The Fire Phoenix was burning!
HYDRA was perishing.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who were fiercely battling HYDRA Agents on the ground, all stopped in their tracks, looking up as one HYDRA Agent after another, fighting them, plunged into the burning flames of the Fire Phoenix and turned to ash.
At the same time—
The flames of the Fire Phoenix grew even more brilliant.
Soon.
The Fire Phoenix vanished.
Hawke also disappeared.
Thump!
After burning all the HYDRA Agents to ash, Hawke returned to the top-floor conference room of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, walked directly to Alexander Pierce, grabbed Alexander Pierce's neck, and then looked at Natasha.
"I've handled the hardest part for you. You don't need my help with the clean-up, do you?"
"Of course."
Natasha reacted, nodding her agreement.
Hawke smiled slightly, said nothing more, and then looked back at Alexander Pierce, his eyes turning cold.
The next second!
He took Alexander Pierce and vanished directly from the sight of Natasha and the other three federal councilors.
At the same time.
Sharon's voice, tinged with suppressed excitement, rang out in the comms.
"Insight Command Center control complete, we've taken control of Insight Mothership Two."
"Three is also controlled."
Tony Stark's voice also chimed in at this moment: "Jarvis, transfer control."
Soon.
Sharon's eyes lit up as another Insight Mothership came online: "Insight Mothership Three online."
There were only three Insight Motherships in total.
Hawke destroyed Mothership One, so only two Insight Motherships were left.
As for Mothership One...
"Mothership One crashed into the Potomac River. Agent Thirty-Five is leading a team to the scene."
"Received."
"Tat-tat-tat!"
Accompanied by the excited voices of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, celebrating their regained control of S.H.I.E.L.D., a Quinjet also streaked across the sky at this moment, then descended vertically onto the top-floor helipad of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion.
The next second.
Maria Hill, dressed in a S.H.I.E.L.D. combat uniform, stepped out of the jet, glanced at Iron Man landing after flying from Mothership Three, nodded a greeting, and then walked into the top-floor conference room with Iron Man.
Iron Man's mask opened, and Tony looked curiously at the conference room, then his gaze fell on Natasha.
"Where's Hawke?"
"Just left."
Natasha shrugged, then looked at Maria Hill as she walked in: "Commander."
"You've worked hard." Maria Hill nodded to Natasha, then looked at the three Security Council councilors in the conference room, handing over the tablet in her hand: "Security Council's highest directive, emergency promotion of me to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
She had already known about Alexander Pierce's disruption of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But...
Alexander Pierce, citing security, ordered her to remain in Wakanda, Africa, as the combat Commander.
Fortunately, New York SHIELD was restored, and Victoria Hand contacted her, allowing her to urgently contact the Five Great Benefactors through the Security Council joint forces stationed in Wakanda, while heading home and awaiting the Five Great Benefactors' instructions.
It wasn't until she flew back into federal territory that the Eastern Benefactor and the Moscow Benefactor received urgent intelligence reports from their respective councilors, and then unanimously approved Maria Hill's promotion to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., giving her full responsibility for this HYDRA disruption incident.
The three councilors already knew this news. After merely glancing at the tablet Hill handed over, they withdrew their gaze, leaving the place to Maria Hill, and then turned and walked out.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s matters to handle.
They also had theirs, at the very least, they had to rush back to the Security Council and inform their capitals of their experiences.
Soon.
Thor also walked in from outside, holding Mjolnir.
"Where's Hawke?"
"Just left."
Natasha looked at Thor as he entered, shrugging again, then paused slightly, feeling like she had just said those words not long ago.
Tony, nearby, looked at Thor: "Jarvis is detecting Hawke's energy signature, but the energy signature seems to have disappeared."
Thor frowned: "Returned to New York City?"
Natasha shook her head: "No."
Commander Hand and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were still on Palm Street.
They had made up their minds: they would leave when Hawke returned. In short, it was one thing.
Don't give HYDRA any opportunity.
Where did Hawke go?
He actually went nowhere, not even leaving Washington D.C., after taking Alexander Pierce away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion.
The next second.
Hawke took Alexander Pierce back to his detached Villa, located in Rock Creek Park, hidden among dense trees.
"Thump!"
"Cough, cough."
