CHAPTER 2
January 30th 2012. Location: Chicago
Greer panted as the treadmill powered down. She'd been running for a solid 20 minutes she reckoned. Joanna had been testing her to see how much of a difference her experiments had made. Donalbain and Shirlee Bryant were due to come by for Shirlee's experiments this afternoon so Joanna figured that the morning would be a good time to get Greer's batch out of the way first. She had performed impressively, the experiments had increased some of her physical capabilities, like agility and speed, at least 5 fold. Joanna stood on the other side of the glass window, in her lab and scribbled a few more notes in her notepad in shorthand before she went to congratulate Greer.
"How did I do?" Greer grinned.
"That was excellent my dear!" Joanna gushed, patting Greer on the back, "I know you could probably use a lie down but Malcolm and Shirlee could be here soon so you'd better go get changed."
Joanna lightly pushed Greer towards the door. Her poor assistant now had to play down her heightened abilities. Maybe they should've waited. Joanna grabbed a bottle and cloth to quickly wipe down the equipment, she didn't want Greer's sweat on the machine when Shirlee used it. She also had to convince Malcolm that it hadn't been used. Joanna went back into the adjacent lab to hide her notepad. No sooner had she placed it in the safe hidden behind a collection of lever arch files and a massive stack of used paper than Malcolm entered the room with Shirlee.
Malcolm was a strange character – he clearly came from money but it seemed safe to bet that he had earned his fair share too. He wore his usual red horse-racer style blazer and boots, as if he had just ridden here on his favourite mount. He had a special air about him, one that Joana could only liken to one particular fur loving cartoon character, it was just the way he carried himself. Malcolm clearly believed he was better than everyone else and wasn't afraid to go to any length to get what he wanted. Before any of them could speak, Greer entered in her spotlessly white lab coat.
"Oh, Malcolm, you're early" Greer stammered with a fake smile plastered on her face.
Greer looked to Shirlee who despite trying to appear nonchalant, was clearly very nervous about the experiments.
"Would you like some coffee before we get started?" Joanna asked, trying to assuage Shirlee's nerves.
Shirlee went to reply but was beaten to it by Malcolm.
"Mrs Nelson can make me a coffee, you and Shirlee should be getting down to business Dr Tumolo. No wonder you needed my investment, sitting around drinking coffee all day."
Three hours later, Shirlee was taking her turn on the treadmill. Joanna was not quite as content with her results as she had been with Greer's.
"Her heart rate is too high, I'm taking her off" Joanna decided.
"No" Malcolm commanded.
"NO?" Greer and Joanna replied in unison as they stared at him quizzically.
"No massive new advances are made without some risky experimentation Dr Tumolo, no wonder you haven't made an impressive discover yet" Malcolm groaned.
"I'd rather my subjects were safe" Joanna replied bitterly.
"Well as your sole investor and the one who wanted Shirlee to do this, I say you're to keep going"
Joanna sighed. She really couldn't rebel against Malcolm as much as she wanted to. She couldn't afford to lose all funding for her project. Mere seconds later, Shirlee collapsed. She was thrown off the back of the treadmill and onto the mat covered floor behind. Greer, having faster reflexes, was at the door before Joanna and Donalbain and even moved. Quick as a cat, she was down on the ground checking Shirlee's pulse. She couldn't feel it, Shirlee was dead. This was why Joanna only wanted to use test subjects she had vetted herself but Malcolm had been insistent. He had killed the poor girl.
"Well there you go" Malcolm sighed "I guess you have some results now."
Greer and Joanna were disgusted. Later, Joanna confirmed that while Shirlee's body and initially accepted her concoction, it had been too much for her. She could tell just from studying the vitals. Joanna was desperate that she and Greer study the exact effects the experiments had on Shirlee's body and that they improve the process.
On her way home, Greer thought about Shirlee and what her life could have been like. She wanted to use her heightened abilities to help people like her and stop the Donalbains of the world. Greer was so lost in thought that she never even sensed her kidnappers coming.
