—Sokovia, Eastern Europe, 2015
After lunch, the Avengers gathered inside the command center of the Little Mammoth mobile base to begin their pre-mission briefing.
The issue before them was simple to describe, but far from easy to solve:
'How do you take down a high-tech HYDRA fortress?'
Ever since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the complete uprooting of HYDRA led by Pierce thanks to Kagura, what was left of the organization had been in shambles.
HYDRA cells across the globe were reduced to backstabbing each other just to survive.
Over the years, with relentless strikes from both the Avengers and Griffin Security Solutions, HYDRA's global network had been systematically dismantled.
Now, only one stronghold remained this fortress in Sokovia.
And its master?
Baron Strucker.
A high-ranking HYDRA leader, Strucker was also the man who once collaborated with Obadiah Stane in an attempt to steal Stark Industries' tech.
He secretly worked with Hammer Industries too, always lurking in the shadows, trying to bring down Tony Stark.
After the death of Alexander Pierce, Strucker managed to retrieve Loki's scepter from the brainwashed War Machine, Rhodey.
He used it to develop new weapons and scientific advancements.
Thanks to agents embedded deep around the world even within Stark Industries—Strucker also managed to acquire the company's prototype "Dual-Structure" technology, using it to erect an impenetrable holographic camouflage field around his fortress.
And it worked—brilliantly.
The HYDRA stronghold, hidden by Dual-Structure tech, completely evaded detection from Rhode Island Industries' Argos reconnaissance satellites and even fooled the Avengers' close-range scans.
Fortunately, with recent upgrades, the next-gen Rhodes Island recon drones were finally able to detect the faint anomalies in the hologram.
Operated by Natasha, one such drone finally located Baron Strucker's hideout.
"All right, everyone," Tony Stark started, standing at the center of the command room.
"Thor's off the table. Between handling Loki and figuring out what to do with the Dark Elves, he's swamped. So we're on our own."
He gestured to a projected display. "From preliminary intel, it looks like Baron Strucker has access to Chitauri tech—or something even newer we haven't seen yet."
"I agree," added Steve Rogers. "This enemy is no joke. A swift, coordinated strike is our best shot."
As he spoke, the central holomap materialized in full detail—every inch of terrain rendered with precision.
"Fifteen kilometers below the castle lies Sokovia's capital."
"We can't let the battle spill into the city—it'll cause a diplomatic nightmare. Let's not forget, technically, we're illegally invading Sokovian territory," Steve noted.
He highlighted several zones on the map. "The castle sits at the core of the enemy base."
"According to our data, there's a massive underground bunker beneath it, likely a nuclear shelter. If they retreat, that'll be their fallback."
"Also," he continued, "our drones confirmed sixteen defensive strongpoints surrounding the fortress. Each is fortified with reinforced concrete, pulse cannons, and armored vehicles. We'll need to take those seriously."
"This doesn't feel like busting a criminal gang," Clint Barton (Hawkeye) muttered. "Feels more like a siege."
"Can the Avengers even take a modern fortress city by force?" he added.
"Of course we can!" Tony replied with a grin. "We've taken down alien motherships, remember?"
"Pretty sure that was Kagura who brought down the Chitauri mothership," someone pointed out.
Tony waved it off. "Hey, that op used a microwave emitter from the Stark Tower powered by my Arc Reactor."
"So technically? I'm the real MVP of the Battle of New York. You're welcome."
He then turned back to the map. "Anyway, this cute little castle? Should be no problem. My Iron Legion will handle the firepower. You guys just punch through the front."
"Sounds like a decent plan," Steve nodded. "Let's just hope your Iron Legion can actually suppress those turrets. If not, we'll be charging into a kill box."
He clapped Tony on the shoulder. "You wouldn't leave the whole Avengers team hanging, would you?"
"Relax, Cap." Tony raised an eyebrow, confident as ever. "Iron Man's got this."
"Then let's lock it in." Steve marked new paths on the map. "Tony's Legion leads the charge to suppress the outer defenses."
"The rest of us infiltrate from the flank. Our goal—crush Baron Strucker's fortress."
"Remember," he added, glancing at the ancient, snow-covered castle outside, "no matter how many enemies we face, don't get bogged down. Our priority is reclaiming Loki's scepter."
"Actually, I've got a question," Clint raised a hand. "Not sure if this is the right time…"
"What is it, Legolas?" Tony smirked. "You need to hit the bathroom? We've got Arc Reactor-powered toilets on board, y'know."
"No, I mean... where's Kagura?"
'BOOM!'
Before anyone could answer, a massive blue beam shot down from the skies near the fortress.
"WTF?!" everyone turned toward the window.
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'
Blazing blue energy rained from the heavens like divine retribution, blasting HYDRA's defenses to ash.
Concrete bunkers were obliterated in seconds. Ammunition stores exploded in towering pillars of flame, dozens of meters high.
One after another, the carefully mapped-out outer defenses, the targets the Iron Legion was supposed to handle were completely annihilated.
Just like that.
"What... was that?"
Steve Rogers stared in shock at the chaos unfolding outside. He turned to Tony Stark.
"One of your new toys?"
"Nope, not mine," Tony quickly denied.
"I'm not into orbital bombardments. The flashiest thing I've built is Veronica, and even that doesn't hold a candle to this."
"So... what now?"
Natasha raised her hands in exasperation.
"Whoever it was, they just completely blew up our carefully planned operation!"
"Exactly," Tony shrugged.
"But if you think about it, there's really only one person reckless enough to pull something like this off. Your favorite wildcard—Kagura Hitomi."
He gave an exaggerated sigh.
"Looks like Natasha was right—we never even got the chance to start before she scrambled the whole mission plan."
Just then, a cheerful girl's voice echoed through their comms:
"Hellooo~! Miss me?"
Right on cue, a loud thud sounded on the roof of the "Little Mammoth" mobile base.
Something—or someone—had landed on top.
"Hey, Cortana! Open up! ヽ(●-`Д´-)ノ"
A second later, Cortana hacked into the vehicle's system, overriding its access protocols.
The roof hatch opened automatically.
Dressed in her sleek "White Moon" combat suit, Kagura Hitomi flipped in through the opening with graceful ease.
"Ta-da! I've wiped out all the outer defense points around the castle!" she announced proudly.
"Now all that's left is a good ol' frontal assault! Come on, heap the praise on me! I deserve it!"
"Are we… supposed to be praising her for this?"
Bruce Banner blinked, clearly baffled.
"Hitomi, how did you even get here?"
Natasha narrowed her eyes.
"I didn't pick up any airborne or ground vehicles anywhere near this area."
"New gen 'Halo' ultra-high-speed transport."
Kagura answered casually, twirling a strand of hair.
"Top speed: Mach 13. Next-gen stealth system makes it invisible to every kind of surveillance, including Rhodes Industries' latest detection tech. Pretty cool, right? Built it myself!"
She gave them a mischievous grin.
"So... what's the plan now?"
"Do we level down the whole castle first and then dig out Loki's scepter, or grab the scepter first and then blow the place sky-high?"