Chapter 611

Since Moira had called her a talented researcher, Evenson saw no reason not to bring Helen Hailun into the company.

If she actually had the skills to back up her reputation, they would have gained exactly the kind of expert they needed. And even if she turned out to be less impressive than advertised, she could still work under Moira. Either way, there was little to lose.

Umbrella’s public identity was built around biotechnology, but when it came to actual research, Moira was practically carrying the entire department on her back. Evenson had been hoping to recruit more specialists for a while now. One brilliant researcher was useful. A team of them would be considerably better.

Once Evenson and the Eredar Twins gave their approval, Moira went over Helen’s background in greater detail.

Evenson listened, then stopped dead on one particular detail.

She had a PhD.

He stared for a moment.

Was a doctorate just ridiculously easy to get in this universe?

Pretty much every scientist he’d met seemed to have one.

Bruce Banner had seven. Tony Stark had who knew how many. Moira had two. Daniel Whitehall was a doctor. Aldrich Killian had a doctorate too, before the Eredar Twins had turned him into a fireworks display. And now Helen Hailun was apparently a doctor at only twenty-three years old.

Twenty-three.

Under normal circumstances, wasn’t that about the age when you were supposed to be finishing college?

And, if he remembered correctly, she was even a few months younger than him.

Evenson suddenly became painfully aware of his own educational background. He had barely finished middle school before everything in his life had gone off the rails, and he’d certainly never made it through high school.

He had a sinking feeling he was the least educated person in the entire company.

Even the cleaning staff probably had enough academic qualifications to look down on him.

The thought left him feeling distinctly unbalanced.

After dismissing Moira to carry out her assignment, Evenson dragged his chair over beside the Eredar Twins and stared at them.

"So, when are you two going to certify me with a doctorate?"

Both sisters turned toward him.

They had lived together for tens of thousands of years. Their coordination was normally so perfect that they might as well have shared one mind.

Evenson’s question somehow broke that synchronization.

One gave him an affectionate look usually reserved for someone who needed help.

The other looked at him with open pity.

There was a long silence.

"...Sure," Alythess finally said, her voice completely dry. "We’ll find a day when we’re free and arrange an examination for you."

"An exam?" Evenson frowned. "We’re practically family. Can’t you just issue me the certificate?"

He paused.

"Though an exam is fine too."

As long as there was a path to the diploma, he wasn’t picky.

And if he happened to fail...

Well, there were always other methods.

Maybe they could skip straight to the part where he became a doctor through extremely unconventional administrative procedures.

Before he could pursue that line of thought any further, Sacrolash’s phone rang.

She answered.

She barely said two words before her expression brightened.

That was enough to get Evenson’s attention.

Sacrolash ended the call and looked at the others.

"The people bringing us money have arrived."

"They’re here already?" Evenson immediately stood. "Then let’s go. No point keeping them waiting."

The three of them left together.

This, after all, was the real reason Evenson had come to the company today.

Inspecting the Black Chapter division and assigning a few tasks had mostly been ways to kill time. Even without him around, the Eredar Twins could handle those matters without difficulty.

What came next was different.

Evenson was the one who had arranged the deal, which made him the middleman. His presence mattered.

They soon reached Umbrella’s secret reception room.

Unlike the ordinary reception area upstairs, this room had been built specifically for sensitive business. It had every convenience they might need, along with considerably stronger security. Advanced soundproofing prevented conversations from carrying beyond the walls, and the room was regularly swept for hidden surveillance devices.

Nothing about it was accidental.

It was the sort of place designed for business that was never supposed to see the light of day.

When the three entered, a woman was already waiting on the sofa.

She wore a black business suit and a round hat with a veil draped over it. A cigarette rested elegantly between her fingers, and she sat with the effortless poise of someone who had never once doubted that the room belonged to her.

Evenson’s face immediately lit up.

"Stephanie. Been a long time."

"Indeed."

The woman rose gracefully when she saw them and removed her hat, revealing a pretty, composed face.

Stephanie Malick.

The only daughter of Gideon Malick, one of Hydra’s leaders.

"Due to various circumstances, my father felt it inappropriate for him to visit personally," Stephanie said politely. "I hope you’ll understand."

"Of course."

After a few more pleasantries, Stephanie produced a small, understated box. It was simple in design but unmistakably elegant.

"My father knows that you aren’t particularly fond of money."

Evenson’s hand, hidden behind his back, twitched.

Who the hell had started that rumor?

Stephanie smiled as she slowly opened the box.

"So we’ve prepared a few tasteful little gifts instead. Nothing vulgar or ostentatious. Please, have a look."

Evenson leaned closer.

"Is that amber?"

Inside the box, nestled against black velvet, was a small piece of translucent golden-orange amber. The quality was immediately obvious.

Then he noticed something trapped inside.

"Wait. That’s fossilized amber."

The object enclosed within looked like some kind of mosquito, although it was noticeably larger than modern mosquitoes. There was even a faint reddish mark on its abdomen.

If it was genuine, this was worth a fortune.

Stephanie handed the box to him without hesitation.

"It was part of my father’s collection. He was told it formed during the Cretaceous Period, although he cannot personally guarantee its authenticity. We’d appreciate your opinion."

