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Chapter 192 - Chapter 192: Pierce Completely Enraged

"Hawk is back!"

"Fuck!"

Alexander Pierce—acting with the authority of a Federal Council member and having taken full control of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters after Maria Hill was sent to Africa to handle Wakanda's fallout and after Director Fury's assassination—cursed when the latest report from New York came in.

Especially when he heard Sharon Carter had escaped into Palm Street, Hydra agents had chased her there, and worse—while they were threatening Gwen, Hawk returned and caught them red-handed.

Pierce was livid.

He hadn't even been optimistic about this "second uprising" plan to begin with.

It was far too rushed. The three Insight Helicarriers equipped with the Insight algorithm were still in the final testing stages.

But—

The bowstring had already been drawn.

Better to risk everything and rise again than fade into silence and die.

A gamble. A last fight.

So Hydra seized this rare window of opportunity.

Maria Hill stuck in Africa.

Thor in New Mexico.

Tony Stark retired, off in South Korea with Pepper Potts.

Even Hawk had been deliberately lured away from New York by Zola.

This was as perfect as windows got: with a god, a god-tier being, and a billionaire genius all absent from the capital, resistance would be minimal.

Captain America? Hardly worth fearing.

Yes, Hydra's previous leader had fallen to him.

But that was an accident.

This time—

They were stronger than ever.

They didn't even need to kill Captain America. Once the three Insight Helicarriers achieved permanent orbit, it would be checkmate.

Through Zola's algorithm, they could process data on billions of people instantly, identify potential threats, and eliminate millions—tens of millions—within minutes.

But—

There were two targets they absolutely dared not provoke.

First, Thor.

Not Earth's Thor, but Asgard's. One wrong move and Asgard's armies would descend. So he was off-limits. Luckily, he too was away.

Second, Hawk.

The ash of Wakanda still hadn't settled.

So Hawk was untouchable. Thankfully, Zola had arranged to push him out of New York in advance.

But while Hawk was gone, Gwen was still there.

Pierce had given strict orders: don't go near Palm Street, no matter what.

And yet—

Some fools had gone anyway. Worse, they tried to threaten Gwen just as Hawk returned.

"They didn't ask me before going in, but only after screwing up they come crying to me?"

Pierce almost laughed from sheer fury.

His aide, standing stiffly nearby, spoke quickly. "Sir, they did request approval."

"Who the hell approved it? Who?"

"Dr. Zola."

"Zo—"

Pierce actually chuckled.

Once again, Hydra was proving it was no monolith. Less a single organization, more an alliance of leftovers—remnants of the old war, self-styled elders who had survived through guile and now clung to power.

Pierce himself was not one of those relics. He was Hydra's new blood, a leader of the next generation.

And as everyone knew, old and new factions never aligned.

Pierce often cursed Arnim Zola and Strucker both—fossils long past museum pieces.

And now, with New York's operation left to Zola, his man John Garrett acted as Zola's proxy.

"What does this mean? They ignore me beforehand, but after causing a disaster, expect me to clean it up?"

Pierce sneered coldly.

The aide kept his head down, silent.

Pierce didn't need advice. He drew a long breath, picked up his phone, and connected directly to Dr. Arnim Zola.

The digitized voice answered at once.

"Pierce."

"Zola, you sent men to Palm Street?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Pierce's tone was icy. "You made this mess. You clean it up."

Zola's voice was steady, unbothered.

"My algorithm predicted that in Hawk's absence, under maximum pressure, Sharon Carter would step out to protect Gwen."

"But Hawk returned."

"Yes."

The voice remained flat, devoid of emotion. The real Arnim Zola had died in 1972. This was but a program—a ghost of memory wrapped in code.

It could not lie. It could only calculate.

And while it had predicted Hawk would leave to search for Peter, it had not foreseen his return.

But that didn't matter.

Zola accepted responsibility without hesitation.

Pierce did not.

"You made this mess, you solve it."

"I will. Though Hawk's return was outside my projections, New York is insignificant. I will contain the fallout there."

"You'd better."

Pierce hung up, tossed the phone aside, and downed a glass of ice water.

Then he flicked on the signal jammer and looked at his aide, eyes gleaming.

"Arnim Zola cannot be allowed to remain."

Zola's clone program.

Strucker's experiments with artificial beings.

All dangerous.

If Hawk uncovered them, Hydra would face annihilation.

And Pierce resented it deeply.

He hadn't even done anything. Had even lost men. Yet he'd still be lumped in with Zola and Strucker, sharing Hawk's inevitable wrath.

At first, he'd let himself be persuaded onto their ship.

Now—

He realized he had another option.

Kill Zola first.

Otherwise, these old fossils would drag him straight to hell.

Strucker too.

That one was even worse. The man was in Sokovia, still alive, still dangerous. Said to have eaten an alien in Japan to prolong his life. Independent, powerful, and hoarding secrets that, if Hawk ever learned of them, could trigger cataclysm.

Strucker wasn't easy to kill. But not impossible.

When the Insight Helicarriers launched, Pierce had already chosen his first target: Sokovia.

One strike to erase Strucker, his castle, and the nightmare hidden within—before Hawk could ever learn of it.

Yes. Once the fossils were gone, Hydra's rebirth would no longer be a dream.

Cut decisively, or be ruined.

Last time, Hydra had failed because of dead weight. This time, Pierce would not repeat it.

First Zola. Then Strucker. Hydra under Pierce alone.

His eyes burned with resolve as he turned to his aide.

His look said everything.

You. Go pull Zola's plug.

The aide blinked, then understood. "Yes, sir. I'll send the Winter Soldier to Jersey to shut him down."

"…No!"

Pierce raised his hand sharply.

That had been his first thought too—dispatch the Winter Soldier.

But now—

A better idea had come.

One that would ensure Zola was silenced, while making sure Hawk's fury never touched his precious Insight program.

(End of Chapter)

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