By this time, all the guards had been neutralized. Garrett took out a device and scanned the air quality. Once satisfied, he removed his gas mask and announced, "Air is clear."
Behind him, Ward and Carl Creel also took off their masks, followed by the Hydra agents.
As they walked down the corridor, Garrett remarked, "The first time I came here was to lock up Johnny Horton. Ever heard of him?"
"He gave himself a pair of lion claws—imagine that!"
Ward chuckled and commented, "Doesn't sound too practical."
Garrett grinned, "To each their own, I suppose."
They reached a large reinforced door at the end of the hallway. Garrett stopped and said, "This is it—the real storage vault."
He pulled out a small, customized TNT charge and looked at Ward, "Ever heard of Project Slingshot?"
Ward nodded, "Yeah, it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s way of dealing with dangerous objects."
Garrett smirked, "Is it?"
He placed the charge on the electronic lock, stepped back, and covered his ears.
"Boom!"
The door's locking mechanism shattered, and the door slid open automatically.
Garrett turned back with a sly smile, "Welcome to the toy store."
As they stepped inside, they saw rows upon rows of crates and containers, each filled with classified S.H.I.E.L.D. 084 objects—dangerous artifacts of immense power. There were thousands of them.
Garrett gestured to Creel, "Carl, this place is filled with materials. See if you can find something you like."
He then addressed the Hydra agents, "Listen up—grab as much as you can. If it looks dangerous, even better. Alien tech? Jackpot!"
Turning to Ward, Garrett added with a grin, "Slingshot is a scam. We launched plenty of empty rockets into space, maybe even a monkey or two for fun. But do you think Fury would ever give up these treasures?"
"He's the same guy who played with the Tesseract and triggered an alien invasion."
Just then, a crackle of static burst from Garrett's radio.
"Under attack!"
"Requesting backup!"
"It's… ninjas!"
"Ratatatatat!"
"Boom!"
"Aaaah!"
The transmission ended with a scream and an explosion. Garrett's smile faded as he tightened his grip on the radio, eyes narrowing.
Gunfire, grenade blasts, and RPG explosions crackled through Garrett's radio. The chaotic sounds ended abruptly with a final scream, followed by silence.
Garrett's expression darkened as frustration boiled inside him. How could ninjas have found the cold storage facility? It was a secret even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s decrypted files didn't include.
Meanwhile, atop the building, Karui wiped her sword clean after slaying the last Hydra guard and turned to her teammates.
"It seems the people below know we're here," she remarked.
"That guy sent out a warning before I could finish him."
Yugito Nii smirked, unconcerned, "So what? Let them know. A bunch of cowardly dogs can't stop us."
Their conversation transmitted through the remaining radio to Garrett's ears.
A sharp crunch followed as the ninja crushed the device underfoot, cutting off the transmission.
Garrett clenched his fists and barked, "Everyone, find the deadliest 084s you can! The ninjas are coming!"
Hydra agents frantically tore open crates, rummaging for weapons capable of turning the tide. Garrett called out, "Carl Creel, get over here!"
Creel, examining an unknown object for its material properties, abandoned it and jogged toward Garrett.
"Yes, sir?"
"Ninjas are approaching. I need you to guard the entrance and kill them as soon as they come through."
Creel nodded, stepping toward the doorway, "Don't forget the materials you promised me."
Garrett quickly pried open a box and retrieved a weapon. Ward recognized it instantly.
"That's the plasma particle beam we found in Peru," he said, eyes lighting up.
"It fires energy bursts."
Handing it to Ward, Garrett grinned, "Wait for the right moment and blast those ninjas back to where they came from."
Ward accepted the weapon with a wicked grin, "I've always wanted to know what it feels like to take out ninjas."
…
Elsewhere—S.H.I.E.L.D. Central -
Colonel Talbot arrived with an Air Force peacekeeping squad. The moment he stepped off his transport, the base's defense systems roared to life.
"Ratatatat!"
Bullets from automated guns peppered the ground near the helicopter, forcing Talbot to dive for cover.
"Pull up! Pull up now!" he shouted, heart pounding.
Suddenly, the gunfire ceased, and a loudspeaker crackled, "Colonel Talbot, S.H.I.E.L.D. Central has been transferred to the Village Hidden in the Sound."
"Until the handover is complete, no organizations or individuals are permitted near the premises."
"Representatives of the Sound Village will arrive shortly. Leave immediately."
In the command room of S.H.I.E.L.D. Central, one agent asked, "Do you think he'll believe that?"
Another agent responded, "Who cares? It's the truth."
"We can't just let them in and defend only the warehouse. How many of our people would die if they attacked us there?"
"Besides, this way we can hold out longer. If the Sound Village sees how well we defended the place, maybe they'll be more generous with giving Coulson extra enhancement serums. That means better chances for all of us."