The next day, the atmosphere at S.H.I.E.L.D. became somewhat strange. As Nick passed through the corridor, four or five people had already outpaced his walking speed, rushing past him.
Nick looked left and right with his cup of coffee in hand, noticing that everyone had a serious expression. He stopped a female agent and asked her, "Where are you going, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Good morning, Director, I'm off to work. Some tasks from last night's special operations division are not yet completed, so I have to go early today."
"Ah, okay, off you go."
Then, another male agent bumped into him. The agent paused and explained, "Oh, sorry, Director. I am a little rushed. As you know, I'm in a hurry to work..."
Nick was slightly surprised, but he couldn't find words to stop them, he asked a few more people, and received the same answers.
"What the hell, isn't it these low-level agents who slack the most? Their day typically consists of being at the gym or the tennis court and discussing when they can get a raise in the office. Why are they all of a sudden so diligent?"
While lost in his thoughts, he arrived at the door of the counseling room. Nick knocked on the door, and Shiller's voice came, "Come in."
As Nick went inside, he was still looking back at the crowd bustling in the corridor. After he stepped in and closed the door, he pointed outside and asked, "What's going on?"
Shiller threw him a dossier. Nick glanced at it and said, "...A security plan? Transferring key personnel to Arkham Sanatorium?"
Nick dropped the file, looked at Shiller and asked, "You better not tell me those agents are working hard... to prove their importance..."
"Of course. If they can prove they are irreplaceable in S.H.I.E.L.D., they will be on the security list. This way they can safely avoid this round of purge. As you know, Pierce and Garrett have both been ousted, the security plan is the recent lifeboat."
Nick squinted his eyes. It seemed he had seen through Shiller's thoughts. Shiller spread his hands, saying "Don't look at me like this. I am really dealing with Hydra selflessly."
"Heh," Nick responded with a cold laugh.
Before long, many agents included in the security list arrived at Arkham Sanatorium.
Previously, although there were many nursing positions here, most of them were nominal, just to cover the deficit. Therefore, the number of actual staff was very limited, and so was the number of people who could be served.
But now, with so many actual "nurses", they could certainly increase the scale of patients.
Having marketed the Eternal Life Factor for so long, what New York didn't lack was wealthy people interested in it. There were countless people who wanted to enter the sanatorium, and as soon as it was announced that there were vacant beds available, they quickly filled up.
The more the patients, the higher the demand for nurses. Thus, the security list added another group of diligent and hardworking agents. However, the more the agents, the more the need for patients. And so they added more patients and then more nurses…
After rounds of adjusting to match demand and supply, Shiller successfully stuffed the sanatorium with people.
Moreover, those Hydra agents who could infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. were all prepared and competent. They knew that having a secret base during the purge was like a lifeboat in a storm. It was a vital resource for sustaining the organization's strength. If they exposed their flaws, it could ruin everyone. Therefore, they worked hard to disguise themselves as real nurses.
Of course, Shiller's aim wasn't purely to boost the business of the sanatorium. It was his sense of justice that didn't allow him to sit by while the evil Hydra continued to threaten S.H.I.E.L.D.
Meanwhile, inside the S.H.I.E.L.D base, Coulson and Grant had a hug. "I did not expect you to be posted so soon. I could speak to the HR team, don't want you going to such a desolate place...I don't think it's necessary..."
Grant shook his head, his mouth opened, as if he had something to say, but eventually, he didn't say anything. He just silently turned around. What Coulson didn't see was the complicated expression on his face, as if some beliefs were wavering.
"Alright..." Coulson didn't insist. He went and put his arms around Grant's shoulders, "I know you're a passionate person, just not good with words. If you face any difficulties in New Mexico, make sure to contact me immediately."
Grant nodded noncommittally. After Coulson saw him out, he muttered to himself in confusion, "...are we assigning a bit too many agents to the field recently? And they always go to those desolate places, like New Mexico, Montana..."
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, Coulson, you mustn't let Director Fury hear you say that, or else he'll question your professionalism again, guessing there must be some secret experiment..."
With that, he didn't dwell on the matter and left.
When Shiller met with Grant at Arkham Sanatorium, he handed him a piece of paper. Grant looked at the paper, which was filled with dense text and had a signature at the bottom, but he didn't reach out to take it.
Shiller told him, "Every person who comes here is given a comprehensive plan of strict rules to follow. It's a turbulent time, and I have the authority to handle anyone who breaks the rules. Don't think you're an exception, Mr. Ward."
Grant kept staring at Shiller, unable to find any fault on him, until he saw the signature on the rule sheet, where the name was spelled "Schiele".
That wasn't a common spelling in America; it came from Germany and Austria.
Grant took a deep breath, took the paper, and asked, "Will you guarantee the safety of all the agents here?"
"I guarantee the safety of all the loyal people here."
Grant and Shiller stared at each other for tens of seconds until the atmosphere completely froze, then Shiller said, "I hope everyone here has work to do."
Grant stood up from the chair, backed away a few steps, then turned and left. After leaving the room, he clenched the rule sheet in his hand and cursed in his heart, "Damned NAZIs..."
The next day, as soon as Grant opened the door, he was hit by a strong smell of blood. He quickly walked a few steps, crossed the corridor, looked down from the atrium, and then saw two bloody bodies.
Shiller stood by the stairs. When he saw Grant, he put his hand on the banister and said, "I was about to call you over, Mr. Ward."
Grant walked down against the wall and stared at Shiller's face, saying, "You killed them…"
Shiller shook his head and said, "Their own actions killed them."
"Aren't you afraid the patients will discover something?"
"Haven't you noticed that it's much quieter here than before?" Shiller turned to look at the corridor and continued, "The buildings of this sanatorium have a long history. The wiring is old and needs urgent repairs, otherwise there's a risk of fire. Hence, we need to temporarily stop operations to renovate."
Grant walked to the opposite of Shiller, frowning, and said, "What are you trying to do? Turn this place into a concentration camp?"
"Then you'd better pray that you're not a prisoner, are you one?"
Shiller looked at him and said, "I know you're Garrett's adopted son. He trained you to be a Hydra agent and killer. You have a twisted affection for him and want to avenge him."
"You're not loyal to Hydra. You're just loyal to Garrett, right?"
A commonplace question from Shiller made Grant feel somewhat oppressed. He knew that if he gave a affirmative answer, he would end up just like those two corpses. Or perhaps, this bloodbath was intended to serve as a warning to him.
He felt like he had really become a prisoner in a concentration camp, and this warden was no different from those lunatics. Grant knew that he could only proceed cautiously.
So, he took a step forward, still keeping a straight face, but made the most common salute gesture in Hydra, and then said loudly, "Hail Helada!"
Shiller stared at him for a while, then said expressionlessly, "…Hail Helada."