#visor

On a warm afternoon, the university courtyard buzzed with quiet activity. Students crossed the lawn with books under their arms, laughter drifted from nearby benches, and sunlight reflected off the brick walls of the main building.

Against one of those walls hung a massive banner:

“WHERE DOES HYDRA STAND FOR? JOIN HYDRA.”

Beneath it stood two Hydra soldiers in sleek black armor, their red emblems shining boldly. They looked out of place among backpacks and notebooks, yet strangely confident—like recruiters who knew exactly why they were there.

In front of them, four muscular students sat at outdoor university tables. Protein shakes, laptops, and gym bags lay scattered around. Two more students hovered nearby, curious but cautious, pretending to check their phones while listening closely.

One of the soldiers stepped forward.

“Strength,” he said calmly. “Discipline. Purpose. That’s what Hydra stands for.”

He placed a pamphlet on the table.

Another soldier nodded. “You train your bodies every day. Imagine training your minds and futures the same way.”

The students exchanged glances.

The one in the blue tank top leaned back in his chair. “So… what exactly are you offering?”

“Opportunities,” the second soldier replied. “Scholarships. Elite training. Connections beyond this campus.”

A student in a red shirt smirked. “Sounds like a superhero movie.”

The first soldier almost smiled. “Every great story starts somewhere.”

The Black student at the center picked up the pamphlet and studied it. “And what’s the catch?”

“Commitment,” came the answer. “To excellence. To each other.”

For a moment, the courtyard fell quiet. Even passing students slowed down, sensing something unusual in the air.

One of the nearby students finally stepped closer. “Mind if I grab one of those too?”

The soldier handed him a brochure.

“Of course.”

Soon, all six students were reading, debating, whispering. Some were intrigued. Others were skeptical. None were indifferent.

Above them, the banner fluttered slightly in the breeze.

JOIN HYDRA.

Whether it was a bold new path or just another strange campus story, none of them knew yet. But one thing was certain:

That afternoon, their ordinary university life had just changed.

Later that evening, the six students followed the two Hydra recruiters across campus and into an old administrative building that most students barely noticed anymore.

They climbed two quiet flights of stairs and stopped in front of a heavy metal door.

One of the soldiers pressed his palm against a scanner.

Beep. Click.

The door slid open.

Inside was a wide, windowless room lit by soft white panels in the ceiling. A long table stood in the center. Along the walls were digital screens displaying rotating symbols, maps, and training footage. Everything looked far more advanced than anything else on campus.

The door closed behind them with a low hiss.

For a moment, no one spoke.

“Okay,” said the student in the red shirt. “Now this definitely feels like a movie.”

One of the recruiters removed his helmet and set it on the table. He looked more human without it—tired, focused, and serious.

“My name is Agent Cross,” he said. “This is Agent Hale.”

The second soldier did the same. “We’re not here to trick you,” Hale added. “You’re free to walk out at any time.”

He gestured toward the door.

None of the students moved.

They took seats around the table.

Backpacks slid to the floor. Muscles relaxed slightly, though everyone remained alert.

The Black student—Marcus—folded his arms. “So what is Hydra, really? No slogans. No posters.”

Cross tapped a control on the table.

One of the wall screens came alive.

It showed footage of rescue operations, disaster zones, collapsing buildings, flooded cities. Teams in black armor moved through smoke and fire, pulling civilians to safety.

“We’re a global response organization,” Cross said. “When governments fail, when systems collapse, we step in.”

Another screen switched to advanced training facilities.

“We develop people,” Hale continued. “Physically. Mentally. Strategically.”

The student in the white tank top, Ryan, leaned forward. “And why us?”

Cross studied them for a moment.

“You’re disciplined,” he said. “You train when no one forces you. You push past limits. And you don’t quit.”

Jason, the tallest student, frowned. “You’ve been watching us?”

“Observing,” Hale corrected.

Silence followed.

Marcus finally spoke. “And if we say yes?”

Cross slid six small tablets across the table.

“Then your lives change.”

Each screen lit up as the students touched them.

Schedules. Facilities. Simulations. Education programs. Field exercises. Scholarships. International travel.

Everything was there.

“And if we say no?” asked Liam.

Hale answered quietly. “You walk out. This room never existed.”

The students exchanged looks.

Ryan laughed nervously. “Man… my parents think I’m just here to study business.”

Marcus stared at his tablet. “This is bigger than I expected.”

