open post/overflow;; i really think i'm invaluable.

[helmut]

Comments

[helmut]

[ well. now that' an unusual text to accidentally receive from an unknown number. zemo's brows raise.

who else would be talking so openly about the avengers in this way? his thumbs hover before tapping out a reply. ]

I don't suppose you would like to tell me who you are before issuing such a reminder?

[mysterioisthetruth]

What? Don't play games with me.

[He thinks he's talking to one of his crew.]

[helmut]

[ so much to glean from so few words.

impatience. a dominating personality. arrogance, probably. but a grand vision zemo would share if he knew who he shared it with. ]

I would be bold to play games with a stranger. Especially one who shares my ideals.

[mysterioisthetruth]

[Okay, something was wrong. He doesn't think any of his crew would be unwise enough to push it and mess with him like this. Did his signals get mixed somewhere?]

Who is this?

[helmut]

Someone who has also made an enemy of Tony Stark. I expect he doesn’t know about you in the same way he doesn’t know about me.

[mysterioisthetruth]

Oh, he knows me. He just doesn't know what I'm capable of. He takes a lot of people for granted. He overlooked and belittled my genius.

Not that he really matters any more since he's dead.

But his memory is persistent. People should not praise such an arrogant, self-centered man as a hero.

[Pot. Kettle. But Beck thinks he's better than Tony and deserves more.]

He needs to be knocked off that pedestal. He needs to fade away. Be forgotten.

[helmut]

[ ah, there it is. the explanation, verbose and arrogant. resentful, scalding.

an interesting turn of events. ]

You have quite the goal set up for yourself. Much harder to take a man's reputation down when he is already dead. They're shielded by nostalgia and hindsight. What will you do to achieve this?

[mysterioisthetruth]

Do you honestly think I'm going to tell a complete stranger?

[helmut]

No. Detailing your ill intentions to a complete stranger was more than enough.

[mysterioisthetruth]

What did you mean that you share my ideals?

[Going to sidestep the subject for the moment while he gathers his thoughts.]

[helmut]

Some men have built empires on unstable foundations. I would like to see what happens when one challenges those foundations. It sounds as though you have thought a lot about this.

[mysterioisthetruth]

For many, many years.

[helmut]

Tony Stark took something from you, didn't he?

[mysterioisthetruth]

He took a lot of things.

[helmut]

Turning loss into motivation is all I knew what to do as well. I admire that.

[mysterioisthetruth]

[Of course Beck's losses were more professional than personal but he's as bitter about it. He's also turned them into much worse slights in his own twisted thoughts.]

Have you done something about it?

[helmut]

Yes. I made a promise. I took the one thing that mattered most: trust.

[mysterioisthetruth]

And how exactly did you do that?

[helmut]

Slowly, with a meticulously elaborate plan. I created doubt among friends. Sowed betrayal among the loyal. Once they distrusted one another, the work is done for me.

Not so easy to do that while your enemy is already six feet under.

Sorry for delay!

[mysterioisthetruth]

When they're gone, what you have is ruining their reputation and proving yourself to be the superior option.

it's all good!

[helmut]

And do you have a way to do this? Men are lionised and mythologised in death.

[mysterioisthetruth]

Oh, they definitely have done that.

Saviour of the world Iron Man. The greatest hero Tony Stark. They've been building shrines all over the world for him. You can't get away from his image. It's ridiculous.

People don't want to hear the truth about him so I have to completely overshadow him.

[helmut]

If you work too quickly to expose Stark's mistakes, people might feel sympathetic. You must play the long game. Build your case. From there you can step into the void left by his presence.

[mysterioisthetruth]

That, I've already done. The world now knows I'm the greatest hero.

[helmut]

[ good thing the sender can't feel the amusement radiating through the phone. ]

Certainly. Now you need only make your name as well known as Tony Stark. Make it synonymous with greatness.