"Grant Douglas Ward."
Evenson repeated the full name without looking up. Then, after a long pause, he lifted his eyes to meet John Garrett’s.
"Whether he’s qualified or not is a separate issue."
His tone sharpened.
"What I’d like to know is... how did you even hear about this?"
Garrett shrugged casually.
"That information requires Level Eight clearance."
"It does." Evenson nodded. "And you’re a Level Seven agent."
Garrett gave an awkward laugh.
"I’ll be promoted soon."
"But you haven’t been yet."
The atmosphere in the cabin changed.
A moment earlier, Evenson had looked like a man nursing a brutal hangover.
Now he sat perfectly still.
Calm.
Cold.
The pressure radiating from him was almost tangible.
Garrett suddenly understood why Fury trusted this man with matters outside the normal chain of command.
"Come on," Garrett said, forcing a smile. "Agents respect clearance levels, sure... but favors happen. A friend of mine already had access to the information. Since I’ll have the clearance soon anyway, and because it concerns an agent I personally trained, he let me know."
"Who?"
Evenson’s reply came instantly.
"Which agent told you?"
Garrett shook his head.
"No."
"If discussing the candidate is inconvenient, that’s fine."
"But I won’t betray a friend."
Despite his relaxed posture, Garrett felt the sweat forming beneath his collar.
This was the same man Fury had practically thrown onto the plane like discarded luggage.
Yet now...
Sitting across from him felt like sitting opposite a predator.
Evenson rarely let his aura slip.
A warlock who had spent years manipulating fel magic and sending countless souls into oblivion carried an invisible weight ordinary people instinctively feared.
Normally, he kept it buried.
There was no reason to extend that courtesy to someone he already knew was Hydra.
Then, just as suddenly, the pressure vanished.
Evenson smiled.
"You know what? It doesn’t really matter."
He had needed to ask.
Ignoring such an obvious breach of security would have looked suspicious.
Digging deeper, however, served no purpose.
If Garrett was willing to admit that much, he’d already prepared a believable explanation.
Even if Evenson investigated, he doubted he’d uncover anything useful.
More importantly...
He wasn’t a SHIELD internal affairs officer.
Hydra’s interest in his magic was the only information that actually mattered.
"Agent Grant Ward..."
He folded his hands.
"...did not pass my initial evaluation."
Garrett’s expression tightened.
"But," Evenson continued, "you should be pleased."
"An exceptionally capable agent like him gets to remain under your command."
"Sir..."
Ward finally spoke.
Until now, he’d wisely remained silent.
As the lowest-ranking person present, simply listening to this conversation was already more than his clearance should have allowed.
Besides...
The pressure from moments earlier had felt strangely personal.
It was as though someone had reached into the darkest corners of his mind and laid bare every fear, every scar, every secret he carried.
Only after Evenson relaxed did Ward realize he’d been holding his breath.
Then Garrett subtly gestured for him to continue.
Ward suppressed the urge to sigh.
Being the subordinate meant being volunteered for unpleasant jobs.
"If I may ask..."
He chose his words carefully.
"Why was I rejected?"
Seeing Evenson’s expression shift ever so slightly, he hurried to explain.
"I’m not questioning your judgment."
"I only want to know where I fall short."
"If there’s something I can improve..."
"...I’d like the chance."
Evenson smiled.
"Relax, Agent Ward."
"I’ve read your file."
"Your physical ability, intelligence, combat skills, and psychological evaluations are all excellent."
"Under normal circumstances, I would have invited you for a practical assessment."
He paused.
"But then I reached your family history."
He sighed almost regretfully.
"And I decided against it."
"There are people who claim magic is simply the manifestation of the soul."
He waved the idea away.
"I think that’s an oversimplification."
"Even so..."
"The mind and magic absolutely influence one another."
"And your psychological profile concerns me."
He recited Ward’s history with unsettling accuracy.
"Abusive parents who died in a mysterious house fire."
"Three brothers who drifted apart afterward."
"I don’t know exactly what kind of scars that childhood left behind."
"But I do know they make magical training... risky."
If any veteran warlock from Azeroth had overheard that explanation, they would have laughed themselves senseless.
Mentally stable warlocks were practically mythical creatures.
Many of the greatest practitioners of fel magic had life stories that would make serial killers seem well-adjusted.
Even Evenson himself was hardly a normal example.
The Eredar Twins had complained more than once that something was fundamentally wrong with him.
He possessed three legendary Artifact Weapons.
He had complete magical instruction.
He had studied warlock magic for over seven years.
Under ordinary circumstances, someone with those advantages should have rivaled Gul’dan himself.
At the very least, he ought to have surpassed Teron Gorefiend before his infamous transformation.
Instead...
His progress had been almost painfully ordinary.
If he had to compare himself to Azeroth’s standards, he was somewhere around Level Sixty.
The Eredar Twins had reached only one conclusion.
The problem wasn’t talent.
It was conviction.
He refused to fully embrace fel magic.
He never bargained with demons for greater power.
He never slaughtered innocents simply to harvest souls.
He stubbornly insisted on strengthening himself through discipline and gradual cultivation, more like a traditional mage than a warlock.
To them, it was incomprehensible.
An embarrassment to the entire profession.
Evenson could live with that.
After seven years of practicing warlock magic, he still had no desire to pledge himself to the Burning Legion or sacrifice an entire world in exchange for power.
Even following the safest path possible...
Plenty of people already thought he belonged in a psychiatric hospital.
"Agent Ward is mentally stronger than you think."
Garrett spoke up.
"I believe he’s already overcome his past."
"As his commanding officer," he added, "I can say that with confidence."
Evenson gave him an amused look.
"Your opinion isn’t the one that counts."
He leaned back.
"That sort of judgment requires long-term observation."
He smiled faintly.
"My observation."
Garrett considered that for several seconds.
"...Very well."
"If an opportunity presents itself..."
"...or when it’s convenient for you..."
"I’d appreciate it if you could give Ward a proper evaluation."
His thoughts were conflicted.
He genuinely wanted Ward to inherit Evenson’s magic.
At the same time...
He wanted Ward kept as far away from Evenson as possible.
Who knew what kind of "tests" this mysterious consultant would conduct?
If Ward accidentally revealed something he shouldn’t...
The consequences could be disastrous.
Across the aisle, Evenson was thinking something entirely different.
So Hydra really is interested in my magic.
That could be useful.
And Grant Ward...
Ward might prove useful as well.
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