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Coulson and Hawkeye both looked at Storm as he said this.
"And Grant found out there is an whole group of people not just one or two" Storm said.
"…So you mean," Coulson said slowly, choosing his words with care,
"there is whole another group operating inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Storm nodded calmly.
"Yes. And not just a few scattered moles."
Hawkeye looked at him.
"You're saying this is infilteration."
"Very much so," Storm replied. "A hidden organization. They act as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, follow protocols, take missions—everything looks legitimate. But beneath that, they serve their own agenda."
Coulson ran a hand over his face.
"What else Grant have found?"
"They are trying to pull him to their side," Storm said bluntly.
"So far, they haven't revealed their true name or leadership to him. They are cautious. Testing loyalty. Checking him out if he can be on their side or not."
Hawkeye frowned.
"But are you sure its not just few people but whole group of them?"
Storm's voice didn't waver.
"Yes. Their behavior patterns, recruitment methods, and operational timing don't match standard corruption or rogue cells. This is long-term infiltration."
Coulson frowned " How many?"
Storm paused for a fraction of a second."…Enough that rooting them out carelessly would cripple S.H.I.E.L.D. from the inside."
"A full blown civil war where shield agents won't even know if they can trust the person next to them"
"It will be end of SHIELD in an instant due to lack of trust and fear of backstabbing"
Silence fell.
"That bad," Hawkeye muttered.
"They hide among your ranks," Storm continued. "They wear the same uniforms, answer the same calls, salute the same flag. To the outside world—and even to most agents—they are S.H.I.E.L.D."
Coulson exhaled slowly.
"And their final goal?"
"That's what Grant is working on," Storm replied evenly. "He's trying to uncover it from the inside."
Hawkeye frowned. "So even he doesn't know yet."
"Not completely," Storm said. "They're careful. They don't reveal their endgame until they're certain of someone's loyalty."
Storm's gaze shifted briefly toward the reinforced basement door.
"However, one thing Grant learned" he continued, "they have already begun targeting Ethan-sama."
Coulson's eyes narrowed.
"Targetting him how?"
"Indirectly," Storm answered. "Probing for weaknesses. Looking for leverage. But Ethan-sama's nature makes that… difficult."
Hawkeye smiled lightly.
"Understatement of the year."
Storm allowed a faint nod.
"He is tightly sealed off. His residence, his systems, his workspaces—every access point is secured. There is no digital trail, no physical opening, and no external dependency they can exploit."
"Not even a single mistake in Arasaka Coorperation that they can use to point fingers at him"
Coulson folded his arms.
"That mush is true, Ethan is tightly locked not even government can touch him or his cooperation."
"Correct," Storm said. "And that frustrates them."
He paused, then added,
"They want his technology. That much is clear. But without a way to approach him directly, all they can do is observe—and make imitations."
Coulson's eyes narrowed.
"They are copying his tech?"
"yes, like the watches he have given to you" Storm said.
"They are keeping an eye on every agent that is in contact with Ethan?" Coulson asked.
"Yes," Storm agreed. "On the people around him. On S.H.I.E.L.D. assets seen working with him."
"Most likely, this attack was meant to turn Ethan against S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hawkeye said. "Give them an excuse to interrogate him and his company—dig around with excuse to search for Tesseract."
Storm nodded slowly. "Hmm. That's definitely possible."
Coulson sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"So what do you want me to do now?" he asked.
Hawkeye leaned back against the table, expression sharp despite the casual posture.
"Just muddy the details," he said. "Say I was found dead. That my arrow fragments were found there—and that the Tesseract is missing."
Coulson looked at him sharply.
"That'll put the spotlight on Ethan."
"Exactly," Hawkeye replied. "They'll try to point the finger at him. And when they do, we'll see who pushes the accusation the hardest."
Storm's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A baited trap."
"Exactly" Hawkeye nodded.
"They won't be able to resist," Storm added "If they believe the Tesseract can help them get at Arasaka—and Ethan-sama is being framed—they'll accelerate."
Hawkeye rolled his shoulders.
"And when they do, they'll expose themselves."
Coulson exhaled slowly.
"Alright. We'll play it your way."
"Though I doubt Ethan-sama will agree to it," Storm said calmly.
Coulson and Hawkeye both nodded.
"Yeah," Coulson admitted. "I wonder if he'll accept it. This would still put too much light on him."
Storm tilted his head slightly, thinking.
"Then how about this," he said. "We record a fabricated message now. Coulson can insert it into the crash site's black box."
Hawkeye raised an eyebrow.
"A fake transmission?"
Storm nodded.
"It will state that there was an accident. A S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team attempted to interact with the Tesseract during transport. Energy destabilization followed… then the explosion."
Coulson's eyes looked interested as he followed the logic.
"It would frame it as negligence," Storm continued. "Not sabotage. No fingers pointed at Ethan-sama—and the hidden group won't feel the need to hide either."
Hawkeye nodded agreeing with the plan."That actually works."
"That will work," Coulson agreed, nodding once."Alright. Let's ask Ethan for help creating a fake accident vlog."
Storm inclined his head."I will contact Ethan-sama."
The call connected almost instantly.
Ethan's voice came through, calm and unbothered."What's this?"
"Sir," Storm said evenly, "as you predicted, there was an attempt. However, the individual is safe. I intercepted it."
"I see," Ethan replied without hesitation."Send him back if he's fine."
"There is something else," Storm added. "It wasn't an external party. It was someone from within. His own team attempted to attack him and stole Tesseract."
There was a brief pause.
Ethan, standing in his basement workshop, raised an eyebrow."…His own team?"
He leaned back slightly, pretending to think—while his eyes gleamed with amusement.
Hehehe… so they took the bait.
"I understand," Ethan said aloud, his tone neutral."What do you need?"