The Fall - Book 1

59. The acquisition must wait.

⚠️ TW: mentions of death ⚠️

JULY 30, 2018

"DAMNIT!" the man roars, slamming his fist into the wall after his source relays their information.

His source flinches.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know about Jones's plan. I believe he was just retaliating due to Stark kicking him out...and Réa rejecting him. He clearly wasn't the most stable individual," they say. "And definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed."

The man sighs.

"I suppose we'll just have to make do with the situation now. Continue to keep me apprised; thanks to Jones's actions, I no longer have audio or visual feeds to review, so I expect reports when you are able. I'm sure the Avengers will be hyper-vigilant over the next several weeks; I expect you to exercise your best judgment in how and when to communicate."

"Yes, sir."

The man nods curtly. "You're dismissed."

After his source leaves, the man contacts the other. Several minutes later, they arrive.

"You have news for me," the other says; they don't phrase it as a question.

"I do. I'm afraid it's...disappointing. One of our operatives went rogue and placed explosives in the Avengers compound. He detonated them, and killed ten individuals—both Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—and severely injured Barnes. Réa..."

"Took the Fall," the other interrupts.

When the man nods, the other continues.

"I must say, Réalta is nothing if not predictable." They sigh. "Though I had hoped to acquire her while she was still half-Seraph, as a human will do." They pause. "Of course, that will have to wait now. I am certain these Avengers will be increasingly protective of Réalta, given her new status."

"Barnes, especially," the man interjects, distaste in his tone.

"Yes. Yes, I believe you are correct." The other studies the man. "This...hatred...you have for Barnes: how did it come to be?"

"He was given a purpose: to help HYDRA create a new world order. He was given strength and power, yet he chose to throw it all away because he believes our mission isn't 'the right thing to do'," the man's tone is mocking before he scoffs.

"Hmm," the other says. "You are essentially HYDRA's leader now. Yes, there are a few others above you, but they seem content to let you run things. And they did offer you the serum, did they not?"

The man nods. "Yes. They did."

"And I have no doubt that you accepted. Which means that you now possess the same abilities as Barnes." They pause. "Why does it seem that your hatred of Barnes is compounded by your desire for Réalta?"

Sensing that this might be dangerous territory, the man chooses his next words carefully.

"As I told you before, I'm a red-blooded male, and she's gorgeous. I can't help but want her. And the fact is that, if I had her, it would take her from him. Which, again, adds to the appeal."

"Yes, I suppose that would hold a certain...allure for you."

After this statement, the other is silent for several long moments, watching the man with an assessing gaze. The man begins to fear that he went too far, and is about to backpedal when the other speaks.

"You have done well, aside from today's snafu. However, I know you cannot control every single thing, and I am willing to bestow an additional reward upon you as a gesture of good faith. When the time is right, of course."

"Thank you," the man says; he's curious, but he knows better than to press for details.

The other nods. "Remember, the acquisition must wait. I am sure that this...Tony Stark will rebuild the compound that your operative destroyed, and I expect that will take several months. I believe that will be enough time for them to become less protective of Réalta. Well, all except Barnes...I doubt he will ever be anything other than protective of her. That will be easy enough to work around, though."

They pause.

"In the meantime, continue to gather information, but make no moves. Contact me as soon as the compound is rebuilt, and we can formulate the next steps."

As per usual, the other does not wait for a response; they simply leave.

'I really get tired of that,' the man thinks somewhat petulantly.