Over the Pacific Ocean, aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier.
The black Airbus descended vertically, blasting rapid currents of air downward, and finally landed steadily on the carrier's deck. The cargo bay door slowly slid open behind it. S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 8 agent Phil Coulson stood behind the door in a neat, capable suit, waiting to receive the guests about to board.
Several senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had already been waiting on the deck boarded via the gangway. Victoria Hand, the black-framed woman wearing dark glasses at the head of the group, spoke as she stepped onto the plane. "You know there's something called a teleconference these days, right, Agent Coulson?"
"It's good to see you again, Agent Hand." Coulson smiled slightly as the cabin door slowly closed behind them. "Thank you all for coming as soon as you received the notice. I'll explain everything once we reach fifty thousand feet."
He turned slightly and gestured. "This way, please."
After a brief stop for supplies, the plane soon took off again. Agent May, who was piloting, switched the system to autopilot as soon as they neared fifty thousand feet, then got up and returned to the lounge to join the conversation.
"We've reached cruising altitude, ninety degrees above the Arctic," she told the group, nodding at Coulson. "We can begin."
"Thank you." Coulson swept his gaze across the senior agents present. "I'm sorry for making this so complicated, but we're doing this as a precaution."
"A precaution against what?" asked Agent Sitwell, a bald man in a sharp suit and round glasses.
"The Clairvoyant," Coulson explained. "If he really is a telepath, then it's best for us to be as far away from him as possible before we begin."
"Besides, maybe the aurora interferes with the wireless signals he uses to read minds." Level 8 agent John Garrett shook the S.H.I.E.L.D. eagle-emblem mug in his hand. "The Clairvoyant has been one step ahead of us for a long time. He's stolen our strategic methods and caused us no small amount of trouble."
"I trust you've all read Agent Garrett's latest report. Agent Garrett believes there are signs that we're closing in on the truth," Coulson said.
"What truth? His identity?" Agent Hand asked.
"The pool of potential targets has been narrowed down to thirteen." Garrett explained, "I carefully reviewed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Special Abilities Registry again, especially those who had dealings with us but were never entered into it. Some of them were believed to possibly possess telepathic abilities."
"You mean S.H.I.E.L.D. may have encountered the Clairvoyant before?" Sitwell asked.
"Think of how many superhuman-related cases S.H.I.E.L.D. has investigated. It's not merely possible. It's highly likely," Coulson said.
"All right, let's assume your theory is correct," Agent Hand cut in. "If we really are facing someone with abilities like the Clairvoyant's, do you already have a plan for dealing with him?"
"Compartmentalize the information," Garrett said.
Coulson said, "There's a pattern-recognition analysis expert on my team. She can sift through the data, rank the people on Garrett's list by priority, locate them, then randomly split all of us into separate groups. That way, none of us will know every detail of the mission."
After speaking, he paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across the agents present. "So, does anyone have any questions now?"
No one spoke.
"Good." Coulson nodded. "Then let's get to work."
***
The division of labor was not complicated. Every agent involved in the operation was issued a cellphone containing a set of coordinates that would guide its holder to one of the Clairvoyant's suspects. Once the holder came within a mile of those coordinates, their partner in the same group would receive the suspect's name and file on their own phone.
But because there was an odd number of agents participating, one group would inevitably have three people. This time, those three happened to be Phil Coulson, John Garrett, and Grant Ward.
The coordinates received by the three-man team were located in Indiana. Phone navigation led them outside a remote, abandoned electronics factory.
"This is really strange." Agent John Garrett frowned at the coordinates displayed on his phone. "There isn't a soul within at least two miles of this place. What kind of suspect would be here? Ward, have you received the suspect information?"
Ward glanced at his phone. "Nothing yet."
Garrett pursed his lips at Coulson. "Maybe your person got the location wrong?"
"No, she didn't." Coulson folded his hands before him, his expression blank. "In fact, that's because I tampered with these coordinates—just as I tampered with the supposedly random grouping."
