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S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Command Center.
After iris verification, Sharon led the way, bringing Hawk into the operations command center. She glanced at the large screen displaying standby status.
"Patch in Avengers comms."
"Yes, ma'am."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent nodded. With authorization from New York's top agent, he established communication with the Avengers—currently assaulting a Hydra base in the Middle East's Rub' al Khali, the world's largest continuous sand desert.
The screen flickered.
Black Widow Natasha Romanoff's image appeared instantly.
"Sharon."
"Natasha."
Sharon exchanged greetings with Natasha, then got straight to the point. "Where's Tony? He said he found sothing Hawk might be interested in."
"We discovered a hidden tunnel at the base's lower levels. Tony and Thor pursued down there."
Natasha explained Iron Man and Thor's whereabouts, then rotated the cara. A mont later, sothing resembling a cryogenic pod appeared on the main screen.
Natasha zood in, revealing through the observation window soone lying inside as if asleep. "Anna Pierce. Alexander Pierce's adopted daughter. Hydra operative. Tony rembered Hawk was looking for her."
Sharon stared at Anna's image on the screen—found in a Middle Eastern Hydra base. She glanced at Hawk, confused.
"Shouldn't Anna Pierce be with Strucker?"
"Strucker isn't here."
Hawkeye Barton's voice ca through the screen. "JARVIS just scanned all the base's files. This is definitely Strucker's facility, but according to the logs, he hasn't been here since Hydra's second uprising. JARVIS is analyzing communication records now."
Hawk studied the water droplets forming on the observation window of the cryopod. He rubbed his chin.
"Did you cut power before the assault?"
"Yes."
That explains it.
Hawk noted this internally.
The Avengers had killed the power first—preventing the base from sending out warnings while simultaneously cutting Anna's life support. The woman who'd been kept barely alive had finally flatlined. Her soul had arrived in the Underworld.
Just then.
Natasha's voice cut through.
"Hawk, want to co confirm in person?"
"On my way."
Hawk refocused. He looked at Anna lying peacefully in the cryopod on screen. "Send the coordinates."
Natasha rattled off a set of numbers.
Hawk turned and vanished from the command center.
Natasha's voice ca again.
"How long until you arrive?"
"He's already gone."
Sharon chuckled.
Natasha flipped the cara back to herself, glanced at sothing off-screen, then seed to hear movent. "No—he's already here. Gotta go, Sharon. Talk later."
Sharon acknowledged.
The screen instantly displayed SIGNAL LOST.
Sharon turned and left the command center. When she returned to her office, she found Gwen sitting alone on the couch.
No sign of the red-haired girl.
And—
The brooding man Hawk had brought back as a trophy was also gone.
Sharon took a deep breath. She studied Gwen—seated on the couch, chin resting on one hand, apparently deep in thought—and approached carefully.
"Gwen?"
"Mm."
Gwen looked up briefly at Sharon.
Sharon frowned. "The red-haired girl and that brooding guy..."
Gwen lowered her hand from her chin. It fell naturally to her side. She looked at Sharon.
"Her na is Jean. The man is Pietro—Jean's uncle."
"..."
Sharon opened her mouth, wanting to say sothing, but hesitated.
Gwen knew what Sharon wanted to ask. She laughed softly.
"Yes. Pietro took Jean and left."
"Why?"
"Pietro said if he didn't bring Jean back, Strucker would kill his sister—along with Billy and Tommy."
"Uh..."
Sharon's expression turned strange.
Gwen looked at her, face calm. "Billy and Tommy are Jean's younger brothers."
Sharon blinked. Then it clicked. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Gwen.
Their gazes t.
Sharon finally processed everything. She sucked in a sharp breath.
"Wait—there are two more?"
"Yep."
Gwen nodded. Then sothing seed to occur to her. She shook her head and laughed bitterly. "I wanted one daughter and two sons. But here I am, haven't even gotten started, and Hydra's already given Hawk a daughter and two sons."
Sharon heard this. She watched Gwen and proceeded carefully.
"Gwen, this isn't Hawk's fault."
"I know."
"Uh..."
Sharon t Gwen's gaze again. Studying her eyes, Sharon pressed her lips together.
"You're... not blaming Hawk?"
"Why would I bla him?"
Gwen blinked, then looked at Sharon curiously. "Hawk didn't betray . He's always been loyal. If I'm going to bla anyone, I bla Hydra. I bla Strucker. And I bla... myself."
She shrugged at the last part.
