Chapter 96: Interview with Trish

In a secret hidden facility near Latveria 20 years ago. Fifty 10-year-old kids are adopted from various parts of the world. They were assigned a number and their previous identity was discarded. There is only the number one to number five. It repeats until there are 10 kids with the same number.

The SpyMaster who is trying to break into the Knight Industry right now is assigned the number five. When he was a kid, he lived and trained with the other number 5's. They were his brothers and sisters. His family. They spent 10 years together before the ones who brought them here decided that they were ready.

The man in a white hood, and a skull mask on his face, come in for their final test. The young SpyMaster and the others in his number are excited. They learned many things, and they couldn't wait to serve the TaskMaster. They are brainwashed since they are young, and they are only loyal to the man in front of them.

"Today is the last day of the SpyMaster Program. One of you will be picked to be a master of disguise and will be sent to your first mission," The Supervisor who is standing next to the TaskMaster said. 

The number five's show off their abilities and combat effectiveness, which were analyzed by the scrutinizing gaze of the TaskMaster. Once they are done, they wait for the judgment. 

"Mediocre," The Taskmaster said solemnly. The Supervisor shakes his head. It seems that this is another failure. The number ones to number fours are all eliminated before this. Only number fives are left.

"However, he has potential," The man in the skull mask pointed to the current SpyMaster. A 20 years old caucasian male with an average look. The Supervisor nods. They can proceed to the last test to become the SpyMaster.

Today, the last number 5 is hanging by a steel cable from the ceiling, trying to steal the hero medal displayed in the exhibition area of the Knight Industry. He disguised as a director for the exhibition to get into the industrial building. The real director is now sedated and is tied up by him at a filthy motel. The naked director will be found by the housekeeping in the evening. 

He has studied the relationship of the employee, Ryan's daily schedule, the blueprint of the industry, the security measures, and more.  It is a foolproof plan to steal the medal. Excited, he lowered himself to the display case. He has imagined doing this in his mind a thousand times. 

In a mission, there will always be an unexpected variable. Like the variable today, Ryan decided to give an interview, so he had taken the medal and pinned it on his clothes as per Trish's request. 

"NOOOO!!!" The SpyMaster screams as he is denied his desire. 

In Manhattan, Trish is working for a radio show. But today, she got upgraded into the host of a live talk show as she managed to invite the most difficult person to be interviewed in the country. 

"She is just a has-been. Why does she go to interview him?" The regular host remarked bitterly while wearing extremely sexy clothes. She doesn't understand why Ryan favors Trish Walker. She thought that Trish had sold her body to Ryan, something that a lot of has been done to become viral again. Today, if she gets the chance, she too will do the same.

Today's director is very excited. Not only does Ryan agree to an interview, but it is also for an hour-long talk show. It is the longest interview Ryan has ever agreed to. They are only a small size media company. A great fortune has fallen into their lap.

"Make-up team, go help Trish get ready," He yelled urgently to the crew. The image crew tries to unbutton Trish's clothes and shows off her feminine value compared to the professional ways Trish is dressed. 

"Stop that…" the director stops the crew as Trish shows her reluctance. The make-up crew is disgusted by the director's way of sucking up to Trish. Her prestige shoots up overnight when she tells them that she scored an interview with Ryan, and this signifies that she has a friendly relationship with the guy.

Trish knows she got preferential treatment, but this is a chance for her too to rebrand her image. She wanted to be a professional journalist, not just a pretty face. 

"5 Minutes before we go live…" The crew members are running all over the place for the final preparation. Ryan already arrived 5 minutes ago and is in the waiting room with May Parker.

"May, is the director of the exhibition museum used to be a spy?" Ryan asks a curious question.

"I don't think so…" May is puzzled. Ryan shows his phone screen to May.

"So that means this is a real spy right?" He asks for confirmation. 

May shows a rare ruthless gaze. After all, she has been trained by Hiddle for a long time. 

"The security is on their way," May said after she contacted the team on the building.

"May, this is from 20 minutes ago. The guy already left."

The SpyMaster had hacked into the CCTV of the company. An impressive feat even by Ryan's standard. The security on the museum wasn't supervised by Ryan as the whole thing is May's work. She is in a little trouble now for dropping the ball.

"Contact the police too. Our Museum Director is missing," Ryan added. He didn't blame May for the incident, but whether May blames herself is another thing entirely. 

'Why does the guy seem familiar?' A tingling sensation arises as he watches the footage. The guy is wearing a skin-tight blue suit with a golden belt that has a big letter 's' on the buckle. And when he says a skin-tight suit, it means extremely tight.

