Chapter 22: He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named
[He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named: A Passive ability that lets you peer into anyone who utters your name or names that is synonymous with you. This does not apply to those who speak of names similar to you but only to those who think of you when they speak your name.]
This…
Suddenly, Benjamin felt as if his head split.
He can see and hear all sorts of people all at once!
“S-System! How do I stop this!?”
[Host, it’s a passive skill and can’t be deactivated. But this System can help you stop any information flow or filter out any unnecessary information.]
“Stop it for now!”
[Understood.]
Benjamin panted as the pain finally subsided.
That was…too much!
Using it like that will definitely fry my brain…
Benjamin sighed in relief and asked the System.
“System, you said you can filter it? Can you filter it so I can only see and hear only those close to me or those planning something to me?”
[Yes. Does Host wish to activate it again?”
“...Do it.”
Benjamin gritted his teeth and braced himself.
Instantly, he was able to see and hear those who spoke of his name.
It was a lot less now but there’s still a lot!
When he was wondering why, he was dumbfounded when he saw one.
“Oh yes~! Captain Freed is so hot~!”
…A guy was jacking off at his picture that was shown on TV during the press conference.
“Fuck! Why is this included!?”
[Host said to include those who’s planning something to you. This one seems to plan on doing something indeed.]
“Fucking-...Remove these shits as well!”
[Understood.]
It might be his imagination but Benjamin swore the System just snickered at him…
[Host is imagining things.]
“...”
Benjamin shook his head and focused on the ability again.
This time…it was a lot less.
Damn! How many people were trying to rape me in their fantasies!?
Benjamin let out aaa cold sweat at the thought of that.
There wasn’t much now. There was Natasha who was muttering to herself
“I wonder what Ben’s up to right now? I miss him already…”
…I’ll take her out on a date this weekend.
There’s also Susan.
“Should I call Benjie later to have some fun?...No, he might think all I want is sex. That’s too embarrassing…then again…”
…Damn, I think this girl is addicted to doing it with me now…
Then, Benjamin saw an unfamiliar person. She had bright red hair and a sexy figure…
“Bobby, how’s Captain Freed? Is he treating you well there? Make sure not to cause trouble while you’re there.”
“Ugh, I get it already…why do you have to be such a mom? Besides, we haven’t even started yet.”
“Just make sure not to cause trouble for Captain Freed. You know this is a chance for us to change how people see us mutants.”
“I understand. I’ll behave okay?”
“Good. Oh right, is Captain Freed really good-looking in person?”
“Bye Jean!”
In the X-Mansion, Jean chuckled when the call ended and felt a gaze on her.
Turning around, she saw Scott silently looking at her.
“What? I was just joking. Jeez.”
Knowing that Scott was getting jealous again, Jean rolled her eyes and left.
The feed stopped here.
…Was that Jean Grey?
Benjamin raised a brow at that.
It seems he was right that Professor X had sent Robert Drake to him for a reason.
Well, Benjamin didn’t have any problems with it as long as Bobby behaves properly.
Other than that, there was Captain Holt reporting to Major Johnson about their progress yesterday, Jake bragging to his friends about joining Benjamin’s team, and Jessica gossiping about Benjamin to her best friend Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat.
Benjamin was slightly dumbfounded when Jessica suggested to Patsy that she should join in next time…
There are also several politicians and executives mentioning his name and seemingly planning something.
Benjamin’s eyes narrowed and instantly locked onto them.
He took out their darkest secrets using the HUD Contacts and sent an anonymous email to them before they try something funny.
As expected, those officials and executives were shocked when they got the email and no longer said anything.
This is indeed a convenient ability.
“System, you can filter out those close to me as well and only show them if they are in need of help.”
Later, he can just tell them to say his name if they’re in trouble. Benjamin can then portal to them and save them.
Once that was done, he moved on to the next agenda.
Making the bodycams for the EPD.
He took a look at his MP and saw he has a total of 51750 MP. He used the 1750 MP to buy a lot of equipment and parts. Not all of them are really anything special so it was quite cheap.
Actually, he only needed about 1500 or so MP but decided to get a few extras just to even out his total MP to 50000…
Using his newly gained knowledge, he was soon able to complete a few sets of bodycam for the EPD.
Although he called it bodycam, it was more of an emblem really.
