Alexander Pierce never doubted he was a good man.
The world needed help, it cried out in pain every day. Being Secretary of Defence and a member of the World Security Council the veil that hid the truth of the darkness from the public was lifted from his eyes.
He was exposed to the darkness of the world every day in his work and it did nothing but reaffirm his beliefs, humanity needed to be guided, controlled and directed. The world was a dark place and it needed to be rebuilt, remade into something better and that could only be done under a guiding hand, the shepherd's hands of HYDRA.
The organization had come a long way since its near destruction at the hands of Steve Rogers during the Second World War. They had been forced to vanish into the shadows, licking the wounds the Captain and the Howling Commandos had given them but they had come back stronger than ever.
After all, cut off one head, two more shall take its place.
The organization was the embodiment of that very ideal and they had returned to that ideal in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Johann Schmidt had been a genius, a fact he doubted even the Captain would be able to deny even if would have been begrudgingly. Schmidt had transformed HYDRA from a shadowy cult worshipping an ancient being that Pierce doubted would ever return to Earth into one of the most powerful organizations on the planet. Not even the full might of the Third Reich had been able to contain HYDRA at the height of their power yet, that didn't mean Pierce felt anything but disdain for the former HYDRA leader.
HYDRA thrived in the shadows, they had existed for thousands of years and had perfected the art of hiding in plain sight. Schmidt had dragged them out of those shadows in an attempt to take control of the world, hoping to cause the world to submit to HYDRA through force.
HYRDA escaped the War, damaged but unbroken and it had rebuilt; spreading its tentacles across the world even into SHIELD, the organization that had been born out of the dreams of those who had opposed them.
It was the ultimate middle finger to the enemies of HYDRA and now HYDRA stood tall once more, its grip firmly on SHIELD's throat and the multinational peace keeping organization hadn't even the faintest clue of HYDRA's existence yet alone just how powerful HYDRA had become hidden in its shadows.
Not even Fury, had even an inkling that a vast number of his agents served another power.
If there was one man on the planet that Pierce respected above all others it was Fury. Not only had the man saved the life of his daughter during an incident in Columbia but Pierce saw much of himself in the other man. They were both realists and they saw the world exactly for what it was yet that didn't mean that either was willing to let go of their dreams.
It was just a shame that their dreams were so different. Pierce knew without a shadow of a doubt that the world could only achieve true greatness through HYDRA, an organization that brought stability to a corrupted broken world.
Fury thought differently, his Avengers Initiative was proof of that. For a man as pragmatic and ruthless as Fury he could be surprisingly idealistic. Heroes the very idea was almost worthy of derision if it wasn't so dangerous to HYDRA's goals. The people on the list of candidates were all dangerous lose cannons but together...
Pierce wasn't sure he wanted to contemplate that.
Hawkeye and Black Widow were both within HYDRA's calculations, as long time members of SHIELD their abilities, strengths and weaknesses were well known and whilst both were amongst the most skilled individuals on the planet neither would be able to survive the Asset. Black Widow had the scar to prove it after all.
Banner despite the existence of the Hulk was probably the most inconsequential, the man was deathly afraid of the creature within him and the damage it could wrought and thus refused to fight in any form. General Ross' hunt for the man helped to compound HYDRA's attempts to isolate him and keep the Avengers Initiative from ever getting off the ground. It was part of the reason that the HYDRA agents inside the U.S Government and the World Security Council supported the General's near manic pursuit of the green behemoth. That and the HYDRA infiltrators in his unit were ordered to transfer any information the General discovered to them in the off chance that he ever achieved anything.
Stark was a fair bit more dangerous than Banner, he could do a lot of damage with Stark Industries if he ever discovered the truth of HYDRA's existence especially if he knew that it was HYDRA that had been the one's to arrange his father's accident. The Iron Man suit only exacerbated the problem, it was a dangerous piece of technology that HYDRA very much wanted to get their hands on. The problem with that was Fury kept far too close an eye on the son of one of SHIELD's three founders for HYDRA to steal it without notice.
It was neither genius that had Pierce concerned. No the most dangerous candidate for the Initiative was without doubt Kojou Akatsuki.
