Chapter 190 - 191: That Forbidden Name That Strikes Terror

The Pentagon – Secretary of Defense's Office

Colonel Stenson stood at attention before the new Secretary of Defense, flanked by Major General Carlos. His voice was steady, but the content of his report sent chills through the room.

> "By the time I led the rapid-response unit to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, nearly all agents had fallen. Only Agent Peggy Carter and fewer than ten operatives were left, fighting desperately."

> "There were eight of them. The attackers—mechanized units of unknown origin."

> "We engaged immediately. The firefight lasted twenty-one minutes. We lost fifty-three soldiers. Two armed helicopters destroyed. Two APCs, two tactical assault vehicles, and one tank—all gone."

The silence that followed was heavy—until the Secretary muttered under his breath:

"Jesus Christ…"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Eight machines—just eight—and they'd decimated a fortified S.H.I.E.L.D. base and a fully armed military response unit in under half an hour?

The magnitude was staggering.

"How did you survive?" the Secretary asked, his tone low and urgent.

"A mutant. He called himself Alex."

The moment the name left his lips, the Secretary jerked upright—eyes wide, breath caught.

Sweat began to bead at his temples.

Carlos and Stenson exchanged bewildered glances. What kind of name made this man break a sweat?

They didn't understand.

But the Secretary did.

He had been there.

He had sat in that secure conference room months ago—watched with his own eyes as that same mutant, Alex, slaughtered half the senior cabinet.

He had seen the blood. The carnage. The monster cloaked in human skin.

He had watched his predecessor—the last Secretary—die in that room.

The trauma had never left him.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. "And why… why was Alex even there?"

He didn't buy for a second that the man had come out of heroism or charity. That wasn't the kind of monster he was.

"It seems he came for Howard Stark," Stenson said honestly. "The first thing he asked when he landed was whether Stark was safe."

That made sense.

Ever since Alex had turned D.C. into a bloodbath, every intelligence agency had tried—and failed—to dig up more on him. The only confirmed connection?

Howard Stark.

"Of course…" the Secretary muttered, rubbing his forehead.

He didn't need to ask how the soldiers were saved. If that man showed up, it explained everything.

He proceeded to ask several more questions about the battle—details of the weapons, tactics, and the robotic attackers.

But one thing still nagged at him.

"And these… robots. What are they? Was this a S.H.I.E.L.D. experiment gone wrong?"

It was a natural assumption.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had access to tech decades ahead of anyone else. And Howard Stark's involvement only made that more likely.

"I asked Agent Carter the same," Stenson said carefully. "She was evasive. But I'm certain she knows the truth."

"Damn it, Stark—what the hell did you people do…"

The Secretary cursed, then snatched the phone off his desk.

"Have you made contact with Phillips yet?"

"Not yet, sir."

"Damn it!"

Knock knock.

The door opened. An aide peeked in, looking startled. Behind him stood two men the Secretary recognized instantly.

Howard Stark. Colonel Chester Phillips.

"Thank God."

The Secretary stood as they entered. "The whole damn country's waiting for answers," he snapped, not even bothering with pleasantries.

In truth, Phillips held the highest authority within S.H.I.E.L.D., far more than the flamboyant inventor Stark or the British-born Agent Carter.

"That's why we're here," Phillips replied evenly. He turned to Stark. "Go ahead."

Howard Stark inhaled deeply. Then he began.

He told them everything.

About the crashed starship found beneath the Arctic ice. About Megatron. About the cube—the AllSpark.

He explained how they'd only discovered the Decepticons' existence recently. How they'd tried to prepare. Tried to preempt a threat they barely understood.

He left out the part where they'd recklessly poked the hornet's nest.

Instead, he painted S.H.I.E.L.D. as valiant defenders. Martyrs who gave everything to safeguard Earth.

It was a compelling narrative. One that pinned the disaster on the alien invaders—not human arrogance.

The Secretary wanted to call it BS.

But he was too stunned by the truth to argue.

"So… this wasn't an experiment."

His voice was faint now. "You're saying this is… an alien invasion?"

Howard nodded solemnly. "Sir, we're not dealing with runaway tech. We're dealing with a threat from beyond the stars."

Silence.

The Secretary stared at the floor, then back at Stark.

"I want you," he said slowly, "to repeat everything you just told me… to the President."

He picked up the phone.

There wasn't a second to waste.

Because if Stark was right—

And the AllSpark really had fallen into alien hands—

Then this wasn't just a battle.

It was the beginning of a war.

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