Its shape is a shield and has the logo of EPD engraved on it which he just came up with. As for its size, it’s about as big as a fingernail and looks like a pin.
The members can attach this to their suit and serve as a sort of ID as well that they are members of the EPD.
Tapping on it will reveal a small camera that opens up in the middle. Tapping it again will close it and turn off the camera.
Benjamin also made a special one for Bobby where his bodycam is made of a special material that can withstand his coldness just so the parts inside won’t get frozen when he powers up. This was the only one that cost a lot of MP but since he only needed a small piece, he was able to buy it.
When the bodycam is on, it will directly transfer the footage to the Impenetrable Server which he will place on their building later and lock it completely inside a reinforced room and even add some magic barriers around it to prevent any physical hacking.
This way, no one can temper or steal any evidence.
When he was done, Benjamin checked the time and figured it was time to call the others.
He went to the formerly abandoned police store building which is still undergoing renovations and called the confirmed members to report in for the briefing.
While waiting, he found an empty room and placed the Impenetrable Server there when no one was looking then cast some magic formations around it to make it invisible and protect it.
Then, he contacted the workers and told them he planned to make this room a server room so it needs to be enclosed with thick reinforced metal and it needs to be cold.
He also looked at the blueprint and made some slight changes.
As he was supervising the workers, the members arrived one by one and introduced themselves to each other.
When everyone arrived, another figure appeared.
It was Viper!
She had dark green hair and wore a black sleeveless shirt and green pants instead of the suit she wore last night. There was also still her whip on her waist but no gun.
Jessica’s eyes widened when she saw her appear and was about to get ready to attack but Benjamin quickly placed his hand on her shoulder.
Confused, she looked at Benjamin and saw him shake his head silently.
“I’m Leona Hiss. Due to some circumstances, I have poison immunity and extensive knowledge of poisons. I’m also a master of the whip.”
At the side, Bobby smiled foolishly.
“Baby, I don’t mind getting whipped by you.”
“My whip is also laced with poison.”
“Never mind.”
Luke laughed at him.
“Man, that was lame.”
“Shut up. You try it then.”
Bobby rolled his eyes at him.
“Hey, don’t drag me into this. I’m not interested in poison ladies.”
Viper, or rather, Leona Hiss smirked.
“Good choice. My lips are laced with poison as well.”
“Damn…”
Luke and Bobby shivered.
This new chick can literally kiss someone to death!
Beside Benjamin, Jessica still looked at him in confusion.
“I’ll tell you later.”
Next to them, Daredevil frowned when he looked at Leona (Viper) and David (Grant). He could tell that these two were lying…
Grant Ward was also looking at Viper in confusion but didn’t dare to show it in his expression.
“Alright. Leona, welcome to the team. However, you’ll need to change your poisons to a simple paralyzing poison from now on.”
“Fine. I’m keeping the deadly poison on my lips though.”
“Well…just don’t keep kissing everyone.”
Viper shrugged.
“Now that you’re all here, let me show you guys your bodycams.”
Benjamin had placed the bodycam pins on a table beforehand and had a cloth cover it for dramatic effect.
Removing the cloth, everyone saw rows of intricate emblem pins on the table.
“These are your EPD bodycams and also your IDs. I have engraved your names onto it as well so take the ones that belong to you.”
“This is so cool.”
Jake smiled and quickly found his own pin and attached it to his collar.
“You’ll need to attach these to your suits so you can be identified as members of the EPD. With it, normal police officers won’t go through the trouble of trying to arrest you and even assist you.”
Next, Benjamin tapped into it to demonstrate.
“Tap once and the camera will appear. Tap it again and it will close the camera. Once the camera is on, it will send the footage to a secure server that even the likes of Tony Stark can’t hack into. I’ve also set up several magic formations around it so any physical hacking is also impossible.”
“Damn, talk about overkill.”
Luke whistled.
“It’s not overkill. If the wrong people get their hands on that server, they can erase or tamper with the evidence so it’s a must that it’s completely secure.”
Daredevil refuted.
The others also nodded.
Grant nodded along but in his mind, he was guessing where that server is in case he needed to tamper with it…
Benjamin continued.
He took one of the extras apart to show the inside.
