Marvel : Super Soldier at the Start

Without the concern for hostage safety and with the assistance of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Captain America quickly cleared out the terrorists on the ship. 

Earlier, the conversation between Sitwell and another agent was entirely overheard by Captain America through his glasses. 

Although he couldn't tell which agent mentioned Hydra, Captain America clearly recognized Sitwell's voice. Unfortunately, their conversation was vague, and he couldn't determine if Sitwell and the other agent were Hydra operatives or merely had some connection to Hydra. 

Regardless of the specifics, it was clear that S.H.I.E.L.D. was no longer clean. Unless he encountered someone he trusted, Captain America decided to pretend he knew nothing for the moment, to avoid alerting the enemy. 

"Who are these people, anyway?" 

Having dealt with the terrorists, Captain America casually asked Agent Sitwell. 

"A group of terrorists," Sitwell replied with a smile. "They thought the ship was transporting advanced weapons but found out it was a satellite launch vessel. Then they had the audacity to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. and demand 1.5 billion dollars in ransom." 

"I think they're truly insane. S.H.I.E.L.D. never negotiates. Our strike team was already on the way. Captain, you can take a fighter jet and leave once they arrive. It's a shame the helicopter on the ship was damaged earlier; otherwise, I could have arranged for you to return to your vacation immediately." 

Captain America responded with a nonchalant smile but said nothing. 

As the situation was now completely under control, the strike team's aircraft landed directly on the deck. 

When Captain America saw who stepped off the plane first, his face lit up—Hawkeye. 

Compared to others, Captain America naturally placed more trust in Hawkeye. 

Hawkeye, aware that the Captain had saved everyone on the ship, greeted him with a warm hug. 

"See, this is the difference between a superhero and an agent. I only acted after receiving orders, while our Captain America instinctively shows up wherever he's needed." 

The two comrades, who had fought together in Wakanda, exchanged cheerful greetings. 

Hawkeye then introduced the leader of the strike team to Captain America. 

"Brock Rumlow, captain of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strike team! Rumlow, I don't think Captain America needs any introduction." 

"Exactly! Captain America needs no introduction!" 

Brock Rumlow extended his right hand with a wide smile, giving the Captain a firm handshake. 

Since they were already there, they decided to make the trip worthwhile. Hawkeye, who had other orders, took the opportunity to complete his mission. 

Rumlow and his team escorted the captured terrorists, while Hawkeye, under the pretense of orders from Nick Fury, claimed he needed to check whether any data from the launch platform had been leaked. 

He and Captain America headed toward the control room. 

Meanwhile, Rumlow, led by Sitwell, moved toward the kitchen. For some reason, likely due to Sitwell's quirky sense of humor, the terrorists had been confined there. 

Outside the kitchen, Rumlow's sharp eyes caught a small metallic disc stuck in the corner. 

Crouching down, he carefully examined it. "Some kind of listening device. It doesn't look like something the terrorists would use!" 

He turned the device over and noticed a small Stark Industries logo on it. 

"Looks like it belongs to the Captain!" 

Rumlow shot Sitwell a reproachful glance. 

Sitwell suddenly remembered the strange glasses the Captain had been wearing earlier. His expression changed dramatically. 

In the control room, surrounded by the ship's tech staff and agents, Hawkeye didn't openly copy any data. Instead, he casually inspected the systems and discreetly attached a tiny electronic device to a server. 

Captain America didn't notice Hawkeye's small maneuver. He was busy contemplating whether Hawkeye was truly trustworthy. 

After some thought, he decided to subtly test him. 

Leaning in close, Captain America whispered, "When I was rescuing the hostages, I overheard some things... about Hydra..." 

Halfway through their conversation, two sharp *whoosh* sounds broke the air as two miniature electric pulse darts struck their necks directly. 

Hawkeye convulsed briefly and collapsed instantly. 

Captain America's neck muscles bulged as he gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tightly to resist the paralysis spreading through his body. 

These small paralysis devices only needed a few seconds to subdue their targets, but with enough willpower, one could regain mobility quickly. 

Unfortunately, Brock Rumlow, standing behind Captain America, didn't give him that chance. 

Rumlow swiftly produced a syringe and plunged it into the Captain's neck. As the drug coursed through his veins, Captain America's eyes rolled back, and he slumped unconscious to the floor. 

The sudden turn of events plunged the entire control room into silence. All the technicians looked over in confusion. 

Without hesitation, Sitwell drew his pistol and fired two shots, killing two technicians on the spot. 

"The rest are our people; it's fine. We'll pin their deaths on the terrorists!" 

An hour later, a jet carrying the damaged helicopter lifted off from the ship's deck. 

In a remote part of the ocean, the jet descended to a lower altitude, and its cargo bay door opened slowly. Brock Rumlow aimed a rocket launcher at the dangling helicopter below. 

"Boom!" 

The helicopter exploded into fragments upon hitting the water. The jet roared away, turning sharply in the night sky. 

---

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Nick Fury's Office** 

A new email awaited Nick Fury on his computer—data transmitted from the device Hawkeye had planted on the ship. 

However, Hawkeye was now unreachable. Brock Rumlow informed Fury that Hawkeye had taken Captain America by helicopter back to the cruise ship. 

A flicker of doubt crossed Fury's eyes, but he decided to review the data Hawkeye had sent first. 

"Open the satellite launch files from the Lemurian Star," Fury commanded calmly in his sealed office. 

"Access denied," an electronic voice replied. 

A large screen lit up on the opposite wall, displaying a failure message for opening the files. 

"Run the decryption program to unlock the files!" Fury ordered again. 

"Decryption failed," the voice echoed once more. 

Fury's expression grew darker. 

"Override authorization: Nicholas J. Fury, Director." 

"Authorization denied. All files have been automatically sealed," the electronic voice replied. 

This time, Fury's face turned grim. 

Quickly, he questioned the system. "Who gave the order?" 

"Nicholas J. Fury," the system responded. 

The screen now displayed that all files had been encrypted and locked. 

Fury could no longer maintain his composure. He finally realized that something was seriously wrong within S.H.I.E.L.D. 

His suspicions about Project Insight had been growing, which was why he had secretly sent Hawkeye to retrieve the satellite launch data. But now, the situation was far worse than he had anticipated. 

Fury opened the office window and stared into the pitch-black night sky. Lost in thought, he contemplated his next move. 

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