The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 591, 1098, and 1099: Death Trap (Part 1)

"Heh, fine, fine. Since you're not going to let anything happen to Tiff Rogers before he arrives at the Supreme Court tomorrow... then I'll just let him die in front of the Supreme Court in public."

"So, this has nothing to do with me anymore?"

The rage and contortion on Alexander Pierce's face had vanished, replaced by a chilling madness and ferocity.

A sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth, like a venomous snake discovering its prey's weakness. He turned and gave Sitwell a chilling order:

“Immediately inform Rumlow to cancel the ‘cleanup plan.’ Tell them to be polite and bring Steve Rogers directly to me. Tell them I want to speak with him in person…”

"Also, have the Winter Soldier prepare in advance. Tomorrow... I want Steve Rogers to die in front of the Supreme Court in front of everyone!!"

Upon hearing the order, Hitwell's body trembled uncontrollably, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He could almost see the chaotic and bloody scene that would unfold tomorrow.

Without the slightest hesitation, he hurriedly replied, trembling, "Yes, sir! I... I'll take care of it right away!"

……

Half an hour later, escorted by Brock Rumlow and other special forces members, Captain America arrived at the director's office, but the person waiting inside was not Nick Fury, but Alexander Pierce.

"Oh, Captain, you've finally arrived."

Seeing Captain America being roughly shoved into the office by Brock Rumlow, Alexander Pierce enthusiastically stood up from behind his desk first.

He had changed into a well-tailored dark gray suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a perfectly appropriate apologetic smile on his face.

He strode confidently past the large desk, his movements fluid and full of confidence, as if he were a host welcoming an old friend at home, rather than confronting a wanted 'criminal'.

He extended his hand naturally, as if the glaring handcuffs on Captain America's wrists didn't exist at all, and introduced himself with a smile:

"Captain Rogers, I'm so sorry to meet you in this way... I am Alexander Pierce, the chairman of the Security Council. During Nick Fury's absence, I am temporarily in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Sir, it's an honor to meet you."

Captain America, with his handcuffed right hand, gave the other person a polite handshake, saying "It's an honor" but without showing the slightest smile.

After all, the person who ordered his arrest was the seemingly unassuming superior in front of him.

"No, Captain, it should be said that it is my honor."

Alexander Pierce's smile was so gentle and welcoming that it seemed he was completely oblivious to the coldness on Captain America's face. He casually waved to Brock Rumlow and the others at the door, signaling them to wait outside.

Brock Rumlow's eyes flickered, but he didn't raise any objections. Instead, he turned around and silently led the other special forces members out of the room, gently closing the office door behind them.

Alexander Pierce then turned to Captain America, adopting a nostalgic and warm tone, and said:

"Captain, you may not know this, but my father was a member of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He fought alongside you briefly... Of course, he was probably just one of the countless soldiers who looked up at your back."

Then, he made a 'please' gesture, pointing to the comfortable sofa next to the desk, "Please sit down, Captain."

Captain America frowned involuntarily. The situation before him was quite different from the torture or fierce confrontation he had imagined when he was arrested.

During his previous arrest, Brock Rumlow nearly shot him in public, and Captain America could even clearly feel the intense killing intent emanating from him.

But the man in front of him, who had personally ordered his arrest, was now behaving in a gentle and welcoming manner, which left him somewhat puzzled.

What exactly is going on?

Did I misunderstand him?
Or is Alexander Pierce up to something?
Questions, like bubbles rising from the bottom of water, churned and rose in his mind, but he could find no answers. So for now, he could only take it one step at a time and wait and see.

"Captain, I bet you're wondering right now why I ordered a warrant for your arrest, aren't you?"

Alexander Pierce also sat down on the sofa opposite Captain America, leaning slightly forward with his hands crossed on his knees, adopting an open and honest posture.

He casually feigned a look of reminiscence, his gaze seemingly piercing through time. "I've known Fury for over thirty years. Back then, he was the deputy director of a branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Central America... young, impulsive, but also incredibly talented."

"Later, in an extremely dangerous hostage rescue operation that was almost considered impossible by everyone, he successfully rescued more than a dozen local embassy staff members with amazing courage and... well, some less-than-compliant methods... including my daughter."

He raised his eyes and looked at Captain America with an honest gaze. "So, both professionally and personally, I owe him a huge favor... Later, I gave him a push and let him take over my position and become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Upon hearing this, Captain America looked at Alexander Pierce with some surprise.

Prior to this, he had no idea that the other party was the previous director of S.H.I.E.L.D., nor did he know that there was such a deep personal relationship between Alexander Pierce and Nick Fury.

But is this the reason for Alexander Pierce's 'friendly' attitude at this moment?
Captain America has serious doubts about this.
"Don't look at me like that." Seemingly noticing the strange look in Captain America's eyes, Alexander Pierce shrugged and said firmly:

"I know this approach is controversial; promoting a confidant always attracts gossip... but to this day, I have never regretted promoting Fury to succeed me as director." Captain America nodded noncommittally, offering no further comment.

However, Alexander Pierce suddenly changed the subject, his reminiscent expression instantly replaced by a businesslike seriousness, and his tone became sharp: "Captain, now, can you tell me why you attacked Nick Fury in the street?"

"Sir, I wasn't the one who attacked Chief Fury."