After being casually thrown down by Hawke, Alexander Pierce, who had almost suffocated from being squeezed, instinctively clutched his neck, coughing continuously.
Hawke's six senses scanned every corner of the Villa. With his hands in his pockets, he looked at Alexander Pierce, who was coughing and getting up from the ground.
The once spirited Alexander Pierce now showed clear fatigue and age on his old face.
Defeated.
Completely defeated.
However...
Alexander Pierce maintained the last dignity of a HYDRA leader. After getting up from the ground, he took a deep breath, composed himself, and looked at Hawke.
"If I told you I never intended to act against you, would you believe me?"
"Heh heh."
Hawke, hearing Pierce's words, first chuckled, but then, his smile vanished as he looked at Pierce.
"I believe you, but that changes nothing. The fact is, you did act. I always thought you were a smart man, Pierce. I'm not interested in your HYDRA, and I don't even care if you can rule the Earth this time."
He wasn't lying.
Looking through all of HYDRA, he had always felt that Alexander Pierce was the smartest one.
After all, Anna was Alexander Pierce's person.
And his relationship with Anna was really good. From a certain perspective, if Alexander Pierce's strategy hadn't been to befriend him, then he and Anna wouldn't have become friends.
This was also why he hadn't suspected Alexander Pierce of lying in Wakanda at the time.
After all, there was no reason for it.
Alexander Pierce wasn't an idiot. With his combat power right there, offending him would mean that HYDRA's dream of dominance would never be realized.
But...
Pierce actually did it.
This didn't fit Pierce's character, unless there was a possibility that Pierce felt that hiding it from him would be less costly than telling him.
Hawke's thoughts churned. He thought of his friend Anna and looked at Alexander Pierce.
"Where's Anna?"
"Dead."
Alexander gave a bitter smile.
Hawke chuckled softly, looking at Alexander Pierce, who gave the same answer as he did at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Triskelion: "Anna isn't dead, I'm very sure. Do you know why I'm so sure?"
Alexander looked at Hawke.
But...
Hawke had no intention of explaining to Alexander, not even the thought of it. He just looked at Alexander thoughtfully.
"Anna clearly isn't dead, but you insist she is."
"That can only mean one thing."
"Either Anna is currently imprisoned, or she's in a dying state."
"But that's not important. What's important is that you'd rather have me believe Anna is dead than let me see her."
"So..."
"You're hiding something from me, Pierce."
"Why?"
"I was wondering about that when I arrived, but now I'm too lazy to think about it."
"There's no need."
"So—"
As he said this, Hawke's gaze turned extremely cold as he looked at Alexander Pierce: "I'm only giving you one last chance. For my friendship with Anna, either you tell me now, or you'd better never tell me."
He really wanted to know the reason that made the smart Pierce commit such a foolish act against him.
Truly.
But...
If Pierce wouldn't say, he was too lazy to ask again.
There was no need.
The question was simple.
He was invincible among mortals, and he also wasn't in the mood or interested in playing guessing games with these people.
So.
"You choose, Pierce."
"Heh heh."
Pierce, hearing this, his bitter smile deepened: "If I don't say, you might give me a dignified end for Anna's sake, but if I do say, I'm afraid I won't even have that."
Zola's clone Hawke project was one thing.
But the girl Strucker was tinkering with in Sokovia...
He really couldn't say.
But it wasn't that he didn't want to say, it was because of the same old saying.
He was HYDRA.
He was the HYDRA that, when one head was cut off, two more would grow.
Although he would die now.
But if Dr. Zola's contingency plan, or Strucker's progress, went smoothly, one day, HYDRA's Third Struggle Plan would begin again.
And at that time, their HYDRA would truly be able to rule the World.
So...
After a bitter smile, the weariness and exhaustion on Alexander Pierce's face vanished. He seemed to regain his youth, meeting Hawke's cold gaze.
The next second.
His right hand was raised at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Hail HYDRA!"
"Long live HYDRA!"
...
Hawke looked at Alexander Pierce, who was exhilarated, just like John Grant had been, showing no fear of death, but rather a strange fanaticism, and he truly laughed.
"Alright."
"You want to die."
"I'll Grant your wish."
"You'll experience what it means to be better off dead!"
Hawke's face broke into a smile.
The next moment.
His eyes turned crimson!
Boom!
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