Marvel: Terror Stream

Alexander Pierce was not having a good day.

His fingers rubbed his temples, trying to massage away a throbbing headache. For decades, Hydra had operated in perfect secrecy, slowly growing like a quiet virus inside S.H.I.E.L.D.’s veins.

But over the last forty-eight hours, he had been forced to make bold, desperate moves.

And almost every single one of them had resulted in a massive loss.

First, there was the Lemurian Star hijacking, an incident which had put a major hold on the last payload for the Insight satellite. This incident could’ve significantly delayed the launch. Thankfully, after the hijack, the tech team managed to send the payload from the headquarters itself.

But this incident still put Brock Rumlow and Jack Rollins, his leader and vice leader of S.T.R.I.K.E. , out of commission for who knows how long.

Then came the absolute disaster of Nick Fury’s daylight assassination. Pierce knew Fury inside and out. He knew the man was a paranoid, double-edged sword, but he never expected Fury to be this prepared, this early.

And now, Fury’s loyal little puppets were causing massive problems. Because of them, Hydra had lost Arnim Zola, Jasper Sitwell, and now their absolute best asset - the Winter Soldier - all within a span of twenty-four hours! (Sure, Sitwell was technically killed by Pierce’s own orders, but only because Fury’s people forced his hand).

So many losses.

But as Pierce sat there, running through the calculations in his head, he came to a cold, clarifying realization.

The main source of his problems wasn’t Nick Fury.

It was someone else. Someone completely unknown, who had dropped into their lives like a chaotic, smiling meteor.

That damn Veritas.

That’s right, Lemurian star hijack wasn’t the beginning... It all started the day the Jester executed Patrick Sein and exposed Senator Stern on a live broadcast - two top-tier Hydra executives taken out in a single day.

Pierce exhaled slowly, forcing his shoulders to relax. Despite the losses, everything was still okay. Everything was still under control.

Despite the chaos, Project Insight was still on track. This chaos might’ve even helped him... the World Security Council was scared and was so eager to launch the helicarriers tomorrow.

Explaining away the recent mess had been surprisingly easy. Pinning the blame on Fury as a traitor worked like a charm, especially since Georges Batroc had been caught, making it incredibly simple to link the pirate hijacking straight back to the former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director.

The launch was tomorrow. Fury and his surviving loyalists would undoubtedly be there like thorns in Hydra’s path to glory... And so would that damn Jester.

"Sir, they’re ready."

The voice broke Pierce out of his thoughts. He turned to see Baron Wolfgang von Strucker standing near the doorway. Strucker was another brilliant Hydra executive.

Pierce stood up, smoothing the wrinkles of his expensive suit, and walked alongside Strucker down the corridor.

"How many did you manage to prepare?" Pierce asked, keeping his voice neutral.

"We have 67 perfectly brainwashed, trained, and battle-ready mutants, sir," Strucker said, a proud, sinister smile touching his lips.

Two mutants were defeated and put out of commission after the highway brawl. If they were here, the number of mutants would’ve been....

69

Strucker couldn’t help but smirk internally at the thought.

Pierce let out a small, satisfied smirk. "You’ve done well, Strucker. The new world will remember your genius. It’s good that you are here today. Tomorrow, you will witness Hydra’s ascension with your own eyes."

Strucker’s smile shifted into something slightly apologetic. "Actually, sir, I must depart for Sokovia in just a few hours. Dr. List just called. He said the new subjects are showing remarkable results. It’s critical that I be there to oversee the next phase."

Pierce raised an impressed eyebrow. "The enhanced human research. Loki’s scepter really was the key to unlocking true human potential." He paused, genuine curiosity breaking through his calculated exterior. "How many new subjects did List say survived the exposure?"

"Just two, sir. They’re twins."

"Twins," Pierce repeated, the word hanging in the air. "And the scepter reacted to both of them?"

"Remarkably well, sir. Since it responded to both siblings, we should be able to identify the target DNA pattern easily. Replicating the results on a larger scale - well, it’s only a matter of time."

