Chapter 3

The whiplash of fierce cold wind biting into his cheeks finally woke him up. The shin shin shin of spinning blades made him realise that he was on a helicopter making its way through the sky.

"You will find your mission details in the file, Agent Dursley." His handler's voice reached his ears through a tiny aid stuck inside his ear, bypassing the choppers racket.

The file was sitting on his lap, and he quickly scanned through it for any relevant info.

His target's name was...agent 33? Was he hunting one of Hydra's...oh.

He was hunting a Shield operative.

Agent 33 was a young woman, having come under shield's attention for her stellar performance in combat and strategy. His Job was to kidnap/eliminate the new shield employ and plunder her residence for anything important.

"What is the mission's estimated time, sir?" He asked.

"A day, Agent Dursley. You will find all the information needed to track your target down in the file. Now get ready. We have arrived."

Before he could move, the man leaned towards him, a hand coming to rest on Harry's shoulder. "Complete this mission, and you shall have a new name to celebrate your success, Harry. You will be known as...The Mystique Soldier."

He suppressed a derisive snort at the man's expectant look, giving a simple nod as they came to a stop.

The chopper didn't land on the ground. Instead, a long rope was thrown down, around a couple dozen meters in length, and he had to slide down to the ground using it.

He quickly took stock of his person; finding a M4 pistol strapped under his thighs, and his wand placed inside his sleeves, covered by a holster. He had no food or water supplies, nor money to buy them. The Hydra clearly wished for him to be done with the mission in a few hours.

Harry didn't disagree.

He beat a steady pace for the given coordinates. His target's residence was in a remote neighborhood of new york city, given to her by shield itself. This was supposed to be a vacation holiday for her, in a safe house under Shield's protection. The entire neighborhood was reserved for Shield agents, so he will need to display subtlety.

Everything about her schedule and habits were already listed in the file so information gathering wasn't needed. This was supposed to be a quick job.

It was still a few miles away, so he will need to hitch-hike a ride.

Though a different plan was brewing in his head, and it had nothing to do with the mission.

No, what he realised was this; he was soon going to be in close contact with a Shield operative. Surely she must have a way to contact them.

So the question was, should he take this chance to finally escape the Hydra? A simple msg to shield informing them of his mission should summon their wrath upon his handler. He could easily take this chance to finally be out of their hands.

Or should he simply do his job and wait for a better opportunity? Afterall, this could be a trap for him. This agent 33 could be a Hydra operative, tasked to see if Harry will try to betray them.

...No. He will wait and see. Confirm her identity before acting. And he had a most suitable plan to make her reveal the truth.

But if she truly was a Shield Agent...then he will first need to get rid of the devices stuck upon him by Hydra before acting.

Harry had a feeling that this day was going to bring him some excitement.

And he simply couldn't wait for it.

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"He is in the house now, Agent Johnson." The scout informed him.

They were on the rooftop of a tower, peering down at the Mystique soldier as he finally arrived at his target.

Normally Johnson wouldn't get involved in something this mundane, but he'd specifically asked to supervise the mission this time. It was a special mission, afterall.

Johnson stepped forward beside the scout, bending down to peek at his charge through the large set of binoculars.

The boy was sneaky, he had to admit. Three times his scouts almost lost track of him and had to glance at the tracking device to find the boy.

And that wasn't even his true speciality. The way he quickly scanned through his surroundings, checking for traps and surprises, reminded the agent of their best spies and infiltration experts. To see this in a 9 year old would generally be shocking.

But Agent Johnson was used to it. He was the one to shape the boy afterall.

"He is going to make contact with the target now, sir."

Indeed, the two heat signatures in the house were close now.

He hoped the boy will make the right call and kidnap 33, instead of eliminating her. This test was to observe his decision making skills, which was why he was provided with both; a gun and a wand. 33 can be a valuable asset to hydra, and the boy should recognise this from all the information provided to him. Johnson hoped the boy could control his bloodlust when it came to matters like this.

Or the chances of administrating the chair to him would increase.

While Johnson didn't care about the boy, wiping his memory meant wiping away all the loyalty Johnson had cultivated in the boy. All his hardwork will vanish in a flash.

And he did not want that.

"He has made contact with the target sir."

His attention quickly shifted to the boy.

This was an important mission, and he hoped everything will go well.

