Chapter 42: Arc 1: Chapter 39: Request

"I hear you brought a young boy back last night?"

On the second morning, a dissatisfied-looking Fury stands outside Merlin's room. In front of him was Merlin who had just finished washing up.

"You should at least inform me beforehand with a call, Merlin!"

Fury scolded him as if he was scolding a subordinate:

"Chief Carter lives in this hotel, this place is now under level 3 alert, and you can't just bring a stranger here without telling anyone!"

Merlin glances at him and says:

"First of all, I reported to the front desk, your subordinates didn't stop me."

"Second, it's just a 12-year-old kid...do agents like you think that everyone looks like an enemy? What can a kid do under the watch of dozens of armed agents?"

"Lastly, can we talk while eating? I'm feeling famished right now, getting angry in the early morning, are you not hungry?"

Merlin's words made Fury frown, he said harshly:

"You should be glad you're not officially enlisted yet! Otherwise, you'd be staying in the confinement room right now! The Strategic Scientific Reserve is a military organization, so you best change your overly carefree attitude..."

And he spoke, he strokes his stomach and lets out a breath:

"Come on, let's eat."

Merlin shrugs and follows behind Fury down the stairs.

A few minutes, the two sat at the corner of the restaurant and talked while enjoying a nice breakfast.

"Mmm, soup's pretty good."

Fury takes a sip of the soup with his spoon, marveled at the taste, and asks Merlin:

"So, have you made up your mind? Ready to join us?"

"Pretty much."

Merlin takes a bite of the fruit and raises his head:

"So what do I need to do? Fill in a form? Submit a resume?"

"You don't need to do anything."

Fury leisurely drinks his soup and says:

"The SSR has a complete process of accepting new applicants, normally you'd have to have a 1-2 years inspection period to train and review about you, but recently our organization is seeking transformation. It's been over 50 years since the end of WWII, the ex-Soviet Union was dissolved last year, effectively ending the Cold War; some systems we used in the war are no longer suitable for the future."

"So to say that you're lucky. You won't have to wait that long because of Chief Peggy Carter's recommendation, so you'll simply have to undergo 5-8 months of learning and training in the Academy; of course, social connections reviewing is inevitable. So if you're keeping anything special a secret, it's best you say it now."

"I've told Miss Carter everything."

Merlin says:

"Do you need me to recite it all? You know my case is special."

"Sigh, you still don't get it."

Fury sighs and explains:

"Miss Carter is a senior agent, her qualifications are much older than mine, so I can't just go ask her about you. Not to mention, Miss Carter is half-retired, she has not intervened with official duties for months now; so you telling her is one thing, but to the organization itself, we still need to hand over a full report, 

 He stares at Merlin and says:

"To be honest, I'm quite curious myself; you should know that the SSR has the permission to look into national citizenry archives, and I've tried looking for your file...but I didn't find anything! The past 18 years of your life were like a blank sheet of paper, there were no records anywhere, so I'm curious how you did it. Was it that you lived in the wilderness for 18 years without ever entering society?"

"As I said, my situation is complicated."

Merlin didn't wish to delve deeper into this question so he avoids it:

"If Miss Carter didn't tell you about these things, it means she thinks of them as unimportant. So stop asking, if you really need a report, I wouldn't mind you making one up yourself."

"But if I'm curious?"

Fury picks up the chewing gum and shares one with Merlin:

"And if I'm curious? Would you share your story with me, not as a senior agent, but as Nick Fury?"

"Magic."

Merlin simplifies his words:

"It was magic that caused all this, it was magic that erased all traces of my past 18 years of life, yet it was damn magic that made me who I am now, that's all you have to know."

"As expected..."

Merlin shakes his head and decides not to press on.

Merlin was personally recommended by Miss Carter, and as Merlin had said, if Miss Carter thinks that the gap in Merlin's past 18 years was not a problem, then it surely must not be a problem.

Don't underestimate the authority and prestige of a leader who has led an intelligence organization for over 50 years, in the current SSR, Madam Carter may not be all-powerful, but she was close enough. Even someone like Fury's chief, the soon-to-be-in-charge Alexander Pierce, dares not to question the decisions she makes.

After all, that is a living legend.

"Alright, enough of that."

Fury chews on the gum and says straightforwardly towards Merlin:

"Any other requests? Just say all of them."

"Let me think."

Merlin rubs his forehead, moments later, he says:

"That kid saved my life that night, but unfortunately he lost his father, so I hope that you can help me settle him down. Find him a good foster family and arrange him for school."

"Of course."

Fury did not reject, in fact, everything about the boy had been placed onto his table 3 hours after he stepped into the hotel.

The child's father may have been participating in some illegal things, but the child himself was not a threat. Even without Merlin's request, he would still put the kid under his watch; he has not forgotten the odd female warrior with a spear that appeared last night, the boy may even be related to the female warrior.

"And...I hope you can help me find someone."

Merlin was hesitant, he says:

"My real name is Merlin Reilly, and as far as I know, there are only two descendants left of the Reilly Family, that would be me and my cousin; she lives in Queens New York, and she...yes, she's the last blood-related family member I've got."

Merlin looks at Fury and points to his head, saying:

"What's troublesome is, due to some special reason, my cousin has completely forgotten about my existence, I hope you can use some official ways to help her 'remember' me."

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"This, shouldn't be a big issue."

