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Chapter 30: Trust --
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He paused, letting the name hang in the air. "Wilson Fisk. The so-called 'Kingpin' of crime. Aspiring politician. What, precisely, are our dealings with him?"
For the third time, a profound and suspicious silence descended upon the council. They wanted to facepalm. Again?!
The holograms looked at one another, their blurred forms radiating confusion and fresh paranoia.
Why would no one claim this? Each thought. What is so special about Wilson Fisk that requires this level of secrecy?
[Oh? Another misunderstanding?]
[He did namedrop the Kingpin to Fury, but why?]
[Now, Hydra thinks one of their own branches is secretly working with the Kingpin. How would that serve Adam exactly?]
[Well, he has moved to Hell's Kitchen, so he must be planning something around the Kingpin.]
[But Fisk also has plot armor. He's like a cockroach, too.]
"This is intolerable," The military figure finally boomed. "The left hand does not know what the right is doing, and both are waving red flags for Nick Fury!"
The tension in the digital space was palpable. Suspicious glances were cast around the table, but most were directed at the Science lead.
He was the source of the original exposure; the "rat."
His file on Subject Adam Cypher was a mess, stating the subject possessed ill-defined "time powers," yet everything the "rat" had done since escaping pointed to a completely different and versatile power set.
What had really been going on in that facility? They no longer believed his explanations.
The meeting concluded, unsatisfactorily.
They had a list of problems: a rogue asset sowing discord, an investigation by S.H.I.E.L.D., potential exposure of dealings with the M.R.D., Trask, and now Wilson Fisk.
And a deep, festering suspicion that they could not even trust each other. They dispersed, each hologram winking out, leaving the dark room empty once more.
They all decided to investigate what was so special about Wilson Fisk.
None of them realized the truth. The Sentinel deal, the manipulation of Magneto, the connection to Wilson Fisk; it was all a magnificent tapestry of bullshit, expertly woven by Adam Cypher and released into the wild.
He had thrown handfuls of sand into the intricate gears of Hydra, and their own culture of secrecy and paranoia was doing the rest of the work.
They would rather believe their fellow leaders were incompetent liars than accept that a single, vengeful young man was playing them all for fools.
Because it all makes sense. All the things Adam said they did were things that they would logically do, because they serve their interests.
[Adam Cypher: Master of Chaos.]
[This is the most brilliant, low-effort takedown in history. All he did was tell a few lies and let Hydra's own nature destroy them from within.]
[I can't wait to see what happens next.]
[Ya, you guys are stupid. Hydra will not fall because of this.]
[I tend to agree. There is a reason Hydra survived for so long.]
[If I were Adam, then this would merely be seeds of suspicions that I should water with time, to hopefully bear fruit.]
[Okay, I'm convinced.]
Adam sat on the balcony of his Hell's Kitchen brownstone, a delicate teacup held loosely in his hand.
The city's grimy symphony of sirens and traffic was a familiar backdrop.
Beside him, Domino lounged with lazy feline grace, her sharp eyes studying him.
Jean had departed a while ago, leaving a palpable vacuum of maternal worry in her wake.
Now, it was just the two of them.
Domino watched as Adam's gaze grew distant, his body still but his mind clearly a million miles away.
He was either using his peculiar abilities or communing with his "imaginary friends" again.
He was the strangest person she'd ever met, which was saying something.
She'd observed his effortless control over machines; a silent, thought-based command that bypassed any interface.
From what she had seen and asked directly, it wasn't some advanced chip or external AI; it was innate.
And it didn't match what she'd glimpsed in the Danger Room, where she had learned much about his powers. It didn't fit.
His chosen name, "Envy," was a masterstroke of misdirection. It was a vague enough label to cover a multitude of sins.
Adam was acutely aware that Forge had seen through the ruse almost immediately.
But he continued the charade, deliberately allowing the confusion to persist.
The true nature of his power, the [Information] panel that was the source of his Cyberpathy and Mechanical Force, had to remain buried.
Envy was the perfect scapegoat; a mutant ability that could, in theory, allow him to covet and copy the attributes of others.
He envied Forge's genius, so he gained a version of his technopathy. It was a lie so elegant it was almost true.
"Y'know," Domino drawled, stretching her arms over her head, "I was expecting a bit more trouble by now. This peace and quiet is a nice surprise, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the chaos a little."