Unlike SHIELD HYDRA knew far more about the rogue Immortal. Mostly from what HYDRA records that had survived the War and the story they weaved about his power were both concerning and almost fanciful in their impossibility with many in HYDRA disregarding them as the ramblings of fools and mad men.
Looking back they should have heeded the warnings hidden within those crinkled documents but then again, hindsight was a truly wonderful thing.
They had discovered his continued existence back in the 90s nearly two decades before SHIELD and the Soldier had been deployed to subdue and capture him in their naïve belief that the reports from the 40s had been exaggerated.
Strucker and Whitehall in particular had been near manic in their desire to have the Immortal in their hands as they became consumed by the concept of immortality being within their grasp.
They had all been confident in the Soldier's ability to complete his mission.
They had been wrong.
For the first time the Soldier failed to fulfil his directive.
The Asset had been forced to retreat less he be subdued and captured. Perhaps even more chilling was that the only reason the Soldier had escaped was because the Immortal chose not to pursue him.
After that they had backed away, looking over those old documents with a new light they attempted to find out what they were truly dealing with. It had been an investigation that had come to a rather horrifying conclusion, they weren't dealing with another Super Soldier in the vein of the Captain. No they were dealing with something far worse.
They were dealing with a walking natural disaster.
One that had no known origin or limit to his power. It was a rather disconcerting discovery to be on the back foot with no information and HYDRA didn't like that one bit, Pierce's first instinct had been to deploy all the Winter Soldiers, the original and the failed copies and dam the consequences but he had pulled back on the instinct. Instead they had been forced to back off less he stumble on the truth of their continued existence, after all he wasn't a direct threat as long as he didn't know of HYDRA's continued existence.
They had contingences for dealing with all the other Avenger Candidates, methods to contain them but the Immortal... with their near complete lack of information on him, they had nothing. There were vague plans but nothing concrete, the lack of information on his abilities were hampering their attempts to come up with a viable counter.
There was however one that Pierce held confidence would be able to halt the enemy to HYDRA in his tracks or at least slow him down. The other leaders disagreed, they believed some of HYDRA's more... outlandish Projects would be the sword required to bring down the Immortal but Pierce had always been a more realistic and pragmatic man than his counterparts and tried not to put all his eggs in one basket.
He was also hyper aware that they were not the only players on the board, within the world of shadows lay other monsters; other organisations that were most eager to rip everything HYDRA had done from out under them.
He leaned back in his chair as he read the title of the folder on his desk. Stencilled in big bold lettering on the top were two words that would one day change the world and bring it under the guiding hand of HYDRA.
Project Insight.
The lights of New York sparkled against the black backdrop of the night as Kojou stared out of the window of his apartment.
It was a nice place he supposed, large windows that looked out at the New York skyline, lots of open space and a very modern feel to it that would have put off more traditional tenants but for a man who grew up on a futuristic man-made city it felt like home... or at least a close enough replacement that he felt comfortable living there, he'd made sure to make good use of the repurposed Nazi gold deposits he'd discovered during a raid on a HYDRA base during the war.
The money for the apartment was not an issue, repurposed gold from Hitler's hidden stashes had served him well over the years but that was not the focus of his mind.
He didn't regret saving the woman, never would. It simply wasn't in his nature to abandon the weak or those in need. It had always been one of his greatest qualities as an individual yet one of his shortcomings as a ruler.
The fact that his new acquaintance had a sister who was not... normal, it perhaps wasn't the most flattering of labels but it was the most appropriate word his mind could form considering the supernatural wasn't exactly the norm here.
There were no Demons.
No Holy Ground Treaty.
No Night Emperor Domains.
He had looked into the history of this world during his travels and found very little in comparison to his own, he had checked the ruins of ancient civilisations hoping to find something that could link this world to his, he had found some other interesting things on his trips but he found no traces of the ancient Devas, no remnants of the ancient Gods whose legacy defined his Earth.
He had been forced to come to the conclusion that this wasn't his world or any world or dimension connected to his.
