Marvel: The Enlightened One#203+204: Hawk Enters the Field, I'm Sorry, Ms. Stacy

Hawk stood behind the desk, looking at the photograph in his hand, then at the woman who'd just walked through the door—as if she'd stepped straight out of the picture.

Madame HYDRA—Ophelia Sarkissian—stared back at the man who'd somehow appeared in her office without warning, now standing behind her desk, holding a photograph of her and Anna.

"..." Their eyes met.

The instant Ophelia locked eyes with Hawk—those deep blue eyes that seemed to contain entire galaxies of stars—she felt like she'd been transported into an unfamiliar universe.

Isolated.

Cold.

Bone-chilling.

But she recovered quickly.

Without showing any emotion, she closed the office door behind her, then stood perfectly still, meeting Hawk's gaze head-on.

Hawk glanced down at the photograph in his hand—the woman standing beside Anna—then looked back at the woman in front of him. Finally, he set the photo back down in its original position.

"Your name."

"...Ophelia."

Ophelia blinked, then answered quickly. Her voice wasn't the seductive, alluring tone she'd used when speaking with Alexander earlier. Instead, it was calm, almost soothing—the kind of voice meant to put someone at ease.

After placing the photograph back exactly where it had been, Hawk listened to Ophelia's self-introduction and raised an eyebrow. He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked at her again—standing ramrod straight near the door—as if confirming something.

"Madame HYDRA?"

"...Yes."

Ophelia nodded again.

Hawk let out a dry laugh.

Her name was Ophelia.

She was HYDRA.

And she had that distinctive emerald-green hair—the color of bamboo leaves.

The only person who matched all three of those details was the infamous Viper—Madame HYDRA herself—the woman who'd famously toyed with the mutant Wolverine like he was a puppet on strings.

So yeah.

He'd guessed right.

The only difference was that this world didn't have mutants. No Wolverine. At least not in this prime universe.

But this Ophelia standing in front of him...

She was definitely a mutant. Or more accurately, an Inhuman.

Hawk's gaze swept over Ophelia, and in an instant, he sensed the strange energy fluctuations hidden beneath that dark green uniform.

Legend had it that Viper's kiss contained deadly poison—one kiss could turn the indestructible Wolverine from a hardened warrior into a helpless mess.

He wondered if that was actually true.

But that wasn't why he was here.

Hawk's attention returned to the photograph he'd just set back on the desk.

"What's your relationship with Anna?"

"Friends."

Ophelia, still standing by the door, seemed to think of something. She looked at Hawk and added another line.

"Very close friends."

"Is that so?"

Hawk looked at Ophelia, watching the forced smile spread across her face, then let out a cold chuckle. "I'm going to verify that. You'd better not be lying."

With that—

He completely flipped the script. As if he were the owner of this office and Ophelia—standing by the door—were a guest he'd invited, he gestured toward the sofa positioned in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking what was supposedly the most expensive real estate in all of Asia.

"Sit."

"...Thank you."

Ophelia let out an internal sigh of relief. She thanked him quietly, then—like a nervous guest—walked over to the sofa in her heels. She smoothed her skirt, sat down facing Hawk, and held herself rigidly upright.

Hawk walked over as well, but he didn't sit on the couch. Instead, he moved to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the so-called most expensive land in Asia.

Ophelia, seated on the sofa, didn't dare move a muscle.

Hawk's voice was soft, almost contemplative.

"When I was flying here, I thought about just throwing a single punch and turning this place into the same kind of blank slate I left Wakanda."

"White as snow. Clean. Simple."

"But—"

As he spoke, Hawk turned around and finally sat down on the sofa across from Ophelia. "After I landed, I watched a fire burn. Helped calm me down a bit. And just now, I saw that photograph of you and Anna. So I'm only going to ask you one question. Were you the one who pretended to be Anna and called me?"

Anna wasn't in Japan.

Hawk had confirmed that the moment he'd landed in Japan. His Sixth Sense had instantly spread out, blanketing the entire main island, and he hadn't detected her presence anywhere.

That was why he'd called Sharon to get the exact location of SHIELD's Japan branch.

But at the time, he still couldn't be completely certain.

What if Anna had just left the island temporarily? Gone somewhere else?

But now, the moment Ophelia had walked into her office and seen him, her body had gone stiff. That reaction confirmed everything.

The "Anna" who'd called him at the New York SHIELD branch wasn't the real Anna.

Which raised the question—

Where was Anna??

