Chapter 85: Project Pegasus
"I will personally oversee the implementation of Project Pegasus."
Nick Fury, as someone who had firsthand experience with the early issues of Project Pegasus, undoubtedly had mixed feelings about this project, which was originally intended for developing alternative energy and a lightspeed engine.
It was a research project jointly established by NASA, the Air Force, and S.H.I.E.L.D., which meant that S.H.I.E.L.D. did not have a high degree of influence in it.
But that was in the past.
In the rebooted version of Project Pegasus, Nick Fury was prepared to have complete control over it within S.H.I.E.L.D.
The U.S. military was no longer the same as it was when Carter and Howard Stark founded S.H.I.E.L.D.
And Nick Fury was not like Howard, who was more inclined to be loyal to the U.S. government.
Strictly speaking, his ideals were similar to Peggy Carter's, and that was why he was able to stand out among countless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and be promoted to the position of S.H.I.E.L.D. director by Pierce, who was actually an enemy.
Pierce never focused on the mere land of the United States.
So his successor couldn't be someone with a limited perspective as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"The Council has approved the transfer of authority for restarting the project. The U.S. military will provide military bases for the project, and NASA will provide equipment, but S.H.I.E.L.D. will have overall control of all affairs."
Pierce nodded in satisfaction. It had to be Nick Fury, and only Nick Fury. Only he could withstand all the pressure and bring S.H.I.E.L.D. to its current state.
Only then could HYDRA continue to grow stronger.
"You still handle things flawlessly."
Nick Fury exclaimed. It was because of Pierce's thoughtful arrangements that he was able to alleviate a lot of pressure.
Otherwise, he would have to face global security threats while also dealing with bureaucratic officials on a daily basis, and he felt he might go insane.
"After all, I once sat in that position, and I know how much pressure you face."
Pierce spread his hands. Strictly speaking, it involved the use of many HYDRA technologies.
They, HYDRA, were the true masters of the Tesseract and those weapons.
"But is the U.S. government willing to cooperate like this?"
Nick Fury's smile turned ironic.
"This is no longer just a matter of acquired interests; it is part of their inherent interests."
Even though the World Security Council is a global organization, it is still composed of representatives from the five major powers.
When it comes to their respective national interests, they will still strive for benefits for their own countries while appearing acceptable on the surface.
So they are all a group of professional bureaucrats, engaged in various struggles for interests.
"It's not a big problem."
Pierce let out a sarcastic laugh. However, the target of his sarcasm was somewhat thought-provoking:
"The President of the United States is a man of enlightenment who received the Nobel Peace Prize last year, and although the Democratic Party is in power, the Republican Party is not completely dormant."
He took a sip of coffee, looked at Nick Fury, who was listening attentively, and coldly laughed inwardly. Without showing any movement on the surface, he continued:
"The World Security Council is led by representatives from the five major powers, and of course, there is a representative of the U.S. government—Gideon Malick.
Mr. Malick has had deep cooperation with NASA... He is a close friend of Republican Congressman Matthew Ellis."
Pierce paused, setting down his coffee cup.
"And this Congressman Ellis... is the Republican presidential candidate for next year's presidential election."
"I see... There are these intricacies involved."
Nick Fury smirked. It was like the future presidential candidate had already started pre-election exchanges to gain the support of the Council and S.H.I.E.L.D.
But for the U.S. presidential election, this could only be considered basic maneuvering.
However... The future President probably didn't realize that one of the members of the World Security Council, who would become his advisor, was actually one of the secret leaders of HYDRA.
Whether on the surface or within HYDRA, in terms of status, Mr. Malick even surpassed the current Pierce.
Pierce led the remnants of HYDRA that survived from the era of World War II, including the Red Skull incident, as well as the newly developed forces that had developed under the umbrella of S.H.I.E.L.D. in recent years.
On the other hand, the family led by Malick was one of the leading families that established HYDRA since ancient times.
They represented the orthodox origin of HYDRA.
In modern times, Malick had become the leader of this "most orthodox HYDRA," which had been passed down from ancient times to the present.
Moreover, they had never given up on their plan to welcome back their "god" throughout the centuries.
Malick himself had even facilitated the space exploration program, "Project Distant Star Return," which utilized NASA's technological means in an attempt to achieve their goals.
Of course, he ultimately failed.
Within HYDRA, there were actually complex feelings towards the Red Skull of that era as well.
In their eyes, although the Red Skull was the most outstanding member of HYDRA in thousands of years, he had ultimately betrayed the organization's ultimate goal.
The Red Skull's objective had shifted from bringing back the "god" of HYDRA to ruling the world.
This was unforgivable to the traditionalists who saw themselves as the orthodox faction.
However, the Red Skull found support in the form of Nazi, and just before Nazi's downfall, he obtained the immense power of the Tesseract. He became the center of attention—
It was also the most glorious period for HYDRA.
At that time, the traditionalists were already powerless and had no need to pursue the Red Skull's "betrayal" anymore.
And after the failure of the reformist faction led by the Red Skull and the "death" of the Red Skull himself, the traditionalists intervened to preserve a portion of the essence of the reformist faction.
"The Project Insight."
This was the foundation that allowed Pierce's reformist faction to quickly rise again.
So, wouldn't it be natural for the leaders of the two HYDRA factions to engage in some small-scale cooperation once again?
Even if it was only limited assistance from S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Ellis could gain an absolute advantage in the presidential election.
But Nick Fury would never allow such a thing.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot secretly influence the U.S. presidential election, let alone directly participate."
A hint of disdain flashed in Nick Fury's one eye.
"We are concerned with world security and don't have time to help him scheme against his competitors!"
"Of course, we won't do that."
Pierce didn't care at all. They didn't need S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Couldn't he use HYDRA agents?
"The presidential candidate will determine his policy and commitments, and Ellis... is focused on policies that contrast with the current president's Barack Obama's moderate policies, such as tax cuts, tough trade policies, increased diplomatic and military presence, and relaxed financial regulations."
Seeing Nick Fury's eyes suddenly widen, Pierce shrugged his shoulders.
"These policies have a significant market appeal and have received considerable favor from major capital. Meanwhile, the climate and environmental policies of President Barack Obama are no longer sustainable."
"So, all we need to do is make the 'environmental consultant' quiet down a bit."
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member, if possible!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA) - 71 advance chapters & 3 Chapters/Day
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +147 advance chapters & 2 Chapters/Day
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------