Interstellar travel often consumes vast amounts of time. Nearly six months had passed since Garus left Earth, and his prolonged absence led many to suspect that he was no longer on the planet—perhaps even dead.
With the greatest threat seemingly vanished, HYDRA's long-dormant ambitions stirred once more. Now was the time to put their plans into motion.
Inside one of HYDRA's secret bases, Madame Viper and a man stood before a swirling stone portal, anticipation gleaming in their eyes. The surrounding machinery hummed with a cacophony of noise, yet it did nothing to dampen their excitement.
If Nick Fury had been present, he would have immediately recognized the man standing beside Madame Viper—Gideon Malick, a former member of the World Security Council.
After meticulous planning, they had finally located and retrieved HYDRA's most ancient weapon: Hive, the Kree's first Inhuman experiment, exiled to an alien world for thousands of years.
HYDRA had never been content to remain in the shadows. After witnessing the rise of mutants and superheroes, Malick craved power, while Madame Viper sought dominance. However, their current strength was insufficient. With the growing number of superhumans, gods, and mutants appearing across the world, HYDRA had found itself constantly suppressed, despite its creed of eternal resurgence.
But now, their most formidable adversary was gone, and the time had come to activate the Insight Initiative. More importantly, their long-lost champion, Hive, was returning.
"I've waited for this moment for so long," Madame Viper murmured. She had lived in constant fear of Garus, who had once promised to come after her. His absence was an immense relief.
"Hive can grant me great power, can't he?" Malick asked. For generations, his family had worked to bring Hive back. Legends spoke of his immortality, and though Malick had at least two more decades ahead of him, he longed to rejuvenate his aging body.
Suddenly, a dried-out corpse tumbled from the portal—a HYDRA operative sent on this mission. A moment later, another figure emerged.
No, not a figure. A creature.
It was an abomination covered in tendrils, its tattered body barely clothed in a scavenged pair of pants.
"Hive!" Madame Viper called out. Within HYDRA, he was the stuff of legends. No one knew what state he would be in after millennia of isolation. Had he lost his sanity?
Hive scanned his surroundings, his gaze falling upon the familiar HYDRA insignia. He knew that for countless centuries, these people had sacrificed others to sustain him. Without them, he would have perished on that barren planet long ago.
He had been away for far too long. Now, he needed to understand how the world had changed. Were the traitorous Inhumans still around? No, after so much time, they must be long dead.
"What are your names?" Hive asked, taking the clothing handed to him by a HYDRA agent. As his face reformed into the likeness of his latest host, he barely recalled his original appearance after so many years of possession.
"I am Ophelia Sarkissian, one of HYDRA's current leaders," Madame Viper replied respectfully. "People call me Madame Viper."
"I am Gideon Malick." After a brief hesitation, Malick added, "Hive, my body is aging. Can you grant me the power I seek?"
"Malick, your concerns can wait. I have more pressing matters to attend to," Hive said firmly. Time was of the essence—Nick Fury had already noticed the anomaly.
"Hive, this is HYDRA's time to rise. You will lead us to seize control of this world, but we face many obstacles," Madame Viper said as she guided him into another chamber, activating a holographic display.
The projection depicted Naxxramas, a floating fortress. "This is the mutant academy," she continued. "While they do not concern themselves with political shifts and harbor hostility toward the government, I still want a failsafe."
Given the mutants' history of conflict with the government, they were unlikely to interfere. However, they also resented S.H.I.E.L.D. for launching a nuclear missile at New York—an attack that resulted in their headmaster vanishing into a wormhole.
Madame Viper turned to Hive. "Hive, we have captured a mutant. We need you to take over her body and infiltrate the school. When they try to stop us, you will create chaos."
Hive had encountered mutants before. Though their powers bore some similarities to Inhumans, they were entirely different species. One day, they would become a serious threat to his plans.
After a long silence, Hive said, "I understand. Take me to her."
His ultimate goal was to restart the Kree's experiments—turning all humans into Inhumans. But first, he needed to eliminate obstacles.
"Malick, once I obtain the Terrigen Crystals and reactivate the Inhuman transformation process, I can grant you power like mine," Hive promised.
Malick's eyes lit up with anticipation. While most of HYDRA sought power, he wanted something greater—absolute dominance and immortality.
At that moment, a HYDRA agent entered the room, leading a young girl.
"You want me to possess her?" Hive asked, glancing between Madame Viper and Malick. They both nodded expectantly.
He had not fully registered it before, but now he realized—Madame Viper wanted him to take over a little girl's body.
"Hive, does it really matter?" she asked. The scarcity of mutants made infiltration difficult, and the academy's students were heavily protected. This girl was the only viable candidate they had found in time.
"Let me go!" The girl struggled, panic in her eyes as she realized something terrible was about to happen.
Perhaps he should not be bound by such trivial concerns. For the sake of his Inhuman vision, Hive reassured himself—one day, mutants would be eradicated.
"I will possess her," Hive said at last. "But make sure your plan does not drag on too long."
His body dissolved into a cascade of dust-like particles, surging toward the girl. As she gasped in horror, the swirling mass invaded her through her nose and mouth, causing her to convulse violently on the ground.
Moments later, the girl stood up again, but this time, her eyes held no fear. Hive was awake—absorbing her memories, preparing for what was to come.
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