"What's this?" Agent Sitwell asked after taking the folder.
"It's the investigation report on the incident. With this, I'm sure someone with your resources can easily find out which agents were involved," Colonel Stryker said while picking up his knife and fork to continue eating. "If you can give me a direct answer, that's best. If not, at least give me a list of names. I'll take care of the rest myself."
"Finding people isn't hard, but… are you sure you want to go this route?"
Sitwell's tone grew more serious. "If Fury finds out you're targeting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, he won't care who's backing you. You better think this through..."
"And what if he does? We'll just find a scapegoat. Do you think he'd really risk a fallout with the military over something so small?" Colonel Stryker replied dismissively.
"You don't know him," Sitwell shook his head.
"I think you're just scared of him," Stryker sneered.
Seeing how arrogant Stryker was, Sitwell didn't bother arguing. Since they clearly didn't see eye to eye, he stood up with the folder and said coldly:
"I'll have someone deliver the list to you once I get it… I've got other things to do, no need to walk me out."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
The glass of wine he had just poured remained untouched on the table.
Watching him leave, Stryker gave a cold chuckle and calmly continued eating.
Over half an hour later—
Agent Sitwell arrived at Alexander Pierce's office.
"…That's basically what happened." After reporting the meeting with Colonel Stryker, Sitwell asked, "So, are we really going to keep working with him?"
Pierce patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "Stryker's arrogance guarantees he'll clash with Fury. When that happens, all we need to do is steer things a little. Even if we can't bring Fury down right away, it'll keep him too busy to focus on anything else. Isn't that good for us?"
"I'm just worried he might expose us too soon..." Sitwell said with a frown.
"Don't worry. One Stryker isn't going to ruin our plans." Pierce smiled and reassured him. "Besides, this ties into the 'Tahiti Project'—the one that brings people back from the dead. If Stryker keeps digging, he might end up doing us a favor. Let him lead the charge."
"By the way, how's the setup at the academy going?" Pierce asked again.
"Garrett handled the arrangements personally. I haven't had time to check the details yet," Sitwell replied after a quick thought.
"Garrett handled it himself? Then it should be fine. Just an outsider—he's not getting away from Garrett's grasp…" Pierce nodded and dropped the topic.
Even though Pierce was technically Garrett's superior, in Hydra they were equals—both high-ranking leaders, just with different roles.
He had no authority to interfere with Garrett's actions, nor was it convenient for him to ask too many questions.
"Clarice, are you sure your brother's okay with us coming to your house?"
Under the moonlight, Lorna asked nervously.
She was honestly a bit scared of Clarice's mysterious brother. In fact, it wasn't just her—based on her observations, both John and Sonya seemed just as uneasy.
Even though they had acted tough in front of Raymond last time, that was all just for show.
After all, she was only a girl around fifteen or sixteen. In her short and not-so-easy life, the scariest thing she had known was the Sentinel Services who hunted mutants.
But when she learned Raymond came from an even bigger organization than them, it was natural for her to feel afraid.
And after hearing from Sonya about how Raymond had once killed over thirty mercenaries in cold blood, her fear only grew.
So when Clarice invited them to her house for Thanksgiving dinner, they didn't turn her down, of course—but it was impossible not to feel nervous at the thought of seeing Raymond again.
"Don't worry, I already talked to my brother. He said it's fine," Clarice said casually.
Unlike her friends, Clarice had seen Raymond's brutal side firsthand. But he was still her brother, and she knew he had done all that to protect her.
Once she got over the initial shock, she quickly accepted it.
They even made an agreement—Raymond wouldn't tell their parents that she was a mutant, and she'd pretend not to know how powerful he really was.
This Thanksgiving dinner was special for their family—because Raymond had come home safely.
To celebrate, the Fong couple had decided to make it a lively gathering. They invited relatives from their mother Roland's side and also asked Raymond and Clarice to invite their friends.
Clarice's first thought was to invite Lorna, John, and Sonya. She knew very well that her friends hadn't felt the warmth of a real home for a long time.
Some of them had been rejected and kicked out by their families. Others had left home to avoid putting their loved ones in danger.
And Thanksgiving was all about being with family.
So Clarice wanted to share the warmth of her home with them.
Of course, she had thought about whether Raymond would mind. That's why she asked him in advance, and he had said he didn't care.
If he hadn't said that, she wouldn't have dared to bring her friends over.
The doorbell rang, and it was opened by her mother, Roland.
"Hello, Auntie," the three said politely as soon as they saw her.
"Hello to you too." Roland smiled warmly and turned to Clarice. "Clarice, aren't you going to introduce your new friends to me?"
Clarice quickly realized her mistake and hurried to introduce them.
After learning their names, Roland didn't say much more. She just smiled and said, "Your brother and his friends are already here. They're chatting in the backyard… I'm sure you young people will have a lot to talk about. "
Clarice nodded and led her three friends to the backyard.
When they got there, they saw Raymond sitting with a few others, chatting. But since those people had their backs to them, it was hard to see who they were.
One of them had an especially large build—even just sitting there, he gave off a strong, intimidating presence.
"You're here… come have a seat," Raymond said, waving at them.
The three people with him turned to look—and the moment they did, Clarice, Lorna, and the others froze in shock.
Because one of them… was someone they knew all too well.