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After pacing in his office for a long time, Pierce finally made a decision—he wasn't going to run. Not yet.
But just because he chose to stay didn't mean he wasn't going to prepare.
So, he made two key arrangements.
First, a personal escape route—just in case things spiraled beyond his control. If Nick Fury really was coming for him, Pierce wanted at least a sliver of a chance to slip away. If it came to that, he was prepared to abandon SHIELD, Hydra—everything—and run.
Second, before reaching the point of no return, Pierce wanted to fight back. He needed to figure out whether Nick Fury had actually discovered his identity. If not, he could continue playing his double role and keep hiding in plain sight. But if he *had* been exposed, then his next move would be to eliminate the source of the threat—Nick Fury himself.
After all, the last attempt on Fury's life nearly succeeded. Pierce didn't believe Fury's luck would hold a second time.
With Fury still missing, Pierce used the opportunity to tighten his grip on SHIELD. Quietly, he took control of most personnel and began issuing orders to reinforce the building. No one knew when Fury might strike, but Pierce was going to be ready.
As a last resort, if none of his plans worked, he was fully prepared to discard Hydra entirely and escape alone.
Pierce had no intention of going down with the ship. The idea of dying for Hydra was laughable to him.
What mattered most was survival.
He issued detailed commands to every department he could think of, stationing agents throughout the building. But he kept the reason vague—none of his subordinates understood what was coming. They simply carried out the orders, unaware they were being prepared to repel a possible assault led by Nick Fury.
Under Pierce's direction, SHIELD was running at full capacity, bracing for an attack.
He stood by the tall windows in his office, gazing out at the city skyline, mentally preparing to confront Fury face to face.
What Pierce didn't know was that the true threat wasn't Fury—it was Kai.
But that misunderstanding worked to Fury's advantage. Even if he knew what Pierce was thinking, he wouldn't have corrected him. Between Kai—whom he merely disliked—and Pierce, a Hydra leader buried deep inside SHIELD, there was no contest who he wanted gone more.
Meanwhile, back at the manor, Kai's team was fully mobilized.
But what Kai didn't know was that Pierce had already laid a trap.
He led the group right up to SHIELD headquarters and pushed the doors open.
They didn't get far.
After only a few steps, Kai received a discreet ping from Gear:
**"Master, I just checked SHIELD's surveillance. Something's off."**
Kai halted immediately.
The sudden stop drew confused glances. Everyone turned to look at him, wondering what was going on.
Without a word, Kai pulled out his phone and checked the real-time feed Gear had sent.
Gear had already highlighted key parts of the footage, making it easy for Kai to spot the abnormality.
The footage showed the lobby of SHIELD's first floor—business as usual on the surface. People walked in and out, creating the appearance of normal traffic.
But something didn't add up.
Gear had helpfully marked several individuals, enlarging their faces.
After a few moments, the same faces showed up again—looping back around, re-entering the building like new arrivals.
In reality, it was just the same group walking in circles.
Kai took a closer look at the entire lobby.
It was a complete illusion.
There weren't *different* people moving through the building—just a handful of operatives recycling the same route, pretending to be a crowd.
Now it was clear: someone had already guessed their intentions and had set up a fake routine to avoid suspicion. Surveillance was everywhere. The entire building—and probably the surrounding area—was being monitored.
There was only one person in SHIELD capable of orchestrating something like this: Pierce.
As Kai reviewed the footage, the others gathered around and peered at his screen. They, too, began to notice the abnormalities that Gear had flagged.
Steve furrowed his brow. "Kai, looks like someone figured us out. Shouldn't we move in now, before they bolt?"
He was itching to start cleaning house.
Kai shook his head. "No. Not yet."
He looked up and explained, "It's true—we've likely been compromised. And yes, the person behind this is almost certainly Pierce."
"But think about it—if he knows we're coming, why hasn't he just run? Why go through the trouble of stationing Hydra agents on the first floor, making it look like nothing's happening?"
Steve crossed his arms. "So he's planning to fight?"
Kai nodded slowly. "Looks like it."
And that made the situation far more complicated.
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