Captain America shook his head gravely and explained in a deep voice, "I was with Natasha flying the Quinjet abroad on a mission at the time, and there are complete flight records and communication logs to prove it... It's impossible for me to be on the streets of Washington at that time committing a crime."

“And…” he emphasized, his blue eyes looking directly at Alexander Pierce, “I have absolutely no reason to do such a stupid thing. Fury may not be my friend, but he is a comrade I trust.”

Alexander Pierce seemed to have anticipated his answer.

His face showed neither the joy of "I knew it" nor the disappointment of "the evidence is conclusive and you still try to argue," but rather a thoughtful calm.

He leaned back into the sofa, reached out and picked up a blue file folder with the word 'Top Secret' printed on the cover from the coffee table beside him, and slowly pushed it in front of Captain America.

“Actually, Captain, on a personal level, I don’t believe you would do something so treacherous… After all, Fury has praised your character to me more than once before.”

Alexander Pierce's voice was flat and emotionless. He tapped the file folder with his hand. "But the law and evidence are not sentimental... Whether it's the blurry but highly accurate images of you taken by passersby from multiple angles at the scene, or the biological samples collected by our technical department from the attack site, they all perfectly match the DNA samples recorded in your archives... All of this points directly to you, Captain Rogers."

Alexander Pierce's gaze sharpened, as if trying to pierce through Captain America's eyes and see into his heart:
“Captain, I believe you should understand that with such a solid chain of evidence, this cannot be easily explained away with a simple ‘I wasn’t there’!”

"What we need is strong evidence that can overturn these irrefutable facts, not... an empty denial."

Captain America took the heavy file folder, his fingertips able to feel the cold texture of the papers inside.

He took a deep breath and pulled out the document.

The first thing that catches the eye are some photos of the attack site... including the traces left by bombs on the ground during the attack, broken glass everywhere, and a blurry figure holding a shield taken from different angles.

The report was followed by a thick technical analysis report, including DNA comparison results, which clearly indicated a 99.99% match!

Every photo, every piece of data, is like a cold hammer, relentlessly hammering the label of 'murderer' onto him.

As Alexander Pierce put it, all the clues and 'facts' in this document point to an indisputable conclusion... He, Steve Rogers, was the culprit who attacked Nick Fury in the street that day.

A chill ran up Captain America's spine.

He never imagined that this setup would be so meticulous and so malicious.

After a moment's hesitation, he placed the document back on the coffee table, looked up, and calmly but firmly addressed Alexander Pierce:
"Sir, I know that before we find the real culprit and expose this conspiracy, anything I say now will not be able to completely clear my name; on the contrary, it will be seen as an excuse..."

"But compared to the fact that I was framed, there are two other things that I believe have reached a point of urgency and concern the lives of countless people!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Alexander Pierce across from him curled his lips into a knowing smile and slowly interrupted him in a meaningful tone:
"Captain, I think what you're talking about is the huge trouble that overly clever playboy Tony Stark has gotten himself into recently—Ultron…and the controversial Project Insight that Nick Fury has been pushing so hard for, right?"

Captain America was taken aback upon hearing this, his blue pupils contracting slightly.

He wasn't surprised that Alexander Pierce knew about Ultron's existence. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network was vast, and Ultron's previous rampage of looting multiple laboratories around the world must have already attracted the attention of major organizations.

Moreover, both Hawkeye and Black Widow are high-ranking agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

But the fact that the other party mentioned "Project Insight" so directly, and in such a calm tone, reminded him of Sitwell, who had disappeared during the attack.

He looked at Alexander Pierce with some uncertainty and asked tentatively, "It seems... Agent Sitwell wasn't silenced by those guys who attacked me? And he's already given you a detailed account of what happened on the rooftop that day?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "rooftop" and "report," intending to take the opportunity to observe Alexander Pierce's true reaction.

Alexander Pierce's enigmatic smile remained unchanged. He neither admitted nor denied it, as if Captain America's words were merely a breeze across a lake, failing to create any ripples in his presence.

He skipped over the question, adopting a businesslike demeanor, shrugging his shoulders as if to say, "Captain, regarding Ultron, that's a huge problem created by your Avengers... or more precisely, by Tony Stark himself."

"To put it bluntly, this is a 'family matter' that you superheroes need to handle yourselves. I think that unless it's absolutely necessary and the situation completely spirals out of control, S.H.I.E.L.D. has neither the obligation nor the sufficient reason to step in and use its valuable resources and authority to help you... well, clean up your mess."

Captain America could tell that there was an obvious hint of contempt in the other party's words, but there was nothing he could do, since they were the ones who had caused the trouble.
"As for the [Insight Project]..."

Alexander Pierce slowly stood up, no longer looking at Captain America, but instead strolled to the huge floor-to-ceiling window opposite.

With his back to Captain America, he gazed at the bustling yet orderly scene outside the window. Half of his face was blurred in the light streaming through the window, and his voice deepened, as if he were about to launch into a heartfelt reflection.

"Do you know what? Captain, the reason I've clung to the position of Chairman of the Security Council, enduring immense pressure and criticism, and haven't retired to enjoy my old age, isn't because I covet that pitiful power or empty fame..."

"It's because Nick Fury asked me to keep going... He said that only if I'm in this position can I better secure more space and resources for the future planning and development of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"The reason he trusted me so much and entrusted me with such an important matter was not because of our friendship, but because we are essentially alike...we are both realists."

(End of this chapter)