The Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s imposing headquarters in Washington, D.C., now served as Hydra’s stronghold, its corridors teeming with their influence.

Sebastian refrained from attacking immediately upon arrival. Instead, he slipped into the building with silent precision, guided by an uncanny instinct, until he stood just outside the secret cells holding Natasha and Clint.

Each occupied a solitary cell, their forms visible through the reinforced glass as he observed from the shadows.

At the sight of Sebastian, both Natasha and Clint exhaled in relief. Natasha, more familiar with him, flashed a wry smile. “Sebastian, you return and don’t even visit an old friend? Once this mess is over, how about we hit that New York barbecue joint for a bite?”

With a casual wave of his arms, no wand needed, Sebastian unlocked the cells, the doors sliding open. The handcuffs and restraints binding Natasha and Clint snapped apart, clattering to the floor, granting them freedom.

“Sure, why not but Where’s your gear?” Sebastian asked.

“Nearby room,” Natasha replied. “Lucky for us, Hydra’s still playing nice with regular S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, or we’d be in real trouble.”

Natasha led the way, swiftly picking the lock to the storage room with a skill rivaling Sebastian’s Alohomora.

They retrieved their weapons—Clint’s bow and Natasha’s pistols—regaining their confidence with every piece of equipment.

Clint met Sebastian’s gaze, his nod sincere. “Sebastian, thanks for this. I owe you one.”

“No worries,” Sebastian grinned. “I’ll hold you to it.”

The trio shared a brief smile, took a moment to regroup, and set off through the Triskelion’s labyrinthine halls.

They encountered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents along the way. Hydra operatives, recognizing the trio, hesitated to engage, while true S.H.I.E.L.D. agents turned a blind eye, their suspicions of Hydra’s overt moves growing as Project Insight neared completion.

As they neared the exit, a squad of fully armed Hydra agents stormed toward them, blocking their path.

Sebastian, eager to avoid delay, summoned his wand, preparing to whisk Natasha and Clint away. But Clint’s warning stopped him. “The leader is a Rumno—a tough one. Watch out.”

“Rumno?” Sebastian’s brow arched. “What’s his name again?”

Clint paused, puzzled. “Rumno. That’s the guy.”

The name struck a chord, conjuring memories of the Ten Rings agent, codenamed Doctor, who had deceived Alisha. Though the man’s face was unfamiliar, the name fueled Sebastian’s fury.

Without a word, he unleashed a barrage of Reducto spells, thunderbolt explosions tearing through the Hydra squad, obliterating Rumno in a blaze of retribution.

Exhaling sharply, Sebastian waved his wand, transporting himself, Natasha, and Clint to the Triskelion’s rooftop.

Below, three massive Helicarriers rose from the artificial lake, their sleek forms a testament to Hydra’s ambition.

“Hydra’s behind these,” Natasha said, her voice grim as she checked her gear, ready to halt the carriers’ ascent.

Before she could move, the Triskelion’s broadcast system crackled, overtaken by Tony’s signature rock anthem. A jet roared overhead, and Tony, clad in his Mark 43 armor, swooped into view.

“Natasha, Clint, miss me?” Tony’s voice teased through their communicators.

Steve’s stern tone cut in. “Tony, enough showboating. Focus on the battle plan!”

“Alright, Cap, what’s the strategy?” Tony asked, undeterred.

“Three Helicarriers and Hydra in the Triskelion,” Steve said. “We split up and take them down.”

“Simple enough,” Tony quipped. “I’ll grab the left one!”

Ignoring Steve’s protest, Tony rocketed toward the leftmost Helicarrier, his repulsors blazing.

The battle was poised to erupt.

Tony surged toward the left Helicarrier, his Mark 43 armor gleaming under the Washington sky, while a Quinjet trailed closely behind. Its hatch opened, and Sam Wilson, wings spread as Falcon, gripped Steve’s hands, guiding them in a daring glide onto the middle Helicarrier’s deck.

The Quinjet then veered toward Sebastian, Natasha, and Clint, landing nearby. To their astonishment, Nick Fury—rumored dead—emerged alongside Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Daisy “Skye” Johnson, and a S.H.I.E.L.D. team, striding toward the trio.

“Sebastian, those three leads you tipped me off about caused me no end of grief,” Fury said, a wry edge to his voice.

“Don’t thank me,” Sebastian shot back, smirking. “Uncovering Hydra’s moles in S.H.I.E.L.D. is just part of the job.”

