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Alexander Pierce
"Let me ask you a question... What if Pakistan marched into Mumbai tomorrow? What if you knew they were going to drag your daughter into a soccer stadium for execution?" He handed Councilman Singh a glass of champagne "And what if you could stop it with the flick of a switch? Would you? Wouldn't you all?"
"Not if it was your switch," Councilman Singh replied, contemptuously throwing the glass aside.
*Crunch. Crunch.*
Pierce smiled thinly. *There is always a need for an open display of killing to solidify the fear of Hydra in their hearts,* he thought, raising his weapon and pointing it directly at the councilman.
However, in the very next moment, Councilman Singh was violently kicked out of the way by Councilwoman Hawley. She charged forward with predatory grace—disarming Pierce, backhanding him across the face, and electrocuting another nearby agent in one swift, fluid motion.
Seizing Pierce's own gun, she neutralized the other two Hydra agents in the room within seconds. She then leveled the weapon back at Pierce's chest, reaching up to peel the holographic mask from the side of her face.
"I'm sorry, did I step on your moment?" Natasha asked, revealing her true identity as the disguise dissolved.
Keeping her weapon trained on the man, she moved toward an active terminal.
"What is she doing?" Councilman Singh asked, his voice tight with confusion.
"She is uploading all S.H.I.E.L.D. data onto the internet..." Pierce replied, his expression darkening.
"And Hydra's," she added firmly as she finalized the command.
The encryption lock appeared on the main screen of the room, glowing a defiant red. Pierce side-eyed her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Disabling that encryption is an executive order. It requires the biometric clearance of two Alpha-level members."
"Don't worry, company is coming," she replied calmly. A few seconds later, an orange portal sparked into existence in the center of the room, directly behind Councilman Singh.
"What the—" the councilman muttered, stumbling back as he eyed the strange, swirling gateway.
"I could get used to this," Fury spoke, stepping through the portal and into the light. As he made his way inside, his single eye locked onto Pierce.
"Did you get new toys?" Pierce asked, still eyeing the closing portal. "I'm glad you're here, Nick..." he added.
Fury stepped toward Pierce. "Really? Because I thought you had me killed."
"You know how the game works," Pierce immediately replied, meeting him eye to eye.
"So why make me Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Fury questioned genuinely.
"Because you are the best and the most ruthless person I have ever met," Pierce countered.
"I did what I did to protect the people," Fury replied.
"Our enemies are your enemies now," Pierce tried persuading. "Disorder... war... it's just a matter of time before a dirty bomb goes off in Moscow or an EMP fries Chicago. Diplomacy? A holding action. A band-aid. And you know where I learned that? Bogota. You didn't ask; you just did what had to be done."
"I can bring order to the lives of seven billion people... by sacrificing twenty million. It's the next step, Nick. Do you have the courage to take it?" Pierce asked as he looked outside, his hearing picking up a noise that grew steadily stronger.
"No, I have the courage not to," Fury replied just as more Hydra guards burst through the main door.
Pierce looked toward them as a ray of hope ignited within him. But before he could even speak, what seemed like a laser passed through the men, the door, and the reinforced walls behind them.
The Hydra agents tried to take a few steps forward, but their torsos slid cleanly off their waists.
Fury smiled, looking at Pierce as he added, "New toys? Nah... more like a goddamn toy factory."
Pierce moved toward the glass window and looked down at the Hydra camp that had been established in haste. He saw similar lasers piercing through his agents—only this time, the "lasers" numbered in the dozens.
"What is that?" Pierce asked aloud, still staring out the window.
"Go on, smart guy. Take a guess," Fury replied.
*I have seen those attacks before... but that's impossible,* Pierce thought, bringing a hand to his mouth. *He told me Park was dead. He told me that.*
Pierce gulped and looked at the three rising Helicarriers. As some of his confidence returned, he turned back, regaining his composure. "It doesn't matter. The Helicarriers have already started their ascent. Nothing can stop them now. There is an army of Hydra agents in Washington inside those vessels—the largest assembly of our forces since the War. We have already won, Nick."
**Flashback: The Dam**
"And if, despite all your planning, even one Helicarrier completes its ascent to three thousand feet... a lot of people are going to die. What do we do then?" Fury had asked, having listened to Ethan's tactical breakdown for the Triskelion.
"If that happens... then I go with Plan B," Ethan answered simply.
"What is your Plan B?" Bucky asked, helping Hill up from the ground where she had stumbled during Ethan's previous display of Water Piercing.
Ethan merely looked toward them as the space behind him began to crack. The temperature in the room spiked instantly, and from the jagged rift, a single, massive eye opened.
***
**Present Day: Pierce's Office**
After taking Pierce's biometric eye scan and successfully uploading every S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra file to the internet, the power dynamic in the room had shifted.
Pierce and Fury stood by the window, watching the Helicarriers continue their relentless ascent. Romanoff remained on standby, her weapon trained on the Secretary, just as Captain Rogers, Bucky, and Maria Hill stepped through the freshly bisected door.
"That was a moving speech, Captain," Pierce remarked, side-eyeing Steve. He flinched visibly when he noticed the Winter Soldier was among them. "I see you have reunited with your old friend. Are you ready for the New World Order? Hydra's World Order... You can still join us, you know. All of you can. Just say the words."
Bucky immediately leveled his rifle at Pierce's head, but Steve held up a hand to stop him.
"Where is Park?" Steve asked, his eyes scanning the room with growing concern. "He should be here by now."
"Those ships are still going up," Natasha commented, casting a wary look out of the window.
Meanwhile, Pierce's focus remained locked on Bucky. "Do you remember your mission, Soldier?" he asked at last.
