Just as the members of the Avengers were having a disagreement, they couldn't have imagined what one of the instigators, Solomon, was doing at that very moment. To those unaware, he should've been plotting some scheme, but in reality, he was peeling grapes for a child. Grapes, in theology, symbolize blessing and joy, and Solomon had specifically selected some grapes for the adopted girl to eat as part of the preparations for giving her a name. Miriam, Marika, Mary, Miqeulla—these were all variant true names derived from the fate Solomon intended to bestow upon the girl, combined with her characteristics, and each carried some etymological significance. Although Solomon didn't particularly care about the meaning of names, on a soul level, a name could, to a certain extent, define someone and guide them in a certain direction.
Take, for example, Stephanie's father, Gideon Malick. His name originates from a leader of Israel in the Old Testament, whose famous feat was leading 300 warriors to defeat the Midianite army—God had instructed Gideon to lie in wait near the Midianite camp at night, and after learning that the enemy was disheartened, he launched a surprise attack and won. Nowadays, Gideon Malick's most important task was reporting all decisions and policies from the White House and even NATO to the Eternal City as instructed by Solomon, seeking opportunities to strike the enemy. Before this, he had been nesting Hydra inside the U.S. government, deeply binding Hydra with the USA through secret societies and universities, as well as the military-industrial complex and Wall Street. From this perspective, his actions aligned completely with the meaning implied by his name.
Many administrators in the Eternal City had to address him as Sir because his work and responsibilities were of the utmost nobility and importance.
This girl, born to dark-haired parents, anomalously had blonde hair and an extreme fondness for jasmine, which made it difficult for Solomon and Bayonetta to choose a name for her. But that didn't mean Solomon and Bayonetta couldn't address her at all. Rather than using speech to communicate, the girl preferred telepathy; a specific mental image could express her presence, and through psychic conversation, they could accurately call her. After Solomon and Bayonetta finished their morning training, Solomon even let the child stand on his leather shoes and clumsily dance on the marble floor of the living room to satisfy her desire to mimic the graceful demeanor of a magical girl.
Compared to dancing, little Lorna preferred shooting or the Gundam models in his cabinet. In order to stop her from reaching for his collection, Solomon showed her how an explosive gun fired 0.75-caliber ammunition. The diameter and length of the explosive rounds far exceeded those of 12.7mm machine gun bullets, and each shot released propellant gas from the muzzle like a violent storm blasting into the faces of onlookers. The oversized ammunition also made the gunfire extremely loud, and the echo of shots striking steel plates was piercing. The sound of explosive rounds detonating drew Jeanne, who was strolling in the garden, to rush straight to the manor's shooting range and fire several shots at them with her magical pistol.
The only abnormality in this household was that its recreational activities were often lethal to ordinary people.
"You're heading out again?" Little Lorna suddenly asked after lunch.
Solomon froze for a moment, then nodded. He had just taken a phone call that immediately grabbed his attention.
Little Lorna was actually very intelligent—if she weren't, Athena would not have given her such focused training. Although she didn't know the full details, she could deduce a conclusion very close to the truth based on small clues. For example, today she smelled the odor of explosive gun propellant on Solomon even before he took her to the shooting range. There were also the blood-stained parchment in the study, numerous documents from the Eternal City, and the dust on the explosive gun—these all indicated that Solomon had not returned home on time last night because he had been involved in a battle. That man speaking on television had actually been him.
"Come home early tonight."
"Mm."
"My Lord, Rumlow's mission failed." Diana List pressed her chest, trying to focus so that she wouldn't stumble over her words due to nervousness while using the encrypted communication channel. This was her first time speaking directly to Solomon, and she was extremely nervous—especially after Solomon had abruptly hung up on her earlier, making her think she had made some grave mistake. "Lady Stephanie is busy dealing with the Latveria situation, so I'm the only one available to report. We left no evidence connecting us to the Eternal City, and Rumlow didn't know the true purpose of the mission or who hired him, but Director Victoria Hand believes the Eternal City should now sever all ties with the radical Hydra faction. Shall I invite Director Hand to join this call?"
