To be honest, Robert and Kara had somewhat anticipated such a situation. Given that those so-called official agencies were taking aggressive actions against the people who had returned to their normal lives as Spider-Men, it was no surprise that these agencies would go to great lengths. After all, there are numerous official bodies, and they don't always act in unison.
Originally, if Alex was in a better position, Robert and Kara might have been able to gather more intel about these events. Unfortunately, Alex was practically in retirement and had no access to any real covert information. She couldn't even get hold of the information that was common knowledge among the agencies.
Therefore, Clark, Robert, and Kara had to find their own ways to locate their targets. Each approached the situation differently. Clark and Kara used their overwhelming speed and strength to storm the agency bases, destroying surveillance equipment along the way, and then carried the experimental subjects out using their biofields.
Robert, however, took a different route. He walked into those agency bases openly, didn't destroy the surveillance equipment, but instead knocked everyone out, released the captives, and made sure the cameras caught everything. He turned stealth into a bold statement.
As for whether the people he freed might get captured again, that was something Robert had already planned for. His solution was simple: if they were recaptured, he would rescue them again. He was keen to see how many personnel these agencies could actually deploy.
Clark and Kara shared the same plan. Their goal was not to rely solely on their powers to free the captives but to make the agencies realize that continuing to capture these people was more trouble than it was worth, forcing them to abandon the practice.
"Who are these people? How did they find our bases? Who leaked the information that the Spider-Men were there?" At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury frowned deeply. Despite not having formed the Avengers, Fury still held a significant position. S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken the lead in capturing the infected Spider-Men.
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. still harbored Hydra within its ranks. Hydra was very interested in such extraordinary powers, even hoping to achieve what Richard Parker had once aimed for, provided they could control the infected Spider-Men.
Due to various recent events and the influence of Robert and Steve, Alexander Pierce had relinquished part of Hydra's control within S.H.I.E.L.D. He even sold out the factions of Hydra unrelated to his own. However, this had driven Hydra to burrow deeper within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Amid these extraordinary events, Pierce felt increasingly threatened. He was compelled to reactivate his faction of Hydra earlier than planned.
Fortunately, Pierce wasn't the only one under pressure. Nick Fury also felt the strain. With no Avengers and Captain Marvel seemingly out of reach, Fury's paranoia intensified.
Under Fury's orders, S.H.I.E.L.D. had become more aggressive and unscrupulous, striving to gain from every extraordinary event to rebuild its strength and restore Fury's sense of security.
Fury's actions reignited Hydra's expansionist ambitions, reminiscent of its post-WWII growth. It also spurred other official agencies into competition.
From a certain perspective, S.H.I.E.L.D. was not superior to other agencies. Several other powerful forces were capable of challenging S.H.I.E.L.D. and were not willing to let it dominate.
These agencies couldn't stand by and watch S.H.I.E.L.D. grow unchecked. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rise would inevitably threaten their own power and influence.
The resources and authority available from above were limited. Any increase for S.H.I.E.L.D. meant a decrease for another agency. No one wanted to end up like Alex's Super Surveillance Department, which had become a marginal, ineffective entity.
Thus, the agencies were dragged into fierce competition, leading to situations like Kara's earlier encounter where three agencies fought over captives. Relations among the agencies were rapidly deteriorating.
The higher-ups showed no intention of stopping this chaos. They preferred the agencies' rivalry over a united front that could cooperate smoothly on everything.
Given this environment, when Nick Fury heard about the raid on the bases, his first suspicion fell on rival agencies. He speculated that they might have used some hidden cards or discovered something in their experiments that prompted them to act.
"We don't know who did it yet, but a significant number of those rescued have already returned home. Should we recapture them?" Brock Rumlow asked Fury with a frown.
Rumlow had access to more information, especially regarding other agencies, thanks to Hydra's extensive network. However, he couldn't reveal too much to Fury. Some names were taboo when speaking to Fury.
