New York City.
Manhattan.
Palm Street.
Number 521A.
Inside a spacious detached Villa with its own garage and utility room, behind the mailbox on which "Phoenix's Home" seemed to have been recently branded.
Gwen woke up early and checked her phone. She didn't mind that Hawk hadn't called her in seventeen days.
After all, Hawk had told her before that this trip might take some time.
So…
Gwen threw back her covers, stretched, and then walked barefoot to the bathroom in her room.
A moment later.
After taking a shower, Gwen tied her blow-dried blonde hair into a high ponytail. The first thing she did was put her Andromeda Saint Cloth necklace back on, which she had placed aside during her shower. Then, she opened her closet, changed into a comfortable loungewear, and turned to leave.
Summer vacation had already begun. Gwen walked from her bedroom to the living room, turned on the TV, and then entered the kitchen. She found a few recipe cards she had copied from her mother's house a few days ago, planning to try making something today. If successful, Hawk could enjoy her newly learned dishes when he returned.
On the large TV in the living room, the beautiful anchorwoman of New York TV was broadcasting the latest New York City news.
It was called news, but it was mostly commonplace occurrences.
Like shooting incidents.
Like bank robberies.
In the free United States, gunfights happen every day, and in New York City, gunfights are measured not by the day, but by the hour.
Gwen was multitasking, listening to the news broadcast from the TV in the living room behind her while preparing ingredients according to the recipe cards.
Just then.
...Next is news from yesterday's Times Square shooting incident.
According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation insider contacted by this station, the shooting incident was orchestrated by Sharon Carter, from London, who has now been confirmed to be from an international terrorist organization…
"Who?!"
"Sharon?!"
Gwen, who was diligently cooking in the kitchen, heard the familiar name and was slightly stunned. She turned, grabbed the cooking knife in her hand, and quickly walked to the living room, looking at the TV where a photo was displayed in the upper right corner by the New York TV anchorwoman.
It was a photo of Sharon Carter.
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation has currently listed Sharon Carter as a wanted fugitive. Please…"
"Hiss!"
"Sharon is wanted?"
"That's not right."
"Isn't she from some global secret law enforcement agency?"
Gwen gasped instinctively as she looked at Sharon's wanted photo on the TV.
Just then.
Thump thump!
An urgent knocking sound came, startling Gwen.
Gwen instinctively turned to look at the door.
Sharon's voice, sounding somewhat weak, came from outside.
"Gwen, it's me, Sharon…"
"…"
Gwen stood still, paused, then ran to the door and opened it.
With a thud.
Sharon's car stopped on the lawn outside the door, and the moment she opened the door, Sharon, covered in blood, collapsed at Gwen's feet.
Gwen was startled.
The next second.
Gwen, regaining her composure, quickly helped the blood-soaked Sharon into the house. After swiftly closing the door, she helped Sharon lie down with a thud on the rug in front of the living room fireplace.
Sharon had been shot in her right shoulder and abdomen, and both wounds were profusely bleeding.
Gwen quickly fetched the household first-aid kit, then ran and knelt beside Sharon, preparing to help Sharon stop the bleeding.
But just as she was about to start, Sharon, leaning against the sofa, weakly stopped Gwen.
"The bullets are still inside; you need to remove them first."
"I'm the Sheriff's daughter, Sharon."
Gwen, who had already taken out pliers and alcohol, ready for disinfection, listened to Sharon's reminder and said to Sharon in a relaxed tone, "You'll be fine, don't worry."
Although Gwen didn't know what exactly had happened.
But…
Sharon was Hawk's friend, and therefore her friend too.
That was enough.
Gwen had been a little flustered just now because Sharon was covered in blood, not for any other reason. But as the Sheriff's daughter, after the initial panic, Gwen quickly regained her composure. She might not know how to handle other injuries.
But the treatment for gunshot wounds.
This was beyond mere homework.
Knowing how to deal with it is one thing; actually doing it is another.
However, despite taking some time, Gwen successfully removed the two bullets from Sharon's wounds. With the bullets removed, Gwen then took out the sutures, looked at Sharon's wounds, and said to Sharon, "There's no anesthetic at home…"
Sharon's somewhat pale face managed a faint smile.
"It's okay, go ahead."
"Alright."
Seeing this, Gwen didn't hesitate. While suturing Sharon's wounds, she diverted Sharon's attention to lessen the pain and curiously asked what exactly had happened.
Sharon, whose abdominal wound was being sutured by Gwen, instinctively arched her back due to the pain, gritted her teeth, and gasped as she quickly explained what had happened to Gwen.
Simply put.
HYDRA had launched its second struggle.
More specifically.
HYDRA members, who had been lurking in S.H.I.E.L.D. Bases around the World, simultaneously began their second struggle yesterday at 2 PM Washington time.
Gwen, hearing the keyword HYDRA, almost shook her hand. She quickly steadied herself, then stared wide-eyed at the pale-faced Sharon.
