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Chapter 171: The Bumpy Journey of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Howard
🕑 Added 2025-01-19 10:17:10 +0000 UTCAs in the original timeline, the CIA was a uniquely positioned intelligence agency from its creation, but was heavily restricted in its domestic operations.
Conducting an interrogation in New York could attract unwanted attention from other intelligence agencies, which could lead to complications.
This was precisely why Josh chose to intercept Fennhoff at Newburgh Military Airport. Because it was on Department of Defense property, the CIA was authorized to operate there.
Once outside the airport, however, jurisdiction shifted to the NYPD, the FBI, or even the Strategic Scientific Reserve, all of which had greater authority than the CIA in domestic operations.
Bringing Fennhoff directly to Washington would avoid these complications. After all, the president's word was law in Washington.
In a matter of hours, Josh and his team transported Johann Fennhoff to Washington, D.C.—specifically, to the small town of Langley on the D.C./Virginia border.
In the original timeline, when the CIA was first established, its headquarters was located in a government building near the Lincoln Memorial. However, Josh felt that location was too cramped. When submitting his proposal, he made sure to establish the headquarters directly in Langley, which was destined to become the CIA's home.
Of course, the new CIA headquarters would take time to build. For now, its operations were housed in a modest office building in the small town.
"Get him talking as soon as possible. The President is waiting for good news,” Josh ordered Ophelia, who was already waiting in the temporary office's interrogation room.
"Sure thing, boss. But with all these roles I'm juggling, don't you think it's time for a raise?" Ophelia joked, initially agreeing but quickly becoming playful.
At this point, Ophelia was practically a real-life version of Madame Hydra from the comics, a master of disguise and espionage. She had multiple identities; a member of Ouroboros, an agent of Hydra, an agent of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, and now a section chief in the CIA's Operations Division.
Her web of identities and positions was dizzyingly complex.
But Josh wasn't one to indulge her.
"Don't push it. I've never cut you a dime of your extra allowances for each role, plus all the operational funds. Your income is already several times that of Director Fletcher. What more do you want? Get to work. Do a good job and I'll add some sausages to your dinner!" Josh replied, rolling his eyes.
"Sigh, slaves have no rights..." Ophelia muttered, feigning a dramatic sigh before walking into the interrogation room with a mischievous grin.
The interrogation itself wasn't about gathering evidence.
Josh already had plenty of evidence—both testimonial and physical—against Johann Fennhoff. The star witness was none other than Dottie Underwood, whom Ophelia had "re-educated" just days before. Now transformed into a key witness, Dottie was granted "clemency" and officially became a member of the CIA (and Ouroboros). Her role mirrored that of Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, in a future timeline. (TL/N: Clemency is defined as an act of leniency or disposition to be merciful, but as a broad legal term the word includes pardon, commutation of sentence, reprieve, or remission of fines and forfeitures.)
What Josh was really after was the location of the remaining stolen items from Howard Stark's lab.
It wasn't that Josh cared much about those items himself. Rather, he owed favors to certain military figures who had supported the creation of the CIA. His promise to the military was that any stolen items recovered from Fennhoff would be turned over to them.
The military had long coveted Howard Stark's research.
Of course, before handing over the items, Josh would have Yuri take a look at them to assess their value—that was another matter entirely.
The interrogation went smoothly.
Ophelia's skills far exceeded Fennhoff's. Moreover, seeing that his interrogator was a woman, Fennhoff let his guard down and was quickly hypnotized, revealing everything.
With the information in hand, Josh issued orders to agents, mobsters, Ouroboros members, and Council operatives across the country. A coordinated effort soon recovered all of Howard Stark's stolen inventions, which Leviathan had hidden in various corners of New York.
By the time the Strategic Scientific Reserve, Howard Stark, and other intelligence agencies caught wind of the operation, it was already over.
Josh's team had not only completed the mission, but had prepared a comprehensive report, which Puppet Director Fletcher quickly submitted to President Truman.
At the time, Truman was deeply concerned about the Soviet Union's development of nuclear weapons.
Josh's report was a timely gift.
Leviathan's actions—stealing American secrets, framing patriotic inventors, and attempting to sabotage the nation—provided the perfect excuse for Truman to act.
Just days later, Truman presented the evidence to a joint session of Congress and delivered what would become known as the "Truman Doctrine" in his State of the Union address.
Thus began the Cold War.
The meeting also featured Josh, the hero of the intelligence case, and Howard Stark, the wronged inventor.
Unlike the smiling Josh, Howard Stark was visibly upset.
Although he had been cleared, the early start of the Cold War and the early creation of the CIA had derailed his plans with General Phillips to reform the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Congress had rejected their proposal, effectively putting the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D. on hold.
To make matters worse, several of Howard's stolen inventions had fallen into the hands of the CIA. Reports indicated that they would soon be turned over to the military, making it nearly impossible for Howard to reclaim them.
But what infuriated Howard most was the disappearance of Captain America's blood sample—a key to a Nobel Prize, in his eyes.
One frustrating setback after another caused Howard to look toward Josh's seat.
He suddenly remembered that all of his troubles seemed to trace back to the theft of the Midnight Oil two years earlier, on the eve of the invasion of Normandy.
And behind almost every misfortune, the figure of Josh Kahn seemed to loom.
Though Howard didn't suspect Josh of having a hidden agenda—there was no direct conflict of interest—he couldn't shake the feeling that Josh might be his nemesis.
Tsk. Best to keep his distance from that young man in the future. Too bad, though—rumor had it that Josh's fiancée was quite a beauty.
As if sensing Howard's thoughts, Josh turned his head and met his gaze with a friendly smile.
Of course, if Josh could read minds and knew what Howard was thinking, he might not rest until he dealt with the man once and for all!
