The Magus In Marvel

Fury exhaled sharply before beginning, his expression grim. "In May 1945, the United States enacted Operation Paperclip to recruit Nazi scientists and prevent them from falling into Soviet hands. Over 1,500 German scientists and engineers were pardoned for their wartime activities in exchange for federal employment. It was a joint OSS/SSR program. The goal was simple—if we didn't take them, someone else would."

Steve's jaw tightened. "Why the hell would you do that?" he demanded, his anger barely restrained.

Fury's one good eye locked onto him. "Because if we didn't, the Soviets would have. And that would've been a hell of a lot worse."

A tense silence filled the room until Rin cleared her throat. "You're focusing on the wrong detail. You say 'Nazi,' but you're forgetting that the scientific division of Nazi Germany operated almost entirely independently. They had a different name—one you might be more familiar with, Steve. Hydra."

The room went deathly quiet. Barton let out an exasperated sigh, breaking the silence. "Why are we even talking about this? Most of those guys should be dead or too old to be a threat."

"That should be the ideal case," Rin admitted. "But, Steve, would you mind reminding everyone of Hydra's famous slogan?"

Steve grimly recited, "Cut off one head, and two more shall take its place."

Rin nodded. "Exactly. Hydra's scientists and soldiers merged with S.H.I.E.L.D. and have spent decades growing within it. Now, their influence is so deep-rooted that you can't tell where S.H.I.E.L.D. ends and Hydra begins. Even Alexander Pierce, the previous director of S.H.I.E.L.D., was a high-ranking Hydra official. Another would be Arnim Zola."

Steve's head snapped toward her. "That's not possible. Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years."

Rin shook her head. "First correction—he was Swiss, not German. Second—while he did receive a terminal diagnosis in 1972, he found a way to survive. Science couldn't save his body, but his mind? That was salvageable. Hydra transferred his consciousness into two hundred thousand feet of databanks."

Steve's face darkened as Rin continued. "Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity couldn't be trusted with its own freedom. But they learned an important lesson: if you try to take that freedom, people resist. The war taught them that humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, when S.H.I.E.L.D. was established, Zola was recruited. And from within, Hydra flourished—a beautiful parasite embedded inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For seventy years, they've been secretly feeding crises, reaping wars. And when history didn't cooperate, history was changed."

Natasha crossed her arms. "That's impossible. S.H.I.E.L.D. would've stopped them."

Rin's voice was quiet but firm. "Accidents happen."

She took a deep breath, then turned to Tony, her expression unreadable. "I owe you an apology for not telling you sooner. Hydra was responsible for the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark. They made it look like a car accident, but the truth is… Howard had figured out the Super Soldier Serum. Zola would have video evidence of it."

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. Everyone looked at Tony, expecting an outburst, expecting something. But instead, Tony sat completely still. He processed the information in silence, but the storm behind his eyes was impossible to miss. His rage was palpable, even though his face betrayed no emotion.

Rin pressed forward. "Hydra created a world so chaotic that humanity is now willing to sacrifice its freedom for security. And once their so-called purification process is complete, Hydra's new world order will begin."

No one spoke. For the first time in a long while, even Nick Fury had nothing to say.

Finally, Steve broke the silence, his voice heavy. "Kid, you said you know the future. What timeline are we working on? How much time before Hydra makes their next move?"

Rin took a moment to gather her thoughts. "There isn't anything planned immediately. Most of their personnel are tied up in their long-term goal—Project Insight. That should still be two years away from implementation."

Fury's lips curled into a sneer as he muttered, "Motherf—"

Steve cut in, his voice resolute. "In that case, this meeting has given us all a lot to think about. We should take a week to process everything before deciding how to proceed."

Ordinarily, Steve wouldn't have suggested waiting. Hydra was his old enemy—one he believed to have been defeated, only to find them resurrected from the grave. But looking around the table, he saw the weight of the revelations sinking into everyone. Tony's silence, Natasha's tense posture, even Barton's usually relaxed demeanor was gone. A soldier knew better than to march into battle when emotions clouded judgment. He would not risk his team like that.

One by one, they stood. Steve was the first to leave, giving Rin a thoughtful glance before stepping out. Natasha, Clint, and Fury followed, each murmuring something about preparations. Soon, only Rin and Tony remained in the near-empty donut shop.

They walked to the car in silence, sliding into their seats before Tony started the engine. The quiet that followed was suffocating, pressing against Rin's chest. She shifted uncomfortably, unable to take it any longer. "Tony… I—I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner. I just… I didn't know how."

Her words spilled out in a nervous rush, her hands gripping the hem of her shirt. She could feel her eyes sting, her body betraying her with emotions far too raw for what she was used to. (A/N: Remember, her mentality is slowly being affected by her physical age.)

Tony took a deep breath, his grip tightening on the wheel before relaxing. "Calm down, kid. I'm not mad at you. Maybe a little disappointed that you kept it from me, but not mad. Just… next time, if you know something big—something personal like this—run it by me first. Deal?"

Rin nodded, her voice small. "Deal."

Tony, being the adult in the situation, decided the best way to break the heavy mood was by teasing her. "Good. Now, let's get back home. And while we're at it, I've got to ask—when exactly did I become 'just Tony'?"