February 12th 2015. Location: The Bus
Sam awoke in a room with a grey metallic honeycomb pattern. Greer was curled up on the bed.
Phil Coulson entered suddenly. Sam lay there, still a little dazed as Greer pounced over to the suited stranger.
"Hello Ms Grant" he smiled at her cheerfully.
"Who are you and why am I here?"
"Don't worry Ms Grant, I only want to talk to you."
"Last time a mysterious man wanted to talk to me, I ended up in a cage. Kind of like this one I suppose."
"Well let's get rid of the mystery. I'm Phil Coulson, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"How do I know you're not Hydra? The whole world seems to think you're the same."
"But you're not convinced"
"I don't think I'd be alive if you were Hydra. Sam certainly wouldn't be."
"Hey!" Sam shouted woozily.
Greer ignored him.
"Tit for tat?" Coulson asked.
"What's your question?"
"You met Hydra when we thought they were gone. Why didn't you say something?"
"I thought you knew. You captured the Ani-mator after all"
"We thought he was working alone."
"He was funded by Hydra."
"Why were they funding him?"
"Ah ah ah. My turn. Why did you bring me here?"
"You're dangerous and you've been able to find Hydra faster than we have" Phil admitted, omitting the bit about putting her on the Index.
Greer grinned, proud of herself for besting the world's number one security agency.
"Now, I'll repeat - why were Hydra funding the Ani-mator?"
"They wanted their own versions of your super soldiers. They were trying to create more powerful weapons than you had. Why else?"
"They could've had the Avengers. They were among us"
"Come on, you really think Captain Spandex or the Tin Man would've followed every order even if they didn't like it? Where are Hydra's other bases?"
"You may have been able to take on a few Hydra safehouses but you couldn't handle a whole Hydra base by yourself"
"Work with me then Phil" she purred, her whole demeanour changing in a heartbeat.
"We can help each other. We both want Hydra destroyed."
"I can't send you in there, you're too much of a risk"
"Don't tell me you've never taken a risk Phil"
"I have, and I've lost good people because of it" Phil sighed. "How did you find those Hydra safehouses?"
"Are we still doing this?" Greer sighed.
"I wasn't asking you Greer" he looked past her to Sam.
"Yes, okay, I found them" she replied.
"Through the Rising Tide?"
Sam nodded.
"This isn't quite tit for tat" Greer interjected.
"Greer, please" Sam protested "it's my turn to have my say now."
Greer leaned back in her chair moodily with folded arms.
"So what's your reason for going after Hydra, Sam?"
"They're the new 'big bad'. All I want is justice. Think of all the people who died at their hand, or when those airships crashed in DC. That's all on you too though. I've just seen too many people who deserved justice and never got it."
"Now where are the Hydra bases?" Greer asked again impatiently.
"As much as you've been helping me out, I can't tell you where they are Ms Grant. You're untrained and not an operative of this organisation"
"I asked for locations, not opinions" Greer snapped.
The threesome sat in silence and Greer remembered that you can catch more mice with cheese, or something like that.
"Surely there's some way we can work together" Greer purred, trying to hide her desperation.
"Deniability" Sam chirped "you could send her in and then Hydra won't blame you for the attack, they'll blame Greer but you'll still benefit."
Phil smiled and Sam knew they had him. He got up and walked towards the door. Jessica and Greer instinctively followed him.
"Where are you two going?" he asked them.
"With you" Greer defiantly replied despite the feeling Phil was about to say something to the contrary.
"I may be willing to send you into the field but that doesn't mean that I trust you."
Greer and Sam were clearly not happy about this as they glared at the agent but he just ignored them and walked out of the room.
February 12th 2015. Location: The Bus
20 minutes later, Phil returned.
"We do have one location. I can't send my own people in because we can't get close enough to scope the place out" Phil started.
Greer smiled, this was what she had been hoping for.
"It's a warehouse on the bank of the Calumet River in Chicago now let's get you properly briefed" Phil continued, turning and gesturing for Sam and Greer to follow him.