"Negligence?"
Steve took a deep breath and rubbed his face.
"I really hate that word. One mistake, one oversight, and the entire country has fallen into chaos."
"The President and Vice President are dead. The remaining Vice President is a Hydra member. Congress has been compromised, and countless companies are secretly connected to Hydra's funding network."
"How are we supposed to know who is trustworthy anymore?"
Steve lowered his head slightly.
"Thinking about it now, maybe I was too harsh on you, Nick. When your leaders, colleagues, and even friends could all be enemies, it becomes almost impossible to see the truth."
"Suspecting one person is easy. Suspecting a group can still be done with enough evidence."
"But suspecting everyone…"
"I have always suspected everyone, Captain."
Nick Fury interrupted him.
His expression remained serious as he looked directly at Steve.
"This is not an excuse. This is how I have always operated."
"I question everyone around me. Even you."
"When I brought you back, I questioned whether returning from death had changed you. Nobody knows what kind of influence something like that could have."
"However, because I constantly questioned everyone while still believing in America and its people, I overlooked something important."
"My methods are ruthless, and my attitude is obvious. Because of that, I naturally trusted those who supported me."
"I believed Hydra would never want someone like me leading S.H.I.E.L.D. against them."
"I believed I was their greatest enemy."
"I thought the moment I became Director, Hydra's nightmare would begin."
Nick clenched his fists.
"But that arrogance made me ignore people like Pierce."
"People who supported me, helped me, and gave a Black man like me the chance to lead S.H.I.E.L.D."
"For someone like me, that support meant more than I wanted to admit."
Nick finally showed a rare expression of frustration.
Steve looked at him silently before shaking his head.
"Forget it. There is no point blaming each other right now."
"I lost control of my emotions."
"You never wanted America to fall into this situation either."
"But I am responsible."
Nick interrupted him with a firm voice.
"And because of that, I have to fix it."
"New York is in your hands, Captain."
"I am taking an old friend and heading to Washington."
"That is where the real battle begins."
Steve immediately looked at him.
"Washington?"
"New York has Tony, Thor, Axel, and the heroes helping them. With their support, the city can recover."
"But Washington needs us more."
"Let me come with you."
"No."
Nick shook his head.
"Captain, you need to go to Washington eventually, but not yet."
"Among everyone here, you are the most important person."
"We can all fight Hydra physically. We can destroy their forces and break their operations."
"But only you can destroy their influence."
"Only you can restore the hope of ordinary people."
"After New York is recovered, the citizens will still be afraid. They will still question whether their country can protect them."
"At that moment, they need Captain America."
"They need to see you standing in front of them and hear your words."
"I already prepared a speech, but you do not need to follow it exactly. The important thing is your belief, not a script."
"After New York is truly free from Hydra's influence, then you can go to Washington or Los Angeles."
Nick finished speaking and walked toward the deck.
Inside his aircraft, Nick sat in the pilot's seat.
As the aircraft began rising, an orange cat jumped onto his lap and rubbed against his hand.
Nick looked down and finally smiled.
"My little friend, it has been a while since we worked together."
"But why have you gotten so fat recently?"
"Your stomach looks bigger."
The cat immediately raised its head and stared at him.
Then it jumped onto the empty seat and calmly cleaned itself.
Nick shook his head and flew into the clouds.
While traveling, he connected to a secret communication channel.
After the connection was established, a rough voice answered.
"Nick, what is happening in New York?"
"Washington is getting worse."
"Vice President Andres has taken control of City Hall under constitutional authority."
"The military is pushing General Ross forward as a presidential candidate and wants to declare martial law."
"I can only support Ross because we need the military if we want to defeat Hydra."
"I understand."
Nick looked ahead.
"Trust your instincts. You are one of America's greatest soldiers."
"I will arrive in Washington within thirty minutes."
"Wait for me, Frank."
"We fight together again."
A rough laugh came from the other side.
"I do not like fighting beside a criminal like you."
"But if you are coming, that means New York is stable?"
"Yes."
"New York is recovering."
"I received help from many allies."
"One of them enjoys dark humor, but his actions still bring positive results."
"Even the Chitauri could not defeat New York."
"Hydra will not succeed either."
"My battlefield is Washington."
"I am gathering the Howling Commandos."
Meanwhile, Steve and Natasha began organizing the recovery of New York.
Director Hill quickly explained the situation.
"Captain, Thor has taken control of City Hall. Hydra forces there have stopped their attack."
"Barton is staying behind to monitor the situation."
"Your mission is Hell's Kitchen."
"Kingpin and his criminal organizations are taking advantage of the chaos."
"Their influence is spreading throughout New York."
"Most major criminal activity in America has connections to Kingpin's network."
"We need you to lead agents and remove his control over Hell's Kitchen."
Steve immediately picked up his shield.
"No problem."
He left the bridge without hesitation.
Five field teams followed him from the Helicarrier toward Hell's Kitchen.
Meanwhile, Hill turned toward Natasha.
"As for you, Natasha, you know your assignment."
"Axel is not a traditional hero."
"But he is not a true villain either."
"He exists somewhere between order and chaos."
"One decision from him could completely change Hydra's future."
"Since he will not come to us, you will go to him."
"You do not need to convince him to become our ally."
"Just make sure he does not help Hydra."
Hill sighed.
"Pierce gave Axel the Mind Scepter controlled by Hydra."
"If that is the case, we cannot arrive empty-handed."
"I authorize you to take one to three 084 items as a gift."
"Hopefully, after Hydra falls, Axel will not stand against us."
Natasha nodded.
"I will do my best."
"But you know what kind of person Axel is."
"He is unpredictable."
Natasha prepared herself and retrieved two lightweight 084 items.
While checking their information, she noticed an unusual record.
She immediately contacted Hill.
"Director, I found something interesting."
"There is an 084 item that is actually an Asian girl."
"I think she would be a suitable gift for Axel."
Hill remained silent briefly.
Then her voice came through.
"Authorization granted."
"Good luck, Natasha."
Meanwhile, inside Stark Tower's private laboratory, Tony Stark and JARVIS were preparing equipment.
Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor arrived through the window.
Tony opened the passage and allowed them inside.
Bruce examined the advanced machines around him.
Lex smiled.
"As expected of Iron Man's laboratory."
"Bruce, do you see this?"
"The technology here is beyond both of our labs."
Bruce nodded.
"Tony relies heavily on artificial intelligence."
"I prefer direct control."
"Machines can fail, but the greatest danger is choosing the wrong direction."
Tony looked at him and smiled.
"Wrong direction?"
"Are you talking about AI taking over the world?"
Bruce looked at him.
"According to the comics, you have caused similar disasters."
Tony laughed.
"And according to those same comics, Batman has created plenty of disasters too."
"But this is reality."
"Reality depends on what we choose to do now."
Tony activated the main display.
"JARVIS, explain the plan."
"If you are truly Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor, your intelligence can help us."
"I rarely admit someone else can improve my plans."
"But the two of you might actually be useful."
Bruce studied the information displayed.
His expression immediately became serious.
Lex looked at the plan and frowned.
"What is this, Tony?"
"Are you actually planning to create an Iron Legion?"
"Your armor can be controlled by AI, yes."
"But every time you do something like this in the comics, the result is disastrous."
"Not sometimes."
"Every time."
"Your Iron Legion always becomes a threat to Earth."