Pierce nodded slowly. "I see. That’s excellent news. Once Insight is in the air, we’ll have all the resources you need. Sokovia will be the birthplace of a new kind of soldiers for Hydra."

As the two men reached the end of the corridor, a heavy set of blast doors slid open with a sharp hiss.

Inside the massive hangar stood a formidable legion of Hydra’s finest. The standard soldiers were clad in heavily armored, tactical black suits and helmets.

Flanking them were the brainwashed mutants, outfitted in specialized dark blue combat gear.

In total, 300 highly lethal operatives stood at strict attention.

Pierce walked up to the raised platform at the front of the room, looking down at the silent, deadly force.

"Tomorrow, the world changes," Pierce began, his voice calm but filled with an undeniable, chilling authority. "For decades, we have lived in the shadows, as humanity’s guiding voice. While they bickered over borders and politics, we shaped the future. And now, the glorious future we worked for is finally within our grasp."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.

"Tomorrow, Hydra rises from the shadows. Tomorrow, we stop hiding. Tomorrow, we take our rightful place as the architects of a new world order. Project Insight will give us the power to eliminate every threat, every dissenter, every obstacle to true peace. Not the fragile peace of treaties and compromises, but the absolute peace of order. Hydra’s order. Hydra’s decree."

His voice rose, filling the chamber with cold fire.

"They will try to stop us. They will throw everything they have at us. But they don’t understand what we are. They never have."

Pierce’s eyes swept across the assembled soldiers, meeting each gaze with unshakable certainty.

"Because when you cut off one head... two more shall take its place."

Pierce allowed himself a rare, genuine smile. "Hail Hydra."

"""HAIL HYDRA!"""

"""HAIL HYDRA!"""

"""HAIL HYDRA!"""

The room thundered with the chants. Three hundred voices shook the walls.

"Hail Hydra!" Strucker joined from beside Pierce.

Once those Insight helicarriers were in the sky, the short-lived age of heroes would end.

Tomorrow, the entire world would witness their glory.

.

.

.

.

After a tense, incredibly quiet drive, the white SUV finally pulled into a hidden dam facility.

Steve Rogers climbed out of the passenger seat, his expression hollow. Natasha killed the engine and followed him.

After a quick round of first aid, they gathered around a battered metal table. Fury was already there, leaning back in his chair with an exhausted look.

Steve sat in complete silence. His eyes were locked on a crack in the floor, but he wasn’t really seeing it. His mind was stuck on a loop of the highway.

The metallic arm.

The unrecognizing eyes.

The realization that the ruthless assassin who had been tearing through them was his best friend. And then, the horrifying image of the Jester laughing as he repeatedly slammed that black hammer down before teleporting Bucky away into thin air.

Natasha was beside Steve, finishing her debriefing. She recounted the information they had forcefully extracted from Jasper Sitwell on the rooftop.

Unfortunately, they had been forced to leave Sitwell behind during the chaotic highway ambush, and they had absolutely no idea if he was still alive, captured, or worse.

Standing just behind Fury with her arms crossed, Maria Hill listened silently. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel the same burning anger toward the Jester today as she had yesterday.

Sure, the guy was a terrifying, unpredictable menace. But today... in a twisted way, Veritas had done them a massive favor. He had dismantled the Winter Soldier - Hydra’s deadliest, most feared weapon - and taken him completely off the board.

But Hill wasn’t stupid. She would never mistake the Jester’s actions as a genuine act of help. She knew him, perhaps more than anyone else in the world.

Veritas was playing a deeper, much darker game.

Just yesterday, he had appeared out of nowhere and traded Bucky Barnes’s real identity to her in exchange for information on Fury’s preparations.

Yet today, he turned around and broadcasted that very same secret to the entire world on his live stream, rendering her exclusive information trade completely useless.

He had played her. He had played all of them. And she knew, without a doubt, that the Jester would show his face again very soon.

And she was also afraid regarding his plans for Bucky, Steve, and perhaps... even Stark.

====================

Thanks for reading!

Support me on Pat reon!

pa t reon.com/c/Marveller

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!