“This is the inner structure of the bodycams. I’m not sure if any of you are familiar with electronics but rest assured that none of the components here is capable of tracking your location or wirelessly hacking into your phone so rest assured that these aren’t capable of violating any personal boundaries. Of course, if you turn it on by accident then it’s you’re fault.”
Everyone looked inside but most of them really didn’t know any electronics.
Feeling as if this is the right time, Grant spoke up.
“I know a bit and I can tell that there aren't any components here that does those things as he said.”
Benjamin ignored Grant’s attempt at currying favor to remove any kind of suspicion of him and moved on.
“The material is also quite durable and should be able to take a few hits. Still, try to avoid it getting hit or damaged. If it does get damaged, report it immediately for a replacement. For Bobby’s case, I made yours to be highly resistant to cold so you don’t freeze up any components when you power up.”
“Sweet!”
Bobby grinned and attached it to his suit.
“Any other questions?”
Iron Fist raised his hand.
“Are we required to turn this one once a day or what?”
“You’re only required to turn it on whenever you capture any criminals. If you have it turned off when you capture a criminal, then you should be prepared to have evidence with you, or else that criminal will walk free under lack of evidence. As for any daily quotas, there’s none.”
Next, Luke asked.
“So are we supposed to come to work every day or what? Are we getting paid? I mean, this is still an actual job right?”
“You don’t need to come here every day and you are free to patrol the streets anytime you want. You also get paid every month per criminal apprehended. Even if you don’t catch any in the month, you will still receive the base payroll. In your case Jake, you still get paid as you did when you were a Detective.”
“This is awesome! Not only do I get to kick some ass, I get paid for it now too!”
Bobby cheered.
Suddenly, Daredevil raised his hand.
“Daredevil.”
“Do we get any benefits? Health insurance? Bonus? How about paid leaves?”
“...”
Benjamin answered their questions one by one.
These things were already explained to Benjamin by Captain Holt yesterday after they finished the interviews.
Once the questions were done, everyone started to disperse.
“You’re all free to leave now. I’ll call you guys next time to hand over your specialized phones for EPD use.”
Benjamin thought of making it later or tomorrow.
At the end, Daredevil and Jessica approached Benjamin and talked in a secluded corner.
“Ben, that Leona and David guy…they were lying when they told their names.”
Daredevil said.
It would be fine if they introduced themselves using a codename but they used an actual name instead so Daredevil couldn’t help but be cautious.
Jessica also added.
“Right, that Leona chick was the one who attacked us yesterday right?”
“Attacked?”
Daredevil frowned.
Benjamin calmed the two down.
“Alright calm down. I told you she still had some uses so I let her go yesterday. Those two are both HYDRA agents.”
“What!?”
Jessica was shocked.
Though she knew that Leona was HYDRA, she didn’t think the other guy was also one!
“Well technically, Leona, or rather, Viper, is a HYDRA agent and that guy David, or rather, Grant Ward, is a SHIELD agent. But he’s an undercover HYDRA agent that has snuck into SHIELD so yeah, both of them are HYDRA.”
“...”
Both Daredevil and Jessica were speechless.
Benjamin chuckled and patted their shoulders to calm them down.
“Okay, it’s enough you guys know in your hearts. Don’t reveal it to anyone.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you know the saying: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Viper is one thing but that Grant Ward will definitely try and listen to my every order so he doesn’t come out suspicious. He’s basically a free slave for me to order as I please. Hehehe…”
“...”
“As for Viper, I told you she still has some use. Don’t worry about it and just act like they’re normal members of the team.”
“...If you say so.”
Daredevil sighed but still nodded.
“Well, as long as they don’t try to do anything to me.”
Jessica shrugged and also nodded.
“Alright. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Later then.”
Daredevil nodded and left.
“Want to grab some drinks later?”
“I still have things to do. Maybe another time.”
“Sure.”
Jessica nodded and left as well.
Meanwhile, in another corner.
Grant Ward very discreetly approached Viper.
“What are you doing here? There’s no need for two of us to be undercover.”
Viper just glanced him with a side eye.
“You have your mission. I have mine. Do your best and stay out of my way.”
“You…”
Viper no longer minded him and walked towards Benjamin who just separated from Daredevil and Jessica.
“I guess you told them about me already?”
“Hm? Ah, don’t worry. They won’t do anything to you.”