It couldn't be that the "Anna" who'd called him at the New York branch was fake and the "Anna" who'd contacted him outside Wakanda—telling him she'd been promoted and transferred to Japan—was also fake.

If that was the case...

HYDRA thought they could launch a second uprising?

Not a chance in hell.

Ophelia, sitting across from him, heard his question and felt the endless killing intent radiating from Hawk. She shivered violently, then quickly shook her head.

"It wasn't me, Mr. Phoenix."

"Really?"

Hawk's gaze was piercing as he stared at Ophelia. "Then who burned down the Yasukuni Shrine? And don't tell me Anna called and asked you to do it as a favor."

"No."

"It was Alexander Pierce."

Ophelia didn't hesitate for even a second. She immediately sold out Alexander Pierce—the man who'd called her just a few hours ago asking for help.

Sure, Alexander had promised her a favor in return.

But—

What good was a favor if she was dead?

Ophelia knew perfectly well that the only reason she was still alive right now wasn't because Hawk didn't want to kill her. It was solely because there was a photograph of her and Anna sitting on her desk.

That was the only reason she was still breathing and able to have this conversation.

But if she chose to hide the truth?

Ophelia had zero doubt that in the next second, the entire Ginza district would become exactly what Hawk had just described—white as snow, clean as a blank slate.

Hawk listened as Ophelia gave him the name, his expression completely neutral.

"Alexander Pierce?"

"Yes."

Ophelia nodded frantically, then—without holding anything back—recounted every detail of the phone call Alexander Pierce had made to her a few hours ago.

Hawk had already suspected Alexander Pierce the moment he'd confirmed that the "Anna" who'd called him at the New York SHIELD branch wasn't the real Anna.

Ophelia's testimony just confirmed it.

But—

"Last time, when I was outside Wakanda, Alexander Pierce contacted Anna. She told me she'd been promoted and transferred to Japan to run operations here."

"No."

Ophelia shook her head decisively, looking at Hawk. "Japan is my territory. Anna is my friend. If she wanted to visit and vacation here, I'd welcome her with open arms. But she works under Alexander Pierce. He and I are just business partners. That's it."

Hawk smiled.

But that smile, from Ophelia's perspective, was utterly terrifying. It looked like Hawk was about to devour someone whole.

Hawk quickly suppressed the towering inferno that had erupted in his chest after hearing Ophelia's answer. He looked at her again.

"Then where is Anna?"

"I don't know."

Ophelia was completely honest. "Anna and I haven't been in contact for a long time."

Hawk raised an eyebrow.

"You said you and Anna were close friends. You haven't been in touch for that long, and you're not curious?"

"I asked."

"And...?"

"Alexander said Anna was on an assignment. So I didn't push it. Like I said, Alexander and I are just business partners."

"Is that so?"

Hawk studied Ophelia, who didn't appear to be lying, and nodded thoughtfully. "Then when was the last time you actually spoke with Anna?"

Ophelia frowned, meeting Hawk's intense gaze. She thought carefully, then looked back at him.

"Mid-July last year."

"July?"

"Yes."

Hawk listened to the timeline Ophelia provided and remembered that he'd asked Anna to keep an eye out for when Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster, arrived in London.

Right.

He'd also realized after the Battle of London that he couldn't reach Anna by phone anymore.

So Anna had been missing—or imprisoned—since last July?

Hawk's mind raced.

The reason he was certain Anna wasn't dead was actually pretty simple.

He hadn't seen her soul in his Underworld.

Don't forget—

Hawk had made an agreement with Mephisto. His friends, when they died, wouldn't go to Hell. Their souls would go to his Underworld.

So—

Was she missing? Or imprisoned?

Hawk's thoughts churned.

The next second, he let out a cold laugh.

Why was he overthinking this? He'd just go ask Alexander Pierce directly.

Hawk stood up from the sofa, ready to head to Washington and crash the party.

But just as he was about to leave, he noticed Ophelia—who'd snapped back to attention the moment he stood and had quickly risen to her feet as well.

Hawk stopped. He turned around, his gaze falling on Ophelia once more.

"You'd better really be Anna's friend."

"I swear it."

Ophelia's voice was firm as she made her vow.

Hawk stared at her for several seconds, then looked away.

"Then you'd better pray that when I find Anna, her answer matches yours."

"Because if it doesn't, you'll die a worse death than Alexander Pierce."

