C104 Joining the Fight, For a Price…

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As Peter led Peggy, Fury, and Coulson out of the auditorium, Natasha lingered behind. "I'll go and talk with the Widows, see what their decision is," she said.

Peter nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later."

Peter removed his mask as they entered the hallway. Peggy, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, "What's with the mask?"

Peter continued walking. "Since the Widows will be leaving, I thought it would be best if they didn't know my identity. My grandparents also wear masks around them. I don't think any of them would try anything against us, but you never know with some people. It's just best to keep our identities hidden until they're gone."

Peggy nodded, understanding the precaution. "Especially when it comes to your grandparents. They'd be easy targets."

Peter nodded in agreement.

As they walked, Peggy took the moment to lightheartedly complain. "You know, Peter, I wanted to strangle you when you butted in just as they were about to accept my proposal."

Peter laughed. "I can't make it too easy for you, now can I? Besides, who knows? Maybe even more will agree to join Shield after they've had some time to think it over."

Peggy frowned thoughtfully. "We'll see."

After a few quiet moments, Peggy turned to Peter again. "So, what's this about?"

Peter smiled, taking a turn and opening a door that led to an office. "Come inside and find out."

Peggy, Fury, and Coulson curiously followed Peter into the office. The room was dimly lit, with shelves lined with folders and documents, some of which were still strewn across the desk from Peter's earlier investigations. He closed the door behind them, ensuring their conversation would remain private.

"Welcome to General Dreykov's old office," Peter said, gesturing around. "This is where I found something you need to see."

He walked over to a large desk and opened a hidden compartment, pulling out a thick stack of documents. He placed them on the desk, spreading them out for the others to see.

Peggy, Fury, and Coulson moved closer, their eyes scanning the titles and snippets of information visible on the top pages.

"These are Shield and Hydra documents," Peter began, his tone serious. "I found them while I was looting this place. They show clear links between Shield and Hydra. Hell, some of them are even Shield documents that mention Hydra orders..."

Peggy's face turned pale as she started reading through the papers. "This can't be right," she muttered, her disbelief evident. "Hydra was eradicated. I hunted down every last member after World War 2. There has to be some sort of mistake?"

Peter nodded. "I know it's hard to believe, but just read the documents and you'll understand. I'm sure you'll know better than me. But, from what I've gathered, Hydra seems to have been hiding within Shield, growing in strength, and manipulating events from the shadows. The Red Room was one of the few, if not the only, bases operating outside of Shield's direct influence."

"So you're saying Hydra has been leeching off of Shield? But for how long?" Fury's expression hardened as he picked up one of the documents, scanning the lines of text, his eyes slowly beginning to widen the more he read.

Peter nodded again. "Exactly. These documents show Hydra operatives within Shield, passing information, diverting resources, and slowly, but surely, taking control." He allowed them a moment to read before adding, "It seems Dreykov had his own agenda and collected these documents as leverage or insurance against other high-level members, because I can't think of any other reason as to why he would keep all this evidence."

Coulson, still processing the information, flipped through the papers. "This is... this is unreal. How could they have hidden this for so long?"

Peter shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I only found the documents. You're just lucky I'm such a nice guy, or else you blind fools would still be in the dark"

Ignoring Peter's jab, Peggy looked up from the papers and spoke, "Hydra has always been good at hiding in plain sight. They adapt, blend in, and wait for the right moment to strike. It looks like they've been biding their time, gathering strength and waiting for the right opportunity."

"But... I made sure they were gone, I'm sure of it. I saw the end of Hydra with my own eyes. How can this be possible?" She peered down at the papers once again, her disbelief slowly turning into a grim acceptance.

Peter gave her a sympathetic look. "Well, as the old myth goes, If a Hydra's head is cut off, two more shall take its place."

Fury put down the document he was reading and looked at Peggy. "Ma'am, how do you propose we deal with this?"

Peggy remained silent for a moment before replying, "I'm not sure…"

"We need a plan," Coulson began, glancing at Peggy and Fury.

"Yeah, no sh*t…" Fury muttered. "But that's easier said than done. We're technically battling ourselves here. Hydra is Shield now."

Coulson nodded, "We have to be extremely careful. One wrong move and we tip them off. Hydra operatives will go underground, and we'll lose our chance to root them out. We need to find a way to identify every Hydra agent within Shield before we can act. Otherwise, we risk endangering the real Shield agents who aren't members of Hydra."

Fury's brow furrowed in thought, "But how? They can't be dumb enough to keep a roster of agents, could they?"

Peggy, shoulders heavy with the enormity of their task, added, "It's possible. After all, how are they supposed to know who's Shield and who's Hydra? I wouldn't be surprised if there was a list of Hydra operatives somewhere. The question is, how do we get our hands on it?"

They mulled over various ideas and strategies, the conversation growing more intense as they tried to find a way forward. After a while, Peggy turned to Peter, who had been listening quietly.

"Peter, what do you think of all this?"

Peter shrugged nonchalantly. "This is your problem. I'm just a concerned citizen giving you the info."

Peggy frowned at his reply. "If you care about those Black Widows, then it is your problem. At least a few of them will be joining Shield, which, as we've learned today, is basically Hydra. I can do all I can to protect them, but it's hard when I don't know who to protect them from. Not to mention the rest of the Widows who choose normal lives—they'll be in danger too. In order to get them documents, I have to go through Shield, so Hydra will learn of them fairly quickly."

