52

Chapter 52: The Phantom Agent

It was as if Iron Man stood before him, impossible to discern if he was lying.

Yet, despite being a sixteen-year-old girl, Locke could still detect Cindy's falsehoods.

Frowning, Locke watched Cindy negotiate with Gwen.

Cindy wasn't lying; she truly intended to deceive Morgan.

Her plan was simple yet effective: first, have her boyfriend Kahn invite Morgan as his dance partner, then dress Morgan in the mascot costume for the dance, only to replace him at the last moment. It was not just humiliating but clever, following typical college-girl logic.

But then, what Locke had witnessed outside the school just now—Morgan Vassey being swiftly kidnapped—was not part of Cindy's plan.

Who could it be?

Locke raised an eyebrow.

Was this really a kidnapping?

Memories of a similar incident in Texas surfaced in Locke's mind. A wealthy man needing an organ transplant, with no suitable match except for a seventeen-year-old boy, who was then kidnapped in broad daylight?

No.

Could it be SHIELD?

Locke's thoughts shifted, contemplating the closest possibility.

After all, New York was practically SHIELD's backyard, and Morgan's enrollment there was like walking into their trap.

But this raised another question.

Whether it was Victoria Knox or Morgan Vassey, it seemed neither knew the mysterious organization they once served was SHIELD.

Hmm.

Locke couldn't decide whom to pity more—Victoria and Morgan, kept in the dark, or SHIELD itself, unable to retain its own talent?

"Whoa!"

In a dimly lit warehouse, Morgan, tied to a chair, heard a familiar voice as the hood was removed: "Found you at last, Number 83."

Morgan looked at the dark-skinned man with a blindfold, struggling to make out details in the low light. "How did you find me?"

Nick Fury...

No, it was Hardman, smiling as he replied, "I always find my way through the clues."

Known as Nick Fury in the agency, he operated under the alias Hardman within the Prescott organization.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had its covert facilities where agents were trained from a young age, adopted from various places worldwide.

Nick Fury had been reassigned to Prescott after unauthorized actions eight years ago, overseeing the training of girl agents like Megan Vassey, codenamed Number 83.

Victoria Knox, codenamed Number 1, had been his first disciple. When she defected, Nick Fury vowed to capture her.

But Victoria's training enabled her to vanish without a trace.

The network of SHIELD was vast indeed.

Learning of Victoria's presence in Chechnya, Nick Fury dispatched Megan, hoping she could surpass the abilities of Number 1. Megan completed her mission but chose to defect as well.

Why?

Nick Fury pondered. If SHIELD couldn't retain its top talents, it was no wonder they lagged behind Hydra.

It was that simple.

Victoria defected, and now Number 83.

Nick Fury, sporting a beret and distinct from his SHIELD persona, rubbed his forehead. He addressed Megan, tied up before him, a mix of disappointment and curiosity in his voice. "So, you defected. Who are you working for now? The Eastern European Sky Eye Organization, the recent Roman Brotherhood, or are you freelancing like your senior?"

Nick Fury hadn't known Megan was in New York. Upon hearing the Brotherhood of Rome might be in town, he hurried over. Instead, he found news of Victoria Knox's abduction.

Feeling conflicted, Nick Fury was relieved to find Megan, alive and not lost.

This was unexpected.

His loyal deputy, Phil Coulson, hoped his boss would keep both eyes.

But Nick Fury had one burning question.

Why?

Why did his two most promising agents defect?

Once could be dismissed as an accident, but twice in a row?

Nick Fury needed answers about what drove his top agents away.

"Money, perhaps?"

Nick Fury looked at Morgan, injecting him with Veritaserum. He sighed, "If you have something to say, say it. This will help you."

Nick Fury signaled for the agent to administer the serum.

Morgan stared at Nick incredulously. "Seriously? You think this... is fake!"

Nick Fury injected a potent dose of Veritaserum into Morgan's thigh. "This one's enhanced."

At the Secret Service Academy, resistance training included Veritaserum.

Unlike commercial versions, SHIELD's Veritaserum was superior.

One injection, and the truth would surface.

Only...