Daniel stood in the massive underground space, big enough to fit three football fields. Steel beams stretched overhead, and mechanical tentacles hung from the ceiling. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"What is this place even for?" he asked.
Maria Hill didn't even glance at Rumlow or Agent M behind her. She answered calmly, "It's an underground parking lot under construction. The surface above it will be turned into a landscaped pool and garden."
Rumlow let out a quiet breath of relief. From this exchange alone, he could tell where Maria Hill stood on the previous incident. They might suspect something, but they clearly had no hard proof. Maybe they'd come up with a theory that went off the rails. Either way, they had chosen to keep the conflict contained within S.H.I.E.L.D.
There were a few reasons for that. Hill and Fury likely didn't know the full picture. Nick Fury's close ties with Alexander Pierce made things even more complicated. And because they both held top-level positions in S.H.I.E.L.D., they couldn't afford to act recklessly.
"I'm not an expert, but don't lie to me," Daniel said, shaking his head. "I may not be in the field, but I can still see that this is clearly a dock—and a huge one at that."
Rumlow visibly stiffened at Daniel's words.
The construction of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarriers wasn't exactly a state secret anymore, and as a White House envoy, Daniel knowing about it wasn't a huge issue—on the surface. But only a few within S.H.I.E.L.D. knew this wasn't just a single helicarrier project. They were building several, and if that information leaked…
"You're mistaken," Hill replied smoothly, not flinching at all. "When finished, the lot will be a fully integrated automated parking facility. Multi-level, smart, and efficient—designed by professionals."
"Right," Daniel said, unconvinced.
Hill pressed on. "Let's keep going. The commando weapons depot is one level below. After the renovation, the commando team will be able to launch directly from there."
Then she turned to Rumlow, her voice suddenly cold. "Isn't that right, Agent Rumlow?"
Her words hit like a slap. Rumlow's heart skipped. But he recovered quickly.
"Yes, that's correct," he said evenly. "All for rapid deployment."
He headed for the lower floor, but as soon as he turned the corner—out of sight—his face darkened.
Even though Hill and Fury were keeping things in-house, it didn't mean Rumlow was safe. He might not care about others, but his own position was in danger. As captain of the rapid response team, he held one of only three heavy-armed divisions inside S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. If he lost control over it, Hydra's grip would weaken significantly.
And from what he could tell, Maria Hill had no intention of letting him keep this job. Nick Fury might be another story, but that would depend on Pierce stepping in. One thing was certain: Rumlow couldn't afford to lose this post.
Standing at the door of the commando depot, Rumlow hesitated—even though he'd mentally prepared himself. Eventually, under pressure from Agent M, he unlocked the gate.
The moment the warehouse doors opened, Agent M rushed in to inspect everything—light and heavy weapons, artillery, armor, helmets, you name it.
Even though he was alone, Agent M carried out the inspection with an intense thoroughness, as if he could sniff out flaws in perfection.
Suddenly, Rumlow's eyes went wide. Something clicked. He turned to stare at Maria Hill who acted like she didn't notice, keeping her eyes on the warehouse.
Rumlow clenched his teeth. How had he not seen this coming? On the surface, this seemed like a retaliatory inspection pushed by Daniel—but Hill had clearly hijacked the opportunity.
If Agent M found even a single violation, she'd have justification to remove Rumlow on the spot.
And Agent M wasn't a noob. He was the kind of person who could find a needle in a haystack. If there was something to uncover, he'd find it.
Back in the day, if something turned up, it could be smoothed over. Pierce would say a word, and the matter would vanish. But now, Hill had a reason to dig, and Rumlow knew it wasn't going to end well.
Worst case, he'd get transferred to some forgotten outpost in the middle of nowhere. That would make him useless to Hydra—and worse, a liability.
Panicked, Rumlow rushed forward, trying to speed up the inspection.
Hill noticed his sudden shift and snorted quietly, thinking, 'Now he's scared?'
She already had a strategy. While it wasn't easy to remove someone like Rumlow—he was a Level 7 agent, maybe even close to Level 8—Hill didn't need to attack him directly. That would create too much conflict.
Instead, she planned to dismantle the team around him. His commandos were loyal only to him. Breaking them apart would weaken his influence and expose Pierce's network piece by piece.
But even she didn't know the full truth—that half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s senior agents were already Hydra.
"You're really pretending now, huh?" Daniel's voice cut into her thoughts.
Hill glanced at him. "You think… wait. You're right."
She caught herself. Rumlow wasn't stupid. He knew Hill and Fury were closing in. He probably cleaned house overnight—moved evidence, briefed his people.
She had almost fallen for his performance.
Her expression hardened as she looked into the warehouse. If Rumlow really did cover all his tracks, then none of her careful planning would work.
It wouldn't be a total failure, though. It would still prove how deeply Hydra had embedded itself into S.H.I.E.L.D.
After a moment, Hill recalculated. She'd stick to the plan. Let them think she was fooled. Meanwhile, she'd start a secret investigation. The real fight was just beginning.
Rumlow came over, trying to change the subject.
"Mr. Daniel, do you think there's anything in here that the Asgardians would be interested in?"
Daniel scanned the rows of gear—guns, grenades, body armor. "If I had to guess," he said, "they'd probably go for the M16s and M4s."
Rumlow looked surprised. "Really?"
"They're loud," Daniel shrugged. "Maybe not the most powerful, but flashy enough. The Asgardians would probably enjoy that kind of noise."
Hill caught on quickly. "So… if we gear up like a Russian gang, they'll like us more?"
Daniel gave a wry smile. "Sounds about right. You guys handled the Russian mob back in the day, right? Maybe you can try the same playbook on the Asgardians."
Neither Hill nor Rumlow commented, but both had their own thoughts spinning.
Daniel opened his mouth to add more—then stopped. His expression shifted. He looked down at the floor, eyes suddenly glowing faint gold.
Something wasn't right.
He looked back up at Hill and Rumlow, tense and alert.
"Where exactly are we?" he asked, his voice low. "And be honest. We've got a problem. A serious one."
Hill frowned and shot a sharp look at Rumlow. Then she answered.
"There's a storage area below us. It holds some… sensitive equipment," she said cautiously. "The scepter is down there."
The fact that she shared that so easily proved she trusted Daniel. It also showed how serious this was.
Daniel took a breath, then said grimly, "Someone's here. And not just anyone. A very powerful someone."
He paused and looked down again.
"The floor below… it smells like blood."