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Hawk's voice was perfectly calm.
After delivering his ultimatum, he didn't even spare a second glance at the lifeless bodies he'd casually tossed onto the tactical table. In the next instant, he simply vanished from the Situation Room.
The Secretary of Defense and the assembled generals stared at the two corpses left behind, then looked at each other in stunned silence.
"What are you looking at me for?" one general finally snapped.
"You heard the man. Chop them up. Feed them to the dogs."
"And make sure you take pictures."
The Secretary of Defense, feeling as though he had just taken a guided tour of Hell and barely made it back, collapsed into his chair the moment Hawk was gone. He pulled out his handkerchief yet again, mopping the cold sweat of sheer survival from his forehead.
And with that.
Following the sudden elevation of the Vice President, the immediate repeal of the Sokovia Accords, the death of David Harris, and the complete, brutal eradication of the Wall Street syndicate that had gambled their lives on a power grab…
A massive, global conspiracy that had begun brewing the moment Hawk left Earth was completely dismantled within four hours of his return.
His speed was as terrifying as ever.
His response…
"As explosive as always!"
——————————
Aboard the Helicarrier, Commander Victoria Hand—who had taken full control of S.H.I.E.L.D. operations following Maria Hill's sudden, 'emergency' vacation—read the latest incoming reports and shook her head in awe.
Just then, A voice echoed through the office, accompanied by a figure materializing from thin air.
"A light touch doesn't establish dominance."
"..." Victoria Hand looked up.
There he was—Hawk stood in her office—having appeared without a sound.
"Where's Hill?"
"On vacation." Victoria answered honestly. "She was worried the White House might try to drag her into this mess, so she turned her phone off and bolted."
As it turned out, Hill had overestimated the government's spine.
It was a massive incident.
Or rather... it should have been.
Because the Pentagon had bent over backward to cover for Hawk.
The massive hole in the White House? A meteorite strike.
The dead senators and power brokers? Tragic suicides.
The massacre on Wall Street? A coordinated terrorist attack.
Victoria Hand thought about the sheer, unprecedented efficiency the Anglo-Saxon power structure had demonstrated over the past three hours, scrambling to clean up Hawk's mess. She couldn't help but look at him with a mix of awe and curiosity.
"Did you plan to hit the Pentagon from the start?"
"My original plan was to wipe the U.S off the map and send it to join Wakanda."
"..."
Victoria's eyes went wide. She stared at him speechless.
Hawk's expression remained perfectly calm.
It was the truth.
In a word:
He was past his growth phase. Even if he shattered the Earth into a billion pieces right now, his heart wouldn't skip a beat.
The universe was vast. He could go anywhere he wanted.
So, The moment Hawk had launched himself from Westview, he had seriously considered just erasing the country from existence.
He didn't have the time or the patience to play political games with people he didn't even know.
They weren't worth the effort.
But then he thought of Gwen.
Deep down, Hawk felt no true sense of belonging to this world.
It wasn't the home of his soul.
But Gwen was here.
Thinking of his wife, a soft smile touched Hawk's lips. He looked at Victoria. "By the way, Gwen is pregnant."
Victoria blinked, surprised, then her face broke into a genuine smile.
"Pregnant? Really?"
"Yeah." Hawk chuckled. "It happened on the honeymoon. She's about a month along."
Victoria beamed. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you." Hawk graciously accepted the congratulations on Gwen's behalf.
——————————
Half a month.
Hawk had already returned to 521A Palm Street.
Gwen caught movement in the backyard out of the corner of her eye. Her face lit up, and she jumped to her feet.
Hawk walked in and immediately caught her as she threw herself at him.
"Whoa, careful. You're pregnant, remember?"
"Are you done?"
"Pretty much." Hawk held Gwen, who had wrapped her arms and legs around him like a koala. "Did you finish sorting the gifts? Ready to head over to Helen's?"
There was no need to tell Gwen the bloody details.
He hadn't dwelled on what he'd done in D.C, and he wasn't dwelling on what he was going to do later on.
But there was one thing he was definitely dwelling on.
Tradition dictated that after returning from a honeymoon, the newlyweds were supposed to visit the bride's family.
Gwen raised an eyebrow at his attempt to change the subject, but she didn't press him. Her smile was radiant.
"I sorted them ages ago. I was just waiting for you."
"Then let's go." Hawk chuckled. He started toward the garage, ready to load her into the car and drive to her parents' place.
But—
Gwen suddenly remembered something. She patted his shoulder, hopped down from his arms, and ran toward the stairs.
"Wait a second! I need to change!"
"Okay." Hawk smiled and nodded.
That 'second' turned into two hours. Still, they managed to time it perfectly, arriving at the Stacy apartment just as the sun was beginning to set.
New York City was still in a state of high alert.
George, as a precinct captain, was stationed at the 21st, coordinating his officers to maintain order in his jurisdiction amidst the chaos.
But when Helen called to tell him his daughter had returned from her honeymoon, he managed to squeeze in a quick trip home.
It was a brief visit. After celebrating the news of Gwen's pregnancy and wolfing down dinner, he didn't even have time to open his gifts before he had to rush back to the precinct.
Hawk, Gwen, and Helen were all used to it by now.
After dinner, Helen sat on the sofa opening her gifts. When Gwen handed her the jar of 'Rainbow Seeds,' her eyes lit up with delight, praising the unique present. Then she took Gwen's hand and, speaking from experience, began to lecture her on the various dos and don'ts of pregnancy.
To a mother, the gifts aren't what matters. Her daughter's happiness and health are everything.
Helen could see it in Gwen's eyes. She was happy. Deeply happy.
And so, that was enough.
Where they had gone for their honeymoon, or how a seed could possibly grow rainbow-colored flowers...
Did it matter?
Not at all.
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The next day.
D.C. and New York were still on edge, but things had calmed down significantly compared to the day before.
The Earth doesn't stop spinning because a few people are missing.
And America, if nothing else, had no shortage of ambitious people waiting in the wings.
In D.C, the vacant congressional seats were being filled with remarkable speed.
Similarly—
The Wall Street firms that had been raided by the military yesterday under the guise of 'national security' were already welcoming their new, military-approved shareholders today.
Hawk and Gwen, meanwhile, had packed the trunk of the Audi full of gifts and driven out to Westview.
As Gwen put it, they had visited the Stacys—they couldn't skip the Chloes. Besides, Anya was still in Westview, waiting for her big brother to pick her up.
Hawk agreed.
He was going to pick up his sister.
So—
Two people went, three people came back.
Sitting in the backseat on the drive back to New York, Anya was happily playing with the high-tech, holographic bracelet computer her sister-in-law had just given her.
The next few days were a blur of visiting friends and family.
Hawk went with Gwen to visit her grandparents on Long Island, and they hosted a dinner for the high school friends who had attended their wedding.
After nearly two weeks of non-stop socializing, Hawk and Gwen, acting under the name of 'Mr and Mrs Phoenix,' made a final, twenty-thousand-dollar donation to Trinity Church. As they walked down the church steps, the formalities of their wedding were officially finished.
Sharon Carter was also finishing up her own business today.
When Hawk and Gwen pulled back onto Palm Street, they saw Sharon waiting by their front door.
Gwen hopped out of the passenger seat, opened the front door, and invited her inside.
Hawk pulled the car into the garage.
When he walked into the living room, Gwen and Sharon were already sitting on the sofa, deep in conversation.
Gwen had brought out the gift she had prepared for Sharon.
Hawk didn't interrupt. He walked over to the bar, pulled out a bottle of bourbon, poured himself a glass, and leaned against the counter, smiling as he watched the two women chat.
A little while later.
An alarm buzzed.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, excused herself to Sharon, and stood up, heading for the kitchen to take her scheduled nutritional supplements, strictly adhering to the Xandarian doctor's orders.
Sharon didn't stay on the sofa. She stood up, walked over to the bar, and pulled out a stool across from Hawk. She looked at him.
"Thank you."
Hawk smiled faintly, saying nothing. He simply pushed the glass of bourbon he had just poured across the bar toward her, then raised his own.
Sharon understood. She picked up the glass.
Clink.
The glasses met.
Hawk downed his bourbon in a single swallow. He checked his watch, then looked at Sharon, his expression perfectly calm.
"Time's up."
"..."
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