The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 556, 1028, and 1029: Is Captain America a Hydra? (Part 1)

"Don't be so nervous, darling..."

Talos shrugged, a hint of nonchalance on his face, and said in a casually sarcastic tone:
"It's just that the navigation log of a research ship that launched a satellite was slightly abnormal, the route was slightly off, and the access was locked for a few days... This kind of minor incident is not even a ripple in the daily operation of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I think it's far from the point where we need to bother our official director, who's probably busy with some important business somewhere out there."

“Honey, give me a little more time, I’ll definitely find a way to figure it out… Maybe it’s just a system glitch, or maybe some guys are secretly making money off that ship behind Fury’s back… After all, this kind of thing has happened before in S.H.I.E.L.D.”

"Please, Talos!" Soren's voice rose slightly upon seeing the other party's perfunctory attitude, filled with clear disapproval and growing worry, as he solemnly reminded him:

"Before Commander Fury left, he repeatedly instructed us that no matter what abnormalities occurred, even the slightest inconsistency, we must report to him immediately!"

"This is the premise that he trusts us... that he can trust us to stand guard at headquarters for him, do you understand? If we lose this trust, when will we be able to rebuild our homes?"

Then, she turned the tablet towards Talos, pointed to an encrypted message that was repeatedly highlighted in red, and continued:

"Moreover, the [Star of Lemuria] is not an ordinary research vessel at all. It is one of the mobile sea-based satellite launch platforms designated by the [Project Insight] and is classified as top secret."

"Theoretically, even replacing a single screw on this ship requires approval from the highest level of authority... But now, its actions have been carried out without any authorization from you, the 'Director,' frequently and secretly traveling to sensitive areas in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean to conduct so-called 'routine hydrological surveys' over the past three weeks? This is completely illogical!"

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her breathing becoming rapid: "Most importantly, Talos, I tried to bypass all the backdoors and permissions, even using the highest emergency code Fury left us, to access the relevant logbook, but the result was the same... Access denied!!"

"Do you know what this means?"

"Can you imagine? Inside S.H.I.E.L.D., even Nick Fury with his privileges can't access its core mission logs and real-time data streams... Isn't that unusual? This is simply... bang!!!"

However, before Soren could finish speaking, a huge, muffled crash, like the roar of a metal monster, suddenly came from the left side of the vehicle.

The sudden, enormous impact, like an invisible giant hammer, slammed into the sturdy body of the Chevrolet Suburban.

The entire vehicle instantly lost its balance and was violently pushed off its spot by an extremely brute force. The tires screeched on the asphalt road and slid uncontrollably toward the side of the road.

puff!
puff!
The airbags in the driver's and passenger's seats deployed instantly, and the white airbags filled with nitrogen, like inflated cotton candy, slammed into Talos and his wife's faces.

Although the airbags effectively cushioned the direct impact between the two people's heads and the frontal compartment, preventing fatal skull fractures, it was clearly not pleasant to have one's face collide head-on with the instantly inflating airbag.

"Ugh!"

"Ok!"

Both of them let out a muffled groan of pain at the same time.

Talos felt as if his nose had been hit head-on by a hammer. A sharp, aching pain shot straight to his head, and warm blood gushed from his nasal cavity, staining the white airbag in front of him red.

Soren's situation was very similar to his; his forehead was grazed by the edge of the airbag, and blood kept sliding down his face, which was disguised as Maria Hill.

The massive tremors and impact left both of them with a buzzing in their heads and seeing stars before their eyes, leaving them in a brief state of dizziness and disorientation.

"Warning: High-intensity side impact detected. Vehicle structural integrity 79%... Analyzing occupant status..."

A calm, synthesized electronic voice immediately rang out inside the car; this was the vehicle's AI intelligent assistant, "Nightingale."

Of course, this rudimentary artificial intelligence was also a gift from Tony Stark.

"A suspected fracture of the driver's right radius has been detected. Immediate administration of onboard emergency anesthetic and immobilization brace recommended..."

"Minor facial abrasions detected in the co-pilot, possible mild concussion..."

Taros shook his head, which felt like it was filled with lead, and, enduring the sharp pain in his arm and waves of nausea, immediately turned his head with difficulty to look at his wife in the passenger seat:
"Soren, my dear, are you...are you alright?"

His voice became somewhat muffled due to nasal congestion.

Soren was also dazed and confused from the impact, his face showing a mixture of pain and horror, but he was still relatively conscious.

She reached up and touched her bleeding forehead, shaking her head with difficulty: "I... I'm okay, but my ears are still ringing a little... Wait, your hand?!"

Only then did she notice Talos's unnaturally bent right arm, which was clearly broken in the impact.

"Anesthetic, quick..." Talos gritted his teeth, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Sauron hurriedly endured the pain and groped forward, taking out a disposable auto-injector from a hidden compartment in the glove box on the passenger side, and handed it to Talos.

Talos took it with his uninjured left hand, and then plunged it into the muscle of his throbbing right arm without hesitation.

The cool anesthetic was injected into my body, quickly relieving the excruciating pain.

After catching his breath, Talos immediately raised his head, his single eye, disguised as Nick Fury, scanning the car window warily and sharply. He wanted to see who had done it!

However, when he saw the culprit who had ambushed him, he was struck dumb and froze instantly.

It was a heavily modified military Hummer H2, with thick crash bars and armor plates added to the body, and painted in desert camouflage.

At this moment, it was like a ferocious steel behemoth, forcefully using its front end to press against the left door of the Chevrolet Suburban, wedging the latter firmly against the thick brick wall of a roadside cafe.

But that's not what shocked Talos.

What truly froze his blood was the sight of a burly figure sitting in the driver's seat of that modified Hummer—a figure he knew all too well, and one that should absolutely not be there right now.

With golden hair, a resolute and handsome face, and wearing a combat uniform in the colors of the Stars and Stripes, the silver five-pointed star on his chest was particularly eye-catching at that moment...

That's right, the person who attacked them was none other than Captain America—Steve Rogers?!
Σ(⊙▽⊙“a???

“WTF???”

Talos practically spat out the curse through clenched teeth, his one eye wide with utter shock and disbelief. Captain Rogers?
Why is he here?!

And why attack Nick Fury's vehicle in this way?!
This just doesn't make any sense!

“Ta...Talos…”

Soren's voice trembled violently. She too had seen that iconic figure inside the Hummer, and her face drained of color. She asked in fear, "..."
"Was that really Captain Rogers? But why...why did he attack us?! What's going on?!"

But Talos couldn't answer his wife's question at that moment, because his brain was racing, trying to find a reasonable explanation for the absurd scene before him.

Has Captain America, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, betrayed us?

Or is Captain America being mentally controlled by someone?

Or perhaps, Captain America is actually Hydra?
Countless possibilities flashed by in an instant, but none of them could perfectly explain what was happening before their eyes.

Captain America, the man who symbolizes justice and freedom, is currently sitting in a Hummer that is attacking them...

However, just as the two were horrified and confused, the driver's door of the Hummer was pushed open.

Captain America even had a relaxed smile on his face as he nimbly jumped out of the car, but that smile, in Talos's eyes, was full of incongruity and a chilling sense of evil.

Captain America approached the stuck Chevrolet Suburban step by step, came to the driver's side window, and even leisurely raised his hand to tap the bulletproof glass, which was covered with spider web-like cracks, with his knuckles.

"Hey, sir."

Captain America first waved to Nick Fury and Maria Hill through the bulletproof car window, then smiled and spoke.

The sound became slightly muffled through the soundproof bulletproof glass, but Talos was certain that the familiar voice was definitely from Captain America.

However, the mocking expression on the other person's face was one he had never seen on Captain America's face before.

Just then, Captain America outside the window continued, "The weather's nice today, isn't it? Aren't you going to open the car door and invite me in? I think we could talk about a lot of things..."

Talos felt his heart pounding wildly, his one eye fixed on the familiar yet unfamiliar face outside the window, while his other hand stealthily reached for the hidden weapon slot under the seat.

However, Captain America outside the window didn't seem to be expecting his answer.

His smile widened, revealing dazzlingly white teeth, as he took a palm-sized, grayish-white object, resembling putty, from his tactical belt behind him.

It's C4 plastic explosive!
With practiced ease, Captain America slapped the explosive charge—enough to destroy an armored vehicle—right onto the center of the driver's side bulletproof window, which was riddled with tiny cracks.

Then, with a wicked grin, he backed away step by step, and then silently mouthed "Hail Hydra" to Talos, whose face was deathly pale inside the car.

Σ(⊙▽⊙“a???

WTF? ? ?

"Damn?!"

At this moment, Talos felt as if his brain was about to crash. He even began to wonder if there was something wrong with his eyes, or if he was hallucinating.

Otherwise, how could Captain America have said that?

But now was clearly not the time to delve into this issue. Glancing at the C4 plastic explosives stuck to the car window, he quickly shouted to his wife beside him:

"Soren, hurry... move to the back row!"

He endured the pain in his right arm as he exerted force, and together with his wife, they hurriedly unbuckled their seatbelts and awkwardly climbed from the center armrest to the back seat.

He was confident in the car's defensive capabilities and wasn't worried that the C4 plastic explosives would shatter the windows in one blow.

The car they were in had been specially modified, with composite armor inside and multi-layered bulletproof windows that could withstand direct hits from .50 caliber armor-piercing rounds, and also possessed an extremely powerful defense system.

It can be said that Nick Fury built a mobile fortress specifically for himself.

Unless it is bombarded to the ground by an RPG, it will not be blown through even if it is hit head-on.

Its defense is incredibly strong!
"[Nightingale], is the propulsion system still working? Get us out of this hellhole right now!" Talos yelled at the system inside the vehicle while staring at 'Captain America' outside.

"Sorry, the propulsion system circuitry was interrupted during the collision. We are attempting to reconnect it, which is expected to take some time..."

The car's built-in AI assistant calmly reported, "Warning: High-energy explosive material detected on the left side window. An explosion is expected to cause 47% damage to the structural integrity of the left door and body. The current body integrity is 79%!"

"You don't need to worry about the integrity of the system beforehand, just restart the propulsion system quickly!!" Talos shouted anxiously, holding his panicked wife in his arms.

boom--! ! !
The C4 plastic explosive that Captain America had stuck to the car window was detonated with a bang. The powerful shockwave slammed into the Chevrolet Suburban, causing the entire vehicle to shake violently. If it hadn't been held firmly in place by the Hummer and the wall, the impact would likely have flipped the car over, even if the window hadn't shattered.

The left-side window emitted a teeth-grinding groan as the outermost few inches of the bulletproof glass finally shattered and peeled away completely. However, the inner structure remained resilient and intact, though the cracks were more dense, resembling a giant spider web.

The strong smell of gunpowder instantly seeped into the car through the gaps.

"Warning: The integrity of the left door has decreased, currently at 32%. It is recommended to immediately initiate emergency response measures..." Nightingale's voice calmly issued the warning again.

"Don't take any countermeasures yet, restart the propulsion system... Hurry up, you bastard!!"

Talos glared menacingly at Captain America, who had reappeared from the smoke outside the car. Captain America casually waved away the smoke in front of him.

But when he saw that the car window hadn't been blown through, a look of surprise appeared on his face, as if he hadn't expected the car window to be so sturdy.

(End of this chapter)