With that—

Hawk's form vanished from the office in an instant. When he reappeared, he was thousands of feet in the air. A sonic boom echoed across the sky as he transformed into a streak of light, shooting toward Washington D.C. at blinding speed.

<><><><><><><><>

THUD!!

The moment Hawk transformed into a streak of light and shot toward Washington D.C., Ophelia—still in her office—felt her legs give out. She collapsed onto the floor.

Hearing the noise from inside the office, a male HYDRA agent burst through the door in a panic. When he saw Ophelia crumpled on the ground, he froze for a second—a flash of something calculating in his eyes—before rushing over with exaggerated concern.

"Boss..."

As a man who'd joined HYDRA last year and been handpicked by the stunning, alluring Viper to serve as her personal bodyguard, he had ambition.

Sure, he was only twenty-five. And Ophelia's age? Unknown.

But—

Men had priorities.

Advancement was everything. And he had access to an incredible opportunity. If he could win over his boss, he wouldn't dare say it'd save him a thousand years of work—but a hundred? Easily.

He had no idea what had happened in this office.

But right now? This was his moment.

And honestly, he wasn't wrong.

Ophelia didn't refuse when the agent came rushing over and helped her to her feet. Instead, she smiled and leaned into him like she had no bones in her body, letting him cradle her in his arms. Then, still resting against his chest, she smiled and crooked her finger at him in invitation.

The agent's heart nearly melted from excitement.

And then—

It literally did.

Physically melted.

The moment the agent thought his dreams were about to come true—as he leaned in to meet Ophelia's emerald-green lips—his eyes widened in shock. A pervasive green glow seeped into every corner of his body, flooding his internal organs.

In an instant, his insides dissolved.

SPLAT—

With a sound like a water balloon bursting, the agent—who'd been dreaming of marrying his boss and reaching the peak of his career just a second ago—was reduced to a pool of green liquid on the office floor.

The liquid seemed to have a life of its own. It wriggled across the floor, moving toward Ophelia's high heels, then crawled up her shoes and was completely absorbed into her body.

After absorbing the liquid, Ophelia instinctively arched her swan-like neck, her eyes closed, and let out a long, satisfied breath. When she opened her eyes again, if Hawk had still been there, he would've been surprised to notice that Ophelia looked noticeably younger.

Soon enough, Ophelia fully recovered from the crushing pressure Hawk had subjected her to. She walked back to her desk, sat down in her office chair, and let her gaze fall on the photograph of her and Anna.

The photo really had been sitting there the whole time.

And she and Anna really were good friends.

But—

Her motives weren't pure.

After all, she, Zola, and Strucker were all traditional HYDRA leaders. Anna, on the other hand, was the right-hand woman of Alexander Pierce—the new-generation HYDRA leader.

Everyone knew how this worked.

Old guard versus new blood. A fight was inevitable. So she'd chosen to befriend Anna and form an alliance with Pierce. She'd had her own agenda.

Fortunately, she hadn't had the chance to act on that agenda yet.

That was the one silver lining in all this.

Ophelia's eyes gleamed with thought.

Just then—

A knock at the door.

"Come in."

"Commander."

Her assistant walked in holding Ophelia's phone and approached the desk.

"It's Mr. Pierce."

"..."

Ophelia was silent for a moment, then took the phone. But she didn't immediately speak to Alexander Pierce on the other end. Instead, she looked at her assistant. "Select a new personal bodyguard."

The female assistant nodded.

"Understood."

"You can go."

"Yes, ma'am."

The assistant turned and left.

Ophelia waited until the assistant had exited the office. Then she glanced at the phone in her hand—still actively connected—and tapped the screen with one emerald-green fingernail.

She hung up on Pierce.

Hadn't she heard what Hawk just said?

If she dared lie to him, she'd die a worse death than Alexander Pierce.

So—

Why waste words or emotion on a dead man walking?

After hanging up on Pierce, Ophelia powered off the phone entirely, tossed it onto her desk, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

She'd just survived a brush with death. She needed a moment to collect herself.

...

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C—at SHIELD headquarters, the Triskelion.

The battle between SHIELD and HYDRA had already begun.

Captain America Steve Rogers' voice was currently broadcasting at full volume throughout every corner of SHIELD headquarters.

"...HYDRA has grown inside us, right under our noses."

"The Strike team and the Insight Project members are HYDRA. We don't know who else. But they're here. They could be standing right next to you. And they're about to succeed. Once the Insight Helicarriers go airborne, they'll have absolute control."

"They murdered Nick Fury."

"They've taken control of every SHIELD branch except the New York command center."

