During his interaction with William today, Pierce had been forced to rethink many things he had previously dismissed. He suddenly realized why Hydra had always been plagued by failure—not because they lacked power, but because they never had a leader capable of making decisive moves at critical moments, someone who could turn the tide.
Someone like William.
William's strength was terrifying enough to make Pierce—both the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a high-ranking leader of Hydra—deeply cautious. His single command had mobilized his entire network and wiped out nearly a hundred werewolf camps across Europe in one night, killing thousands of werewolves.
After such an operation, his forces had retreated into the shadows without internal conflict or exposure.
This made Pierce reflect on his own failings. For decades, he had been trapped in endless power struggles within S.H.I.E.L.D., neglecting the importance of superhuman capabilities and focusing only on politics and control.
Otherwise, Hydra would never have made the mistake of treating the Tesseract—a cosmic artifact of immense power—like a mere energy source.
Pierce resolved to make changes. Perhaps it was time to open talks with General Ross regarding the Super Soldier Program. Both Hydra and the U.S. government had spent years on their respective versions of the project, yet neither had succeeded in replicating Steve Rogers' original serum. A cooperative effort might finally yield results.
His thoughts shifted to William's possession of xenomorph DNA and the mutated werewolf serum. Pierce's interest in those genetic samples grew rapidly. He glanced at William, who was calmly sipping whiskey, and summoned the courage to make his pitch.
"Let's be honest with each other," Pierce said, steeling himself. "You've already gained immense benefits from this. Isn't it only fair that you offer me, your partner, some compensation?"
"Ha." William chuckled, amused but noncommittal.
Admittedly, the benefits he had reaped from the Space Stone far exceeded his expectations. His magical rank had advanced significantly, and his overall power—including magic, mental strength, and physical prowess—had reached new heights.
More astonishingly, the Space Stone had anchored itself within his storage dimension. He couldn't help but speculate: could this one-cubic-meter space eventually grow into a fully independent universe?
If so, he might one day become a universe unto himself. Perhaps, over time, life-supporting planets would form within his cosmic domain. Maybe even the infamous "Purple Mad Titan" would abandon his plans for mass population control after seeing the vast potential for new worlds.
In this optimistic mood, William nodded with a grin. "Alright. If your demands are reasonable, I'm willing to negotiate."
Reasonable? Pierce scoffed internally but forced a smile. "Five healing talismans per year. That seems fair, doesn't it?"
William raised his glass and nodded subtly. Pierce's spirits lifted, and he pressed on. "A few months ago, we discussed the alien xenomorphs on Mars. Since you've already acquired samples, how about sharing their genetic blueprint with us?"
"Sure," William replied after a brief pause. "But I suggest you reconsider. Any xenomorph DNA I share will be a sterilized version, incapable of replication. I won't risk anyone cloning live xenomorphs."
"Is that really necessary?" Pierce asked, puzzled.
"Absolutely," William said with a serious expression. "I don't care what your plans are, as long as they don't threaten Earth's existence. That's not your goal, right?"
"Of course not," Pierce quickly assured him. "Our ultimate vision is to create a world without oppression, without—"
"Stop, stop, stop," William interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't care about your utopian dreams. As long as you don't interfere with my life, I won't meddle in your global power struggles."
Pierce felt a wave of relief wash over him. However, William's next words wiped the comfort from his face.
"But understand this: xenomorphs are the ultimate biological threat. They're like highly evolved parasites—using any living creature as a host and rapidly adapting by integrating the best traits from their hosts' DNA.
"And their reproductive speed... well, it's beyond imagination. For example, if a single xenomorph queen were to arrive in New York, there would be ten of them by the next day. Do you know how many there would be after a week?"
Pierce casually shook his head.
"By then, New York would be devoid of life—only millions of xenomorphs would remain. Within a month, the entire East Coast of the U.S. would be overrun."
William's warning wasn't entirely true, but it served its purpose. A xenomorph outbreak would indeed be catastrophic—far worse than any zombie apocalypse. Unlike mindless zombies, xenomorphs were cunning hunters.
"That bad?" Pierce paled. William's demeanor suggested he wasn't joking. "How do you know all this?"
"Please. Do you really think I went to Mars just because I found some alien corpses there?" William smirked.
Pierce's uncertainty deepened, but he refrained from further questioning.
William waved toward the phone Selene had left on the desk, causing it to float to the coffee table. "Sunday, show him the footage from inside the Antarctic pyramid."
"Understood, sir."
A holographic display appeared above the table, revealing scenes of a deadly hunt inside the pyramid.
Pierce watched in shock. Though the video had been edited to omit critical details, the sight of xenomorphs and a queen filled him with both awe and fear. Yet he quickly shifted his focus to another concern.
"So, my agents weren't lying—there really was an alien spacecraft in Antarctica! And you've had contact with extraterrestrials?"
"I wish," William scoffed. "Before I could make contact, a powerful energy beam wiped out the entire pyramid. And do you honestly think someone who's met aliens would get stranded on Mars?"
Pierce scrutinized William's face for a long moment but found no signs of deception. Frustrated, he relented. "Fine. Let's move on. I want the mutated werewolf serum."
William chuckled slyly. "What serum? Sorry, old man, I don't know what you're talking about."
Pierce frowned but then saw William casually produce a glass vial filled with blood, placing it on the table.
"Come on," William teased. "Make a reasonable request, or I'll just go home and have dinner."
Pierce hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the vial and walked toward his office safe. He asked without turning around, "You said the Tesseract is a Space Stone. Does that mean there are other stones like it?"
William's eyes glinted. Finally, he's asking the right question. He feigned contemplation, taking a sip of whiskey. Once Pierce turned to face him again, William spoke.
"As far as I know, there are five other stones of similar power. Four of them are not on Earth, so there's no point in discussing their names or functions.
"But there is one more on Earth—the Time Stone. As the name suggests, it can manipulate time."
"Time?" Pierce's eyes widened in excitement. He abandoned the safe entirely and rushed toward William.
"Where is it?!"
(End of Chapter)
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