Meanwhile, near the lunar space station, Nick Fury stared silently at the satellite feed.
The image was slightly blurry, but he could clearly see Maria Hill kneeling.
Fury took a slow breath, disbelief written across his face.
"Connect to the satellite network. I need communication restored with Hill and the Avengers."
"Understood, Director."
The technicians immediately got to work, and within moments Fury reentered the communication channel.
"Hill, what's happening? Axel disappeared. I'm trying to locate him."
Hill forced herself to steady her breathing before replying.
"What situation could there be? At least he got what he said he wanted."
Her voice trembled slightly despite her effort to remain calm.
"Director, what about your double?"
"I'll send a retrieval team immediately. I will not allow a comrade's body to end up in someone else's laboratory."
Fury answered firmly. Just as he finished speaking, he froze.
The satellite image updated.
A moment later Fury gritted his teeth.
"Damn it. Axel is sitting on the nuclear missile. Maybe he actually has a way to stop it."
"But we can't rely on some unknown guy."
Steve Rogers cut into the channel.
A moment later he jumped from the street and landed on the Chitauri aircraft Natasha was piloting.
Together they steered the alien craft toward the incoming missile.
At the same time, Axel gripped the speeding nuclear missile tightly as he stood on it.
"Wait… how the hell do you stop one of these things?"
A second later he vanished.
He reappeared in front of Hill.
Hill was currently supervising agents who were collecting the Skrull bodies. Seeing Axel appear again startled her.
She took a breath and asked cautiously.
"So you're going to break your promise?"
"No. I just realized something."
Axel pointed at the Skrull corpse lying nearby.
"Are you really Hill, or are you another Skrull?"
Hill stared at him in disbelief.
"You came back just to ask that?"
Axel shrugged.
"How is that trivial? If you were a Skrull then helping you would be a complete waste of my time."
Hill clenched her fists.
"Damn it. I do have a double, but this is the Helicarrier's maiden operation. Either Fury or I has to be the real one."
"I don't believe that."
Axel shook his head casually.
Then he grabbed Hill's hand.
"Wait, what are you doing… ah!"
Before she could react, Axel ripped off her pinky finger.
Hill barely managed to suppress a scream.
Axel calmly examined the severed finger, turning it in his hand.
After confirming it did not transform, he handed it back to her.
"Alright, my mistake. You're the real Hill. I got a little impulsive."
He waved casually.
"Go reattach it. If you move fast it should still work."
Hill stared at him silently, picked up the finger, and rushed toward the medical bay.
She had barely taken two steps when Axel called out again.
"Wait."
Hill stopped and shouted angrily.
"What now? Can't you just say everything at once?"
Her patience snapped.
"You want to look, right? Fine. Look all you want."
She reached for the waistband of her pants.
Axel suddenly crushed the skull of a nearby agent who had been aiming a weapon at him.
Blood splattered across the floor.
"Damn it," Axel said irritably. "Do you think these idiots can see what I'm looking at?"
He glanced at the agents surrounding them.
"They're all going to die anyway. Every single one."
Hill froze, her hands stopping at her waist.
"Stop. I was wrong. I won't do it."
Axel nodded with satisfaction.
"Good choice."
Then he spoke casually.
"The only reason I stopped you was to ask something."
Hill stared at him with disbelief.
"What?"
"How do you detonate a nuclear missile early?"
Hill rolled her eyes in exhaustion and looked toward the agent still trapped in Axel's grip.
Axel noticed and casually tossed the agent aside.
Then he wrapped an arm around Hill's shoulder as if they were old friends.
"Come on, explain it."
As they walked toward the infirmary, Hill answered wearily.
"It's an airborne nuclear missile. It doesn't require special activation. Like most missiles, a strong impact can trigger the detonation."
Axel nodded.
"Got it."
Then he disappeared again.
The moment he vanished, Hill's legs gave out and she nearly collapsed.
She barely managed to steady herself.
Her severed finger rolled across the floor during the stumble.
With shaking hands she picked it up again.
Into the communicator she whispered.
"Track the nuclear missile through the satellite network. I hope he actually keeps his promise."
Agents rushed over and helped her toward the infirmary.
At the same time Axel reappeared on top of the nuclear missile.
New York City was already visible in the distance.
Axel slapped his forehead.
"Oh shit. It's almost there."
He moved to the front of the missile.
"Alright, let's see what happens."
Under the watch of multiple satellites, Axel punched the missile with all his strength.
Boom.
A massive mushroom cloud erupted in the sky.
The explosion instantly vaporized Axel's remaining pants.
Even his body, strengthened countless times, could not fully withstand the blast.
Skin peeled away under the nuclear fire. Flesh burned and twisted under the shockwave.
For a brief moment, inside the blazing cloud, Axel's jaw moved slightly as if he wanted to say something.
But no sound came out.
A moment later he vanished.
When he reappeared, he stood naked in front of Hill again.
Hill nearly collapsed when she saw him.
She had not even reached the infirmary yet.
Axel suddenly threw his hands into the air and burst into laughter.
"Holy shit. That was amazing!"
This was the most complete death Axel had experienced since the first time he died.
At the center of a nuclear explosion, not a single cell of his body had survived.
The destruction had given him an enormous surge of power when he revived.
He felt energy flooding through his body.
Across from him, Hill stared in disbelief.
"What the hell are you so excited about? What about the missile? Did you just fly around naked over Manhattan?"
Axel pointed downward.
"The missile? I already dealt with it."
He laughed.
"The explosion even blew off my pants."
Hill's eyes widened.
"You're serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. Ask the satellites if you don't believe me."
Still grinning, Axel pulled Hill into a sudden hug.
Hill stiffened immediately.
Her voice trembled.
"Does surviving a nuclear explosion always make people this excited? Because right now you're incredibly hard."
"That's because I'm looking at you, damn it."
Axel muttered, then quickly grabbed Hill's jacket and wrapped it around his waist.
He waved dismissively.
"Stop staring and go get your finger reattached."
He smirked.
"Playing instruments with only four fingers isn't very convenient."
With that Axel walked into the command center and casually sat down in Nick Fury's seat.
Around him dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stared in stunned silence.
Axel slammed his fist onto the metal table, instantly cracking it.
"Hey. You."
He pointed at the nearest female clerk.
"Don't run. I'm talking to you."
"I… I'm listening."
She swallowed nervously.
Axel glared at her.
"Then why the hell are you just standing there?"
He gestured toward his body.
"Go find me some damn clothes. Do those eyes under your eyebrows actually work or are they just there for decoration?"