Daniel stepped out of Nick Fury's office, inwardly wiping sweat from his brow.
After a marathon of explanations, oaths, and borderline begging, the one-eyed director finally accepted that Daniel had zero intention of quitting S.H.I.E.L.D.
While he was at it, Daniel pushed his luck: from now on, unless it was something actually challenging, spare him the coffee-run errands. He'd outgrown those.
Fury, surprisingly, agreed and even tossed him a full day off.
Reason? No high-level ops were available; every juicy mission had already been snatched by senior agents.
"Even the NPCs are speed-running the meta," Daniel muttered as he roamed the corridors.
Come to think of it, he'd never properly explored headquarters. Every visit was a beeline to Fury's office; half the map was still pitch black.
Perfect chance to poke around for hidden quests or loot boxes. Some devs loved torturing players with that nonsense.
Mini-map open, he headed straight for the unexplored zones.
S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ was absurdly huge. An hour later, the map was still only seventy percent lit.
Eventually he stopped in front of a sleek office door. The room beyond was completely dark on his map.
Private offices here belonged to big shots—Level 8 clearance and up. Way above a Level 5 nobody like him.
Daniel shrugged and pushed the door anyway.
Inside, a silver-haired gentleman in a sharp suit sat behind the desk. Across from him stood a bald agent with glasses, mid-report.
Both men froze the moment Daniel barged in.
Glasses reacted first, hand sliding toward his sidearm. "Identify yourself. How did you bypass the lock? Why no alarm?"
So many questions at once.
Daniel figured this was probably a flag. "Name's Daniel. You don't need the details. As for the alarm—hacked it. Simple."
Glasses: "???"
You're just… admitting that?
"You—"
"Enough, Agent Sitwell," the silver-haired man cut in calmly. "Leave us. I'll handle Agent Daniel personally."
"But sir, he—"
"I said it's fine."
Sitwell shot Daniel a death glare, then marched out.
"Please, sit," the older man said with a warm smile.
Daniel dropped into the chair like he owned the place and started fidding with a leather wallet.
"That belongs to…?"
"Oh, just a wallet," Daniel replied, emptying the cash into his own pocket before tossing the empty thing into the trash.
The driver's license that fluttered out was clearly Sitwell's.
Pierce: "…"
Professional pickpocket with a grudge. Noted.
Pierce leaned back. "I know exactly who you are, Agent Daniel."
"Word gets around fast, huh?" Daniel grinned.
"Top graduate to Level 5 in two months? Unprecedented. Impressive."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, sir."
"But I know more than that."
Pierce's smile turned cryptic. He leaned forward and whispered, "Hail Hydra."
Daniel's eyes went wide.
"You—"
Pierce nodded, satisfied. "Yes, I am—"
"What kind of password is that?" Daniel finished.
Pierce: "…"
Stop. Pausing. Dramatically.
Pierce exhaled through his nose. "Fine. I'm Hydra. And right now, your direct superior."
It clicked instantly.
Of course! His starting backstory: deep-cover Hydra mole inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mission: never blow cover, especially not to that paranoid cyclops Nick Fury.
Everything else—normal agent duties, rewards, the works—was fair game.
Daniel shot to his feet and snapped a perfect salute. "My apologies, sir! I didn't recognize you at all!"
Pierce waved it off. "Relax. Sleeper agents aren't supposed to know each other until activation. Frankly, if you hadn't wandered in here today, I wouldn't have woken you up myself."
He gave Daniel a long look. "Your caution was excellent, by the way. Never acknowledge 'Hail Hydra' right away. Good instincts."
"Uh… thank you, sir." (He wasn't about to admit he'd nearly forgotten he was Hydra.)
Pierce's expression turned businesslike. "Since you're active now, let's not waste it. I have a long-term task that suits you perfectly."
"Lay it on me."
"Keep eyes on Nick Fury. Every special assignment he gives you, every odd move he makes—report directly to me."
[NPC Alexander Pierce has issued a new quest]
[Quest: Hail Hydra]
[Objective: Relay Nick Fury's mission details and suspicious activities to Pierce]
[Reward: Scaled by completion quality and intelligence value]
Daniel saluted again, eyes gleaming. "Guaranteed success, sir!"
If S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let him shine, Hydra sure would.