Ch 04: Hiding in plain sight
[1645 words without Author note]
The following weeks after learning about the timeline I was in, I spent them trying to recruit some members for Hydra.
It was a tough job considering I didn't have experience creating an organisation of any kind.
It became easier after every member. At first , I got some low life thugs under my control and from there it was like a chain of connections. These people were not very important in the grand scheme of things but they would do as canon fodders.
My real aim in recruiting these thugs is to form a connection to the underground of the city. This way I will be indirectly coming in contact with the villains and vigilantes while remaining out of their radar.
I got these nameless thugs to make contact with more of their kind and some weak villains and vigilantes. Once they brought them to me, it was an easy job of getting them under my thrall.
I gave them some basic commandments to follow like:
Hydra is above everything and their life's purpose is to be an organ for the Hydra.
The Supreme Commander's (mine) orders are absolute and under no circumstances are they to question it.
Use any means necessary to complete a mission and if it seems impossible, do your best to minimise damage to Hydra.
Keep Hydra's existence a secret until told otherwise.
After this I implanted some thoughts like:
You feel happy and are proud to serve Hydra's goals.
You would rather kill yourself than betray Hydra.
You love following orders from Hydra superiors and will always do your best.
It was still a primitive structure but I had time to improve it later. Till now I have recruited about 50 people and there are a few diamonds in the rough that may be useful in the future.
I also sent some of my goons to join other gangs or groups to infiltrate them and keep me informed.
But my biggest gain from this endeavour is gaining a place that will give me access to fighters. The place is an underground fighting arena where people, the shady kind, fight a battle ranging from spars to deathbattles against each other using their quirks.
I just had to pay a visit to one of the many villain brokers that have connections in these illegal fight rings and then get him under my thrall. It was quite amusing to flex my power on the poor chap and it also gave me an idea for a good villain Moniker.
In the Marvel comic universe, Kilgrave is called the purple man which is one of the worst names for a supervillain that I have ever heard and since I am sure that there are many people in this world with all coloured skin, it doesn't seem feasible for me.
So I came up with a fitting name which I think suits me well and soon all my foes will dread it.
The Master
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POV change (3rd person ) [AN: This is how his victims feel. I am trying third person writing here. I don't think I am very good at dialogue so please tell me in the comments how it is and if it flows well…]
"So.." A man behind his desk took a large inhale of tobacco and breathed out a steady stream of smoke. He had oily black hair and round glasses with a long nose. Currently he was staring at a young …. Person wearing a dark suit, a purple tie and was sporting a devilish grin. The boy now that he took a closer look was quite handsome and seemed to be a rich guy looking at his attire.
"What can I do for you, dear Sir? Usually, I am the one finding people, so it's not everyday I have someone seeking me out."
"Are you the Villain Broker? I hear you have connections with the illegal fight rings around here."
The person addressed as the Villain Broker gave a nervous smile, showing off a mouth with a gold tooth. He was pushing a button on the bottom of his desk while stalling his guest. He had no idea how this young lad got in here and why none of his men informed him or why they were not responding now. He was getting a bad feeling about this and this showed in his demeanour as his palms became sweaty and his heart started beating faster.
"You found the right guy, though I am surprised because not many people know where I am. Gotta keep out of the watchful eyes of the pro heroes after all. Tell me, how did you know where to find me?"
The young boy just shrugged, " People talk, you just need to, well, know how to ask?" and his grin became wider.
"Indeed."The broker laughed albeit nervously. " So, you are interested in the fight arena, huh? Do you… want to bet on the matches? You seem rich, I could introduce you to the ones betting.."
"Stop talking" the boy ordered and his mouth immediately stopped obeying his will.
"Now I don't want to listen to you talk and so I will state my purpose of coming here. I want everything that is yours that is all your money, assets and connections and then devote your life for my goal. "
The broker was angry and kept pressing the button growing more frustrated by the second since his men were not coming and removing this dangerous person from his vicinity.
"They aren't coming you know." The boy said, the atmosphere in the room grew suffocating and suddenly the boy didn't seem harmless anymore if anything then his smile was be predatory now.
"Kneel!" The boy ordered and the broker's body helplessly complied.
"So.." the boy said from his position and his eyes which were a dark purple seemed to glow in the dim room.
"I will keep this simple, your connections are useful and I want them and I will get them but today I am in a learning mood. Tell me now, how do you feel?"
"Angry… and te- terrified."the broker replied stuttering a bit. And that was exactly how he was feeling. Some young boy shows up and is threatening him. His alarm button is not working and he would have shouted but he can't
"Hmmm…." The boy scratches his neck.
"You see I have plans, some very big plans and I have just started out and you are just a pawn. I am merely testing my ability on you. And since you are probably wondering why your guards are not coming, I will have you know that they are here but now they are my guards."
"You can come in guys"
His guards came in but they followed the boy's orders. This was not looking good.
The boy then said," Now you feel happy to follow my orders and want to help me out."
The broker's posture relaxed and with a happy smile on his face he replied, " Of course Master, your wish is my command."
"Wait what did you call me?"
"Master?"
"Hmmm… Master huh. Has a nice ring to it although it's weird to hear it from you. I have decided that this is going to be my villain name. The Master, pompous and grand. Not bad" The boy who is now the Master says with a smile showcasing his pearly whites.
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And that's how the origin of the villain name came about. I took over the brokers work and he still works there but is a hydra agent now.
The fighting arena will be the place where I plan on recruiting reliable fighters and who knows I might even find some villain from canon.
For now though I will have to patiently wait and assimilate all that I have got. Being too greedy might get me the wrong attention so being cautious is the right choice.
The next few weeks I rested a bit and planned out more. I used my well earned money and bought a few buildings to use as bases. I have ordinary people stationed there as sleeper agents and their kids are being doctrined into Hydra.
It is a bit cruel to do this to the children but there is a plus for them as I am supporting them in whatever dream and aspirations they might have.
For example, if a kid wants to be a reporter, I will support them fully till they become one but they will be inside agents for me in that field.
Though I do focus more on kids who want to be scientists and heroes as they are more important for me now. Also I will only support them if they have the capability to accomplish their dreams. So if there is a kid like Izuku who wants things to fall into his/her lap then they are just made groomed to be canon fodders.
Some places and posts are easier to infiltrate than others and so far I have fingers in almost all important fields except hero and scientists.
I also went and paid a visit to the orphanage that this body grew up in and found it in a not so good state. Apparently they were privately funded but it has stopped now and they are in a terrible state.
So me being the ' nice' and good Samaritan fund it and give generous donations. Now the kids there are slowly being brainwashed and groomed to be all round Hydra special agents.
Do I feel guilty? A little bit but do I care. The answer is no. Orphans are not treated well no matter what world it is and I am giving them a purpose. I will keep them healthy and well fed and even give them some luxuries but at a price as there is no free lunch in this world.
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[Author- Here's another chapter and this time I tried writing in third person. To be honest, I have never written long dialogues and do not have much experience writing in third person.
Whenever I write dialogues, I always feel like I have not added enough tags or worry if people reading it will understand who's speaking or not.
So I kindly ask for some feedback on whether I should continue writing in third person or do you want it as it is or a mix of both?
It will take me longer to write in third person though as it took me around 8 hours of editing and writing to get this chapter done. The chapters are not as long as I want them to be but I will try increasing the length as I get the hang of it.
Anyway thanks for reading this and supporting me. Please do leave some reviews about it and comment and finally vote if you enjoyed this.
See you guys next chapter]