"Garrett, do you still remember that operation on Marlow Island?"
Coulson stirred the spoon in his cup, but his eyes never left the man in front of him.
"How could I forget? Back then you were tied to a chair with a dozen guns pointed at you." Garrett leaned forward slightly. "I saved your life—and took two bullets for it. Ended up in the ER. Later I heard you cried like crazy, though you've never admitted it."
"No, no, no, I didn't cry like crazy. I just…" Coulson said softly, "shed two tears."
"…What on earth is going on? Old friend, look at your eyes—you're not yourself." Garrett said. "You said it concerns both our lives. After all these years, how many life-threatening things have we gone through? There's nothing we haven't survived, right?"
"Of course. But that was when we were together."Coulson slowly stopped stirring and stared into Garrett's eyes."Tell me, Garrett—why did you join Hydra?"
"…Hydra? Are you joking with me?" Garrett gave a short, derisive laugh, as if speechless. "I thought you were going to say something serious. Did you forget S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't even founded until after Hydra was wiped out? So tell me—which idiot fed you such ridiculous information, and why did you believe it? Coulson, if you're serious, I'd say you're getting old."
Coulson didn't answer. He simply raised the tranquilizer gun in his hand.
And aimed it at Garrett.
"…All right. I don't blame you, Coulson." Garrett ignored the gun barrel, his eyes fixed on Coulson. "In our line of work, suspicion is always justified—even toward comrades who've cheated death alongside you countless times. How about this: if you insist I'm some damn Hydra mole, I'll go back with you. I'll undergo whatever internal investigation you want. Is that good enough?"
"…It better be."
Coulson stared hard into Garrett's eyes, and in the end, slowly lowered the gun.
He couldn't wholeheartedly take Shen He's word without solid evidence, even if Shen He had proven himself right more than once.
CRASH!
Glass shattered violently.
Lelouch's heart skipped a beat—only four or five people turned toward him.
No choice now.
"Order… obey my command!"
A bird-shaped sigil flared in Lelouch's left eye.
"Looks like you brought quite the troublesome guest." Garrett sighed. His hand shot out, twisting Coulson's wrist—the one still holding the gun. "Move! Grab them!"
In an instant, everyone in the café jumped to their feet, pulling handguns and weapons from their clothes and from under tables.
Everyone here was an agent!
"Protect me!"Lelouch shouted to the few he had just taken control of. They formed a defensive circle as he ducked under a table.
Gunfire erupted—BANG BANG BANG!
Everyone scrambled for cover, shooting wildly.
A corpse dropped right in front of him, its eye blown out.
…Urp.
Lelouch clutched his mouth.
He had seen death many times, but his overly delicate nerves still reacted with discomfort.
But even more unsettling was the fear and panic rising in his chest.
"Cover me!"
He shouted to the controlled agents, then burst out from behind the table.
"Order—!"
At the same time, Coulson—caught off guard with Garrett having backup—was punched hard to the ground. Two agents pinned his arms, restraining him completely.
"You really, really made a terrible mistake, Coulson." Garrett wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, crouching to look him in the eye. "Why choose to believe your alien friends instead of the man who saved your life?"
"Because they're right." Coulson glared up at him, unyielding.
"Yes, of course they're right."Garrett sat down on the floor and exhaled slowly."Seeing the future—what a damn annoying ability. But it seems your alien friends didn't foresee tonight. Or did you think after all this ruckus, we'd just sit here and wait to die?"
"You will lose." Coulson struggled, refusing to give in. "Garrett, surrender. You have no idea how strong they are."
"Heh. Surrender? And spend the rest of my short life rotting in a prison cell?" Garrett let out two soft laughs and was about to continue—
BANG!
A bullet struck the floor beside him.
"Sir! The more we shoot, the more people they're bringing in!"
"Damn!" Garrett hunched his body and fired the tranquilizer gun directly into Coulson. "Take him and fall back! Forget about that kid!"
The agents had planned for this—they immediately dragged Coulson out toward the cars waiting outside. At the same time, they shot out the tires of the remaining vehicles.
By the time a pale-faced Lelouch stepped out of the café, he saw only their retreating backs and terrified civilians around him.
He pressed the green button on the watch strapped to his left wrist.
"Lelouch?" Shen He's voice came through.
"The situation changed. Hydra has already made their move. They took Coulson. I didn't manage to command any of the key targets."
"Are you hurt? I'll summon you back right now."Shen He's first instinct was Lelouch's safety.
"No, Master. We anticipated something like this. Just proceed with the plan." Lelouch's eyes flickered with calculation. "I still control a few agents—we can use them to navigate. Master, try contacting someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Looks like the villains decided to walk onto the stage themselves."
"Understood. We're coming to regroup. I'll keep the summon request active—if anything happens, accept it at once."
No matter where a Servant is, the Master can summon them to their side. But without using a Command Seal, the Servant can choose whether to accept.
In other words, it protects both Master and Servant.
Ending the call, Shen He slowly exhaled.
"Violet, pick your weapon. Shiki, do you need to change clothes?"
"No need. A kimono is pretty light."Ryougi Shiki shook her head.
"Then Jeanne—we may be fighting together for the first time."
"If we can't move forward without fighting," Jeanne smiled,"then let's defeat the enemy together, Master."
"It's my honor," Shen He replied with a matching smile.
He summoned the Mirage Armor. Jeanne and Shiki each stepped onto one of its massive hands.
Moments later, Violet came running over—now wielding a two-meter-long, gleaming scythe.
Looked like she still preferred cold weapons.
-----------------------
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