Alexander Pierce sat behind his desk, staring at the reports spread across the table in front of him.
He had been waiting for Kakashi Hatake's response. The Avengers had been given an order to disband, and Pierce had made sure the message reached them through the proper channels.
He had expected resistance, but he had also expected Kakashi to understand the consequences of openly challenging SHIELD.
Kakashi was powerful. That was exactly why Pierce and Hydra did not want to fight him directly.
If Kakashi attacked him, Pierce would have everything he needed to turn the situation in his favor. The Avengers would no longer be a group of independent heroes refusing to follow government authority.
They could be portrayed as an armed organization attacking the legitimate leadership of SHIELD.
The American government would have to respond. Then the military would respond. Then other governments would be pressured to respond.
Pierce could mobilize forces against the Avengers under the justification of protecting national security, and suddenly every country that had been uncertain about the Avengers would have a reason to treat them as a threat.
That was the trap. Kakashi had no idea how carefully Pierce had prepared it or at least, that was what Pierce had believed.
He looked at the screen displaying the latest report. There was still no response.
"How long are we going to wait for him?" Pierce asked.
The room remained quiet for several seconds before the voice of Arnim Zola came through one of the monitors.
"According to my calculations, waiting is currently the most advantageous course of action."
Pierce frowned. "You said my identity had been compromised."
"Correct."
"And that he would eventually react."
"That is also correct."
Pierce leaned back in his chair. "Then why hasn't he attacked me yet?"
Zola's digital face appeared on the monitor.
"Because you are assuming that his first response would be direct confrontation."
Pierce stared at him. "What else would he do?"
Zola paused. "That is precisely the question that concerns me."
Pierce's expression hardened. He had spent decades building HYDRA inside SHIELD. Every operation had been carefully compartmentalized. Every agent had only known what they needed to know. Their identities were protected through layers of secrecy, false records, and carefully controlled information.
Even if someone discovered that Pierce was working with HYDRA, they should not have been able to identify everyone beneath him as well as with him.
That was why he had no fear of Kakashi. Not yet.
He had prepared specialized forces capable of dealing with the Avengers. People with abilities far beyond ordinary soldiers had already been selected and prepared for deployment. If Kakashi forced the confrontation, Pierce would make sure the Avengers suffered for it.
But Kakashi had not attacked. Instead, something else had begun happening.
The door to Pierce's office suddenly opened.
Agent Sitwell entered with a tense expression.
Pierce immediately noticed. "What happened?"
Sitwell closed the door behind himself. "Sir, we have a situation."
Pierce leaned forward. "Explain."
Sitwell hesitated. "Our contacts and agents in the military and government are being assassinated all over the world."
Pierce's eyes narrowed. "Which ones?"
"Several of them."
"Several is not an answer."
Sitwell swallowed. "Hundred and three confirmed so far."
Pierce's expression changed.
Sitwell added, "The attacks are happening across multiple countries. American military personnel, government officials, intelligence contacts, foreign military officers, and several people embedded inside allied agencies have all been killed."
Pierce stood from his chair. "When did this begin?"
"Shortly after the order against the Avengers was issued."
Pierce's jaw tightened. He already knew who he suspected. There was only one person he had encountered who could eliminate targets all over the world in such a short time.
Kakashi Hatake
"But how?" Pierce muttered.
Sitwell looked confused. "Sir?"
Pierce turned toward him.
"How does he know about them?"
Pierce began pacing around the room. "The identities of those people were compartmentalized. Some of them did not even know the identities of the others. They were never placed in the same databases. Some of their records don't exist digitally."
Zola's voice came from the monitor. "That is precisely what makes this interesting."
Pierce looked at the screen. "You said my identity was compromised. You didn't say anything about the rest of the Hydra agents."
"I did not anticipate this particular method."
Pierce's expression hardened. "You are supposed to anticipate everything."
"I am an artificial intelligence based upon the consciousness of a highly accomplished scientist. I am not omniscient."
Pierce ignored the remark. "If Kakashi has started eliminating our contacts, then he must have access to information we thought was secure."
Zola's digital face flickered. "His information network would have to be extraordinary."
"It cannot be Stark's AI."
"No."
"Stark has no access to those identities."
"Correct."
Pierce stopped pacing. "Then where is he getting the information?"
Zola said, "There are several possibilities. He may have extracted information from SHIELD personnel. He may have intercepted communications. He may possess an independent intelligence network."
Pierce shook his head. "That does not explain how he got to know about so many of our agents."
Sitwell's phone suddenly vibrated.
He looked down at it and his face changed.
Pierce immediately noticed. "What is it now?"
Sitwell stared at the message. "Another one."
Pierce walked toward him. "Who?"
Sitwell looked up. "One of our agents inside the Department of Defense."
Pierce's stomach tightened. This was no longer an attack. It was a purge.
Someone was moving through HYDRA's personnel and removing its members one by one.
And the worst part was that Pierce had no idea how much Kakashi already knew.
Pierce clenched his fist. For the first time since taking control of SHIELD, uncertainty entered his mind. He had expected Kakashi to come for him.
He had prepared for that. His enhanced forces were waiting. His political connections were ready. His soldiers were ready.
But Kakashi had refused to play the game Pierce had prepared.
Instead of attacking the king, he was removing the pieces around the board.
Pierce suddenly heard something through the monitor. A faint sound.
He frowned. "What was that?"
Zola did not immediately answer. Pierce listened.
There it was again.
A dog barking somewhere in the background.
His eyes narrowed. "Zola."
"What?"
"Was that a dog?"
There was a pause. "I believe so."
Pierce said angrily, "Ask someone to get rid of it, I am already annoyed!"
Another bark came from the monitor as if mocking him before the barking stopped.
-----Author Notes---------
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