Elsewhere, in the command room.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had been working tensely suddenly heard several crisp clinks by their ears. The sound was not loud, but it stood out clearly amid the command room's chaotic noise.
Several nearby agents turned toward the sound and discovered that the object bouncing across the metal floor with a clinking sound was a grenade.
Some instinctively opened their mouths to shout a warning, while others tried to flee, but it was already too late.
A violent burst of flame erupted in the command room, and the shockwave swept outward with fragments from the explosion. Several screens closest to the blast shattered instantly, scattering glass across the floor. Documents on the tables were swept into the air by the blast, then turned to ash by the flames.
Thick smoke from the explosion rapidly spread through the command room. The choking smell of gunpowder mixed with the pungent stench of burning wires, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
Amid the chaos, a squad of enemies in black special-forces uniforms and full-coverage tactical helmets filed through the command room doors with submachine guns in hand. Their movements were uniform, their steps steady, and their bearing remarkably composed.
Nick Fury reacted the instant the explosion occurred. Unaffected by the blast, he swiftly took cover behind the command room door. At the same time, he drew the pistol at his waist and quietly waited for the coming fight.
Through the smoke, the squad in black uniforms passed beside Nick Fury and entered the command room. But he did not rush to fire, because he was waiting for the best opportunity.
When the last enemy passed the doorframe at his side, the head agent moved.
He stepped out from behind the door, his left hand flashing behind the nearest