Symbiotic Agent

"Have you been wearing the mask of a SHIELD agent for too long? Have you forgotten who you really are?" Grant Ward's voice was cold as he spoke to Holm, who had lowered his head slightly.

As he spoke, his large, claw-like hand gently stroked the back of Holm's neck. His iron-like grip pressed down, and though there was no real force behind it, Holm felt suffocated.

That familiar touch caused Holm's body to tremble uncontrollably once more. It was hard to imagine what kind of torment this body had endured at Grant Ward's hands to trigger such a severe stress response.

Despite his trembling, Holm did not feel an ounce of fear. Instead, what surged within him was a deep humiliation and an uncontrollable urge to kill.

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

"This man must die!"

Holm lowered his head even further, not wanting Grant Ward to notice the murderous intent that blazed in his eyes.

Grant Ward, satisfied with Holm's trembling and submissive posture, felt assured of his absolute control over him.

"Remember who you are, and don't let me see that look in your eyes again. You know what will happen otherwise." Grant Ward's voice was low, his grip applying slight pressure as he spoke.

After his warning, Grant Ward withdrew his hand. He looked at Holm, whose body was gradually returning to normal, and continued, "Why haven't you dealt with the person I told you to eliminate last time? I thought I made the urgency of this task clear to you."

"If what's in his possession isn't retrieved or if it gets out, neither of us will be able to handle the consequences."

"Seeing how confidently you took on the assignment, I expected results by now. But I must admit, you've greatly disappointed me."

Grant Ward's expression turned icy.

"I'll give you three more days. If you don't have results by then, you very well know what will happen to you."

"Do you understand?"

"I understand," Holm replied, his voice hoarse, his head still slightly bowed.

"Look at me," Grant Ward commanded.

Holm raised his head, his face pale, appearing nervous. He was battling a pounding headache caused by the sudden flood of memories, and that overwhelming sensation made his already unpolished acting even more convincing. Grant Ward didn't notice anything amiss.

With a slight sneer of disdain, Ward locked eyes with Holm and muttered, "Hail Hydra."

"Hail Hydra," Holm responded in kind, his voice low.

Once their conversation ended, and the matter regarding the meteorite came to an end, Holm left the suburban forest and drove back home alone.

During the exchange with Grant Ward, memories that Holm had thought vanished suddenly surged back, nearly causing him to lose consciousness.

Although the process was painful, the memories finally pieced themselves together, and his past was laid out before him, clear and complete.

He now remembered his connection to Grant Ward, and he understood why he had died at his home.

Grant Ward had been Holm's mentor and superior within Hydra. The involuntary stress response Holm experienced around him was the result of years of "training." Even as an observer of these resurfaced memories, Holm could feel the cruelty of the methods Ward used.

Not everyone, it turns out, is cut out to be an agent—especially an agent of Hydra.

As for the reason behind Holm's death, it, too, traced back to Grant Ward.

Three days ago, Ward had given Holm a secret mission: to eliminate a defector named Nathan Landis and retrieve what he possessed.

The task was classified, and if Holm succeeded, it would have been a significant achievement, which is why he eagerly accepted it.

At first, everything went according to plan. With a combination of intelligence and his own inquiries, Holm ambushed and knocked Landis unconscious, bringing him back home.

Since Landis had nothing on him, Holm planned to wait for him to wake, force him to reveal the location of the missing item, and then kill him.

But things didn't go as expected. Landis, having built a resistance to drugs through daily training, woke far earlier than Holm had anticipated. He managed to launch a surprise attack and killed Holm.

Now, revisiting these memories, Holm couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had once suspected that Ward might have been responsible for his death, but clearly, that wasn't the case.

However, if he failed to complete the mission now, his fate would be sealed in three days.

Grant Ward might act human in SHIELD, but Holm knew better—Ward was a cold-blooded executioner, perfectly embodying the Hydra ideal.

But what exactly had Nathan Landis stolen to make Grant Ward so concerned?

If the item was truly that critical, Holm wondered, would killing Landis simply make him the next target for elimination?

Holm shook his head. It couldn't be that simple.

While Ward looked down on him, Holm knew from his memories that he was still useful to Ward—a tool cultivated for a purpose. Even if Ward eventually planned to discard him, Holm still had some value left to exploit.

Still, Holm knew he needed to be cautious. Grant Ward might find him useful now, but when he was no longer an asset, his end would be worse than Nathan Landis'.

If Holm wanted to survive, there was only one option: kill Grant Ward before Ward killed him.

Looking back on both past memories and their recent encounter, Holm's desire to kill Ward grew fiercer.

"I want to kill him so badly," Holm thought, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

At that moment, as he stopped at a red light, two flashy sports cars pulled up beside him, one on each side.

Seeing Holm's ordinary car sandwiched between theirs, the drivers honked their horns and mocked him, revving their engines in an attempt to taunt him.

The cacophony of blaring horns and jeers filled Holm's ears, pushing his irritation to the brink. His anger swelled uncontrollably, making it harder and harder to hold back.

"Bang!"

Without a second thought, Holm pulled out his gun and fired. The sound of the gunshot echoed through the air.

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