Sunil Bakshi was ruthless, calculating, and, when it came to his own survival, profoundly pragmatic.
His talent for intelligence gathering had earned him Daniel Whitehall’s trust long ago, making him the de facto second-in-command of this HYDRA branch.
Normally, Bakshi was the picture of composure.
Today, he burst into Whitehall’s office without so much as knocking.
Within HYDRA, hierarchy was sacred. Even senior officers rarely dared commit such a breach of etiquette.
The fact that Bakshi ignored protocol entirely meant only one thing.
The news was urgent.
And almost certainly disastrous.
"Doctor," Bakshi said, shutting the door behind him. "We have a serious problem."
Most people addressed Whitehall as "Mr. Whitehall."
Those close to him called him "Doctor."
Considering his scientific accomplishments, the title suited him perfectly.
Whitehall looked up calmly.
"What happened?"
Unlike Bakshi’s barely restrained panic, Whitehall remained as composed as ever. As one of the Red Skull’s original protégés and among HYDRA’s oldest surviving leaders, he had weathered far worse crises.
"Justin Hammer has been arrested."
Whitehall merely nodded.
"I know."
Bakshi hesitated before continuing.
"SHIELD conducted a complete search of Hammer Industries."
"Nick Fury personally led the operation."
Still no reaction.
Whitehall simply watched him.
"Justin was cooperating with Umbrella. There’s no way SHIELD missed that."
That finally earned a response.
"Did they capture anyone from Umbrella?"
"No."
Bakshi shook his head.
"They abandoned some equipment, but every member escaped before SHIELD arrived."
"I see."
Whitehall leaned back in his chair.
His expression remained unreadable.
Bakshi almost wanted to pull his hair out.
How could his boss still be this calm?
Didn’t he understand how dangerous this situation had become?
"The Umbrella personnel escaped," Bakshi said carefully, "but... you’re the one who introduced them to Justin Hammer."
"If SHIELD follows that connection..."
He didn’t need to finish.
That was the real reason he’d rushed here.
Bakshi couldn’t have cared less whether Umbrella survived.
If anything, seeing a potential rival weakened suited him just fine.
The problem was being caught in the fallout.
Once SHIELD questioned Justin Hammer, they would inevitably ask how he’d met Umbrella.
Bakshi had absolutely no faith in Hammer’s loyalty.
Given sixty seconds under pressure, the man would probably sing like an opera star.
That would lead investigators directly to Daniel Whitehall.
From there...
Things would snowball.
Why was Whitehall, one of the Red Skull’s closest disciples, free after being captured during World War II?
Who arranged his release?
How had he built a powerful research corporation afterward?
Who funded him?
Who approved the necessary permits?
Who helped him disappear for decades?
Every answer would uncover another thread.
Eventually, SHIELD would reach Alexander Pierce and the HYDRA network buried inside its own ranks.
Then every hidden branch of HYDRA would begin unraveling together.
None of them were ready.
Pierce’s long-term plan remained years from completion.
Nick Fury still sat securely as Director of SHIELD.
That alone proved the time wasn’t right.
If HYDRA were exposed now, before securing a decisive advantage, SHIELD and the world’s governments would crush the organization with overwhelming force.
Years of infiltration.
Decades of preparation.
All gone.
HYDRA hadn’t spent generations hiding in the shadows just to flare briefly before being extinguished.
Their goal was nothing less than ruling the world.
That was why Bakshi was terrified.
He never imagined someone as incompetent as Justin Hammer could become the weak link capable of bringing the entire organization crashing down.
He let out a bitter sigh.
"I never thought things would end up like this."
"We should never have gotten involved in this mess."
The room grew cold.
Bakshi looked up.
Whitehall was staring at him.
His expression had turned icy.
Bakshi immediately realized his mistake.
"N-No, Doctor, that’s not what I meant."
"I meant Justin."
"That idiot let himself get manipulated by a Russian engineer, and now this disaster has followed."
"I wasn’t criticizing your decision."
"I swear."
The chill gradually faded.
Whitehall knew Bakshi lacked both the courage and the foolishness to openly question him.
It had simply been an unfortunate choice of words.
Even now, with events threatening to spiral out of control, Whitehall remained perfectly calm.
"You’re worrying too early."
"The situation isn’t nearly as bad as you think."
Bakshi stared.
Not that bad?
He honestly admired Whitehall’s ability to remain composed.
"Where is Justin Hammer now?" Whitehall asked.
"My guess is SHIELD hasn’t taken custody yet."
"If they had," Bakshi replied, "Nick Fury would already be here."
Whitehall nodded.
"Correct."
"He’s still being held by the NYPD."
"Maria Hill tried to transfer him into SHIELD custody."
"The police refused."
A faint smile spread across Whitehall’s face.
"I see."
"It seems someone else is even more anxious than we are."
His deduction was exactly right.
Elsewhere, a very different group of people was bordering on panic.
Government officials.
Senior military officers.
Men whose names never appeared in newspapers.
Justin Hammer had served as one of their most valuable intermediaries.
Whenever weapons manufacturers produced more arms than official contracts required, Hammer quietly moved the excess inventory through his private network.
The buyers ranged from Third World dictators and warlords...
...to insurgent groups...
...and occasionally even organizations openly hostile to the United States.
When Hammer was first arrested, none of those officials had been particularly concerned.
If Hammer disappeared, another broker would happily take his place.
There was never a shortage of ambitious arms dealers.
Replacing Justin Hammer would be no harder than buying a new pair of shoes.
Besides...
The fool had brought the disaster upon himself.
He’d allowed a penniless Russian engineer to manipulate him from start to finish.
Served him right.
But then SHIELD intervened.
Nick Fury personally led a massive search of Hammer Industries.
That changed everything.
The officials who had shrugged off Hammer’s arrest suddenly found themselves unable to sleep.
They knew exactly what might be hidden inside his company.
Ledgers.
Financial records.
Shipping manifests.
Evidence.
Enough documentation to expose years of covert weapons trafficking.
This wasn’t some isolated operation.
Unofficially, administrations had tolerated arrangements like these for decades.
Combined with the political influence wielded by America’s defense contractors, sensible people generally pretended not to notice.
It was an open secret.
But only as long as it remained secret.
If the public discovered that American officials had quietly funneled weapons to dictators, warlords, and even terrorist organizations...
The scandal would be catastrophic.
The government would have no explanation that anyone would accept.
They also knew something else.
Nick Fury had never approved of these backroom dealings.
He simply understood how dangerous it would be to expose them.
Until now.
Had Fury finally decided enough was enough?
Was he preparing to rip out one of the ugliest cancers hidden beneath the banner of international security?
If that was his intention...
Then a great many powerful people suddenly had every reason to fear what Justin Hammer might say next.
...
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