~S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Strategic Command Center~
"Attention everyone, drop whatever you're working on! Initiate Level One Combat Readiness!"
Agent Sitwell, the bald-headed operative, strutted in with an air of arrogance...
With Nick Fury's fate unknown and Alexander Pierce now in power, as HYDRA's loyal lapdog, he naturally believed his time to shine had come.
"Contact the Department of Transportation, set all traffic lights in nearby districts to red. Shut down Washington Airport, Dulles Airport, and all runways at Reagan International! Route all surveillance footage to the main control center screens! Monitor all communication devices; phones, computers, any electronic equipment. Keywords: Steve Rogers, Captain America. The moment anyone sends information containing these terms, report it to me immediately..."
"With all due respect, if S.H.I.E.L.D. is ordering the arrest of Captain America, we have the right to know why." Agent 13, Sharon Carter, interrupted.
She was the niece of S.H.I.E.L.D. founding member Peggy Carter, assigned by Nick Fury to be Captain America's neighbor while also handling protection and surveillance duties.
Sitwell was left speechless. Everyone present stared at him with skepticism or shock... this was Captain America, the war hero from the last century whose deeds of valor were practically common knowledge.
"Because he deceived us." Alexander Pierce strode forward, his authoritative presence instantly commanding the room, "Captain Rogers possesses critical clues regarding Director Fury's disappearance, but he refuses to provide them."
"This may be hard to accept, but Captain America is now a fugitive wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D. That fact is indisputable." Pierce scanned the room, removing his glasses to wipe his eyes, his face etched with sorrow as if lamenting the fall of a hero.
His masterful performance moved everyone. With no leader at the helm, S.H.I.E.L.D. regained its stability and normal operations under his stewardship.
Once the act was complete, Pierce quietly initiated a purge. Unable to confirm Nick Fury's status or the Winter Soldier's whereabouts, he decided to strike first.
Leading S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Rapid Response Special Forces, he stormed into Maria Hill's office. As one of Fury's closest confidants, this formidable female commander had to be removed from the board first.
"Maria Hill..." Pierce pushed the door open, followed by Sitwell and several burly black-suited agents, "I'm afraid you'll have to come with them. S.H.I.E.L.D. is conducting an internal investigation."
"You don't have the authority to do this." Though her voice seethed with anger, Hill's hands moved subtly, quietly activating the console's data purge protocol... the last service she could render to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury had once hinted that another dark force might be lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D...
Now, with Alexander Pierce in power, Coulson recuperating in Tahiti, Captain America branded a fugitive, and the Avengers temporarily unreachable, there wasn't a single person left she could trust.
So she prepared for the worst... destroying classified files that could never see the light of day. A competent commander needed sharp judgment to analyze situations accurately. Whether it was Nick Fury's assassination attempt or Captain America's warrant, all pointed to a vast conspiracy silently unfolding.
Pierce adjusted his glasses, "No, I do have that authority, granted to me by the World Security Council. Did you think you could conceal Fury's disappearance? Captain America is the untrustworthy one here. S.H.I.E.L.D. now needs me to steer the ship."
Shortly after reporting Nick Fury's status, the World Security Council had unsurprisingly appointed him as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new leader.
"I'd like to know where Agents Barton and Romanoff have gone," Sitwell interjected.
Among the Avengers, Tony Stark had no interest in internal conflicts, Thor remained in Asgard, Bruce Banner was of no help. That left only Clint Barton who was undergoing psychological treatment, and Natasha Romanoff.
"You'll have to ask Director Fury about that." Hill shook her head, ignoring the bald agent as she walked up to Pierce and extended her hands, "I'll cooperate with your investigation."
Pierce gestured, and the brawny agents immediately stepped forward, escorting Hill to the detention room. From this moment onward, a large-scale purge swept through S.H.I.E.L.D... Countless agents and staff loyal to Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., or simply not HYDRA members were arrested or eliminated.
After lying dormant for over a century, HYDRA could no longer restrain themselves. They bore their fangs to tear chunks of flesh from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s massive body.
"Why not interrogate her under torture? She must know something useful." Sitwell remained in the office, puzzled by his superior's approach.
Though HYDRA currently held the upper hand, as long as the superheroes still existed, the bald agent felt a sword of Damocles hanging over his head, ready to drop at any moment.
"Are you afraid, Sitwell?" Pierce didn't turn around.
Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, he mimicked Nick Fury's signature pose; arms crossed, gazing at the flowing Potomac River.
"I just think the Avengers still pose a threat." Sitwell gave an ingratiating smile.
Unlike Pierce, a fanatic with unwavering faith, he had betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. simply because joining HYDRA offered greater benefits and career advancement.
As Pierce suspected, he was indeed an opportunist, siding with whoever held more power.
"They're no longer a concern." Pierce's tone brimmed with confidence.
After a century of hiding, HYDRA could finally step into the light.
"The World Security Council has approved my proposal to immediately launch Project Insight. Soon, the Helicarriers will ascend, and an even larger purge will commence."
Pierce was supremely confident. He had waited too long for this moment. Back then, willingly stepping down as director and elevating Nick Fury had all been to divert attention.
Now, with Dr. Zola's algorithm and global satellite surveillance, once Project Insight was implemented, the entire world would fall into HYDRA's grasp.
Sitwell nodded repeatedly. Once HYDRA fully absorbed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources, he would naturally reap greater rewards.
"This is our era." Even the usually composed Pierce couldn't help but feel emotional.
HYDRA had lurked in darkness for too long... So long that many had forgotten the terror once invoked by its emblem.
Glancing at the gleaming eagle insignia in the office, he smirked disdainfully.
HYDRA would never die! Cut off one head, two more shall take its place!
Just as he basked in triumph, a red dot flickered across Pierce's glasses, zeroing in on his chest before settling near his heart.
Alarms blared in his mind. His muscles tensed instinctively as he prepared to dive for cover.
*Bang!*
A 12.7mm armor-piercing round punched through 3cm of bulletproof glass, tearing through Pierce's flesh and piercing his heart!
A spray of crimson exploded before Sitwell's eyes. It was as if his superior's chest contained a miniature bomb. The bullet's impact shredded his torso, sending blood and viscera splattering backward. The mutilated corpse convulsed once before collapsing heavily to the floor.
The bald agent's face was splattered with blood, his stunned expression rendered even more horrifying by the gory spectacle.
Across the street, a tall man in a black mask shouldered a BFG-50A semi-automatic sniper rifle. His metallic arm glinted ominously in the sunlight.
Following the commands implanted in his mind, he deliberately removed his mask, allowing satellites and cameras to capture his face clearly...