"You have time to say 'damn it,' so hurry up and fight back! I don't care who the enemy is, take them down!
The White House is already under attack, and I have my own job to do!
If you have any way to identify which of your people are actually loyal, send it to me immediately, you soon-to-be unemployed director!"
Frank Castle ended the call without waiting for a reply.
Nick Fury stared silently at the dark phone screen.
Steve Rogers finally snapped.
"So everything Axel said was true. Hydra really has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.
I spent my entire life fighting Hydra, yet seventy years later they're stronger than ever.
They've even turned S.H.I.E.L.D. into their hiding place.
Now I understand why Axel eliminated Rumlow. He probably was Hydra.
Nick Fury, this is beyond disappointing.
And I don't even have my shield."
Steve shot Fury a cold look before rushing out of Burger King.
Standing in the middle of the street with countless New Yorkers calmly seeking shelter, he looked toward the distant Helicarrier as its cloaking system gradually failed.
Clint Barton followed him outside, watching the flashes of battle lighting up the carrier.
"Moments like this really make me jealous of people who can fly."
"Forget that," Fury said grimly as he stepped outside. "We need to reach the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters or borrow a police helicopter.
We have to get back to the Helicarrier and recover our equipment."
Natasha, still sitting beside Axel, tightened her grip on his collar before resting her cheek lightly against his.
"Axel, thank you. Your friends saved a lot of lives.
But I have to go now. I have work to do."
"Yeah, yeah, work. Go handle it. I'll finish another burger."
Axel waved dismissively.
Natasha smiled faintly before climbing out of his lap and joining the others.
Nick Fury adjusted the vehicle as Steve opened the rear door.
"Move! We're heading to the S.H.I.E.L.D. branch!"
"I know."
Natasha climbed into the back seat.
"Thankfully, we have guests from the DC Universe today."
Steve frowned.
"You call yourselves S.H.I.E.L.D., yet look at this mess.
A few days ago I discovered you were using the Tesseract to develop weapons, exactly what Hydra used to do. You gave me countless explanations, Nick, and I accepted them.
Now you've lost control of your own organization.
Hydra has been living among us.
I failed too.
Maybe seventy years was simply too long.
Or maybe every agent smells the same to someone like me, and I was too blind to notice."
Every word landed like another blow.
Nick Fury's face grew even darker.
"I made mistakes.
Arguing about them won't change anything now.
Hydra has exposed itself.
Now it's war."
He activated the vehicle's autopilot before opening S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nationwide network.
The reports were worse than he had imagined.
Nearly every branch had collapsed.
Even facilities that remained operational had become completely ineffective.
Nobody knew who could still be trusted.
Hydra operatives inside S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked from within while outside forces seized the opportunity.
The FBI launched operations claiming to eliminate Hydra, yet many of those arrested or killed were genuine S.H.I.E.L.D. agents acting independently.
Across North America, violence escalated as criminal organizations supported by Hydra clashed with government forces.
The CIA became embroiled in open warfare against Hydra-backed cartels.
When Hydra activated the machinery it had spent decades building, conflict spread across the globe.
Arizona descended into chaos as a group of Inhumans stormed a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, demanding revenge and freedom while targeting a scientist researching Inhuman culture.
Even Wakanda came under attack.
Hydra intended to exploit the confusion and seize Vibranium after Axel's earlier assault had weakened Wakanda's defenses.
While the world spiraled into war, Axel calmly picked up the last hamburger.
He took a satisfying bite before washing it down with the final sip of his cola.
"Not bad.
Tony really does know how to pick a burger.
Though your cooking is even better."
He smiled and waved toward the terrified employees hiding behind the counter before heading for the exit.
A timid voice stopped him.
"Um... sir...
You haven't paid."
Axel froze.
He slowly turned around with genuine confusion.
"What?
How could we not have paid?
Don't you charge customers before serving food?"
The employee nervously explained.
"We usually do...
But Mr. Tony Stark is a VIP customer.
He always pays afterward, so... we assumed..."
Axel stared blankly.
"So I ate burgers with the richest man in New York...
