The assassin listened intently to the conversation between Daisy and Barbara. Cloaked in optical camouflage and employing expert stealth techniques, he remained undetected between a weapons crate and a row of seats. He knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was capable of analyzing a bullet fragment to try to trace its origin, but he wasn't concerned. What they had was just a shard—there was no way they could determine the exact type of ammunition used.
The sniper rifle's bullets were unique among all rocket-propelled munitions. The chemically solid propellant was exclusive to the Immortal City's advanced technology. Moreover, S.H.I.E.L.D. had no knowledge of the Immortal City's ballistics or firearms data, so it would be impossible for them to connect that round to the Immortal City—or to his master. All he had to do was use the autonomous decision-making authority granted by his handlers to redirect the investigation and report once it was resolved. Besides the mission-critical equipment, he carried absolutely nothing, so he had to think carefully about his next move.
"I don't want Fitz and Simmons to suffer any mistreatment," Daisy said with a frown, frustrated she couldn't punch Solomon in the face. He had never treated her particularly well, and even now she couldn't shake the feeling that the magus knew far too many of her secrets—perhaps even that she was an Inhuman long before her Terrigen transformation.
"Don't worry. Simmons said this has been the most peaceful time she's had since the Hydra uprising," Barbara Morse replied with a chuckle. "But she did ask Coulson to help rescue Will. The clues she gave us led to a long-forgotten secret NASA project. Unfortunately, during the Ultron incident, the records were wiped out—probably due to an AI breach. The trail went cold. Now we're waiting on Coulson to negotiate with his old friends. No idea if he'll make it in time."
"I'm glad you haven't left yet, Solomon." As soon as the magus answered the call, Agent Coulson's pale face appeared on screen. "I heard you're transferring Will," he said. "Can't the quarantine be done here?"
"You're already calling him by name. Sounds like you had a good chat with Jemma Simmons," Solomon said, pushing the meal trays on his desk out of camera view. It took some effort and finesse—after he ordered the ship's chef back to work, he had completely indulged himself, tearing through fifteen fillet steaks. The trays were now stacked on the far end of the desk, carefully kept away from any paper documents. The high-paid chef had assumed there was a banquet happening in the office and had even asked Stephanie if she wanted salad or dessert.
"You didn't even thank me before getting back to work."
"I figured you wouldn't care about that," Coulson replied.
"I don't." Solomon nodded. "The quarantine procedures are under the direct supervision of the Immortal City. Non-negotiable. Fitz and Simmons were on that planet for a shorter duration and can be released early. As for the astronaut… he's being transferred to the sky carrier."
"Solomon, think a little more about humanitarian values."
"You're the ones who cared too much about humanitarian values, and that's how Grant Ward escaped repeatedly, Phil Coulson." The magus retorted coldly. "Back when you and I captured Dr. Whitehall, Ward was already seriously injured. Yet your little hacker didn't finish the job—and worse, she didn't even tell you. So you led a team to inspect the scene while he escaped. I never expected S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to degrade to the level of untrained street vigilantes."
"I know. Daisy never received formal training."
"But you did, Coulson. I remember you joined S.H.I.E.L.D. straight out of high school. You're supposed to be the experienced one. Train her—just like you train all your other agents."
"I'm not here to argue about that, Solomon," Coulson snapped. "S.H.I.E.L.D. today isn't the S.H.I.E.L.D. of the past. The old S.H.I.E.L.D. committed many sins under Hydra's influence. Now, we want to do what S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to do. And more importantly, I don't want the agents of the future to experience what I went through."
Solomon knew Coulson was referring to his violinist girlfriend. The agent didn't want his team to suffer such painful separations ever again. "Are you saying Nick Fury pinned all of his wrongdoings on Hydra?" The magus raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think Fury didn't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing? That the one eye he has left is blind too?"
"No matter what you think, I won't let you compromise our security procedures." Solomon placed his finger on a key, ready to press it at any moment. "This concerns the fate of humanity. Think about what Nick Fury would've done. Appreciate my mercy—because the only reason you're all still alive is that I didn't wipe you out to eliminate all potential for infection. Coulson, when the fate of humanity is on the line, no sacrifice is too great, and no betrayal too small to ignore."
The warning in those words was so heavy that Coulson was momentarily speechless. Before cutting the feed, the magus added one final line: "Before you make a decision, ask yourself if you're ready to accept the consequences. You've truly disappointed me. I'd rather work with Nick Fury!"
"My lord." Stephanie looked at him with a questioning glance. "What do you intend to do?"
"Prepare one more bunker-buster nuke," Solomon answered. "Even if it means killing everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D., we must block any possibility of infection."
——————————
Coulson shrugged.
"Well, you saw it. I have to go break the bad news to Simmons," he said to Barbara Morse. "Solomon wasn't wrong, but he's changed far too much in recent years. The Solomon I remember wasn't so dismissive of life… well, that's not accurate. The first lead we ever found on him was a murder case. Though we later found out the victims were dark creatures, not humans, Solomon never harmed ordinary people."
"I never knew about that," Barbara raised an intrigued brow. "Maybe he was always like this, and you just didn't know."
"Then he was either hiding it well, or something changed him." Coulson said. "You know, Dr. Garner was assigned to Solomon as a therapist—on Nick Fury's orders. But Solomon never went to a single session."
"May's ex-husband? Wait, does May know Solomon?"
Coulson laughed.
"May's never liked him. Back when we were investigating the group trafficking powered minors, May was on that case. Funny enough, we thought Solomon was the victim back then." Coulson stood up with difficulty, sweat beading on his forehead. Barbara quickly noticed.
"I have to talk to Fitz and Simmons. I think they might have more clues—ones they haven't even realized yet."
Barbara nodded. "I'll come with you."
(End of Chapter)
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