The night was deep...
Gazing out the window at the twinkling city lights stretching into the distance, Alexander Pierce sighed and downed his glass of iced whiskey in one gulp.
For a high-level agent like him, alcohol couldn't shake his iron will... only warm memories from the past could truly shake his inner convictions.
It was hard to imagine this ordinary-looking middle-aged man, who resembled a government clerk, had once served as Director of SHIELD and now held an important leadership position in national security, adorned with countless glorious titles.
It was he who had personally appointed Nick Fury as the next Director and shielded SHIELD from countless criticisms from Congress and the White House.
Yet who could have guessed that beneath Alexander Pierce's illustrious image and prominent status lay a hidden identity that would shock everyone?
"Winter Soldier's mission failed. Commence cleanup operations immediately," Pierce coldly tossed aside his earpiece, issuing the final order.
At his command, the mysterious organization lurking in the shadows sprang into action like a precision machine powering up, mobilizing immense resources to erase all traces that might lead back to the assassination attempt.
If those foolish energy tycoons hadn't been scared out of their wits by Stark Industries' expansion plans, who would have proposed such a reckless scheme to assassinate Tony Stark?
Never mind the massive waves it would cause... just Nick Fury's investigation alone would make those profit-driven interest groups regret their actions.
Pierce complained helplessly. Having infiltrated SHIELD for so long, he knew exactly how highly Nick Fury regarded Tony Stark. This wasn't just special treatment for the son of an old friend, the one-eyed Director genuinely saw immeasurable value in that playboy.
Unfortunately, Hydra's internal factions were incredibly intricate and tangled...
Beyond Pierce's SHIELD spies, there was another faction led by Whitehall. This unimaginably vast secret organization had countless capital groups and vested allies behind it, most of whom didn't even know who they were truly cooperating with...
Pierce was well aware of Fury's long-gestating Avengers Initiative.
With superheroes appearing more frequently, the current Director had growing headaches. SHIELD was the World Security Council's special agency for handling unconventional threats, yet, embarrassingly, it lacked the power to confront superhumans directly.
To ordinary people, national laws were social rules to obey... but to superhumans, they were mere scraps of paper without deterrent force...
Evolving from its predecessor, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, to the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, SHIELD had ultimately become directly subordinate to the World Security Council.
This special department's original purpose was to address major crises that human governments couldn't handle... precisely why Fury was so passionate about the Avengers Initiative.
"Only superhumans can deal with superhumans..." Pierce murmured Fury's words thoughtfully.
SHIELD had expanded tremendously under Fury's leadership, even he no longer knew the agency's full capabilities.
But it didn't matter. The stronger SHIELD grew, the more the mysterious organization could parasitize its body, feeding off its expanding influence.
After a long wait, the world was about to usher in a new era. Pierce's eyes gleamed with fanatical brilliance as his ambitious words echoed quietly in the room...
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place! Hail Hydra!"
....
~Wichita, Kansas - A sprawling estate~
A middle-aged man with graying temples smashed his phone against the wall...
Fred Koch, in the prime of his life, stood tall with glasses perched on his prominent nose, softening his otherwise stern and predatory countenance slightly.
"Utter trash!" His furious roar reverberated through the study.
Fred was livid. He had thought those mysterious partners from the secret organization could successfully eliminate that playboy Tony Stark, only to receive news that the assassination had failed.
This forty-year-old was the helmsman of Koch Industries, managing the world's largest privately held company spanning oil, energy, chemicals, lumber and more... a behemoth with tentacles in countless industries.
With Stark Industries promoting new energy, Koch Industries, at the pinnacle of the industry, undoubtedly felt invisible pressure. This opponent was no rootless small fry... The opponent had massive influence and capital. Allowing Tony Stark to enter the energy sector would be like handing over bags of cash directly.
Koch Industries owned refineries across Alaska, Texas, Minnesota, controlled oil pipelines, and operated North America's largest liquefied petroleum gas processing group, holding 25% of the market. Just in crude oil trading, annual volumes exceeded 700 million tons. It was also America's sixth-largest electricity supplier, operating in all fifty states.
Fred Koch, who steered this colossal empire, stood unquestionably at the pinnacle of money and power in this nation.
Yet facing Stark Industries' energy market advance, Fred felt threatened...
Tony's new energy was genuinely more attractive, with far cheaper production costs compared to the profits generated, and backed by substantial resources... that gave him the qualifications to challenge industry giants.
Without this real pressure, he wouldn't have risked cooperating with those shadowy figures. His father had warned him repeatedly to avoid dealings with those lurking in darkness.
"Fred, is the world ending?" A white-haired old man in a wheelchair was pushed into the study by a young nurse.
Jonathan Koch, former helmsman of Koch Industries and Fred's father, was the frail old man who in just over sixty years had expanded a small refinery into America's (and the world's) largest private company without relying on capital markets, securing the industry's top position through brilliant management and acquisitions.
"Father, did I wake you?" The usually domineering Fred showed no authority before the old man.
"The whole estate heard your roar. I thought doomsday had come... why else would the leader of Koch Industries be so irritable?"
Faced with his father's teasing, Fred smiled awkwardly. He had merely lost composure... after all, assassination attempts hardly counted as fair business competition.
Among powerful figures, unless in life-and-death battles, few breached the rules... especially something as unsavory as contract killings.
"Still thinking about that Stark playboy?" The old man glanced at his son, his murky eyes shifting as he reached out a skeletal hand to grasp Fred's.
"Our family descended from Dutch immigrants. Your grandfather bought our first refinery and passed it to me. Many ask my business secret, it's just one phrase: 'Never trust capital market financial games'... Remember what I said when handing you the company?"
"Unless you... die, Koch must never go public." Fred half-kneeled, pressing his face into his father's bony arm.
"We're rooted in this nation, our influence radiates across sectors. Stark may be driven and daring enough to break rules, but pioneers often pay dearly. Koch Industries fears no challenge, and none can truly topple us!"
The old man stared intently, speaking slowly, "Don't fear nonexistent dangers. Many covet the feast, but we're not sharers, we're the makers."
Fred nodded in understanding. Creating a new energy era wasn't an overnight endeavor, it might take generations. He'd merely overreacted to Stark's bold moves.
"Business isn't just enemies. If the new era is inevitable, we too can cooperate with Stark." The old man patted his son's shoulder meaningfully, "Don't cling blindly to family legacy. I avoided financial games because I couldn't afford to lose then, but you can. So don't fear the gambling table..."
"...Adapt with the times. Oscorp's smart grid is excellent... make it your first step forward."
Fred committed this to heart. Before leaving, the old man fixed the heir with a stern gaze like an aging lion whose dignity still endured:
"Never work with those people again. They're insatiably greedy serpents who'll devour you whole!"