Clyde Shelton froze for a moment upon hearing Mr. Nobody's words.
The very next second.
Mr. Nobody took a tablet passed back by the agent sitting in the front passenger seat, who was as silent and rigid as a wooden mannequin. He glanced at the screen before turning it toward Clyde Shelton.
The latter took the tablet and focused his gaze on it.
His pupils shrunk slightly.
"Lorraine?"
Displayed on the screen was a long-distance photograph. The woman captured in the image left an initial impression that would ensure anyone who saw her would never forget her face.
Cold, sharp, noble.
Lorraine Broughton!
Clyde Shelton snapped back to reality and looked at Mr. Nobody.
"He's genuinely Lorraine's son? Is that even possible?"
Back when Clyde first met Locke and heard him introduce his surname, the image of this old colleague who shared the exact same name of Broughton had instantly surfaced in his mind.
But...
Was there any factual possibility of that?
Clyde Shelton frowned slightly, finding it somewhat difficult to believe.
"Locke Broadway was born in Texas on August 8, 1988. At that time, Lorraine should have been..."
"I know exactly where she was at that time."
"..."
Mr. Nobody cut Clyde Shelton off with a soft laugh. "But don't forget, she is the finest operative we have ever had."
Lorraine Broughton could be considered a grand slam champion within the chaotic espionage world of that era.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The federal CIA, London's MI6, and Moscow's KGB were, without a doubt, the three most powerful intelligence agencies in existence.
Yet Lorraine accomplished a mission that was deemed practically impossible.
The KGB genuinely believed they had successfully turned her into a double agent, entirely unaware that MI6 was laughing behind their backs because Lorraine was merely getting turned on their explicit instructions.
But what was the ultimate truth?
Lorraine was a CIA asset sent to infiltrate MI6, who was then sent by MI6 to infiltrate the KGB.
A triple agent!
A legendary spy capable of operating at such a level, entirely fooling the KGB and MI6 until the entire affair concluded before they realized they had been played, would find taking some time off to give birth to a child without anyone noticing far easier and simpler than an assassin taking out a target.
There was absolutely zero difficulty involved.
Furthermore, if Locke had remained quietly in Texas without ever standing out or making a name for himself, Langley would likely have remained entirely oblivious to this fact until long after Locke passed away centuries later.
Because no one would randomly pull up a child's birth records for no apparent reason, and Langley possessed no prophetic abilities to pay attention in advance.
Even after Locke grew up and others saw his birth certificate, they would merely view it as a regular name, completely unaware of the heavy significance that name carried.
After all, not just anyone was worthy of drawing Langley's focus and attention.
Mr. Nobody suspected that even Locke himself remained entirely unaware of his mother's true nature.
Listening to Mr. Nobody's explanation, Clyde Shelton recovered his composure, catching a subtle implication. He handed the tablet back to Mr. Nobody.
"You intend to recruit him?"
Mr. Nobody nodded, looking at Clyde.
"Yes. We cannot delay this any longer. Furthermore, I want you to be the one to train him."
Clyde frowned. "I've already retired."
Mr. Nobody passed the tablet back to the agent in the passenger seat and turned back to Clyde. "He is Lorraine's son. There is absolutely no doubt about that; we have fully verified it."
Clyde remained silent.
Mr. Nobody didn't disrupt Clyde's train of thought either.
In truth, Mr. Nobody had originally intended to wait until Locke graduated from high school before initiating recruitment. However, the more he observed the boy, the more immense appreciation grew within his heart.
Simply put.
As expected of the legendary spy Lorraine's son, he possessed the raw, hardwired instincts of a natural operative. If they intervened early and polished his skills meticulously, there was zero doubt it would mark the rise of yet another legendary operative.
The most critical point.
SHLIED was watching hungrily from the sidelines.
Although SHIELD's current Deputy Director, Maria Hill, had previously stated to him that they possessed zero interest in Locke.
However...
A woman's words are as untrustworthy as ghosts.
Mr. Nobody had suffered immense losses on that front before. Since then, whenever a woman spoke, he would only choose to believe precisely one-third of what she said.
For example, when Maria Hill stated they had zero interest in Locke, what Mr. Nobody actually heard was: We have noticed Locke and are actively observing him.
Because of this.
Mr. Nobody was extremely wary of SHIELD. After all, he hadn't found a perfect opportunity to initiate direct contact with Locke yet.
Right now?
Mr. Nobody felt this situation might serve as the perfect catalyst.
"L..." Watching Clyde open the car door and exit the vehicle, Mr. Nobody turned to the agent in the front passenger seat.
"Pull up all background files on this Nick Rice. Along with George Stacy's files, and while you're at it, Gwen Stacy's as well."
SHIELD possessed its exclusive SHIELD Academy.
That was excellent.
But the CIA maintained fine, long-standing historic collaborations with major universities across the nation.
Furthermore...
The CIA was wealthy—incredibly wealthy.
