| DC/Marvel: Age of Infinite Heroes | ||||||||||
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It is all Blade's fault. He got Jean-Phillipe curious, so the man programmed a system to search for Blade, Dhampir, Fury all in the same document. It has been running for over a week now, and as a result was thankfully not located at Headquarters. However, when Jean-Phillipe shows up in his Parisian home (not the one in the mountains with Mother), all hell broke loose. It's still a miracle that Fantomex did not kill first and ask questions later. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact there was one hell of a quake that landed even him on his ass as the building almost collapsed.
So, here he is, sitting on his ass, staring up at some old white guy with a black eye patch, and he isn't the one with swords and guns. No, he is the guy with a S.H.I.E.L.D. symbol on. There is a crew of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents behind him, one carrying a huge ass sniper rifle. And this is how the conversation went:
Fury says, "Seems you been putting your nose where it doesn't belong Fantomex, or should I call you Jean-Phillipe? Branching out from the X-Men now?"
Jean-Phillipe then says, "And who are you?" His blue eyes are narrowed and suspicious.
"You can call me Fury," the man says as he moves to light up a cigar, dawning in the smoke.
"Merde." Needless to say, Jean-Phillipe is far from pleased to meet the person he reminded Blade of.
Meanwhile...
At X-Force Compound, a silvery woman that appears completely nude appears in the room where Blade and Pete Wisdom are spending time. "Mr. Wisdom," the slight computerized sounding feminine voice says. "I am E.V.A. Fantomex requires your presence in Paris right now. It is an emergency, and he requested that I state it is Blade's fault."
Pete Wisdom is before a massive computer interface, with a batch of hard drives, files, and notebooks, and books. His fingers hurt, as he's been copying information down for what feels like days. At least he's remembered to sleep and shave and eat. A steaming cup of tea is nearby him. He looked over at the gloomy Blade, and secretly envied the physical peak that the dhampir embodied. When E.V.A. showed up, he straightened with a start, smoothly transitioning the motion to pick up his cup of tea. "To the hangar then?" he asked, sounding quite proper, British even.
Blade watches the silvery E.V.A. walk in and frowns. He'll never get used to that. When the android claims that whatever Fantomex has gotten himself into was his fault, he frowns deeper. "I doubt that very much, you tin can." He glances over at Pete and grunts. "I'll get geared up. I suppose we should go get the white clad ninja out of the trouble he's gotten himself into. I swear. Man needs a babysitter." He moves out of the room and will be in the hangar in a matter of minutes to join Pete.
E.V.A. nods and then says, "It is closest." She then blinks at Blade, "I am not a tin can, nor do I have an interest in one," she says with great seriousness. But she then heads to the hanger to await the two men. And by await, that means she has transformed into a UFO-like shape, with a door sliding open and stairs appearing. Apparently she is expecting the two to go literally with her as inside her to Paris. This would be the first time the two have seen the aircraft, which inside has two seats, but no pilot seat.
Wisdom gave a low little smirk. "Needs to give me access to his funds if he's going to continue to be this stupid," he quipped. He took a while - too long, one might think - to finish his tea, before leisurely rising and even making sure to put the cup and saucer in the sink, before casually striding to get geared up.
The flight to Paris will take a while, the Frenchman could wait a few more precious minutes.
But when Pete sees E.V.A. has become the aircraft, his jaw drops. "This is some Flight of the Navigator-like bollocks. I would write a complaint to my superior, but I'm the boss. Let me just go on record saying this is sodding ridiculous." But in he went anyway, and got as uncomfortably comfy as one might expect.
Back in Paris...
Fantomex is currently sitting in a chair, looking about moodily at his very ruined place.
Fury himself leans against a wall, patient. He doesn't want to have to repeat himself twice, so he's fine with waiting. He just smokes his cigar without any rush. Other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have spread out to keep a look out and watch, though ironically, Fury has motioned for Agent 50 to remain close to him even though she is obviously a sniper.
Resting one hand along her hip, Agent 50 just keeps her eyes locked on Fantomex. Her fingers trace along the hammer of a heavily modified pistol. Much in the way one might look in an old western, finger curled slightly as if she was no stranger to the draw. The massive rifle of hers was now resting firmly against her side and looked to weigh about 1/3 her own weight.
