Chapter 461
Everything in the world had a price.
But the Hive was Hydra’s god.
Considering the thousands of years Hydra had spent building its faith around that creature, the fortunes poured into finding it, and the lives sacrificed along the way, putting a number on the Hive was practically impossible.
It was priceless.
And "priceless" had a very convenient definition: whatever Evenson said it was worth.
He wasn’t stupid enough to sell an asset like that cheaply.
The truth was, the Hive wasn’t particularly useful to him. But as long as the creature remained on that planet, Hydra was the side coming to Evenson with a request. That gave him a tremendous amount of leverage.
As for Will, the man he’d casually rescued and brought back with him?
He was a sample.
Proof that Evenson had actually reached that world. Proof that he possessed the ability to bring someone back from it alive.
That was all Hydra needed to know for now.
Evenson spent more than an hour in the shower.
He went through shampoo and body wash like he was trying to erase his entire past. By the time he was finished, more than half a bottle of each was gone, and the grime covering his body had finally surrendered.
Then he stared at the bathtub.
The water was black.
Not gray.
Not vaguely dirty.
Black.
Evenson found himself wondering whether NASA would pay for it.
Sure, it was only dust, but it was alien dust. Dust from another planet. Surely that had to be worth more than lunar dust or Martian soil.
Probably.
Eventually, however, he sighed and pulled the plug.
There was no point crying over a bathtub full of space dirt. He’d already planted a beacon on the planet. If he ever desperately needed money, he could always go back, collect a bucket of dust, and sell it to NASA.
With that comforting financial plan secured, Evenson dried himself and put on the new suit Malik had prepared for him.
It was a damn nice suit.
Prada.
Definitely more expensive than what he’d been wearing when he arrived.
There was only one problem.
It fit perfectly.
Almost suspiciously perfectly.
Evenson looked down at himself.
How the hell had they known his measurements?
By the time he wandered into the sitting room, Malik and Stephanie had already been waiting for quite some time.
Will was gone.
Evenson assumed Hydra had taken him somewhere secure. After all, in several thousand years of Hydra’s history, Will was apparently the only person to return alive from that planet. He possessed an enormous amount of firsthand information.
Naturally, Hydra would want him resting somewhere safe.
And naturally, they’d want to study him.
That wasn’t Evenson’s problem.
He closed the door behind him and settled onto the sofa.
"Sorry about the wait," he said. "I kept you two waiting for quite a while."
"There’s no need to apologize. Someone like you is worth waiting for."
Stephanie gave him a small smile and inclined her head.
Her words represented Malik’s position as well.
Evenson had demonstrated enough ability to make it clear that he was not someone Hydra could afford to treat casually. Malik, in particular, had every reason to take his future business partner more seriously now.
"I am extremely satisfied with your sincerity," Malik said. "And on behalf of Hydra’s ancient families, I can say that we are very much looking forward to working with you."
Given that Hydra was the one asking for something, Malik had little reason to refuse him anything.
"However," he continued, "if you could clear up a few small questions for us, I believe our cooperation would become considerably more pleasant."
"Hmm."
Evenson nodded and picked up the teacup waiting beside him.
Rich people really did have their rituals.
Apparently afternoon tea was one of them.
The cup itself wasn’t cheap, either. It had a distinctly Western shape and an understated pattern, but Evenson lifted it and glanced at the bottom.
There was a small seal and a line of English text.
Made in China.
Jingdezhen, no less.
Evenson almost laughed.
What exquisite taste.
He’d never owned Jingdezhen porcelain in either of his lives. These days, he was lucky if his drinking vessel wasn’t made of stainless steel.
For the sake of the cup alone, he decided he should at least take a sip.
He brought it to his lips.
One taste.
His eyes brightened.
No milk.
No sugar.
Just tea.
Looks like they’d done their homework.
They even knew he preferred Chinese tea.
"If you like it, I can have a shipment of fine porcelain and tea sent to you," Stephanie offered with a smile. "Given your current position, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate for you to acquire those things yourself."
She still believed Evenson’s previous reputation for being stingy, money-hungry, and generally broke had all been part of an elaborate cover.
Apparently, in her mind, he’d been sacrificing every material comfort imaginable to protect his identity.
Evenson wasn’t about to correct her.
"Then I won’t stand on ceremony."
He took another leisurely sip.
He certainly wasn’t going to refuse free tea and porcelain.
"Mr. Malik," he said, setting the cup down, "what exactly are these questions you want me to answer?"
"Well..."
Malik lifted his own cup.
Before drinking, however, he poured a generous amount of honey and milk into it from another pot. He simply couldn’t understand how anyone could enjoy hot water steeped with leaves.
"Your company being willing to cooperate with us is honestly more than we expected," Malik said. "But I’ve thought about it from every angle, and I still can’t understand why you need us."
Evenson lowered his cup without changing expression.
"Why would you think that?"
"I’m not entirely sure how powerful your company actually is."
Malik leaned back into the sofa.
His expression was complicated.
"You are already a member of the Avengers. Nick Fury trusts you enough to consider you one of his closest people. There are countless agents within S.H.I.E.L.D. who may be working for you. Some of them could even be senior personnel."
Thanks to Evenson’s earlier bluff, Malik had practically convinced himself that everyone inside S.H.I.E.L.D. was either Hydra or working for the mysterious organization Evenson represented.
Everyone except Nick Fury.
At least, that was what Malik believed.
"And within Hydra..."
His posture remained relaxed, but bitterness had crept into his voice.
"You know our personnel structure like the back of your hand. You know our internal secrets. You even know things that should be accessible only to our highest-ranking members."
Malik paused.
"So I’ll make another bold assumption."
He looked directly at Evenson.
"There are quite a few people inside Hydra who actually answer to you, aren’t there?"
Evenson rested his elbow against the arm of the sofa and propped his chin on one hand.
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
"So?"
"Cooperation is supposed to be mutual."
Malik gestured between himself and Evenson.
"Both sides contribute something. Both sides receive something in return."
His brow furrowed.
"But what can we possibly give you?"
Malik shook his head.
"Look at the influence you already possess. What could you possibly need that you can’t obtain on your own?"
"Money. Power. Information."
He spread his hands.
"You already have all of them. Once you possess those things, almost anything in this world can be acquired."
Malik stared at him.
"That’s what I don’t understand. What do you actually want from us?"
He paused.
"And what could Hydra possibly offer you that you can’t get for yourself?"