Project Delta

Acquired.

"It's finally been approved-"

"Thank god-"

"But there's a problem."

He closed his eye and exhaled through his nose, slowly and deeply. It was the first outward sign of frustration he had ever shown in the office, much less to the agent before him, but it was also the end of the world- so it felt fitting.

"What is it?"

"Only four of them were approved."

"What?"

"Only-"

"I heard. I wanted a team of at least fifteen. What happened?"

"They weren't sure about them."

"Which ones were approved?"

"Jackson, Parker, Potter, and Rider."

"Ah. I can see why only they were approved."

"The council were unsure about even them, but-"

"But they're the type of people they can trust, I imagine?"

"They're old fashioned, but at least they approved those four. We need to be careful with these new ideas."

"What we need is a new council."

The younger agent scoffed in agreement, then immediately returned to her solid stance and blank expression. They had been fighting the council for almost a year, and they were running out of time. The idea itself had landed the team on thin ice, and none of the could afford to be on the wrong side of the council after they finally approved the idea. They had so little time.

While Agent Hill watched, Nick Fury sent out a message to Alexander Pierce of only one word. Acquired.

"The others will follow if these four succeed. I will make sure of that."