The world was populated by ordinary mundane humans who went about their daily lives with little knowledge that anything other than their boring lives existed, they revelled in their self-importance, in their knowledge that the world they saw around them was the only one that mattered.
It was a delusion, one born of ignorance.
He knew better, he'd encountered the stranger aspects of this world before, the secrets in the shadows known only to the powerful, the mad or the lucky.
Organizations and hidden nations as old as the ancient wonders wielding both mundane and arcane powers beyond an ordinary man's wildest dreams.
That was of course discounting the numerous alien and extradimensional threats.
That didn't mean that they were common place and accepted, not like home.
That thought brought a pang of loneliness and loss to his heart. He'd been relentless in his search for a way home but as months turned into years and years into decades that determination began to waver as he was forced to confront the inevitable truth.
The likelihood of finding a way home was low and even if he did the world would have moved on without him, all bar the few who had obtained immortality would have withered away long ago and passed into the next life. He wasn't even sure if those he had entered into a Blood Contract with in the aftermath of the Lord's War and the solidification of his rule over Itogami Island would still be alive without him around to maintain their connection.
Shaking off that morbid thought he refocused his mind. This sister was an interesting discovery but not truly important. He'd encountered special people before but none who had been able to match him but the rather unconventional manner within which he discovered of her existence did lean towards proving a speculation of his.
An old friend had for a long time told him that it was coming, the world was changing and the dawn of a new age was on the horizon.
An age of heroes, of monsters, of secrets hidden coming to light and changing the world forever and he would be in the middle of it all. His peace wasn't going to last much longer.
Turning away from the window and his introspective thoughts he headed to bed for a night's sleep, thoughts of the future dancing through his mind.
It had been a few days since that rather eventful evening and thankfully at least for his sense of mind Kojou had not run into the inquisitive blonde woman again.
He had spent his days exploring the city, New York was a place that seemed to have a near infinite number of layers and despite how many times he'd visited it over the years there always seemed to be something new to discover.
He was returning from a trip down to one of the dozen convenience stores that littered the surrounding area when he came across something that caused him to raise an eyebrow in surprise. In the corridor of the top floor of his apartment was a young woman fumbling about with a cardboard box in her hands as she tried to type in the combination to open her room.
At the sound of the elevator doors opening the woman looked over towards him but that action seemed to unbalance her and the box in her hands leaned precariously to one side before it began to tip over.
"No!" She cried out trying to grab for the box but it seemed to slip through her fingers.
Kojou was moving before he even realised it, crossing the space between them he grabbed the box just before it hit the ground.
"Oh thank you, thank you." The woman said as he handed the box back to her. "That had my grandmother's old tableware in it, it's priceless to me."
"It was nothing." He replied trying to shrug off the compliment.
"Still I would like to say thank you. I am Natalie, Natalie Rushman I just moved in today" She said and Kojou focused on her properly for the first time in their interaction.
She was objectively a stunning young woman; long red hair that fell around her head in waves and her face held the symmetrical soft beauty found in most supermodels. Her body was all curves and most men would have been completely smitten.
Kojou was no ordinary man though, beauty was perhaps the one thing he wasn't unfamiliar with no that was not what caught his attention.
It was the deep green of her eyes that he focused on for deep within those orbs was something that seemed at odds with her soft feminine exterior. If he hadn't had those lessons about reading people from La Folia then he probably would have missed it. Looking closer he found it, something dangerous lurked in her eyes, it was cold, hard and calculating as if she was sizing up his worth.
He had no idea who she was but he knew instantly she was dangerous, a killer. Deadly and beautiful, a dangerous combination if he ever saw one and a woman capable of killing almost any man who fell into her web.
Of course he wasn't most men, he was the Fourth Primogenitor a man who had been forced to play the political game with immortal beings who had centuries to hone their acting skills.
So it was with a small twitch of his body and a warm smile that he greeted her. "Kojou Akatsuki, a pleasure."
She smiled, giving him a warm look that would have sent most men to their knees. "It's nice to meet you Kojou, thank you again for helping me, oh I must repay you somehow. Oh I know! Please come around for dinner tonight in repayment, I don't have any other friends here in New York and it would be wonderful to make a new one."
