<div class="floatleft">(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/5ac827d4-ddb8-40f6-ad27-8acdd7007497/d9b3lw7-71581bfd-6b6c-40b2-ac9d-48c17bffcd24.jpg/v1/fill/w_543,h_815,q_75,strp/madame_hydra_by_la_esmeralda_d9b3lw7-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODE1IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNWFjODI3ZDQtZGRiOC00MGY2LWFkMjctOGFjZGQ3MDA3NDk3XC9kOWIzbHc3LTcxNTgxYmZkLTZiNmMtNDBiMi1hYzlkLTQ4YzE3YmZmY2QyNC5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9NTQzIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.JZ6yqnGq1DLK1Hz3sxkKEC6fRZaVBjMe33BU7X8XG-k)</div>Viper knew the news wouldn't be great. However,<em>this</em>was the last thing she had expected to hear. As Rumlow spoke she could feel her pulse rising. Her nails dug into the wood, making small marks in their wake. She pursed her lips together in a tight line. In a flash, she stood up and hurled her desk lamp in rage. It went whizzing past Brock's head. She wasn't aiming for him anyway, and he had been subjected to worse outbursts from her before. She gripped the edge of her desk, and very nearly turned it over as well.<br/><br/><em>"What would The Madame have us do?"</em>Viper took a breath, and shook her hair out of her face.<br/><br/>"Oh... What to do. What to do..." She let go of the edge of her desk and walked around in front of it. "This is your mission. Get your best men together and find them. Your<em>very best</em>." Viper nodded at him, then pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the desk and crossed her legs. "Can't very well have him lost for months again..." She rolled her eyes, clearly perturbed about that whole fiasco. She tapped her index nail on her lip as she thought. "Get me everything we have on this scientist, too. I wanna know every single detail about her." She instructed him.<br/><br/>"Make sure the orders are<em>clear</em>, that I want the scientist girl alive." She added. "I have a suspicion that she's hiding something from us." Viper paused for a moment, the pieces falling into place. "Ah! This is the same girl that was part of his sudden break out about three days ago, yes?" She knew she was right, of course. She knew everything that went on around her.<br/><br/>"Interesting... Yes... If they have formed some sort of connection, we can use that to make the asset more compliant." She said, thinking out loud. "We might even be able to integrate this into his programming. So we might avoid another instance like this in the future..." Viper smirked, nodding to herself.<br/><hr/><div class="floatright">(https://d1qxviojg2h5lt.cloudfront.net/images/01DSK1CHT8GQP1BE67AJA1VWAE/katdennings570.png)</div>James' laugh was almost comforting in a way. She felt like they were starting to get past that "awkward" phase. Especially now since the gravity of the situation seemed to be hitting them. Well, more so hitting Karina than him.<br/><br/><em>"For starters, we're not gonna apologize for being rightfully freaked out."</em>He told her. She chuckled softly and nodded in agreement.<em>"You've already been through a lot, but uh... you were screaming my name."</em>Karina took a second to process what he just said, and she felt her cheeks flush with heat. Reflexively, she averted her gaze as quickly as she could.<br/><br/><em>I...I did? Oh... Christ, that's embarrassing...</em>She cleared her throat out of nervousness and embarrassment, trying to think of something to say. Or change the subject. Luckily, James was already ahead of her.<br/><br/><em>"Anyhow, so far as what we do from here... We're gonna need to get packed up as best we can here at the safehouse, then swap to one of the off the books cars outside."</em>He said. Karina took a look into the room she was staying. Were there any spare clothes around? She didn't remember seeing anything but a bed, but she was so tired she didn't even remember laying down last night.<em>"From there, we try to find people that can help... Just be patient and remember those same people are likely to shoot first and ask questions later with me."</em>Karina looked down and frowned, staring at her hands. Her bandage needed to be changed, but she'd address that later.<br/><br/>"James... I don't know." She said, sighing softly. "You, of all people, deserve to just be free. From all this." She looked at him and shook her head. "I<em>helped them</em>with...whatever the fuck they did to you. If anything, you should let them find me. Them finding me will get you a head start on a new life. Away from...all of this." Karina appealed to him.<br/><br/>Did she want them to find her? Of course not. But her heart was heavy with guilt. She helped her employers as they tortured and abused this<em>man</em>for<em>years</em>. She had no right to ask for his help. There was absolutely no reason<em>for</em>him to help her.<br/><br/>Yet, here they were...