She looked Peter directly in the eyes. "Do you think any of them will be safe? Do you think Hydra will leave them alone? Because although they probably didn't know this, they were technically Hydra agents. And from what I recall, Hydra doesn't have a retirement policy. They will either kill or kidnap those women, not to mention the children, who would be easy pickings. After all, they could always train the Red Room students back up into Black Widows if they get a hold of them."

Peter's expression shifted as Peggy spoke, the reality of the situation sinking in. 'Well sh*t…' He began to realize that he couldn't remain as uninvolved as he had hoped.

Peggy finished her speech with a final plea. "Wasn't it you who wanted to give them a chance at normal, happy lives? They won't get that if Hydra isn't taken care of."

Peter groaned in annoyance, rubbing his temples. "Fine, fine. You don't have to lay it on so thick. I'll help." He paused for a moment before adding, "For a price, of course."

Peggy's victorious smirk dimmed into exasperation. She could tell that Peter wanted to help; he just needed a reason to. Thankfully, she had given him that reason.

Fury scoffed, muttering, "Greedy b*stard…" while Coulson rolled his eyes.

Peggy looked at Peter, a mix of curiosity and apprehension in her eyes. "Alright, so what do you want in return for your help?"

Peter thought for a moment before replying, "First, before we get to my payment, I just want to make it clear that you already owe me for even showing you this information."

Peggy reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right. We do owe you."

Peter continued, "I'd like to combine the favor you already owe me with my payment. And in return, I want whatever you were using to power Project Pegasus." He had no idea what it was, since this universe shouldn't have a Space Stone, but he did know one thing, he wanted it.

Peggy's eyes widened as she heard this. "That's... that's a huge request. We're talking about one of the most powerful objects Shield has in its possession." She paused, thinking it over. "I don't know if I can do that…"

Peter raised a brow. "You are the Director of Shield, aren't you?"

Peggy paused for a moment before answering, "Yes, but there are still people above even me..."

Peter countered, "And are you sure that none of them are related to Hydra?" Of course, he already knew that this was most definitely true, but he couldn't just say it without any proof.

His words caused their eyes to widen, as that possibility was very real, and also very likely.

Peter continued, "After all, it would be hard for an organization like Shield not to notice a leech operating in its own backyard. The only possible explanation is that your boss or bosses are corrupt. Maybe not all of them, but at least one."

Peggy thought it over for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in. Eventually, she nodded. "Alright, Peter. I agree to your deal, but only if Hydra is eradicated and your help proves invaluable to the process. Otherwise, you'll have to ask for something else."

Peter nodded, satisfied with the terms. He held out his hand. "Deal."

Peggy shook his hand, sealing the agreement. "Deal."

With their agreement in place, they turned their focus back to the monumental task ahead.

Peter looked around at Peggy, Fury, and Coulson. "Since I'm helping you, it's probably best if we start using the Red Room as our base of operations. But let me make it clear—you are not to bring anyone else here without my permission."

They easily agreed, relieved to have a secure base where they could work without worrying about Hydra infiltrators.

Peter continued, "And since the Widows won't be safe, we'll delay their documents and introduction into society. They'll stay here until Hydra is dealt with. But, those who ultimately decide to join Shield can work with us on this as well. After all, we'll need more than just four people to tackle this. Just don't officially hire them yet; that way Shield or Hydra won't know about them."

They easily agreed with his thinking.

Coulson asked, "Alright, so where do we start?"

Peggy replied, her tone heavy. "Actually, I think I may know how Shield was infiltrated and who we should look into first."

Fury raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Coulson added, "And who?"

Peggy explained, "After World War 2, the United States took in over 1,500 Nazi German scientists and engineers, pardoning them of their crimes in exchange for federal employment. We called it Operation Paperclip…"

Peter said, "And I'm guessing Shield took in a few scientists as well?"

Peggy nodded. "Yes, but only one of them is still alive—Arnim Zola, a Swiss-born scientist who worked for Hydra during the war."

Peter commented, "So you actually recruited a member of Hydra and thought that was a good idea?" He chuckled.

Based on Fury and Coulson's expressions, they agreed with his sentiment.

Peggy argued, "He was Hydra's lead scientist. It was hard to pass up the opportunity to have him on our side. But, with hindsight in mind, I can see how we made a huge mistake."

Peter said sarcastically, "You think?" He then sighed. "Alright, you guys should start looking into Zola. Meanwhile, I'll go see what the Widows are thinking and get you a list of everyone who's agreed to join already..."

Just as Peter was about to leave, Peggy asked, "Should we try to recruit all of the Widows for this? I'm sure they'll be willing to help when they hear the whole story."

Peter shook his head. "No, they've been through enough already. Let's leave them be."

Fury spoke up, "But this would be much easier if we could get all of the Widows to help. There were over a hundred in the audience earlier. Those numbers would make this whole situation a bit more manageable..."

Coulson added, "And they can always go live their happy, normal lives once Hydra is dealt with…"

Peter smirked. "It's okay, we don't need the Widows. Because I'm planning on getting us some backup."

As Peter turned to leave, Peggy called out, "Who?"

Peter simply waved over his shoulder as he left the room. "You'll see."

With that, Peter exited, leaving Peggy, Fury, and Coulson to ponder who or what he had in mind.

A/N: 2245 words :)

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