Tyrone followed the mysterious man from a large distance, just incase the man could somehow sense him.
The man moved efficiently once he was certain he wasn't being watched, posture loosening just enough to tell Tyrone this wasn't his first surveillance job. He didn't take a direct route.
He doubled back once, cut through a service road, switched vehicles in an underground garage, then took to a private road that didn't appear on civilian GPS maps, most likely reserved for Billionaires and High-ranking politicians.
Tyrone stayed with him through shadow and space alike, teleporting in short, careful hops, never close enough to be noticed but never far enough to lose the trail.
Tyrone followed all the way until National City lights disappeared behind hills and private roads guarded by biometric checkpoints.
Tyrone could see cameras sweeping the area, not having any blindspots. Tyrone just sunk into the darkness, completely invisible to the cameras as he saw a compound appear in front.
Miles of manicured land rose up behind a layered security perimeter, high stone walls laced with subtle energy fields, drones drifting lazily overhead like metal insects pretending to be stars.
It was clearly Roxxon property.
The man passed through security with ease, using Facial Recognition and DNA Confirmation. Tyrone ghosted in moments later, clinging to the underside of the compound's shadow like a living absence.
Inside, the man was escorted into a private chamber where Taylor Romanova was waiting. She didn't turn when the man entered.
"Report," she said calmly.
The man stopped a respectful distance away and straightened. "I monitored the residence for several hours, nothing seems unusual,"
Taylor finally turned, one brow lifting slightly, "They're clean?" she asked.
"As far as civilian lives go," he replied, "Just regular teenagers, I scanned the house and nothing came up either,"
"Tsk, I was enjoying quite the week until I saw that stupid girl," Taylor said, taking a swing of wine as her expression turned annoyed and vindictive.
"And Cloak and Dagger? You've been investigating them for quite a while, anything new?" she asked.
The man hesitated, "Nothing. The sensor I sent out senses none of Cloak & Dagger's energy in the house, so it most likely isn't them,"
Taylor exhaled slowly through her nose and turned back toward the window, gazing out at the estate like a queen surveying conquered land.
"So they really are nothing," she murmured, "That's almost disappointing. If anything popped up I could've done something,"
The man waited, "Orders?"
"No," Taylor said, "Leave them alone."
The man blinked, "Ma'am?"
"They're irrelevant, for now," she said smoothly, "We have more important things to put resources into, remember,"
There was a pause. Then, cautiously, "Why not recruit them? Or, " he stopped himself, choosing his words carefully, "utilize them."
Taylor's smile was thin and sharp,"Oh, I have plans for them," she said softly, "Just not the ones you're imagining."
That sent a cold ripple through Tyrone's chest.
"They're… personal," she continued, "And timing matters."
The man nodded once, "Understood."
She turned fully to face him now. "Our focus remains the same. We need more viable subjects. You know how they're acting, they're bugging me for more,"
"Yes, ma'am." the man responded.
"Compatible physiology. High resilience. Preferably disposable backgrounds." Her tone was clinical, detached. "They want results, not excuses."
The man hesitated again, "About that. They've also requested more intelligence on the vigilantes."
Taylor's eyes sharpened, "Cloak and Dagger."
"Yes. They've analyzed their powers and see Cloak especially as a useful tool if his powers can be controlled," The man said.
She walked past him, heels clicking softly against polished stone, "Then redirect your attention there. I want everything, if Cloak can speed up their plans, then we need him under our control immediately,"
Taylor stopped near the floor-to-ceiling window, the cityless horizon stretching endlessly beyond the estate grounds. For a moment, she said nothing, fingers resting lightly against the glass as if she were feeling the world beneath it.
Then she smiled and said, "If Cloak really is as… adaptable as they believe," she said calmly, "then brute force would be wasteful. We don't waste assets. We need him whole after all,"
The man shifted his weight subtly, "And if he resists?"
Taylor turned her head just enough for her reflection to meet his in the glass, "Then," she said softly, "we escalate obviously,"
She straightened, the decision clearly made.
"When the time is right, I'll call them in," Taylor continued, "They have their own specialists to handle and recruit or control MetaHumans."
A pause.
"And the girl?" the man asked carefully.
Taylor's eyes narrowed for half a second, "She's leverage," she replied, "Her powers are useful as well, so they can be exploited. But if we need to kill her to get to Cloak, then do it, she is disposable to their plans,"
Her fingers curled faintly, as if gripping something invisible.
"Once Cloak is secured, everything accelerates. Their research. Their expansion. Their… ambitions." She finally turned fully, facing him now, "And when that happens, Roxxon won't just be untouchable."
Her voice dropped, reverent and ruthless.
"We'll be inevitable."
The man inclined his head, "Understood. I'll shift focus entirely to Cloak and Dagger."
"Good," Taylor said. "You're dismissed."
He turned and left without another word, the doors sliding shut behind him with a quiet hiss.
For several seconds after, Taylor Romanova remained where she was, staring out at the darkness beyond her estate, already seeing a future shaped by her will.
Far above, folded into a seam of shadow that clung to the ceiling like a living stain, Tyrone finally moved.
The DarkForce recoiled silently, drawing him back into nothingness as his presence unraveled. He left no trace as he left the compound, thinking about who 'they' are, and what he should do to take down Roxxon.
He travelled through the City, melting through the Darkness as he headed back home. He immediately headed down to the Center of Operations, writing down everything he heard and thinking about his future plans.
With all of this, atop an empty page, he wrote down a simple sentence.
Operation - Roxxon Down!