Chapter 84: The Hydra Attack

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Five minutes earlier.

As George and Pepper exited the office, they were intercepted by Coulson in the lobby on the first floor.

"Ms. Potts, where are you headed?"

"I have time; you should follow us out first," she replied, feeling anxious and eager to find a safe place to call Tony and report what was happening.

Fortunately, Agent Coulson was also a law enforcement officer. If Tony agreed, they could take the evidence back and hand it over to him.

George remained silent, knowing his role was to protect Pepper and ensure she got the evidence. What happened afterward was Tony's concern, whether he chose to give the evidence to S.H.I.E.L.D. or the CIA.

So, he acted as Pepper's bodyguard during the ride, avoiding any conversation with Coulson.

After driving a distance from the company, they stopped on a quiet street. Pepper dialed Tony's number to update him on the situation.

"Oh, and Tony, he also mentioned that your father used to be a high-ranking official in the Department of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics," she added.

Tony's demeanor changed immediately upon hearing that.

"Bring him back with you. I want to have a serious talk with him."

After hanging up, Pepper restarted the car and accelerated toward Malibu.

Just as they approached an intersection, a black SUV on their left unexpectedly ran a red light and barreled directly toward their vehicle.

"Watch out!"

George reacted swiftly, smashing the left window with a punch and casting a levitation spell at the oncoming black SUV.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

A blue magical light shot at the SUV, causing it to float and fly over their car.

Both Pepper, who was driving, and Coulson in the back seat stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.

Pepper could hardly believe George was a magician; no trick could achieve something like that.

As for Coulson, his first thought was that this bodyguard named George was indeed impressive and possessed extraordinary abilities.

"Skrrt!"

Just after they cleared the intersection, a large truck suddenly blocked their path, forcing Pepper to slam on the brakes.

"Get out now!"

George unbuckled both his and Pepper's seatbelts, kicked open the car door, and pulled Pepper out while addressing Coulson.

He had noticed several more identical SUVs approaching from across the intersection, one of which had a rocket launcher protruding from its window.

"Whoosh!"

As the three of them got out, a rocket shot straight toward their car.

But that wasn't all; other vehicles revealed assault rifles, aiming to shoot.

"Run!"

At this point, George discarded any thoughts of concealment, casting a "Wing" spell to sprout a pair of large, white wings. He took Pepper in one arm and Coulson in the other, lifting them into the air to avoid the explosion below.

Being attacked like this was unexpected; after all, this wasn't how things played out in the movies.

"I need to figure out who these guys are targeting," he thought.

Instead of flying away immediately, he landed on a rooftop with a parapet nearby.

He couldn't just leave in such a sudden attack; he needed to determine who was being targeted: Coulson, Pepper, or himself.

If it was the first two, there wasn't much to worry about, but if it was directed at him, he needed to be cautious.

"They're hitting us with heavy fire. I've called for reinforcements. Let's hide here and stay low," he instructed.

As soon as they landed on the rooftop, bullets began to rain down on them. Coulson drew his handgun, ready to retaliate, but he was pinned down and too afraid to show his face.

"Don't forget, they have rocket launchers. This parapet won't hold up against their firepower," George reminded him with a grin as he pulled out his own gun.

Coulson's expression turned worried; George was right. At this rate, by the time his reinforcements arrived, they would likely be dead.

This wasn't a mission, and he had only brought a handgun; otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a precarious position.

Pepper crouched down, fear evident in her voice. "What do we do now?"

"I'll draw their attention. You take the opportunity to get Ms. Potts out of here," Coulson replied through clenched teeth.

"Looks like this universe's Coulson has some decent character," George thought, surprised by Coulson's willingness to risk his life to save them.

"No, you shouldn't. Have you guys ever seen Wanted?" George asked.

"Is that the one with James McAvoy?" Pepper responded.

Coulson lowered his head. "I prefer his movie Atonement."

"Gentlemen, this isn't the time for a movie discussion!" Pepper exclaimed, exasperated that they were talking about films during such a dangerous moment.

"Don't worry, Ms. Potts. I'm a magician. Let me show you a trick where the bullets can curve."

George casually tossed his gun into the air. The bullet he fired immediately arced over the parapet and hit the black-clad assailant who was preparing to launch a second rocket.

Then, with a series of swift hand motions, he unleashed a barrage of bullets that curved in various directions, quickly silencing the gunfire below.

Coulson and Pepper cautiously peeked over the parapet, discovering that the attackers below were either dead or lying on the ground, moaning in agony; none remained to fire back at them.

"To be honest, I preferred that character Barry in that movie, because he was also in my favorite, Jurassic World," Pepper chimed in, trying to ease her shock with the unfinished topic.

George chuckled at her remark. "Jurassic World? I didn't expect Ms. Potts to have such unique taste."

"Mr. George, I hope to have a proper conversation with you after I speak with Mr. Stark," Coulson said, still shocked but regaining his composure.

According to S.H.I.E.L.D. regulations, individuals with abilities like George were required to register and be monitored.

"First, let's figure out who sent them," George replied, fully aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protocols. He planned to ask about the attackers' origins before happily casting a memory-erasing spell on Coulson.

He spread his wings again and flew back down to the street, selecting one of the attackers he had intentionally left alive. As he began to use his telepathic abilities, he simultaneously cast a memory extraction spell.

"It's Hydra. Does this universe's Obadiah have ties to Hydra, or is he one of them?"

After a moment, George's face showed confusion.

Using his telepathy alongside the extraction spell, he discovered that the group attacking them was, in fact, Hydra operatives.

Their mission was to eliminate all three of them and stage the scene to appear as a plausible accident.

(End of Chapter)