Marvel: Awakening the Universe.

Chapter 189 The Second Struggle Begins for Hydra (5K-word Chapter!)
New York City.

Manhattan.

Palm Street.

No. 521A.

Inside the spacious detached villa with its own garage and storage room, behind the mailbox at the entrance, is a sign that seems to have been recently applied: "Phoenix House".

When Gwen woke up early in the morning, she first glanced at her phone, but didn't pay much attention since seventeen days had passed and Hawke hadn't called.

After all, Hawke had told her before that this trip might take some time.

and so……

Gwen threw off the covers, stretched, and then walked barefoot toward the bathroom in the room.

after awhile.

After taking a shower, Gwen tied her long, dried blonde hair into a high ponytail. The first thing she did was put the Andromeda Cloth necklace back on, which she had placed aside while showering. Then she opened her wardrobe, changed into a spacious and comfortable set of loungewear, and left.

Summer vacation has begun. Gwen came from her bedroom to the living room, turned on the TV, and went into the kitchen. She found a few food cards that she had copied from her mother's house a few days ago and planned to try making them today. If she succeeded, Hawke could eat her latest cooking skills when he came back.

On the large television in the living room, the beautiful leading lady of New York TV is broadcasting the latest news from New York City.

It's called news, but it's mostly just commonplace stuff.

For example, shooting incidents.

For example, bank robbery.

In free America, gunfights happen every day; but in New York City, gunfights aren't measured in days, but in hours.

Gwen was multitasking, listening to the news broadcast on the living room TV behind her while preparing the ingredients according to the recipes on the food card.

at this time.

"...The following is news from yesterday's Times Square shooting."

"According to a source within the FBI contacted by this station, the shooting was carried out by Sharon Katzer, a London-based individual who has been confirmed to be affiliated with an international terrorist organization..."

"who!"

"Sharon?"

Gwen, who was diligently preparing a meal in the kitchen, was slightly startled when she heard a familiar name. She turned around, grabbed her kitchen knife, and quickly walked to the living room. On the TV, a photo of the New York TV star was displayed in the upper right corner.

It is a photo of Sharon Carter.

"The FBI has now placed Sharon Carter on its wanted list, please..."

"hiss!"

"Sharon is wanted by the police?"

"its not right."

"Isn't she from some secret global law enforcement agency?"

Gwen gasped as she looked at Sharon's wanted poster on the television.

at this time.

dong dong!

A rapid knocking sound startled Gwen.

Gwen instinctively turned her head to look at the door.

Sharon's voice, sounding somewhat weak, came from outside.

“Gwen, it’s me, Sharon…”

"..."

Gwen stood there, stunned for a moment, then jogged to the door and opened it.

A thud.

Sharon's car stopped on the lawn in front of the door, and the moment she opened the door, she collapsed at Gwen's feet, covered in blood.

Gwen was startled.

next second.

Once she came to her senses, Gwen quickly helped Sharon, who was covered in blood, into the house. After swiftly closing the door, she helped Sharon lie down on the carpet in front of the fireplace in the living room.

Sharon was shot in the right shoulder and in the abdomen; both wounds were spurting blood.

Gwen quickly found the family's first-aid kit, then ran to Sharon's side and knelt down to help stop the bleeding.

But just as she was about to make her move, Sharon, leaning weakly against the sofa, stopped Gwen.

"The bullet is still inside; you need to take it out first."

“I am the sheriff’s daughter, Sharon.”

Gwen, who had already taken out pliers and alcohol to disinfect, listened to Sharon's reminder and said to Sharon in a relaxed tone, "You'll be fine, don't worry."

Although Gwen had no idea what had happened.

but……

Sharon is Hawke's friend, so she's also her friend.

This is enough.

Gwen was a little flustered because Sharon was covered in blood, not because of anything else. But she is the sheriff's daughter, so after the initial panic, Gwen, who has regained her composure, may not know how to treat the other injuries.

But how to treat gunshot wounds.

This can't even be considered homework.

Knowing how to handle something is one thing, but actually handling it is another.

Although it took some time, Gwen successfully removed the two bullets from Sharon's wound. After removing the bullets, Gwen took out the sutures and, looking at Sharon's wound, said to Sharon, "We don't have any anesthesia at home..."

A faint smile appeared on Sharon's somewhat pale face.

"It's okay, come on."

"it is good."

Seeing this, Gwen didn't hesitate. While stitching up Sharon's wound, she tried to distract Sharon and reduce her pain by asking her what had happened.

Sharon, whose abdominal wound was being stitched up by Gwen, instinctively straightened her back due to the pain, gritted her teeth, and gasped as she quickly explained to Gwen what had happened.

Simply put.

Hydra is making a second attempt.

To be more specific...