Fury looks at his wristwatch and asks Merlin:

"What's the name of your cousin?"

Merlin answers:

"May, May Reilly. She just married a few years ago, her husband is Ben Parker."

"Alright, leave it to us."

Fury stands up and tidies his clothes, he looks at Merlin, his expression suddenly becomes odd; he takes a cloth from his pocket and hands it to Merlin:

"Wipe it...your nosebleed."

"Ah?"

---

On the other side, in some unknown place, something deeply related to the Winter Soldier is happening.

The place looks like a storage warehouse, dozens of heavy containers were stacked up around; there was weak light above, but it didn't make the place look any brighter. Instead, it became darker due to the dispersion of light.

Dozens of people were standing in the warehouse, their clothing meant that they were people from different social standings; from well-dressed upperclassmen to workers in uniforms, even some roguishly dressed men with tattoos.

These people came from different circles that would normally not intertwine, yet here they stood as if they all came from the same place.

"Kong"

Following the sound of the warehouse door being opened, the people whispering among themselves look back at the entrance.

An old-fashioned car was parked right outside the warehouse, the bodyguard opened the car door and a major player steps out. He wore a white suit with a tie, and he buttoned the buttons of his coat tightly. He walked firmly into the warehouse, his sharp eyes wore odd-looking glasses.

The glasses looked old-fashioned, like the black round glasses intellectual people wore in the last era.

His hair was brushed tidily, yet there were white strands of hair. His face was cold and looked 'Germanic', all things said, he looked out of place with everyone around him.

Watching the major player enter the warehouse, a man who looked like the person-in-charge approaches, he silently nods at the major player and leads him forward while explaining the situation:

"Our men found him in the Sewage Treatment Plant in the outskirts of Oakland, he was washed out along with the sewage water. He was in horrible shape, it was like he was blown apart, it's miraculous that he could still escape with those wounds."

"Mmm, do not underestimate the lives of those called 'Super-Soldiers'."

The major player in the white suit nods and gently says:

"The Super-Soldier serum, indeed one of the greatest inventions of the last era, in my opinion, it's even greater than the atomic bomb. The latter only brings destruction, but the former...brings new life. A type of self-evolution, the future of mankind. Yet they used it on war, how short-sighted..."

"Yes, yes."

The person-in-charge whimpered and agreed with what the major player said, although he himself thinks that the Super-Soldier serum itself is the greatest weapon. But in front of a major player, his own will and thoughts were unimportant.

"His Excellency hopes that you would help him recover through the use of some 'skills'. He is, after all, the most important warrior in our organization."

"His Excellency?"

The major player snorts with disdain:

"It's been over 50 years and yet they're still playing these ancient hiding games. They must've grown addicted to hiding like rats. Pathetic...let me check on him first."

"As you wish, Your Grace, follow me."

The person-in-charge bowed and saluted, but the major player seemed dissatisfied by how he called him he says:

"Call me Daniel, things that have been thrown into the trash shouldn't be picked up anymore."

"Of course, Daniel."

As he finishes, he waves his hand, and the people who gathered turn and leave, guarding outside. The major player called Daniel was taken to the front of a container, the person in charge opens the container, and chilling air flows outwards.

Along with it, was the pungent smell of blood.

Daniel takes out his cloth and places it over his nose, he then enters.

With what little light the container had in it, the life that was sealed in ice could hardly be called a person.

Nearly all of his abdomen had been torn open, his left leg was missing, one-third of his right leg was left; through the wound in his abdomen, one could clearly see that he's missing several organs, broken bones piercing out of his chest; nearly all of his face had been ruined, one could even see the skull.

His right arm had been completely decapitated but from the smooth wound, it should not be caused by the recent explosion.

And under the lights, one could still tell his identity from what remained of his face...

It was the Winter Soldier!

It was unimaginable that he had survived the death explosion caused by the Wakandan warrior.

But the Winter Soldier in his current situation was definitely worse than death, Merlin's black mana and Wakanda's explosive technology nearly sent him directly to hell's gates. But even to this moment, one could still barely see his weakly moving chest under the ice.

He was still alive, like a beast desperately trying to live.

"He's been regenerating."

The local person-in-charge stands next to Daniel and says:

"The regeneration of a Super-Soldier was truly unimaginable, but truthfully, an injury of this scale has far exceeded the limit he can take. Without external aid, he may never fully recover, we could only freeze him."

"Mmm, quite tricky indeed."

Daniel reaches out and touches the Winter Soldier's wounds, saying:

"Even with the regenerative serum extracted from inhumans' blood would hardly have an effect on such serious wounds. I'll try my best, but you'll go back and tell...His Excellency, that I'm uncertain whether or not he will heal; and even if he does, he'll have a hard time returning to his full combat capabilities. But I can make some biotech measures since I saw a rather creative plan a few days back."

"It's highly feasible, and it suits the Winter Soldier's current condition."

The major player takes a step backward and gestures his finger, to which the bodyguard moves forward and places a file in his hands, which he then hands over to the person in charge, saying:

"Bring the file to him, let him give it a look."

"I'll be taking the Winter Soldier, he's not in a condition to stay."

"Alright."

The person in charge waves Daniel goodbye, he orders a few people to send the container out of the warehouse, where a heavy truck was waiting. 

The person in charge himself returns to his office and takes out the file Daniel had handed him, on the cover was a name.

"Centipede Project."

 

 

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