Deep beneath the granite shell of Eastern Europe, Hydra's new base pulsed with activity as fresh labs came online and rows of technicians hurried between rooms, making adjustments for equipment that had just arrived.
In the command hall, towering screens displayed half-assembled schematics, rotating emblems, and status feeds from across the globe. Agents moved briskly between consoles while automated cranes lowered sealed canisters into the new laboratories.
On the raised command platform, Anders stood in silence. His coat hung heavily around his frame, and his gloved hands clasped behind his back as he watched the base come alive once more.
"Progress?" he asked without turning.
"Eighty percent of the main systems are online," an officer reported. "All labs will be operational within forty-eight hours."
Minutes later, senior Hydra officers gathered around a circular holographic table. Ghostly projections of data flickered above the surface—body counts, signal interference, and footage from their destroyed base.
The room's silence broke with the thud of a clenched fist.
"It was S.H.I.E.L.D.!" barked Colonel Weiss, his face a map of old burns. "No one else would bother sending agents to an unknown location."
"You're assuming Fury would send his best agents without any warning," a younger, leaner officer shot back. "Our intel indicates he does not have time to bother with us."
Weiss sneered. "He doesn't have time for that; it doesn't mean he can't send agents."
"Enough," Anders said, his tone slicing through the noise.
He stepped closer, hands still clasped behind his back, and studied the frozen image of a red-haired woman. "That infiltration wasn't Fury's doing. Pierce has already confirmed it," he said coldly. "It was Romanoff."
A wave of confusion rippled through the room—after all, few here knew Romanoff had left S.H.I.E.L.D.
"She has left S.H.I.E.L.D. and is now working with a very dangerous individual," Anders continued. "From the intelligence I received, that person seems particularly interested in our base."
Murmurs filled the air as they studied the dossier Anders had prepared on Luthar. Paranoia showed on their faces. A thin man in a black research coat—Hydra's senior adviser—cleared his throat hesitantly. "Why don't we just kill him or try to recruit him?" he asked. "From what the file shows, he appears to be an excellent scientist and already possesses ready-made technology. If we secure him, we won't have to waste energy on meaningless research."
Anders let the silence stretch until the adviser fidgeted, caught between incompetence and insubordination.
"Recruit him?" Anders' voice sliced the air. "You might as well volunteer us for collective suicide."
When the anger came, it was merciless. "We are working on his stolen technology. The moment he sets foot inside and recognises it, this base will be nothing but ashes."
He stepped closer, deliberate, predatory. "If death is your goal, reveal your identity to Fury—or Captain Rogers. If not, read the file before suggesting we invite our executioner."
After the outburst, Anders exhaled slowly, regained his composure, and turned back toward the rows of glowing terminals. "When can we have the teleportation device operational?" he asked, his voice even again but stripped of patience.
A nervous researcher with thin spectacles stepped forward. "At our current pace… maybe a few years, sir. The quantum stabilisers alone are nowhere near functional. But if we had access to the Tesseract, we could finish in a month."
Anders' gaze flicked toward him—sharp, unimpressed. "You will have no such thing. Pierce has made it clear: do not touch anything related to S.H.I.E.L.D."
He paced toward the central display, his boots striking the floor with deliberate rhythm. "Instead, I am going to send you all Tesseract-related research for study—do not touch anything labelled S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Understood, sir."
He stopped before the holographic table, eyes narrowing on a new schematic forming in the air. "And one more thing," he said quietly. "I want the super-soldier program operational by the end of the month. No delays. No excuses."
The officers exchanged uneasy glances. None dared question him this time.
Anders watched their faces, reading their fear like scripture. Then, with a flick of his hand, he dismissed them.
The command hall slowly emptied, leaving Anders alone beneath the flickering lights. The hum of generators filled the silence, steady and cold.
A ripple of heat stirred the air behind him. Anders did not need to turn. "I was wondering when you'd appear."
"Always when things start falling apart," Mephisto replied, his tone almost bored. He moved closer, hands tucked neatly behind his back, the faint scent of smoke following him like a shadow. "You should be focusing on the teleportation, not the super-soldier program. My enchantments can stop Luthar from spying, but they won't stop him from arriving in person and blowing everything up."
Anders' patience thinned. "Can't you stop him, or at least kill him?"
"Unfortunately, I can't," Mephisto said. "The moment I decide to kill him, he could flee to another dimension where I cannot reach him."
"And you think we should get the Tesseract," Anders said.
"That shiny cube?" Mephisto gave a faint laugh. "Too many eyes on it: politicians, gods, space tyrants, even your Earth magicians. Touch it now, and you will become everyone's enemy."
"If you can't even protect me from them, then what exactly is the point of you? Sometimes I wonder if you really are theKing of Hell," Anders said, his voice was fill with annoyance.
Mephisto studied him for a long moment, something dark flickering behind his calm expression. "Careful, Anders. You're beginning to sound like someone who thinks he's in control." He stepped back; his outline thinned against the dim light. "Finish your work before I decide to replace you."
Mephisto vanished into the air, leaving behind the faint scent of fire and sulfur. The lights steadied, and the hum of the base continued—relentless, mechanical, as if mocking Anders for not knowing he was just one of Mephisto's pawns, nothing special.
Authors note : 45+ TPM chapter
TBFW 11 new chapter
Draft of Blessed by the goddess of love
TPM ai song
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