Special Agent 2: The Dark Soldier

Chapter 65

Romanoff could barely conceal her satisfaction as Pierce stared in horror at the three helicarriers, slowly and dramatically plunging into the Potomac. The other council members stood silent, mixed emotions swirling on their faces. Insight was dead and now they could finish SHIELD and HYDRA for good.

Time to wipe the rest of that red out of my ledger.

"Your plan has failed, Secretary," one of the councilmembers stated. "Your dear Project Insight is drowning as we stand here."

Romanoff carefully watched Pierce. The helicarriers of Insight may have come crashing down, but that didn't mean the operation was over. HYDRA still existed, growing as a cancer inside SHIELD. And of course, there was still Pierce.

So she waited until the right moment.

Pierce's jaw worked, his eyes trained on the destruction through the broad windows. He barely reacted when one of the councilmembers began to speak again. "Secretary Pierce, you are under arrest." He raised his hand to gesture for the guards outside the office and Romanoff tensed. Those guards are HYDRA, I'd stake my life on it.

I can't let them in here.

Romanoff watched the door open, the councilmember who had assumed control telling them to arrest Pierce and quickly. Both the agents' eyes flicked to Pierce, waiting for his command, and the former Soviet assassin surged forward.

She drove the spike of her high heel into the leg of the first agent as Pierce gave the subtle nod of command, grabbing his weapon arm and twisting the pistol out of his grip. Before the second agent could get a clear shot, Romanoff fired the pistol at him and scored a direct shot through the neck. She then spun on Pierce as the first agent collapsed, her heel still stuck in his leg, and she kicked off her remaining heel to even her footing out.

"Don't move, Mr. Secretary."

Pierce narrowed his eyes, regaining control over his formerly surprised expression. "Councilwoman, what a shock," he commented neutrally.

Slowly, Romanoff reached up and peeled off the face modifier, revealing her own youthful features, fixed in a quietly smug expression. "It is, isn't it?"

****

"This will come back to bite you," Pierce warned minutes later, his eyes tracking Romanoff's fingers flying across the keyboard. SHIELD and HYDRA secrets were currently being opened, preparing to be uploaded to the internet for all to see. She knew the consequences of this would shut down SHIELD, indefinitely if not forever, and open a scandal to rival Watergate.

Lives, ruined. Covers, blown. Heads, chopped off and prevented from growing back. And that's all that mattered, in the end. The death of HYDRA, once and for all.

"It'll bite everyone," Romanoff returned, not deigning to return Pierce's gaze. "This is the end."

"It's the end of your cover, too."

Despite herself, Romanoff's fingers paused, although her eyes didn't move. She cursed herself for the hesitation, knowing Pierce had seen and would seize on his momentary success in making herself doubt the plan.

"Are you ready for the world to see you as you really are?" He didn't say the next words, but she could imagine them nonetheless. Are you ready for them to see you dripping red?

Romanoff flashed back to that trip in the quinjet to the USS Gauntlet, trading arguments with Bishop.

"He's not crazy."

"He killed eighty people in two days."

"And how many people have you killed, Agent Romanoff? I think you're in no position to judge him."