"Barton, report. What's your status? …Barton, do you copy?"
At S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters, Director Nick Fury, the one-eyed "man with the eyepatch," stood in his office holding a communicator. His face was unreadable as his voice echoed in the room.
When no reply came, Fury set the device down and turned toward the massive floor-to-ceiling window, silently overlooking the sprawl of New York City.
A minute later, the door opened. A woman in a sleek black tactical suit walked in. Her figure was lithe and dangerous, her face beautiful yet sharp, and her long red hair framed her piercing gaze.
It was none other than Natasha Romanoff—the Black Widow.
"Director," she said coolly, "what happened?"
Even Fury—who rarely showed cracks in his armor—felt the weight of her presence.
"Agent Romanoff," Fury said evenly. "We've lost contact with Barton. I need you to head to Coville Manor and find out what's going on."
Fury's mind replayed the static-filled comms call. Hawkeye had managed to get a signal out before the line went dead. The situation was bad.
Peggy Carter—the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.—was at Coville Manor. If Barton was compromised, then Carter was in danger too.
"Coville Manor?" Natasha repeated. Her expression hardened. "That's Peggy Carter's home?"
Natasha respected Carter more than anyone. Peggy wasn't just a legend in the intelligence community—she was the reason Natasha had ever been given a chance at redemption. Without Carter's endorsement, the former Red Room assassin would never have been allowed to join S.H.I.E.L.D.
Meanwhile, at Coville Manor itself—
On the rooftop of the vintage estate, Clint Barton hovered helplessly in midair, suspended by invisible force.
"Tell me, Agent Barton," Allens said, strolling closer, "do you want me to kill you?"
With a flick of his hand, a blade of raw psychokinetic energy pressed against Clint's forehead. Blood trickled down his temple.
"Who… are you?" Barton asked coldly, unflinching even as death loomed inches away. Years of service had hardened him. He would not give his enemy the satisfaction of fear.
Allens leaned close, whispering in his ear with a mocking grin:
"Hail HYDRA."
For the first time, Clint's composure wavered. HYDRA—an enemy long thought destroyed—was alive. His mind raced, wondering what kind of resurrection this meant.
Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted. Behind Allens, the Fury-double—an operative wearing the Director's likeness—appeared and unleashed twin bursts of fire at point-blank range.
BOOM!
The armor-piercing rounds exploded against Allens' telekinetic barrier, the shockwave blasting him off the rooftop and down into the manor itself.
Clint collapsed back onto the shingles, gasping for air as the invisible pressure on his body vanished. He wiped the blood from his temple, eyes narrowing with grim resolve. He'd brushed with death plenty of times before—but never like this.
"Allens…" Clint muttered, "isn't going to be easy to kill."
Inside the shattered living room, Allens pulled himself to his feet. The space was simple—plain furniture, old photographs of Peggy Carter with children, but nothing of Steve Rogers.
With a wave of his hand, he unleashed another illusion. A duplicate of himself stepped through the window, drawing the attention of Barton and the Fury operative outside.
"So…" Allens sneered, "where did Captain America hide the Quantum Suit?"
Objects around him rose and spun in the air, caught in his telekinetic grip. But the room yielded nothing. No sign of the technology he sought.
Floating upward, Allens ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor. The moment his boots touched the landing, a figure awaited him—frail with age, but eyes sharp as ever.
Peggy Carter.
She stood tall despite her years, both hands steady on a weapon glowing with eerie blue light.
"Whatever you're trying to do here, boy," she said flatly, "it isn't going to work."
A chill ran down Allens' spine. His psychic sight flared—white eyes glimpsing a flash of the future. Death, incoming.
"Goodbye, boy," Peggy said, and pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
The energy beam sliced across the room. At the last possible instant, Allens blasted himself sideways with psychokinesis, crashing through the wall. The beam vaporized solid concrete where he'd been standing.
The fight was far from over.
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