Blade walks into E.V.A. after grunting about her comment of not being a tin can. Blade doesn't want to argue with a machine, so he just shuts up. Taking a seat, he decides to use his time to make sure his gear is in working order. He checks the guns strapped on his thighs and make sure they won't fail him when the time comes. As far as his reaction to seeing EVA transform, a simple. "Huh." Is all he says, as if it explained an unasked question of his.
Pete Wisdom had the good sense to decide now was a good a time as any for a power nap. A high-speed flight to Paris, and then to get into action. "Bets that he's already dead?" he asked Blade, though, before drifting off.
Fantomex just yawns. He's annoyed and bored, and feels absolutely no threat from Agent 50. He doesn't even bother acknowledging her as if her threat level is just that minimum. He actually dismisses everyone other than Fury, who he keeps an eye on. The man knows he can escape; he already planned out twenty different options. Still, he decides to wait and see what happens instead. After all, he recruited Pete for a reason and this could still turn out to have benefits.
Meanwhile...
E.V.A. takes off, the doors opening up when it senses the motion of her passing form. To the air she takes, and a window soon forms across her front. She rises up higher and higher at high speeds though it is not really felt inside her like normal planes or jets.
Higher and higher, until the stars can be seen with low atmosphere travel. She moves across the world, taking only about an hour to get to France as E.V.A. starts to dive down toward the destination.
While in Paris...
Fantomex finally gives up and gets rid of the chair and goes to sit cross-legged on the floor. His white gloved hands rest on his thighs and he closes his eyes, entering a meditative trance. He sub-consciously keeps track of E.V.A.'s progress, but otherwise blocks everything else out as unimportant. He knows they aren't going to hurt him, Fury wants information foremost.
Blade comments to Pete. "I doubt it. Unless he talked them to death." At this point, he's done cleaning and doing maintenance on his gear and is just sitting quietly with his arms across his chest. He doesn't move much either, apparently content to just...sit.
E.V.A. is soon over Paris, slowing down. She seems to zoom in on her screen picking out some of the 'hidden' S.H.I.E.L.D. lookouts to display them on the screen as she approaches Fantomex's location.
Inside the building, Jean-Phillipe smirks a bit beneath his white mask.
E.V.A. flies on over to the penthouse roof top and soon lands, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent wearing yellow metal wrist bands reveals herself from the shadows. She appears young, barely eighteen perhaps. She will wait till Blade and Wisdom get outside of E.V.A., but before she can speak she has to blink as E.V.A. transforms herself into humanoid shape once more. Quake the nods to the three of you, "This way please," her tone neutral as she turns toward the doorway and the stairs that lead down into the penthouse.
Pete Wisdom stepped casually out of the... E.V.A., the cold French winter making his hair and tie blow about. He looked over his shoulder to make sure Blade accompanied, and he followed, silent. He put his game face on - contemptuous apathy, and slid on his black sunglasses.
Nadia continues to loom behind Fury, finger tracing along the grip of her pistol. Some aspects of an assassin cant be unlearned it would s
Blade steps out of EVA behind Pete. He grumbles under his breath. "S.H.I.E.L.D. Should have known." His expression is stoic and his sunglasses are already in place. He strides along beside Pete, the tail of his trenchoat whipping about in the wind, though he doesn't seem to be bothered in the least from the cold. Following along behind Quake, he uses his acute senses to determine how many agents are about. "I wonder what Fantomex has done to bring Fury into this.." He muses quietly to Pete.
And the first thing Pete and Blade hear when they enter is Fantomex's rich, Parisian accented voice, "You keep rubbing that hard handle girl, and may explode and go bang all over you, making a dreadful mess." The sexuality suggested in that comment is beyond obvious. "I did not realize I made S.H.I.E.L.D. so nervous that they cannot even resist petting their little toys."
Fury has finished off his cigar and puts it out in the sink he is standing by. The place is a mess, as if a quake has hit it. Agent 50 is near him. He smells 'off'. He isn't the real Fury, he's a LDM. "Wisdom, Blade...should have known you would be pulled in on this." He does smell of expensive cigar smoke however, same as Fury. He then looks toward E.V.A., "Interesting." Apparently she was unknown.
E.V.A. moves to stand near Fantomex, her stance casual and she does not appear threatened either. The two seem to glance at each other, and then Jean-Phillipe says in a warmer tone, "Thank you E.V.A." The silvery nude woman merely nods.
As the trio enter, Agent 50 turns her head, eyes dilating slightly as she tightens her grip on her weapon before relaxing ever so slightly. Her thumb toyed along the retention snap at this point but nothing more. She shifted from side to side almost jittery, though it comes and goes.