Sharon raised an eyebrow.
"Bla yourself?"
"Yeah."
Gwen rembered being at the Jersey port with Hawk. She sighed. "I was there when Hawk sold his blood. If I'd known this would happen, I would've stopped him no matter what."
But after letting Pietro take Jean, she'd thought it through.
This really wasn't her fault either.
Who could have predicted Hydra and Strucker would play this dirty?
Unbelievable.
They couldn't find Hawk's weakness—so they manufactured one for him.
And not just one.
Three.
One daughter. Two sons.
She couldn't decide whether to curse Hydra for being inhuman or praise them for playing Virgin Mary.
Gwen gritted her teeth. A fla of fury flickered in her eyes—the sa rage she'd felt at Cascade Falls when she'd learned what vampires had done to her cousin. No—even stronger.
"Damn you, Strucker."
"...We'll find him."
Sharon quickly spoke up. "Now that Strucker's plan is exposed, we're one step away from tracking him down. The mont we catch a single mistake, Hawk will have him."
She quickly changed the subject, pulling Gwen to her feet. Her gaze swept over Gwen from head to toe.
"That brooding guy didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No."
Gwen shook her head. Then, rembering sothing, she retrieved the Vibranium Energy-Absorption Collar and its key from the couch and returned them to Sharon. "Sorry for releasing him without asking."
Sharon accepted the S.H.I.E.L.D. tech—which had been clamped around Pietro's neck to prevent him from breaking out again if he woke up. She smiled and said it was fine, then looked at Gwen. "Hawk's the one who brought him in anyway."
Gwen smiled. A hint of worry crossed her face.
"I'm a little worried about Hawk."
"Hawk?"
Sharon blinked. "Hawk went to et Thor and Tony. He shouldn't run into any danger, right?"
Gwen considered this, then smiled. "I suppose you're right."
She wasn't actually worried about Hawk's safety.
After all, Hawk had proven sothing countless tis through battle.
I'm invincible. Do whatever you want.
Gwen was worried about sothing else.
When Hawk had brought Pietro in, she'd sensed it—that thick, barely contained killing intent radiating from him.
But it hadn't been directed at Pietro.
At first, Gwen had assud Hawk's murderous intent was aid at Strucker.
But then—
When Pietro had begged her to let him take Jean, she'd learned about Billy and Tommy.
Her heart had lurched.
Gwen worried that Hawk's killing intent—stronger than she'd ever felt from him—might also include Jean, Billy, and Tommy.
Hawk had motive.
For her sake.
But!
Even though today felt like a fever dream, she truly knew this wasn't Hawk's fault.
If Hawk had betrayed her? No question—she, Gwen Stacy, police captain's daughter with ten years of secretly practiced power punches, would've planted her fist in his face imdiately.
But this genuinely wasn't on him.
So—
Gwen thought this through. She glanced at Sharon, who was watching her with concerned eyes, then pulled out her phone and called Hawk.
Sharon stood beside her, watching silently.
She wasn't stupid.
When Gwen had said nothing was wrong, Sharon had accepted it—but she knew Gwen was definitely troubled.
Just then.
Hawk answered on the first ring.
Anyone else's call, Hawk might miss.
But Gwen's calls? Never.
His left hand rose, releasing a wisp of Phoenix Fire that settled onto Anna's body—just extracted from the cryopod. His right hand held the phone.
"Gwen, I'll be back soon—"
"Pietro and Jean are gone."
"..."
Hawk heard this through the phone. His eyebrow rose.
But he didn't speak. He knew Gwen wasn't finished.
Sure enough.
"Oh, and—"
"After you left, Jean woke up. I gave her my Androda necklace. Told her to bring it back for Billy and Tommy as a gift from . You won't be mad, will you?"
Gwen stood in Sharon's office, eyes lowered to her now-empty neck.
Sharon, listening to Gwen's call, finally noticed—the golden goddess-shaped pendant that had hung around Gwen's neck was gone.
Hawk heard Gwen's words. His thoughts turned. He instantly understood her intention—and laughed.
"Of course not."
"Really?"
"It's just a necklace. If you wanted to give it away, that's fine. I'll get you sothing better when I'm back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Gwen heard his answer. She smiled, then hung up. She looked at Sharon, pulling a distressed face. "Sharon, now I don't have any protection. After Hawk gets back, you can't leave my side."
Sharon watched Gwen's exaggerated expression and smiled, nodding.
"No problem. I won't move an inch."
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