After the initial shock passed, Alexander Pierce quickly regained his composure. He had already deleted Nick Fury's retinal data from the system long ago—so even if Fury was alive, it was pointless.
Once calm again, Pierce even found the mood to joke.
"Hey, Nick. I never knew you had a daughter."
"A friend's kid," Fury replied coolly, shooting Pierce a sideways glance. "I'm just watching her for a couple of days."
The moment they entered the room, Clara slipped away in a flash and ran straight to Natasha's side.
"Why did Fury bring you here? You shouldn't be here!" Natasha scolded her in a low voice.
This place was still an active battlefield—what was Fury thinking, bringing a child with no combat ability into this mess?
"I begged him!" Clara said quickly. "And since I'm already here—Steve's on those Helicarriers, right?"
She pointed toward the massive airborne vessels visible through the glass windows, already hovering in the sky.
"Yes," Natasha answered. "He's up there."
"Will they succeed? Are you going to die?"
Clara was genuinely afraid. If Project Insight activated, the weapons would fire straight through the building, killing people she knew—people she cared about.
"Relax," Natasha said softly, rubbing Clara's head. "The Captain will succeed. I'm sure of it."
Her tone softened, and she no longer had the heart to scold Clara for running around recklessly.
-----
"There's something I've never understood," Fury said suddenly, turning to Pierce.
"Why did you choose me to lead S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Pierce was HYDRA. Logically, he should've put HYDRA loyalists in charge. Why promote Fury—HYDRA's enemy?
"Because you're the most capable man I've ever met," Pierce replied calmly. "And also the most ruthless."
After studying Fury, Pierce was convinced that under his command, S.H.I.E.L.D. would become the most powerful government agency in existence. And HYDRA, growing in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s shadow, needed exactly that kind of leader.
Pierce hadn't been wrong.
Under Fury's leadership, S.H.I.E.L.D. evolved from an ordinary intelligence agency into a global surveillance giant—providing HYDRA with unparalleled convenience for its operations.
Pierce launched into his grand vision.
Sacrificing two million so seven billion could live in order.
Giving up freedom in exchange for stability.
Activating Project Insight to create a world filled with peace and love.
"Excuse me, sir," Clara suddenly raised her hand.
"May I interrupt for a moment?"
Pierce paused. "Go on."
"Do you know what people in Nine Realms call behavior like yours?" Clara asked innocently.
"What behavior?"
"Wanting to rule everyone like a tyrant, but still hoping to be praised like a benevolent king."
Pierce frowned. "And that's called…?"
"Being a prostitute who still wants to build a chastity arch."
Clara stared straight at him and delivered the insult in a deliberately flat, cutting tone.
The representatives on the World Security Council almost burst out laughing. This American girl had a surprisingly good grasp of street-level insults.
Natasha gently pinched Clara's cheek.
"No more swearing," she whispered. "Next time, tell me. I'll say it for you."
"You—You—Fury!" Pierce sputtered, livid. "Is this how your friend's daughter was raised?! No manners at all!"
Pierce had lived his life pampered and powerful. He had never been cursed at like this.
"Apologies," Fury said calmly. "I'll have her father discipline her when we get back.
Now then—shall we unlock the system? Even if you deleted my retinal data, I still have a workaround."
Fury shot Clara a warning glance. This child had an uncanny talent for completely ruining dramatic tension.
He reached up and activated his damaged eye.
That eye had been modified—altered to replicate the retinal pattern of another A-level S.H.I.E.L.D. authority.
Verification accepted.
Security protocols lifted.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified files flooded onto the internet in an instant.
The world exploded.
HYDRA.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Both names trended globally in minutes.
-----
High above, Steve and Sam ran into overwhelming resistance.
In their first clash, the Winter Soldier kicked Steve straight off the Helicarrier. Steve barely managed to grab the outer hull and haul himself back up.
Moments later, the Winter Soldier tore Sam's Falcon wings apart and sent him plummeting.
Sam deployed his parachute and landed safely, receiving orders from the ground to intercept the strike team commander.
Above—
Steve was on his own.
On the bridge leading to the server slot, Steve encountered an old comrade.
There was no time for nostalgia.
Only minutes remained.
-----
Inside the council chamber, the badges on three council members' chests suddenly exploded.
They screamed and collapsed.
The so-called access badges were bombs.
The moment they were worn, they were armed.
Using Natasha's badge, Pierce seized control again and immediately contacted HYDRA operatives aboard the Helicarriers, initiating Zola's algorithm.
Faces began appearing on the screen—countless small portraits.
Each one was a target.
"Do millions of lives really mean so little to you?" Clara demanded, staring at the screen.
Some faces were familiar. Others were strangers. All of them were still living their ordinary lives—unaware that death was seconds away.
"You're too young," Pierce said smugly. "You don't understand. These people are obstacles to world peace. Remove them, and eternal peace will follow."
Victory was so close that Pierce no longer cared about Clara's earlier insolence.
"In my eyes," Clara snapped, teeth clenched, "you're the one who should be eliminated. You're going straight to hell when you die."
Pierce laughed.
"Then you won't be seeing it. Oh—this one looks like you. Interesting. Didn't expect such future potential from a little girl. Unfortunately… your future ends today."
He pointed at the screen, where Clara's own photo was displayed.
She tilted her head, baffled.
How did I even make the list?
"Target threshold reached," a HYDRA agent reported from the Helicarrier control room.
"Preparing to fire."
"Three… two… one—"
At the final second, Steve, riddled with bullet wounds, slammed the blade server into place.
The targeting screens went blank.
"All targets lost!"
"Captain, get out of there—now!"
Agent Hill immediately reassigned the Helicarriers as targets themselves.
They were airborne—landing was no longer an option.
The only solution was destruction.
Outside the windows, the three Helicarriers turned into colossal fireballs, blasting each other into twisted wreckage.
Pierce's face went deathly pale.
Years of planning—gone.
"Well," Pierce said coldly, "time to leave. Councilwoman—this way. You're escorting me out."
He held a remote detonator linked to Natasha's chest badge.
His escape route was prepared. Retreat now, regroup later.
As he passed Clara—
She suddenly lunged like a tiger, sinking her teeth into his wrist.
Pierce cried out in pain and reflexively released his grip.
The detonator clattered across the floor.
Enraged, Pierce backhanded Clara across the face.
Before he could react further—
Natasha kicked him flying.
Fury raised his gun.
Bang. Bang.
"Clara! Are you alright?" Natasha rushed to her side, helping her up.
"I'm okay… just a little dizzy…"
A clear handprint was already visible on her cheek.
"Let's go," Fury said grimly, glancing at her face. "We're finding Steve."
Supported by Natasha, Clara looked back at the council chamber littered with bodies.
The price of freedom—
was always high.
--------------
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