"Invite her, and tell me the reason for the failure." Solomon boarded the assault transport craft accompanied by the Sisterhood. This time, the Sisterhood also brought along a weapon and a piece of equipment linked to the power armor's reconnaissance system. However, Solomon wasn't wearing the power armor—he was in a suit. The armor was currently undergoing routine maintenance, but he could summon it at any time if needed. "Rumlow received a considerable amount of funding and equipment from us. Up to this point, he had been satisfactory."
"The Avengers, my Lord." As the transport craft activated its vertical engines and began to ascend, Victoria Hand joined the call. "Rumlow gave the Avengers a lead. I never expected that even after their internal disagreement, Steve Rogers would still manage to lead a team to complete the final task."
"And our objective?"
"We weren't able to obtain samples, so we can't prove that the rapidly mutating Ebola virus in Nigeria is related to that U.S. military infectious disease research lab. With only written evidence, it's very difficult for Latveria to gain the support of African allies. We need Nigeria's oil and gas resources, my Lord. Without Nigeria, we can't establish a foothold on the African continent."
"Mission details."
"You can watch the local news. Civilians recorded footage of the Avengers fighting Rumlow," Victoria Hand sighed. "I'm sorry, my Lord. To completely disassociate ourselves, we had to pull Eternal City agents away from the radical Hydra faction, which caused a delay in intelligence. Our intel department will retrieve satellite imagery from the region to obtain more complete information. We can't afford any link with the radical Hydra faction, not even a contractual one. If these records are discovered, Latveria won't be able to claim the moral high ground."
A battle sister handed a data pad to Solomon.
Though it seemed bizarre, the reason Rumlow and the displaced Hydra remnants hadn't been captured by the U.S. government following Alexander Pierce's death was because the Eternal City had been sheltering them—not just sheltering them, but also providing equipment, funds, and intelligence. In fact, Solomon wasn't sure the technical support even qualified as "technology"—from the Eternal City's perspective, the gear was practically junk. While Victoria Hand had initially been pleased to order former enemies to carry out high-risk, potentially suicidal missions, with the establishment of Latveria, she now considered the radical Hydra faction to be a liability that needed to be discarded. This mission to trace the source of the Ebola virus in Nigeria was supposed to be Rumlow's final task, but the plan leaked, and Steve Rogers' faction (including "Falcon" Sam, "Quicksilver" Pietro Maximoff, and "Black Widow" Natasha Romanoff) picked up the trail.
Victoria Hand believed Steve Rogers might be trying to prove that UN oversight only causes delays—delays that could prove fatal. However, the reality was that even without oversight, acting alone led to equally disastrous results. Local media was harshly criticizing the incident. Regardless of their intentions, setting off a bomb in a densely populated area and causing mass casualties was undeniably a disastrous action.
"The one good thing is, Rumlow managed to pass the intel before he died," Victoria Hand said. "That scumbag finally did one decent thing in his life."
"Proceed with the severance," Solomon told Victoria Hand. "In the future, you can make these minor decisions on your own. The authority I gave you is meant to be used. I'm not Nick Fury—you should be used to that by now."
"I don't think there's anything between us that needs hiding," Victoria Hand replied, adjusting her glasses in the intelligence analysis room. One of the analysts turned his head slightly, only to find her glaring at him sharply. "But compared to what you're about to do, Rumlow is insignificant. Should I send the U.S. Sixth Fleet's route to your data terminal now?" Agent Hand casually returned to her office. "By the way, I don't support this operation. There's no need to focus on naval forces—Eternal City's military might can wipe out planetary navies effortlessly."
The assault transport tilted slightly, then shook violently before accelerating. Though surrounded by thick composite armor and alloy bulkheads, Solomon could still tell they had entered the stratosphere. "Don't forget how I acquired you and your carrier fleet, Agent Hand," Solomon said with a smile. "Compared to our upcoming military operation, a planetary navy is cheap. Let Stephanie calm down—she's on the verge of losing it."
"What does that have to do with you going to MIT?" Agent Hand asked. "In three days, the UN will hold a conference in Vienna. King T'Chaka of Wakanda will question the Avengers over the Wakandans killed in Lagos, Nigeria. I think that's when you should appear on the international stage."
"I'm just going to meet an old friend, don't worry. No one will know I was there."
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