Ten minutes earlier, the World Security Council convened in an emergency holographic session.
"Nick Fury is dead. The situation is spiraling out of control. If Hydra's Insight Project succeeds, every one of our nations will be at risk. This could trigger a third world war. Possibly worse."
"I said it before. Fury wasn't lying. We should have backed him and dealt with Pierce earlier."
"What good does that do now? Fury became increasingly unaccountable over the years, acting behind our backs. This was supposed to be a warning. Instead, he got himself killed."
"I've already sent General Ross with military support. SHIELD agents and a handful of superhumans won't be enough. If necessary, the entire area can be leveled."
"That district is densely populated. You're talking about civilians."
"For the sake of global security, some sacrifices are acceptable. I hope your governments are capable of the same selflessness."
"If that's the logic, then we should prepare a nuclear option. Agent Coulson's intelligence has been accurate so far. If those three Helicarriers launch, we could be the first targets. Their energy weapons far exceed anything we currently possess."
"A nuclear strike? Absolutely not. That's our capital. The President and senior officials are still there."
"For the good of the world, a few lives to save billions is a fair trade. You said as much yourself."
"I won't authorize it."
"I agree with preparing the option. There's still time to evacuate leadership. Compensation can be discussed afterward. If Insight activates, Washington will be erased anyway."
"Approved."
"Approved."
After a long pause, the Secretary of State nodded grimly. "If we proceed, understand this. Washington's sacrifice is for the entire world. Afterward, our nation will expect priority in future decisions."
Orders were issued immediately. Evacuation of top officials began. The fate of the city itself was deemed acceptable collateral.
Back in Washington, the battle at the Triskelion had already become global news.
Reporters flooded the outskirts of the exclusion zone, chasing what might become the biggest story of the century. Civilian helicopters hovered in the air, broadcasting live. When the Helicarriers rose and obliterated military aircraft with energy fire, those civilian choppers were left untouched.
Not out of mercy.
Pierce wanted witnesses.
Hydra had hidden in the shadows for decades. That era was over. Today, the world would watch their ascension.
Televisions across the country carried the live feed. International networks followed suit. The capital was in open warfare. Hydra banners. Energy weapons. The long-lost symbol of Captain America fighting in the flesh.
The story was irresistible.
Captain America and Hydra were woven into the nation's history. Museums were built around that legacy. Textbooks written about it. And now it was happening again, in real time.
Wolverine was there. Iron Man. Figures once dismissed as fiction were tearing through the heart of the capital.
The government tried to suppress the broadcast. Hydra's people inside the system made sure it failed.
Nothing was hidden.
"A nuke?" Logan said hoarsely, staring at Tony. For once, fear crept into his eyes. "You're not joking, right?"
He remembered nuclear fire. Flesh stripped away. Bones exposed. The pain of regeneration afterward had haunted him ever since.
"They've lost their damn minds," Steve said, fury flashing across his face. "They're willing to wipe out an entire city."
"The missile's already in the air," Tony said, voice tight. "Thirty seconds, maybe less. I can intercept it and divert it somewhere remote. You two stop the Helicarriers."
His armor could hit Mach five. He could catch it. Redirect it. He just wasn't sure what margin for error he'd have.
"No need."
Rowan Mercer waved a hand casually. "Stay here. It's just a nuclear missile."
Before anyone could respond, he vanished.
Tony opened his mouth to argue, then stopped. Of all people, Rowan was the last one he wanted flying alongside a live warhead.
High above the city, white wings unfurled against the sky.
"There it is," Rowan murmured.
The missile tore through the clouds, a streak of engineered annihilation. Humanity's most devastating weapon. The culmination of fear, ingenuity, and desperation.
Rowan didn't flinch.
He raised one hand.
The missile froze in midair, suspended as if reality itself had tightened its grip.
Rowan flicked his wand.
"Transfigure."
Blue light washed over the warhead. Metal softened, reshaped, rewrote itself at the most fundamental level.
In the next heartbeat, the nuclear missile was gone.
In its place floated a block of wood, identical in size and weight, drifting harmlessly in the sky.
Just another object.
Just another problem solved.