“If you say so.”
“Right, I’ll engrave your name later in one of the bodycams, ‘Leona’.”
“...Ophelia.”
“Hm?”
“My real name’s Ophelia Sarkissian.”
Benjamin blinked in surprise as he didn’t expect Viper to tell her real name so suddenly.
“Ophelia. It’s a nice name. Unfortunately, I can’t engrave that name.”
“...”
“Well…I can give you an extra if you want.”
Benjamin couldn’t help but say when he saw her downcasted expression.
Viper’s eyes lit up when she heard that.
“Really?”
“Sure. You can’t show it to anyone though. At least, not yet.”
Viper nodded with a smile.
Benjamin was slightly taken aback by her smile as he didn’t expect her to show such an expression.
“Right, I told the higher-ups that I’m here to get close to you to find out your weakness or try to pull you over.”
“I see.”
“So we should go on a date.”
“Huh?”
Benjamin was surprised again.
Viper showed a teasing smile and said.
“I have to show some results to them so they don’t doubt me of course. Since you want me to be a double agent, you need to play along too.”
“...Why do you look like you’re enjoying yourself when you’re supposed to be betraying your own organization?”
“Am I? Hehe.”
Viper chuckled and left without saying another word.
Benjamin scratched his head and asked the System.
System, what’s wrong with her? Did you do something again?
[Host, The System isn’t capable of affecting anyone directly. This was all the Host’s doing.]
Huh?
[Host, when you used the Slave Collar on her, it overrode the brainwashing HYDRA did to her when she was a child and she had regained her true sense of ‘self’. Most likely, the Ophelia Sarkissian you are seeing now is the real Ophelia Sarkissian that has long been trapped under the brainwashing.]
…I see…
Regarding Viper, Benjamin didn’t really know her full story.
He only knew that she was an orphan and was taken by HYDRA when she was young and became Strucker’s apprentice to become what she is now today.
Well, Benjamin’s happy for her but this doesn’t mean he’ll remove the collar.
Maybe one day when his power grows even more and knows that she won’t be able to do anything to him anymore…
Maybe then, she will have her true freedom…
Chapter 22: He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named
[He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named: A Passive ability that lets you peer into anyone who utters your name or names that is synonymous with you. This does not apply to those who speak of names similar to you but only to those who think of you when they speak your name.]
This…
Suddenly, Benjamin felt as if his head split.
He can see and hear all sorts of people all at once!
“S-System! How do I stop this!?”
[Host, it’s a passive skill and can’t be deactivated. But this System can help you stop any information flow or filter out any unnecessary information.]
“Stop it for now!”
[Understood.]
Benjamin panted as the pain finally subsided.
That was…too much!
Using it like that will definitely fry my brain…
Benjamin sighed in relief and asked the System.
“System, you said you can filter it? Can you filter it so I can only see and hear only those close to me or those planning something to me?”
[Yes. Does Host wish to activate it again?”
“...Do it.”
Benjamin gritted his teeth and braced himself.
Instantly, he was able to see and hear those who spoke of his name.
It was a lot less now but there’s still a lot!
When he was wondering why, he was dumbfounded when he saw one.
“Oh yes~! Captain Freed is so hot~!”
…A guy was jacking off at his picture that was shown on TV during the press conference.
“Fuck! Why is this included!?”
[Host said to include those who’s planning something to you. This one seems to plan on doing something indeed.]
“Fucking-...Remove these shits as well!”
[Understood.]
It might be his imagination but Benjamin swore the System just snickered at him…
[Host is imagining things.]
“...”
Benjamin shook his head and focused on the ability again.
This time…it was a lot less.
Damn! How many people were trying to rape me in their fantasies!?
Benjamin let out aaa cold sweat at the thought of that.
There wasn’t much now. There was Natasha who was muttering to herself
“I wonder what Ben’s up to right now? I miss him already…”
…I’ll take her out on a date this weekend.
There’s also Susan.
“Should I call Benjie later to have some fun?...No, he might think all I want is sex. That’s too embarrassing…then again…”
…Damn, I think this girl is addicted to doing it with me now…
Then, Benjamin saw an unfamiliar person. She had bright red hair and a sexy figure…
“Bobby, how’s Captain Freed? Is he treating you well there? Make sure not to cause trouble while you’re there.”
