Chapter 582

The files were buried deep within SHIELD’s internal database, so Skye had never actually seen them.

But she must have sensed, at least subconsciously, that something about the first half of her life was connected to SHIELD.

Once she realized that her entire life had been manipulated by an unseen hand, and that those manipulations had made her childhood so difficult and unhappy, anger and curiosity had driven her to push back.

She had made SHIELD her enemy.

She was obsessed with uncovering the truths they kept hidden, partly because she wanted to prevent anyone else from suffering the way she had, and partly because she wanted to discover who she really was.

It was an audacious goal.

Most people who learned that their entire childhood had been orchestrated by a secret organization would probably panic, decide they were better off knowing nothing, and go back to living their lives.

Skye, apparently, had chosen to repeatedly slam her head into the world’s largest steel wall instead.

"But if SHIELD went to these lengths to hide her, there has to be a reason," Evenson said, frowning. "And now you want to recruit her as an agent? Are you sure that’s a good idea? Bringing her into SHIELD might expose whatever they’re trying to keep hidden."

"The safest place is often the most dangerous place."

Coulson sounded completely certain.

"Once she becomes a secret SHIELD operative, we’ll erase the records she’s left behind in civilian databases. That will make her even harder to find. If we leave her out in the world, someone could track her down eventually. But if she’s part of my team, anyone who wants to get to her will have to come through me first."

"Sounds like getting through you is really difficult."

Evenson turned his head and muttered the words under his breath.

Coulson’s ears were apparently working just fine.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Evenson immediately changed course.

"I was saying you need to keep a close eye on her. She’s stubborn. She’s not going to give up on finding out who she is just because she becomes an agent. If she crosses a line after joining SHIELD, that’s going to become your problem."

"I already have a plan."

Coulson looked entirely too confident.

"Besides, she’ll only be a probationary agent. She won’t have any clearance. I’ll also assign someone to keep an eye on her."

He glanced at his watch.

"Looks like they’re finished."

Coulson stood and headed for the interrogation room.

"Let’s see how well it worked."

He opened the door.

Skye was sitting in the chair with her legs crossed, looking thoroughly satisfied with herself. Apparently, she believed she’d just extracted a wealth of classified information from Ward.

Ward, meanwhile, was sprawled across the table without moving.

He looked as though he’d fallen asleep.

Evenson couldn’t help admiring the performance.

The guy was really committing to the bit.

Then Evenson looked meaningfully at Coulson.

If that syringe had actually contained truth serum, Coulson had just committed one hell of a crime by injecting it into a SHIELD agent and then leaving him alone with a captured hacker.

Fortunately, it hadn’t.

Whatever the case, the plan had worked.

Skye finally trusted SHIELD enough to reveal everything she knew.

"See? Earlier, you called me a liar. And you’re nothing but a thief."

Their first priority was finding the mysterious hooded hero, and Skye had already demonstrated just how useful she could be. She produced the identification card she’d stolen when she’d first encountered him.

That gave Evenson the perfect opportunity to tease her.

"Don’t compare me to you!"

Skye immediately bristled and pointed a finger at his face.

"I was only doing what I believed was right. I didn’t have any ulterior motives."

"Exactly."

Evenson fired back without hesitation.

"I was also acting without ulterior motives. I was just trying to make a living and support my family. I don’t think that’s a crime."

"Using deception is wrong!"

"Then stealing is wrong too!"

"You’re twisting the argument!"

It took only a few exchanges before Skye ran out of ammunition.

Evenson leaned back with the smug satisfaction of a man who had just won an argument he had absolutely no business taking this seriously.

He wasn’t called stubborn for nothing.

"All right, both of you, enough."

Coulson rolled his eyes.

"We’re trying to accomplish something here."

He scanned the identification card. A moment later, the system returned a detailed profile.

"Michael Peterson. Factory worker. Married. One child. Injured. Laid off. His wife left him."

Coulson glanced over the information.

"Seems like a decent man. Just spectacularly unlucky."

He looked toward Skye.

"And according to what you’ve uncovered, the Centipede Project is some kind of enhanced-human research program?"

"That’s what my investigation indicates."

Skye nodded.

"Yeah..." Evenson rubbed his forehead.

"Another enhanced human."

He sounded exhausted already.

"Ever since Captain America appeared, you’d think enhanced-human technology would still be some incredibly rare thing. But lately? I’ve met the Hulk, fought the Abomination, and it hasn’t even been three months since I dealt with the Ultimate Bio-Weapon. Now there’s another one?"

He stared into the middle distance.

"At this rate, everyone seems to have access to enhanced-human technology."

It was supposed to be a monopolized field.

So why had the moment Evenson entered the business brought a whole parade of competitors?

"I’ve already sent the team to that building," Coulson said, ignoring the complaint. "We’ll see what they find."

He considered the possibilities.

"My guess is that someone approached Michael and promised they could make him stronger. Give him abilities. He probably agreed without realizing what he was getting himself into and ended up becoming a test subject."

"Then you’d better be careful."

Evenson sank back into the nearby chair.

"I’ve seen plenty of people who started out decent. Then they got powers they never imagined they’d have, and suddenly they became criminals."

He looked at Coulson seriously.

"If the power is unstable and the person’s life was already going badly, the chances of that happening go up."

"Thanks for the warning."

Coulson gave him a nod.

"But who has technology like that?" Skye suddenly asked. "And why would they do this?"

Unlike Coulson and Evenson, she wasn’t accustomed to dealing with increasingly bizarre threats. She was still at the stage where every new revelation produced another question.

Coulson’s expression changed.

"Umbrella..."

The name escaped him in a low murmur.

Evenson immediately stiffened.

Nope.

Not his problem.

And certainly not his family’s problem either.

"Coulson!"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Looks like your promotion came with more than just increased clearance."

Coulson hadn’t known about Umbrella before. Which meant Fury had probably briefed him recently.

Apparently, Coulson’s little team had been given far more responsibility than Evenson had realized.

"What is Umbrella?"

Skye immediately latched onto the unfamiliar name.

Coulson realized his mistake.

"That’s... classified."

He brushed the question aside, then turned to Evenson.

"You seem to have known about that organization for some time. Later, could you provide me with more information about them?"

Evenson smiled.

"Sorry. That’s classified too. How much you’re allowed to know, and how much more you’re allowed to know, is something you’ll have to take up with the Director."

Coulson stared at him.

"Since when did you become so concerned with following the rules?"

Before Evenson could answer, Melinda May had already arrived at the building with the two scientists, Fitz and Simmons.

They had come to investigate the site personally.

They weren’t the first to arrive.

The building had already been sealed off, with numerous men in black suits moving through the interior.

They weren’t attempting to conceal themselves. Their movements were organized, official, and completely unconcerned with being seen.

May quickly concluded they belonged to some government agency.

She approached, displayed her credentials, and was allowed through without resistance.

When the group reached the top floor, where the explosion had occurred, they finally met the person in charge.

May looked up at the enormous Black man standing before her. He was more than two meters tall, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses.

She wasn’t intimidated.

"Which department are you with? And what are you doing here?"

The man produced his credentials.

Unlike the identification issued by other government agencies, his carried a large black seal.

"Luthor. Lex Luthor."

He held the badge where she could see it.

"We’re with the Black Seal Division."