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THUD!!
The moment Hawk transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Washington D.C., Ophelia—still in her office—felt her legs give out. She collapsed onto the floor.
Hearing the noise from inside the office, a male HYDRA agent burst through the door in a panic. When he saw Ophelia crumpled on the ground, he froze for a second—a flash of something calculating in his eyes—before rushing over with exaggerated concern.
"Boss..."
As a man who'd joined HYDRA last year and been handpicked by the stunning, alluring Viper to serve as her personal bodyguard, he had ambition.
Sure, he was only twenty-five. And Ophelia's age? Unknown.
But—
Men had priorities.
Advancement was everything. And he had access to an incredible opportunity. If he could win over his boss, he wouldn't dare say it'd save him a thousand years of work—but a hundred? Easily.
He had no idea what had happened in this office.
But right now? This was his moment.
And honestly, he wasn't wrong.
Ophelia didn't refuse when the agent came rushing over and helped her to her feet. Instead, she smiled and leaned into him like she had no bones in her body, letting him cradle her in his arms. Then, still resting against his chest, she smiled and crooked her finger at him in invitation.
The agent's heart nearly melted from excitement.
And then—
It literally did.
Physically melted.
The moment the agent thought his dreams were about to come true—as he leaned in to meet Ophelia's emerald-green lips—his eyes widened in shock. A pervasive green glow seeped into every corner of his body, flooding his internal organs.
In an instant, his insides dissolved.
SPLAT—
With a sound like a water balloon bursting, the agent—who'd been dreaming of marrying his boss and reaching the peak of his career just a second ago—was reduced to a pool of green liquid on the office floor.
The liquid seemed to have a life of its own. It wriggled across the floor, moving toward Ophelia's high heels, then crawled up her shoes and was completely absorbed into her body.
After absorbing the liquid, Ophelia instinctively arched her swan-like neck, her eyes closed, and let out a long, satisfied breath. When she opened her eyes again, if Hawk had still been there, he would've been surprised to notice that Ophelia looked noticeably younger.
Soon enough, Ophelia fully recovered from the crushing pressure Hawk had subjected her to. She walked back to her desk, sat down in her office chair, and let her gaze fall on the photograph of her and Anna.
The photo really had been sitting there the whole time.
And she and Anna really were good friends.
But—
Her motives weren't pure.
After all, she, Zola, and Strucker were all traditional HYDRA leaders. Anna, on the other hand, was the right-hand woman of Alexander Pierce—the new-generation HYDRA leader.
Everyone knew how this worked.
Old guard versus new blood. A fight was inevitable. So she'd chosen to befriend Anna and form an alliance with Pierce. She'd had her own agenda.
Fortunately, she hadn't had the chance to act on that agenda yet.
That was the one silver lining in all this.
Ophelia's eyes gleamed with thought.
Just then—
A knock at the door.
"Come in."
"Commander."
Her assistant walked in holding Ophelia's phone and approached the desk.
"It's Mr. Pierce."
"..."
Ophelia was silent for a moment, then took the phone. But she didn't immediately speak to Alexander Pierce on the other end. Instead, she looked at her assistant. "Select a new personal bodyguard."
The female assistant nodded.
"Understood."
"You can go."
"Yes, ma'am."
The assistant turned and left.
Ophelia waited until the assistant had exited the office. Then she glanced at the phone in her hand—still actively connected—and tapped the screen with one emerald-green fingernail.
She hung up on Pierce.
Hadn't she heard what Hawk just said?
If she dared lie to him, she'd die a worse death than Alexander Pierce.
So—
Why waste words or emotion on a dead man walking?
After hanging up on Pierce, Ophelia powered off the phone entirely, tossed it onto her desk, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
She'd just survived a brush with death. She needed a moment to collect herself.
...
Meanwhile, in Washington D.C—at SHIELD headquarters, the Triskelion.
The battle between SHIELD and HYDRA had already begun.
Captain America Steve Rogers' voice was currently broadcasting at full volume throughout every corner of SHIELD headquarters.
"...HYDRA has grown inside us, right under our noses."
"The Strike team and the Insight Project members are HYDRA. We don't know who else. But they're here. They could be standing right next to you. And they're about to succeed. Once the Insight Helicarriers go airborne, they'll have absolute control."
"They murdered Nick Fury."
"They've taken control of every SHIELD branch except the New York command center."