“Ugh, I get it already…why do you have to be such a mom? Besides, we haven’t even started yet.”
“Just make sure not to cause trouble for Captain Freed. You know this is a chance for us to change how people see us mutants.”
“I understand. I’ll behave okay?”
“Good. Oh right, is Captain Freed really good-looking in person?”
“Bye Jean!”
In the X-Mansion, Jean chuckled when the call ended and felt a gaze on her.
Turning around, she saw Scott silently looking at her.
“What? I was just joking. Jeez.”
Knowing that Scott was getting jealous again, Jean rolled her eyes and left.
The feed stopped here.
…Was that Jean Grey?
Benjamin raised a brow at that.
It seems he was right that Professor X had sent Robert Drake to him for a reason.
Well, Benjamin didn’t have any problems with it as long as Bobby behaves properly.
Other than that, there was Captain Holt reporting to Major Johnson about their progress yesterday, Jake bragging to his friends about joining Benjamin’s team, and Jessica gossiping about Benjamin to her best friend Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat.
Benjamin was slightly dumbfounded when Jessica suggested to Patsy that she should join in next time…
There are also several politicians and executives mentioning his name and seemingly planning something.
Benjamin’s eyes narrowed and instantly locked onto them.
He took out their darkest secrets using the HUD Contacts and sent an anonymous email to them before they try something funny.
As expected, those officials and executives were shocked when they got the email and no longer said anything.
This is indeed a convenient ability.
“System, you can filter out those close to me as well and only show them if they are in need of help.”
Later, he can just tell them to say his name if they’re in trouble. Benjamin can then portal to them and save them.
Once that was done, he moved on to the next agenda.
Making the bodycams for the EPD.
He took a look at his MP and saw he has a total of 51750 MP. He used the 1750 MP to buy a lot of equipment and parts. Not all of them are really anything special so it was quite cheap.
Actually, he only needed about 1500 or so MP but decided to get a few extras just to even out his total MP to 50000…
Using his newly gained knowledge, he was soon able to complete a few sets of bodycam for the EPD.
Although he called it bodycam, it was more of an emblem really.
Its shape is a shield and has the logo of EPD engraved on it which he just came up with. As for its size, it’s about as big as a fingernail and looks like a pin.
The members can attach this to their suit and serve as a sort of ID as well that they are members of the EPD.
Tapping on it will reveal a small camera that opens up in the middle. Tapping it again will close it and turn off the camera.
Benjamin also made a special one for Bobby where his bodycam is made of a special material that can withstand his coldness just so the parts inside won’t get frozen when he powers up. This was the only one that cost a lot of MP but since he only needed a small piece, he was able to buy it.
When the bodycam is on, it will directly transfer the footage to the Impenetrable Server which he will place on their building later and lock it completely inside a reinforced room and even add some magic barriers around it to prevent any physical hacking.
This way, no one can temper or steal any evidence.
When he was done, Benjamin checked the time and figured it was time to call the others.
He went to the formerly abandoned police store building which is still undergoing renovations and called the confirmed members to report in for the briefing.
While waiting, he found an empty room and placed the Impenetrable Server there when no one was looking then cast some magic formations around it to make it invisible and protect it.
Then, he contacted the workers and told them he planned to make this room a server room so it needs to be enclosed with thick reinforced metal and it needs to be cold.
He also looked at the blueprint and made some slight changes.
As he was supervising the workers, the members arrived one by one and introduced themselves to each other.
When everyone arrived, another figure appeared.
It was Viper!
She had dark green hair and wore a black sleeveless shirt and green pants instead of the suit she wore last night. There was also still her whip on her waist but no gun.
Jessica’s eyes widened when she saw her appear and was about to get ready to attack but Benjamin quickly placed his hand on her shoulder.
Confused, she looked at Benjamin and saw him shake his head silently.
“I’m Leona Hiss. Due to some circumstances, I have poison immunity and extensive knowledge of poisons. I’m also a master of the whip.”
At the side, Bobby smiled foolishly.
“Baby, I don’t mind getting whipped by you.”
“My whip is also laced with poison.”
“Never mind.”
Luke laughed at him.
“Man, that was lame.”
“Shut up. You try it then.”
Bobby rolled his eyes at him.
