Had it not been for the sudden thunderstorm over a small town in Colorado and the discovery of a dozen charred creatures afterward, Pierce might not have been so alarmed.
The investigation revealed that William had applied for permission to bring his Mk. III armored squads into the U.S. for this very location—a request that was denied. Yet, suspiciously, his teams had not remained idle in London. Instead, they boarded a transport plane headed for Mexico, raising questions about whether his intent was to eliminate the creatures or capture them.
Halfway through their flight, however, the thunderstorm occurred, and the plane returned to London. Still, this timeline strongly suggested William had prior knowledge of the creatures' presence.
Further analysis of the charred remains indicated that these were either experimental escapees or extraterrestrial organisms. Pierce leaned toward the latter theory, especially since the mountainous area near the town bore signs of a massive explosion. Metal fragments from the site hinted at a possible alien spacecraft, and the creatures appeared to have emerged from it.
Given the gravity of the situation, Pierce, the head of Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D., felt compelled to meet William personally.
But now, after being bluntly told to "stay away," with a veiled threat involving Kingsman if he didn't, Pierce's composure faltered. William's words strongly suggested he was aware of Pierce's true affiliations, and the Hydra leader couldn't help but feel a chill of panic.
Turning back toward his car, Pierce climbed inside, trying to suppress his growing anxiety. He needed to reassess, find a way to test if William truly knew the extent of his secrets.
Unbeknownst to him, five or six tiny, bean-sized spider robots had latched onto the shoes of both Pierce and his men, slipping unnoticed into the car.
As the car doors closed, one of Pierce's subordinates muttered, "Sir, why not approach Devonshire's women? With five of them, we're bound to find a weak link."
Pierce leaned back in his seat, silently weighing the risk. He knew full well that targeting William's women would provoke a level of retaliation he couldn't afford.
But what if they used someone else—an untraceable third party? Surely, Devonshire wouldn't suspect Hydra.
The idea was tempting, but another thought gnawed at him: A man with many women can often be indifferent toward them. Would William even confide anything to them?
Seeing Pierce's silence, the subordinate mistook it for tacit approval and began to dial a number.
"Forget it," Pierce snapped, shaking his head. "Judging by how Devonshire treats his women, it's unlikely they know anything of value. And the risk is far too great—it's not worth it."
"But, sir, that Abigail Chase—she's already managing his companies. She must know something."
"No buts," Pierce growled.
Still, he was beginning to doubt his approach. Perhaps he should attempt diplomacy first. He turned to scold the subordinate further, only to freeze as he noticed a faint metallic glint on the man's collar.
A spider-like robot, no bigger than a fingernail, was perched on the edge of his subordinate's jacket.
Before Pierce could issue a warning, the tiny spider raised two razor-thin legs and sliced into the man's throat with surgical precision. Then, in an instant, it burrowed into the gaping wound.
"Damn it!" Pierce cursed, but before he could act, a muffled explosion sounded from within the man's neck.
Blood sprayed across the car interior, painting Pierce's face and clothes. His subordinate clutched at his throat, but it was too late—he collapsed, lifeless.
Staring at the mangled remains of the man's neck, Pierce trembled in sheer terror.
He realized now that this was no ordinary spider but a deliberately engineered device. And there was no question about who had sent it.
The subordinate had barely suggested targeting William's women before being executed in the most horrifying manner. If Pierce had agreed to the plan, he couldn't shake the chilling thought: Would I have been next?
His fears deepened when he saw more metallic spiders crawling over the partition between the passenger compartment and the driver's seat.
As he watched, the spiders began scratching at the partition, etching words into its surface.
Within seconds, the message was clear: "DON'T MESS WITH ME."
Pierce let out a shaky breath, only for the spiders to continue etching: "GOODBYE."
"Wait! Wait!" Pierce shouted in panic. "I swear I won't interfere with you again! If you kill me, Hydra will never stop hunting you. You can't kill all of us!"
The spiders paused. Moments later, a final message appeared: "Remember what you said, Mr. Pierce."
It dawned on Pierce then that William had never intended to kill him—not yet, at least. Instead, he had baited Pierce into revealing his true affiliations, leaving behind undeniable evidence.
If Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D. dared to target William again, Pierce's identity as a Hydra operative would no longer remain a secret.
Suddenly, a soft notification sound came from his dead subordinate's phone. At the same time, the remaining spiders scurried to the car door, opened the window, and leaped out, vanishing into the street.
Only then did Pierce feel a measure of relief.
By the time his car arrived at the airport, his hands were trembling as he picked up the blood-stained phone.
Disembarking with a bloodied face and clothes, he ignored the startled stares of his bodyguards and crew, issuing only one cold command:
"Dispose of the driver and the body."
"Understood," replied a Hydra operative, who promptly snapped the driver's neck and drove the car away.
As the plane ascended, Pierce, freshly changed and cleaned, hesitated for a long while before finally opening the message on the phone.
To his surprise, it contained data about the charred creatures, along with an edited video that William had spliced together.
The video showed the discovery of the Antarctic pyramid, the Alien Queen frozen in ice for thousands of years, and the deadly xenomorph attacks on Charles Weyland's expedition team.
At the end, a final warning appeared:
"Do not obstruct my search and research of the xenomorphs. I will find the secret to eternal life."
Pierce stared at the message, a mix of awe and relief washing over him.
Eternal life... he thought, his heart racing. Perhaps this is the only thing left that could drive someone like William Devonshire.
As the prospect of eternal life ignited his own ambitions, Pierce realized he might have a new angle to work with. Perhaps, just perhaps, cooperation with William was not entirely out of reach.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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