Fury shrugged, his expression resigned. “Fair enough. Sebastian, take Natasha and Clint to handle the third Helicarrier. Leave S.H.I.E.L.D.’s internal mess to Coulson and me.”

In this altered timeline, Coulson had survived Loki’s attack, remaining an active field leader rather than retreating to the shadows. His elite team, answering solely to Fury, tackled missions bridging S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.

When Hydra’s schemes surfaced, they went underground, reemerging only after Fury, now recovered, rallied them.

Sebastian cast a glance toward the Helicarriers, already rocked by Tony, Steve, and Sam’s assaults. He turned to Natasha and Clint, who were gearing up. “Natasha, Clint, I’ll take the third Helicarrier solo. You back Fury and his team against Hydra inside. They’ll need the edge.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Sebastian, can your magic take down a Helicarrier?”

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s analysts had studied Sebastian, noting his magic’s limited effect on inanimate objects, which prompted Fury’s initial plan to pair him with Natasha and Clint.

Sebastian grinned confidently. “I’m not some enhanced soldier stuck with static powers. I’m a wizard—always learning, always growing. I’ve got new spells to test, and I’m not about to let Tony brag about downing a Helicarrier while I play support. He’d never let me hear the end of it.”

With that, Sebastian’s form shimmered, his body and clothes contracting rapidly. His black windbreaker billowed, morphing into a cascade of dark feathers that cloaked him. In an instant, he transformed into a sleek crow, circling Fury, Natasha, and the others before darting toward the third Helicarrier.

Fury stared, skeptical. “How’s he planning to wreck a Helicarrier as a crow?”

Coulson, equally uncertain, ventured, “Maybe he’s sneaking in to sabotage it… right?”

The team exchanged uneasy glances, sensing something amiss as the crow sped away.

As Fury rallied Natasha, Clint, and the others to confront Hydra within the Triskelion, Sebastian’s crow form neared the third Helicarrier. A deafening boom echoed, and he swelled into his Phantom Form—a colossal crow rivaling a Boeing jet—crashing into the Helicarrier with devastating force.

“Fuck it!” Fury muttered, his eye widening at the spectacle.

Sebastian’s transformation from a sleek crow into a colossal Death Raven, rivaling a Boeing jet, left Fury and his team in stunned silence, the visual spectacle dispelling any doubt about his ability to tackle a Helicarrier alone.

Wasting no time, Fury, Natasha, Clint, Coulson, Hill, May, Skye, and their S.H.I.E.L.D. unit slipped into the Triskelion’s upper levels, stealthily approaching the core director’s office. There, Alexander Pierce, Hydra’s puppet master within S.H.I.E.L.D., held the agency’s top leaders captive. Their mission: liberate the hostages and sever Hydra’s grip on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s head.

Meanwhile, In his giant Phantom Form, Sebastian flapped his massive wings, summoning a gale that scattered Hydra soldiers attempting to fire on him. His razor-sharp claws plunged into the Helicarrier’s hull, ripping away a vast section of armor, exposing the machinery and panicked crew within.

Cawing fiercely, Sebastian slammed into the Helicarrier again, the impact tilting the massive vessel precariously. Despite its systems struggling to regain balance, he soared to the opposite side, his claws tearing through more armor and weaponry with a ferocity that outpaced Tony, Steve, and Sam’s efforts on the other carriers.

Discarding a mangled chunk of armor, Sebastian eyed fighter jets launching from the Helicarrier. He swooped to the vessel’s rear, his claws sinking into its tail. With a piercing cry skyward, his Death Raven form swelled further, nearly matching the Helicarrier’s size.

His pitch-black wings blotted out the sun, their violent beats dragging the Helicarrier’s tail upward, tilting it dangerously. Fighter jets and Hydra soldiers still aboard slid off the deck, plummeting uncontrollably.

Fighter jets from all three Helicarriers converged, unleashing missiles and machine-gun barrages at Sebastian. He countered with a thunderous wingbeat, conjuring a hurricane that scrambled the missiles’ trajectories, causing them to collide and detonate midair. Bullets peppered him, but in his enhanced state, they were mere nuisances, unable to pierce his fortified feathers.

With a defiant caw, Sebastian tightened his grip and beat his wings relentlessly. A wrenching crunch of steel echoed as he tore a gaping fissure through the Helicarrier’s tail. Explosions erupted, the vessel’s four engines sputtering as their power failed.

Releasing his claws, Sebastian watched the Helicarrier plummet into the lake below, its crash sending up towering waves and a cacophony of detonations, signaling the end of Hydra’s war machine.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep