Marvel With Zanpakutou

Chapter 828: Xcution

Vienna, Austria.

Inside the temporary command post of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s special operations office, Natasha stood leaning against the door, a helpless expression on her face. She handed a file to the man in front of her, who was lost in thought. "Captain Rogers, I know Peggy’s defection has hit you hard, but you need to pull yourself together. We can’t afford to wait any longer."

No one knew what the couple from the last century discussed when they met. But since Steve returned from seeing Peggy at the Golden Hall, he had been listless, refusing to speak or share what they talked about. It seemed as if he was determined to protect Peggy at all costs.

Peggy’s elusive movements were driving S.H.I.E.L.D. agents crazy. Even Natasha, who had personally pursued her, was easily outmaneuvered.

The original plan was to use Steve as a breakthrough, but to everyone’s surprise, their beloved Captain had seemingly ’fallen’ for Peggy again.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s efforts had come to a standstill.

However, the item Peggy had stolen was of great importance, and the higher-ups had ordered Fury to recover it as soon as possible, no matter the cost.

Natasha, having no other options, came to persuade Captain America, hoping he could put aside his personal feelings for now and focus on retrieving what Peggy had stolen. The consequences of how to deal with it could be discussed later.

"The Obelisk... genetic modifications... unknown death energy..." Steve read through the documents before him, his eyes trembling with anger. His voice rose in a furious growl. "Natasha, tell me—why is S.H.I.E.L.D. still researching such dangerous things?!"

The contents of the Obelisk research files were shocking.

Over a thousand human experiments were conducted to study the Obelisk, attempt to understand its true purpose, and record its structure.

"Captain... I’m just an agent." Natasha understood his anger, knowing the past disasters these experiments had caused. She placed a hand on his shoulder, sighing. "But some things are beyond our control. The research on the Obelisk was ordered from above."

In truth, Fury wasn’t entirely to blame for the Obelisk research.

It had been approved and initiated under the previous director, Alexander Pierce. The World Security Council authorized it and demanded that it continue until the Obelisk was fully understood. Fury was simply caught in a difficult position, unable to stop it.

"Those damn politicians—will they ever learn?" Steve’s eyes burned with fury, his voice laced with frustration and bitterness.

"Hegel once said," Natasha mused, leaning against the door and staring into the distance, "the only thing we learn from history is that people never learn from history."

Steve fell silent, clutching the documents tightly, his mind racing.

The files mentioned former director Alexander Pierce. Steve recalled that Peggy had warned him to be cautious of Pierce. Though Steve didn’t fully understand the warning, he trusted that Peggy wouldn’t say something without reason.

There was something hidden about Pierce that likely connected to Peggy’s defection. And all clues seemed to point to the Obelisk.

"Captain, we don’t have time," Natasha urged, raising her voice slightly when she saw him drifting into thought again. "If we don’t recover the Obelisk within seven days, Pierce will go directly to the World Security Council, bypassing Fury and taking over the situation."

"What did you say?" Steve’s face changed with shock. "Pierce... is going to bypass Fury and take control?"

"That’s what Fury told me personally," Natasha replied, shrugging. "I don’t know if it’s true, but headquarters has already sent a team. And from the way Fury was talking... it doesn’t seem like he’s in a good position right now."

Steve clenched the files in his hand, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

He felt close to uncovering the truth, but a lack of concrete evidence and logical connections kept him from seeing the whole picture. It was as if a dense fog obscured the truth.

Why was Alexander Pierce so fixated on the Obelisk? Did he have a secret agenda?

Steve pondered for a moment, then stood up decisively. "We have to find the Obelisk and Peggy before Pierce does. We can’t let him get his hands on it."

"I’ve been waiting for you to say that, Captain." Natasha finally breathed a sigh of relief as Steve made his decision. "The team from headquarters is officially here to provide support, but in reality, they’re here to keep an eye on us. You get that, right?"

"I know what to do," Steve nodded. "Who’s leading the team?"

"Grant Ward, an elite Level 8 agent," Natasha said, crossing her arms, her tone filled with disdain. "I don’t get along with the guy, but I can’t deny he’s experienced in combat."

"Let’s go, Natasha." Steve took a deep breath, his gaze firm. "I’m not letting them take Peggy."

"I’m touched—I might cry," Natasha teased, earning a playful glare from Steve.

"Any news on Peggy?"

"Yeah, we found her. She’s at a bar—a new one, apparently."

"And there’s bad news... Grant Ward is already on his way."

"Dammit!"

...

...

...

As night fell, the bustling streets of Vienna gave way to quieter, more desolate areas.

This part of town differed from the lively, upscale Vienna most people knew. Instead, it resembled a rundown, impoverished neighborhood. One bar, with a somewhat vintage decor, had a flickering neon sign that buzzed intermittently with electricity.

The bar’s name was odd—"Xcution."

Inside, the bar was just as quiet as the street outside. Only four people were present, including an elderly bartender who appeared sprightly for his age and a man dressed like a server. Apart from them, two others occupied the bar—a man sitting at the counter and a tall woman lounging on a sofa.

"The fish... have taken the bait," the elderly bartender said calmly, wiping a glass in his hand.

"So, what’s the plan?" the waiter, radiating killing intent, asked eagerly. "Shall we take them out?"

"Don’t be so hasty." The man at the counter raised his glass, swirling the liquid inside. "We can’t act until we’re sure they’re the target. And causing a commotion will only alert Hive—that’s not what we want."

"Barney’s right, now’s not the time to act," the tall woman on the sofa agreed. "We’ve waited over seventy years. We can afford to be patient for a few more days."

"I get it..." The waiter took a deep breath, suppressing his killing intent. "I won’t act recklessly. But... are you sure your boyfriend won’t leak anything, Peggy?"

"He won’t!" Two voices responded in unison.

In the dimly lit bar, Barney and Peggy spoke with conviction, expressing their unwavering trust in Steve Rogers.

"I agree with them," the elderly bartender smiled slightly, setting down the clean glass. "I’ve known Steve long enough to be confident. He won’t betray Peggy. Don’t worry."

Seeing the three of them stand firmly behind Steve, the waiter dropped the subject, shifting to another topic. "Yvette’s been missing for days. What’s she up to?"

"No one knows," Peggy sighed. "Yvette’s motives are different from ours, so don’t count on her for help. We’ll have to handle this ourselves."

"Tch... she’s a lunatic," the waiter grumbled in frustration. "She’s the first one who ever gained Fullbring, but she spends all her time babbling about finding her brother."

"Zemo, I suggest you watch your words," the elderly bartender’s eyes gleamed with a subtle warning. "You’ve only had Fullbring for less than two years. You don’t know Yvette well enough to understand her. I can forgive your lack of respect, but..."

He leaned forward, voice low and serious. "Don’t ever say something like that in front of Yvette. Or you’ll die a very painful death. I swear by God, you don’t want to experience that kind of agony."