The two agents inside the door remained unfazed by Ward's words, ignoring him entirely.
Seeing their stubborn attitude, Ward sighed and said, "Do you really want me to use the radio to contact her and have her turn the plane around?"
One of the agents nodded, "That's exactly what you need to do."
Ward, exasperated, muttered, "Alright."
"Apparently, you've never seen Hand lose her temper, have you?"
He reached for his radio, pretending to contact Hand.
Just then, the sound of helicopter blades filled the air. Ward turned to see a heavily armed helicopter come into view, its mounted machine guns opening fire on the two agents.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
Bullets sprayed the ground near Ward and Garrett's feet.
Ward grabbed Garrett, pulling him in front of himself as a shield before dragging him toward the rooftop satellite signal tower for cover.
The agents inside the door hesitated for a moment before one of them declared, "It's Hydra!"
Ward, crouched behind cover with Garrett, drew his pistol and fired at the helicopter's cockpit.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Despite his shots, the bullets had no effect.
The helicopter's machine gun continued firing at the glass entrance door, leaving bullet marks but failing to penetrate it.
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!"
After a burst of gunfire, realizing it couldn't breach the door, the helicopter began to retreat.
Ward ran back to the entrance, still holding Garrett, and shouted, "Open the door!"
The agents refused once more, "That's against protocol!"
Ward yelled in frustration, "I don't care about protocol!"
"Open the door, or you'll get us killed!"
Suddenly, the helicopter that had been retreating made a sharp turn and came back for another attack.
One of the agents glanced at his companion, then patted his shoulder and said, "Screw this."
He swiped his access card, unlocking the door.
As the door opened, Ward dragged Garrett inside, shouting, "Get in!"
"Move, move!"
Once they were inside, the agent quickly sealed the door again. All four of them huddled in the nearby elevator as the outer door shut. The agents prepared to take Ward and Garrett down to the lower levels of the Cryo Storage Facility.
The agent swiped his ID badge on the elevator panel, initiating the descent.
Standing behind them, Ward quipped, "Took you long enough to let us in."
The agent turned around and said, "We need to contact security."
At that moment, the other agent asked, "How did Hydra know you and Hand were coming?"
Garrett grinned and replied, "Because we told them."
The next second, Ward drew two pistols from behind his back and fired a shot into each agent's head.
"Bang!"
The agents collapsed instantly, blood splattering as their bodies fell inside the elevator.
Garrett strained his arms, snapping the handcuffs around his wrists with a sharp twist.
Ward glanced at him and said, "Next time, give me a heads-up. They had automatic weapons, you know."
Garrett opened the backpack slung over Ward's shoulder, pulling out two gas masks and a canister of knockout gas.
He smirked and said, "I couldn't resist. That line was perfect."
"Time to go all out."
Moments later, Garrett and his Hydra team launched their assault. Knockout gas spread through the Cryo Storage Facility, incapacitating guards. The team methodically swept each floor, leaving no survivors behind.
…
Outside the Cryo Storage Facility-
Four Hidden Cloud ninjas had finally arrived, gazing up at the towering skyscraper. Cee spoke first, "The target Killer Bee marked is here. We've been chasing them all this way, and we've finally caught up."
Karui dashed around the building in a blur of speed. After completing her loop, she returned to the group, puzzled, "Strange. There's no entrance."
Mabui glanced upward and analyzed the surroundings, "The entrance is either underground or on the top floor."
"Judging by the signs here, I'd bet on the rooftop."
"With a building of this size, the top floor would be ideal for landing aircraft."
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, chimed in, "Let's check the top. We'll find out soon enough."
"Move out!"
Without another word, Yugito leapt up, running vertically along the glass wall of the building. Her feet adhered effortlessly to the surface as if she were running on solid ground.
Mabui, Cee, and Karui followed immediately, scaling the walls with ninja speed and precision, racing toward the rooftop of the Cryo Storage Facility.