"Knock knock!"
"Come in!"
Maria Hill, who was in her office dealing with documents, heard the knock and said without lifting her head.
The door opened.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Victoria Hand walked in from outside, her expression showing a hint of inexplicable glee, but also nervousness.
"Hill, Hawke is back."
"…"
Maria Hill, who was processing documents, subconsciously looked up and placed her pen aside when she heard this.
"Back in New York?"
"No, according to the trajectory, his destination is Washington D.C."
"...Washington D.C.?"
Maria Hill raised an eyebrow.
Victoria Hand then recounted how the new New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander had come knocking, only to be vaporized by Hawke, and how over fifty S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in Westview were also instantly turned into fireworks by Hawke, and that Hawke was now openly flying at tens of thousands of feet directly towards Washington D.C.
When speaking of the new New York Commander, Victoria Hand had no good tone.
That's not right.
Even the new New York Commander's mother, the current U.S. Federal mixed-race council member, showed no good face.
The reason was simple.
As soon as this new New York Commander took office, he turned New York S.H.I.E.L.D., which Sharon had previously managed in an orderly fashion, into a chaotic mess.
His mother was just as bad, a true reflection of her son.
Let's put it this way.
This so-called 'Security Council Superhero Act' was concocted by this new Federal council member, David Harris, after he took office.
It was clear who David Harris's true target was with this act.
After all… which Security Council member wasn't the elite of the elite, the talent of talents, a millennium-old fox among foxes in their own country?
Alright.
The other three might not be.
But the East Asian council member, without a doubt, had fought his way through countless challenges, so he naturally knew what David Harris, originally a Wall Street capitalist nominated by the President to be a Federal council member, intended to do.
However!
East Asia had the Spearhead Bureau, and the Polar Bear had the Shield Bureau, so even though they knew what David Harris wanted to do, they still abstained, as usual.
No matter how chaotic it got, it would only be chaotic in the West.
So, with East Asia and the Polar Bear abstaining, David Harris rallied Paris and London, then found one hundred and fourteen small countries, claiming that one hundred and seventeen countries had passed the Superhero Act.
It required all superheroes active on Earth to register and accept the Security Council's control.
But her real target was Hawke.
In David Harris's words:
Hawke is too dangerous; he must be controlled by us.
As for why he wasn't controlled before, it was because she didn't know.
But now she knew.
So… the reason seemed righteous.
But in reality?
"The Wall Street squids, do they think the wind has died down, and they are back in business? Seeing the spaceship Hawke cobbled together, they push a Harris forward, to see if they can snatch it?"
"No choice, Hawke used to be a lone wolf, with no weaknesses."
Victoria Hand listened to Hill's shaking-head complaint and chuckled: "It's different now; Hawke has parents, a sister, a wife, and children, so they think Hawke can be threatened."
Maria Hill was amused.
"From what damned angle do they think Hawke can be threatened?"
"Is it the ruins of Quantico?"
"Or the wasteland of Wakanda."
"Or the failed HYDRA."
"Or the abyss of the Atlantic Ocean."
"Maybe they think, 'let's try; if he can be threatened, it's a huge win; if not, Harris is taking the fall anyway.'"
"Heh."
Maria Hill looked at the poker-faced Victoria Hand: "Alexander Pierce thought the same thing back then."
Victoria Hand shrugged: "Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. After Sharon was branded a traitor by her, she pushed to separate New York S.H.I.E.L.D. from our Headquarters."
Yes.
New York S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters had already split.
Although New York S.H.I.E.L.D. still bore the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters sign, the new sign 'Security Control Bureau,' pushed by this council member Harris, had already spent fifty million U.S. dollars and was being custom-made for replacement.
"Sharon…"
Maria Hill thought of Sharon and frowned: "Have you still not found Sharon?"
Victoria Hand shrugged, saying nothing.
Maria Hill raised an eyebrow.
"Found her?"
"I don't know."
"…"
Maria Hill listened to her Commander's answer, first falling silent for a moment, then shaking her head and smiling: "That's fine, as long as we can contact her when needed."
As she spoke, Hill seemed to think of something and looked at Hand.
"You just said the SHIELD Satellite captured Hawke flying towards Washington D.C.?"
"Yes."
"Estimated location?"
"You won't like to hear the answer."
"...You're right."
Hill heard this, met Hand's expression, and nodded: "I don't think I've taken my leave this month; never mind, I'll take a day off today."