Garrett froze, exchanging a glance with Ward. "What do you mean?"
"Let's skip the pointless part and get straight to the point." Agent Coulson's tone remained even, as though he were discussing some trivial matter. "You and I both know the Clairvoyant doesn't have any telepathic abilities. He's simply a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with very high-level clearance. Oh, no, let me correct that. You aren't even a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, are you, senior Hydra agent John Garrett?"
Both Ward and Garrett looked surprised. Along with shock, Garrett's expression seemed to hold a trace of amusement. "Wait, wait. Phil, sorry, but even as a joke, that was a little too much information. Are you saying I'm the Clairvoyant, and that I work for Hydra? An organization that was wiped out back in World War II?"
Coulson's expression remained utterly unchanged. "What makes you think I'm Agent Phil Coulson?"
When he spoke this time, even his voice had changed, becoming distinctly different from the real Agent Coulson's. Garrett was stunned for an instant, then his face abruptly darkened.
"It's you," he said. "Black Knight?"
Coulson—or rather, Michael, wearing a Digital Mask disguised as Coulson—tilted his head. "Black Knight? So Fury gave me such an uncreative name? Still, it does sound very S.H.I.E.L.D."
After a pause, he said, "Long time no see, John Garrett. And this Grant Ward over here. Your lackey?"
Garrett was Ward's handler, and it was he who had brought Ward into S.H.I.E.L.D. In truth, both mentor and protégé were Hydra spies planted within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ward's hand was already resting on his holster. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two men, as if he could not decide what to do.
"I received the message you had Randall deliver last time." Garrett stared at him without blinking, as though trying to see through the Digital Mask and uncover everything beneath it. "You're Dr. Norton?"
"For you, yes," Michael answered. "But I abandoned that identity three and a half years ago."
"We looked for you for a long time, but found nothing. Care to share your secret?"
Michael shrugged. "A little magic."
"So you don't intend to be candid. Though I can't say I'm surprised," Garrett said, shaking his head.
It might have been hard for Garrett to believe, but Michael was telling the truth. Five years ago, he had crossed into this world as a Hydra researcher. Three and a half years ago, after defecting from Hydra, he immediately traveled to Kathmandu and found the legendary sanctuary of magic, Kamar-Taj. Magic's protection concealed his tracks. Hydra's reach extended across the globe, but it could not reach the Sorcerer Supreme's territory.
After leaving Kamar-Taj, Michael immediately created an entirely new identity for himself. He used magic to alter his appearance, hacked into the United States immigration bureau and federal databases, and seamlessly fabricated the existence of a man named Michael Passo—a brand-new identity.
"You've played the part quite convincingly." Garrett studied him for a moment. "When did you replace the real Coulson?"
"Probably right before you drew lots for the group assignments. The real Agent Coulson should still be napping in the Airbus storage compartment right now, though he ought to wake up in about twenty minutes."
"So you went through all this trouble to infiltrate the operation just to expose me as the Clairvoyant face-to-face?"
"Reason one: to record that conversation, so I'll have less trouble proving that you two are Hydra spies later." Michael spoke flatly, his gaze passing over Garrett and the tense, watchful Agent Ward. "Reason two: you may already know that I've been preparing for an all-out war against Hydra. I'm happy to let Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. handle the grunt work, like taking down a few bases and killing a few superhumans. But when it comes to cutting off Hydra's head, I'll only be at ease once I see you draw your last breaths myself."
Garrett narrowed his eyes and met his gaze for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"You're a genius at research, Dr. Norton, I'll grant you that." He laughed. "But you realize we have two senior agents with top-tier combat ability here, while you're alone and not wearing that miraculous armor of yours, right?"
Ward drew his pistol from its holster, flicked off the safety, and aimed it at Michael's head.
Michael did not react.
"You can try."
(Thanks to reader Why Not Be More Casual for the 500 Qidian Coins reward, and readers Bloodflame Worldburner I and Cloud Map Castle for the 100 Qidian Coins rewards!)
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