Sharon knew she had to leave.
She had to find Steve.
Slipping quietly out of the Strategic Command Center, she made her way toward the control tower. The corridors were filled with heavily armed agents and tactical squads. With every step she took, her heart sank further.
Everywhere she looked—HYDRA.
Aside from herself, there might not be a single true S.H.I.E.L.D. agent left in the building.
---
Outside, dozens of Helicarriers were already ascending.
Karl and Tony had each taken one down, but the rest continued climbing.
"Karl," Tony said as he rocketed higher into the sky, climbing above the fleet, "I've got a move that can wipe out a chunk of them—but after that, I won't be able to use high-output weapons. My efficiency's going to drop."
"Understood," Karl replied. "Leave the rest to me."
His cloak flared as he shot toward the nearest Helicarrier. The Ultimate Divine Weapon flashed in his hand, cleaving cleanly through one of its primary engines.
Meanwhile, Sam weaved through the air, several Quinjets on his tail. He dodged dense waves of gunfire while steering toward a Helicarrier, intending to use the pursuing jets' firepower against it.
High above, six floating cannons hovered behind Tony.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., let's do it."
"Yes, sir."
At his command, the six units shifted forward, transforming midair. They locked together in front of Tony's chest, forming a massive particle cannon.
"Charging particle cannon. Fifty percent… seventy percent… fully charged."
A low hum vibrated through the sky as brilliant blue energy condensed at the barrel. The light grew blinding, almost tangible.
BOOM!
The beam erupted downward.
The entire S.H.I.E.L.D. complex was bathed in blue-white radiance. One Helicarrier after another detonated mid-ascent. Explosions rippled through the sky, firestorms blooming as wreckage rained downward.
In seconds, over a dozen Helicarriers were reduced to burning debris.
"Energy reserves at forty percent," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.
The cannon separated back into six autonomous units, resuming independent fire.
"Karl, you're up. I can only suppress them now," Tony said, streaking toward another intact carrier.
"I've got it."
Another Helicarrier exploded behind them—three of its four engines destroyed. Sam shot upward from the final engine in a blaze of sparks, a swarm of Quinjets still chasing him.
"Woo! This is insane!" Sam whooped, dodging fire with exhilaration. "Way better than my old tours!"
---
At the top floor of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Natasha stood before Alexander Pierce.
Skye had already dropped into Pierce's chair, laptop open, running the backdoor program she had embedded long ago.
"It's ready," Skye said. "You just need a scanning device on your end."
She was fully connected to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system.
Elsewhere, Coulson had prepared an ocular scanner linked to a secured laptop.
"Mr. Pierce," Natasha said smoothly, standing poised before him, "we're going to need your eye."
With her reflexes, Pierce wouldn't survive even the slightest hostile move.
"To override the protocol requires an executive order," Pierce replied calmly. "You know the rules—two Level Ten officials must authorize it."
He had no idea Skye had already solved that problem. Confidence returned to his expression. There was no second Level Ten.
The only other one was dead.
"Don't worry," Natasha said, gesturing toward the laptop.
On the screen appeared Nick Fury's dark, grim face.
"Surprised to see me?" Fury said coldly.
A flicker of disbelief crossed Pierce's eyes—but it vanished almost instantly.
"Why did you choose me as Director?" Fury asked. "If you were HYDRA, why appoint someone who hated HYDRA as much as I did?"
Pierce gave a thin smile.
"Because you're the most ruthless man I've ever known, Nick."
"I did what I did to protect people—not slaughter them!" Fury shot back.
"Don't be naive," Pierce retorted sharply. "My enemies were your enemies. No one can guarantee safety. Tomorrow, D.C. could be vaporized by a nuclear strike. Chaos and war—that's humanity's default state. Look at history."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Sacrifice a few million to impose order for billions. That's true salvation. Not childish faith in diplomacy built on lies and self-interest."
His smile sharpened.
"You taught me that. Or have you forgotten Mexico?"
Fury's face darkened further.
Mexico.
The stain he could never erase.
The memory that still robbed him of sleep.
"Proceed, Natasha," Fury said quietly. "We're out of time."
Without hesitation, Natasha seized Pierce by the collar and forced him toward the display panel as the retinal scanner activated.
"Initiating retinal scan."
A targeting ring locked onto Pierce's eye.
"You think I left your permissions intact?" Pierce scoffed. "All your access—revoked. Including retinal authentication."
"I expected that," Fury replied evenly. "Every permission. Every scan record."
His tone didn't waver.
Calm. Unshaken.
Steady as stone.
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