Chapter 234: Clues to the Cosmic Cube

"Bucky!"

Steve froze in shock as he saw Bucky. His shield clattered to the ground as he dashed forward without hesitation.

George motioned for the metallic nine-tailed fox to set Bucky down.

“Bucky, you’re alive! This is amazing—ouch!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Steve hugged Bucky tightly. Other than his beloved Peggy Carter, Bucky, his childhood friend and wartime brother, held the most important place in his heart.

Steve had long thought Bucky died during a mission decades ago. To find him alive after being frozen for over 60 years was nothing short of a miracle.

However, Bucky, whose memories had been erased by brainwashing, didn’t recognize Steve. Without hesitation, he landed a heavy punch to Steve’s jaw with his mechanical arm.

Had it been anyone other than the superhuman Steve, the punch would have shattered their jaw completely.

As Steve was sent flying, Bucky quickly turned and bolted toward the school gate.

Though brainwashed, Bucky's sharp intellect remained intact. Knowing he was outmatched, his first instinct was to escape.

“George!”

As Bucky’s figure grew distant and the metallic statues made no move to pursue, Coulson and the others grew anxious.

But George waved a hand dismissively.
“No need to worry—he won’t get far.”

"You want to leave? Not without my permission!"

Just as George finished speaking, a booming voice came from the school gate’s security booth.

Emerging from the booth was none other than Colonel Blonsky, transformed into Abomination.

Seeing Bucky attempt to leap over the school gate, Abomination extended his hand, grabbing Bucky mid-air with ease. He then strode back with his captive in hand.

“It’s him!”

Coulson immediately recognized Abomination.

The events involving Abomination, the Hulk, and George at Broadway were well-documented by S.H.I.E.L.D. At the time, they had assumed George had killed Abomination. Yet here he was, serving as a school guard.

This revelation reminded Coulson of the headaches General Ross caused Director Nick Fury, pressuring him to make George hand over the Hulk and Abomination.

In the end, Fury had no choice but to dig up incriminating evidence against Ross, exposing illegal experiments to silence him temporarily.

“He’s been brainwashed by HYDRA using some kind of device. Professor, could you help restore him?”

George gestured toward Professor X before turning to face Sitwell, a high-ranking HYDRA agent. Sitwell was responsible for turning many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to HYDRA’s cause and knew numerous secrets.

“Legilimens!”

Placing his hand on Sitwell’s head, George combined his mental abilities with the Legilimency spell to extract memories.

Agent Garrett, though recruited by HYDRA, hadn’t gained their full trust and lacked knowledge of critical operations—such as the location where HYDRA used the Cosmic Cube to create energy weapons.

“Got it.”

Moments later, George smiled as he withdrew his hand.

From Sitwell’s memories, he had pinpointed the location of the Cosmic Cube.

For George, the six Infinity Stones held greater significance than HYDRA or their plans for world domination. The Space Stone, in particular, offered endless possibilities.

If HYDRA could extract energy from the Space Stone to power weapons, George saw potential for other uses—like meditation. If successful, he’d have an infinite energy source akin to a magical crystal.

Even if that proved impossible, the extracted energy could power his school or future projects, like a floating city.

Moreover, with the Space Stone in his possession, Earth would be safer. Should Loki escape Asgard’s prison and ally with Thanos, he’d have to face George before even thinking about obtaining the Cosmic Cube.

Without the Cube, Loki couldn’t summon the Chitauri army to Earth.

“How did it go?”

As George finished extracting Sitwell’s memories, Natasha and Coulson hurried over.

Calmly, George replied, “According to Sitwell’s memories, three Helicarriers will take off in about an hour.”

"Only an hour? We have to move now!"

The remaining senior agents—Black Widow, Coulson, Hill, and Hawkeye—immediately grew serious.

A flight from New York to Washington would take roughly an hour. If they didn’t leave now, the Helicarriers would be airborne, making them nearly impossible to track with their advanced stealth and counter-surveillance systems.

“Professor, how’s it going?”

George turned to Professor X, who withdrew his hand from Bucky’s forehead and gave an “okay” gesture.

“Good. Steve, take charge. Bring Bucky, Banner, and Logan. You can use the X-Jet to reach Washington within 30 minutes.”

Turning to Natasha and Coulson, George added, “I’ve overexerted myself using my powers and need to rest, so I won’t be joining you.”

In truth, this was an excuse. George intended to use the opportunity to visit HYDRA’s energy weapon facility and claim the Cosmic Cube and its energy-extraction machine.

“You don’t look like someone who’s overexerted themselves,” Coulson muttered to himself, observing George’s healthy complexion and steady demeanor.

While Coulson suspected George’s excuse, he didn’t voice his doubts. After all, with Captain America leading the team, along with the formidable Wolverine, the Hulk, and the Winter Soldier, they stood a strong chance of success.

Besides, George had already done more than enough by taking down HYDRA’s elite forces. With their strongest team eliminated, the Triskelion likely lacked sufficient defenses.

“Thank you for your help. If S.H.I.E.L.D. survives this, we’ll owe you.”

Before Nick Fury’s death, he had entrusted Coulson with a cube containing all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s hidden base locations, effectively naming him the next director.

If S.H.I.E.L.D. emerged from this crisis intact, Coulson would lead its rebuilding.