Kojou blinked, oh she was good. "Of course, how about tonight?" He offered.
"Oh yes that will be lovely! I shall see you around nine!" She replied brightly as she managed to get her door open. "Well I shall see you later." Finishing she closed the door behind her and Kojou let his polite smile drop as a contemplative expression slid onto it instead.
Opening his door and entering his own apartment he mused on the identity of the new arrival into his life. Whoever she was she was well trained, an excellent spy if he ever saw one and if it hadn't been for experience in dealing with incredibly deceptive individuals, a certain wilful Noble of the Warlords Empire instantly coming to mind then he would have been caught completely unaware.
Grabbing the laptop that had been sitting innocently on one of the counter tops he booted it up and began a search for a Natalie Rushman. He initially doubted he would find anything but much to his surprise he found a series of rather risqué looking photos of her modelling.
Blushing slightly he slammed the lid of the laptop shut suddenly rather glad that Himeragi wasn't here as he imagined the tongue lashing she would have given him.
Groaning, he sighed, he wasn't afraid of the woman or whatever happened on his somewhat spontaneous night out. It wasn't like he was very easy to kill after all. It would take something incredibly unconventional to put him down permanently.
Still blushing slightly he opened the laptop once more as he attempted to search for more on his new neighbour but he didn't get much. He cursed the fact that he didn't have Asagi with him to mine the web for information. She would have been able to find everything about the woman within the hour, after all her skills were so great that she had been able to break the puzzle to Nalakuvera's activation code, hacking an ancient weapon of the Gods equal in power to a Primogenitor in the space of a day. Breaking into government databases was nothing but child's play to her.
Eventually he gave up his futile attempt to find any further information and just turned on the television as he allowed his mind to turn off.
The day slipped away as he lounged around the house waiting for the day to slip by, he had to admit that he was looking forward to the evening, it had been some time since anything truly interesting happened and he was not unaware of how unusual it was that she decided to turn up now.
It seemed her prediction was coming true, he could no longer hide in the shadows and whether he liked it or not he was soon going to be dragged into the light. Not that he was very happy about it.
Deciding it was time he got off the sofa with a small grunt. Making his way through the apartment he began to get himself dressed. He threw on something simple, a clean black pair of trousers and a black jacket over a nice pressed white shirt. It wasn't the most expensive suit he owned but for a night out it was fine.
Dressed he looked himself over in the mirror making sure he looked presentable, La Folia had been the one to teach him how to survive the political minefield of being royalty and one of her key lessons had been on presentation. How you looked greatly affected how people choose to treat you.
Leaving his bedroom he made his way out his apartment making sure to grab a bottle of wine from the fridge before he made his way across the hall. He paused before knocking wondering if he was making the right choice.
No one was in danger, he had no reason to jump into the lion's mouth he could if he desired simply run away. No one could stop him, he was the Fourth Progenitor a being that blurred the line between holy and evil, life and death, the strongest Vampire.
So why was he playing this game? Why was he toying with the powers who were hell bent on trying to investigate him?
They were questions not even he could truly come up with an answer for, was it because he was bored, bored of the monotony his immortal life had become?
That thought made him shiver slightly, that felt too much like something that Vatler that insane Duke would do. Knocking on the door he waited for his new neighbour to answer.
She opened the door gracing him with a smile as she stood there in a beautiful black dress that hugged her curves rather nicely. "Hello, come on in its still a bit messy I haven't quite finished moving in." She said sounding slightly embarrassed.
Walking into her apartment he found it to be filled with boxes, some of them open but most of them still taped up. It seemed that she still hadn't had time to move in making her apartment fill like a bit of a mess.
"As I said sorry about the mess, I still haven't had time to unpack." She said once more as Kojou put an easy smile on his face.
"Don't worry its fine." He brushed off her apology as he glanced towards the kitchen and at the food cooking on the stove.
Natalie seemed to notice the shift of his focus as she followed his eyeline to the stove. "Dinner should be just about ready, it's just some roast pork and potatoes. I hope that is okay, you're not a vegetarian are you?" Rushman asked.
