Chapter 583

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

But she must have sensed, somewhere beneath the surface, that the events of her first twenty years were connected to SHIELD.

Once she realized that an invisible hand had been manipulating her life from the moment she was born, making her childhood far harder and more miserable than it should have been, anger and curiosity had pushed her into a relentless confrontation with the organization.

She became obsessed with the secrets SHIELD refused to reveal.

Part of that obsession came from wanting to make sure no one else suffered the way she had. The rest came from wanting to discover the truth about her own origins.

It was an incredibly bold thing to do.

Most people who discovered that a secret organization had been pulling the strings of their entire childhood would probably be terrified enough to pretend they’d never learned anything. They’d keep their heads down, go about their lives, and stay as far away from SHIELD as possible.

Skye had apparently decided the best course of action was to repeatedly headbutt the largest steel wall she could find.

"But if SHIELD deliberately hid her like this, there has to be a reason," Evenson said, frowning. "And now you want to recruit her as an agent? Is that really a good idea? Bringing her into SHIELD could expose whatever they’re trying to hide."

"The safest place is often the most dangerous."

Coulson’s answer came with absolute certainty.

"Once she becomes a covert SHIELD operative, we can erase the records she’s accumulated in civilian systems. That will make her even harder to find. If we leave her out there, someone could track her down eventually. But if she stays with my team, anyone who wants to get to her will have to come through me first."

"Right. Because getting through you is apparently impossible."

Evenson turned his head and muttered it under his breath.

Coulson’s hearing was annoyingly good.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Evenson immediately changed the subject.

"I just meant you need to keep a close eye on her. She’s stubborn, and becoming an agent isn’t going to make her give up on finding out who she is. If she does something reckless after joining SHIELD, whatever else happens, the responsibility will ultimately fall on you."

"I already have a solution."

Coulson sounded entirely confident.

"She’ll only be a probationary agent. She won’t have any real clearance. I’ll also assign someone to supervise her."

He glanced at his watch.

"Looks like they’re finished."

Coulson stood and headed toward the interrogation room.

"Let’s see how things turned out."

He opened the door.

Skye sat in her chair with one leg crossed over the other, looking thoroughly satisfied. Apparently, she believed Ward had given her quite a few answers.

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

He looked completely asleep.

Evenson had to admit the performance was convincing.

Then he gave Coulson a meaningful look.

If that syringe had actually contained truth serum, Coulson would have stumbled into one hell of a situation. He’d just injected one of his own agents and then left him alone in a room with a captured hacker.

Thankfully, it had been saline.

Whatever the case, the plan had worked.

Skye had finally accepted SHIELD’s explanation and, more importantly, trusted them enough to reveal everything she knew.

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

Their first priority was naturally finding the mysterious hooded hero. Skye had already proven her usefulness by producing the identification card she’d stolen when she first encountered him.

Evenson couldn’t resist taking the opportunity to tease her.

"Don’t compare me to you!"

Skye immediately bristled and pointed a finger at his face.

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

"Exactly."

Evenson shot back.

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

"Using deception is wrong!"

"Then stealing is wrong too!"

"You’re twisting the argument!"

The exchange lasted only a few rounds before Skye ran out of ammunition.

Evenson leaned back, looking unbearably pleased with himself.

He’d met his match in stubbornness, and he was enjoying the victory far too much.

"All right, both of you. Enough."

Coulson finally intervened, rolling his eyes.

"We’re trying to accomplish something here."

He scanned the identification card while speaking. The system immediately returned a detailed profile.

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

Coulson studied the information.

"Decent man. Just spectacularly unlucky."

He turned toward Skye.

"And according to the information you’ve gathered, the Centipede Project is an enhanced-human research program?"

"That’s what my investigation suggests."

Skye nodded.

"Great. Another enhanced human."

Evenson put a hand over his face, already looking exhausted.

"Ever since Captain America appeared, you’d think enhanced-human technology would still be something extraordinarily rare. But now?"

He lowered his hand.

"I’ve met the Hulk. I’ve fought the Abomination. It’s been less than three months since I dealt with the Ultimate Bio-Weapon, and now we’ve got another one."

He shook his head.

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

The whole field was supposed to be tightly controlled.

So why had Evenson’s career apparently triggered a flood 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 situation.

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

"Then you’d better be careful."

Evenson leaned back in the nearby chair.

"I’ve seen plenty of people who started out as decent human beings. Give them power they never imagined they could possess, and sometimes they become monsters."

His expression turned more serious.

"If that power is unstable, and the person’s life was already falling apart, the odds are even worse."

"Thanks for the warning."

Coulson nodded.

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

Unlike Coulson and Evenson, she wasn’t accustomed to this sort of thing. Every new revelation only seemed to produce three more questions.

Coulson’s expression changed.

"Umbrella..."

He muttered the name almost unconsciously.

Evenson immediately froze.

Nope.

That was a problem he wanted no part of.

And certainly not one he intended to drag his family into.

"Coulson!"

Evenson suddenly raised his voice.

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

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

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

"What is Umbrella?"

Skye immediately latched onto the unfamiliar name.

Coulson realized he’d said too much.

"That’s classified."

He brushed her question aside before turning toward 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. How much you know, and how much you’re allowed to learn, is something you’ll have to clear with the Director."

Coulson gave him a helpless look.

"Since when did you become so good at following regulations?"

Elsewhere, Melinda May had already arrived at the building with Fitz and Simmons.

They intended to conduct an on-site investigation.

They quickly discovered that someone had beaten them there.

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

They weren’t hiding. Their movements were orderly and official, and they behaved as though they had every right to be there.

May concluded that they belonged to a government agency.

She approached and presented her credentials.

The men allowed them through without protest.

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

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

She didn’t so much as blink.

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

The man produced his credentials.

Unlike those issued by the other government agencies, his carried an enormous black seal.

"Luthor. Lex Luthor."

He displayed the identification.

"We’re with the Black Seal Division."