You're Under Arrest

The magnificent Triskelion stood on a small island in Washington D.C., surrounded by water and blessed with beautiful scenery. The Washington Monument was even visible not far away.

This was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. The Triskelion was enormous, taking up the entire island, with some man-made structures extending beyond its shores.

The three skyscrapers each stood a hundred stories tall. They looked separate and unconnected, but in reality, their tops and bottoms were linked, forming one colossal structure.

In the glow of the setting sun, the Triskelion stood like a giant in the twilight. A bridge stretching across the river came into view—a passage connecting the outside world to the Triskelion. In the distance, a red convertible raced along it.

Once they entered the Triskelion's grounds, Laura stopped flying and descended from the sky.

William gazed at the giant in the twilight and marveled at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. What an undertaking! Building a headquarters like this in Washington D.C. must have taken an incredible amount of manpower, resources, and time.

But there was no point thinking about that. In the not-too-distant future, this place would be destroyed.

"How about it? Impressive headquarters, isn't it?" Coulson asked when he noticed William staring.

He'd assumed the other man was awestruck by the Triskelion's grandeur. How could he have known William was imagining it reduced to rubble?

Coulson led them into the Triskelion's lobby, where people bustled back and forth.

A huge S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem stood before them. As William walked toward it, Athena's voice rang out.

"Side quest initiated!"

"Side Quest: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Join S.H.I.E.L.D."

The quest description was simple. It seemed joining S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't part of the main quest—in other words, Athena wasn't forcing him to complete it. It would be fine if he didn't join.

But William had his own plans. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a massive organization, with influence spanning the entire world. He should make good use of it, at least until S.H.I.E.L.D. fell.

The Triskelion was even bigger than William had imagined, like a vast maze. Without Coulson leading the way, he would probably have gotten lost already.

He looked around as they walked, finding everything fascinating and wanting to take pictures as keepsakes, but Coulson quickly stopped him.

"Come on, don't be so stingy."

William pursed his lips. Before long, he had no idea where Coulson had taken him.

There was a door ahead. Coulson stood in front of it and said, "Our boss is waiting for you inside. Go on in."

At Coulson's words, William immediately opened the door. The room was pitch-black. As soon as he stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind him. Coulson didn't follow, leaving him alone in the room.

Damn, I've been tricked! William cursed inwardly. I knew S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't bring me here for nothing. But what's going on? Are they going to lock me in a dark room?

As he fretted, the dark room suddenly lit up. A white space appeared before him, its strange layout marked by walls of irregular shapes scattered throughout.

He also spotted surveillance cameras in the corners. That meant someone could see everything he did in here. Someone was watching him from outside!

"What exactly are you trying to do?" William asked, looking at the cameras.

Coulson's voice sounded. "I'm sorry for the trouble, Mr. Lister. This is one of our tests."

"A test? What kind of test?" William frowned. He knew this couldn't be anything good.

"A test of your abilities and skill," Coulson replied. "The test will begin in ten seconds. Just so you know, it could be life-threatening, so please take it seriously."

As soon as Coulson finished speaking, the ten-second countdown began. William understood: they were assessing his abilities.

Coulson didn't yet know what he could do and wanted to see for himself. Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director was watching too, to find out whether he posed a threat.

But what exactly would the test involve?

"You're under arrest!"

In an instant, the test officially began. An earsplitting alarm echoed through the White Room.

The floor some distance away suddenly rose, revealing a black machine gun. Without warning, it opened fire on William.

"Fuck!" William jumped in fright. He hadn't expected Coulson to be serious. Amid the machine gun's roar, countless bullets whistled toward him. He hurriedly dodged, and the bullets struck the floor, spraying golden sparks.

He hid behind one of the walls. Only then did he realize they were pieces of cover meant for the test.

Bullets hammered into the cover. Hunkered behind it, William looked at the surveillance camera in the corner. He knew the people from S.H.I.E.L.D. were watching him. They must have had a reason for bringing him here, and Coulson might already have reported that he was from the future.

Now that he was here, there was no point holding back.

"Athena, transform me into Soldier: 76!" William said gravely. In a dazzling flash of light, he transformed into Soldier: 76, clad in his classic red, white, and blue combat suit, with gray-white hair and a red combat visor.

Why hadn't William used the Strike Commander: 76 skin? It was simple. During the Skull Gang mission, both the Skull Gang members and Hydra had seen him in that form. Many people remembered what he looked like.

So he'd decided not to use that skin unless he had to, in case anyone became suspicious.

Soldier: 76's original appearance made him look more like a soldier from the future!

"Now, showtime!"

A Heavy Pulse Rifle appeared in his hands. He immediately rushed out from behind the cover, and the machine gun locked onto him and opened fire.

Soldier: 76 rolled on the spot, raised his Pulse Rifle, and took aim at the machine gun. Helix Rockets shot out at once. Three tiny blue rockets spun through the air and blew the machine gun apart.

But the test had only just begun. More machine guns rose from the floor and attacked William.

Soldier: 76 dodged the dense barrage at a sprint. He moved through the hail of bullets like a ghost, firing his Pulse Rifle as he evaded. Blue Pulse Bullets destroyed one weapon after another.

It wasn't just the weapons rising from the floor. The ceiling began to change too, and two Gatling guns appeared, firing a rain of bullets at William at a rate of over a thousand rounds per minute.

Soldier: 76 leaped and rolled, then tossed a Biotic Field onto the ground. A yellow column of light rose, and William felt strength coursing through his entire body.

After a tense battle, his ultimate ability had reached 100%. Without hesitation, he activated his Tactical Visor!

"I've got you in my sights!"

With a roar like a wild beast, the Heavy Pulse Rifle spewed dazzling blue flames. The Tactical Visor instantly locked onto the Gatling guns, and a terrifying Pulse Storm swept through the surrounding weapons.

Not just the Gatling guns on the ceiling—all the weapons within Soldier: 76's field of vision took devastating hits, left riddled with holes and mangled beyond recognition!

In the room next to the White Room, which resembled a monitoring station, Coulson stared in astonishment. I've been trying to guess what William's abilities are. Super speed? Great physical strength?

No. Neither of those. To be honest, I still haven't figured it out. And the weapon in his hands is even more shocking.

Its futuristic design and terrifying firepower made it seem as though it didn't belong to this era!

"Hill, what do you think of him?" Coulson asked, calming himself down.

"Threat level: S," Hill said, looking at the test score on her tablet. "Looks like you've found an interesting guy."