"No, no I'm not don't worry." Kojou waved off her concerns before he lifted up the bottle in his hands. "Here you go, a present for moving in and for the meal."
She glanced at the bottle before smiling as she took it from him. "Thank you, I think we'll have it tonight."
Kojou smiled and simply shrugged his shoulders. The grey haired Vampire looked around the room as he made his way to the table set out for the dinner. It was much like his own apartment something he probably should have suspected only it wasn't filled with the common signs of a place being lived in. Not really surprising considering she had only just moved in.
Kojou simply watched in silence as his new neighbour prepared their meal, he was completely at ease with the silence. Immortality had taught him many lessons, wisdom was the ultimate truth after all and perhaps one of the greatest of those had been patience.
Immortality.
It seemed like an almost fanciful concept to both the mortal and the young Vampire. A far off distant idea that either felt impossible to comprehend or was a grail that could only be dreamt of by those who feared the reapers inevitable touch.
In truth, it was neither.
It was so much more, immortality changed everything.
Avrora had once described it to him during a vision as he awoke his 4th Familiar.
To be a Vampire was to transcend the line between Life and Death, Existence and Nonexistence, it was to stand in the realm between mortal and immortal.
That dichotomy changed one's morality, chipping away at it as the principles that matter so much when mortality weighs upon the shoulders seep away like sand in the wind.
It was the severance between the human that he had once been and the Vampire he had become, the mortality that no longer meant anything. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with what he was and then embrace it, mastering what it meant to be a Vampire and more than that a Progenitor.
Immortality had changed how he viewed the world just as it did to every other Vampire. He was free of the constraints of time and with that learnt true patience.
He was lost in thought until Natasha appeared in his view and placed down a plate in front of him. The food she placed down in front of him looked very nice and he was quick to complement her.
"Thank you that's very kind of you, I learnt the recipe from my mother, she was very good cook." She said as she as she sat down opposite him.
He smiled as they began to eat their meal talking about everything and nothing. He was careful though not to lower his guard in the relaxed atmosphere their light hearted conversation had created.
He learnt much about her as she told him her story. Born in Russia, travelled to the U.S along with her parents who died young. She had gone to High school and College before doing a stint as a model. After that she had used her degree to become a legal aid to major corporations.
Honestly Kojou would have been impressed if she wasn't lying through her teeth. It was all in her eyes, she was truly an impressive liar. None of her body language gave her away as she lied straight to his face and if he hadn't been staring her in the eyes as she wove her tale he would have fallen into her web.
There was something in them that just felt artificial, the inviting and warm looks she gave him veiled less than pure intentions in the same way Vatler had only she didn't give him the same feeling of danger the Noble of the Warlord's Empire did... that and she didn't reek of an overwhelming stench of blood.
"Well I think I have talked enough about myself, what about you Kojou?" His dinner partner asked curiously though Kojou knew she was fishing for information.
"Me? Well there isn't a lot to tell about me." He shrugged.
She just smiled at him good naturedly. "Come on, it's my experience that everyone has a tale to tell and it is only fair I told you about my life so I think I should get something in return don't you?" She finished pouting at him with upturned eyes.
Kojou fought the blush that threatened to spread across his cheeks even as he stifled the retort that it had been her who was the one who volunteered that information and that he owed her nothing. Dammit, even decades after dealing with a bevy of women and he was still a bit of a sucker for a beautiful face.
Sighing he opened his mouth to begin to weave his own tale. "Well I suppose there isn't much to tell. I grew up on an island near Japan, I had to mostly look after myself. Mother was a bit of a scatter brained genius, I loved her but she really did have the personality of a twelve year old. Father, well he was alright I suppose, didn't see much of him due to his job and he tended to get a bit carried away which pissed off mother." He began to let a small nostalgic smile come to his face as he talked about his family.
Natalie was nodding along to his story and he had no doubt that whoever was on the other end of the recording devices he guaranteed had been set up in the room prior to his visit was taking notes. He had no doubt that whatever organization she was working for would be checking his story in an attempt to dig up more information and he took a certain amount of perverse amusement at the frustration he was going to cause for those agents who were going to be ordered to investigate the tale he was weaving.
