"A bunch of hypocritical politicians!" Nick Fury cursed under his breath as he strode out of the White House.
Ever since the World Security Council had demanded S.H.I.E.L.D. open up partial access to its database, some profit-blinded fools had become increasingly bold in pursuing their own agendas.
They were like a pack of starving hyenas circling S.H.I.E.L.D., waiting for any opportunity to sink their teeth in and tear off a chunk of flesh.
Did they ever stop to think who was actually protecting this world?
"Perhaps I should keep a lower profile." Fury understood the principle that 'tall trees catch much wind'. Over the years, S.H.I.E.L.D. had indeed become far too conspicuous.
He climbed into a black Jeep Cherokee, clutching a file on the elusive Sentinel... The information inside was sparse. This figure appeared and vanished like a ghost.
Even Fury, a top-tier agent, couldn't extract any useful leads. It was almost unthinkable that, given S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global surveillance network, someone could leave no trace whatsoever.
Fury had narrowed it down to two possibilities: Either Sentinel was an incredibly powerful hacker (perhaps the one who had breached the global network), or this mysterious figure wasn't even from this planet.
"Who the hell are you?" The one-eyed director gripped the steering wheel, lost in thought, until a deafening crash shattered his concentration.
On Pennsylvania Avenue near Capitol Hill, a heavily reinforced SUV barreled out of nowhere and T-boned Fury's Jeep with brutal force, crumpling the metal door like paper.
Blood trickled from Fury's nose as he shook his head, dazed. The driver's-side airbag had deployed, cushioning some of the impact.
"Fractures detected... Recommend administering pain suppressants," the vehicle's AI assistant announced mechanically.
Before Fury could react, another violent collision rocked the Jeep, then another. Reinforced SUVs boxed him in from all sides, turning the street into a kill zone. He was now a rat in a trap with no escape.
"Damn it! Contact D.C. Metro Police! Terrorist attack in progress on Pennsylvania Avenue!"
Gritting his teeth, Fury pulled a white injector from the dashboard compartment.
Right now, he needed clarity. Suppressing the pain was priority one.
"Apologies. Washington D.C. Police Department has no available units in this area," the AI responded flatly.
The SUVs reversed, letting off squads of heavily armed soldiers. Without hesitation, they opened fire with submachine guns, bullets spider-webbing the bulletproof glass.
This was a top-tier armored vehicle that was personally designed by that playboy Tony Stark. Its defensive capabilities were absolutely guaranteed.
"Get me out of here!" Fury barked at the AI.
It wasn't as advanced as Iron Man's JARVIS, but it could handle crisis situations well enough.
"Thruster systems offline–"
"Then reboot them now!" The one-eyed director roared as gunfire echoed like rain outside. Muzzle flashes lighted up the street.
Even Stark's engineering couldn't withstand this pounding forever...
Seeing the Jeep still intact, the attackers deployed a battering ram-like breaching tool. Four metal spikes anchored it to the pavement before its hydraulic piston began slamming into the vehicle with enough force to nearly flip it over.
Their approach was brutally simple... they couldn't maintain this street blockade for long and needed to finish the job quickly.
"Window integrity at 19%... Offensive measures recommended," the AI reported.
"Wait–" Another impact jolted Fury from his seat, but the veteran spy remained calm.
His entire life had been one long battle. In moments of danger, maintaining composure was the only way to find an opening for survival.
"Window integrity at 1%."
"Execute!" Fury shouted, gripping the quad-barrel rotary gun that had deployed from a hidden compartment.
A torrent of gunfire cleared the surrounding attackers before a micro-missile finished the job, flipping an SUV in a spectacular fireball.
"Thruster systems now online."
The vehicle's propulsion systems chose that exact moment to come back to life.
"Full speed ahead!" For once, Fury felt grateful to Stark. Though his usual opinion of the playboy remained less than favorable.
The mounted rotary cannon kept firing as the black Cherokee rammed through the blockade, finally breaking free.
"Initiate vertical takeoff!" Fury commanded loudly.
This wasn't just an armored car. It had emergency flight capabilities for exactly such situations.
"Flight systems damaged."
Unfortunately, the sustained gunfire had wrecked the thrusters.
"Then activate navigation cameras and switch to manual driving."
Undeterred, Fury issued his backup plan. If he could just get out of D.C. and hold out until reinforcements arrived, he'd be safe.
"Contact Agent Hill." Fury needed to reach another trusted subordinate.
"Communications array disabled."
"What isn't damaged?"
"Climate control currently operational."
While engaging in this pointless banter with the AI, Fury maneuvered the black Cherokee through traffic.
He'd escaped the Pennsylvania Avenue ambush point, but several persistent SUVs still gave chase through the congested streets.
"Traffic blockage ahead," the AI warned.
"Find an alternate route." The Jeep barely scraped past a bus in a dangerous maneuver.
"Roosevelt Island Bridge closed. 17th Avenue clear three blocks ahead."
Following the AI's guidance, Fury turned onto a relatively open road with lighter traffic.
In this high-speed chase, the one-eyed man employed every trick to shake his pursuers. As a highly trained soldier and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Level 10 agent, he possessed extensive combat experience and military knowledge. Though his strategic brilliance often overshadowed his personal capabilities when working with superheroes, those skills were now on full display.
This S.H.I.E.L.D. director had completed training with both Green Berets and Delta Force. He's basically a top-tier military specialist capable of rapidly adapting tactics to changing battlefield conditions. In many ways, he was the military's own super-soldier.
"Finally showing your hand, are you? This time I'll drag you into the light..."
Fury glared at the retreating pursuers in his rearview mirror, thinking darkly that without Stark's advanced vehicle, he'd already be in their hands.
Every time he considered the dark current lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D., a venomous snake waiting to strike and poised to destroy this organization that was dedicated to global security, his heart filled with anxiety.
Then, a shadow moved...
A black-clad figure appeared on the cracked windshield, wearing tactical gear and a half-face mask, calmly aiming an emitter gun with eyes as empty as a machine's.
A translucent shockwave erupted like a pulsing force field that wrapped around the speeding Jeep like a net. The vehicle lifted, flipped mid-air, then skidded violently across the pavement with an ear-splitting screech and shower of sparks.
Fury struggled to keep his eyes open as the figure approached, watching as a metallic hand wrenched the door open.
Then, darkness took him...