Adam stayed hidden near the outer route of the ship.
The metal containers around him blocked most of the hallway, and the shadows there were deep enough that anyone rushing past would not notice him at once. His clones had already moved out in different directions, with one near the hostage room and the others moving through the side passage and upper level.
Adam could feel all of them.
It was not like seeing through three pairs of eyes. It was stranger than that. He could feel where the clones were and when they moved. If he focused too hard, his head began to feel crowded, so he kept the feeling loose.
'This is going to take practice,' Adam thought.
The clone near the hostage room was still guarding the entrance.
Most of the S.H.I.E.L.D. staff had already been moved toward extraction, but a few were still close enough that the clone stayed there. Two pirates tried to come from the far passage, and the clone opened his mouth.
A short sonic wave hit them before they could fire.
Both men dropped to the floor, holding their ears.
Then the clone stopped.
Something had moved behind him.
Three STRIKE agents were there.
They did not shout. They did not ask him to stand down. One of them lifted the same kind of weapon Adam had seen before, the one that had interrupted Big Chill's phasing.
The clone turned.
A pale wave shot toward him.
It struck his shoulder and passed over his body. It did not hurt the way it had hurt Big Chill. This form did not depend on phasing, but the clone still felt his body shake for one second, as if the sound inside him had skipped.
That one second was enough.
The second agent fired.
This time the shot was different.
A small round hit the clone in the chest and burst with a sharp crack of electricity. The clone's whole body locked. A second shot struck his side, and a third hit his leg.
The clone tried to scream.
Only a broken sound came out.
Then he fell.
The real Adam stiffened behind the containers.
For a moment, the connection to that clone became fuzzy. It did not vanish, but it became weak, like a radio signal buried under static.
'They got one.'
Adam did not move.
He wanted to rush there. The first instinct was strong. But the moment that feeling came, he crushed it down.
'No, that is exactly what they want.'
Through the weak connection, he felt hands grab the clone. The agents did not remove the Omnitrix because there was no Omnitrix on the clone's wrist in the same way. The altered form had a symbol, but it was only part of the copied body.
They still thought they had him.
One agent spoke in a low voice.
"Subject secured."
Another answered, "Move before Rogers comes back."
Adam's expression changed.
'So that was the plan.'
They had not wanted to fight him in front of everyone. They had wanted to take him when the mission was messy enough to hide it. If they had caught his real body, he would already be on the way to some Hydra room.
Adam stayed where he was and let them carry the clone away.
For now, he only knew one thing.
Hydra had made their move, and they had taken the wrong Adam.
The rest of the ship began to calm down after that.
The pirates who were still standing were either down or running. The hostages were being moved out. STRIKE agents were shouting short orders, and S.H.I.E.L.D. staff followed them with pale faces.
Adam did not come out yet.
He pulled one clone back toward the hostage room and kept the third one near the upper passage for a little longer. Then he waited.
Soon, Steve and Natasha came back through the corridor.
Steve's face was tight. Natasha looked calm from the outside, but Adam could tell the argument from earlier had not ended cleanly. Rumlow came from another passage with two STRIKE agents behind him.
Steve looked around once.
His eyes moved over the corridor and the people inside it.
Then he frowned.
"Where is Adam?"
One STRIKE agent answered before Rumlow could.
"He left."
Steve turned toward him. "Left?"
The agent nodded. "He said he had an emergency."
Natasha's eyes narrowed slightly.
Steve stared at the man. "He has a comm. If there was an emergency, he would have told me."
The agent hesitated for half a second.
"I don't know why you're getting worked up," he said. "He flew out. That's what he told us."
Steve's face became colder.
Adam almost laughed from behind the containers.
'Flew out with this form? Genius.'
Steve took one step closer.
"Say that again."
The agent opened his mouth.
Before he could speak, Adam stepped out from behind the containers.
"What nonsense are you making up?"
Everyone turned.
Steve looked at him first. Natasha turned a second later. Rumlow's face did not change much, but the STRIKE agent beside him went completely still.
Adam stood there in Echo Echo form, his voice still carrying that layered sound.
"I was here the whole time," Adam said.
The agent's eyes widened.
For a second, he looked at Adam like he was seeing a ghost.
His mouth opened a little, but no words came out.
Adam watched his face and understood exactly what had happened inside his head.
They had already captured one Adam.
So why was Adam standing here?
The agent's face went pale.