“Hey, don’t drag me into this. I’m not interested in poison ladies.”
Viper, or rather, Leona Hiss smirked.
“Good choice. My lips are laced with poison as well.”
“Damn…”
Luke and Bobby shivered.
This new chick can literally kiss someone to death!
Beside Benjamin, Jessica still looked at him in confusion.
“I’ll tell you later.”
Next to them, Daredevil frowned when he looked at Leona (Viper) and David (Grant). He could tell that these two were lying…
Grant Ward was also looking at Viper in confusion but didn’t dare to show it in his expression.
“Alright. Leona, welcome to the team. However, you’ll need to change your poisons to a simple paralyzing poison from now on.”
“Fine. I’m keeping the deadly poison on my lips though.”
“Well…just don’t keep kissing everyone.”
Viper shrugged.
“Now that you’re all here, let me show you guys your bodycams.”
Benjamin had placed the bodycam pins on a table beforehand and had a cloth cover it for dramatic effect.
Removing the cloth, everyone saw rows of intricate emblem pins on the table.
“These are your EPD bodycams and also your IDs. I have engraved your names onto it as well so take the ones that belong to you.”
“This is so cool.”
Jake smiled and quickly found his own pin and attached it to his collar.
“You’ll need to attach these to your suits so you can be identified as members of the EPD. With it, normal police officers won’t go through the trouble of trying to arrest you and even assist you.”
Next, Benjamin tapped into it to demonstrate.
“Tap once and the camera will appear. Tap it again and it will close the camera. Once the camera is on, it will send the footage to a secure server that even the likes of Tony Stark can’t hack into. I’ve also set up several magic formations around it so any physical hacking is also impossible.”
“Damn, talk about overkill.”
Luke whistled.
“It’s not overkill. If the wrong people get their hands on that server, they can erase or tamper with the evidence so it’s a must that it’s completely secure.”
Daredevil refuted.
The others also nodded.
Grant nodded along but in his mind, he was guessing where that server is in case he needed to tamper with it…
Benjamin continued.
He took one of the extras apart to show the inside.
“This is the inner structure of the bodycams. I’m not sure if any of you are familiar with electronics but rest assured that none of the components here is capable of tracking your location or wirelessly hacking into your phone so rest assured that these aren’t capable of violating any personal boundaries. Of course, if you turn it on by accident then it’s you’re fault.”
Everyone looked inside but most of them really didn’t know any electronics.
Feeling as if this is the right time, Grant spoke up.
“I know a bit and I can tell that there aren't any components here that does those things as he said.”
Benjamin ignored Grant’s attempt at currying favor to remove any kind of suspicion of him and moved on.
“The material is also quite durable and should be able to take a few hits. Still, try to avoid it getting hit or damaged. If it does get damaged, report it immediately for a replacement. For Bobby’s case, I made yours to be highly resistant to cold so you don’t freeze up any components when you power up.”
“Sweet!”
Bobby grinned and attached it to his suit.
“Any other questions?”
Iron Fist raised his hand.
“Are we required to turn this one once a day or what?”
“You’re only required to turn it on whenever you capture any criminals. If you have it turned off when you capture a criminal, then you should be prepared to have evidence with you, or else that criminal will walk free under lack of evidence. As for any daily quotas, there’s none.”
Next, Luke asked.
“So are we supposed to come to work every day or what? Are we getting paid? I mean, this is still an actual job right?”
“You don’t need to come here every day and you are free to patrol the streets anytime you want. You also get paid every month per criminal apprehended. Even if you don’t catch any in the month, you will still receive the base payroll. In your case Jake, you still get paid as you did when you were a Detective.”
“This is awesome! Not only do I get to kick some ass, I get paid for it now too!”
Bobby cheered.
Suddenly, Daredevil raised his hand.
“Daredevil.”
“Do we get any benefits? Health insurance? Bonus? How about paid leaves?”
“...”
Benjamin answered their questions one by one.
These things were already explained to Benjamin by Captain Holt yesterday after they finished the interviews.
Once the questions were done, everyone started to disperse.
“You’re all free to leave now. I’ll call you guys next time to hand over your specialized phones for EPD use.”
Benjamin thought of making it later or tomorrow.
At the end, Daredevil and Jessica approached Benjamin and talked in a secluded corner.