Jason closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. “How dangerous is it?”

Cross didn’t hesitate.

“Very.”

That honesty made the room feel heavier.

No hype. No lies.

Just truth.

After a long pause, Marcus pushed his chair back slightly.

“So… when do we decide?”

Hale looked at them.

“Not tonight,” he said. “You get 48 hours. Think. Talk. Argue. Walk away if you want.”

He stood up.

“But if you come back…”

Cross finished the sentence.

“…you’re no longer just students.”

The door unlocked with a soft click.

“Your choice,” Cross said.

As the six students stepped back into the night air, none of them spoke.

But every one of them knew:

Sleep would be impossible.

Two nights later, just before midnight, the six students returned to the same building.

No laughter this time. No jokes.

Only quiet footsteps in the hallway.

The metal door slid open as if it had been waiting.

Inside, Agent Cross and Agent Hale stood beside the long table. Between them lay six identical devices—sleek black visors, each with glowing red concentric patterns.

The room hummed softly.

Marcus was the first to speak.

“We’re in.”

Cross studied their faces one by one.

“Took you long enough,” he said quietly.

Hale gestured toward the table. “Step forward.”

One by one, the students approached.

Up close, the visors looked even more advanced. Carbon-fiber frames. Thin cables. A small pulsing core on the side, glowing like a heartbeat.

Ryan swallowed. “These… aren’t just goggles, are they?”

“No,” Hale replied. “They’re interfaces.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Interfaces for what?”

Cross picked one up.

“For seeing the world as it really is.”

He placed the visor in Marcus’s hands.

It was warm.

Alive.

“Put them on,” Cross said.

The students hesitated.

Then Marcus nodded.

“Let’s do it.”

One by one, they strapped the visors over their eyes.

Click. Click. Click.

The red light flared.

For a split second—

Darkness.

Then—

Everything changed.

Data flooded their vision.

Grids. Symbols. Heat signatures. Distance markers. Heart-rate readings. Structural outlines of the building itself.

Ryan gasped. “What—what is this?!”

“I can see through the walls,” Liam whispered.

Jason flexed his hand. “I… I can feel my pulse in the display.”

Hale walked slowly around them.

“Neural synchronization is active,” he said. “Your brains are now linked to Hydra’s tactical network.”

Cross watched closely.

“These visors don’t just show information,” he said. “They train you. React with you. Learn from you.”

Marcus clenched his fists.

“I feel… faster.”

“Focused,” added the Black student beside him. “Like nothing else matters.”

“That’s the system aligning,” Hale replied.

He tapped a control panel.

Suddenly, the walls shifted.

The floor vibrated.

Marcus looked at the others.

“Guess this is it.”

Cross’s voice cut through the noise.

“From this moment on, you are not just students.”

Hale’s voice came through their earpieces.

“Victims located. Proceed.”

They moved.

Not walking.

Flowing.

Their bodies responded faster than their thoughts. Each step felt guided, calculated. The visors whispered tiny corrections into their vision—shift left, duck, accelerate.

Marcus kicked open a simulated door.

It burst inward.

Inside, three holographic civilians huddled behind debris.

“Hydra team!” Marcus shouted instinctively. “We’re here!”

The words surprised him.

They felt… natural.

Jason lifted a beam effortlessly. Ryan shielded the civilians. Liam mapped the safest exit in seconds.

TIME: 01:42

Suddenly, the floor trembled.

WARNING: STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE

A section of ceiling began to fall.

“Move!” Marcus yelled.

Without thinking, Jason leapt forward, catching the beam mid-air. His muscles burned—but he held it.

“How am I doing this?!” he shouted.

“Adrenal boost,” Hale replied calmly. “Courtesy of the visor.”

They rushed the civilians out.

Fire licked at their heels.

Smoke filled their lungs.

Yet somehow, they kept going.

TIME: 00:21

They burst through the final exit.

The world froze.

Everything vanished.

Silence.

The holograms dissolved.

The room returned to white walls and steel floors.

The countdown stopped at:

00:07

The students stood there, breathing hard.

Sweat ran down their faces.

Their hearts pounded.

But they were smiling.

Ryan laughed shakily. “We… we did it.”

Liam leaned on the table. “I’ve never felt anything like that in my life.”

Jason looked at his hands. “I lifted a truck… I swear I lifted a truck.”

Marcus removed his visor slowly.

