POV Alexander Pierce
"It has become beyond obvious that your foolish insistence on capturing and studying Xenomorphs has given us nothing but severe damage to our organization. I must reiterate that we must stop trying to do what is so clearly not feasible," Zola warns.
"Do not try to dump this all on us, Zola. You were to blame in this as well," I retort.
"You are partially correct. I did want to study them; however, I was the first to acknowledge the issue of containment and the severe lack of results after three of our secret facilities were lost. However, when I brought this to the council's attention, all of you ignored my advice and continued to capture infected subjects. And we have nothing to show for all our efforts, except for hundreds of thousands of losses on our side," Zola argues.
"That's not fair. Many of those losses were due to the invasion by the creatures; they had nothing to do with our movements," Whitehall argues.
"Enough! All of you. We're not getting anywhere from all this arguing. Let's just drop this pointless blame game and focus on what we can do," Madame Hydra says.
"Madame Hydra is correct. We should return to the topic at hand. What do we do about the losses?" Zola adds.
"I can't help you with that. Unfortunately, Shield is unable to recruit more agents for the time being, and while that might technically be a good thing, the fact is that Shield is now more Shield than Hydra, mostly due to the losses incurred during the invasion," I reply regretfully.
"Yes, I had noticed an odd pattern when it came to that. That casualty rates among our agents were uncharacteristically high. Especially when working alongside Tony Stark," Zola comments while sending over some files.
"98% casualty rates? That's ludicrous," Wolfgang von Strucker replies.
In perspective, the usual causality rate was around 88-92%, so a 6-10% deviation is noteworthy.
"Correct. That is why I noted it and compared it to other dangerous assignments. In almost every mission that Hydra agents were sent on with Tony Stark, none returned alive. Every time, he would report that he would put an agent out of their misery after becoming infected. Whether or not there was proof of infection, we all know that it is impossible to ascertain," Zola reports.
"Do you believe that Tony has discovered Hydra?" Madame Hydra asks skeptically.
"I doubt that. I've kept a very close eye on Tony Stark, both through Shield and my own agents, and he hasn't made contact with anyone who should be able to tell him of our existence. And no agent would reveal such things even when about to be killed. And even if we assume that someone revealed our existence, I've studied his profile. Tony is arrogant, nearly to fault, and also quite rash. If he learned of us, he wouldn't eliminate us covertly with plausible deniability; he would flaunt his superiority or attack us openly. And if he learned that we assassinated his parents, he would stop at nothing to stop us. I'm confident he wouldn't do it this way," I explain confidently.
"It is a possibility, but you are correct in the manner of psychology; Tony Stark is not one to operate like this. So for now we can continue to observe and see if there are signs that he knows," Zola suggests.
We agree and move on to the next topic.
"Project Insight was canceled, and all we've managed to create is a single Helicarrier. The other three planned didn't even begin construction before being canceled," I explain with annoyance.
"We've also lost a massive amount of resources and manpower, not to mention all those connections we had with the various warlords. The US has left the Middle East, likely for the last time. If we want more chaos, we will have to look elsewhere," Madame Hydra adds.
"Project Insight is an unfortunate loss, but we can wait for a more opportune moment to restart the project. As for chaos, the world is in enough of that for now. We can use these chances to push for more authoritarian reforms. And if that fails, we can always start a regional war. South America is likely going to be a crippled and chaos-filled region, likely on par with the Middle East. While we may have lost some of our assets in the region, the recent power vacuum that was caused by the dismantling of the Sinaloa Cartel and other crime groups is ripe for exploitation," Zola offers.
"Makes sense. But what about increasing our efforts to create more elite units?" Wolfgang von Strucker suggests.
I wasn't surprised Baron Strucker would suggest we invest more in his field of control.
"We've already done so. We went to great expense to capture Victor Creed for Stryker's research. A man that I must remind you, you insisted we support," Whitehall replies coldly.
"Sigh. Yes, but we mustn't put all our eggs in one basket. Investing more widely is wiser," Baron Strucker insists with a smug smile.
"Funds are tight even for us. We can't invest in everything all at once," Madame Hydra replies.
His proposal is shot down, and we move on.
"Any progress on replicating the Stimpak?" I ask Madame Hydra.
"No, I've replicated the samples perfectly, down to the microgram, but they all failed. Instead of healing, they cause massive internal damage from the introduction of a massive amount of fluids rapidly. And even when I reduced the speed of administering, they still show no miraculous effects," Madame Hydra replies with frustration clear in her tone.
"Then you know what the ingredients are?" I ask curiously.
"Yeah, it's incredibly simple. Distilled Water, Apples, Wheat, Grapes, and a hint of Orange. There was also a protein in the mixture, but after testing, we found that there was nothing special about the protein. It helps bind the various ingredients, but that is it. Any attempts to locate and obtain the original recipe or a machine that produces them have been met with complete failure," Madame Hydra replies with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Unfortunate. Have we been able to discover what powers the reactors Wayne Enterprises built?" Whitehall asks while shifting the topic.
"No, all our agents have failed to gain access, and those that did were never seen again. All we've been able to ascertain is that the element he is using gives off a dangerous radiation when you get near the source. Dangerous enough that supposedly any exposure can cause irreparable DNA damage and probable death," I reply with slight disappointment.
"Hmm, I've also found that tracking the movements of Mr Wayne has proven impossible," Zola adds.
"Really? Even you can't track him?" I ask with shock.
"Correct. His movements are too irregular and odd to track. I even strongly suspect he could be a mutant or a powered individual, or has an assistant who is such," Zola adds.