Looking at Fury, Wisdom reached into his coat pocket to produce his e-cig. Fucking cigar smoke. Fucking Fury. "You didn't know? I'm impressed," he quipped back. "So, what's the situation? Should we leave the masked fellow in your custody, or is there a good reason for us to take him back to the nursery?"
Blade growls under his breath. "Fury. Or rather something that looks like Fury." He snorts. "Too busy to come visit in person. Typical." Blade is one to get down to the point. "What did he Fantomex do, and it is serious enough for all of the people you have hiding around here?" He idly taps his nose. "I agree with Wisdom. Let us take him off your hands and we'll make sure whatever he did doesn't happen again." He turns his head towards Fantomex and shakes it slightly.
Fury snorts at Blade, "I'm sure you would be delighted." And as for the nursery comment? "You can take him back, we don't want to keep him, that's for sure."
Fantomex rolls his own eyes, and moves to stand smoothly. He starts to stretch, still fully armed as his weapons weren't even taken from him.
"And we know enough Wisdom. We know Fantomex has a partner now that he has been working with to steal. We know he fixed up an old Brotherhood hideout from back when Magento was still in charge. And we know he started a new team that is likely to break countless international laws and regulations. Not only that, but he was making some interesting automated searches through the net and a number of private government services." His one good eye narrows at Blade. "And we know who to blame about that one."
Nadia glares at Fantomex as she takes a step back. Her left hand guiding the rifle behind her ever so slightly, just in case she needed to move quickly. She didnt look pleased, though Nadia, Agent 50 never looked pleased on the job.
Pete Wisdom furrowed his brow. He didn't want to take responsibility for Fantomex. He wonders if he'd rather deal with Taskmaster instead. Then Fury started talking. "You say you know 'enough,' but what have you really learned?" he asked, taunting the LMD of Fury. The best part of the spy game is when you get to keep secrets from THE spy.
Blade smirks showing a bit of fang. "Aw, Fury. He was just curious because I told him that he reminds me of you. Which means I respect him enough to not kill him outright. You should be flattered." He looks over at Nadia who's still fingering her rifle. He stops himself from laughing because she was trying so hard to look menacing. A look he had down from years of practice. "Relax kid."
"I think I'm actually insulted," Fury replies back to Blade with seeming indifference which goes against the word selection. "If you don't want S.H.I.E.L.D. involved, you shouldn't put up red flags."
Fantomex actually chuckles, "Shame on moi. And she's a jumpy little rabbit, very different from Black Widow, isn't she?"
"There is a difference between someone of Black Widow's rank, and Agent 50, but she has blown the brains away on a moving target at max sniper range before." Basically, all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are scary, in Fury's eyes. He then goes to light another cigar, the smoke rising from it as he waves it toward Pete, "Does that shit really work? Help you quit?" He doesn't sound like he believes it. "In either case, we are going to monitor you."
Fantomex's response? "Baisez pas." For those that don't know French, it translates to: 'Fuck no.' His expression is dead serious, and the obvious distrust there. Pete is going to have to step in on this one.
Nadia just glares at Fantomex "You are not seeing jumpy." she says begrudgingly "You are have seeing nothing yet." she sounded irritated. Casting a look to Fury she waited for further orders.
Pete Wisdom shook his head, and he looked Fury dead in the eye. "No you're not." He took a step forward. Oh, holy crap. "You're going to do us one better. To make sure your diapers don't need changing late into the night, old man. Less spies. You're going to give us one of yours. And they can write reports on our dietary and sleep habits, and try to get through our security and fail. They will accompany us on missions, and will be your little mole; but we'll know. For all I know you're already sifting through files elsewhere, Mr. Life Model Decoy of a Man Too Old to Show Up and Get Shit Done Himself." Ouch. "The only form of monitoring you'll get is from someone with the stones, and who isn't too busy, to work alongside us, and be beholden to *me.*" Yes, he just said that.All of that. With his dark blues looking right into Fakey-Fury's single eye.
Blade casually reaches up to slide his sunglasses off. He looks at Fury with his inhuman eyes. "You assign someone to work with us. Because I will detect any agent you send before they get within a mile of us. And you know already know how I feel about being...monitored." There was a double meaning in there somewhere, but Blade doesn't go into detail about it. "We are going to raise a hell of a lot of flags. And S.H.E.I.L.D. will not attempt to keep us under it's thumb. This is one time you're going to have to accept that there is something going on that you won't have control of."
