The Hydra agents stared at the giant gorilla wearing black-rimmed glasses in complete disbelief.
This was the same refined-looking ape from the movie Winston—except now he was standing right in front of them in the real world, breathing and moving.
One of the men muttered in shock, "Winston… it's actually Winston…"
Ronin (now in Winston form) adjusted his glasses with one thick finger and smiled, showing a row of sharp teeth. "Surprised? Shocked? Good. That means my entrance was successful."
He slowly raised the Tesla Cannon from his back. The barrel began to glow with crackling blue energy.
"Time for some electrotherapy."
Zzzzzzzzz—!
A thick beam of brilliant blue electricity shot out, instantly enveloping the nearest group of Hydra agents. Their bodies convulsed violently as the current coursed through them. Some dropped their guns, others screamed, and a few simply collapsed twitching on the ground.
The smell of ozone and burnt hair filled the air.
Ronin swept the Tesla Cannon left and right like a garden hose. Wherever the electricity touched, Hydra agents fell like dominoes. Their tactical gear offered zero protection against the high-voltage discharge.
One particularly brave (or stupid) agent tried to fire his rocket launcher at point-blank range. Ronin casually sidestepped the shot, then blasted him with a sustained stream of electricity until the man's hair stood straight up and smoke rose from his clothes.
"Next!"
The remaining agents finally broke. They scattered in panic, some diving behind cars, others sprinting for the woods. A few even tried to climb back into their vehicles and drive away.
Ronin wasn't about to let them escape so easily.
He activated the jetpack on his back and shot into the air, hovering above the chaos like a giant, angry ape with wings. From this vantage point, the Tesla Cannon became even more devastating. He rained down arcs of electricity on the fleeing agents, turning the roadside into a makeshift lightning storm.
"Run all you want. You can't outrun lightning!"
One by one, the agents dropped. Some were knocked unconscious. Others lay twitching on the ground, temporarily paralyzed. A few unlucky ones got fried so badly their tactical vests melted.
Within less than two minutes, the entire ambush team was neutralized.
Ronin landed gracefully in the middle of the road, the Tesla Cannon still humming with residual energy. He looked around at the smoking, twitching bodies and let out a satisfied snort.
"Electrotherapy complete. Next patient, please."
He walked over to one of the conscious but paralyzed agents, crouched down, and poked the man's cheek with a thick finger.
"Tell your bosses that if they want to play games, they should at least send someone stronger. These small fries are boring."
The agent could only stare up at the giant gorilla with wide, terrified eyes. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a weak groan.
Ronin stood up and stretched. The Primal Rage state had worn off earlier, but even normal Winston was more than enough to handle these ordinary humans.
He glanced at the wrecked cars and the scattered weapons. "Coulson, you can come out now. The show's over."
From behind a flipped SUV about fifty meters away, Coulson slowly emerged, gun still in hand. His suit was dusty and there was a small cut on his cheek, but otherwise he looked unharmed.
He stared at Winston for a long moment, then let out a low whistle. "That was… impressive."
Ronin canceled the transformation, returning to his normal human form. "You ran pretty fast earlier. I thought you'd abandoned me."
Coulson gave a sheepish smile. "I was calling for backup. And gathering intel. Standard procedure."
"Standard procedure my ass," Ronin muttered. "Next time you pull that 'run away and leave me behind' stunt, I'll zap you too."
Coulson wisely changed the subject. "These men were definitely Hydra. The fact that they knew our route and timing means we have a serious security breach at the Triskelion."
Ronin nodded. "No kidding. You guys really need to clean house. Hydra's been inside S.H.I.E.L.D. for who knows how long."
Coulson's eyes narrowed. "You seem awfully sure about that."
Ronin shrugged. "Just a guess. But after today, even a blind man could see it."
He looked around at the defeated agents. "You should probably call your people to clean this up. I'm going home. I've had enough excitement for one day."
Before Coulson could say anything else, Ronin walked over to one of the less-damaged cars, hot-wired it in under thirty seconds, and drove off.
Coulson watched the car disappear down the road, then pulled out his phone.
"Director, we have a situation. The ambush was real. Hydra agents. Ronin… handled it. As Winston."
There was a long pause on the other end.
Nick Fury's voice finally came through, low and serious. "Bring him back in. We need to talk. Again."
Coulson sighed as he hung up. "This is going to be a long night."
Meanwhile, Ronin drove toward home, humming to himself.
"Electrotherapy time… not bad. I should use that line more often."
He glanced in the rearview mirror and grinned.
"Next time those Hydra clowns show up, I'll give them the full spa package—electrotherapy, massage, and a complimentary knockout."
The Marvel world was getting more dangerous by the day, but at least he was starting to have fun with it.