"...The price of freedom is high. It always has been. And I'm willing to pay that price. If I'm the only one, so be it. But I don't think I am."
"..."
As Cap's speech echoed through the building, SHIELD agents stopped in their tracks, listening intently.
HYDRA agents, meanwhile, immediately reacted. Especially those preparing to launch the Insight Helicarriers—they dropped all pretense, their faces twisted with hostility as they drew their sidearms.
Instantly—
Gunfire erupted throughout the building.
Alexander Pierce—who had lured the other four Security Council members to the Triskelion's top-floor conference room under the pretense of a briefing on the Insight Project—heard Cap's speech as well. The four council members turned to stare at him with expressions of disbelief and fury. Pierce had already set down his champagne glass and pulled out his phone.
One man was Captain America—someone who'd sacrificed himself to save the world.
The other was Alexander Pierce.
Who to believe? That wasn't even a question.
The Paris representative fired the first shot, glaring at Pierce with barely contained rage. "You son of a bitch."
Pierce gave a humorless smile and shrugged.
The next second—
A HYDRA tactical team leader walked in with five subordinates. The five agents quickly surrounded the four council members, and one of them drew his weapon, crossing his arms and staring coldly at the captives.
The message was clear.
Don't move.
Move, and you die.
The HYDRA team leader, meanwhile, walked directly to Pierce, handing him a tablet while speaking quietly. "New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas... Minnesota just went offline moments ago. These are the last images transmitted from each base before contact was lost."
Pierce accepted the tablet, his expression neutral.
On the screen, the SHIELD base in Texas had captured a blinding crimson flash of light in the instant before going dark—with no warning, no defense, nothing.
Arkansas was the same.
Every HYDRA-controlled SHIELD base that had gone offline in the past few minutes—losing contact at roughly five-minute intervals—had recorded the same crimson light in their final moments.
But Pierce showed no emotion. He handed the tablet back to the team leader, his tone calm.
"How long until the Insight Helicarriers are online?"
"Five minutes."
"Get them airborne first. We'll deal with the rest after."
"Yes, sir."
The HYDRA team leader nodded and used his comms to contact the HYDRA operatives managing the three Insight Helicarriers.
RUMBLE!!
The massive fountain in front of the Triskelion slowly split apart, exposing HYDRA's evil heart to the morning sunlight.
HUM, HUM, HUM!!
As the first Insight Helicarrier's engines came online, the enormous vessel—looking every bit like a floating aircraft carrier—began generating power and preparing for vertical takeoff.
Pierce, meanwhile, pulled out his phone with an expressionless face, scrolled to a specific number, and dialed.
RING, RING, RING—
...
Back on Bleecker Street.
Gwen had barely slept all night. She'd been lying on the couch, half-watching TV, half-waiting for Hawk to come home. When she heard Hawk's phone—the one he'd left behind to charge—start ringing, she blinked, sat up, and reached for it.
The screen showed an unfamiliar number with no contact name.
Gwen thought for a moment, then answered.
"Hello?"
"Haw—"
Alexander Pierce, standing in the Triskelion's conference room, heard the voice on the other end and froze. Then he recovered quickly, his tone turning pleasant. "Gwen Stacy?"
Natasha—who had intercepted the Paris representative's convoy just before it reached SHIELD headquarters, used Cap's overwhelming charisma to gain the representative's trust, and then impersonated him to get into this room—heard that name. Her eyes flicked toward Pierce.
Back on Bleecker Street, Gwen frowned.
"Yes, that's me. Who is this?"
"Alexander Pierce."
Pierce's wrinkled face pulled into a smile. "I'm a friend of Hawk's. Is he home?"
Gwen heard Pierce introduce himself and immediately put the pieces together.
"Hawk mentioned he has a friend in HYDRA. Her name is Anna. But he never said you were his friend too."
"Anna..."
"Hawk already went to Japan to find her. By the way, Mr. Pierce—is Anna actually in Japan?"
"..."
Pierce was silent for a moment, then spoke carefully. "There's been a misunderstanding. If Ms. Stacy could help—"
"Not a chance."
Gwen refused without hesitation.
Was he serious?
She was Gwen Stacy. Daughter of the most upright, incorruptible captain in the NYPD.
Help HYDRA?
In his dreams.
Pierce heard Gwen's flat refusal, paused briefly—though he didn't seem surprised—then let out a dry laugh and said one last thing.
"Then I'm sorry, Ms. Stacy."
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~# 70 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
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