This time it was Hand's turn to raise an eyebrow.
She looked at Hill, who was planning to run off at the drop of a hat, and opened her mouth.
"Wait, if you run off, what about me?"
"You can run off too."
Hill had already put on her jacket and smiled slightly at Hand: "Just find Sharon; I'm leaving first."
After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was the Security Council's S.H.I.E.L.D., not a family's S.H.I.E.L.D.
So… as long as nothing endangering World security happened, it would be impossible for even the King of Heaven to call her today and ask her to cancel her fake leave.
Hill left quickly.
As she walked out of the office and onto the deck of the Helicarrier, she immediately saw a golden light pierce through the clouds in the distance with a whoosh.
"Hiss!"
Hill quickly turned off her phone and then ran towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet that was already prepared.
Boom!
This was not the sound of the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet starting and creating a sonic boom.
It was the sound of the White House dome seemingly being penetrated by a meteor.
In an instant.
Piercing alarms immediately blared throughout the entire White House.
The Pentagon, approximately 4.27 kilometers in a straight line from the White House, a nine-minute drive, entered an emergency response state immediately.
The Minister of Defense immediately entered the operations center, and a series of Anglo-Saxon bigwigs in the room quickly stood up to greet the old White man who walked in.
"Minister!"
"Sit."
"What's going on?"
"The White Room has been breached."
"Hiss!"
The old White Minister, who had just been napping in his office, felt his scalp tingle abnormally upon hearing this.
"National Guard…"
"I'm already here."
Just as an Anglo-Saxon bigwig was reporting that the National Guard had already entered, a voice abruptly sounded in the serious atmosphere of the operations center.
The next second.
Hawke, clutching a mixed-race man, appeared expressionlessly in the sight of the many Military bigwigs.
The next second.
Crack!
Accompanied by a crisp sound of bones breaking, the many Military bigwigs watched in disbelief as the mixed-race man in Hawke's Hand had his throat directly crushed.
"President…"
"He's dead; get a new one."
"Thud!"
Hawke interrupted coldly as a Military official was about to mourn, then with a flick of his right Hand, he threw the corpse onto their operations command table, and his gaze fell on the old White Minister's face.
"You now have two choices."
"First!"
"I'll give you three hours, but within one hour, I want to see David Harris; bring her here, and I want her alive."
"Then, within the second hour, I want to see the Superhero Act revoked."
"After that, in the final third hour, bring me the heads of those behind David Harris."
"I do not accept any form of delay, or so-called suicide."
"Of course, if you cannot accept this, you can choose the second option."
"Go to war with me."
"Believe me, don't choose this, and don't think I'm bluffing. I've wiped out Quantico, slaughtered Wakanda, and even erased the Vatican from Earth. If you think you can deal with me, feel free."
"But I advise you not to."
"Now!"
"The countdown begins."
After Hawke finished speaking, he ignored the armed soldiers who had burst in from outside, hearing the commotion while he spoke, and calmly closed his eyes.
The old White Minister shouted loudly at the charging soldiers.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!"
The other Military bigwigs, especially those fortunate enough to have survived Quantico, also roared repeatedly, fearing that some reckless soldier might pull the trigger.
Soon.
The situation stabilized, and amid the roars of the old White Minister and a series of Military bigwigs, the charging soldiers were kicked out before they even understood what was happening.
As the door to the operations command center closed again.
The grey-haired old White Minister looked at the corpse, which had been thrown onto the table, full of vigor this morning, now like a dead dog, and with a trembling arm, took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
His heart was currently racing wildly.
The old White Minister knew about David Harris and her so-called Superhero Act.
But he was just a Minister, and David Harris was someone pushed by behind-the-scenes financiers, so even if he thought this act might cause some trouble, he couldn't stop it.
Now, this was good.
Trouble had arrived.
But… the old White Minister looked at Hawke, who had closed his eyes after speaking, and swallowed hard.
"Mr. Phoenix, I assure you, my building absolutely does not…"
"I know."
Hawke didn't wait for the old White Minister to finish, opening his eyes and looking calmly at the old White Minister.
"I know you aren't the ones provoking me."
"But there's no choice; the people provoking me feel they have the backing of you, the Military."
"So…"
"One matter, one master; I'm only coming to you."
"David Harris, I want her alive; the Superhero Act, I want it abolished; the masterminds, I want their heads."
"You have two hours and fifty minutes left."
"…" (End of Chapter)
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