And somehow I'm the one paying the bill?"
He reached into his coat.
The employee sighed in relief.
Then Axel pulled out his gold-plated Desert Eagle.
He pointed it directly at the counter.
"This is a robbery!
Hand over every dollar you've got!"
The employees screamed.
Bang!
Bang!
Two shots blasted into the fryer beside them.
Terrified, the workers dumped every dollar from the registers onto the counter.
Axel looked down at the pile before kicking it back toward them.
Coins and bills scattered across the floor.
"What are you idiots doing?
Choosing money over your lives?
Don't you know I kill people?
New York is literally in the middle of a war, and you're worried about collecting payment?"
One employee looked utterly aggrieved.
"I know there's a war.
I know missiles are falling everywhere.
But if I survive and don't balance today's register, my paycheck gets docked.
If I'm alive afterward, I'd rather still have my salary."
Axel blinked.
"Yeah...
You're absolutely right.
New Yorkers really are something.
You've got far more survival experience than my buddies back in Gotham."
He holstered the pistol and walked outside.
Happy immediately opened the limousine door.
"Boss Axel, what happened? Those missiles..."
Another explosion erupted overhead before he could finish.
Happy instantly crouched in fear.
At that moment, Clark streaked across the sky, destroying the final two missiles before giving Axel a brief nod and flying back toward the Helicarrier.
Axel grabbed Happy by the shoulder and pulled him upright.
"Come on.
It's just a war.
Shouldn't New Yorkers be used to this by now?"
"How could I get used to this?"
Happy protested.
"I'm much more used to driving Tony's girlfriends home and pretending not to notice them changing clothes in the back seat."
Axel laughed as he climbed into the limousine.
Happy hurried behind the wheel and accelerated.
The streets had become complete gridlock.
Abandoned vehicles blocked every lane.
Happy simply drove straight through them.
The heavily armored limousine shoved smaller cars aside as it forced its way toward Stark Tower.
"So, Boss Axel," Happy asked nervously, "what's happening?
Is this another alien invasion?"
Axel opened the liquor cabinet and took a long drink of whiskey.
"Hah...
Aliens are nothing.
Humans are doing this to themselves.
Humans are the scariest creatures around."
He offered the nearly empty bottle.
"Want some?"
Happy accepted it without hesitation.
"No traffic cops today anyway.
I signed up to be a chauffeur, not a military transport driver.
Who knew New York would become more dangerous than Afghanistan?"
He emptied the bottle before continuing toward Stark Tower.
Inside the lobby, employees had already entered emergency procedures.
Everything looked chaotic, yet strangely well-practiced.
Axel grinned.
"You're all pretty experienced.
Even the reception desk has its own panic room.
Very professional."
He glanced at the frightened receptionists hiding inside.
Happy, his face red from the alcohol, asked,
"So what now?
Aren't you supposed to help fight?"
"You go find Pepper.
I'm just killing time.
Stark Tower isn't nearly as entertaining without Tony.
Besides, I already smacked Pepper's butt once today. Doing it again would probably be excessive."
He patted Happy's shoulder before strolling back outside.
Walking against the tide of fleeing civilians, Axel casually watched the battle unfolding aboard the Helicarrier.
Hydra fought desperately, but against Clark, Bruce, Lex, and Tony, their resistance accomplished very little.
Before long, nearly every Hydra operative aboard had been eliminated.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the real objective.
Hydra had anticipated losing control of the Helicarrier.
Their true goal had always been to destroy it.
Two enormous explosions erupted.
Two of the Helicarrier's engines exploded almost simultaneously.
A moment later, Lex's voice came through Axel's communicator.
"Axel.
Hydra planned this well.
We only managed to save two engines.
The other two are gone.
The Helicarrier is going down.
I'm trying to stabilize it and calculate where it will crash.
I may need your help.
There's another problem.
Hulk fell off the Helicarrier.
He landed near a middle school.
Students are everywhere, and the situation could become extremely dangerous.
If you're available, head there.
Otherwise, I'll have Clark break away and handle it."