"...The price of freedom is high. It always has been. And I'm willing to pay that price. If I'm the only one, so be it. But I don't think I am."

"..."

As Cap's speech echoed through the building, SHIELD agents stopped in their tracks, listening intently.

HYDRA agents, meanwhile, immediately reacted. Especially those preparing to launch the Insight Helicarriers—they dropped all pretense, their faces twisted with hostility as they drew their sidearms.

Instantly—

Gunfire erupted throughout the building.

Alexander Pierce—who had lured the other four Security Council members to the Triskelion's top-floor conference room under the pretense of a briefing on the Insight Project—heard Cap's speech as well. The four council members turned to stare at him with expressions of disbelief and fury. Pierce had already set down his champagne glass and pulled out his phone.

One man was Captain America—someone who'd sacrificed himself to save the world.

The other was Alexander Pierce.

Who to believe? That wasn't even a question.

The Paris representative fired the first shot, glaring at Pierce with barely contained rage. "You son of a bitch."

Pierce gave a humorless smile and shrugged.

The next second—

A HYDRA tactical team leader walked in with five subordinates. The five agents quickly surrounded the four council members, and one of them drew his weapon, crossing his arms and staring coldly at the captives.

The message was clear.

Don't move.

Move, and you die.

The HYDRA team leader, meanwhile, walked directly to Pierce, handing him a tablet while speaking quietly. "New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas... Minnesota just went offline moments ago. These are the last images transmitted from each base before contact was lost."

Pierce accepted the tablet, his expression neutral.

On the screen, the SHIELD base in Texas had captured a blinding crimson flash of light in the instant before going dark—with no warning, no defense, nothing.

Arkansas was the same.

Every HYDRA-controlled SHIELD base that had gone offline in the past few minutes—losing contact at roughly five-minute intervals—had recorded the same crimson light in their final moments.

But Pierce showed no emotion. He handed the tablet back to the team leader, his tone calm.

"How long until the Insight Helicarriers are online?"

"Five minutes."

"Get them airborne first. We'll deal with the rest after."

"Yes, sir."

The HYDRA team leader nodded and used his comms to contact the HYDRA operatives managing the three Insight Helicarriers.

RUMBLE!!

The massive fountain in front of the Triskelion slowly split apart, exposing HYDRA's evil heart to the morning sunlight.

HUM, HUM, HUM!!

As the first Insight Helicarrier's engines came online, the enormous vessel—looking every bit like a floating aircraft carrier—began generating power and preparing for vertical takeoff.

Pierce, meanwhile, pulled out his phone with an expressionless face, scrolled to a specific number, and dialed.

RING, RING, RING—

...

Back on Bleecker Street.

Gwen had barely slept all night. She'd been lying on the couch, half-watching TV, half-waiting for Hawk to come home. When she heard Hawk's phone—the one he'd left behind to charge—start ringing, she blinked, sat up, and reached for it.

The screen showed an unfamiliar number with no contact name.

Gwen thought for a moment, then answered.

"Hello?"

"Haw—"

Alexander Pierce, standing in the Triskelion's conference room, heard the voice on the other end and froze. Then he recovered quickly, his tone turning pleasant. "Gwen Stacy?"

Natasha—who had intercepted the Paris representative's convoy just before it reached SHIELD headquarters, used Cap's overwhelming charisma to gain the representative's trust, and then impersonated him to get into this room—heard that name. Her eyes flicked toward Pierce.

Back on Bleecker Street, Gwen frowned.

"Yes, that's me. Who is this?"

"Alexander Pierce."

Pierce's wrinkled face pulled into a smile. "I'm a friend of Hawk's. Is he home?"

Gwen heard Pierce introduce himself and immediately put the pieces together.

"Hawk mentioned he has a friend in HYDRA. Her name is Anna. But he never said you were his friend too."

"Anna..."

"Hawk already went to Japan to find her. By the way, Mr. Pierce—is Anna actually in Japan?"

"..."

Pierce was silent for a moment, then spoke carefully. "There's been a misunderstanding. If Ms. Stacy could help—"

"Not a chance."

Gwen refused without hesitation.

Was he serious?

She was Gwen Stacy. Daughter of the most upright, incorruptible captain in the NYPD.

Help HYDRA?

In his dreams.

Pierce heard Gwen's flat refusal, paused briefly—though he didn't seem surprised—then let out a dry laugh and said one last thing.

"Then I'm sorry, Ms. Stacy."