His eyes were wide.

“That wasn’t training,” he said quietly.

“That was… real.”

Cross approached.

“You’re right,” he said.

“It was.”

They stared at him.

Hale joined him. “Every simulation is built from real missions. Real disasters. Real lives.”

A pause.

“You just passed your first trial.”

Cross folded his arms.

“Most candidates quit after this.”

He looked at each of them.

“None of you did.”

The lights dimmed slightly.

“Which brings us,” Hale said, “to Phase Two.”

A hidden door slid open at the far end of the room.

Beyond it lay a corridor glowing red.

Inside, they could see:

Training pods. Armor frames. Weapon simulators. Medical scanners.

And dozens of other recruits.

All wearing the same visors.

Marcus felt a chill.

“How many of you are there?” he asked.

Cross answered softly.

“Enough.”

He placed a hand on Marcus’s shoulder.

“Welcome to Hydra.”

The weeks that followed passed like a blur.

Classes still existed. Exams still happened.

But they no longer felt important.

Every night, Marcus and the others returned to the underground facility.

Every night, they put on the visors.

And every night, Hydra became more real than the campus above.

At first, it was just training.

Combat drills. Rescue simulations. Strategy exercises.

The visors adapted to them.

Learning their strengths. Correcting their weaknesses. Pushing them harder.

“Again.”

“Faster.”

“More precise.”

“Don’t hesitate.”

The words appeared directly in their vision.

Not spoken.

Felt.

And slowly… they stopped questioning them.

Marcus noticed it first.

He stopped sleeping much.

Didn’t need to.

The visor optimized his rest cycles.

Four hours felt like eight.

His grades dropped.

He didn’t care.

Hydra mattered more.

Ryan stopped joking.

Jason stopped smiling.

Liam stopped calling home.

They all began wearing darker clothes.

Standing straighter.

Speaking less.

Thinking more… alike.

Agent Cross and Agent Hale were always there.

Watching.

Correcting.

Approving.

“Good decision, Marcus.”

“Exactly right, Jason.”

“That’s the Hydra mindset.”

Those words felt better than praise from any professor ever had.

Better than grades.

Better than applause.

Better than friends.

During training, new features activated.

Subtle ones.

Motivation filters. Emotion dampeners. Priority alignment.

The visors never announced them.

They just… worked.

Fear became manageable. Doubt became distant. Questions became unnecessary.

When Marcus hesitated once during a drill, the visor pulsed softly.

A warm sensation spread through his temples.

His thoughts cleared.

The hesitation vanished.

He moved.

Perfectly.

Months passed.

The recruits started looking like soldiers.

Muscle. Posture. Discipline.

Black uniforms replaced hoodies.

Hydra insignias replaced backpacks.

Their voices grew calmer.

Flatter.

More controlled.

Like Cross.

Like Hale.

Not his own words.

Hydra’s.

His head throbbed.

He pulled at the visor.

It resisted.

A warning flashed.

NEURAL SYNC REQUIRED. PLEASE CONTINUE SESSION.

Marcus froze.

“Why… won’t it come off?” he whispered.

The system responded gently:

YOU ARE SAFER CONNECTED.

Nearby, Ryan and Jason walked past.

“Training in five,” Jason said.

Marcus looked up.

“Do you ever feel like… we’re different now?”

Ryan tilted his head slightly.

“Different is improvement.”

That was exactly what Cross always said.

Word for word.

Marcus felt a chill.

Later that night, during another simulation, something glitched.

Just for half a second.

The visor flickered.

The overlays vanished.

And Marcus saw the room as it really was.

No battlefield.

No fire.

No explosions.

Just concrete walls.

Wires.

Cameras.

Dozens of hidden sensors.

And Cross and Hale watching from behind glass.

Not proud.

Not impressed.

Calculating.

Testing.

Measuring.

Like scientists observing experiments.

Then the visor corrected itself.

The illusion returned.

Marcus couldn’t unsee it.

Over the next days, he noticed more.

How the visors adjusted their emotions. How certain thoughts felt… blocked. How doubt faded too easily.

How memories felt distant.

Blurry.

Like photos left in the sun too long.

One night, Marcus whispered to Liam in the dorm hallway.

“They’re changing us.”

Liam stared straight ahead.

“They’re improving us.”

“No,” Marcus insisted. “They’re—”

Liam’s visor pulsed.

Marcus’s did too.

