Chapter 767

Knowing how many cards he still had up his sleeve had made Evenson far less concerned about revealing his secrets. But that didn’t mean he intended to lay them all on the table just yet.

There was an art to revealing one’s hand. Timing mattered. Circumstances mattered. Most importantly, he had to be the one deciding when and how much to reveal. He refused to let someone else force him into exposing his secrets with no room to maneuver.

"So, I suppose it’s time we had a proper conversation with our little spy."

Evenson glanced at the unconscious Ghost with a cold smile.

There was nothing wrong with letting other people learn his secrets, provided he was the one choosing to reveal them. Having those secrets uncovered against his will was an entirely different matter.

If he wanted to regain control of the situation, understand what had led to this mess, and prepare for whatever came next, Ghost was his best source of information.

He raised a finger, preparing to flick it against her forehead to wake her up. Then he paused, apparently remembering something important.

Instead, he walked over to her, lifted her chin, and pried her mouth open with his fingers. He peered inside, inspecting her teeth with the meticulous attention of a dentist.

After a moment, he seemed unsatisfied with his own examination.

"Agent Carter, could you take a look? Your eyesight is better than mine, and you’ve certainly got more experience with this sort of thing. Check carefully. Make sure she doesn’t have any cavities... I mean, that she isn’t hiding anything in there."

Peggy Carter gave him a peculiar look but approached anyway.

Evenson had initially mistaken Ghost’s collision with the wall for a suicide attempt. He now understood that she’d been trying to escape. That didn’t mean she couldn’t have a cyanide capsule hidden between her teeth.

Waking her up without checking first could end with her biting down on the capsule and dying right in front of them.

Sure, he had a Soulstone that could bring her back. But frugality was a virtue, and saving a Soulstone was saving a Soulstone.

Besides, he hadn’t even had the chance to experience that particular resurrection method himself. Why should she get to go first?

"No," Peggy said after a brief inspection. "You’re safe. She isn’t carrying anything."

"Really?"

"Ghost is an agent who was trained and classified as someone who could never be captured. She has no need for a cyanide capsule. More importantly, her unusual physiology makes her immune to cyanide. She could swallow the stuff like candy, and it wouldn’t do anything to her."

Evenson raised an eyebrow.

"That’s impressive. She can walk through walls, ignore bullets, and apparently survive poison. Are we sure this is the result of a scientific experiment? Because it sounds more like she’s unlocked some kind of supernatural cultivation technique."

Still, the explanation put him at ease.

He sent a faint pulse of psychic energy into Ghost’s mind.

Her body twitched. A pained moan escaped her lips.

"Mm..."

Her eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first. Then awareness returned in a rush.

She scanned her surroundings, her eyes widening as she recognized the situation. She twisted violently against her restraints, struggling to free herself.

"Ow!"

Her sudden movements aggravated the swelling on her forehead, and she winced in pain.

Then she went still.

Slowly, she raised her head again, staring in disbelief.

She could feel pain.

It was such a simple sensation, yet to Ghost, it was almost incomprehensible.

She had acquired her unusual abilities when she was very young. Since then, ordinary physical injuries had become practically irrelevant to her. Her body could phase through solid matter, making conventional attacks nearly useless.

But that protection had come at a terrible cost.

Her condition subjected her to relentless suffering, a constant torment that never truly ceased. The pain she had just experienced would ordinarily have been too insignificant for her to notice.

Now, however, everything felt different.

The chain binding her appeared to have suppressed her abilities. Yet with those abilities restrained, the endless agony that had haunted her for years seemed to have quieted as well.

For the first time in a long while, she could distinguish an ordinary ache from the torment that had become her existence.

Evenson watched her reaction with interest before settling into a more conversational expression.

"Agent Ghost, I’ve worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. for quite some time, yet I’ve never even heard of you. I suppose I owe you an apology for that oversight."

He clasped his hands together and bowed his head with exaggerated sincerity.

"But since we both work for S.H.I.E.L.D., we’re colleagues. And the people here are close to me, which makes them my people, too."

He pulled up a chair and sat across from her.

"Yet here we are, with one S.H.I.E.L.D. agent investigating another. I can only assume there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. So why don’t we have an honest conversation and clear things up?"

