Chapter 8

Ms. Jones was not what she expected. Frankie had pictured the head of security, whose very mention had made Dr. DeGorge tuck his tail and run, as some pinched-faced, overbearing figure. The actual Jones that stood and came to great her with a warm smile was a diminutive blonde with the face of an angel.

"Frankie, it's so nice to finally get to meet you. I've heard so much about you that I feel as if I already know you," she said in a slight southern accent.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage them, Ms. Jones," she replied as she took the proffered hand. Jones' hand was cool to the touch and gripped hers firmly.

"Glenda, please," she replied as she turned to Jeannine standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Thank you, Jeannine. I will make sure Frankie makes it to her next destination."

Frankie almost snickered at the name. Glenda was a fitting name for the woman. Her hair was styled and fell in soft waves just past her shoulders without a strand out of place, her manicure was impeccable, and her powder blue suit didn't have a single crease even though she had been sitting behind her desk. She couldn't for the life of her figure out where DeGorge's fear had come from.

She couldn't help but notice that Jeannine looked relieved to be dismissed and wasted no time in backing into the corridor and shutting the door behind her.

"Come, have a seat," Glenda beckoned, returning to her side of the desk. "The commander has told me a lot about you."

"How long have you known Rory," Frankie asked as she sat.

"For about three years now. He's quite the rising star, you know. That's why he's running this facility."

"He's only 23 years old. Surely there are older, more experienced people in Hydra?" That is the one thing that had been bothering her. How was someone so young being trusted to run this entire place?

"Hydra rewards its people based on their abilities and deeds, not on political machinations or mere seniority. That's what sets us apart from the governments and other organizations of the world. Look at me," she leaned back in her chair. "Do I look like your average head of security?"

"Considering that the only 'security' I've ever been around were bouncers at titty bars, I'm really not in any position to say."

Glenda's jaw ticked.

"Well, let me assure you, I am not average."

"I'm sure you're not," Frankie agreed. She wasn't going to get anywhere by aggravating the woman. "But I'm also sure that this is a pretty big operation to be running the security for. They must have a lot of faith in your abilities."

Glenda relaxed a tiny bit, "I'm going to be frank with you. Rory seems to trust you, but I didn't get where I am trusting anyone." Her smooth accent had all but disappeared and her blue eyes grew icy. "I personally screened and approved every person that works here. I don't like wild cards, and you, Frankie, are a wild card. That bugs me like a splinter under my skin that I can't get out. And that makes me irritable."

"Then tell Rory I'm out and send me back topside," Frankie replied easily. "Problem solved."

"No, problem not solved." Glenda got up and came around the desk to stand in front of her, glaring. It was all Frankie could do not to get up and put some distance between them. "Rory would never go for it and I've got orders to keep him happy. So, let me spell out how we are going to handle this. I am going to have someone with you whenever you are not in your room. You will be issued a security badge that you will always have on you. You will obey the rules. You will keep your head down and do what you're told."

She leaned forward and put her face close enough to Frankie's that she could smell the mint of the mouthwash Glenda had used that morning. "If I so much as catch a hint that you are doing anything to undermine what we are doing here, I will personally put a bullet in your head. Am I clear?"

Frankie nodded numbly, unnerved.

"Good. Then I'm sure we are going to get along just fine," Glenda straightened back up and walked back to her chair, her intensity evaporating and her accent reappearing.

She pressed a button on her desk phone, "Andi, Ms. Cabrini is ready to leave."

The door to the office opened almost immediately and an older woman stuck her head in.

"If you'll follow me, Ms. Cabrini?"

Following a silent Andi, Frankie mulled over the strange meeting. While it didn't go as well as she had hoped, she did get two things from it. One, Glenda was one unhinged bitch. No wonder people were afraid of her. She would have to tread carefully if she wanted to avoid being on the receiving end of a bullet. But having spent her life on the streets hustling, that wouldn't be a problem. She just had to convince these people that she drank the same cool aid as them.

Second, and maybe more important, was the fact that there was someone else giving the orders above Rory even though he claimed this cell was autonomous. But that just brought up more questions. Was Rory aware that there was someone else pulling the strings? Who was this person?

One thing for sure, though. She needed an ally. Someone who hadn't bought fully into this 'Hydra is just misunderstood' line of crap she was getting so far.

