With a deafening roar, searing flames almost instantly melted the reinforced glass on the outer layer of the Helicarrier.
The raging tongues of fire swept across, melting the bullet that was about to end Fury's life into liquid metal mid-air. Droplets of the molten iron splashed down onto his clothes.
"That's hot..."
The burning metal scorched his skin, yet Fury's heart was filled with relief.
No matter how much he viewed LexCorp and its superheroes as a threat, at this moment, the thought of Hydra taking complete control of the Helicarrier was far worse.
"Damn it!"
Pierce's face twisted in shock as he saw the flames pouring in. Even Fury and Coulson, after injecting a full dose of Scarlet Serum, could barely stand against him. There was no way he could compete with the Fantastic Four.
Being a team with strong heroic emotions didn't make them weak. On the contrary, the Fantastic Four's frequent global activity had shown the world just how powerful they were.
Without hesitation, Pierce spun around and ran. At the same time, he used the internal communication system to issue a final order to every Hydra operative aboard the Helicarrier.
"Everyone! Activate the last stand protocol!"
The command was barely out before Hydra agents scattered across the vessel began to move.
Just like Pierce had earlier, they pulled out vials filled with a green liquid and injected them into their bodies, gaining terrifying strength in an instant.
Within moments, a dark green glow filled the entire Helicarrier, radiating a sinister energy.
As the flames gradually receded, Fury finally saw the support he had long been waiting for.
The Thing, Ben Grimm. The Invisible Woman, Susan Storm. And the one who had saved him at the very last second, Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.
"Let me guess. Your cool captain has already started acting on his own, hasn't he?"
Johnny stepped forward with a smirk. "Congrats, you got it right. Our cool captain has probably taken down a few Hydra agents by now. As for you, just lie there and watch how superheroes solve problems."
The moment the words fell, flames erupted around him once again. His body ignited like a blazing fireball as he shot toward the depths of the Helicarrier.
Ben and Susan exchanged a glance, both seeing the same helpless look in each other's eyes.
Especially Susan. As the older sister, she had always been steady. After her marriage to Luthor, she had become even more mature.
She once believed that, through their missions, Johnny would slowly change because of the responsibility on his shoulders. But who could have imagined he would somehow find a strange balance between recklessness and composure?
A balance where he never changed his carefree ways, but still completed every mission flawlessly.
"When we get back, I need to talk to him. He can't keep charging in like this. He's not Dick."
With that, she and Ben turned and left, leaving only Fury and Coulson lying weakly on the floor.
"Sir, what do you think about all this?"
It seemed Coulson had already foreseen what was coming. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. would not survive this encounter. His tone carried less formality now, as he even made a rare joke at Fury's expense.
After all, as the one-eyed man's most trusted aide, Coulson understood better than anyone how deep his obsession with superheroes ran.
Ever since Captain Marvel and the Kree appeared in his life, Fury had been convinced that maintaining peace required people with extraordinary abilities to protect it.
The emergence of Vought International was, in a way, the realization of his dream.
The reason S.H.I.E.L.D. and LexCorp ended up on opposite sides was simply because Fury never felt comfortable with the existence of a company like Vought being in anyone's hands but his own.
If their positions were reversed, he would have made the exact same choice as LexCorp.
"My thoughts? If only I were the one leading these superheroes..."
As he spoke, Fury closed his eyes.
He was exhausted. Not just from this ordeal, but from the very day he joined S.H.I.E.L.D., when he began shouldering the heavy burden of world peace, little by little.
Even if it might have been nothing more than his own wishful thinking, he had indeed been moving toward the path of global peace. For that, he made countless efforts, forcing himself to remember every abnormal event on Earth, never allowing himself a moment to rest.
This only grew heavier after becoming Director. Once he embraced that power, the number of matters he needed to handle multiplied beyond measure.
But now, it was all over.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would be completely disbanded today. And he... he was no longer a director, just an American about to stand before a military tribunal.
* * *
Meanwhile, the battle raged across the Helicarrier.
When Johnny had saved Fury, Dick had already infiltrated the ship. But this place was still under Hydra's control. Stealth alone could only get him so far.
Bang!
A muffled thud echoed as a Hydra operative, his body wrapped in dark green energy, collapsed to the floor.
Beside him, Dick crouched, checking the access card he had just taken.
"No good. The clearance level is too low. I can't reach the control room. Support team, what's your status?"
By now, he had reached the door to the control center.
Thanks to the cosmic energy enhancing his physical abilities, even Hydra agents who had gained great power through unknown means were no match for him.
The man at his feet hadn't even realized Dick was there before blacking out.
Now, Dick linked his suit to the control room's door via a data cable and attempted to hack it with support from Vought's tech team. But in the end, the results weren't promising.
"Nightwing, our attempts show the Helicarrier's security level is extremely advanced, far beyond Earth's average technology. It's second only to LexCorp headquarters and Vought's own main database. I'm sorry. Unless Mr. Luthor or Mr. Pennyworth handles it personally, breaking through is impossible."
"Is that so?" Dick nodded slightly, giving up on the idea of hacking the security door.
Regarding asking Luthor or Reid for help... if those two were willing to act personally, things wouldn't have escalated this far.
"Looks like I'll have to find someone with a high-level clearance card."
If hacking was out of the question, his only option was to take an access card from someone ranked high enough to open the control room.
Just as he turned to leave, his enhanced senses picked up rapid footsteps coming his way.
"Someone's running in this direction?"
**
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