Bucky, who still had his rifle leveled at the man, slowly lowered it. "You have been loyal to the cause of Hydra... remember that, Soldier," Pierce continued, his voice gaining a manipulative edge. Bucky moved toward him—not in obedience, but in silent fury—and backhanded the Secretary. The force of the blow sent Pierce crashing against the glass, spiderwebbing the reinforced pane.
Bucky approached the fallen man and hoisted him up by the neck, leaving his feet dangling helplessly in the air.
*Crack. Crack.*
Then, with his newly healed hand, Bucky punched the glass, shattering it in a single strike. High-altitude winds immediately roared into the room, whipping around them with violent force.
Seeing Pierce's state, Councilman Singh approached Fury. "Shouldn't we stop him? He might kill Pierce."
Fury spoke, his gaze fixed on Bucky. "That's the Winter Soldier. Pierce had him doing his dirty work for years. You want to stop him, Singh? Do it at your own risk."
*RING...*
Just then, another presence made itself known among the group.
"If you throw him now, he will die thinking Hydra wins today," Ethan spoke from behind Bucky.
Bucky turned, his eyes glassy and clouded with emotion. "AHHH!" With a scream of defiance, he hurled Pierce back into the room. The Secretary skidded across the floor, coming to a halt at Ethan's feet.
Bucky moved back toward Steve, who pulled him into a silent hug. Meanwhile, Natasha looked out at the ascending Helicarriers.
"Those ships have picked up speed. Time to enact Plan B, Park," Natasha spoke urgently.
Ethan moved toward the jagged, broken window. "Heh heh heh... not yet," he whispered, bringing his hands up in a slow, rhythmic clapping motion. "Still not yet..." His words lingered in the air. "*Clap.* Now."
Pierce scrambled to his feet, trembling. "You are supposed to be dead! Dead!" he shouted, glaring at the cloudy sky. "What have you done?"
*The Helicarriers are still going up! He failed!* Pierce thought, a manic look of glee appearing on his face.
Ethan slowly turned around. "When you have come this far, words are unnecessary."
As he finished, the sky above Washington began to bleed a deep, volcanic orange. High above the skyline, the massive, coiled form of **Ryujin**—Ethan's Wood Dragon Shikigami—manifested. However, someone else was riding atop its head.
"Damn you, brat, making me use my Ultimate Technique for something this mundane..." Jogo spoke in his signature snarl. His back was hunched as he leaned on his wooden cane, calmly observing the sprawl below.
Through their mental link, Jogo sensed Ethan's amusement at his frustration. Gritting his teeth, he brought his hands together. "DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND IT! THIS IS NOT THE POWER OF YOUR CREATION!"
As he spoke, the wood provided by Ryujin began to churn and ignite, condensing into a massive, molten meteor.
***
**Back in Pierce's Office:**
Captain Rogers and Bucky stood by the left window, their gazes fixed on the massive meteor hovering above one of the three Helicarriers. Natasha and Hill were beside them, staring at the celestial anomaly that had manifested out of the empty sky.
"Did you know he would do that? That he *could* do that?" Hill asked the group in a hushed tone.
The Captain simply shook his head in disbelief. For a rare occasion, Natasha had nothing to add. Bucky, still staring out the window, finally spoke. "He did say... Plan B involved something big."
The atmosphere screamed as the meteor began its terminal descent. The air around the entirety of Washington heated in a heartbeat, turning the cool Potomac breeze into a searing gale.
The meteor itself was physically smaller than the Helicarrier it targeted, but to the Hydra agents on deck, it looked less like a projectile and more like the moon had decided to fall. Its surface was a roiling sea of magma and obsidian, casting a hellish glow over the entire D.C. skyline.
There was no explosion at first—only a terrifying, muffled *thud* as the meteor's mass met the ship's repulsor engines. Then, the sound caught up.
*Boom. Boom. Boom.*
A thunderclap so violent it shattered windows miles away in the city below followed. The central spine of the massive vessel snapped like a toothpick, and it began falling alongside the meteor.
"Heh heh... so that was your trump card," Pierce said, looking at Ethan before turning to Fury. "I must say, I am disappointed, Nick. There are still two ships continuing their ascent. It is only a matter of time now."
For the first time, Fury looked uncomfortable. He glanced at Ethan, who was still observing the increasingly reddening skyline. Everyone in the room felt the tension rising. Natasha looked at Park, wondering if that was truly the end of his play. *It was an impressive feat, but ultimately ineffective.* Then, her eyes caught something else in the clouds.
Ethan pointed at the sky. "There is still something you have to address," he shouted over the howling wind. "What about the other five?"
As he spoke, five more massive meteors—each one larger than the last—began falling toward the remaining Helicarriers.
Steve, sensing the impending danger, moved toward Ethan. "Park! If those meteors hit the water, there will be a tsunami that swallows the coastline along the Potomac!"
"I'm on it," Ethan replied, raising his right hand. "Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure," he chanted as a Curtain deployed around the impact point.
From the outside, it looked like a black, dome-shaped bubble with a yellowish tint—a dark, hazy sphere of energy. This was a specialized Curtain Ethan had developed himself following the "Delgour Incident" of 2004.
This Curtain functioned like a Domain Expansion on a massive scale. Unlike normal semi-circular curtains, this was a complete sphere. Through a **Binding Vow**, the toughness of the interior and exterior was reversed, making the interior strong enough to contain the immense pressure of the displaced water and the kinetic impact.
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A/N: So how was the chapter?
How many of you guys have watched
"From" Tv show? I don't remember the name but a reader recommend it stating
" The story will fit right in with Logic of Jjk Curses ".
Only started the first season, but goddamn was he right, I already have a storyline in place.
It's about Damn time I write something with Stark and Ethan, and If I do it, then this Arc will be the one.