It wasn't like they were going to find anything about a family that didn't exist in this world who lived on a manmade island that hadn't been built on this Earth.
"I also had a little sister. I spent most of my time looking after her, and well I suppose she looked after me as well. We looked after each other really." Kojou said.
Natasha nodded as he continued. "Despite that life was good you know, I had friends and a life even if it was just her and I against the world but then life is rarely fair is it? I lost them though, all of them it was an accident." He shrugged as he looked down.
"I can never see them again. Their all gone now I suppose." He sighed before giving her a wry smile.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to ruin the mood." He apologised with a bow of his head. Part of his true feelings had seeped into his explanation, memories of the past both bad and good swimming at the forefront of his mind. He shook his head that had been far from his intentions. He knew he wasn't a very good liar even after decades upon decades of living so he had tried to merge his lies with the truth in order to throw off the undoubtedly well trained Agent.
That had backfired somewhat. Though it did help to weigh in on his fake story if his emotions were real and he had to internally chide himself on presenting such weakness in front of a potential enemy.
He looked up as he felt the heat of a pair of hands over his as she gave him a warm smile. "Your right you know, life does not always go in the way we want it to but if you just focus on what you've lost then you'll never be able to keep moving forward. Sometimes, sometimes all it takes is someone reaching out to tell you that life can be better." She trailed off and he realised that by the end of her speech she wasn't referring to him anymore, she was referring to herself.
And as he looked into her eyes he came to the epiphany that she was being genuine, the falseness about her was gone and her eyes were clear. He couldn't help but think that she looked far more beautiful that way.
"Thank you. That means a lot." And he meant it, despite whoever she was or whatever she was here for the small modicum of comfort she'd given him, of someone who could empathise with him meant the world to him and he wouldn't forget it.
Their dinner returned to a much more relaxed flow as they talked the evening away and as they fell into that light hearted discussion Kojou couldn't help but think that the falsity about her had lessened in the wake of the exposure of some of their true selves.
The plates had been cleaned of food and the wine bottle had long been drunk dry by the time Natalia looked down at her watch and exclaimed. "It's rather late. This has been a wonderful evening Kojou but I should probably get to bed I have a busy day tomorrow".
Kojou smiled as he stood up. "It was wonderful to meet you, I must admit that I have had an excellent meal you are truly a wonderful cook." He complemented her.
She smiled as the two made their way back to the door of her apartment and Kojou tensed slightly as he felt her hand run down her arm in a flirtatious manner. He instinctively pulled back slightly, he was still slightly uncomfortable with the thought of getting close women. The memories of Himeragi and the others weighed heavily on his mind nearly constantly.
He gave her a small smile as she pulled back putting her hand back down. "Thank you for a wonderful evening Natalie."
"It was my pleasure Kojou, I would love to do this again." She replied brightly with a hint of hopefulness in her voice. Kojou just smiled and nodded as he crossed over the hallway to his own room.
"Good night Natalie." He called out as he unlocked his door and opened it.
"To you as well Kojou." She replied as he shut the door.
Closing his eyes he took a deep breath as he leaned against the door of the apartment. He hated acting, pretending to be someone he wasn't but he had grown wise to the necessity of it. Politics could be hell, in fact he was pretty sure he would have happily fought an army of Nalakuvera again than have to deal with the intrigue of the Court of his Kingdom of the Night.
Entering his apartment he flicked the lights back on as he walked through the entrance hall and into the main room. Taking a look around the room his eyes focused on one detail in particular, the carpet in front of his sofa as his enhanced eyes saw something most wouldn't have even noticed. Kneeling down his eyes narrowed as he saw the faint imprint of a shoe in the fibres.
Standing up he walked through his home, down the corridor and into his bedroom. Reaching under his bed he pulled out a large black bag making sure it was still locked along with a large rectangular metal case that was sealed shut with two pins. Happy that neither had been stolen or opened he stood up after pushing them back under the bed a stray thought came to his mind.
