Marvel: Father of Superheroes

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*****

It had been half a month since they picked Loki up from the trash heap.

As time passed, little Loki had gradually—though reluctantly—gotten used to his new identity: Thor's younger brother, a child about to start elementary school.

With the summer vacation coming to an end and the first day of school approaching, Loki had gone from anxious to surprisingly calm.

Not because he didn't care, but because he understood that being anxious wouldn't change anything.

This was reality.

In contrast to Loki's resignation, Gwen was excited.

She couldn't wait to introduce Loki to her friends.

Although she'd learned about Loki's current condition and Asgardian identity the first time they met, that youthful face of his made it impossible for her to see him as an adult.

Besides… Loki was about to attend school with her—in the same class, no less.

But before school could start, they needed to handle Loki's legal identity.

So, Mike casually picked up his phone and called Nick Fury.

"What is it?"

Nick Fury's tired voice came through the line.

Mike asked in confusion, "What's wrong? You sound exhausted."

"You think I'm like you? Sitting around in that broken restaurant, cooking meals and living the good life?" Fury retorted with a tone of envy.

"You could try it too."

"I... nah, forget it," Fury sighed, pressing his fingers against his temples. "Destined to toil, I guess."

After a brief pause, he chuckled. "So? Want to come help me out?"

"You, Director Fury, need help?" Mike teased with a chuckle. "Save it for when you're really in trouble. For now, I need a favor."

"What is it this time?"

"Help me create an identity for someone."

"Hah! Knew it'd be one of your little errands."

"All right, I'll send the photo and name. Get back to your work," Mike said, ending the call before Fury could respond.

Staring at the phone, Nick Fury shook his head and sighed. "I'm the freakin' Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and look at the kind of crap I do every day!"

Then he suddenly laughed to himself.

"Heh… not for much longer, anyway."

With a self-deprecating smile, Fury glanced at the list on his desk, his eyes turning cold.

Hydra had hidden itself well.

He couldn't say he'd uncovered them all, but after a long investigation, he'd identified quite a few.

By his conservative estimate, he'd uncovered about half of Hydra's operatives.

More importantly, with Charles's help, he had identified two of their leaders and several key bases.

Looking at the shocking names on the list had left him chilled to the bone—but also deeply relieved.

Thankfully, Mike had warned him.

If Hydra had completely taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. before he realized it...

Just imagining the outcome made his scalp tingle.

He couldn't wait any longer.

If the investigation dragged on, Hydra might get suspicious, and then he'd be the one caught off guard.

It was time to strike first and make his move.

However, he faced another problem.

Without knowing who in S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised, he couldn't trust anyone except a very small circle of people. In other words, most of S.H.I.E.L.D. was unusable.

But...

Nick Fury smiled grimly.

Luckily, he had other resources.

The Avengers, Xavier's School, and even former members of the League of Assassins.

He could even contact Erik and reveal Hydra's mutant research bases, indirectly forcing cooperation between them.

Even so, these forces alone were not enough to confront a Hydra of this scale.

But he didn't intend to defeat Hydra with just these people.

These elite allies would be used to take down Hydra's own elites—its core members, valuable bases, and the most dangerous operations.

As for the rest?

He planned to go public.

Hydra was the enemy of all sovereign nations. Once exposed, the whole world would take action.

In doing so, even more of Hydra's remnants could be flushed out.

A storm is coming...

Fury whispered under his breath. Though his heart was heavy, he couldn't help feeling a surge of anticipation.

Xavier's School.

Charles entered the school's underground facility alone.

He walked through a corridor made entirely of metal, heading to the deepest part of the base.

There, he entered a specialized chamber—after passing through several layers of security clearance.

The Cerebro Room.

Walking across the suspended bridge, Charles reached the front, put on the helmet connected to the Cerebro system, and activated it.

In an instant, his mind expanded outward at incredible speed.

He could sense every human and mutant on Earth—as well as some individuals with special powers.

Under normal circumstances, as long as someone didn't possess special abilities or he didn't actively invade their mind, they wouldn't be aware of his presence.

But a month ago, during a routine scan, he encountered someone... different.

She sensed him.

Her abilities were unusual—yet they also included telepathy.

After some mental communication and interaction, Charles was stunned.

Her potential rivaled that of Jean Grey.

But unlike Jean, whose powers were now stabilized, this girl's abilities were raw and immature, likely newly awakened.

She said her name was Wanda Maximoff.

Charles had grown very curious about her.

Since that day, he had contacted her every few days. Beyond simple conversation, he began guiding her in how to control her powers.

The girl was incredibly gifted and learned quickly.

As their discussions deepened, Charles eventually learned how she obtained her powers.

An experiment.

That alone was enough to pique his suspicion.

During one of their chats, Wanda had casually mentioned the general location of the secret base where it happened. Charles began investigating.

But when he found the facility, it was protected by a strange psychic field that disrupted his abilities.

The strength of the barrier shocked even him.

Still, through tireless probing, he managed to uncover fragments of information.

The facility belonged to Hydra.

That alone was enough.

Hydra. Human experiments. Superpowers.

Put those words together and you basically had a giant red flag for global-scale conspiracy and threat.

Charles passed the information to Nick Fury and recommended prioritizing that base for destruction.

He also shared what he'd learned with Wanda Maximoff, who was still being held in another Hydra facility.

Though the girl remained skeptical, she promised that during her next transfer to the secret base—for another power test—she would investigate the matter herself.

(End of Chapter)