Marvelous Mutations

Just moments ago.

Inside the general control room of Project Insight, nestled within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s towering headquarters, Alexander Pierce stood frozen, eyes locked on the silent communicator.

The call had ended abruptly.

And his face, once calm and cold, was now a muddle of confusion and disbelief.

"This Luke... why doesn't he play by the rules?"

Pierce blinked, as if trying to shake off the absurdity of the situation.

"When did I insult him?" he muttered. "My goal was just to stall. Just delay!"

And yet, that bastard hung up on him. Just like that.

The rage started to build. His neck flushed crimson as his jaw tightened.

"Get that lunatic's hands off my helicarrier!" Pierce bellowed. "Now! You have one minute, regain control before he destroys everything!"

His voice cracked with desperation. This was Hydra's last card, the culmination of decades of covert engineering, political manipulation, and necessary bloodshed.

And it was all slipping through his fingers.

Then he looked up.

Through the wide observation window, Pierce spotted something that froze the blood in his veins.

Helicarrier 001, still hovering in the sky like an airborne beast, had shifted. The massive cannons, missile pods, and pulse turrets were slowly, deliberately turning.

Aimed directly at them.

At the S.H.I.E.L.D. building.

At him.

His breath caught in his throat.

"What the hell does that lunatic want now...?"

His mind raced, heart pounding. This was madness!

He wasn't the only one to notice.

All around the control room, Hydra agents shot to their feet, chairs screeching as they stumbled back from their consoles. They were professionals, some of the most dangerous operatives in the world, but fear is a powerful equalizer.

They knew what those weapons could do. They had seen them in action just minutes ago.

Helicarriers 002 and 003 had already been reduced to flaming wrecks, scattered like ashes across the ground. The hundreds of people on board died in an instant.

Now, 001 has locked onto them.

Was this the end?

The answer was written on their faces, wide eyes, pale cheeks, trembling hands.

And then, panic.

Someone screamed, and the entire room erupted in chaos.

Agents shoved past each other, clawing toward the exits like rats escaping a sinking ship. A few tripped, only to be trampled underfoot. The air was thick with the sound of boots, curses, and raw, animal desperation.

Even Pierce stumbled as someone barreled into him.

But he didn't run.

He simply stood there in the center of the storm, fists clenched, shoulders slumped.

He knew there was no time to escape. No point in trying.

He was on the 20th floor. By the time he reached the ground, it would already be over.

Besides... even if he survived, what then?

He was Hydra's face, its backbone. S.H.I.E.L.D. would hunt him down to the end of Earth.

He let out a bitter chuckle.

"So this is it," he whispered.

There was no panic in his voice now, only a heavy, hollow acceptance. On his face appeared a crooked smile, tinged with regret.

After all those years of plotting, manipulation, and careful chess moves...

It was the owner of a small grocery store who brought him down.

Maybe, just maybe... he should've sent the Winter Soldier with a gift basket instead of a gun.

Boom! Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!

Explosions rocked the night as the Helicarrier unleashed hell.

Missiles screamed toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. The building shuddered under the impacts before fire and steel tore through its structure.

In less than a minute, the once-imposing skyscraper was reduced to nothing but twisted rubble.

Ash and debris filled the sky.

…

A short distance away, Maria Hill collapsed behind a half-crushed sedan, panting, dust clinging to her skin.

The moment she saw the helicarrier's guns turn, her instincts had kicked in, and years of intensive physical training carried her far enough to survive.

But just barely.

Now she stared at the smoldering crater where the headquarters once stood, her heart still hammering in her chest.

Gone.

The entire building, gone just like that.

Hundreds dead. Maybe thousands.

She placed a hand on her chest, quietly thankful that she made it out.

…

Meanwhile, Nick Fury stood in stunned silence inside Luke's grocery store, arms limp at his sides.

Even from here, he had felt the tremor ripple through the ground. Heard the distant rumble of a skyscraper collapsing.

It was too late to stop it.

He slowly lowered himself into a nearby chair, the weight of the night crushing down on him.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was gone.

Everything they'd built, the resources, the trust, the infrastructure, it all went up in smoke.

After the battle of New York, S.H.I.E.L.D. had finally received the funding it desperately needed. The helicarriers were the result of that.

And now... they were all gone.

Just like that.

Fury felt like crying, but his body was too exhausted for tears.

…

Luke's expression didn't match the devastation outside.

In fact, his eyes lit up as the system prompt echoed in his mind:

[Ding~ Congratulations to the host for in-depth participation in the core Marvel plot: Project Insight. As Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes did not participate in the final battle, 60% of the reward has been deducted. 2 plot points obtained.]

"What?"

Luke blinked.

Only two points?

He had expected five, at the very least.

After all, Hydra was obliterated. The plot had advanced spectacularly.

But the system was clear, Steve and Bucky had been sidelined from the final confrontation, and their absence diluted the significance of the event.

Luke sighed.

Still, he couldn't complain too much. He now had 18 plot points, getting closer to the 30 required for another upgrade.

And more importantly...

He had this.

A fully functional helicarrier. Fully armored, with cloaking systems, nearly indestructible. The ultimate mobile base, and the perfect means of transport to travel long distances with style.

He grinned.

Soon, he'd hire staff to manage the store, then take Sharon and Wanda on a grand tour of the world.

All aboard the helicarrier.

"Bumblebee," Luke said calmly, though excitement leaked through his voice. "Park the helicarrier above the shop. Keep it hovering."

The smart car responded immediately. The massive vessel drifted overhead, almost invisible behind its cloaking shield.

Luke's smile widened.

Meanwhile, across from him, Fury wore a look of bitter resignation.

This was the helicarrier he'd poured years into designing.

Now it belonged to someone else.

At least Hydra was gone.

And maybe... maybe being Luke's ally was the safest route after all.

Fury cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um... Consultant Yale, I'll take my leave. There's a lot to clean up," he said, voice unusually formal.

Hydra might be dead, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was in shambles.

Luke looked at him with a trace of reluctance.

"It's late. Want to rest first? The guest room's free," he offered earnestly.

Fury shook his head. "No time for sleep. Not tonight."

Luke nodded, watching as the director headed for the door.

But after a moment, he called out, "Want me to drop you off in the helicarrier?"

Fury paused mid-step.

Then, silently, he raised a hand in farewell, never turning back.

As he disappeared into the shadows of the street, his silhouette looked smaller, almost lonely, like a man carrying the weight of a shattered world.

…