Antony raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping calmly over Natasha.
The Red Room's number-one Black Widow.
A top-tier infiltrator.
A master of close combat.
One of the world's best interrogators.
Antony smiled, then pointed casually at the man leaning weakly against Natasha.
"Natasha, do you know how retail promotions work?"
"Promotions?" Natasha blinked.
"Yeah. Buy one, get one free." Antony gestured toward Banner.
"If you want to join V.G.D., that's fine. But there's a condition."
He paused deliberately.
"You come as Dr. Banner's… complimentary bonus."
For one full second—
Silence.
Then—
"Hahaha…!"
Tony couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.
Banner coughed awkwardly, a faint blush creeping onto his pale face.
Natasha laughed too. She openly looped her arm around Banner's.
"Sounds like a great deal," she said smoothly.
"Although considering how dangerous this 'freebie' is, I strongly recommend you take out a very expensive life insurance policy."
"Deal."
Antony snapped his fingers.
Banner looked at Antony and shook his head with a helpless smile.
"Mr. Starr… this isn't a joke."
"You know what I am. I'm a ticking nuclear bomb."
"If it weren't for you just now… this place would already be hell."
Banner lowered his head, pain etched across his face.
"I'll only bring you disaster."
"Disaster?"
Antony stepped in front of Banner. The smile vanished, replaced by calm seriousness.
"Bruce. Look at me."
"You think Hulk is a disease? A curse?"
"No."
Antony raised a finger and shook it gently.
"Hulk is power. Pure power."
"The problem has never been the power—it's the one trying to control it."
"You run from him. You suppress him. You treat him like a beast locked in a cage."
"So when he breaks free, all he knows is rage. All he knows is destruction."
"Come to Vought."
Antony extended his hand.
"I promise you, Bruce."
"I won't erase Hulk."
"I'll help you accept him."
"One day, you'll realize Hulk isn't your enemy."
"He's your greatest strength."
Banner stared at the hand offered to him.
How many years had it been?
Everyone either wanted to use Hulk… or kill him.
No one—no one—had ever said they wanted to help him accept Hulk.
And the image of Antony physically overpowering Hulk moments ago was still burned into his mind.
This might truly be the only man in the world capable of convincing Hulk—by force if necessary.
After a long pause, Banner reached out and took Antony's hand.
"…Thank you."
"Welcome to the family."
…
Just then, the sky filled with the chopping roar of helicopter blades.
More than a dozen news helicopters—CNN, BBC, AFP, and others—circled in and began descending.
They had been hovering at the perimeter, too afraid to approach while Hulk rampaged.
Now that the battle was over, they rushed in, desperate for the first exclusive footage.
"Well then, I'll see you two later," Antony said lightly to Banner and Natasha.
"Don't forget to send your résumés to Ashley. She'll arrange your onboarding medical exams."
With that, he turned toward the landing journalists.
Before the helicopters even touched down, reporters were already leaping out, ignoring the danger of collapsing ruins.
Microphones were thrust forward, almost jabbing Antony in the face.
"Homelander! Was this incident connected to S.H.I.E.L.D.?!"
"How do you respond to Hulk's destruction in Sokovia's city center?!"
"Is that Tony Stark?! Should the Avengers also be held responsible?!"
"Will Vought sue the Avengers?!"
Antony released Banner's hand and smoothly switched into public mode.
"Everyone, please—one at a time."
He raised a hand, pressing the air down.
"Regarding today's events, Vought will hold a full press conference later."
"Right now, our top priority is treating the wounded—"
Suddenly—
He stopped mid-sentence.
As if sensing something, Antony snapped his head toward the distant hillside where the ancient castle stood.
His brow furrowed.
His ear twitched slightly.
As if he'd heard something.
"What is it, Homelander?"
A brave reporter asked.
"Shh."
Antony raised a finger, signaling for silence.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
"Ladies and gentlemen," Antony said slowly, his voice dropping, shock giving way to fury,
"The battle may be over… but justice has not been served."
"I need to step away for a moment."
"What?!"
The reporters stared at each other.
Before anyone could react, Antony was already rising into the air, drifting toward the castle.
"Go! Go!!"
"Follow him!!"
The journalists went insane, hauling cameras and sprinting after him.
This was Homelander's exclusive moment.
When they reached the base of the castle—
They witnessed a scene that would haunt the world.
Antony hovered in midair, eyes blazing as twin beams of heat vision fired.
"ZZZZ—!!"
A moss-covered stone wall was sliced open in a massive, glowing arc.
The wall collapsed.
Sunlight poured into a dark, damp chamber that had not seen light in years.
"My God…"
A female reporter covered her mouth, tears spilling instantly.
Camera footage shook violently.
The scene inside was laid bare before the world.
A massive containment facility.
Inside dozens of narrow, transparent isolation pods—
Children.
Some looked seventeen or eighteen.
Others were barely eleven or twelve.
They huddled in corners, eyes filled with terror.
Some had tubes embedded in their bodies.
Others bore scars from electric shocks and chemical experiments.
This was hell.
A hidden hell—existing in the heart of the civilized 21st century.
Antony descended slowly and walked inside, like an ordinary older brother.
"N-no… don't come closer…"
A little girl in a hospital gown screamed when she saw him enter through the shattered wall, hugging her knees in terror.
"Don't be afraid," Antony said softly, every edge gone from his voice.
"It's okay… I've got you."
He approached her step by step.
Ignoring the filth, the wounds, the viscous residue on her skin—
He opened his arms and pulled the trembling child into a tight embrace.
"It's over… it's over…"
"You're going home now. I promise."
"WAHH—!!!"
The moment she felt that warmth, the fear she'd suppressed for so long erupted.
She broke down sobbing.
That cry was like opening a floodgate.
Children rushed toward him from every direction.
Crying. Screaming. Clinging.
Antony knelt on the filthy floor, arms spread wide, trying to hold as many of them as he could.
Their tears and mucus smeared his uniform.
He didn't care.
He looked up—
Straight into the lenses of every major news outlet on Earth.
His blue eyes brimmed with tears.
Tears of rage.
Of grief.
Of condemnation toward a cruel world.
Click—click—click—click—!!!
The moment was frozen forever.
"When Light Shines into Hell."
That photograph would win the next Pulitzer Prize—
becoming an enduring symbol of this era.
…..
Moments later, the roar of engines returned to the sky.
A supersonic VTOL transport marked Vought Medical descended and hovered nearby.
Landing gear deployed.
Dozens of Vought medics in white uniforms rushed out, pushing rescue equipment.
"Kids! Don't be afraid!"
"We've got hot dogs, pizza, and unlimited Vought Energy Drinks!"
"Those who can't move—stretchers first! Minor injuries, follow me!"
Under Vought's professional response, the children were quickly wrapped in warm blankets and loaded onto stretchers.
Treatment began immediately.
Antony rose, handed the little girl to a nurse, then stepped back toward the microphones.
"I don't want to speculate," he said gravely.
"But I promise the world this."
"No matter who did this."
"No matter where they hide."
"I will find them."
"And I will make them pay—"
He stopped.
A sudden commotion broke out nearby.
"Oh my God—come look at this!!"
A reporter from The New York Times stood frozen before a control console.
He'd only wanted a close-up shot of the equipment—
But a computer hadn't been destroyed in time.
On its screen, an encrypted file was finishing decryption.
Hands trembling, the reporter clicked it open.
The title appeared instantly—
A black eagle shield.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s insignia.
File Code: Project Secret Warriors
And under Authorization—
A flamboyant signature:
Nicholas Joseph Fury.
--------------
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