Kojou walked back into the main room and he took a glance around the room with a peculiar gleam to his eyes as a contemplative expression came to his face. Deciding to test a theory he closed his eyes and focused his attention inwards.
The power in his blood and soul pulsed as he connected to one of the twelve Beast that lay within, its crimson eyes blazing to life as he drew on the power of the Golden Lion for the first time in what felt like years.
He released that power in the form of an invisible wave of tightly controlled energy that pulsed from his body and travelled through the apartment.
His eyes snapped open, a mixture of resignation and anger within orbs that now burned with a bright scarlet light even as his new sharpened canines ground together inside his mouth.
As the more logical side of his mind reaffirmed itself he slammed decades of control down on his emotions, stifling the power of the Golden Lion. The Beast Vessel within obeyed his will as it lay down to rest like an obedient house cat.
Regulus Aurum, the first Familiar he'd awakened after killing Avorora and becoming the Fourth Progenitor. It was a great golden lion that stood as tall as a house with a mane of crackling lightning and three glowing baleful red eyes.
Awakened and stabilised by Yukina Himeragi a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Organization, Japan's answer to combating magical disasters and sorcery based terrorists. She had been sent as an observer to watch over him, the newly awakened Fourth Demon Lord only to fall head over heels for him and eventually go on to become his wife.
They had bonded during a crazy escapade to stop Rudolf Eustach a Lotharingia Priest of the West European Church from destroying Itogami Island in his attempt to retrieve the arm of a saint that was used as the keystone to anchor the Island to the Dragon Veins. The Dragon Veins being an intersection of lay lines containing enormous amounts of spiritual energy that served to anchor the massive floating structures known as giga-floats that formed the foundations of the Island.
Regulus Aurum had torn through the Lotharingian Armed Apostle, halting the man before he could destabilise the island by removing the Saint's arm.
The Golden Lion had gone on to prove itself as one of his most useful and deadly Familiars. He had bent the Lion to his will learning to control its immense power even as he started to explore its more subtle applications. An Electromagnetic energy detector being one of his more inspired ideas.
As the power of the Beast Vessel receded his red eyes returned to their normal blue and his sharpened canines retracted back to their normal size. His Vampiric traits vanishing as if they had never been there in the first place.
A complicated look still dwelled within his eyes as he glanced at different spots around the room. It seemed he had underestimated the organization his neighbour was working with. It had only been a whim, nothing more than a twinge on his instincts but he had long learnt to trust in his Vampire enhanced sixth sense so he had tested his theory, and been proven correct.
They had broken into his apartment whilst he'd been with Natalie and planted bugs in nearly every room in his home. He grit his teeth in anger at the audacity and he didn't doubt they were listening in on him right that moment.
His muscles were taut as he near glided across the room, dark grace pouring from every fibre of his being as he attempted to stifle his fury. Reaching under the lip of his counter he peeled off a small metal recording device.
Lifting it to his eyes he examined it with a critical eye he found the bug to be no bigger than his fingernail, he had to admit even by the standards of Itogami Island it was an impressive piece of technology.
Gnashing his teeth he prowled around his apartment until he had every single recording device in his hand. His blue eyes flashed red as electricity sparked across his clenched fist short circuiting every single one of the devices.
Dropping the pieces of broken electronics and plastic in the bin he silently fumed as he turned his television on in attempt to distract himself, he paused though when the sound of a phone ringing filled the silent apartment.
Blinking in confusion he dug into one of the draws of the table next to the sofa. Pulling out a burner phone he answered it as he put it to his ear. His eyebrows rose as he listened to the voice on the other end, he listened until they finished their tale and fell silent before he opened his mouth, a thankful yet melancholy tone to his voice. "Thank you, your warning will not be forgotten. Stay safe."
Hanging up he looked down with a complex look in his eyes, it seemed he had really underestimated both the effect he had had on the people he'd fought with during the Second World War as well as the reach and capabilities of the organization investigating him.
They were obviously 'new' players to the game, most of the more ancient shadow organisations that existed on this earth had performed their investigations in him back during the War.
SHIELD, the acronym echoed in his mind and he frowned, he'd heard of that name before but for the life of him he couldn't remember where.
