole truth!" Wolverine roared, clearly on the verge of losing control of his anger.
"A few of you assisted me in going to Latveria to overthrow their government and assassinate their top leader," Nick Fury said, gritting his teeth.
"When was this?" Jessica Jones asked this time.
"Two years ago today." Held fast by Batman, Nick Fury was unable to move an inch. "Before today's events, the Latveria operation was codenamed 'Secret War'."
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)