Hydra agents, operating from S.H.I.E.L.D. bases around the world, simultaneously began their second strike at 2 p.m. Washington time yesterday.

Upon hearing the keyword "Hydra," Gwen almost flinched, but quickly regained her composure and stared wide-eyed at Sharon, whose face was pale.

"Hydra?"

"Weren't they already wiped out?"

That's what the history books say.

So when Gwen heard that Hydra had reappeared and was still lurking in S.H.I.E.L.D., her expression was particularly incredulous.

Sharon's story is equally unbelievable.

"I also find it incredible."

"But that's the truth. Hydra didn't really disappear. They're parasitizing S.H.I.E.L.D., secretly growing stronger by using S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources."

"Ten days ago, I went to the Black Prison to take away Dr. Merrick, who had been arrested a few years ago for human cloning experiments, after discovering some clues."

"Because the Dr. Merrick imprisoned in that black jail is not the Dr. Merrick I saw in the original files."

"But all the electronic records show that this Dr. Merrick is indeed Dr. Merrick."

“At first I didn’t make a fuss. After bringing Dr. Merrick back, I found Commander Hand and told him about it.”

"Commander Hand also realized something was wrong and immediately contacted Commander Hill through a secret line."

"There's a problem inside SHIELD."

"Because Commander Hill was still in Wakanda and couldn't return for the time being, Commander Hand was asked to conduct a secret investigation first."

"In the past few days, with Commander Hill's authorization, we have discovered that not only the Black Prison, but also many of the goods in various warehouses storing dangerous items have been replaced."

"Moreover, the time span was very long, and even Hill's side noticed that right under her nose, a portion of the vibranium had gone missing."

"But she couldn't do anything on her end for the time being, and she was worried about alerting the enemy, so she secretly contacted Director Nick Fury."

"Because Commander Hill was in Africa, Nick Fury, whose authority had been suspended, had his temporary authority restored. In his capacity as director, he recalled Natasha and Patton from Africa and then contacted Captain America, asking the three of them to meet up en route to investigate the destination of the cargo ship carrying vibranium."

"Then……"

"We've alerted them."

"At 10 a.m. yesterday, Director Nick Fury was assassinated while leaving headquarters."

"But he ran to the captain's side, but was attacked again and pronounced dead."

"By the time Commander Hand and I received the message, Hydra, which was also lurking in SHIELD New York, also began to make its move. Caught off guard, many SHIELD agents were shot dead. Originally, I was preparing to escape the base with Commander Hand."

"But Commander Hand was shot in the leg, so he stayed behind to cover my retreat, allowing me to escape from the base."

"After that, I hid outside for a night. I felt that their search efforts had lessened, so I found a car on the roadside and drove here."

Actually, Sharon's first choice was not Gwen.

She didn't want to bring danger to Gwen.

Hydra only wants to conquer the world, and if Gwen is in any danger, the world will be in danger.

What if something really happened to Gwen, and Hawke, in a fit of rage, roared, "My love is dead, I no longer care about right or wrong," and then flipped the table to destroy the Earth? But...

New York is so big that Sharon has very few places left to go.

The safe house was ruled out immediately.

After all, this rebellion occurred within S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hydra must also know about the safe houses she knows, and they might be lying in wait there, waiting for her to walk into their trap.

Secondly, there are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s friends throughout New York City.

Thor, a top-tier (TO) fighter?
But Thor went out to New Mexico with his girlfriend Jane Foster.

Iron Man, a Tier 1 fighter?

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts also went to South Korea. Dr. Helen's regeneration lab, which helped Tony completely heal his wounds, opened for business, and he and Pepper went to support it.

As for Carrie, the witch who is expected to become a top-tier fighter?
Carrie recently went to New Orleans with her witch teacher to visit other extraordinary witches.

Natasha and Barton are even less likely to be relied upon.

Because they weren't even from New York, and at this point, Captain America was being hunted, so Natasha and Barton probably weren't in much better shape.

So after thinking it over, she remembered 521A Palm Street.

result……

Hydra seemed to have anticipated this as well. The two gunshot wounds on Sharon's body were not from when she escaped yesterday, but from when she was hit on the way here in her car.

But it's amazing.

As soon as her car entered the Palms district, the two Hydra vehicles chasing her immediately slammed on the brakes.

As Gwen listened to Sharon's story, she couldn't help but blink.

"They stopped outside Palm Street?"

"Ah."

Sharon nodded, then thought of a possibility: "Hawk has an information shield, and Hydra certainly has one too. Perhaps Hydra considers Hawkk to be someone they shouldn't mess with."

A good reputation can be a good thing or a bad thing.

Hawke's friends considered him to be a very easy-going person.

However, according to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s information, in addition to his official codename Phoenix, Hawk also has a private codename: Demon King.

