Chapter 107 – Snake Squad's Elevator Showdown
Ding!
As the elevator doors opened, a balding middle-aged man scrambled out in a panic, practically crawling on all fours.
At the same time, a group of burly agents in tactical vests stepped in calmly, silently positioning themselves around Allen in a practiced formation, surrounding him from all sides.
The elevator doors closed behind them.
"Hail Hydra."
"I'm the Hydra Squad Captain."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has been fully infiltrated."
…
Allen began whispering conspiratorially to the agents.
Yet these professionals didn't bat an eye, their expressions unreadable.
The squad leader standing directly in front of Allen gave his comrades a subtle glance.
The next second, all the agents moved in unison.
"How dare you attack a Hydra squad captain, you little nobodies! Face my wrath!"
In an instant, a fierce skirmish erupted inside the elevator.
Moments later, all the agents were downed, sprawled on the floor, while Allen stood in the same spot, completely unscathed.
He glanced around and picked the agent with the perkiest butt, then gave it a solid kick, mocking, "What, you think you're Old Deng's favorite boy? Got a backside like that."
The unlucky agent got kicked again, nearly in tears from the humiliation.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened again.
Dozens of laser sights instantly zeroed in on Allen.
"Don't shoot! I surrender," Allen declared seriously. "Hand-to-hand combat is fair game, but using gear? That's cheating."
No matter how skilled you were in martial arts, bullets were still deadly.
Allen was fully aware his body couldn't withstand modern weaponry.
Under tight escort, he was taken to an interrogation room.
That day, not only were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents thrown into chaos, but even the deep-cover Hydra agents were on edge.
If they launched a full internal sweep, years of careful infiltration would go up in smoke.
Inside the interrogation room.
Across from Allen sat a seasoned interrogator who asked sternly, "What's your purpose for coming to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"I came to collect my paycheck."
As far as Allen remembered, he'd never once been paid since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., so he stated confidently, "A huge organization like this, withholding my hard-earned money—don't you think that's shameful?"
The agent shook his head, closed his notebook, and said, "We'll be transferring you to a psychiatric facility shortly. Hopefully, you'll get the help you need."
Of course, that hospital was under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction.
A guy this good in combat and this nuts? Definitely worth recruiting.
Immediately, Allen shouted in mock horror, "Let me go right now! I refuse treatment! I demand the right to be an idiot—nobody can take that away from me!"
"…"
Yeah, this one's too far gone. Top-tier mental health protocol required.
At that moment, the door creaked open.
An older woman entered and gave the agent a silent signal to leave the room.
As the door shut behind her, she casually placed a fountain pen on the table and softly said, "Allen, long time no see."
At the sound of her voice, Allen instantly calmed down. His eyes widened with surprise and joy. "Carter!"
That's right—the woman was none other than Peggy Carter, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders.
"…Yeesh…"
Allen stared at her in a daze, recalling her youthful face back at Arkham Fortress.
Now, her hair was gray, her skin wrinkled—she had to be at least sixty.
"Say what you need to say. Don't hold back."
She pointed at the pen. "It's a signal jammer. No one's listening."
"Now that's professional," Allen said with a lewd grin. "You've really aged like fine wine."
"This appearance is just a disguise. Steve told me everything about you."
When Steve traveled back in time and reunited with her during WWII, he naturally told her everything from the future—including many things about Allen.
And also about Hydra's infiltration into S.H.I.E.L.D., which they had been secretly monitoring.
The recent appearance of the Flerken triplets was the final push for Steve and Carter to form the Imperial Iron Curtain and Watchmaker organizations over forty years ago.
"What did Old Deng's son say about me?"
Allen perked up, trying to scoot his chair closer. He kicked his legs, but the chair was screwed to the floor, and all he managed to do was loosen a few bolts.
"Not much—just that you're a troublemaker," Carter said dismissively.
"Ungrateful brat. Slandering his old man like that… the shame," Allen sighed theatrically.
"…"
She wasn't about to argue with a madman.
Switching topics, Carter asked, "So which timeline is this for you?"
"This is my third~" Allen answered bashfully, cheeks reddening.
"…"
Why are you blushing?! I asked about the timeline!
Carter took a calming breath and got to the point. "Enough nonsense. What do you want? If I can help, I will."
"I'm currently a student at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. This morning, an official strike team attacked the school and captured all the students. I came to find out—was it your people?"
Allen finally got serious and clearly laid out his request.
Hmm…
Carter frowned deeply and didn't answer right away.
After a moment to gather her thoughts, she spoke slowly: "This wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation. The only suspicious lead is the official Weapon X program, now run by William Stryker. But for an assault on Xavier's to succeed, Hydra must've been involved behind the scenes. That said, it's worth noting that Colonel Stryker is probably playing his own game. From a human-centric standpoint, he sees mutants as threats—so to the public, he's a hero acting in the nation's best interest."
Allen remembered who Stryker was now.
The one who developed Adamantium and turned Logan into Wolverine—an extremist who loathed mutants.
Carter wasn't wrong. This guy didn't care about individuals. From the public's perspective, he was doing the "right" thing.
That explained everything.
Hydra used S.H.I.E.L.D. to lure the X-Men away.
Then Stryker struck.
And Hydra likely had their eyes on Stryker's research too.
After all, what super-powered agent wouldn't want mutant abilities?
"Tell me where Stryker is."
…
At a café.
All looked calm on the surface, but the place was crawling with agents ready to kill the targets on command.
Wade felt confident he could escape, but Illyana… not so much.
Without magic, her summoned Soulsword wouldn't be able to deflect bullets.
"Allen might be in trouble," Wade said with a rare note of sadness. "Finally found a friend I vibe with—and now I'll have to carve the cringiest eulogy ever on his tombstone."
"Abort mission!"
With a single command from the disguised waiter—
The agents posing as customers holstered their weapons, went back to sipping coffee and reading newspapers, and some even picked up their briefcases and casually walked out.
Wade and Illyana were left stunned.
Then they watched as Allen swaggered out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building like nothing had happened.
Back inside the café, Allen plopped down next to Wade and shamelessly took a sip from his coffee.
Blegh…
Still couldn't stand American-style coffee. He spat it right back into the cup.
"I asked around. I know who did it."
"…"