As they stared at the undead Okoye, more and more zombies gathered behind her. First there were ten. Then a hundred. Soon a thousand. Within minutes, hundreds of thousands stretched across the horizon like a sea of death.
Nico leaned closer to John, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We clearly have something—or someone—the queen wants. We could hold them here until she shows."
John's gaze never left the monitors, his tone calm but firm. "And risk the lives of everyone here in the process? No. Prepare for a tactical retreat."
Nico exhaled slowly, his expression tightening. "You're the boss. But I think this is the best tactical position we're gonna have for a long time."
John gave a small nod. "Agreed. But our orders are to kill the witch and rescue survivors. I don't think the people in this room count as everyone."
With a frustrated sigh, Nico muttered, "I like missions where I just kill everything more. They're less complicated."
A faint smirk tugged at John's lips. "Trust me—I know." He drew one of his pistols, checking the chamber with steady precision before readying it for the fight.
Nico arched a brow. "You got enough bullets?"
John's smirk deepened into something sharper. "Professionals always have enough bullets, kid." With that, he turned and walked off while Melina barked orders and Alexei launched into a booming motivational speech.
As the undead army closed in on the SHIELD perimeter, a line of explosions shook the earth, tearing through dozens of zombies in a fiery wave.
Nico glanced at Melina, his tone edged with dry amusement. "Why didn't you strap bombs on the undead you control and make them suicide bombers?"
Melina raised a hand to answer, paused mid-thought, then blinked. "…Huh. Why didn't I do that?"
Nico narrowed his eyes at the monitor, his voice low and sharp. "They're breaching the perimeter."
Everyone turned toward the same screen. A massive zombie abomination loomed there, hurling undead at the base like grotesque cannonballs.
Melina's face hardened. "Everyone, battle stations!"
Yelena, Blade, Kamala, Kate, and Riri sprinted off to join the fray.
Alexei reached for Nico, his voice booming. "Little boy, stick close to—"
But his words cut off when Nico casually strolled out of sight, tossing back, "I'm gonna take a walk."
Alexei scratched his head, baffled. "In the middle of a battle?"
Nico wandered over to where the Widows were pinned at the windows, calmly gunning down waves of zombies. He leaned against the wall and waited, his eyes sharp and unblinking.
A moment later, Zombie Ghost flickered into existence between the widows, ready to strike. Before she could move, a shadow tendril burst upward, skewering her through the brain and dropping her like a ragdoll.
One of the Widows spun toward Nico, her face pale. "How did you know she was coming?"
Nico shrugged, his tone casual but edged with power. "I have full control over shadows. I can sense where they are. I didn't know she was coming—I just knew she was there. I originally came here to use my shadows to provide you ladies an escape route. I'm assuming there's an underground garage?"
Another Widow nodded quickly. "Yes. In fact—"
"Perfect," Nico cut in smoothly. "I'm gonna send all of you ahead. Get the vehicles prepped. Oh, and—don't puke."
"What do you mean, don't puke?" one of them asked, her voice nervous.
Her question was cut short as she and the other Widows screamed—dropped into their own shadows and swallowed by darkness—only to reappear in the underground garage below.
Nico chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "That never gets old. I remember the first time I did it to Summer. Good times." His smirk lingered as his eyes flicked toward the chaos outside. "I wonder how the others are doing… I mean, no one should be dead—they've got War with them."
Meanwhile, with the others…
Yelena, Blade, Kate, Kamala, and Riri stood frozen, jaws slack as they stared at the impossible sight before them.
John, armed with nothing but a pistol and a combat knife, was tearing through the undead with flawless precision. Every shot landed squarely between the eyes. Every slash of his blade dropped a target instantly. He moved with terrifying grace, weaving through the horde like he was dancing, and with each movement another corpse fell.
Yelena's voice trembled in awe. "I don't believe it… His form has no flaws. I've been trained my whole life to be a perfect assassin, and I still make mistakes. You could tell me I was looking at Death himself—and I'd believe you."