"HYDRA?"
"Weren't they already eliminated?"
Because that's what history books said.
So Gwen's expression was incredibly incredulous when she heard that HYDRA had reappeared and had been lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D. all this time.
Equally incredulous was Sharon.
"I also find it hard to believe."
"But it's the truth. HYDRA never truly disappeared; they were parasitic within S.H.I.E.L.D., secretly growing stronger by feeding off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources."
"Ten days ago, I went to Black Jail to retrieve Dr. Mallick, who had been arrested a few years ago for human cloning experiments, and I discovered something amiss."
"Because the Dr. Mallick imprisoned in that Black Jail was not the Dr. Mallick I saw in the original files."
"But all electronic data indicated that this Dr. Mallick was indeed Dr. Mallick."
"At first, I didn't make a fuss. After bringing Dr. Mallick back, I found Commander Hand and told Commander Hand about it."
"Commander Hand also realized something was wrong and immediately contacted Commander Hill through a secret channel."
"There's a problem within S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Because Commander Hill was still in Wakanda and couldn't return temporarily, she instructed Commander Hand to initiate a secret investigation first."
"In the past few days, with Commander Hill's authorization, we found that not only in Black Jail, but even in various warehouses storing dangerous items, many goods had been replaced."
"And the time span was very long. Even Commander Hill's side detected that a portion of Vibranium had gone missing right under her nose."
"But she couldn't act immediately, fearing she would tip them off, so she secretly contacted Director Nick Fury."
"Because Commander Hill was in Africa, Director Nick Fury, whose authority had been suspended, had his temporary authority restored. In his capacity as Director, he recalled Natasha and Barton from Africa, then contacted Captain America, arranging for the three to rendezvous en route to investigate the destination of the cargo ship carrying the Vibranium."
"And then…"
"We still tipped them off."
"Yesterday at 10 AM, Director Nick Fury, who had left the headquarters, was ambushed."
"But he made it to Captain America's side, only to be attacked again and declared dead."
"By the time Commander Hand and I received the news, HYDRA, also lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D. in New York, had also begun to act. Caught off guard, many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were directly shot. I was originally taking Commander Hand to escape the Base."
"But Commander Hand was shot in the leg, so Commander Hand stayed behind to cover my retreat, allowing me to escape from the Base."
"After that, I hid outside for a night. When I felt their search efforts had lessened, I found a car by the roadside and drove here to you."
Actually, Sharon's first choice was not Gwen's place.
She didn't want to bring danger to Gwen.
HYDRA only wanted to conquer the World, and if Gwen was in any danger, then the World would probably be in danger.
What if something really happened to Gwen, and an enraged Hawke roared, "My beloved is dead, I no longer care about right or wrong," and then flipped the table, completely destroying Earth?
But…
New York was vast, and there were few places left for Sharon to go.
The safe house was immediately ruled out.
After all, this rebellion happened within S.H.I.E.L.D., and the safe houses she knew, HYDRA would undoubtedly know as well, probably waiting there for her to walk into their trap.
Next were S.H.I.E.L.D.'s friends throughout New York City.
Thor, a T0-level combatant?
But Thor had gone to New Mexico with his girlfriend, Jane Foster.
Iron Man, a T1-level combatant?
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had also gone to the ROK, to stand in for Dr. Helen, who had completely healed Tony's wounds, as her regeneration lab opened for business.
As for the Witch Carrie, who had the potential to become a T1-level combatant?
Carrie had followed her Witch teacher to New Orleans a while ago to visit other extraordinary Witches.
Natasha and Barton were even less reliable.
Because they weren't even from New York, and at this time, Captain America was being hunted, so Natasha and Barton were probably not in a much better situation than her.
So, after a round of calculations, she remembered 521A Palm Street.
The result…
HYDRA seemed to have anticipated this as well; the two gunshot wounds on Sharon's body didn't appear during her escape yesterday, but rather were sustained on the way here, just as she was driving.
But it was strangely miraculous.
As soon as her car entered the Palm Street district, the two HYDRA cars chasing her immediately braked.
Gwen listened to Sharon's account, blinking her eyes.
"They stopped outside the Palm Street district?"
"Yes."
Sharon nodded, then thought of a possibility: "S.H.I.E.L.D. has information on Hawke, and HYDRA definitely does too. Perhaps in HYDRA's eyes, Hawke is also someone not to be provoked."
A reputation precedes one, for better or worse.
To Hawke's friends, Hawke was undoubtedly a very easygoing person.
But in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, besides the official codename phoenix, Hawke also had the private codename of Demon King.
Because Hawke was a terrifying Demon King who, once provoked, could easily explode, leading to the destruction of a family at best, or an entire race at worst.
General Ross's family served as an example for the former (family destruction).
The Wakandan savages served as an example for the latter (racial destruction).
Although Hawke was not currently in New York City, only his fiancée Gwen was home.
