Hearing Nick's question the green figure on the screen thought for a few seconds. The silence on the call was short but noticeable.
"I don't remember hearing of any organization by the name of Plumbers that helps other civilizations."
Nick was silent for a moment.
"But I can't know every organization in the universe. There are indeed some that help others but none of them are anywhere near the top players. Maybe this is a new organization created in recent decades. It has been many years since I have had news from out there."
Nick nodded slowly. "What about the alien species itself? I already sent you all the information we had on him."
"About that —" Talos paused, looking at the files on his end. "Our database has no record of this species. It must come from an unknown planet."
Nick absorbed that quietly. He looked at the figure on the screen for a moment longer than usual.
"Can you Skrulls transform into that species now, Talos?"
Even though Nick knew there must be powerful aliens out there he had never personally encountered anything beyond Skrulls and had only heard of the Kree. The universe was larger than most people on Earth were ready to accept.
"I don't know," Talos said. "If I could get a DNA sample then maybe. But we don't know yet."
Nick didn't say anything to that. He let the silence sit for a moment.
Talos's tone shifted slightly. "Nick — having a friend is better than having an enemy. We cannot underestimate any civilization. No matter how small or unknown."
"I know." Nick's voice was quiet. "And we don't know if this individual or his organization has any connection to the Kree or anyone else. If they do you could be in danger."
"No problem on our side. We are hiding perfectly. No one can find us."
They exchanged a few more words and then the call ended. The screen went dark.
Nick stood there for a moment looking at screen Talos had been. Then he turned back to the window.
At the same time, in a dark room somewhere else, a video conference was already underway.
Several figures sat around the call. The lighting was low. The faces on screen were still and quiet in the way that people are quiet when they are being careful. Nobody in this room spoke without thinking first.
"So after reviewing the information — what do you all think?" Alexander Pierce asked, looking at the other branch leaders one by one.
"Pierce." Strucker's voice had a familiar edge of distrust to it. The kind that had built up over years of sitting in the same meetings. "Is your information actually confirmed? Because I find it hard to believe."
Pierce's expression tightened slightly with annoyance. He had expected this. "It was witnessed by my own people. It is true. Not fabricated."
Strucker leaned back slowly in his chair. A strange look crossed his face — something between excitement and obsession that the others in the call had seen before and never found comfortable. "What a wonderful world. If I could get my hands on the body of this alien — just imagine what my research could achieve." The madness in his eyes was not subtle.
Pierce looked at him steadily.
"No. We should not touch the alien. This individual has an organization behind them. If Nick or anyone else finds out about us before we finish our goal it will put everything at risk. Everything we have built."
That was enough to start the argument. Pierce and Strucker went back and forth, voices rising, neither one giving ground. The other faces on the call watched without expression.
"Stop it." The only female voice on the call cut through cleanly. Ophelia ( Madam Hydra) looked at both of them with cold patience. She didn't raise her voice. She never needed to. "Both of you. Every single meeting you argue. Can you both not stop that for once."
The argument died immediately.
A beat of silence settled over the call. Nobody moved.
Then Dr. Zola spoke, calm and measured as always. "What Pierce said is correct. Once our plan is complete we can deal with the alien then. For now — gather all available information on this individual. That is the decision. No one takes any independent action."
He looked around at the faces on screen as he said the last part.
"I have no objection," said Gideon Malick.
After seeing that all leaders had no objections the call went quiet for a moment.
The words were clear enough. But looking at the faces on the screen it was obvious that each HYDRA leader had already started forming their own plans behind their own eyes. The decision had been made. Whether anyone actually followed it was another matter entirely.
"HAIL HYDRA."
"HAIL HYDRA."
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