“Ben, that Leona and David guy…they were lying when they told their names.”
Daredevil said.
It would be fine if they introduced themselves using a codename but they used an actual name instead so Daredevil couldn’t help but be cautious.
Jessica also added.
“Right, that Leona chick was the one who attacked us yesterday right?”
“Attacked?”
Daredevil frowned.
Benjamin calmed the two down.
“Alright calm down. I told you she still had some uses so I let her go yesterday. Those two are both HYDRA agents.”
“What!?”
Jessica was shocked.
Though she knew that Leona was HYDRA, she didn’t think the other guy was also one!
“Well technically, Leona, or rather, Viper, is a HYDRA agent and that guy David, or rather, Grant Ward, is a SHIELD agent. But he’s an undercover HYDRA agent that has snuck into SHIELD so yeah, both of them are HYDRA.”
“...”
Both Daredevil and Jessica were speechless.
Benjamin chuckled and patted their shoulders to calm them down.
“Okay, it’s enough you guys know in your hearts. Don’t reveal it to anyone.”
“Why?”
“Don’t you know the saying: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Viper is one thing but that Grant Ward will definitely try and listen to my every order so he doesn’t come out suspicious. He’s basically a free slave for me to order as I please. Hehehe…”
“...”
“As for Viper, I told you she still has some use. Don’t worry about it and just act like they’re normal members of the team.”
“...If you say so.”
Daredevil sighed but still nodded.
“Well, as long as they don’t try to do anything to me.”
Jessica shrugged and also nodded.
“Alright. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Later then.”
Daredevil nodded and left.
“Want to grab some drinks later?”
“I still have things to do. Maybe another time.”
“Sure.”
Jessica nodded and left as well.
Meanwhile, in another corner.
Grant Ward very discreetly approached Viper.
“What are you doing here? There’s no need for two of us to be undercover.”
Viper just glanced him with a side eye.
“You have your mission. I have mine. Do your best and stay out of my way.”
“You…”
Viper no longer minded him and walked towards Benjamin who just separated from Daredevil and Jessica.
“I guess you told them about me already?”
“Hm? Ah, don’t worry. They won’t do anything to you.”
“If you say so.”
“Right, I’ll engrave your name later in one of the bodycams, ‘Leona’.”
“...Ophelia.”
“Hm?”
“My real name’s Ophelia Sarkissian.”
Benjamin blinked in surprise as he didn’t expect Viper to tell her real name so suddenly.
“Ophelia. It’s a nice name. Unfortunately, I can’t engrave that name.”
“...”
“Well…I can give you an extra if you want.”
Benjamin couldn’t help but say when he saw her downcasted expression.
Viper’s eyes lit up when she heard that.
“Really?”
“Sure. You can’t show it to anyone though. At least, not yet.”
Viper nodded with a smile.
Benjamin was slightly taken aback by her smile as he didn’t expect her to show such an expression.
“Right, I told the higher-ups that I’m here to get close to you to find out your weakness or try to pull you over.”
“I see.”
“So we should go on a date.”
“Huh?”
Benjamin was surprised again.
Viper showed a teasing smile and said.
“I have to show some results to them so they don’t doubt me of course. Since you want me to be a double agent, you need to play along too.”
“...Why do you look like you’re enjoying yourself when you’re supposed to be betraying your own organization?”
“Am I? Hehe.”
Viper chuckled and left without saying another word.
Benjamin scratched his head and asked the System.
System, what’s wrong with her? Did you do something again?
[Host, The System isn’t capable of affecting anyone directly. This was all the Host’s doing.]
Huh?
[Host, when you used the Slave Collar on her, it overrode the brainwashing HYDRA did to her when she was a child and she had regained her true sense of ‘self’. Most likely, the Ophelia Sarkissian you are seeing now is the real Ophelia Sarkissian that has long been trapped under the brainwashing.]
…I see…
Regarding Viper, Benjamin didn’t really know her full story.
He only knew that she was an orphan and was taken by HYDRA when she was young and became Strucker’s apprentice to become what she is now today.
Well, Benjamin’s happy for her but this doesn’t mean he’ll remove the collar.
Maybe one day when his power grows even more and knows that she won’t be able to do anything to him anymore…
Maybe then, she will have her true freedom…