But…
Provoking Gwen was even more terrifying than directly provoking Hawke.
Hawke was merely a Demon King.
But Gwen was known as the Demon King's Shackle.
The last little dark ones who tried to harm Gwen ended up with their race annihilated, and it wasn't long ago; the thick white ashes in Wakanda still haven't been completely cleaned up.
Sharon speculated that it was precisely because of this that HYDRA dared not pursue them into Palm Street, not wanting to give any chance for misunderstanding, and completely preventing the terrifying Demon King from erupting.
Gwen's small mouth was slightly agape.
She had thought HYDRA's reputation was terrifying beyond compare, but she never expected that HYDRA seemed to fear Hawke as well.
But was Hawke really that terrifying?
Hawke was quite nice, and very obedient too; he'd wash his hands when told, suck when told, lick when…
Gwen quickly shook her head, focusing her attention on the present, and said to Sharon, "So, I should be safe here with me, right?"
At this moment, Gwen had already finished providing emergency first aid to Sharon.
Sharon looked at the bandages wrapped around her shoulder and abdomen, trying to get up, but the intense pain still made her body go limp.
Seeing this, Gwen helped Sharon sit on the sofa.
Sharon looked at Gwen.
"Do you have a phone?"
"Yes."
Gwen nodded quickly, turned and ran to the kitchen, grabbed her phone, and walked back towards Sharon.
Sharon took the phone, looked at the signal displayed on the screen, twitched her lips, and handed it to Gwen.
"They've blocked the signal here."
"…"
Gwen took the phone, and as she looked at the 'No Signal' prompt, she saw Sharon struggling to get up from the sofa.
"Wait, Sharon, what are you doing?"
"I must leave here. If they attack, you'll be in danger."
Better safe than sorry.
If HYDRA succeeded, they still had a chance to counterattack.
But if Gwen was dragged into danger, the World might be lost.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, looking at Sharon who was trying to get up, and quickly reached out to push Sharon back onto the sofa: "They're right outside. If you go out now, aren't you just walking into a trap? And didn't you say they wouldn't dare come in once they reached Palm Street, didn't you?"
Sharon shook her head: "No, if Hawke were here, they definitely wouldn't dare come, but Hawke isn't here now, and no one can guarantee if they truly won't dare to come in."
Gwen was speechless: "Sharon, Hawke has only temporarily left New York City, he's not gone forever."
Sharon's expression froze, and she looked up at Gwen.
Oh, right.
Hawke had only left, he wasn't dead.
Would HYDRA dare to gamble?
Just then.
A knock sounded at the door.
Sharon subconsciously snapped back to reality, grabbing the pistol she had placed aside.
Gwen was also startled, then turned her head towards the door.
Outside the door, three Agents in Federal Bureau of Investigation uniforms knocked: "Ms. Stacy, Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Gwen frowned.
Sharon's voice was low: "They're here. Go upstairs, don't come down, Gwen."
As Sharon spoke, she rose from the sofa, a hint of abnormal redness on her pale face, planning to have Gwen go upstairs while she fought the final battle downstairs.
Then…
She was pulled back by Gwen.
"You hide. I'll go see first."
"What, you…"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Gwen took out her Andromeda Saint Cloth necklace and smiled at Sharon: "Hawke's gift to me, I won't encounter any danger."
She remembered Hawke telling her about this necklace when they were in Kamar-Taj.
As long as she encountered danger, the necklace would automatically protect her.
And…
She didn't know why, but as soon as she thought about opening the door and facing the HYDRA Agents, her heart not only felt no fear, but a slight thrill of anticipation.
Perhaps, maybe this was because, whenever she encountered danger, Hawke always appeared before her at the first possible moment.
Just like the last time she was targeted by the assassin hired by Betty Ross.
And the last time the Wakandan savages sent killers.
Hawke always appeared before her on time, shielding her behind him.
So…
Gwen was not afraid, but rather a little excited.
Gwen spoke to Sharon, and without waiting for Sharon's reaction, she turned and walked towards the door.
Sharon, who had originally tried to stop Gwen, watched Gwen walk towards the door without explanation, gritted her teeth, glanced around, then leaned against one side of the wall, her body pressed tightly against it, ensuring that if there was real danger, she could immediately fire at the enemies outside.
Although this didn't guarantee Gwen's safety, it was better than truly hiding and letting Gwen face the danger alone.
Soon.
Gwen, who was already at the door, turned her head and saw Sharon standing against the wall, holding a gun with both hands. After taking a few deep breaths, she stood up and opened the door after it was knocked on again.
The moment Gwen opened the door, she saw three Federal Agents, wearing black suits with 'FBI' vests, standing at her doorstep.
The three Federal Agents also saw Gwen, whose pure white loungewear was stained with a lot of blood, after she opened the door.
Their eyes met.
Gwen's tone was as calm as possible.
"Can I help you?"
"…"
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