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Harry stared at the woman as she bent down to pick up her clothes. She was naked, save for a white towel wrapped around her body.

It was still early morning and the sun was just peeking at the horizon, so her state was understandable. His eyes scanned her figure, taking in her wet hair, her small golden necklace, the swell of her breasts, the tight towel wrapped around her wide thighs...and he couldn't think of any place she could hide a weapon.

Perhaps under her breasts, but they were quite small, certainly not large enough to hide a handgun without leaving an imprint.

The target was defenceless. And it only added more to his suspicions. How can a Shield Agent be so defenceless? This mission did not seem any different than the rest. He could simply unsheathe his gun and blast her head open. And his job will be over.

Well, it does not matter. He will follow the plan that he had made.

The woman dropped her towel, revealing her completely naked body to his eyes. He glanced down for a grief moment, taking in the red star-shaped tatoo on her plump behind, before ignoring both of them completely.

He wondered if he should feel flustered. If he dropped the gamer's mind, would he feel shy?...Harry didn't believe so. He had assassinated men and women in the midst of sex. Nudity simply could not affect him. Surely not...

As the woman started clothing herself, Harry removed his wand from the holster, aiming it at the agent.

"Imperio." He pushed his will inside the words, forcing the woman's mind to bend under him.

She jerked upright, dropping her bra as her body went limb.

"Dress up." He commanded.

It wasn't that he was affected by her nudity. It was simply that he needed time. Time to choose his next words. The Hydra were no doubt hearing everything he says. He had already located the devices on his body, but he hadn't removed them yet. Atleast, not all of them.

Because the moment he did, the Hydra will realise the truth and start hunting him down. He will need to plan this perfectly.

"Agent 33." He said as the woman strapped up her dress. "Who do you work for?"

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"Agent 33. Who do you work for?" The boy asked.

Was he confirming the identity of the target? he didn't think so. For some reason Agent Johnson felt uneasy by the question.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." The woman replied in a trance.

"I see." The boy said, sending a jolt of shock through Johnson.

When was the last time the boy referred to himself in first person? ...Before his personality training, which was 3 years ago.

The Faustus method had seemed to remove all sense of self from the boy...

Something was wrong here.

"Can you contact them?" The boy asked, making him even more suspicious.

"Yes."

"Contact them. Tell them you are being held hostage by Hydra."

Johnson quickly clicked his ear piece, connecting with the boy. "Agent Dursley! What are you playing at?"

There was nothing but silence.

"Agent... Mystique Soldier? Harry?"

Nothing but static.

'No', he denied. This can't be...

"Sir, what should we do!?" His men asked. "She is calling someone!"

Stunned, he turned back to his men. Now was not the time for shock.

He shook his head, taking charge. "Block the call. Team one and two, move in. Eliminate the target and surround the boy. Do not harm the other residents! Some of them are our spies. Agent Grim, electrocute the boy and bring him back to the helipad. Burn down the house after you. Leave no evidence."

He peered through the binoculars again, but he couldn't see the boy. How did this happen? The boy never showed any signs of rebellion. Not since the time he had personally used Faustus method on him.

'So how now?'

"Sir, we can't track him anymore. Neither can we subdue him. He may have removed the electroshock."

Johnson cursed. "Striker, drop him down. Aim for the legs, do not kill him."

The shot of sniper ensued and Agent Johnson held his breath.

What a tragedy this was. The boy will be crippled for sure, losing a lot of his potential. And there was no chance of avoiding the chair anymore.

Still, better a crippled Mystique soldier than a dead one. Agent Smith will probably dance in joy at being right...goddammit!

"Sir, he blocked the shot. Some kind of translucent energy wall."

"Sir, we cannot block the call! It's an encrypted line! The Shield are on their way!"

"Shit. Shit!"

Frustrated, he peered back through the binoculars, and there the boy stood, guarding the woman's body with his magic.

Johnson's heart stopped as the boy turned, staring directly at him.

...Did he know?...No. that was impossible...

But then Johnson witnessed the most chilling sight of his life. Cold shivers went through his spine, his heart clenching in sheer terror.

For the first time in his life, he witnessed the boy smile. It was cold, hard, malicious...And it knew everything.

The hair on his hands stood up as the boy waved.

Agent Johnson has been outplayed. He never controlled the boy. The boy simply let himself be controlled.

And now he was done playing.