Because Hawke is a terrifying demon king who is easily provoked, capable of wiping out an entire family or even an entire clan if provoked.

The former is exemplified by the Ross family, who were wiped out as a whole.

The latter is represented by the Wakanda Black Savages, who were wiped out as a whole.

Although Hawke is not currently in New York City, only his fiancée Gwen is at home.

but……

Provoking Gwen is far more terrifying than directly provoking Hawke.

Hawke is just a demon king.

Gwen is known as the Demon King's Shackles.

The last group of Black people who tried to harm Gwen ended up being wiped out, and just recently, the thick layer of white ash in Wakanda still hasn't been completely cleaned up.

Sharon guessed that this was why Hydra dared not pursue them into Palm Street, giving no chance for misunderstanding and completely preventing the terrifying demon king from going berserk.

Gwen's small mouth was slightly open.

She had thought Hydra's reputation was already terrifying beyond compare, but she never expected that Hydra also seemed to fear Hawke.

But was Hawke really that scared?
Hawke is quite good, and very obedient. He washes his hands when told to, sucks when told to, and licks when told to…

Gwen quickly shook her head, focused her attention on what was in front of her, and said to Sharon, "So, you should be safe with me?"

At this moment, Gwen's emergency rescue of Sharon has also been completed.

Sharon looked at the bandages wrapped around her shoulders and abdomen, and tried to get up, but the intense pain made her body go limp.

Seeing this, Gwen helped Sharon sit down on the sofa.

Sharon looked at Gwen.

Do you have a cell phone?

"Have."

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, gave a slight smirk, and handed it to Gwen.

"They've blocked the signal here."

"..."

Gwen took the phone, glanced at it and saw a "no signal" message, then saw Sharon struggling to get up from the sofa.

"Wait, Sharon, what are you doing?"

"I have to get out of here. You'll be in danger if they attack."

Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the eventuality.

Hydra succeeded; they still have a chance to counterattack.

But if Gwen gets into danger because of this, the world might be doomed.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, watching Sharon try to get up, and quickly pressed Sharon back down onto the sofa: "They're right outside. If you go out now, you'll be walking into a trap. Besides, didn't you say they wouldn't dare come in once they reached Palm Street?"

Sharon shook her head: "No, if Hawke were here, they definitely wouldn't dare to come, but now that Hawke doesn't dare, no one can guarantee that they really won't dare to come in."

Gwen was speechless: "Sharon, Hawke has only left New York City temporarily, but he's not not coming back."

Sharon paused, then looked up at Gwen.

Yes.

Hawke just left, he didn't die.

Would Hydra dare to gamble?

at this time.

There was a knock on the door.

Sharon subconsciously snapped back to reality and grabbed the pistol she had placed aside.

Gwen was also startled, then turned to look at the doorway.

Outside the door, three agents in FBI uniforms knocked: "Ms. Stacy, FBI."

Gwen frowned.

Sharon said in a low voice, "They're here. Go upstairs, don't come down, Gwen."

As Sharon spoke, she got up from the sofa, a strange flush appearing on her pale face. She planned to have Gwen go upstairs while she stayed downstairs for the final showdown.

then……

She was pulled away by Gwen.

"You hide well, I'll go check first."

"What, you..."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Gwen took out the necklace from her Andromeda Cloth and smiled at Sharon, saying, "It's a gift from Hawke. I won't be in any danger."

She remembered the necklace Hawk had told her about when they were in Kamar-Taj.

The necklace will automatically protect her whenever she is in danger.

and……

For some reason, the thought of opening the door and facing the Hydra agents filled her with a sense of anticipation rather than fear.

Perhaps it's because Hawke always manages to appear before her the moment she's in danger.

Just like last time when she was hired by the assassin Betty Ross.

There was also the murder that the Wakanda savages brought in last time.

Hawke always appeared in front of him on time, protecting him from behind.

and so……

Gwen wasn't afraid at all; in fact, she was a little excited.

As Gwen spoke to Sharon, she turned and walked toward the door before Sharon could react.

Sharon, who had initially tried to stop Gwen, gritted her teeth as she watched Gwen walk towards the door without saying a word. She glanced around, then leaned against the wall, pressing her body against it to ensure she could immediately fire at any enemies outside should danger arise.

Although this doesn't guarantee Gwen's safety, it's better than hiding away and leaving Gwen to face the danger alone.

soon.

Gwen, who was already at the door, turned her head and saw Sharon standing against the wall with her hands holding a gun. After taking a few deep breaths, she got up and opened the door after it was knocked on again.

The moment Gwen opened the door, she saw three federal agents in black suits with vests bearing the letters FBI standing in front of her house.

The three federal agents also saw Gwen, her pure white pajamas stained with blood, after the door was opened.

A few glances at each other.

Gwen spoke as calmly as possible.

"What's up?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)