Wiping his bloody nose, Jameson's face was a mask of anger and confusion, "Who the hell was that? There was no mention of SHIELD agent matching her description in the database, and even if she was somehow kept a secret, how was she able to make it back to the helicarrier? All transmissions were cut off!"
With more questions than answers, Jameson had no choice but to retreat. While capturing Fury would have gotten him a significant merit from leadership and perhaps been his ticket to a promotion, he had already carried out his primary objective.
Beyond their physical assault on the helicarrier, Hydra had launched a cyberattack on an unprecedented scale, downloading terabytes of information that could be sold for profit or blackmail. They would spin a web across the entire globe, catching those in positions of power and using them as puppets to carry out Hydra's agenda, whether they were willing or not.
A smile spread across Jameson's face as he imagined such a glorious future, "And after this, I'll only need a few more successful missions as field commander before I rise in the ranks. I'll make my way onto the High Council, and then from there I'll be unstoppable and nothing will be beyond my reach."
"JAMESON!!"
A furious shout punctuated by a gunshot broke Jameson's daydreaming, and he ducked just in time to avoid the bullet that whizzed over his head. Spinning around, the Hydra Agent grinned at Fury, who strode down the hallway, his heavy leather jacket billowing behind him, "What did you think it was over, you backstabbing bastard!?"
"I was, but now that you've presented yourself so nicely, for I think I'll stick around," Jameson replied as his body tensed, waiting for Fury's next move.
Predictively, Fury pulled the trigger of his gun once more, but instead of a bang, a dry click rang out, and Jameson smiled as the Director of Shield cursed and threw his gun to the side before raising his one good hand.
"Do you seriously plan to fight me with only one hand?" Jameson asked as he raised both of his fists and started to shuffle towards Fury, who only shrugged his shoulders and settled into a martial stance, "It just means you actually have a chance of taking me down, so stop running your mouth and come fight me."
Needing no further encouragement, Jameson let out a roar as he charged Fury, throwing all caution to the wind as his footsteps pounded against the metal floor. Watching his approach, Fury didn't budge in the slightest, instead waiting and anticipating his opponent's opening move.
Leading with his right foot, Jameson planted his boot on the floor as his left fist came around in a wild haymaker that emphasized speed and power while exploiting the fact that Fury's right hand was out of commission, leaving him open.
With a grunt, Fury leaned back, letting Jameson's fist sail by, but even then, the displaced air splashed against his face, drying out his one eye. Fury replied with a simple jab that lacked any real power behind it, but Jameson respected Fury enough to catch the punch on his forearm.
"Come on, is that all the legendary Nick Fury can manage?" Jameson taunted as he stepped forward and shifted his shoulders, taking the role of an aggressor with a right cross.
Slipping the blow, Fury level changed as he stepped forward and rotated his hips, letting the punch sail past him and responding with a hook aimed at Jameson's unprotected side. The blow landed with a solid thud, and Fury grinned as he heard Jameson let out a grunt and stagger back.
Instead of pressing the advantage, Fury repositioned himself, resetting to his neutral stance. At the same time, Jameson sucked in a breath through his teeth, trying to ignore the urge to fall into a fetal position from the liver shot.
"Uh-huh, hurts, doesn't it?" Fury chided as he bounced on the balls of his feet and let out a cackle, "Come on now, I told you it wasn't gonna be easy!"
There was an audible creak as Jameson ground his teeth together, "I'm going to enjoy watching Madame Hydra taking you apart."
Throwing himself at Fury, Jameson started swinging his fist around like they were sledgehammers, batting the air left and right and forcing Fury back, leaving no time for him to counter.
At first, Fury was able to duck and sway out of Jameson's way, but before long, he was forced to deflect the punches with his one hand as he quickly tired out, and the brief contact proved enough to nearly knock him off balance.
Sensing blood in the water, Jameson entered a frenzy, abandoning any plan or technique and relying on pure force and overwhelming strength. Giving up more and more ground, Fury struggled with his movements, growing more and more sluggish.
Then the inevitable happened where one of Jameson's wild punches broke through Fury's guard, sending him reeling back and completely open. A malicious gleam shone in Jameson's eye as he lunged at Fury, his hands shooting out to wrap around the old man's neck, ready to choke him out.
But then a sly smile spread across Fury's face as suddenly his wounded hand that he had been clutching to his chest and shielding, suddenly shot down to his waist and pulled out a knife that he plunged into Jameson's arm, sending blood flying through the air.
Fury's face was a mask of pain and righteous victory as he ignored the agony from wielding the knife with his broken hand and twisted the blade, "Hurt, don't it, you motherfucker!"
Jameson let out a howl of pain, but with a heaving grunt, he punched Fury in the chest, sending him flying and breaking his grasp on the knife in Jameson's arm.
Fury grunted as he hit the floor, and Jameson groaned as he stared at the knife in his arm and then at Fury before seemingly making up his mind. Without wasting another second, Jameson turned around and fled, running down the hallway while Fury struggled to get back up to his feet, his body protesting the effort.
Making his way to the end of the hallway, Jameson grunted as he reached a hangar door. Grabbing the security panel where one would normally scan their ID, Jameson tore off the front panel, exposing the inner wires.
Ignoring the blood pouring down one of his arms, Jameson yanked on the wires until they snapped, sparking with electricity that he ignored, instead rewiring the control panel until the hangar door let out a soft beep and suddenly opened.
Hobbling through, Jameson entered the hangar filled to the brim with a fleet of aircraft, and after a split second of perusing, he set his sights on a fighter jet near the very back. Before making his way over to the aircraft, Jameson pulled on a heavy lever near the door, which was painted red and surrounded by hazard tape on the wall.
Without a grunt, Jameson pulled the lever trigger, a series of alarms and flashing lights as the back wall of the hangar opened, lowering itself down and revealing the open sky. Freezing cold, gale-force winds ripped through the hangar as the differences in pressure equalized, and Jameson struggled to remain standing but managed to ride out the storm before making his way towards the fighter jet.
Climbing up onto the chassis, Jameson opened the cockpit, but before he could climb inside, a voice rose above the wind, "Leaving so soon?!"
Looking over his shoulder, Jameson glared at Fury, who gazed up at him with a broad smile, despite his limp, "Can't fight through a little knife wound?"
"You may have won this time, Fury, but look around you, what do you have left?" Jameson snarled as he climbed into the cockpit. "SHIELD is done for, and soon enough, Hydra will show you just how many heads it has seeded over the years while you've grown old and weak. I'll be there to watch as you realize all your efforts have been for naught as the world crumbles around you."
Closing the cockpit, Jameson turned on the fighter jet, the powerful engine humming to life as it rolled forward towards the off ramp. Watching him go, Fury couldn't bring himself to chase after the Hydra agent instead sagging as he tried to catch his breath, 'He's right about one thing, I am too old for this shit!'
"Mr. Fury!"
Letting out a sigh, Fury turned around to see Squirrel Girl running over to him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, though he's gonna get away," Fury muttered as he glared at the fighter jet slowly making its way out of the hangar.
"No, he's not," Squirrel Girl replied cheekily, and before Fury could ask her what she meant, there was a flash of moment as something large and fury glided into the hangar and pounced on the fighter jet, tearing into the cock pit with its large front teeth and insisors.
"That's right, you gett'em Tippy Toe!" Squirrel cheered, jumping with joy as her massive mutant flying squirrel bit and clawed its way through solid metal before tearing into the would-be pilot.
Watching the scene, Fury just slowly shook his head, "That's it, I'm retiring by the end of this year."