Solomon had a very clear understanding of himself, and calling himself a hypocrite wasn't unfounded. At the end of the day, the two main reasons he planned to launch a war against the Inhumans were simple.
First, the Inhumans' genetic science was highly advanced. It could fill the gaps in Wakanda's vibranium-centered scientific system and significantly accelerate the progress of biological research labs. Second, there was the matter of deep-seated distrust toward the Inhumans—a distrust that could never be bridged. Black Bolt might stand on humanity's side, but his subjects didn't necessarily follow suit. Many of the Inhumans in Attilan yearned for Kree rule. Black Bolt's own brother had once traded with Kree spies and then fled Attilan.
A group of highly genetically mutated beings who waver in loyalty and see themselves as superior to humans—no matter who you are, that's a security risk. And so, Solomon intended to launch a war of conquest to force the Inhumans to pick a side: retain their loyalty to humanity and survive, or long for the Kree and die. No third option. It was a binary choice—a tyrant's choice, a warlord's choice—and Solomon was fully self-aware. He believed both titles applied to him. Even if the Inhumans surrendered, Solomon would never allow them to leave the Moon. They would be confined to the dark side, interbreeding until extinction, their last drop of blood spilled for humanity's manifest destiny of galactic conquest.
He knew he was a hypocrite and accepted that he would pay a terrible price for it. But for the future he had foreseen, he was willing to risk everything.
Before that could happen, however, he needed to convince Shuri to collaborate with the Fifth Demon Pillar to develop and improve equipment suitable for low-gravity combat. Current armored units were not suited for low-gravity, vacuum environments—unless the Eternal City found a way to directly deploy them into Attilan, where artificial atmosphere and gravity could support combat operations. But Solomon didn't want his only siege tactic to be constrained like that. To adapt to the environmental differences they would soon face, the construction of anti-gravity armored units had to become a priority.
Whether you call it deception or omission, Solomon did not tell Shuri everything about the Inhumans. What he showed her was only one facet. Attilan was a kingdom ruled by an authoritarian monarchy and a caste system. Regardless of the usefulness of an Inhuman's ability, their role in society was permanently dictated by their caste—the most noble castes being the Genetic Council and scientists. Other roles, like workers and farmers, were forever tied to bloodlines. But these high-caste Inhumans were precisely Solomon's targets. Their social status granted them early exposure to high concentrations of Terrigen Mist (even their high-caste pet dogs were exposed), while commoners had far fewer chances to mutate. Combined with Attilan's closed society and severe inbreeding, many genetic mutations were passed down over generations.
High-caste Inhumans had highly mutated genes—so much so that most had lost all semblance of human form. As Solomon had shown Shuri, many of them had appearances so grotesque they went beyond what even Kree genetic tampering could cause. But that was all Solomon revealed. He didn't tell her that he had been conducting a slow genetic screening for Kree DNA through the World Vaccine Organization and had begun researching how to eliminate those mutated genes. Now that Dr. Whitehall existed only as a brain, he had provided technical support, and Solomon had taken over part of the eugenics program, continuing the parts that were useful.
Not everything from Hydra was trash—strip away the personal ambition, and what remained could still benefit human society. After all, one of Hydra's goals had always been to unite all of humanity under a single regime and end division once and for all. As for who should lead that regime, Hydra's conservative and youthful factions had always been at odds.
Training, weapons modification, counterintelligence, war preparation—these were the Eternal City's main priorities for the foreseeable future.
According to the plan, Ruby was brought before Solomon by Stephanie. However, she didn't speak with Solomon directly. Stephanie merely led her on a superficial tour of the Ministry of the Interior, letting her appear briefly in his presence before claiming that her new position would allow her to see him often. As part of the strategy to control General Hale, this "ruby" was undeniably important. Stephanie would do everything in her power to turn her into a true Hydra operative—a full member of the Eternal City.
"Loyalty is the trait our Lord values most," Stephanie told her as they left the office and entered a heavily guarded corridor. Under the watchful eyes of automated gun turrets and surveillance equipment, she said to Ruby, "You will become one of us. But unfortunately, your mother doesn't meet our Lord's standards. He sees greater promise in you than in her—he believes your potential is even more valuable than the power General Hale currently holds." She continued, "Only the loyal may stand beside our Lord. And loyalty is precisely what General Hale lacks the most."
Having spent her entire life in Hydra's youth training camps and raised as an experimental subject, Ruby had no idea how sinister people could truly be. Her life had consisted only of study and training—until Solomon took her on a few unprotected extreme sports outings, giving her a thrill she'd never known before. That feeling was intoxicating, especially for a teenage girl.
"What do I need to do?" Ruby asked without hesitation.
"Our Lord often says you're like the ruby on his armor. He believes you'll make the right choice. I know how you'll choose too. But our Lord doesn't want you to dig too deeply into the truth right away, because…"
"Tell me!" Ruby snapped, annoyed. "I know what I'm doing!"
"I'm just a little worried. You're excellent, yes—but you've never had formal training in this area."
"I'm perfect," Ruby said defiantly. "I know where I come from, Stephanie. I'm Hydra too."
"In that case, don't disappoint our Lord. No one wants to lose his favor, Ruby. He only favors those who have value." Stephanie deliberately showed a worried expression, which in turn stirred anxiety in Ruby. She used fear to manipulate Ruby into following the plan she had crafted. Ruby would tell General Hale only that Stephanie spoke with her casually in the White House's presidential advisory office—nothing too serious. In reality, Stephanie had used the pretense of giving Ruby more "work experience" to request her involvement in military projects. General Hale would never suspect her own daughter of being a spy—that was her greatest blind spot. She never truly understood what her daughter wanted.
"If General Hale betrays us…"
Stephanie answered without hesitation, "Ruby will sever her head to prove her loyalty to you, my Lord. She's desperate to prove herself."
Solomon merely shook his head. "This may be redundant, but I want you to prepare a backup plan. Putting the success of a plan on an uncertain factor only leads to failure. If Ruby fails to obey…"
"Obedience is rewarded—that's Hydra's creed. Ruby knows she'll be given the reward she dreams of if she follows orders."
"I think I'd rather not know what you promised her," the sorcerer said, his face darkening. "If she completes her mission, I want her to be paid. We never withhold compensation, Stephanie—that's what sets us apart from Hydra. We even provide insurance for our employees!"
"But the beneficiaries are our agents! At least that's true for the overworked clerks in the Ministry of the Interior."
(End of Chapter)
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