"Cretaceous, huh..."

Evenson’s eyebrows rose slightly.

He studied the specimen for another moment, then closed the box with a satisfied smile.

"Well, then. I guess I’ll take it."

If the amber really was from the Cretaceous, it was an extraordinary piece.

Still, even something like that was cheap compared with what Malick was receiving in return.

When Evenson had negotiated with Gideon Malick previously, he’d demanded only two hundred million dollars for one hundred completed Demonheart Soldiers.

Malick had practically felt guilty about getting such a bargain.

And now that he needed Evenson’s cooperation for the next stage of the project, he had little choice but to sweeten the deal with something valuable.

Evenson tucked the box away and gestured toward the Eredar Twins.

"Let me introduce you. These are Lady Sacrolash and Grand Warlock Alythess. They’re the ones running things here."

"A pleasure to meet you."

Stephanie offered them a courteous smile.

The twins returned it with synchronized nods.

"Now that everyone knows everyone," Evenson said, "let’s talk business."

The four took their seats.

Evenson looked toward Stephanie.

"Since you’ve come here personally, I assume your father is ready to formally proceed with the deal."

"That’s correct."

Stephanie nodded.

"I’m here to make the initial payment and prepare the way. The full operation will begin shortly."

Evenson immediately pushed a card terminal across the table.

Stephanie’s eye twitched.

The man was certainly practical.

And frighteningly efficient.

Sacrolash checked the company’s bank balance on her phone.

Her lips curved upward.

One hundred million dollars.

That would keep them busy for a while.

"Evenson has already briefed us on the terms," Sacrolash said. "Since your side is officially beginning the operation, the necessary materials..."

She looked at Stephanie.

"You’ve prepared them?"

"Of course."

Stephanie nodded.

"Five hundred people. They’ll begin arriving tomorrow."

She added, "To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, they won’t arrive all at once. Their schedules will be staggered."

The word materials was, naturally, a euphemism.

They were talking about human beings.

The reason it had taken so long for Malick to formally begin the deal had nothing to do with raising the money. Two hundred million dollars was pocket change to him. He could have transferred it in seconds.

The real problem had been finding the five hundred people.

As one of Hydra’s leaders, Malick had no shortage of personnel he could command.

But this operation was too important to trust to just anyone.

Only one hundred of those five hundred would ultimately survive the transformation into Demonheart Soldiers.

The remaining four hundred would be failures.

And failures meant death.

The surviving hundred, however, had a very different purpose.

First, they would be sent off-world to search for the Hive.

Later, they would become Malick’s personal guard and one of the most dangerous weapons in his arsenal against his enemies.

That meant loyalty was non-negotiable.

These people couldn’t merely be loyal to Hydra.

They had to be loyal to Gideon Malick personally.

Even if the day came when he broke with Hydra, even if the organization turned against him, these people had to follow him without hesitation.

So Malick had chosen them from his own inner circle.

Not a single outsider.

And even then, he hadn’t trusted the selection process.

He had been terrified that some other Hydra branch might have slipped an infiltrator into the group. So he had checked and rechecked every candidate. He personally interviewed many of them, reviewed their files himself, and went over the final list again and again before settling on the five hundred.

By the time he finished, the man had apparently lost weight, lost hair, and exhausted whatever patience remained in his body.

He was currently recovering at home.

Alythess spoke next.

"Ms. Malick, can you guarantee that these people will cooperate with us?"

Stephanie met her gaze.

"I’m not referring to their day-to-day supervision. That’s straightforward enough. I’m talking about the transformation process and the final qualification trials."

Alythess’s expression hardened slightly.

"People will die during both."

She held Stephanie’s gaze.

"And most of them will die. At best, only one in five is expected to survive. Can you guarantee that they’ll accept that without causing problems?"

Four chances in five of dying.

That was the kind of situation where nobody thought they were going to be lucky.

Everyone imagined themselves drawing the losing hand.

And when a person became convinced they were about to die, there was no telling what they might do.

Stephanie’s smile did not change.

"They were selected precisely because they understand what they’re agreeing to. Every one of them has already accepted the possibility of sacrificing themselves."

She took a slow drag from her cigarette.

"As for their management, you don’t need to worry. I’ll personally oversee them."

Her tone remained perfectly calm.

"I’ll make sure they cooperate fully with your transformation procedures."

Evenson’s eyebrows drew together.

"So you’re saying you’re Hydra’s overall representative for this operation?"

"Yes."

"And judging by what you’ve said..." Evenson studied her carefully. "You’re planning to stay here for a while."

That made sense.

Gideon Malick valued these people far too highly to simply hand them over and walk away.

But Malick had also reached the unfortunate stage where he trusted nobody.

His paranoia had apparently narrowed the field until only one person remained.

His daughter.

As far as Gideon was concerned, there were precious few second-generation Hydra members worth anything anyway.

Take Baron Strucker’s son, for example.

The man’s judgment of that particular specimen was not especially charitable.

His own daughter, on the other hand, was different.

Stephanie could shoulder responsibility.

She could solve problems for her father.

She could be trusted with something important.

And, from Gideon’s perspective, that made him one very proud father.