"An honest conversation?" Ghost leaned back against her chair and gave a quiet, humorless laugh. "That’s funny."

"Right. My mistake."

Evenson slapped his forehead as though he’d only just realized something obvious.

"If we’re going to be honest with each other, I should show a little good faith. Here, let me take those chains off. You might be more comfortable."

He reached toward the restraints.

"Don’t!"

Ghost recoiled so violently that her chair scraped across the floor. She kicked against the ground, dragging herself and the chair backward several feet.

"I’m fine like this! I like being tied up!"

Evenson froze, his hands suspended in midair.

Then he snatched them back as if the chains had suddenly become red-hot.

His expression turned decidedly strange.

"Well, I’m all for honesty, but there’s no need to be quite that honest. I’m not particularly interested in your... personal preferences. Not that I judge, of course. Everyone has their harmless little habits, and there’s no reason to pry into them."

Ghost’s face turned scarlet.

The veins in her neck stood out, and her teeth ground together with enough force to make an unpleasant noise.

She had done nothing wrong, and somehow this idiot had managed to turn her attempt to avoid being touched into something unspeakably embarrassing.

Evenson cleared his throat.

"Anyway, if you’re comfortable like that, who am I to argue? We still have a few questions to get through, though."

He leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand.

"Who sent you here? And what exactly were you ordered to investigate?"

"Who sent me?"

Ghost scoffed.

"I’m a highly classified S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. Anyone below Level Nine clearance doesn’t even know I exist. Even agents with Level Nine clearance might never learn about me without special authorization."

She leaned forward as far as her restraints allowed, fixing Evenson with a steady stare.

"So, who do you think has the authority to deploy someone like me?"

"Alexander Pierce or Nicholas J. Fury?" Evenson asked. "Or did they assign the mission together?"

He needed a clear answer. The appropriate response would depend entirely on who was behind the operation.

Ghost curled her lip.

"Why don’t you guess? One chance in three. Those are pretty good odds."

"I don’t like guessing, and I don’t like gambling. Frankly, I don’t enjoy anything that depends on luck."

Evenson shook his head.

"Besides, you’ve already told me quite a bit. You’ve explained your clearance level and established the rank required to deploy you. Why stop there? You’ve come this far. You might as well finish the story."

"I told you those things because you already knew them."

Ghost turned her head slightly, looking past him.

"Didn’t you, Agent Carter?"

Evenson followed her gaze.

Peggy Carter slowly removed the mask covering her face, revealing her true identity.

Ghost’s expression suggested that she’d expected exactly this.

Peggy sighed and set the mask aside.

"How did you recognize me?"

Ghost opened her mouth to answer, but Peggy suddenly raised a hand to stop her. A moment later, understanding dawned on her face.

"Wait. It was because I called you by your name, wasn’t it? Eva?"

"Exactly."

Ghost, now identified as Eva, nodded.

"The agents who know I exist know me only by my codename. Those who know my real name still address me as Ghost. And none of them are women."

She glanced at Peggy.

"That leaves only one woman in the entire world who knows my name and would actually use it. Combine that with the abilities and characteristics of the people who captured me, and identifying you was hardly difficult."

"Very good reasoning."

Peggy nodded approvingly.

"The little girl I knew all those years ago has grown into an excellent agent."

But instead of accepting the praise, Eva lowered her head. A shadow passed over her face, and the tension around her eyes deepened.

Evenson, meanwhile, seized on the revelation with renewed enthusiasm.

"Now that you’ve identified Agent Carter, doesn’t that prove this whole situation is a misunderstanding?"

He slapped his thigh and rose from his chair.

"Whatever is happening here might have been authorized by the Council, the United Nations, or even the U.S. government. We all work on the same side. There’s no point in tearing each other apart."

"Is she really that trustworthy?"

Eva lifted her chin, her tone openly skeptical.

Apparently, Peggy Carter’s reputation wasn’t enough to settle the matter.

"Who else would you trust?" Evenson asked, wearing a weary smile. "You know her history. She’s one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. Do you honestly believe she’d betray the very organization she spent her life building, or deliberately sabotage everything she’s worked for?"

"Of course she could."

Eva gave a cold laugh.

"Everyone has a price. Some people simply set theirs very high. But if someone offers enough to meet that price, there’s nothing they won’t betray."

