----
Tony stood before FRIDAY's holographic projection, silent, arms folded. On the glowing map of New York, red Hydra, and Malick-affiliated strongholds blinked out one after another in rapid succession.
He muttered, "So… this is what Oscorp's capable of."
To do something similar, he'd have to deploy every Iron Legion unit he had.
Peter leaned in, wide-eyed. "Weren't those our targets? You know the ones from the meeting we just finished?"
Tony gave a dry chuckle. "Oscorp's not waiting around for permission."
Peter scowled at the screen. "So… what are we even supposed to do?"
"There's more than just New York," Tony replied, shaking himself from distraction. "Malick has roots nationwide, and Hydra's still festering beneath the surface. This was just one front."
Rhodey frowned. "They're hitting hard and fast. In broad daylight. Oscorp's not worried about exposure?"
Tony shrugged. "Who's going to stop them?"
That, more than anything, was what disturbed him. Oscorp wasn't just a rising corporate power anymore. It was behaving like a sovereign military force like Charles Xavier's school, but weaponized and far more aggressive.
He opened another feed. News reports flooded in each one condemning Oscorp's attacks as "reckless," "violent," or "illegal." Accusations of vigilantism and terrorism filled the headlines.
But Tony wasn't fooled.
"Hydra and Malick are behind the smear campaign," he said. "Classic deflection."
His fingers tapped the console.
"No more briefings. FRIDAY initiate deployment."
The team exchanged glances. The clock was ticking and if they didn't move now, Oscorp would leave nothing left to fight.
---
Elsewhere...
Nick Fury sat in silence, reviewing surveillance footage of Oscorp's elite units. The Steel Corps walking tanks tore through opposition. Skyborne operatives moved like human jets. Regenerators shrugged off gunfire like rain.
He exhaled.
"I didn't see it coming."
Fury had always doubted Oscorp's biotech program. Too volatile. Too uncertain. Stark's suits? Predictable. Trackable. Cost down to the last rivet.
But this?
This was mass-produced supremacy. Controlled. Coordinated. Devastating.
"They turned superhumans into a production line," he muttered.
He tapped a message to Rogers.
Move now. Or you won't even see the targets before they're gone.
Then, flipping through his contacts, he called: "Coulson. It's time. Burn out every last Hydra nest."
---
At the Malick Estate...
Gideon Malick slammed a crystal tumbler onto his desk, shattering the glass.
The news was coming in too fast. Research labs are gone. Safehouses leveled. Satellite facilities are taken within hours.
He had just brokered a deal with Kaecilius. Hive was finally within reach. And now this?
"Oscorp dares to strike me?!"
His aide entered, pale-faced. "Sir, multiple facilities have gone dark. Oscorp hit four sites in under ninety minutes."
"I know that, you idiot!"
Gideon grabbed a secure phone. "Spin the narrative. Civilian casualties. Corporate terrorism. Make it stick. I want the public screaming for Oscorp's arrest!"
The aide hesitated. "Sir… online chatter is turning against us. They're saying we're Hydra."
Gideon froze.
"Who leaked that?"
"Unknown. But S.H.I.E.L.D. just launched an operation alongside the Avengers. They're closing in."
Gideon's face contorted with fury.
"Activate contingency protocols. Bring in Trask's Sentinel units, Hydra-founded or not; they'll fight Oscorp."
He rattled off commands:
"Call Ross. If his pet 'Thunderbolt' team is good for anything, use them!"
"Reach out to Fisk. Vulture. The Serpent Society. I want everyone on deck."
"Summon the Hand. I don't care what it costs."
He snatched another phone. "And if Oscorp wants war…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Then we'll remind them why I was the last man standing on the Hydra Council."
---
Meanwhile…
Oscorp's campaign only escalated.
Across the East Coast, their forces moved like clockwork, surgical, ruthless, and effective. Max patrolled the skies in arcs of blue lightning. Aleksei shattered entire armored battalions. Regenerators tore through fortified bunkers.
This wasn't a message anymore.
This was domination.
And everyone from Stark to S.H.I.E.L.D., from Hydra to the darkest corners of the underworld was watching.
Because Oscorp had stopped playing defense.
Now, it was baring its fangs.
----
[Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon:
P@treon/iamxeno
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!q