"But before that, I need to handle some technical matters. J.A.R.V.I.S., report the status of our two little guests. Have they tried to remove the collars? Or perhaps burn a hole through the wall with their eyes?"
"Sir, Miss Maximoff and Mr. Maximoff currently have stable vital signs, and their emotions are leveling out," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied calmly from the corridor.
"They have not attempted any destructive behavior and are simply… staring blankly."
"Staring blankly?" Tony scoffed.
"Seems my little speech had some effect. At least it prompted their hatred-filled brains to start some basic thinking."
"Or maybe they're just hungry," Henry added casually.
"After all, not everyone can survive a week fueled solely by self-love and coffee, like you."
The two bickered all the way back to the underground lab.
Tony flopped into his chair, grabbing a cup of coffee that had gone cold long ago, and downed a big sip.
"All right, enough about those two troublemakers," he waved his hand, and the holographic screen sprang to life, rapidly scrolling through the massive amount of data extracted from Strucker's brain.
"Let's see what we picked up on our European luxury tour."
Henry pulled over a chair, sitting beside him, curious about Tony's findings and hoping it wasn't some HYDRA family reunion.
Files, images, videos, and encrypted codes flashed across the screen, dazzling the eyes.
Watching Tony like this made Henry want to laugh. Tony always seemed unconcerned on the surface, but ever since returning from Afghanistan, he had cared deeply about the world around him.
"I gotta say, Strucker's mind is full of… interesting stuff. I used the info to crack his private accounts and found some… unique things," Tony muttered as he sifted through the data, impressed.
"Coordinates of secret bases, lists of agents hidden worldwide, and some… oh God… his personal taste is… unusual."
He opened a folder containing hundreds of high-resolution photos from various angles. Some even featured Tony himself in swim trunks, vacationing on a beach…
"F*ck!" Henry covered his eyes, aghast.
"Close it! Close it! I'm about to throw up! Is this guy a pervert?!"
"HYDRA's narcissism is worse than I imagined," Tony muttered, forcing himself to close the folder and tagging it as a biological hazard.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., permanently delete this file. I never want to see it again."
"Confirmed, sir. File permanently destroyed."
"Now, back to serious business," Tony cleared his throat, his expression turning grave.
"Beyond the gross stuff, I found some troubling intelligence."
He brought up several encrypted files. With J.A.R.V.I.S.'s brute-force decryption, their contents were revealed.
"According to Strucker's memory, HYDRA isn't as united as we thought," Tony pointed at a hierarchy chart on the screen.
"They're split into several factions, constantly competing, even opposing each other. Strucker belongs to the traditionalist, old-school faction—those WWII veterans still dreaming of world conquest through sheer force."
Henry stared at the screen, unbothered. These people loved world domination and arguing over who's boss.
"Right, HYDRA infighting is a classic. Strucker's the old guard, into direct confrontation, while the political infiltrators play subtle games. They were bound to clash."
"But there's an even more mysterious faction," Tony said, sliding his finger across the screen to a name: Alexander Pierce.
"We all know him. Member of the World Security Council and Nick Fury's boss," Tony said coldly.
"He represents the infiltrators. They think conquest by force is inefficient and outdated. They prefer to corrupt governments from within, controlling nations like viruses."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is their greatest achievement."
Henry, outwardly calm, couldn't help smirking inwardly.
"This is the big one—Alexander Pierce, one of HYDRA's top brass and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s head. Poor Strucker spent decades working for them without knowing it."
"The so-called Insight Project, the three space carriers aimed at global domination—it's a sword of Damocles hanging over humanity, all orchestrated by these guys."
Henry nodded in agreement.
"As I said, our true enemies have always been hiding under Fury's nose."
"Exactly," Tony smirked.
"The so-called king of agents was really just tending a nest for someone else. I'd love to see his face when he realizes his most trusted superiors are secretly HYDRA."
"But the most interesting part isn't even that," Tony's eyes darkened as he opened the final file: a fragmented research report titled 'The Hive.'
"Strucker didn't have clearance to see the entire document."
"From the bits recorded, 'The Hive' seems to be HYDRA's ultimate secret. It's an Inhuman, worshipped as a god-like entity. Allegedly, it can control all other Inhumans and serves as HYDRA's ultimate ace in creating a superpowered army."
Henry blinked in surprise. Thought inwardly.
"Wait… The Hive? Isn't that supposed to be S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ultimate BOSS?"
"A parasitic, ancient entity capable of infecting and controlling Inhumans—the true progenitor of HYDRA. Strucker was actually researching this? This timeline just keeps getting weirder."
"Inhuman?" Henry echoed, feigning ignorance.
"Yes. Humans with latent superhuman potential," Tony explained.
"Their genes carry a Kree experimental mark. Once activated by a Terrigen crystal, they gain all sorts of bizarre powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been secretly tracking and recording them."
Henry shrugged, playing dumb.
"So… the Hive is basically the queen of Inhumans?"
"You could put it that way," Tony nodded.
"And according to the report, it's not dead—just exiled to a distant planet. HYDRA has spent millennia trying to find a way to bring it back."