"I see. I suppose I will see what I can do to track his movements through Shield," I reply.
"I would like to bring up the High Table," Whitehall steers the conversation elsewhere.
"Why?" I ask with narrowed eyes.
"They have been severely weakened, I believe we could use this chance to try and gain a seat on the High Table. Given its ancient providence, this might be the only chance we have to gain a member on the High Table," Whitehall points out.
"Do we even need a seat anymore? They've so thoroughly crippled themselves that much of their power has been lost. And while they still have considerable assets, we should consider whether it is worth spending an unknown amount of money to gain a seat. Not to mention, we have to determine what region we would be controlling," I refute.
"I understand the worries, but I strongly believe that we should take the chance. Even if it doesn't pay off, we would regret not trying," Whitehall argues.
We discuss the matter at length for a bit, but eventually the council agrees to the plan. At the very least, we would try to seize some assets.
"Perhaps we should move to deal with the Illuminati now," Madame Hydra comments.
"Why not let Shield take care of them? Director Fury will eventually strike back at them, and then the resources would be ours," I reply with disinterest.
"But haven't we already established that Hydra's influence in Shield is waning?" Madame Hydra rightfully points out.
"What do you suggest, Madame Hydra?" Zola asks.
"The Illuminati knows about Hydra, that much is clear, so why don't we use this chance to eliminate the threat. Shield is busy dealing with the Xenomorph Queen and the other crises that keep popping up. So we use this chance to eliminate the Illuminati and seize their assets. A lot of wealth is up for grabs. And many of their members were recently revealed on the Epstein list. I can have a subordinate of mine develop a particularly nasty pathogen and release it during their meeting. Then we blame some random terrorist group for the attack. It would cause immense panic and allow us to move in and claim what we want while everyone is distracted," Madame Hydra offers.
I had to admit her plan made sense, and knowing her background, I was certain she could pull it off, and it seemed everyone else felt similarly, as it passed without issue.
"Anything else to report?" Zola asks.
"Well, I do have something of possible interest. Bolivar Trask seems to have had an incident at one of his facilities," I comment.
"Oh? I seem to recall we invested some money in him a while back. His family deals with genetics, correct?" Baron Strucker asks.
"Yes, that is what they deal in. We had even hired them to work on one of our Xenomorph cases; it was that help that actually managed to prevent a full-scale outbreak. Though it came at a severe cost to our personnel," I comment.
"Okay, then what happened? Did they capture some Xenomorphs as well?" Baron Strucker asks with slight interest.
"No, from what Shield Agents sent to investigate the report, he was working on a completely different alien infestation. One that they had just succeeded in curing," I report bluntly.
"Wait, another infestation? How the hell does Earth have two separate situations like this?" Madame Hydra asks with legitimate annoyance.
"If I had a nickel for everytime Earth was dealing with an infestation that spreads via a parasitic reproduction, I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice," I reply, and for a second, I swear I see Whitehall look nervous.
"Are you saying that we may see yet another mass infestation?" Zola says cautiously.
"No, like I said, they developed a cure. They also administered it to all the infected. Though there is a risk, as the origin of the virus is still alive and was the one to escape. They couldn't confirm if she will remain sterile. And if she becomes virulent again, it could become a severe danger. I'm working to have the Security Council move to seize all the research and any remaining subjects. So far, it's made progress, but I can't be certain what will come of this," I reply with uncertainty.
"For the love of... Fine. I'll send you some agents of mine, and we can work together to recapture this patient zero. The last thing Earth needs is another outbreak," Baron Strucker says with some anger in his voice.
"Thank you for the assistance. I will use them to the best of my abilities," I reply honestly.
"Anything else?" Zola asks, and I swear I hear annoyance in his tone as well.
"What about the election?" I ask.
Everyone seems to be surprised I bring it up this late into the meeting.
"We cannot allow Erik Lehnsherr to become president," I warn grimly.
"Yes, we all agree on that, but what can we do to stop it? Even with our support, Wilson Fisk stands little chance of winning the presidency. The Republican Party has made it clear they don't even intend to invest any money into their own candidate, and the Democratic Party seems hesitant to try, as few wish to inherit the mess that the current administration is leaving for them," Whitehall says.
"Speaking of that fool, why can't we get him to start bailing out our assets like we originally planned?" Madam Hydra asks angrily.
"Stark and Wayne, they have used the threat of no power to force many companies to lobby against a bailout, combined with the people's strong opposition to it, Bush is too scared to try," I explain with a frustrated tone.
"At this point, Bush cannot do anything. Nor should we rely on him; we should instead focus on eliminating Erik Lehnsherr. While his abilities are impressive, we cannot allow such a clear enemy to become president," Baron Strucker points out.
"We have some weapons we can try to use, but if his mutant brethren help him, we might not be able to kill him without revealing our hand," Whitehall warns.
"We should use those new assets that Strucker has obtained, combined with some of the weaker Winter Soldiers," I suggest.
"Lady Deathstrike would not be of any use. Her adamantium skeleton would make her easy pickings for Erik, and we cannot risk losing such a rare asset," Baron Strucker retorts.
"Then we shall work together to find a way to eliminate Erik before he becomes president, and if that isn't possible, then soon after he is elected," Zola replies.
We discuss a few more details about the plan, and after some back and forth, we agree on a plan of action.
"Anything else?" Zola asks once more.
Nobody says anything.
"Then dismissed. Hail Hydra!" Zola yells.
"Hail Hydra!" We all shout.