I've Always Been Helping You

Nick Fury clenched his fingers until his knuckles turned white, digging them deep into the muscles of his thigh and gripping hard enough to bruise and swell it without even noticing.

His single eye contracted sharply in shock. His mind churned like a raging sea, leaving him dazed as though struck by a tsunami.

Even as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the king of spies, he had witnessed countless strange things over the decades—aliens, gods, and all manner of wonders—but none had ever filled him with the fury and shock he felt now.

The list projected by his contact lens was horrifying, filling him with an uncontrollable chill and anger.

The list He-El had sent was extremely detailed, projected directly onto Nick Fury's retina.

At first glance, Nick Fury saw the three categories at the top.

Hydra, suspected Hydra, confirmed.

Especially the first name beneath Hydra: Alexander Pierce. It caused Nick Fury particular pain.

Alexander Pierce had been his comrade-in-arms, a close friend of several decades, both mentor and friend. After stepping down, Pierce had helped elevate him to the position of S.H.I.E.L.D. director. After becoming a minister of the World Security Council, he had also shielded Fury from much of the trouble coming from the Council.

It could be said that without Alexander Pierce acting as a buffer, he would never have sat so comfortably in the director's chair at S.H.I.E.L.D.

He had always believed Alexander Pierce was the person most worthy of his trust. Even after sensing that there were problems with Project Insight and Pierce, he had never imagined things could be this serious.

Alexander Pierce was actually a Hydra leader who had been hidden for decades.

Nick Fury was deeply pained, but as he kept reading, that pain turned into shock and horror.

Nearly all the