'When Natasha, Yelena, or other girls wear it, it is pleasing to look at. I guess this is why J. Jonah Jameson doesn't like spidey. In the skin-tight suit, the bulge is very eye-catching…'

'It also makes me wonder if that is the reason Jameson wants the pictures of Spiderman…'

"Boss, what are you thinking about?" May snaps him back to reality as he starts to daydream.

"Something… disturbing," 

Just for precaution, he sends out the footage to Natasha. He said he will think about working with Shield before. Giving a chance for Shield to do him a favor will be beneficial moving forward.

Natasha at the moment is picking out cucumbers at the market for her last dinner at Kai's house before she goes back to the headquarters. She and Barton will have a mission together in Azerbaijan. The agent will protect a scientist there for extraction.

It seems like she is blanking out at the cucumber section. She picked a long, more than 10-inch, cucumber with a wide girth. 'It's about this size…'

*Ding* A message came in that snapped her back from reminiscing. She watches the footage that Ryan sent her. 

[...F*ck it all!!!!!! ARGHH!!!....] The man in the footage is kicking the display stand of the medal. 

"The voice… Where did I hear it?" She puts the cucumber down and starts thinking. A memory pops out from the time she first met the Oni girl.

"It's the guy who had escaped!" She remembers the voice of the guy begging her and tricking Shield into saving his life. The guy is also on Shield's wanted list as he has a clear connection with the nuclear bomb that was smuggled into the United States.

"Coulson, we have a lead," She reported with a hint of excitement in her tone. The guy is in New York, which means she can stay for a while. Her hope will soon shatter as only Barton and her could handle the upcoming extradition mission. 

After the evidence is sent to the headquarters, Nick Fury orders Phil and Natasha to catch the guy. They will have one day to complete it. If it takes longer, another team will be sent to do it. 

"Hey I don't think I can come for dinner," Natasha calls the handsome doctor.

"Too bad, Skye is looking forward to it," Kai is at his clinic, checking the throat of a young boy. He has not finished his work for today yet. There was a line at his clinic as he had closed the practice for a few days.

Skye would have to wait for a while to have the 'Talk' about locking the door. She planned to say it tonight as she still couldn't get the image out of her mind. Natasha has unknowingly saved herself.

She leaves the basket full of groceries behind and gets out of the store. Coulson will pick her up at the store entrance.

"I was…so close to meeting him…" Coulson sighs. He was 10 steps away from Captain America's room when he got the call. 

The duo is on their way to the Knight industry, together with a squadron of police cars and the security details from the company. 

"Doctor, can I go now?" The little boy asks while worrying. 

"Where are you going in a hurry?" Kai said teasingly. The boy is in a healthy condition. He told lies to his mother to get out of school today as he got the news this morning.

"It's 11 o'clock. The live broadcast is starting!" The boys said hurriedly. Kai nodded and let him go. There is a TV installed in the waiting room. The boy is glued to the screen despite the mother telling him they are going back home. He is unmoving from there. "No way, I already missed the first part!"

" So Ryan, our sources tell us that you will be receiving your first doctorate later this month with two more currently in review. Why do you decide to get your doctorate at the same time?"

 "Well Trish, it is part of my plan for the future. I won't stop with just three.  And also, Tony got his third doctorate at the age of 26,"

The tinkering old man snorted as he listened to the TV while working. He could get more doctorates, but his lifestyle got in the way. He spent time getting his third doctorate completely drunk. 

"I need to make sure he doesn't continue. Otherwise, he will rub it in my face every time we meet," Tony is worried. At the very least, Ryan didn't have an Iron Suit. 

Ryan is very comfortable on camera. Trish, who didn't try to trap him with questioning also plays a part in this. 

"Let's get to the topic on everyone's mind. The explosion. How did you survive it?" Trish asks the question calmly with a hint of excitement. There isn't any detail about the resurrection. She will be the first interviewer who gets the answer.

"I do get a lot of DM's for this issue. When I flew the bomb…." 

When Ryan is answering the question, the SpyMaster saw the medal on his green suit. 

"It's there. My medal is there!!" The lunatic in a blue suit is changing his direction. He planned to go to Start Industry and steal the golden ornament that Stark displayed as part of his collection, but now it all changed. 

He needs to steal the medal first. He desires it more than Ryan does. The abandoned SpyMaster is now looking for a purpose in life. Without someone ordering him, his intrusive thoughts win. 

