Captain America's words instantly made the atmosphere tense. The air itself felt a little heavier.
If Captain America had unfortunately guessed correctly, then the situation was truly dire.
Pierce, a top-level official of S.H.I.E.L.D. who outranked even the director, might actually have orchestrated the murder of the current S.H.I.E.L.D. director in secret!
No matter the reason, this could only mean one thing—a terrifying conspiracy.
Even one that Nick Fury didn't want to imagine.
But Nick Fury had to admit that Captain America made a solid point. And given his intelligence background and approach, many things didn't need confirmation to act on.
The mere possibility was enough to warrant action.
From that moment on, Alexander Pierce was placed on Nick Fury's special watchlist.
"Pierce is one of the few people I still respect. I hope you're just overthinking this, Cap," Nick Fury finally said after a pause.
"I hope I'm just overthinking it too," Captain America replied seriously.
"Either way, this situation has sounded the alarm for me," Nick Fury composed himself and shifted the topic, "It's shown me some of the flaws in our current setup."
Exactly which flaws, Nick Fury didn't say out loud, but he had already formed a general plan in his mind.
From now on, S.H.I.E.L.D. would adopt a compartmentalized structure.
Every operative involved in a mission would only receive the portion of the command relevant to them.
That way, even if someone fell into enemy hands or betrayed the organization, there would be no full intelligence leak.
Because no one person would ever hold the full picture.
Regardless of who was behind the future assassination attempt, precise intel would be key.
This strategy would also enhance Nick Fury's own safety.
Also, the Black Panther's nano-suit had to be worn 24/7—no exceptions. Not even during showers!
At that moment, Nick Fury made up his mind.
"Nick Fury, aside from that previous footage, I think the other options in the quiz question are worth analyzing too," Iron Man suddenly said.
"For example, option D—aren't you curious what the Sokovia Accords are?"
"Sokovia. That's the name of a small country," Nick Fury immediately recognized it.
"It's an agreement named after a country, so it must be related to something that happened in Sokovia," Captain America added.
"Some incident must have triggered the creation of this agreement."
"It's not just connected to Sokovia. It's connected to you, Cap," Iron Man looked directly at Captain America.
"This is an agreement that you're supposed to sign. So, what kind of agreement would that be?"
"Stark, go on," Nick Fury made a gesture for him to continue, clearly aware Iron Man had more to say.
"What possible roles could Captain America hold in the future? I'd guess there are three possibilities:"
"First, an ordinary American citizen. Second, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Third, an Avenger."
"The first doesn't count. There's no way this is a contract for every American citizen. The second…"
"The second doesn't make sense either. I'd never make my agents sign some BS agreement—unless I'd gone nuts," Nick Fury cut in directly.
"Agreed. That's not your style."
"So the most likely option is the third—this is an agreement targeting the Avengers."
Iron Man nodded.
"Something the Avengers did in Sokovia must've triggered the creation of this agreement."
"The Avengers are all 'enhanced individuals.' Eventually, they'd draw attention from world leaders, maybe even international scrutiny," Nick Fury nodded again.
"A regulation like this coming into play would make sense."
"But the fact that Cap refuses to sign it in the future... that suggests it's not exactly a friendly agreement," Iron Man shrugged.
Captain America didn't say anything further. He knew nothing about that agreement yet, so any assumptions would be premature.
"We more or less understand the Sokovia Accords now. What about option C? Is there something hidden there too?"
Nick Fury paced a few steps and asked aloud.
"C doesn't say much. Bucky's already dead," Captain America said gloomily, a shadow of sorrow passing over his face.
"And how are you so sure?" Iron Man shot back, eyeing Captain America sharply.
"You may not know this, but Bucky was my closest comrade, he—" Captain America began to explain but was quickly interrupted.
"Bucky Barnes, Captain America's closest comrade and best friend. Later joined the Howling Commandos. Died after falling from a cliff during a mission…"
"Cap, Bucky's story is in every museum in America. We all know who he was. But!"
Iron Man made a sudden turn in tone.
"Would Pierce really arrest you over something that happened seventy years ago? Even as misdirection, that's just insulting to our intelligence."
"Stark, what are you implying?" Captain America's voice grew tense.
He was starting to get Iron Man's meaning—and it was bold enough to make even him hesitant to believe.
"I'm saying this 'Bucky' mentioned in the quiz... is Bucky from seventy years later! It's very possible he didn't actually die!"
Iron Man boldly declared.
"Cap, you never found Bucky's body, right?"
"Right! We searched that area top to bottom, found nothing!"
Captain America grew more agitated.
"So it's possible that Bucky, like Peggy, lived into the present day!"
This might've been the best news Captain America had heard since he woke up from the ice.
Nick Fury didn't say much, but silently made up his mind:
Once this quiz was over, he'd investigate Bucky's whereabouts and verify whether he was truly still alive.
Clearly, Bucky had a major emotional impact on Captain America—maybe enough to push him down a darker path.
If he was still alive, someone needed to keep close tabs on him.
[Please listen to the next question:]
[Who did Iron Man Tony Stark team up with to kill Ivan Vanko?]
[A. Captain America Steve Rogers]
[B. Doctor Strange Stephen Strange]
[C. War Machine James Rhodes]
[D. Hawkeye Clint Barton]
[Friendly Reminder: Correct answers will be rewarded with one Universal Capsule;
Incorrect answers will result in a random deduction of one personal attribute—this may include knowledge, experience, skills, possessions, etc.]
As the group discussed, the new question suddenly appeared. Everyone went silent, focusing their eyes on the large screen in front of them.
(End of Chapter)