Blade's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a quiet mutter. "No… that's the kid." He clenched his jaw, almost unnerved as he added under his breath, "If this is him playing human, I can't wait to see the disguise drop."
Melina and Alexei came running up, their faces pale with urgency. "Base is lost! Everyone, full retreat!" Melina shouted.
Yelena immediately stepped forward, barking orders. "Follow me!" She took the lead, guiding everyone toward the parking garage.
Melina deliberately slowed her pace, falling behind. As the others rushed through the heavy security doors, she stayed behind. The doors began sliding shut, and from the other side she heard Alexei's desperate voice. "No! Don't do this!"
But she ignored his pleas, her fingers flying over her tablet as she tried to control the incoming horde.
A calm, almost playful voice spoke at her side. "So, you know you're gonna die if you do this, right?"
Melina nearly dropped her tablet, whipping around to see Nico standing there as casually as if they weren't surrounded. "What the hell are you doing here? You should have run!"
"So should you," Nico replied with a shrug. "But here we are. They're getting closer, by the way."
"Shit," Melina muttered, typing faster. "Almost got it!"
The horde came surging down the stairwell, countless rotting forms pouring toward them. Nico only stared in quiet amusement, watching them approach like one might watch a show.
Melina finally let out a sharp breath. "Got it!" The tablet beeped, and the undead instantly froze in place.
At the top of the stairs, Okoye's undead form stood, her glowing red eyes locked on them as she gripped her vibranium spear. "The dead follow you," she said in a voice filled with malice.
"No," Melina retorted, holding her tablet proudly aloft. "They follow science."
"Science doesn't beat magic," Nico said flatly, his tone dripping with certainty.
Okoye's lips curled. "The child is correct. Meet those that follow the Queen."
Suddenly, all of the zombies Melina had under control snapped their heads toward her and Nico, their eyes burning with crimson light.
Nico didn't hesitate. He placed a hand on Melina's shoulder, yanking her into the shadows with him. They slipped through the darkness just in time, Okoye's spear punching clean through the blast door where they had been standing.
The weapon's shaft quivered in the metal, but Nico merely smirked and dragged the spear into his shadow. "Nice souvenir."
Okoye's inhuman screech rattled the hallway as Nico pressed his palm to the blast door. Darkness spread across the steel until it was black as midnight, reinforced by his shadow magic. "That won't hold forever," he warned.
As if to prove him right, the zombie abomination slammed its massive fists against the door, the metal groaning under each blow.
"Tell me you can get us out of here," Melina demanded, her voice tight with panic.
Nico smirked. "Don't puke."
"What do you—" she began, but her words were cut off as he pulled them both through the shadows.
In the blink of an eye, they emerged inside one of the Humvees where the widows were already behind the wheel. The sudden appearance made the women cry out in shock. "Mama! Strange demon child—you're okay!"
Melina lurched forward and leaned out the window, vomiting violently onto the ground.
"I told you not to puke," Nico said, looking more amused than sympathetic.
The widows glared at him, their faces pale. One hissed, "If you hadn't saved us, I'd spank you, child. We all puked—your traveling method is horrible!"
Nico only shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"
Melina finally steadied her breathing, wiping her mouth before quickly tapping at her tablet. Seconds later, the base erupted behind them in a fiery inferno, flames clawing at the night sky.
"No!" Yelena's anguished scream rang out. "Mama!"
Melina leaned halfway out of the Humvee's window. "I'm over here!" she called.
Yelena ran up with Alexei at her side, both of them nearly collapsing in relief. "Mama, you're okay! How is this possible?"
"This child can apparently travel through shadows," Melina explained, gesturing toward Nico. "He saved me just in time."
"We should move," Nico interrupted, his tone serious now. "That explosion didn't kill them. They're already chasing us again."
As if summoned by his words, the guttural roar of the zombie abomination echoed behind them, followed by Okoye's inhuman shriek.
Melina's eyes widened. "Drive—now!"
The convoy peeled away, engines roaring, as they fled into the night with the undead horde already at their heels.