Chapter 2: Obelisk
"Who are you? I don't know any Whitehall; you've got the wrong person," he said, wearing a sleek suit and big-framed glasses, exuding an air of success. Despite Sitwell's administrative role, he was still an agent, and without hesitation, he rejected Daisy without hesitation.
Daisy had already anticipated this response. She recited the information as if reading from a dossier, "In 1945, in Austria, after Mr. Whitehall's arrest, the Obelisk, which he had been studying his whole life, fell into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands. Mr. Whitehall needs you to use your clearance to retrieve the Obelisk from the classified vault in S.H.I.E.L.D."
Inside the Obelisk is the Terrigen Crystal, but it can only be opened in a specific place. Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D., unaware of the truth, researched it for fifty years but gained no results. Now, it's been completely shelved.
"The Obelisk?" Sitwell had no knowledge of this object, but he had confirmed the caller's identity. The caller was a member of Hydra, and even if his estimation was incorrect, the person had some connection to Whitehall.
"Consider it a favour owed by Mr. Whitehall. I'll call you back later. Hail Hydra!" After saying that, Daisy hung up the phone and quickly cleared any traces of her online activity.
Sitwell instinctively stood upright and lightly replied, "Hail Hydra." After he spoke, he realised that the other person had already hung up the phone.
As an Indian-origin person who could simultaneously work as a mid-level cadre for both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, he did not lack insight and intelligence.
Among the loyal Hydra members who would rather take poison if caught, he was a rare exception. In the original timeline, he was once threatened by Captain America, and he spilled every secret without hesitation, with no regard for integrity. His morality value was frighteningly low.
Unlike the high-ranking Hydra members who wants to conquer the world, the mid-level agents dissatisfied with their political status, or the brainwashed and deceived low-ranking members, he was different. Daisy had deduced from her analysis that he was a coward who valued his life and had a severe opportunistic mindset.
Hydra's internal factions are complex. Sitwell belongs to Alexander Pierce's faction, the direct line of the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director. They are different from the faction led by Whitehall, whom Daisy mentioned earlier.
As a subordinate of a high-ranking figure, he must have a sense of crisis, especially considering his secret identity. Being a clever person, he wouldn't easily change sides, but having an additional route is still essential for him.
Over the next few days, Daisy continued to secretly monitor and track his phone signal, roughly delineating his movements. Through traces left online, she deduced that he was indeed searching for the Obelisk.
As for whether he would inform his boss, the former director Pierce. Daisy estimated that there was a 70% chance he wouldn't.
In the end, when the bosses directly communicated and resolved the issue, any favours would become theirs, and it had nothing to do with him. Getting involved in such matters would be foolish no matter how you looked at it.
As a somewhat unqualified double agent, he also harbours ambitions.
Daisy's roommate, Angela, a black woman, feels that she has been acting strangely lately. Today, she noticed that Daisy quickly ran out as if she'd seen something.
Three minutes ago, Daisy observed Sitwell's phone signal leaving some shielded area. She had a feeling, a woman's intuition, that he had made progress or achieved something.
Avoiding her roommate and ensuring she was discreet, Daisy dialled the other person's number.
"That was quick, Agent Sitwell." She complimented.
Unfortunately, I couldn't witness it live this time, but I could sense pride in his tone. He sounded somewhat prideful as he said, "Accessing the Obelisk's records requires level ten clearance."
Daisy sneered, "If it weren't for your level ten clearance, why would I bother contacting you?" The other person had already assumed her identity as a member of Hydra, and this was clearly an attempt to take credit.
Raising her tone was essential since Hydra does not value gentleness and humility. Being too soft-spoken can instead arouse suspicions.
"This task isn't difficult; there are hundreds of similarly unknown and purposeless items. Borrowing Minister Pierce's clearance should be an easy task for you!"
Unexpectedly hearing the name "Pierce" from her mouth, Sitwell became even more certain of her identity. She might be a quasi-high-ranking figure. His tone instantly became somewhat unctuous.
"Yes, sir. How should I hand over the Obelisk to you? Do I have the honour of meeting Mr. Whitehall?"
"Hehe," Daisy let out a sinister laugh through the voice changer, then switched to a formal address, "Jasper Sitwell, do you really want to meet Mr. Whitehall?"
In order to deepen the impression on the other person, she continued, "You have researched the history of the Obelisk, haven't you? Do you know what happened to those who came into contact with it? How many S.H.I.E.L.D. researchers turned into stone because of it?" After a pause, she asked in a questioning tone, "Are you still sure you want to bring the Obelisk to meet Mr. Whitehall? You should be aware that after being imprisoned for so many years, Mr. Whitehall's emotions have always been quite unstable..."
Her words were covered up, leaving plenty of blanks for the other person to fill in with their imagination.
He immediately thought of the scene where Whitehall would want him to try to pick up the Obelisk, viewing his subordinates merely as tools, which was a typical Hydra approach and not something new. Many people had tried to pick up this unknown piece of metal, and without exception, they turned into stone. Sitwell didn't believe he would be an exception.
Between his life and glory, he automatically chooses his life.
At the same time, he imagined that the person on the other end of the phone would try to take credit for his achievements in this matter and might not even mention him in front of Whitehall.
Devious and cunning enough, it's very Hydra-like.
Having seen through the other person's intentions, his tone became less respectful. "The credit will all be yours. What do I gain from this event?"
"Assurance of safety, steady promotion, and a crucial escape route during critical moments. Do you really think that only Minister Pierce's faction exists within S.H.I.E.L.D.? You should know that S.H.I.E.L.D. is an important asset for Hydra,"
Anyway, Daisy remembers that he has a few years left to live, so empty promises were easy to make.
She continued to confuse him, "We can mobilise some resources to help you get promoted. Having two legs to walk on is much steadier, you know."
Driven by his fear of death and desire for recognition, the glory-loving guy eventually accepts the proposition.
The call ended quickly, and Daisy instructed the other person to place the item in the designated trash can. After the person left, she hired a homeless person to retrieve the item.
In the alley, Daisy swiftly knocked out the homeless person with her self-defence electric shocker, wearing her hood to conceal her identity. She quickly glanced at the long rectangular metal box with the label "S.S.R.084" on its cover.
Not knowing if there was a tracker on the box, she put on gloves and pried it open.
Inside the box was a metal obelisk, around thirty centimeters tall. From a distance, it resembled the Cup of Hercules.
With limited time to spare, she used pliers to grab the obelisk and put it into her backpack. Afterward, she rushed into a chemical factory and threw the metal box into a sulfuric acid tank.
No matter how brillant the agents are, they won't find the box.
As for the Obelisk, there's no need to worry either. This technology, inherited from the Kree, has the ability to disable electronic devices and turn non-Inhuman intelligent life into stone. With Earth's current technology level, it's impossible to install a tracker on it.
Taking advantage of the cover of the night, Daisy cleared the nearby surveillance cameras that might have captured her. Then, she stooped a taxi and left the scene.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone