"Really? Because I don’t recall knowing you."
Richard didn’t recognize the na Brock Rumlow, but just from the gear the man wore, he could tell this agent wasn’t here for polite conversation. This was soone sent in for hard-hitting missions.
If Richard specialized in covert operations, then Rumlow was the type who stord through the front door.
S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t just a spy agency. It had its own military arm.
"Well, you do now, don’t you?" Rumlow replied casually, ignoring the sharp edge in Richard’s voice.
He got straight to the point. "I’m sure you already know why I’m here, Agent Parker."
"Then you should also know my answer," Richard said firmly. "I believe Coulson made it clear."
There was no mystery about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s intentions. He didn’t need to guess. And his answer wasn’t going to change.
"No need to get so worked up, Agent Parker."
Rumlow smiled slightly, then lifted his head and looked past him, toward the house.
"This place belongs to your brother and his wife, right? What a lovely couple. According to our records, they only just returned to New York recently."
There was a veiled threat in his tone. Richard heard it loud and clear.
His eyes narrowed, gaze sharpening as he stared at the agent with a dangerous glint.
"What are you trying to do? Is S.H.I.E.L.D. planning to self-destruct? Don’t forget where you are. This is New York."
Things had clearly gone beyond diplomacy and Rumlow was now using Richard’s family as leverage. So he wasn’t going to play nice anymore.
This was New York. Even the federal governnt struggled to extend its power here, let alone S.H.I.E.L.D.
If they truly forgot their place, convincing the U.S. governnt to cut them loose wouldn’t be hard for LexCorp. At worst, the governnt would just absorb the organization’s remaining assets once it collapsed.
Getting rid of a rogue agency with LexCorp’s help, and receiving most of the benefits afterward, would be a tempting deal for the traditional financial powers who’d always opposed the company. They wouldn’t turn that down.
S.H.I.E.L.D., of course, knew that LexCorp had already beco a massive force far beyond its control. With Skrulls secretly embedded across the U.S. under the company’s protection, they had no intention of facing LexCorp head-on.
But that didn’t an they wouldn’t act against Richard.
As far as Fury and Pierce were concerned, only two people truly represented LexCorp: Luthor and Reid.
Richard? He was just a researcher. They didn’t believe the company would go to war with them over him. At least not before Luthor officially beca president. Until then, LexCorp still needed S.H.I.E.L.D. to exist.
That was Fury and Pierce’s assessnt. No matter what the company was really planning, for now, targeting Richard posed no real threat to them.
Unfazed, Rumlow responded, "Is that so? But let ask you this, Agent Parker. Do you really think LexCorp, or more specifically, Lex Luthor, would go up against S.H.I.E.L.D. for soone like you? Soone they gave five percent shares to, yet who’s been quietly leaking company data for nearly a decade?"
Those words struck the very fear that had been weighing on Richard’s mind.
He had indeed betrayed LexCorp’s trust. That’s why, when it ca to leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., he’d avoided discussing it with the company, or Luthor. He had chosen to face it alone.
Because he didn’t want the truth to co out.
"You..."
Richard opened his mouth to say sothing, but the words stuck. Rumlow had seen right through him.
He might be a genius, whether as a spy or a scientist. But his years inside S.H.I.E.L.D. had made him far too easy for them to understand.
With teams of psychological experts analyzing his every move, manipulating him wasn’t hard.
"Agent Parker," Rumlow said, voice calm and cutting, "I hope you understand your situation. A few samples of cosmic energy is a small price to pay for your family’s peace. It’s a deal with no downside."
Richard didn’t want to listen to another word, but unfortunately, he had no choice left.
In the end, he gave a slight nod.
"I’ll contact you. But the terms of the handoff will be mine to set."
"No problem."
With that, their agreent was sealed. Rumlow and his team turned and left.
When Richard walked back into the living room, he saw his wife, his brother, and his sister-in-law all staring at him, worry written plainly across their faces.
"Richard, what happened? Who were those people?" Benjamin asked.
However, Richard didn’t respond, unwilling to involve his brother in this ss. He still held five percent of LexCorp’s shares as a security, but Benjamin had nothing. He was just an ordinary person.
"It’s nothing, Ben. Mary and I have a few things to take care of. Soone from LexCorp ca to find us, so we’ll head back first."
Since Richard had already said goodbye, Benjamin didn’t say anything more. He knew his brother was far more capable than he was, but still, if it ever ca down to it, he would do everything he could to help him.
* * *
Back ho, Richard and Mary comforted Peter and put him to bed, but neither of them could truly rest.
Because they both knew that if S.H.I.E.L.D. was acting this aggressively, then there was only one option left.
"Richard, what are you planning to do?"
Mary’s question made Richard fall silent for a mont. Then, an idea ca to him.
"They want a sample of the cosmic storm energy, right? Fine. Then let’s give it to them."
He spoke with a cold edge in his voice.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted it, then he’d give it to them, openly. He would make sure everyone knew that they had taken action against the cosmic storm energy held by LexCorp.
Did they think he didn’t know what they were trying to do? They wanted him to smuggle out a sample in secret and continue working for them.
Since they wanted to control him, to control his family’s future, then he could do the sa. He would use the terrifying influence LexCorp now held to tie S.H.I.E.L.D.’s future to his own.
"But if we do this..."
Mary understood what Richard ant. But once they took this step, the life they once had would be gone. A normal life would be out of reach. And then there was Peter...
"I’m really sorry about Ben, but we have to trouble their family. I just hope their lives won’t be disrupted because of this."
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