"Gather all other intelligence. Also, investigate if any major events have occurred globally, and check if that hypocritical Superman has shown up!" Although Rumlow hadn't named names, Fury immediately thought of Clark. Just as the Avengers had suspected before, Superman was an obvious first suspect in such rescue missions. Even without concrete evidence, Clark's reputation made him a likely suspect whenever such events happened.
This suspicion didn't apply to Robert as much. Clark's image as a savior was much stronger. In the eyes of the official agencies, Superman seemed to seek public approval and might even have ambitions of deification. Robert, on the other hand, was seen more as a powerful fighter against strong adversaries.
If a major destructive event occurred or if there was a large-scale battle involving powerful beings, Robert would be the first suspect. But in a rescue operation for ordinary people, both Fury and other agencies would naturally suspect Clark.
"Understood!" Rumlow responded, quickly providing more data to Fury. As long as Fury's orders didn't conflict with Hydra's interests, Rumlow executed them perfectly. His competence and strength had elevated his status significantly within Fury's ranks, surpassing even Coulson.
"Not a single piece of footage left? Have we contacted the Avengers and Tony Stark? What about Steve? What did they say?" Fury frowned again. No trace of Robert was found in the footage, and the footage from Clark and Kara's operations had been entirely destroyed, both physically and digitally.
JARVIS had undoubtedly helped with this. Although Clark's identity couldn't be entirely hidden from the officials, avoiding leaving evidence was still preferable. This way, conflicts remained verbal rather than escalating into direct confrontation.
"I spoke to Tony Stark. He said that Superman has only crossed paths with them a few times and that they don't have a way to contact him. He claimed the Avengers had no involvement in this incident," Rumlow reported, his eyes flickering slightly.
Rumlow had contacted Stark himself. Whether or not the recent events were related to the Avengers, it was essential to check in with Stark. It wasn't about finding the truth but giving Fury a temporary explanation.
"And Steve?" Fury's expression remained unchanged. His dark face showed no sign of his feelings, and Rumlow couldn't read him.
"The Captain advised us to act humanely and leave innocent civilians alone. If we must proceed, he warned us not to get caught, or he would treat us as criminals, regardless of who backs us," Rumlow paused, referring to Steve as "the Captain," a title that had become habitual for many.
Rumlow's tone still held respect for Steve. Unlike other universes, Steve here was a centenarian whose authority far surpassed that of a younger Captain America. This was evident from Fury's frequent concessions in their exchanges.
Even Fury had to yield to Steve's influence. Rumlow, despite being a Hydra agent, couldn't help but admire Steve, who had nearly destroyed Hydra with his strength alone and had returned to battle, dismantling numerous Hydra bases and surviving repeated ambushes.
Rumlow respected Steve's resilience and power, knowing firsthand the limits of the Super Soldier Serum. Steve's achievements were extraordinary.
"Judgment? Who gave him the right to judge? He's just a mere captain now!" Fury's eyes flashed with anger as he roared at Rumlow's report.
Fury had never truly respected Steve. In his original plan, Steve was just another subordinate. Steve was chosen to lead the Avengers for his connections and leadership, not out of any particular admiration from Fury.
However, Steve and Tony Stark had sidelined Fury, gathering more powerful superhumans than Fury had envisioned, forming a stronger Avengers team.
Though the Avengers had not officially been recognized and often opposed the agencies, many high-ranking officials supported them due to Steve's influence and connections.
Fury's frustration was palpable. If the Avengers had been under his control, he wouldn't be as anxious as he was now. He would have already capitalized on their name.
"He's had the status of a brigadier general for a long time. Even some admirals admire him. You can't judge him by rank alone," Rumlow thought to himself but kept his face impassive. He showed no sign of having heard Fury's anger, his expression neutral until it suddenly changed.
"What is it?" Fury noticed Rumlow's shift in expression and asked sharply.
"We have new footage. It shows multiple individuals rescuing the captives," Rumlow said with a hint of surprise.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/INNIT]