Adam rolled his eyes without looking at her. "I am not a troublemaker. I'm a… proactive planner. And I still have preparations to make. Just in case."
If he wanted to continue, he couldn't as something interrupted him.
He held up a finger. "Give me a second. My imaginary friends are discussing something quite interesting."
Domino's lips twitched, but she watched, intrigued, as his expression shifted from focus to sheer, unadulterated amusement.
A chuckle escaped him, then grew into a full-throated laugh that seemed to startle the pigeons on a nearby ledge.
[He's reading our comments about the Hydra meeting!]
[Is he?!]
[He does refer to us as his Imaginary Friends.]
[The meta-level of this show is insane!]
[But it can also be explained with good writing, I'm still not nearly convinced.]
[Illuminati! Assemble! Feed him information!]
The audience's chatter was a firehose of intel.
He was seeing a direct replay of the Hydra council's meeting, their paranoia, their infighting, their absolute conviction that their own branches were plotting something.
It was more hilarious and effective than he could have ever hoped.
His casual lies about Sentinels, Magneto, and Wilson Fisk had been absorbed into Hydra's toxic culture of secrecy and were now festering there.
The utility of his situation; being the star of a reality-bending TV show, was not lost on him.
It was horrifying, invasive, and deeply uncomfortable.
But it was also the most powerful intelligence-gathering tool in existence.
And he had to admit, he was starting to enjoy the performance.
His laughter subsided, replaced by a look of deep calculation. How to leverage this? How could he exploit the situation so deeply that Harvey Weinstein would be envious?
[Huh?]
[Tf is that comparison? And what is this thought process?]
[Well, it's his usual dark humour alright.]
He picked up his secure phone after a while.
"Fury," He said when the line connected. "Is the line secure? Good. About that favor you owe me."
"I need you to make it seem like S.H.I.E.L.D. has cut a deal with Wilson Fisk. Leak hints of a transaction. Maybe something that suggests it's connected to… our mutual friends."
There was a long silence on the other end. Nick Fury's face, wherever he was, was likely a mask of twitching surprise and dawning understanding.
He was connecting the dots, assuming Adam was laying a trap to draw Hydra out into the open against the Kingpin.
It was a plan Fury could get behind.
"Consider it done," Fury grunted, and the line went dead.
[This is beautiful!]
[I see what he philosopher from before said, he's watering the seed now!]
[Adam Cypher: Shit-Stirrer.]
[But why is he targeting the Kingpin specifically!]
[Lots of meat. Must make for a good meal.]
[Warning, Hannibal is in the room with us!]
[...]
Adam set the phone down with a satisfied sigh. He lifted his hand, and a mechanical spider, one of his sleek new models, skittered from his sleeve onto his palm, its tiny red sensor blinking.
Hydra was fractured. They already suspected one of their own was dealing with Fisk.
Now, if they thought S.H.I.E.L.D. was moving in on their alleged asset, they'd be forced to act; either to secure him or eliminate him.
But he wouldn't underestimate them. Doom's intellect didn't make him the least bit sloppy or overconfident; it only made him more cautious.
He needed backups for his backups. Just in case.
His thoughts were interrupted by Domino's theatrical sigh. "You get to have all the fun with your little toys while I sit here like a bored housewife."
He shot her a look. "You're living in my multi-million dollar brownstone rent-free, eating my food. If you're so bored, go gamble and bring some money home."
She rolled her eyes. "I gave up gambling. It gets boring and dangerous when you always win."
Adam stared at her, his eyes wide with genuine, appalled confusion. "You… hate money? I am in desperate need of capital, and you're sitting on a literal golden goose and you find it… boring?"
She giggled at his expression. "If you need money, darling, you just have to ask. I'd be happy to be your sugar mommy."
His response was instantaneous. "Please do."
Domino's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before she recovered. "Just so you know, my kind of winning attracts a lot of trouble. Casinos aren't fond of people who break their business model."
Adam's smile was amused. "It doesn't matter. If you can pull it off, I'll owe you one."
"Anything for you, my love," She purred.
Trust --, Adam noted in his mind.
[Huh?]
[WTF!?] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1] [+1]
[She acts affectionate, and he loses trust in her??!! Wyhat?]
[Confused Pikachu Face.jpg]
[My mind is so rocked right now that I think Hydra is attempting brainwashing.]
[What in the Hydra is this?]
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