Her meeting with Rory's lieutenant, Percy Adams, was anticlimactic after her encounter with Glenda, the bad witch of Hydra. He was almost an exact opposite of the head of security: tall, thin and unkempt. As he spoke, he was in constant motion, his arms waving and gesturing.

"Rory told me you would be a good fit for intelligence," his path around the room took him behind his desk where he picked up a folder from one of the stacks scattered across it and briefly thumbed through its contents. "Yes, I think we have the perfect place for you in our organization."

He looked up from the folder at her expectantly and she nodded to indicate her interest, "what do you have in mind?"

Setting the folder back down on the desk on a different stack, where it immediately slid off and onto the floor.

"Oh, dear," Percy sighed as he knelt to gather up the mess.

"Here," Frankie squatted by his side and grabbed up several sheets of paper closest to her, "let me help you with that."

Together they gathered up the papers and returned them to the folder. Percy didn't notice when two of the sheets that Frankie had gathered didn't make it back into their proper place, instead ending up in her purse.

"Where were we?" he asked, pushing his glassed back up on his nose for what had to be the tenth time in the few minutes she had been in his office.

"You were going to tell me what job you had in mind for me," she prompted.

"Ah, yes," he said absently as he resumed his fluttering around the room. "I'm going to assign you to Jacob Stern's team. He's the head of our intelligence department. They have an opening for a field operative that I'm sure you will be perfect for."

"An opening?"

"Yes," he hummed as he opened the door, "terrible about what happened to Mindy." He gestured for her to leave, "But I'll let Jacob fill you in. Nice meeting you, Frankie. And welcome to Hydra."

The door shut immediately behind her, leaving her in the corridor slightly bewildered. Frankie looked around, getting her bearings to figure out how to get back to her room.

"Ah, there you are!" Jeannine called out as she rounded a corner. "You ready?"

Frankie frowned at the other woman, confused. "Ready?"

"For me to take you to your team, of course," she beamed like it was Christmas morning. "What team did he put you on?"

"Intelligence with Jacob Stern."

Jeannine bounced and clapped her hands with delight, "oh, how fun! There are some great people in that group. You are going to love it!"

She turned and started down the hall, leaving Frankie to catch up or get left behind.

"So," she started as she stepped up beside Jeannine, "what happened to Mindy?"

Jeannine frowned at the name, "I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Well," Jeannine stopped and looked around before continuing, "she was a spy." She dropped her voice to a whisper at the last word.

Frankie rolled her eyes, "of course she was, that was her job."

"No, you don't understand," Jeannine leaned closer and kept her voice low. "She was a spy for THEM."

Them? Oh! "You mean SHIELD?"

"Shush, don't say that so loudly!" Jeannine grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the hall further away from any doors. "She was sent here to spy on us by them, yes. But Ms. Jones figured it out before she could do any real damage."

"Where is Mindy now?"

Jeannine shrugged, "I don't know and don't care. All I know is that we had to change all our passwords and security protocols after she left. It was a huge pain in the ass. I hope that woman got what she deserved," she finished fervently.

"That's a little harsh, isn't it?"

"Frankie, we are doing great things here that are going to change the world. Mindy put it all in jeopardy just because she believed the propaganda against us. That's why we must be so careful. All they want is for the entire world to be reliant upon them. The more they supposedly defend us, the more power they have over us. Soon, we will be bowing before them as if they're gods. We are working to give mankind the tools we need to be free of their tyranny. Nothing is too extreme to protect that, wouldn't you agree?"

Oh, wow, Frankie thought. So much for Jeannine being an ally.

"Of course," Frankie replied. "But the end doesn't always justify the means, right?"

"Oh," Jeannine blushed, "you must think I'm a fanatic. I'm sorry, I just get carried away sometimes. Oh, here we are. Your team awaits," she ended with a flourish.

They had stopped outside a door that looked no different than the dozen or so they had passed along the way.

"I suppose this is goodbye for now. I'm sure I will see you off and on in the cafeteria and around, but your team will take care of you from now on."

Frankie held out her hand, "thank you for everything, Jeannine."

Instead of shaking her hand, Jeannine enveloped her in a warm hug. "Good luck, Frankie. And welcome to Hydra."

Good luck indeed. She was going to need it.