Chapter 229: The Unusual HYDRA

"Nobody move!"

Realizing there was no way to hide anymore, Garrett grabbed the pistol he had just placed in Coulson's hand and immediately pressed it to Coulson's temple, taking him hostage.

His protégé, Grant, was just as quick to react. He seized the least-threatening individual, Jemma Simmons, and pressed a gun to her head as well.

"Let us leave. Once we’re out of here, we’ll release them."

If their memories were read, both of them would be exposed instantly. They had to act now, taking advantage of the momentary confusion to escape the school and regroup with the Winter Soldiers.

As for the third man, his face was full of bewilderment. Garrett’s words had entirely deceived him—he wasn’t a HYDRA spy at all.

"John, you bastard! So it was you who leaked the safe house location, getting Fury killed. You deserve to die!"

Coulson’s fury erupted. He now understood that the traitors were none other than his most trusted comrade, John Garrett, and Garrett’s apprentice, Grant Ward.

His anger stemmed from betrayal by those he trusted most.

"Coulson, you're as naïve as ever. I have no idea how someone like you managed to reach my rank," Garrett sneered. "I didn’t want to betray anyone. But you know, I sustained serious injuries during a mission. My vital organs were damaged—I didn’t have much time left to live.

"And yet, Nick Fury refused to save me! HYDRA offered to rebuild my body, giving me the strongest, most perfect physique. All I wanted was to survive."

Garrett’s cold smile twisted his face. He felt justified in his betrayal. SHIELD—and Fury—had abandoned him first. Why should he feel guilty?

Coulson gritted his teeth. "Fury said our technology wasn’t ready. Rushing the procedure would turn you into a madman. He didn’t abandon you—he was waiting for the right time. You shouldn’t have trusted HYDRA. They’ll just use you, turning you into a killing machine like those Winter Soldiers outside."

"It doesn’t matter. I’m not that stupid. HYDRA might want to use me, but I’ll use them too. I won’t become some mindless killer. I’ll become the perfect human being—the future ruler of mankind."

Garrett’s expression grew maniacal as he signaled Grant to retreat with him toward the conference room doors.

But as soon as they moved, their guns suddenly froze in place, bending and twisting as if seized by an invisible force. Within seconds, the weapons were reduced to mangled scrap.

"They don’t realize that besides mind powers, I can control metal too," George said, stepping forward. "They’re bold to play with guns in front of me."

"He knew you could alter a bullet’s trajectory but didn’t know you could control the entire weapon," Coulson remarked, taking advantage of Garrett’s stunned reaction. In one swift motion, he drove his elbow into Garrett’s stomach, following up with a series of smooth combat moves that knocked Garrett to the ground.

While Coulson wasn’t on par with Black Widow or Hawkeye in hand-to-hand combat, his skills were decent. With Garrett’s failing health, it wasn’t hard for Coulson to subdue him.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," George added with a smirk. "My powers have improved a lot recently."

George had indeed grown stronger. Previously, he could only control objects weighing about 100 pounds, just enough to divert bullets mid-air. Destroying weapons outright had been beyond him. Now, thanks to his development and the enhancement from the Misaka clones, he could manipulate up to ten tons. Guns were like fragile toys in his hands.

"Not so fast, kid. If you want to escape, you’ll have to go through me," Thor said, stepping in as Grant made a break for the conference room doors.

"Get out of my way!"

Grant, one of SHIELD’s top combatants, could hold his own against the likes of Melinda May. Taking down ten agents single-handedly wasn’t an issue for him. Seeing Thor blocking his path, Grant drew a knife and lunged, aiming for a quick, fatal strike to minimize time wasted.

Unfortunately for him, Thor wasn’t just anyone. Even without his divine powers, Thor’s physical strength and combat abilities far surpassed any normal human’s. To Grant, Thor was an insurmountable force.

"Your knife work isn’t even as good as my brother’s," Thor quipped, effortlessly catching Grant’s wrist mid-thrust. With a simple twist, Thor flung him to the ground in a clean, decisive motion.

"Bind them!" George commanded, casting a pair of Binding Ropes spells that secured Garrett and Grant. He then began using Legilimency and a memory extraction spell to probe their minds.

After a moment, George withdrew his hand, his expression shifting subtly.

"This world’s HYDRA is no joke," he remarked. "No wonder Nick Fury lost."

The intelligence he gleaned from Garrett and Grant’s memories revealed that HYDRA in this universe was far more formidable than the one depicted in movies or TV shows.

This HYDRA wasn’t just a splintered organization with various factions. Its origins stretched back 1,400 years.

In this reality, the Kree Empire had conducted illegal experiments on primitive planets, including Earth, to create powerful warriors for their interstellar wars. These experiments gave rise to the Inhumans, humans genetically modified to possess superpowers.

The first Inhuman, Hive, had the ability to control all Inhumans. Leading a rebellion, Hive drove the Kree off Earth. In turn, the Kree abandoned their illegal experimentation.

However, the Inhumans feared Hive’s power over them. They staged a second rebellion, banishing Hive to another planet using a Kree artifact known as the Monolith.

A group of humans who worshipped Hive then formed HYDRA, dedicating themselves to using the Monolith to send human sacrifices to Hive’s planet, hoping to bring him back to rule Earth.

But this universe’s HYDRA seemed different. There was no mention of Inhuman origins—though it was possible Garrett and Grant simply didn’t know such deep secrets.

In Garrett’s memories, Hive did exist within HYDRA, but not as an ancient Inhuman. Instead, he was a HYDRA agent suffering from a terminal illness who underwent experimental modifications by Baron Strucker. These experiments merged Hive with parasitic organisms, granting him a new lease on life.

Moreover, this world’s Baron Strucker wasn’t the weakling depicted in the films. He was a formidable force in his own right, capable of creating miracles far beyond what had been shown on screen.