"Ahem… Commander Hill. With Nick gone, I am now authorizing your promotion to Acting Director on behalf of the World Security Council."
Seeing the tension in the room escalate, Alexander Pierce stepped in to smooth things over.
Even he looked down on the French representative—but traditions were traditions.
"Tell me," Pierce continued, his tone turning serious, "do you have confidence that we can win this war?"
Hill was just about to respond—to make her resolve clear, to stake everything on this battle—
"Hold on."
Peter interrupted her.
"While I'm not the director or the commander, as a consultant, I think I should say a few things about this war."
He stepped forward slightly, hands still casually in his pockets.
"Our enemy—Loki—has the Tesseract. We all know what that means. It can open portals."
His gaze swept across the holographic projections.
"And we also know his allies are extraterrestrials. Worst-case scenario? He summons an entire alien fleet."
A brief pause.
"So relying solely on S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't going to cut it."
His tone sharpened.
"I suggest we upgrade our equipment… and bring in more manpower."
Peter wasn't arrogant enough to believe he had to do everything alone.
He wasn't an idiot.
Why would he follow the movie's script—six people taking on an interstellar army?
He had spent all this time advancing technology, building resources, stockpiling weapons—
What, just to throw it all away and play hero?
"Your point is?" one of the council members asked.
Peter smiled faintly.
"Umbrella's first batch of equipment has already been delivered. And what about the U.S. military?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Afraid of political consequences? International backlash?"
His voice dropped.
"I don't know when or where Loki will open that portal. But surely none of you think he's planning to bring an alien fleet here for sightseeing."
In the movie, the portal had opened above Stark Tower.
But this world?
That wasn't guaranteed.
After suffering such a loss—and knowing Peter could appear at any moment—Loki wouldn't be foolish enough to open a portal in such an obvious, exposed location.
Peter's guess was simple.
By the time they found Loki—
He would already be surrounded by an army.
"I hope you're right, Mr. Parker," Pierce said after a moment. "I will report this to the Department of Defense."
He paused.
"The rest… is up to you."
The meeting ended.
…
The primary purpose of the meeting had been to formally elevate Hill's authority. Without it, her command would lack legitimacy in a full-scale war.
But Peter's proposal had also changed something critical.
This would no longer be a battle fought by S.H.I.E.L.D. alone.
And soon enough—
They would all be grateful for that decision.
S.H.I.E.L.D. mobilized immediately.
With the Helicarrier hovering at high altitude, Hill commanded operations from above, overseeing every movement.
On the ground, agents began training with the first batch of Umbrella equipment they had received.
The Red Devil Series Combat Suits—originally ordered by Nick Fury—had already enhanced their combat capabilities.
After Peter became a consultant, Pierce had authorized additional weapon purchases, further strengthening S.H.I.E.L.D.'s forces beyond anything seen in the original timeline.
And yet—
It wasn't enough.
-----
Three days passed.
For three days, S.H.I.E.L.D. deployed every available resource to locate the Tesseract.
Global surveillance.
Network tracking.
Gamma radiation detection systems designed by Bruce Banner.
Everything.
But Loki—and the Tesseract—
Had vanished.
As if they had never existed.
Until the night of the third day.
…
Inside Banner's lab aboard the Helicarrier, Peter sat casually, discussing technical theories with Banner. Nearby, Sona listened quietly, her presence calm and attentive.
Then—
The alarm blared.
A sharp, piercing sound tore through the carrier.
Peter and Banner exchanged a glance and immediately stood up, heading toward the command bridge.
By the time they arrived, chaos had already erupted.
Agents rushed in all directions, voices overlapping, commands flying.
Peter moved quickly, grabbing Natasha as she passed by.
"What happened?"
Natasha's expression was grim.
"Washington has fallen."
For three days, they had prepared for war.
Three days of tension.
Three days of waiting.
And nothing.
Many had begun to relax, even if only slightly.
And now—
The blow had come without warning.
On the main screen, satellite footage appeared.
Above Washington, D.C.—
A massive wormhole had torn open the sky.
On the newly rebuilt White House grounds, Loki stood laughing wildly, his posture arrogant, triumphant.
And behind him—
Endless waves of alien forces poured out of the portal like a swarm.
The Chitauri had arrived.
"…Unlucky Washington," Peter muttered, shaking his head.
The White House, once again, was engulfed in flames.
The last time, he had been the one to wreak havoc there.
Now—
Loki had learned his lesson.
And gone straight for the throat.
What was the point of attacking New York?
To make a grand entrance?
To show off power—
Only to be surrounded and crushed by the U.S. military?
No.
Washington was the real target.
Destroy the White House.
Strike the Pentagon.
Cripple the Country' command structure in one decisive blow.
"That's… a serious problem," Peter said quietly.
A modern nation wouldn't collapse overnight just because its capital fell—especially not a federal system like the United States.
But this wasn't a normal war.
With both the White House and the Pentagon under attack—
The world's strongest military had just lost centralized command.
From this point on, individual units would be forced to act independently.
And worse—
They would lose their greatest advantage.
The most powerful logistics network in the world.
And the intelligence system that supported it.
The battlefield—
Had just become chaos.
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T/N:
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