Fury and the other two didn't blame Iron Man for not showing up.
If Stark was really working on a "great project," then it wasn't right to interrupt him casually.
Before the Helicarriers took off, this was still an internal SHIELD struggle — there were many solutions.
Only when the carriers launched and threatened millions of lives would it be time to pull Stark into the fight.
Steve asked, "Should we call Banner?"
Fury shook his head. "Lock isn't here. Without him, Banner is completely unsupervised. That's too big of a risk. And right now we can't tell friend from enemy inside SHIELD — if Banner loses control, we might end up hurting our own people."
The Hulk was a blunt instrument. Great for smashing armies — not so great for identifying traitors.
Fury let out a long breath. "It's not that we lack power. It's that we lack clarity. We can't srate Hydra from SHIELD."
"Hydra's infiltration is far scarier than their guns."
Steve was quiet for a long moment, then went into his room.
When he came back, he was holding a small wooden box.
He opened it, revealing an elegant little cloth pouch, and placed it on the table in front of Fury and Natasha.
"Before Lock left," Steve said slowly, "he gave me this. He called it a 'plan from the East.' Told me not to open it until the right moment — until I faced a problem I couldn't solve."
Natasha and Fury exchanged a look, then spoke in unison.
"Why give it to you?"
In their impression, Lock and Steve weren't especially close.
Their first meeting had been awkward — Lock had stared at Natasha's backside right in front of him — and Steve had never warmed to him completely.
If Lock really had some brilliant plan, wouldn't he have given it to Natasha first?
And if not Natasha, then Tony Stark.
Even Fury or Rhodes would make more sense than Steve Rogers.
Steve just shrugged. "How should I know?"
Fury asked, "And what exactly was the 'trigger condition' he mentioned?"
Steve nodded. "He said, if I ever face a situation where I can't figure out the right answer… just open it. Well, I think this qualifies."
Fury's mouth twitched.
Was Lock calling him stupid?
I'm not stupid.
But… my performance recently hasn't exactly been stellar.
Even with Lock's warning, Hydra still hadn't been completely rooted out.
"Open it," Natasha said.
She snatched the pouch from Steve's hands, her curiosity winning out.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
On it was written:
"Let Steve be the messenger of justice. Destroy them all. Anyone who dares to stand in your way is with the enemy."
At the bottom, there was a tiny line of handwriting:
"Natasha, Fury — I didn't give this to you because I knew you'd peek too early. Only Steve would keep his word."
Natasha couldn't help but laugh.
Lock really did know her.
If he had given the pouch to her, she would've cracked it open the moment his back was turned — whether it was encrypted or not.
Steve, though, had actually waited until now.
Fury, however, was dead serious.
Lock's power was one thing. His ability to read people was something else entirely.
This little annotation was just a joke — the real message was the bold text above.
Steve frowned slightly. Was this really Lock's advice?
It sounded like something a child would say while watching a cartoon hero.
Natasha just tilted her head, examining the paper for hidden messages.
But Fury stared at the line for a long time, his expression growing darker.
Finally, he nodded slowly. "As expected of King Lock. Strength aside, even his strategy is on another level."
Steve and Natasha glanced at each other, confused.
What strategy?
Fury explained: "Steve, when we take the fight back to SHIELD, you go public. You tell everyone — Hydra has seized control of SHIELD and the Helicarriers.
"Anyone who trusts you will join us. Anyone who tries to stop us is Hydra. Take them down — no hesitation."
Steve blinked. "That's… it?"
Natasha's brows knitted.
That method sounded almost too extreme.
You don't trust us? Then you die?
Steve asked, "What about those who don't know the full story? What if we hurt innocent people?"
"That's where Lock's brilliance shows," Fury said grimly.
"If you were talking to civilians, this wouldn't work. They'd panic, hesitate, freeze.
"But this is SHIELD. There are no weaklings here. And you — you are Captain America. For seventy years, you've been the living symbol of justice.
"Anyone who doesn't trust you? They're probably Hydra.
"And if a few hesitating agents get caught in the crossfire… consider it a soldier's sacrifice."
There was cold murder in Fury's voice now.
He hadn't survived as Director by being merciful.
Natasha and Steve were silent for a long time.
It was harsh — but it might be the only way to flush out Hydra quickly.
Steve didn't like it, but he was a soldier. He knew that war required sacrifices.
In the original timeline, they had been weaker — not sure if they could stop the Helicarriers — so Steve had used the radio to call everyone to stand with him.
That act had inspired SHIELD agents, exposing most of Hydra in the process.
But now, with Lock's influence changing everything, they didn't have to worry about being too weak.
Natasha alone was strong enough to cut through most of SHIELD if needed.
So this plan was more direct — and deadlier.
Steve finally nodded. "All right. We do it."
At that moment, Natasha's ears twitched.
She drew her pistol instantly, pointing it toward the door.
The room went silent.
Thanks to the potion she'd taken, her senses were sharper than either Steve's or Fury's.
Someone was right outside.
Then — knock knock knock.
"Steve? You home? I need to borrow your washing machine."
Fury exhaled. "It's Kate."
Steve opened the door, and there stood Sharon Carter, in casual clothes, keeping herself out of the doorway line of sight.
She had a pistol in one hand.
The moment she confirmed there were no hostiles inside, she lowered her weapon.
"Director," she said, stepping in, "some of the surveillance markers I placed were disturbed. I didn't expect it was you."
Steve blinked. The "nurse" living next door wasn't just a nurse — she was SHIELD doorway-turned to Fury with a half-smile. "You really didn't trust me, huh?"
Fury just shrugged. "I trust you plenty.
"I just don't trust the world."
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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