Fury actually smirks at Pete's words, as if that is what he wanted the man to say. "Exactly what I thought would be the much better option." Buuuurn! Still, that smirk fades at Blade's words, "You once again have our apologizes, we had incorrect information and made wrong assumptions."
Fantomex still doesn't appear pleased, but he can at least control the information they would have access to, and keep spies on the spy. He doesn't like it though, not at all. He again doesn't look at Agent 50, seeing this whatever you may call it Fury the real risk.
Another drag on his cigar, and Fury blows the smoke out slowly, "Agent 50." He pauses a moment as he giving her a chance to acknowledge him if she wishes before continuing. He motions her toward Wisdom and Blade. "She has the ability to translate intel, handle basic espionage, provide cover fire and transport. She also has room to grow where she can learn a lot from you old timers."
Fantomex makes a snorting sound, "She's a child, and would hold us back."
Fury responds simply back, "Agent 50, what do you have to say to that?" The girl is going to need to hold her own on that team without his back-up, may as well give her the opportunity to prove she can up front.
Agent 50 looks over to Fury for a moment before simply nodding solemnly. Then as she turns to Fantomex and company she says "I has not being child since I was very little. I am best marksman you will ever be meeting." she sounded cold and confident as she spoke, the girls dark past ringing in her voice. She turned to look Blade over again, "And if you are thinking I holding you back, consider what this is be saying about your ability to lead."
"I'm glad the idea came to you after I suggested it," Wisdom shot right back at Fury's hoop. He gave a cursory glance to Agent 50. As Fantomex complained, Wisdom smiled. "She's perfect." Young, but capable, and good at cover fire? She's likely more trustworthy than Fantomex. And hearing the girl's English makes him smirk. "You're looking at the wrong bloke, Agent 50. Blade started young, too... so the rumors say."
Blade states. "I was ten years old." However, what he doesn't say is how long ago it was that he was that age. He grunts as he places his sunglasses back on his eyes. "I hope you're right about this, Wisdom. Babysitting isn't in my job description." He moves to stand right in front of Nadia, he looks her up and down. "She's got potential. I suppose she'll do." He looks her in the eyes. "Pull your weight or I'll dump you like yesterday's garbage." He then turns away from her and looks directly at Fantomex. "This is your fault Frenchman."
Fantomex snorts, "I don't lead, I con. I recruited Wisdom for the leading part." His gaze is cold as he finally really looks at Agent 50. Then back at Wisdom, "Seriously?" He thinks Wisdom is smoking the crack this time! He then points toward Blade, "/Your/ fault! Why would you drop an information tidbit to a thief, and not expect them to look into it?" He then scowls beneath his mask, but then he looks deadly serious at Agent 50. "Just because you start young doesn't mean anything, I've seen it enough times, the emotional trauma and warped physiology of child soldiers and assassins. You get in the way, I'll kill you myself."
Fantomex then starts to move with E.V.A. to take his leave toward the roof, but he does pause by Pete and Blade. He informs this toward Fury, "Have her ready in two days, and send her to Superior Freight Inc to check in. I don't promise you will ever get her back in working order. The world she's about to enter, will make S.H.I.E.L.D. look like child's play. And you let /anything/ get out about what we are up to, and you will not only wipe us out, but an entire race of people. I hope you can sleep well knowing the risk you put on us." Fantomex then keeps walking.
Fury snorts at those words. He has been in the spy game long enough to know what Fantomex means, that there is something bigger in the picture, and something he hints at that is bigger than S.H.I.E.L.D. Well, two can play at that. Fury isn't letting this half-cocked team off on their own.
Nadia glares at Fantomex as he makes his nasty remarks. "Some of us are being confident in ourselves." she snarks, but as he makes the threat to kill her him self she steps closer. "You'll try." was all she had to say before looking to Fury with an expression of 'What the hell'
Wisdom laughed. He outright laughed. "If babysitting wasn't in our job description, why did we come for Fantomex?" Another burn. Pete's on top tonight. As the Frenchman gives his threats, outbursts, and finally leaves, he sighed. "Don't listen to him; he likes his deluded fantasies of self-importance. Makes him dangerous." At least he's got a good poker face; inside, he's seething that Fantomex has already told Fury too much.