Pain shot through his skull.

Both of them staggered.

A calm voice filled their ears.

Hale.

“Marcus. Report to Observation.”

Liam’s face went blank.

“Compliance confirmed,” he said quietly.

And walked away.

Marcus stood alone.

Heart racing.

For the first time in months, he felt afraid.

Not of failure.

Not of danger.

Of losing himself.

He looked at his hands.

They were stronger than ever.

Steadier than ever.

Deadlier than ever.

But were they still his?

Above him, hidden speakers whispered:

TRUST HYDRA. HYDRA IS YOU.

And at last Marcus did.

"I trust Hydra. Hydra is me"

After the next training, Marcus sat alone.

His hands trembled slightly.

He didn’t know why.

He didn’t want to know.

Questions were inefficient.

He pressed two fingers against the side of his visor.

“Stability protocol,” he whispered.

The system responded instantly.

A wave of warmth flooded his mind.

Memories softened. Edges blurred. Resistance faded.

Comfort replaced confusion.

The corridor was silent.

No footsteps. No voices. Only the soft hum of machinery behind the walls.

White lights reflected off polished metal floors.

Marcus stood perfectly still.

Back straight. Hands at his sides. Eyes forward.

Agent Hale circled him slowly, boots clicking with precise rhythm.

“You experienced interference,” Hale repeated calmly.

Marcus did not hesitate.

“Yes, sir.”

“And?”

A pause.

Not long enough to seem uncertain.

Just long enough to be human.

“It was weakness,” Marcus said. “I’ve corrected it.”

Hale stopped in front of him.

Studied his face.

Searched for something.

Fear. Doubt. Resistance.

He found none.

Only discipline.

Only focus.

Only Hydra.

“Good,” Hale said.

He placed a small device against Marcus’s visor.

A soft tone sounded.

Recalibration complete.

“Return to training,” Hale ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Marcus turned sharply and marched down the corridor.

His steps were perfectly even.

His breathing perfectly controlled.

His thoughts perfectly aligned.

Later that day, during drills, Jason glanced at him.

“You okay?” he whispered.

Marcus didn’t look back.

“I am optimal,” he replied.

Jason nodded.

Satisfied.

That night, Marcus lay in his bunk, staring at the dark ceiling.

Once—long ago—he might have wondered who he used to be.

He might have tried to remember.

He didn’t anymore.

Questions were inefficient.

Memories were unnecessary.

Purpose was everything.

Above him, the speakers whispered softly:

TRUST HYDRA. HYDRA IS YOU.

Marcus closed his eyes.

And smiled.

For the first time in months—

He felt complete.

Marcus and the others no longer look like students.

They stand in identical black armored suits, polished and flawless, each marked with the red Hydra emblem over the chest. The material looks both flexible and reinforced—designed for combat, endurance, and absolute control.

Their bodies are perfectly aligned.

Shoulders squared. Chins lifted. Feet planted with military precision.

All three raise their fists in the same gesture.

Not spontaneous.

Not emotional.

Programmed.

Behind them, the massive Hydra symbol fills the background like a watching presence—reminding them who they belong to.

Their faces are calm.

Empty of doubt. Empty of hesitation. Empty of anything personal.

Where once there were different personalities, different dreams, different fears—

Now there is only unity.

Only obedience.

Only Hydra.

They greet exactly as they were taught.

At the same time. With the same movement. With the same expression.

No one leads.

No one follows.

They are interchangeable.

Replaceable.

Perfect.

Marcus no longer remembers the courtyard. The banner. The late-night doubts.

He doesn’t remember being afraid.

He doesn’t remember being human.

He only knows one thing now:

He stands. He salutes. He serves.

And in this moment, wearing the uniform, moving in perfect synchronization with his brothers, he feels exactly what Hydra designed him to feel—

Complete.

Years later, new students would sit at campus tables.

Curious. Strong. Ambitious.

And two recruiters in black armor would approach them.

Behind reflective red visors, one of them would stand slightly taller than the others.

Silent. Perfectly composed. Unreadable.

His name was Agent Marcus now.

And he never remembered being anything else.

thinking very hard....

Once the forensics investigation revealed that Geordi's visor was at the centre of the destruction of the Enterprise-D (and Starfleet would be keen to know how 1 obsolete Bird of Prey destroyed their flagship) would Starfleet have forced Geordi La Forge to get new ocular implants?