"What?! Pierce is dead?!"
It was rare for Kagura to show such genuine surprise.
As someone who knew the events of the MCU storyline, only something entirely unexpected could rattle her like this.
Was this for real?
One of Hydra's top leaders—just gone?
Is it a fake death, perhaps?
Yeah, that had to be it.
"That's right. I just returned from Washington. Three long-range sniper shots—ballistics untraceable. Because of that..." Steve Rogers hesitated for a moment. "We can't determine who the assassin is or where exactly they struck down Deputy Director Pierce."
"Untraceable ballistics..." Nick Fury murmured, deep in thought. "To my knowledge, the only weapons capable of completely erasing their ballistic signature came from the former Soviet Union. That means the assassin used a relic of Soviet espionage."
With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tracking technology—or even Rhodes Island Industries' advanced calculations—virtually any bullet trajectory could be traced.
However, there was one exception: a long-lost Soviet ballistic suppression firearm, an infamous design from the Cold War era.
In the original MCU timeline, the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, had used one of these very weapons to ambush Nick Fury in Captain America's apartment.
The weapon was devastatingly powerful, capable of piercing concrete walls.
If not for Fury's extraordinary luck, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s legendary director would have met his end right then and there.
"If that's the case, then the list of possible assassins narrows considerably," Steve Rogers stated bluntly.
His words were always direct—never sugarcoated. "It has to be either Bucky Barnes or Natasha Romanoff."
"But you know them as well as I do," Kagura countered, "neither of them is the type to suddenly assassinate a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. official. What would be their motive? What purpose would this serve?"
"That doesn't depend on them," Steve replied, his gaze sharp. "It depends on whoever is pulling the strings behind them. If we can figure out who they're working for, we'll know why this happened."
"Captain, Bucky is your closest friend," Kagura reminded him. "Are you really so quick to accuse him without any doubt?"
"Of course, I have doubts—Bucky is my best friend" Steve nodded. "But more than anything, I want to know who made him—or Natasha—carry out this mission."
"I won't let the mastermind behind this get away with trying to assassinate the director and deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for their own agenda."
Kagura felt a chill run down her spine.
'Wait a second… If we're talking about the people behind Bucky and Natasha…'
'Isn't that… me???'
'So, all the evidence is pointing at me?'
Following this train of thought, the current situation suggested that Griffin Security had orchestrated the assassination of Pierce, pretended to save Fury, and was now actually holding him captive—all in an attempt to seize control of Project Insight.
'Huh?'
'Now that I think about it, that actually makes a lot of sense…'
Kagura fell into deep thought.
Damn, this trap was set up perfectly!
To make matters worse, Griffin Security did have a reason to seize control of Project Insight, since it directly threatened Rhodes Island Industries' global defense system.
She wasn't sure how much Fury knew about Griffin, but Steve was likely well-informed.
He had been spending a lot of time with Bucky lately, and it was only natural for Bucky to share information about Griffin with him.
In fact, Kagura had even encouraged Bucky to do so—if they could recruit Captain America into Griffin, it would be a major win.
Yet now, it seemed her good intentions had been weaponized against her.
Unbelievable. Absolutely incredible.
"Cortana, check on Natasha and Bucky's whereabouts. I don't believe they were involved in Pierce's assassination."
Kagura temporarily disconnected from the holographic feed, leaving the AI in control of the security footage while she began investigating the actions of her "employees."
"Master, Bucky Barnes is currently on a peacekeeping mission in the Middle East."
"Natasha Romanoff is in South America conducting an in-depth investigation into the Ten Rings organization."
"Neither of them could have been anywhere near Washington at the time of the attack."
"Got it. That was my suspicion as well. We've been framed."
Kagura gritted her teeth but couldn't help the slight smirk that crossed her lips.
"Well, well... things are getting interesting. Who's behind this elaborate setup? Hydra? But if Pierce is dead, was it really a fake death?"
No.
Hydra was Hydra.
Cut off one head, and another would always grow back. They were like the eternal darkness lurking in the shadows of the world—practically immortal.
At that moment, both Nick Fury and Steve Rogers turned their suspicious gazes toward Kagura.
"Miss Kagura," Fury spoke in a measured tone. "It seems we've identified our final suspect. If Tony Stark isn't responsible, then all the clues lead straight to you—and Rhodes Island Industries."
Kagura tilted her head slightly. "You think I'm behind this, Director?"
"You tell me," Fury said. "You insist I should trust you, yet right now, you're the most suspicious person in the room."
If Kagura wanted to clear her name immediately, she would have to expose Griffin Security to the world, revealing every detail—including its personnel.
Otherwise, she would continue facing suspicion, hostility, and scrutiny from the likes of Captain America and Nick Fury.
Her enemies had played this game masterfully, crafting a scenario where every thread—both visible and hidden—pointed directly at Kagura and Griffin Security.
The suspects involved in Fury's attack had been ruled out one by one. While Tony Stark had no real motive to target Fury, if he had been acting under Kagura's orders… well, that changed everything.
Not to mention the fact that War Machine had been the one to attack Fury, while Rhodes Island Industries' own defense vehicles had been responsible for saving him.
On the surface, both the attackers and defenders were connected through Stark, making the entire conflict seem like an elaborate act.
Moreover, Fury and Rogers were now effectively "trapped" in what Kagura had called a "safe house," with her only communicating via hologram rather than being physically present.
Everything about the situation appeared airtight. The logic was seamless. The reasoning was sound. All evidence pointed straight at Kagura Hitomi.
But in the end, a setup was still a setup. And Kagura wasn't the type to panic over something like this.
Given time, Hydra's little game would inevitably reveal its flaws.
"Do you have anything to say, Miss Kagura?" Fury asked. "Based on the information we have, you seem to be the prime suspect. Rhodes Island Industries' CEO—how do you plead?"
"Hmm…" Kagura smiled playfully. "At this point, anything I say would just sound like an excuse, wouldn't it?"
Fury smirked slightly. "Is that so? Then I suppose Rogers' intel checks out."
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Kagura replied, not bothering to argue. Yet somehow, the two of them seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement.
The enemy had made one critical mistake, they were underestimating Nick Fury.
They had forgotten one essential truth:
Nick Fury never trusted anyone.
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