Blade actually rolls his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Fantomex, you have no semblance of discipline or self control. And you talk too much." He simply shrugs at Pete. "Figured if we left him with Fury then he'd eventually tell him what kind of underwear I have on." He is joking...yes, Blade told a joke. Prepare for Armageddon. However, seeing as EVA is the one that brought him, he turns to leave as well so he can ride back. He does comment to Nadia. "You're walking into something that your S.H.E.I.L.D. training has not prepared you for, little one. Less attitude..more listening. You'll live longer."
As Nadia moves to step closer, then is suddenly a red bead on her that is coming through a window. Fantomex doesn't stop with Nadia's action, even ignores Wisdom's, but Blade does cause him to pause at the stairs leading to the roof. He looks toward Blade. "I have as much self-control and discipline as you Blade, and we shall see in time which of us has more by seeing which one snaps first." But then Jean-Phillipe smirks beneath his mask, "Sadly, my response must be, what undergarments?" He then starts to move up the steps with E.V.A. behind him.
Nadia's movements freeze almost mechanically as the red bead hits her. Her eyes dilating visibly until nothing but black eyes are seen. With the enhanced perception of the world around her the girl would pause ever so briefly, perhaps a single flutter of a hummingbirds wings to look for a threat before darting back ever so slightly looking out the window, fist tightening around the suppressor on her rifle.
Pete Wisdom 's hand shot out, fingers splayed, and a lattice of glowing orange light formed into a solid plate at his hand, shielding Nadia, that red dot shimmering from the wavy heat that came from that hot plate. "Fantomex, you needlessly threaten someone else again, and I will melt your mask." She may not be a child by her standards, but she's a greenhorn, and deserves better treatment than this. "Go into your silver cage and wait for me."
Blade grumbles. "That's what I mean. Talk too much." When the red dot appears on Nadia, Blade tenses, his body ready for action. However, when Pete comments about Fantomex messing with her, he chuckles under his breath. That was why he liked the Frenchman. At any rate, he pauses in the doorway. "Ah, it's an empty threat, Wisdom. He's proving a point to the rookiee, that's all. She was getting too big for her britches." He pauses. "She's a Fury clone. Remind me why she deserves better treatment?" This is coming from a man that already had a low opinion of the human race as it was and genuinely didn't care if there really was a sniper bullet or not. Though he was ready to save her anyways because...well...he had nothing else better to do.
Fantomex pauses to look at Pete, "Needlessly?" But Blade gets it, and Fantomex actually laughs, before the door opens up and he exits onto the roof.
"If the round is chambered, Blade, there's nothing empty about the threat," Wisdom shot back at Blade, coldly. "She's not Fury, Fantomex, Fin-Fang Foom or a vampire; that's why she deserves better treatment." He shook his hand, the hot-plate fading, as he stalked back to E.V.A. afterward.
Blade shrugs at Pete. "If I put a gun to her head with a bullet in the chamber but have no intention of shooting her. It's an empty threat." He admits. "But I never do that." Because he means to shoot ninety-nine percent of the time. He looks at Pete again. "Teaching at that school has changed you. Are you sure you're up for this?" That was about as close as concerned as he gets.
Fury presses his mouth into a thin line. He really did just Agent 50 into a viper's nest, but he needs someone on the inside. He will just have to inform her to watch and listen, and that actions will speak louder than words. And don't turn her back, on anyway. In the meantime, once the team leaps, he will tell Agent 50 exactly what he was thinking earlier and, "Find out how he did that too. Find out everything you can about Fantomex and Lady Fantomex, and where they came from." Which according to S.H.I.E.L.D. records was magically from the air. "Let's get out of here, you will have lots of briefing to go through next two days."
Nadia's patience had been tried, and her nerves frayed. The girl finally draws her self inwards and exhales slowly as she listens to Fury. Nodding silently she follows "Aye, yes Sir. But I am thinking, why are you to be trusting a madman like zat? Is it not better to simply doing your own thing?" she couldn't understand what Fury saw in trusting Fantomex.
"I don't trust him kid," the LDM Fury says. "But we need to learn more before we do anything about it. He opened a whole can of worms with the X-Men and the Prime Sentinels, he knew things he had no business knowing during that investigation. Even Charles doesn't know where he gets his intel on. I don't feel like getting into a war with an unknown factor, we have more important battles to dedicate our manpower on. This will require sharp wits Agent 50. Keep on your toes, or you will end up dead on this mission. I can't spare the Special Officers for this though, and as a mutant, you are going to have the best chance to get 'in'. Use whatever you have to as your arsenal, but get the intel." S.H.I.E.L.D. then moves out.