At the final test to become the SpyMaster, Number 5 has to show that he is worthy of the title. The others in his number are kneeling in a straight line, with their arms and legs tied up. 

"To claim the title, you need to become a true faceless man. It means no one should know of your past. Not even your closest friend."

The Supervisor said to the chosen Number 5 and handed him a loaded gun with 10 bullets. Why 10? It's because the last bullet is for the Supervisor. The old man goes to kneel beside the others. 

"Not even me," 

The face of his friend will become his. That is his vow. One by one, he gets rid of his past. His best friend. The girl he loses his virginity to. His lover. All of them are discarded by him. In the end, there is only his left. His face is full of blood splatter. That day, he came true to his name. 

Even at their end, the other numbers did not beg. They accepted the result. The last number five is stationed at the Stark industry for a few years stealing weapon design for the Taskmaster, before he is transferred to Justin Hammer company as Stark discontinues his weapon manufacturing.

However, when he was caught in Shield custody before, the Taskmaster deemed him unworthy to become a SpyMaster anymore. He is now free, but a broken man's sanity wouldn't last long in the world without someone or someplace to call home.

There isn't any objective anymore. There isn't any target anymore. SpyMaster has to do something. He has to steal something. Sabotage something. Anything at all. His thoughts won't let him rest. The ghost of his brother and sister won't let him rest. He is the only proof of their existence. He can't stop. Otherwise, all of it will be gone. 

[20,000,000 people are watching the live broadcast]

The interview is a massive success. Trish and Ryan take a break as the commercial is rolling in. The crew is bringing Ryan some water. However, they are stopped by May Parker. She already prepared a cup of tea for Ryan.

"Shield is taking over the whole thing. Natasha and a man with a high hairline are leading the investigation," May updated as Ryan couldn't check his phone during the interview. 

"The bald man is agent Phil Coulson. He is responsible for Tony. Remember his face," 

He is also training May in this area. She is a very quick learner and Ryan enjoys teaching her stuff. The commercial break is over quickly. In the second act of the interview, something explosive will happen. 

…

"Argh!! My arm!!," fat security for the media company kneels to see his dislocated arm. A man in blue spandex is invading the building. SpyMaster is running toward the set of Trish talk when he bumped into a fierce-looking man.

"Whatever your purpose is, I can assure you that you won't be able to pass here."

Bryan Mills is confronting the perverted invader. Today he is the only security that Ryan brings. The disturbance is reported to the police. Shield is alerted at the time as the suspect is the one they are looking for.

SpyMaster couldn't imagine that he would get caught by an ordinary bodyguard. He tries to snap Bryan's elbow as he did with the other security, but the guy is better than he thought.

*Slash* Bryan takes out a knife to hold the SpyMaster back. His technique with the knife shocked the enhanced SpyMaster. 

*Clang* SpyMaster takes out a tonfa and blocks the knife coming toward him. He jumped to the side and started to run.

"Damn it. I have only 5 minutes before the police are here," The man in blue spandex is analyzing the building while running from Bryan. 

"I thought he was coming for the young master. Am I wrong?" Bryan mumbles as the SpyMaster is running toward the upper floor. Is the guy just an ordinary pervert?

The guy breaks into the set of another ongoing broadcast. The set position is directly above the set for Trish talk. He throws a circular disk on the floor.

"DON'T" Bryan screams, but it is too late. *BOOM* A small explosion occurs on the set. A large hole is opened on the ground. SpyMaster jumps into the hole, and he lands right in the middle of the Trish Talk production set.

…

A black SUV is on its way to the media company building. Natasha is checking the live broadcast.

"How much further are we?" She asks. 

"In about 1 minute.." Coulson replied. The agents are going there quickly as they get the alert. Natasha is monitoring the interview in case something goes wrong. 

Suddenly a loud sound is heard on the broadcast and concrete from the ceiling falls near Trish who is interviewing Ryan. 

Ryan's eyes widened. He jumps toward Trish. He holds her and rolls with her to avoid the falling debris. 

The room is full of dust. *Cough* The director and the crew are coughing from the explosion. Then, a perverted man jumps into the set from the hole on the floor.  

"It's him. His target is Ryan Knight!" Natasha said as the smoke cleared. The entire nation is now glued to the screen. There is a terrorist attack in the middle of a live interview involving the world's richest man. 

The director got an order to cut the broadcast, but the pervert said, "NOBODY MOVES!" 

He wants to steal the medal, and he wants the whole world to see him doing it.