"Has this plan really failed so quickly?" Baron Strucker muttered, disappointment evident in his voice. He had placed great hope in the Insight Initiative—eliminating those so-called superheroes would have made future operations significantly easier. Internal Hydra power struggles could wait; neutralizing their enemies was the priority.
"Right now, what troubles me more is the return of Garus. He holds quite the grudge against Hydra."
"That's your problem, Madame Viper. I, on the other hand, had plans to cooperate with him."
"Not anymore. He has made his stance perfectly clear."
Madame Viper clenched her fists, contemplating whether to contact Hive. She had no idea how things were progressing on that end.
Meanwhile, Hive, who was currently infiltrating the Mutant Academy, was growing increasingly uneasy. The more she learned, the more she realized the sheer might of their enemies exceeded her expectations. Worse, she had a gut feeling that her true identity had been compromised.
"Let's end the call here. We'll reconnect later..." Madame Viper was about to terminate the video feed when an unusual noise from outside her window caught her attention.
She turned to a subordinate. "Go check it out."
"Yes, Madame."
The Hydra agent barely took a step when a sudden, bloodcurdling scream rang out. Something had grabbed him—then he vanished without a trace.
Baron Strucker, watching from his end of the call, frowned. "What's happening over there?"
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Strange noises echoed from outside the room. Then, the entire base erupted into chaos—gunfire, shouting, the sound of boots scrambling.
"We're under attack!" Madame Viper tensed, swiftly shutting down her computer and grabbing her weapon before rushing out.
The searchlights outside illuminated the night sky, revealing a terrifying sight—swarms of enormous, bat-like creatures filled the air, their pitch-black forms absorbing the beams of light. They swooped down, snatching Hydra operatives and carrying them into the darkness above.
Bullets ricocheted off their bodies, producing only sparks—conventional weapons had no effect.
"What the hell are these things?!" Madame Viper grabbed a Hydra squad leader, demanding an answer.
The man, shaken, stammered, "I—I don't know, Madame! They appeared out of nowhere!"
A deafening explosion interrupted their exchange. Heavy artillery was deployed against the airborne monsters, managing to take down a few—but before the operatives could celebrate, the creatures rose once more, seemingly unfazed.
Their resilience was monstrous.
"AARGH!"
The creatures retaliated, launching eerie green orbs that exploded upon impact, melting their victims into pools of sludge.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Madame Viper and the squad leader softened, giving way to a gaping hole.
Whip!
Reacting swiftly, Madame Viper lashed out with her coiled whip, snagging a support beam overhead and swinging herself to safety. The squad leader, however, screamed as he plummeted into the abyss below.
Peering down, she caught a glimpse of the horror that awaited. A grotesque spider-like monstrosity lurked in the pit, its six beady eyes glinting ominously under the flickering lights. A sickening crunch followed as the creature tore the unfortunate man apart, his blood splattering the cavern walls.
These creatures—obsidian gargoyles and crypt fiends—were Garus's summons. Masters of ambush and terror tactics, they were the perfect instruments for this operation.
Hydra bases embedded within bustling cities couldn't afford to be assaulted with towering abominations or stitched-together horrors. Instead, these stealthier undead did the job with ruthless efficiency.
And across America, this scene repeated in Hydra strongholds. Meanwhile, Garus himself remained at Tony Stark's residence, orchestrating the attack remotely. His undead legions followed his commands precisely, each city led by a frost lich who managed mass teleportation efforts.
"Quick! Open the armory! We need the Chitauri weapons!" Madame Viper barked, realizing their standard arsenal was useless.
"This way!"
"Get those doors open now!"
With rapid authentication sequences and biometric scans, an underground vault was unlocked, revealing rows of alien weaponry. At the center stood a sleek, compact Chitauri warship—one of many assets she had acquired from Alexander Pierce.
Armed with the Chitauri arsenal, Hydra finally managed to push back, albeit temporarily. The warship lifted off from its underground hangar, its cannons tearing through the monstrous assailants.
But Madame Viper wasn't foolish. She knew these weapons had limited ammunition, and given the endless waves of creatures, they wouldn't hold out forever. Looking at the night sky, still teeming with gargoyles, and the uncertain terrain below where crypt fiends lurked, she knew escape was impossible.
Retreating to a temporary shelter, she re-established communication with Baron Strucker.
"Strucker, I'm under heavy attack. I need reinforcements."
The baron's face appeared on the screen, his expression grim. Even through the video feed, she could see the dirt and sweat staining his usually pristine uniform.
"I'm in the Russian Federation. My base here hasn't been attacked yet, but all of my American outposts have been wiped out. I have no forces left to send you."
He was lying. The real reason he had survived was because he had left to restart the Winter Soldier program—an effort that conveniently kept him away from this disaster. But despite his strategic foresight, he was still seething; years of meticulous planning had been obliterated in mere hours.
"This is Garus's army, isn't it?"
"I know."
Until now, they had assumed Garus was just another mutant.
Madame Viper bit her lip. "He finally made his move. If I had known he would return, I would have used a more... permanent method."
"Enough!" Baron Strucker snapped, his patience worn thin. He had been dragged into this mess because of Madame Viper, and now it was costing him everything. "We can't waste time on regrets. If this continues, we'll be wiped out completely. Just moments ago, Dr. Zola was confirmed dead."
A chilling thought surfaced.
"Should we consider reviving Red Skull?"
Before she could finish her sentence, a new voice cut through the transmission.
"Red Skull? Johann Schmidt? He won't save you."
Both Hydra leaders froze. The unfamiliar voice sent a shiver down their spines.
Then, without warning, a new figure appeared on their screen.
Madame Viper's expression darkened. "You—how did you get into our system? And how did you locate all our bases?"
The figure smirked. "I have you to thank for that. If it weren't for the data you so graciously provided—Zola's algorithm—I might've had a harder time tracking you down."
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