Chapter Text
...
He slung his bag over his shoulder as he stepped out onto the street. He pulled his cap low over his face and made his way out to the train station. It was warm, warmer than it should have been for the season. Humidity was high, and the rain wasn't helping the situation at all. He'd spent the last week dogging the footsteps of a local politician to learn his patterns. Then the next three days waiting for the perfect shot. A difficult shot. He succeeded though.
You're being followed.
He shook his head trying to ignore the voice. Damn Abbott and his training. Damn Shaw and his taking it further. However he did check the window to see if someone was indeed being followed. He was.
CIA? Maybe.
He slowed his walk to double check. Rookie move. The person also slowed their pace. Not a very good one then.
Kill him.
Di... Delta shoved the otherwise of his mind down. He checked the sheathes that his hidden knives were accessible. Then he took the closest right to take him down an alley. Only a few steps into the shadow, his follower showed. An amateur mistake on their part. Delta ducked and threw a punch at the other man's stomach. He dodged and grabbed his arm. Then he used his strength to flip him. Delta landed on the ground with a loud 'thwump'.
Delta planted a foot onto his chest and drew his sidearm snarling, "Who sent you?"
His opponent's eyes were wide. They were holding up their hands, showing submission. The body language was that of an innocent, or at least a civilian. It was a lie. They'd been trained to lower their target's guard then kill them.
Kill him. You need to move.
It took everything in him not to press a hand into his temple. He wanted to. He so badly did. But he needed information. He needed to know how close they were. Was Shaw with them? Abbott?
"Answer the question!" snapped Delta, his eyes turning to steel, "Who. Sent. You."
"CIA, they want to talk," promised the man, "They just want to talk. Nothing else. Please let me up!"
"Is Shaw here?" He hissed angrily.
Kill him! You're wasting time!
"Not yet," he answered out loud, "Have to know if Shaw is here!"
There was confusion in the follower's eyes. They had no idea what was going on. Yet they didn't dare say anything. Delta's finger inched closer to the trigger.
"Wait!" gasped the man, "No! He's not. He doesn't know where you are. I haven't done my check-in yet!"
He's telling the truth. Kill him.
Dick narrowed his eyes. His breathing was heavy. Slowly, his grip loosened. He took a step back and he didn't lower his weapon however. There was the chance this idiot would still try his luck at attacking Delta. If he tried he was a deadman.
"I don't want to see your face again," hissed Delta, "If I do, I'll put a bullet between your eyes. Go!"
The nameless agent scrambled to his feet and ran. Once he was out of sight, Delta finally relaxed. Putting his gun away, he kept his head low. It was time to run again. This place wasn't safe anymore. He probably should leave Asia entirely. Maybe he'd go to Europe this time.
...
"Sir," said Luke, knocking on the door to his boss's office, "I have the report on the sighting of our asset. Would you like to have a look?"
Shaw looked up from his computer and nodded. His subordinate handed him a thin file. It was the latest lead that they had. Delta was in Japan. Only a few hours ago. He had to give his respect to the younger man. After the mess in Russia, Delta had fled and completely went to ground. Tracking a single piece of sand on a beach would be easier.
Delta was their best creation. They had been lucky in the genetic lottery when the boy came to them. He had the natural ability to adapt to nearly any situation. And the sheer stubborn determination to complete his mission. Even the ones that were considered suicidal. Still, he'd never returned to base after his mission in Russia. Nor had he checked in. All the work that had gone into him. Everything they had worked towards. Gone in a single night. He had questions that could only be answered by capturing Delta. Alive.
"Has there been any sightings since then?" asked the Director, flipping to the next page.
The pictures were grainy. Clearly taken from a distance. However, it was unmistakably the former vigilante, turned assassin. He looked thinner than he had before Russia.
"None," responded Carter, shaking his head, "We've managed to find footage of him leaving the area and getting on a train. But from there the trail goes cold. Here is the report from the agent that attempted to follow him and was caught."
Levi was surprised the agent survived the experience. Most that crossed paths with Delta didn't have that luxury. Especially not when the asset was in a paranoid state. The agent's description of the incident was interesting. The conditioning remained in place. Delta had talked to a voice only he could hear.
The conditioning that their psychiatrists done with drugs and mental manipulations had been successful. They modified the genes of certain members of Medusa with the conditioning. Only one psychiatrist, Morris Panov had been against it. Saying that the results could have been unpredictable. That they didn't know the full effects on the subjects. Abbott had ignored him and gave the order to proceed. Most of the original group remained. Two were dead. Then there was Delta.
Levi leaned back and ordered, "Put the agents on high alert. Send word to the other branches. Make sure that the bounty is still in circulation. I want that man brought in. Alive. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," nodded Carter and left the room, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
...
"Slade look at this," said Wintergreen, calling his friend over, "That same contract was updated today. They want him alive. And the reward is tripled."
Slade frowned. The higher-ups must be desperate. Why was that? What had changed so drastically that they were willing to pay that much money to bring him in? He scratched at his chin in thought. This was not the normal way that the CIA did things. Not at all. Will was right to be suspicious. Something wasn't right here. Something had gone horribly wrong, and the government was scrambling to fix it.
"You going after him?" Questioned Will, "You have that contract in Spain."
A contract he couldn't postpone. They'd paid extra for it to be taken of quickly. It had to be done first. Then, once the job was completed, then he'd go after the elusive Delta.