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Chapter 170: The Bumpy Journey of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Howard (1)
🕑 Added 2025-01-19 10:14:56 +0000 UTC"So that's it. So what are you going to do...?" After listening to Josh's brief explanation of the CIA's mission, Peggy Carter and the two Strategic Scientific Reserve agents found it hard to keep their composure.
Behind them, Ivchenko grew increasingly nervous, his eyes darting around as he desperately searched for an escape route.
But his hope was quickly fading. All of the CIA field operatives present were elite soldiers hand-picked by Josh, each with at least two years of combat experience in Europe or Asia. There was no chance they would let him escape.
"Relax. Our target isn't you, it's your Russian friend over there. Yes, you, Dr. Johann Fennhoff. I suggest you don't try anything reckless or show off your little hypnosis tricks. Otherwise, my subordinates will be authorized to use whatever force is necessary—and trust me, you won't like it." Josh stared directly at Fennhoff, who was hiding behind Carter and her team.
"Josh, is there a misunderstanding here? He's not Johann Fennhoff, he's Ivchenko, a prisoner we rescued from Leviathan." Carter frowned as she replied to Josh.
"I understand your doubts, Peggy, but I'm sorry. I have solid evidence that he's Johann Fennhoff. The whole 'Ivchenko' and 'Leviathan prisoner' story was his trap to get you to bring him into the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Everything that's happened so far, including the robbery of Howard's vault, has been orchestrated by him!" Josh said with a shrug.
"Directorate Kahn, you've said too much already," Director Fletcher interrupted, pretending to scold him.
This was all part of their plan—Josh would play the bad cop while Fletcher played the good cop.
"Apologies, Director!" Josh complied immediately, then turned back to Carter. "Peggy, so-"
"So Howard was really innocent?" Carter looked at the nervous Fennhoff. Things were starting to click, and the coincidences surrounding Fennhoff's appearance seemed too suspicious.
"That's right. Before we got here, Congress had already announced the results of their investigation into Howard Stark. He was officially declared innocent," Josh confirmed.
"All right, you can take him," Carter decided after a moment of thought, smiling as she stepped aside.
"Agent Carter!" The two Strategic Scientific Reserve agents were clearly reluctant. They realized that bringing Fennhoff back would have been a huge accomplishment for them, but now that accomplishment was about to be taken away from them.
"If you think you can fight all these people, go ahead and try!" Carter rolled her eyes at them. Did they not understand the situation? There were at least 30 CIA agents present. Did they think they were Captain America?
But Carter's decision wasn't just about being outnumbered.
For her, the important thing was that the situation was resolved perfectly, not who got the credit. In fact, she never cared much for credit, even in the original story.
Besides, she owed Josh countless favors, and she had no desire to fight him over this.
The two agents, seeing her attitude, remained silent.
In fact, the other side had over 30 people, while they were only three. Even if their own director came, it wouldn't change the outcome—the entire New York Division of the Strategic Scientific Reserve had no more than 20 field agents in total.
In addition, the surrounding military guards stationed at the airport clearly ignored the situation, showing that the CIA had already taken care of everything.
While Carter's team gave up trying to bring Fennhoff back, Fennhoff himself wasn't ready to give up his escape.
When two agents approached to handcuff him, he tried to use his mind control on them.
Although Fennhoff could control minds, his abilities were weaker than Ophelia's.
Normally, even Ophelia had to use words for deep mind control, let alone Fennhoff.
Before he could finish, one of the agents punched him in the stomach, and the other quickly put a muzzle on him to prevent him from talking. (TL/N: Muzzle - a cover made of leather or wire that is put over an animal’s nose and mouth so that it cannot bite)
"What are you doing?" Carter asked Josh confusedly as she approached him.
"Most of what you know about him is indeed false, but one thing is true—he is a psychologist, and a highly skilled one at that, with powerful hypnotic abilities capable of manipulating minds. His ability is based primarily on the power of his words. Now imagine someone like him being taken into the Strategic Scientific Reserve without any precautions. If he were to hypnotize a high-ranking official, say your Director Flynn, and gain control of Howard's advanced weapons—just think of the consequences," Josh explained.
Hearing this, Peggy Carter felt a shiver run down her spine. If this man's abilities were as Josh described, and things unfolded as he predicted, the results would be catastrophic.
The consequences of such an event would ultimately fall on her shoulders.
After all, she was the one who brought this dangerous individual back to the United States.
She could already see herself being dragged before a military court.
"I owe you another favor, Josh," Carter said, taking a deep breath as she realized the gravity of the situation.
"Don't say that. We're friends. Besides, we're taking him and claiming the credit. Things might get complicated for you after this, so don't hold it against me. By the way, have you ever thought about joining the CIA? I know you like field work. I could arrange for you to be a section chief in operations. With your skills, you'd be more than capable," Josh said, extending the invitation again.
Unlike other intelligence agencies in the United States, the CIA was unique in that it answered only to the President. No other government department had jurisdiction over it, meaning that personnel appointments required only the approval of the President or Director.
However, its funding and resources were relatively modest. While future CIAs would boast multi-billion dollar budgets and tens of thousands of employees, the current CIA, still in its infancy, had only a few thousand employees and an annual budget of $5 million. While not insignificant at the time, it paled in comparison to established agencies like the FBI.
In essence, the CIA was a fledgling organization.
Fortunately for Josh, he had sufficient personal wealth to support it, particularly through substantial "gray" income, which he skillfully laundered through the CIA. As the President's exclusive intelligence agency, the CIA operated independently, including financially, and was not required to disclose its budget.
This made money laundering through the CIA almost untraceable, even for the legendary IRS. Josh, by the way, had learned this laundering technique from a future director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury.
While Fury's other skills were often debated, his talent for covert funding and financial schemes was universally acknowledged.
Of course, there were some inevitable losses in the laundering process, but Josh didn't mind. First, the losses were minimal. Second, he was funding the CIA while having it serve his interests—it was a win-win.
After saying goodbye to Carter, Josh and his team escorted Johann Fennhoff to a plane at the military airport and flew directly to Washington.