Her gaze shifted toward Peggy.

"There’s no shortage of things people want, but the three most tempting are longevity, youth, and power. You’ve given her all three. So what exactly does she have left that she wouldn’t sacrifice?"

Eva’s smile grew sharper.

"Her beliefs? Her life’s work? Her promises? All of them can be abandoned when the price is high enough."

Evenson caught the implication immediately.

Eva clearly had a problem with Peggy, and her accusation sounded far more personal than professional.

Peggy seemed to realize the same thing.

"Eva, about what happened back then, I—"

"Beautifully said!"

The interruption came from the corner of the room.

The Eredar Twins had been quietly observing the conversation, but now one of them stepped forward, clapping her hands in approval.

Sallorath wore a broad, amused smile.

"There’s an old saying: loyalty lasts only until betrayal becomes profitable."

"It’s an embarrassingly edgy sentiment," her sister, Oreseth, added as she joined her. "The sort of thing that makes you cringe a little just hearing it out loud."

She paused.

"That doesn’t mean it’s wrong."

The Eredar knew that truth better than most.

Their own people had betrayed everyone for power and personal gain, even going so far as to damn their entire world. And in the process, they had taught countless others to follow the same path.

Sallorath regarded Eva with a knowing smile. She reached out and lifted the woman’s chin with one finger.

"So, what’s your price? What would we have to offer you to make you work for us?"

The sudden turn caught Eva off guard.

She stared at Sallorath for a moment before lowering her head and falling silent.

Evenson took over.

"You need to understand something. A reward is simply whatever a person wants. Sometimes it’s money, influence, or power. Other times, it’s something much simpler."

He began rolling up his sleeves.

"Sometimes, what a person wants most is to be free."

He let the words hang for a moment before continuing.

"If you don’t know what I’m capable of, allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m exceptionally good at making people tell the truth. Digging the information I want out of someone’s body and soul has always been one of my specialties."

His mouth curved into a thin smile.

"Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. has rather strict rules about these things, so I haven’t had many opportunities to practice. I’m beginning to worry that I’m getting rusty."

He rested both hands on the arms of Eva’s chair and leaned toward her.

"Then you come along and volunteer to help me brush up on my skills. I should really thank you for that."

Eva’s expression tightened.

"So, here’s your choice. Cooperate, and we’ll see what kind of reward we can offer you. Resist, and eventually you’ll get the other kind of freedom."

His smile remained pleasant.

"Either way, I’m going to get what I came for."

Evenson and the Eredar Twins had played this game many times before. One person applied pressure while another offered an attractive alternative. Threats and incentives, fear and temptation, the stick and the carrot.

Usually, Evenson played the good cop.

Every now and then, however, it was refreshing to switch roles.

"You think... you think..."

Eva lowered her head, hiding the involuntary twitching of her facial muscles.

"You think an operative of my standing wouldn’t have been trained to endure torture? You really believe I’m afraid of that?"

"Heh."

Evenson moved behind her chair.

Then, without warning, he placed both hands on her shoulders.

Eva’s entire body jerked.

Cold sweat immediately appeared on her forehead.

Evenson leaned close to her ear and spoke softly.

"Judging by that reaction, you can barely tolerate someone touching you. I find it hard to believe you’d be comfortable enduring torture training."

He paused.

"Unless, of course, you’re hoping I’ll give you a little extra practice."

"Enough!"

Peggy’s shout cut through the room.

She had watched as much of this as she could stand.

"Stop threatening her. I know what she wants. What she’s looking for is... freedom."

Everyone turned toward Peggy.

Evenson stared at her in surprise. The Eredar Twins exchanged glances.

Eva herself looked utterly bewildered.

Freedom? What freedom?

How had Peggy decided what she wanted without even asking her?

"Wait. That’s not what I meant."

Peggy quickly realized that everyone had misunderstood her.

"I don’t mean the kind of freedom someone begs for when they can no longer endure torture. I’m talking about freeing her from that cursed ability of hers. Helping her escape the endless torment she’s been forced to live with."

She looked directly at Evenson and the Eredar Twins.

"If you can solve that problem for her, I guarantee she’ll help us."

And for the first time since the interrogation began, Peggy Carter had offered something that might matter more to Eva than any threat or bribe.