If absolutely necessary, Mr. Nobody could even sell off his private warehouse full of sports cars, armored vehicles, tanks, and fighter jets to supplement the operational budget.
...
The next morning.
When Locke came downstairs, George was already awake, sipping coffee while scanning the newspaper in his hands.
Unsurprisingly, yesterday's shooting incident in the Bauhinia Community had made the papers. While it wasn't the front-page headline, it occupied the lead story on the third page.
Locke had slept over at Gwen's house last night.
It was better to be safe than sorry, preventing any irrational individuals from coming over to Gwen's place to cause trouble.
After last night's events, Locke had realized something.
Human malice could be far more venomous than any vengeful spirit.
Therefore...
He didn't intend to drag this out any longer. Those two haunted dolls—if he couldn't get them, then so be it. Leaving such a malicious individual buzzing around like a persistent fly was incredibly irritating, even if he didn't truly care about the threat.
Time to end it.
He would handle it later today.
As Locke thought to himself, he took his and Gwen's cups, poured the milk, and greeted George sitting across from him.
"Morning, George."
George looked up at Locke with a brief hum of acknowledgment, then shifted his gaze back to the newspaper, asking in a casual tone, "You know that Mr. Nobody?"
Locke and Gwen sat down. Hearing the question, Locke looked up.
"Mr. Nobody? You mean that CIA agent we saw aboard the Argo?"
"Yes."
"Met him once. My first impression was quite decent. Why do you ask?"
Locke answered with complete candor.
And it was the absolute truth.
At the very least, that had been his first interaction with the CIA. Look at how they operated—addressing him respectfully at every turn. Then compare that to his first interaction with SHIELD.
Anyone looking at that would think Locke owed SHIELD millions.
Noses pointed to the sky, completely arrogant.
They were bound to fail sooner or later!
This was only because Locke had been incredibly gentle since childhood. Had it been someone with a fiery temper, they would have likely slaughtered their way straight into the Triskelion long ago, leaving a river of blood and fields of corpses.
Hearing Locke's somewhat casual response, George nodded and remarked with equal casualness,
"That Clyde Shelton appears to be one of that Mr. Nobody's assets."
Locke raised an eyebrow, appearing genuinely surprised.
Sitting beside him, Gwen swallowed her milk, licked her lips, and looked slightly shocked.
"Mr. Shelton is a CIA agent? Seriously?"
Normally, discussing such matters at home wasn't appropriate.
But.
Locke and Gwen had already encountered actual vampires and seemed entirely unfazed by it, so speaking about this was perfectly fine.
As for little George?
He was mere background scenery. If George didn't actively see his sons around, people would think Gwen was an only child.
George nodded, folding the newspaper in his hands as he looked toward Locke.
"That Mr. Nobody seems to hold an immense amount of appreciation for you."
Locke blinked, then let out a short laugh. "Is that so? I'm not surprised."
George remained silent.
Gwen chuckled from the side, helping to explain on Locke's behalf.
"Dad, back when we were on the Argo, that Mr. Nobody actually tried to recruit Locke into Langley."
"And what happened?"
"Naturally, he declined."
Locke smiled. "It was likely just a casual comment at the time. Besides, I haven't seen that Mr. Nobody a single time since then."
Though he had spotted quite a few Langley agents observing him from his surroundings, moving back and forth. He had already memorized roughly a dozen of their faces.
Furthermore...
Locke had already deduced the exact location of the CIA's safe house in New York.
However, Locke wasn't averse to this.
As long as they didn't disrupt his daily life, Locke couldn't be bothered to interfere when no active mission was triggered. Moreover, these individuals could even serve as an excellent, built-in alibi for him.
George let out a quiet chuckle.
Right at that moment.
The telephone rang.
George looked at the ringing phone on the side, which displayed an unknown number.
He connected the call.
"Good morning, Deputy Chief Stacy."
"...Mr. Nobody."
George froze for a moment, standing up and walking from the dining room onto the balcony. He let out a dry laugh.
"In truth, why am I not the least bit surprised that you have access to my private number?"
Mr. Nobody let out a loud laugh, responding with absolute seriousness, "Because I belong to Langley?"
George didn't find it funny.
"Mr. Nobody, I assume you aren't calling this early merely to wish me a good morning."
"Of course not."
Mr. Nobody stated smoothly, "I am here to deliver the promised files. Furthermore, I wished to discuss yesterday's case with you."
George checked his wristwatch. "I will arrive at the precinct in fifteen minutes—"
Mr. Nobody cut him off directly.
"I have already arrived. Apologies for the intrusion."
Before George could even formulate a response to the sudden statement.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
A perfectly rhythmic knocking sound echoed from the other end of the line. Simultaneously, the physical front door of the apartment rapped open in perfect synchronization.
George was completely startled.
Hearing the knocking sound, little George had already sprinted over to open the door.
George walked over toward the entryway.
Standing at the threshold.
Mr. Nobody stood with a brilliant smile across his face.
***
Read 40 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666