Chapter 122: Skye (Part 2)

Boom.

With a thunderous roar, Baron Strucker's base erupted in flames. The entire mountain began to collapse instantly, causing the ground to shake as if hit by a massive earthquake. Boulders rolled and shattered, trees fell, and the ground sank, shrouding the base in thick smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the entire mountain had vanished, leaving a massive crater about ten meters deep. The HYDRA members guarding the perimeter were stunned, staring in disbelief at the now-missing base. They never anticipated such an event.

Quickly, the HYDRA officers began ordering the troops to secure the area and investigate what had happened while reporting to their superiors.

"That Jericho missile really packs a punch." In the distance, riding a flying broomstick and hidden by an Invisibility Charm, Daniel Davis smiled as he watched the destroyed base. HYDRA had always prided itself on controlling everything from the shadows, never expecting to be caught off guard.

To ensure the complete destruction of the base, Daniel had planted several Jericho missiles around it. Even Stark himself probably didn't realize that HYDRA was his biggest weapons client in the past.

HYDRA didn't buy these weapons for their own use, as launching such missiles would attract national-level scrutiny. They purchased these weapons to sell and control terrorist organizations.

Not just anyone could buy weapons from Stark Industries. Even Hammer Industries' weapons were hard to come by for most people.

Despite modern advancements in weaponry, the AK-47 remains the most popular weapon, especially among terrorists and underground forces. This is particularly true in impoverished regions where the AK-47's simplicity and durability make it highly desirable.

"Got it, the Scarlet Witch's name is Wanda. What's her last name again? Can't recall." As Daniel prepared to leave, he suddenly remembered the Scarlet Witch's name but couldn't recall her brother Quicksilver's name. It didn't matter, though; with Wanda's name, their twin status, and their Sokovian origin, he had enough clues to find them.

Thinking about private detectives reminded Daniel of the time he discovered Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in this world. He came across them while looking for a detective to investigate someone and found their names on a private investigator network. They were top-tier in their field.

Despite his curiosity, Daniel didn't have time to meet them. He just gave them tasks, and their results were always reliable. He needed a CEO for his company since Pepper Potts was busy managing Tony's company. He hired private detectives to vet candidates provided by headhunters, ensuring he avoided any potential problems.

"Now I have two Infinity Stones. Too bad there's no Infinity Gauntlet." Back at his villa with Loki's scepter, Daniel was excited. The scepter contained the Mind Stone, a secret known only to Thanos. Even Stark, after creating Ultron and Vision, didn't fully understand its power.

As he was about to research the scepter in the giant world, his phone rang. Red Queen informed him it was an unknown number.

"Connect." Curious, Daniel answered the call. At home, his phone was linked to the Red Queen, allowing him to track and deal with scammers effectively. He despised them ever since an incident before he gained his powers, when he lost an argument with a scammer, leaving him furious but powerless. Now, with Red Queen, he could exact revenge on such scammers.

With his abilities, it would be easy to block such calls, but Daniel preferred to trace and punish the scammers. He'd sometimes even destroy their computers. Thanks to his efforts, scam activity had significantly decreased, contributing to societal peace.

"It's you." Daniel was surprised to see Agent Coulson on the screen. "Didn't Fury say you were dead?"

"I need your help. One of my team members is in trouble. We're flying to your location and need you urgently," Coulson pleaded.

"Send me the coordinates. I'll be there immediately." Seeing Coulson's urgency, Daniel couldn't refuse and agreed to help.

"Thank you." Coulson sent his current location and route to Daniel's phone.

"Coulson's team is already formed, so Skye must have joined them by now." Preparing to leave, Daniel considered Skye's Inhuman abilities. Inhumans fascinated him, but they were rare, and he didn't know the location of their hidden communities.

Inhumans had unique abilities, like teleportation and vibration manipulation, which intrigued Daniel. Skye's vibration powers, similar to those of the white-bearded man who liked to act as a paternal figure, were particularly impressive despite their side effects.

Although the side effects were significant, the power was immense, making Daniel eager to learn more about Inhumans. Kree biological technology was advanced, and humans had played a crucial role in the success of their experiments on Earth.

Combining Kree biotechnology, Xandar's energy matrix technology, Sovereign's energy and genetic technology, and the secrets within the Celestial's head in Knowhere, the universe held countless mysteries. Acquiring these could significantly enhance Daniel's abilities, though these were distant goals given their locations in the cosmos.

With these thoughts, Daniel mounted his broomstick and used a space portal to appear on Coulson's path. Although space portals could theoretically open anywhere, locating a moving plane proved challenging.

"Simmons, Fitz, hang in there. Help is on the way," Coulson reassured his despondent team members, Simmons and Fitz, who were trapped behind reinforced glass.

"Who is he? Can he really save Simmons and Fitz?" Skye quietly asked Ward.

"That's classified. You don't have clearance for that information," Ward replied softly.

"Damn S.H.I.E.L.D. and its rules," Skye muttered. Previously, she would have loudly demanded transparency, but her experiences with Coulson's team had changed her perspective. Some things were better kept secret for public safety.

"Simmons, Fitz, trust me. Everything will be okay soon," Coulson repeated, trying to contact Daniel. The urgency stemmed from the aftermath of the Battle of New York.

The Battle of New York, though devastating, ended in victory, leaving behind valuable alien corpses and equipment. The Chitauri, known as cannon fodder in the cosmos, left behind technology that was invaluable on Earth, particularly their bio-mechanical integration and laser weapons.

A Damage Control Department was established by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Industries to recover these assets and distribute them among nations. While the U.S. wanted to keep everything, international pressure forced them to share.

Despite official efforts, many alien weapons and corpses ended up in civilian hands. This created chaos as people used them for personal gain, leading to incidents like bank robberies with Chitauri weapons.

Coulson's team was tasked with recovering these items. Among their targets was a couple who had figured out how to unlock Chitauri weapons and used one to rob a bank. S.H.I.E.L.D. had to step in and invite them to join, seeing potential in their skills despite their criminal acts.

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