Marvel: The Villain Chapter 361 Whitelist

New York, the SHIELD Bureau Building.

Jasper Sitwell stood on the roof, flanked by two bodyguards. He adjusted his glasses, barking orders before marching toward a waiting helicopter. The purge of the New York branch was complete; the dissidents were in cuffs, and the loyalists were in power. Now, he had to return to DC. Alexander Pierce was breathing down his neck about the disappearance of Steve Rogers and the Winter Soldier.

The helicopter lifted off, banking toward Washington.

THUD!

A heavy metallic impact shook the cabin. Sitwell jumped. "What was that? A bird strike?"

The pilot fought the controls. "Sir, the stick is dead! We're losing control!"

"Jump! Get the chutes!" Sitwell scrambled for his gear.

"Wait..." The pilot stared at the instrument panel. "Everything reads green. The engines are fine, the rotors are spinning... but someone else is flying us."

Sitwell froze. In his world, only one man had the reputation for remote-hijacking aircraft with that level of precision: Franklin Clinton, the Joker Organization's technical genius. Are they back? he wondered. Is Jason finally making his move on New York?

The helicopter descended against the pilot's will, landing softly on the roof of a nearby skyscraper. Sitwell stepped out, heart hammering against his ribs.

WHOOSH!

Two Iron Legion drones streaked across the sky, landing with a heavy metallic thud in front of him. Seeing the faint Joker decals Tony had left on some of these prototype units, Sitwell's suspicions were confirmed.

"You're with the Joker, aren't you?" Sitwell called out, trying to keep his voice steady. "What do you want with SHIELD?"

One of the armors stepped forward, its voice a synthesized chill. "We want to know about Project Insight."

Sitwell laughed nervously. "Insight? Your boss, Jason, already knows the details. Why are you asking me? Go ask the man who signs your checks."

Inside the suits, Tony and Steve shared a look of grim shock. They knew Hydra and the Joker had collaborated, but the depth of that cooperation—Jason knowing the specifics of Insight—meant the rot went deeper than they imagined.

Seeing the silence, Sitwell's smugness flickered into realization. "Wait... you're not..."

Tony and Steve retracted their faceplates simultaneously.

"Surprise, motherfucker." Tony quipped.

"Shit!" Sitwell turned to bolt, but Tony's drone blocked his path.

"Don't bother," Tony said. "I've hijacked the bird, jammed the cell towers, and I'm currently deleting your browser history just for fun. You're in a vacuum, Jasper."

Steve stepped forward, his shadow looming over the smaller man. "What is Zola's algorithm on that drive?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sitwell stammered, backing toward the edge of the roof. "Algorithm? I'm just a bureaucrat!"

He hit the ledge, his heels hanging over the abyss. He looked at Steve and smirked. "What are you going to do, Rogers? Throw me off? That's not your style. You're the Good Man."

Steve looked at him calmly, straightening the lapel of his suit. "You're right. It's not my style."

Steve stepped aside. "It's his."

Tony didn't hesitate. A repulsor-powered kick sent Sitwell flying into the New York skyline.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Steve and Tony stood on the roof, remarkably casual. "I missed breakfast," Tony said, checking his watch. "You want to grab something? Eggs, bacon?"

Steve patted his stomach. "I'll take three helpings."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The scream returned, getting louder. A third drone caught Sitwell mid-air and unceremoniously dumped him back onto the roof. Sitwell lay there, gasping for air, clutching his chest in pure terror.

"Fresh air does wonders for the memory," Tony said, standing over him.

Steve's voice was like stone. "The algorithm, Sitwell. Now."

"Zola's algorithm... it's a program," Sitwell wheezed. "It chooses... the targets."

"What targets?"

Sitwell pointed a trembling finger at them. "You! Stark! A TV host in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, the President... a high school valedictorian in Iowa... Bruce Banner, Jason Walter... anyone who is a threat to Hydra. Now, or in the future."

"The future?" Steve frowned. "How?"

Sitwell gave a manic laugh. "It's the 21st century, Rogers! Your life is a digital book! Bank records, medical files, voting patterns, emails, SAT scores... the algorithm evaluates your past to predict your future. It knows who you'll become before you do."

"And then what?"

Sitwell swallowed hard. "Then... the three Helicarriers use the satellite uplink. They can wipe out a million people in a single volley. A few runs and the world is purified."

"You call murdering millions purification?" Steve snarled. "Hydra hasn't changed a bit."

Tony looked thoughtful. "I'm actually impressed you guys had the balls to put Jason on the list. I thought you were best friends."

Sitwell winced. "The algorithm has a whitelist. The Joker's inner circle... they were supposed to be safe. But anyone else? They're gone."

Tony's face darkened. "Steve, I have a plan. But we need a big stick."

*

A motorcade of black Cadillacs pulled into the underground parking of Stark Tower. The President of the United States stepped out, flanked by the Secret Service.

Tony was waiting at the elevator. "Mr. President! I heard you were in town and I couldn't wait to show you the new defense prototype."

"Stark," The President smiled. "I always have time for your toys."

They went to a private lounge on the top floor. "Leave us," The President told his detail. "Mr. Stark and I need to discuss classified matters."

The door clicked shut. The President looked around the room. "Nice place, Tony. But I don't see any weapons."

"That's because the weapons are already here," Tony said.

Steve stepped out of the shadows, dragging a bound and gagged Sitwell.

"Captain?" The President's eyes widened. "SHIELD told me you were a fugitive. They said you killed Fury."

"They lied, sir," Steve said.

"They have video of you killing agents as a... red monster," The President countered. "Pierce is asking for a national manhunt."

"I did what I had to do to survive a hit squad," Steve said firmly.

The President sat down. "I stopped the warrant, Rogers. Not because I think you're innocent, but because America can't handle its golden boy being a murderer. Now, you have thirty minutes to convince me."

Steve didn't waste a second. He told the story: the fall of SHIELD, the rise of the parasite, and the genocide planned for Project Insight.

"Hydra? Nazis in the 21st century?" The President shook his head. "It's too much. If they were there, SHIELD would have seen them."

"They are SHIELD, sir," Tony intervened. He tapped a button, and a holographic recording of Sitwell's interrogation filled the room.

The President watched in silence. He saw Sitwell admit to the targets. He heard his own name on the kill list. He heard about the whitelist for the Joker Organization.

When the projection faded, the room was silent.

"Pierce is the head of this?" The President asked, his voice low.

"He is," Steve said. "We need your authorization to move against him. We need to ground those carriers."

The President looked at them, then at the cowering Sitwell. "As much as I want to believe you... I can't start a civil war within the intelligence community based on a video you filmed on a rooftop. I need a smoking gun that isn't provided by the people being accused."

Tony stepped forward, a glint in his eye. "I was hoping you'd say that, Mr. President. I have a plan to make Pierce reveal himself to the entire world. But I'm going to need you to be the bait."

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