Chapter 561

"We’ll set another time."

Peggy Carter was still processing what Evenson had told her when he added, "I did you a favor this time. That means you owe me one."

Peggy turned toward him, stunned.

Normally, she would have agreed without hesitation. But now, she found herself wanting to refuse.

It was because of one word.

Everywhere.

That was usually how people described SHIELD.

But Evenson had used it to describe Hydra.

If Hydra had become truly omnipresent, did that mean it had already replaced SHIELD completely? Was the organization she had spent so many years building nothing more than a shell Hydra was wearing from the inside?

The possibility left Peggy deeply unsettled.

Right now, she needed to understand what was happening. She barely had the attention to spare for anything else.

Evenson noticed her expression and smiled.

"To be honest, what I want from you won’t be simple. But after what happened today, you might get a chance to see just how far Hydra has spread."

"Really?"

Peggy’s mind changed immediately.

If this opportunity could expose the true strength of Hydra, then whatever Evenson wanted from her would be worth the trouble.

"Of course." Evenson nodded. "But I want you to prepare yourself. This time, we’re going to get a glimpse of the most genuine form of terror the real world has to offer."

He paused.

"Though it’ll only be the tip of the iceberg."

Peggy froze.

Then, in a slightly trembling voice, she asked, "The Legion..."

It had been a long time, but the vision she had witnessed at the moment of her transformation remained burned into her memory.

An endless army of demons wreathed in fel flames.

World after world consumed by fire.

"They’re coming?" she asked. "I thought... they would still be very far away."

"Countless worlds once thought the same thing."

Evenson suddenly snapped his fingers beside her ear.

"In the blink of an eye, those worlds suffered total annihilation. And when they finally turned to ash, they were still clinging to that comforting illusion that they were safe."

Peggy stared at him.

"Then what are you planning to do?"

"Resist."

Evenson’s answer was calm.

"The threat follows us wherever we go. The Legion may still be relatively far from Earth, but sooner or later, they’ll notice us. Even if they somehow overlook Earth entirely, there are other powerful forces in the universe that would love to take what we have."

His expression hardened.

"So we have to be ready to fight at all times. What we’re doing now will give us the resources we need to fight back."

Peggy understood.

Earth was going to get hit eventually.

Maybe by the Legion.

Maybe by someone else.

Either way, the problem was the same. If Earth wanted to survive, it couldn’t wait until the enemy arrived before preparing to fight.

It needed the means to hit back.

"Then... shouldn’t we bring in some other people?" Peggy asked.

The stakes were enormous. If this operation was really that important, bringing in more help seemed like the sensible thing to do.

"No."

Evenson shook his head.

"More people won’t necessarily help. They might just make things worse. And if we’re unlucky, we’ll end up fighting among ourselves before we ever get the chance to deal with the real enemy."

"Hmm... all right."

Peggy had been about to argue, but then she reconsidered.

The people she had in mind were obvious.

Captain America and Tony Stark.

They were the two people she could call upon most easily.

But then she remembered something Evenson had said earlier.

Hydra would be involved in this operation.

Her husband would probably lose his mind the moment he learned Hydra was still alive.

And Tony Stark had his own blood feud with Hydra, even if he didn’t yet know the full truth of it.

Peggy knew exactly who was responsible for murdering Tony’s parents.

The man’s identity was painfully complicated.

He had been Captain America’s closest friend.

If Steve and Tony were dragged into an operation involving Hydra, Peggy wasn’t sure whether they would actually help.

There was a very real possibility Hydra would only need to push the right buttons and watch the two men tear each other apart.

"Let’s leave it there for now."

Evenson reached his car and opened the door before getting inside.

"I’ll contact you when the time comes."

"I’ll be there."

Peggy watched as Evenson drove away.

But elsewhere, Nick Fury sat behind his desk with a grim expression.

He clearly wasn’t in a good mood.

The office door opened again.

Alexander Pierce, the director of SHIELD and Fury’s former superior, walked inside.

"Looks like those two have left."

Fury glanced at the older man.

He forced himself to stand and acknowledge him, though there wasn’t much enthusiasm behind it.

"Yeah. They’re gone."

"Don’t look so miserable, Fury."

Pierce saw his expression and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"I know getting dressed down isn’t exactly pleasant, but you don’t need to look like someone just canceled Christmas. Cheer up. Our plan is almost complete."

"Yeah..."

Fury turned around.

"Almost complete."

Then he looked directly at Pierce.

"Are we really doing the right thing?"

Pierce’s heart skipped a beat.

His expression remained perfectly calm.

"What... do you mean?"

"The terrorist attack."

Fury’s voice was low.

"We deliberately allowed something we should have stopped because it served our plan."

So that was what this was about.

Pierce relaxed internally.

As long as Fury wasn’t questioning the plan itself, everything was fine.

"It was one terrorist attack," Pierce said. "Have you ever stopped to consider how many terrorist attacks SHIELD prevents every year?"

"A lot."

Fury looked at his former superior.

"But that’s our job. We don’t get to take credit for doing it."

"Of course not."

Pierce’s expression became almost painfully righteous.

"You see me handing out medals?"

He sighed.

"Every year, we stop countless terrorist attacks. We eliminate countless terrorists. We resolve crisis after crisis."

His voice grew heavier.

"But look at the world."

He stared at Fury.

"Is it at peace?"

"No."

"Exactly."

Pierce sounded genuinely bitter now.

"For every terrorist we eliminate, someone else takes his place. Every crisis we solve is followed almost immediately by another one."

He leaned back slightly.

"I’ve been doing this for thirty years."

There was a deep weariness in his eyes.

"Thirty years. Every day, I worked toward the same goal. World peace."

His voice dropped.

"And after all this time, I still can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Fury studied him.

"Are you tired of it?"

"Tired?"

Pierce gave a quiet laugh.

"Maybe."

His expression suddenly hardened.

"But I know I can’t keep waiting."

His voice rose, anger finally breaking through the composed exterior.

"We’ve spent our youth and our strength. We’ve sacrificed the blood, sweat, and lives of countless heroes. Year after year, we’ve fought a war without an end."

His eyes burned with conviction.

"All for nothing."

Pierce slammed his hand against the desk.

"It’s time to end it."

He took a breath.

"What happened today may leave us with a guilty conscience, but it also gives us the chance to eliminate every crisis once and for all."

His gaze fixed on Fury.

"Three hours ago, the World Security Council approved it."

Pierce smiled.

"The Insight Project has officially begun."