a little death ➴ ᵏᵃᵗᵉ ᵇⁱˢʰᵒᵖ

𝟷𝟾

➴

Remy's first day at Bishop Security unfolded in an unusual blur. She could sense Kate's presence before even seeing her, the new CEO already fully in command, directing her team with ease. Kate had slipped into the role naturally, though the weight of her mother's arrest still burdened her. Remy watched her from the far side of the office, caught between admiration and the heavy guilt of having decided to avoid Kate until further notice.

Her shift ended quietly, with the familiar click of a logout from her desk. But the day wasn't over for her. With the building now nearly empty, she returned to the company's database, the light from the screen reflecting in her eyes as she dug deeper into A.I.M. and, by extension, her mother's past.

As she sifted through the files, something unsettling came to the surface. Hidden among the records, Remy discovered data about a Project Goliath, a series of experiments authorized under A.I.M.'s secret branch. The project focused on enhancing gamma radiation's effects, but not just on humans. It involved using gamma rays on unwilling subjects—prisoners, abductees, and civilians from remote areas, turning them into dangerous, monstrous beings. One particular file stopped Remy cold.

Kenneth Reau

Her father's name was signed on several key authorizations. He wasn't just involved— he'd played a major role, facilitating experiments and covering up their disastrous consequences. The deeper she looked, the more she uncovered the horror: Kenneth Reau had manipulated Beverly Bass, concealing the true nature of his work, all while she unknowingly helped push forward the very experiments she would eventually try to destroy.

But Beverly had found out. It seemed that she had discovered A.I.M.'s dark research in the final days before her death. According to one email chain Remy uncovered, Beverly had planned to leak the files. She had even reached out to a journalist in an attempt to blow the whistle on A.I.M.

What the hell made Adrian Hanover believe Remy ever would have leaked these, or even searched for them?

Her fingers hovered over a damning document: a memo from A.I.M. leadership, approving the "termination" of Beverly Bass as a necessary measure to protect the research. Kenneth Reau had been a part of that decision.

Remy felt her chest tighten. She pushed away from the desk, breathing heavily. Kenneth had chosen the company over her mother. Worse,—

Beverly Bass, DECEASED.
Termination authorized by Dr. Kenneth Reau.

➴

"Bishop's data on A.I.M. was.. underwhelming, to say the least," Remy lied, lifting her phone to her ear.

The campus was quiet in the evening, with the dim glow of streetlights illuminating the pathways. As she walked back to her dorm, Remy tried to steady her breathing, forcing herself to focus on the cool night air. Clint Barton was no fool, and she couldn't afford to raise his suspicion.

"What'd you find?" Clint's low voice called.

"Not much. They're, like, an intelligence agency," Remy began. "I can't find any record of them still operating in the last five years or so."

"Shit," He admitted.

Arriving at her dorm, she opened the door and greeted her roommate, Jess, who was sprawled out on her bed flipping through her phone.

"Hey, Remy," Jess said with a smile, glancing up from her screen. "How was work?"

Remy forced a smile, dropping her bag by the door. "It was fine. Just a lot of information to process."

Jess stretched her arms and sat up, looking more serious now. "Hey, you okay? You look a little... distracted."

Remy shrugged, fidgeting with the edge of her jacket. "Just... stuff with my parents."

"Oh?" Jess tilted her head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," She answered way-too-quickly. "Thanks, Jessie. It's personal, though," She elaborated through an anxious smile.

As she lay down on her bed that night, staring up at the ceiling, Remy's mind raced with everything she had learned. A.I.M. hadn't just killed her mother— her father had been an accomplice. And now, Hanover wanted her to dig deeper into A.I.M.'s files, to unearth more secrets that could destroy everything. What she now wondered, was where Adrian Hanover really stood in all this.

—

Belova

Are you still in America?

Could really use some of your help.

I'm not doing your homework.

I'm in the States, yes.

Can we meet? Urgent.

—