Natasha sat rigidly at her table, the screen of her laptop showing Fury's face as she finished her report of the evening mission.
It had been odd, her initial analyses of the man was just as Fury and his file suggested, a weird dichotomy of kindness and utter apathy and it was more than a little disconcerting.
She had staged a little skit, mostly as a way for her to seamlessly enter herself into his life and it had worked even better than she'd hoped. She had waited in the corridor coordinating with the Agents working surveillance so that she could perform her little play just at the right moment.
He had surprised her from the very moment he stepped out of that lift. Even as she was spinning the first thread of her web he had caught her off guard, exposing his enhanced speed to catch the box in her hands before it could hit the ground. It seemed as if it was an instinctive response with little thought behind it and she readjusted her view on him, it seemed he was a little bit of a hero... or he was just trying to get into her panties.
She soon began to lean into the first one as he barely reacted to her beauty. Nothing more than a glance at her body before he stared her in the eye. Something she found rather impressive especially considering she was dressing to impress.
Their conversation had been short and told her little about him. His demeanour was clearly cagey and standoffish as she pushed for him to join her for dinner. It was the plan that she would distract him for a meal whilst SHIELD Agents bugged his apartment allowing them to listen in on his conversations.
He had tried to politely decline but she had insisted and he'd backed down agreeing to have a meal with her.
The next few hours had then consisted of her making that meal, cooking had been one of the countless skills the Red Room had hammered into its students all in an effort to make them better infiltrators. After all there was truth in the idiom 'the way to a man's heart was through his stomach.' Though she didn't think that the one who had coined that phrase was talking about poisons being mixed into the food.
Meeting him at the door once more she had been happy to see that he did at least know how to dress properly. Their first few minutes of their interactions had been somewhat awkward and Natasha had for a few moments believed that the operation had been compromised.
But as she presented him with the food they would be eating and they easily fell into easy conversation she allowed herself to relax somewhat. Even as the SHIELD Agents attached to the operation broke into the apartment opposite in search of any information on their target.
Then their conversation had taken a rather strange route. He had opened up about his past after she had given her factious background. It was a tactic as old as espionage itself, open up about yourself then youre target will do the same in kind believing a bond of trust has formed between you.
She hadn't expected to draw out as much as she had but she expected that despite what he had told her it wasn't enough though she would make sure to mention it all in the report to the Director.
She also hadn't expected to reveal her own vulnerability to him. Looking back on it she found it to be a moment of weakness that was unacceptable, her masters in the Red Room would have viciously punished her for it.
The conversation had not gone on much longer and she had been unable to discover more instead she had bought time as she waited for the signal from her fellow SHIELD Agents checking his apartment to complete their mission before calling it a night.
The Director's face was impassive as she finished her story.
Something on his computer seemed to catch his attention as he glanced at the screen and a frown came to his face. Natasha waited silently for him to speak but a flash of confusion flashed in her eyes when he didn't say anything.
"Continue your mission Agent Romanoff, keep limited contact with the target no need to get too close." Fury said.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "You don't want me to get close to him?"
Fury shook his head. "This one is different, best be careful around him or we run the risk of another Banner."
A brief look of surprise crossed the Black Widow's face. "Truly, you think it will be that bad?"
She knew the man she had sat with for dinner was dangerous but not on the level of the eight foot tall green behemoth that was the bane of the Thunderbolt General of the U.S military. She had been a part of a SHIELD crew responsible for cleaning up one of Banner's rampages and the idea that the grey haired man she had spent dinner with could match that was unsettling.
Though she better than most knew that looks could be deceiving.
Her attention was brought back to the Director of SHIELD when he addressed her once more. "In fact you can treat it like a vacation, explore New York and see the sights. Fury out." The Director ordered her before terminating the call.
Natasha blinked as she looked at the black screen in mild confusion, that behaviour was not what she expected from her boss. Leaning back in her chair she let a frown come to her face. Fury's warning was concerning as was his behaviour but she would follow his orders, she trusted and owed him that much.
Besides, a little break sounded rather nice, it had been a long time since she had been able to relax even slightly.