Arrest

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, conference room.

Alexander Pierce tapped his fingers on the table. It was hard to imagine that this former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was actually a member of Hydra.

He had once been Nick Fury’s superior and had personally promoted him to the position of director. He had also served as a key leader in the national security apparatus, frequently entering and leaving the White House, and now worked as a consultant for the World Security Council.

Beneath that string of dazzling honors, he was actually a high-ranking Hydra operative. The irony was exquisite.

"Has the Winter Soldier completed his mission?" He put on a miniature earpiece and contacted someone through an encrypted channel.

Earlier, Nick Fury had been forced by the World Security Council’s demands to grant access to part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, bringing Project Insight into the open.

This had put Alexander Pierce on alert. If Nick Fury truly succeeded in establishing worldwide surveillance and tracking, Hydra would no longer have a place to hide.

So he had decided to strike first and eliminate the troublesome Black director. Once S.H.I.E.L.D. was left without a leader, Pierce would undoubtedly take over the position with his prestige and abilities.

"The operation failed. The Winter Soldier has disappeared." A voice came through the earpiece.

The Winter Soldier, who had captured Nick Fury, had suddenly vanished without a trace. The signal from the tracking device implanted beneath his skin had disappeared as well, leaving Hydra utterly baffled. For all these years, this brainwashed killing machine had never made a single mistake.

"Useless!" Pierce slammed his fist down on the table, rare fury appearing on his face. "The Winter Soldier isn’t important! Nick Fury is the key! Find him at all costs!"

Hydra could always create more super soldiers, but the Black director they had captured with such difficulty was an invaluable bargaining chip. He possessed vast amounts of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s core secrets and was of incomparable value.

Pierce knew full well that Fury was highly vigilant and deeply suspicious. He never completely trusted anyone, not even trusted agents like Coulson and Maria Hill.

That was why he had not killed the one-eyed Black man immediately. He wanted to pry more secrets from his mouth. As for torture and psychological brainwashing, those were naturally Hydra’s specialties.

"Before Nick Fury was captured, he sent Steve Rogers an encrypted message." The second piece of bad news followed close behind.

Pierce’s expression turned grave. Captain America was Hydra’s old adversary. Red Skull had lost to him back then, nearly getting the entire organization wiped out in the process.

Later, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s predecessor, launched Operation Paperclip and recruited some German scientists as spoils of victory to absorb and integrate. At the same time, this gave Hydra an excellent chance to rise from the ashes.

"Bring Captain Rogers here." Pierce removed his earpiece. Since the plan had gone awry, he had to respond.

Twenty minutes later, Captain America, dressed in his Stars and Stripes Uniform, arrived at the conference room. In the spacious room, only Pierce waited quietly.

"I’m Alexander Pierce. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My father used to serve in the 101st Airborne Division. He often told me of your heroic deeds."

Pierce adjusted his glasses. As a senior agent, he was well versed in every kind of psychological tactic. Dealing with the renowned Captain America certainly called for something subtler than crude threats and coercion.

"This photograph was taken five years after Nick and I met. I was at the State Department in Colombia at the time. The local National Liberation Army occupied the embassy. The guards helped me escape, but the rebels took hostages. Nick was in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s overseas security. He proposed a plan to launch an assault through the sewers and rescue the trapped government officials."

Pierce spoke to himself, a faint look of nostalgia appearing on his face as though he were immersed in old memories.

Steve looked at the photograph without speaking. He had never been good at conversation, so he merely listened in silence.

"…I vetoed the operation. I said the rebels would negotiate sooner or later, but the result was unexpected. The rebels ordered everyone killed. They swept through the basement, and it was empty… Nick disobeyed my direct orders. He acted on his own, completed the mission, and rescued more than a dozen government officials in one stroke, including my daughter."

"Captain, I have never regretted promoting Nick or placing him in the director’s seat. In fact, he did the job better than I ever did."

Pierce stared unblinkingly at Captain America and said solemnly, "I want to know the true content of that message."

The unexpected question made Steve’s gaze flicker. He was not good at lying, nor could he deceive a senior agent.

But when he remembered Nick Fury’s message, he still chose to remain silent.

This was not because Steve distrusted Alexander Pierce. This bespectacled middle-aged man had a flawless and distinguished record, one beyond anyone’s questioning.

But Steve did not consider himself a smart man. He only knew how to faithfully carry out the tasks entrusted to him, just as he had on the battlefield seventy years ago.

"You may not know this, but Nick installed surveillance equipment in your home. Even your isolated female neighbor is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

Pierce tried to break down Captain America’s psychological defenses, but it seemed ineffective. Steve’s face remained calm, without the slightest sign of anger.

"Sir, the situation is extremely urgent. I need to investigate that assassin." Captain America stood up, preparing to leave.

"My position as a consultant to the Council was not my own wish. Nick personally asked me to take it, because we are both realists. We both understand that, beyond diplomatic maneuvering and empty pretense, building a better new world sometimes requires destroying the old one, and that inevitably makes enemies."

Pierce remained seated, tapping his fingers against the tabletop with dull thuds.

"Others will call you shameless and filthy because you are willing to do things that cannot bear the light, all to create the beautiful world in your heart." His tone turned cold. "Captain, before Nick disappeared, he contacted only you—he trusted you."

"And I hope you can give me that same trust. Perhaps it will help S.H.I.E.L.D. find a new lead, so I will ask one last time—what did Nick tell you?"

"He told me not to trust anyone," Steve answered.

A trace of surprise appeared on Pierce’s face, but he quickly regained his composure. Still seated, he removed his glasses and wiped away nonexistent dust.

"I must uncover the truth. Anyone standing in my way, I will make them regret it—no matter who they are!"

"Excuse me."

Watching Captain America push open the door and leave, the Hydra higher-up picked up the telephone on his desk and said coldly, "Arrest Captain Rogers."

The Winter Soldier had vanished, Nick Fury’s whereabouts were unknown, and accidents kept occurring one after another. He could not afford further complications. He had to seize control of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s internal situation with lightning speed.