...
"No Joshua, you can't divide with zero. When you divide by zero it equals zero." Marie tried explaining to the young boy that sat and stared at her like she was speaking Chinese to him. This was the last class of the day and Marie felt both anxious and excited. She couldn't wait for the dinner she had later with Steve and Logan. It had been on her mind ever since she started class this morning. She prayed that everything would go down without a hitch, and that Steve and Logan would become close friends. Mostly because she liked the older man but also because it would help her with finishing her assessment of him.
The small boy, Joshua no older than six, looked put out. "Ms Rogue! Ms Rogue!" A young girl with brown hair and pigtails said excited as she raised her hand. "I think Josh means one! The number one! The answer is one!" Marie smiled at the eager and excited girl who Joshua pouted at, but then he nodded. "Yeah I did Ms Rogue, what Penny said." Marie laughed. "I guess I must have misheard Joshua, I apologize." She joked while the children thought her serious. "I think I need to get my ears cleaned more thoroughly." "It's okay Ms Rogue." The boy said while looking at her seriously. "He's so adorable!" She thought happily. "We all make mistakes." Marie couldn't hold back the amused snort that escaped her, but luckily it was drowned out by the sound of the last bell of the day and the trampling hordes of children of various ages in the hallways.
"Alright!" She yelled out amongst the excited chatter inside her classroom "I want ya'll t' finish page twenty-two 'till Thursday!" She sighed and knew it was losing battle raising her voice as the children laughed and yelled and ran out the door in a hurry.
Marie tried cleaning up the classroom from the littering papers and pencils when she heard someone clearing their voice behind her. She turned and saw Logan looking awkwardly at her. "Aww… He's nervous." She thought sweetly, while fighting the urge she had to pat him on the head like she would a child. "You ready?" She asked while smiling brightly at him. "It's now or never." She thought shaking off her worry. "Sure. I'm driving." He said nonchalant and Marie could tell he was trying to play it cool. "Hell no. I'm sure your masculinity can survive a quick drive with me behind the wheel. Trust me, you won't lose your man-card." She told him while narrowing her eyes at him. Logan growled annoyed but followed her out to the garage anyways.
Marie was patiently waiting in the long line on the freeway humming along to the radio, while Logan was growling more and more at the never ending line in front of them. "I thought you said it was a quick ride." He growled at Marie. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. "Yeah, it usually only takes a hour. I don't know what's with the hold up." Logan took a deep breath. "An hour is a short ride to you? Where do you even live?" He asked her impatiently as the man driving the massive truck that was parked behind them started honking at them… Again. He'd been going at like crazy the last twenty minutes. Logan turned and sent the man a death glare, though it did nothing when it met the toned back window of the car.
"Brooklyn. It's where Steve's from. He feels at home there." Marie told him while drumming lightly on the steering wheel to the tune of the song that played from the radio. The song was interrupted by the local traffic news. "The accident on I-678 N has been cleared, and we're expecting traffic to slowly lighten up the next half hour. So if you're driving on the I-678 N we urge you to drive safely and responsibly. This was today's traffic reports brought to you by WCTR, have a great day."
"Finally." Logan commented. Behind them the man in truck honked at them again. Though this time he held his hand down, keeping the honk long and painful for Logan's over sensitive hearing. Logan cursed him and angrily got out of the car. "Logan, don't!" Marie tried stopping him but failed as he marched on.
She turned and watched, along with several other drivers, as Logan knocked on the window to the annoying truck driver. "Don't open it… don't open it…. Don't.. Great, he opened it." She thought as the man rolled down the window. Logan smashed the fat man's head hard into the steering wheel making it honk several times. Marie, and the spectators from the other cars all winced. Logan said something Marie couldn't, and didn't want to hear she was sure, to the man before climbing back inside the car with her.
The line in front of them finally started to move. Marie slowly sped up, while she gave Logan a look before sighing. "You should put on your seat belt." She told him. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I heal." He grunted out. "Yea but do you pay? 'Cause I ain't payin' your damn fine." Marie said annoyed and firmly when she saw a police car a couple of cars ahead of them. Logan tried staring her down, but Marie was having none of it. In the end he growled and put on the seat belt. "I think we can both agree you're not a city person, sugar." Marie joked as they finally flew along the freeway, slightly faster than the limit allowed. Logan snorted amused. "What gave it away?" He asked sarcastically. "Your charming personality of course." She grinned.
When they finally reached the door to the apartment the hallway had filled with the lovely smell of cooking. Marie felt the violent growl and painful turn of her stomach and she could tell that Logan felt it too. She unlocked the door and called out jokingly "Honey! I'm home!" "In the kitchen!" Steve called back seriously. "Right, forgot he wouldn't get the reference." She murmured and Logan looked at her funnily. "You ain't the only one who lost a couple of decades Logan," She said seriously. "But Steve will explain it to you." She finished and Logan nodded. She pulled Logan along to the kitchen, because she feels his reluctance. Steve was wearing an apron that said kiss the chef, Marie had bought a month ago.
He was bent down in front of the oven, in the middle of turning a chicken, when she and Logan entered. "Steve this is Logan." She introduced and then stepped back, giving the men some room. Steve looked up and both men froze in shock. "Logan?" "Cap?" They questioned simultaneously, unable to believe that the other was still alive. "How?" They both said and Marie sighed. She walked up to Steve kissed his cheek and removed his apron. "I'll finish this sugar, I can see you both have a lot to talk about." She told him. Steve turned to her surprised. "You knew? How?"
"I wasn't sure, but then Logan told me I smelled like an old friend of his and thought I was his granddaughter. That's when I made the connection." She half-lied and prayed Logan was still too shocked to notice it. Marie grabbed two beers from the fridge, opened them and handed them to Steve. She then ushered the men into the living room. "Go… Talk." she said and the men left her behind. She kept watch on the food Steve had prepared, but leaned against the doorway whenever she could, wanting to hear their conversation. While Steve was telling his story to Logan, Marie finished the dinner. Not that there was much to do, Steve had finished everything but the chicken, so she began setting the table, using it as an excuse to join them in the living room and listen in on their talk. "I feel like I'm a fifties gossiping housewife. Then again, you can't avoid that when in a relationship with a man literally from the forties." She thought accepting the fact.
"Sometime ago I wish I'd died in the ice, that I never made it." She overheard Steve admit and her heart clenched painfully at the thought. "But then I realized how lucky I was S.H.I.E.L.D. revived me. They gave me reason to fight. They gave me Marie… and she gave me a reason to live." Marie couldn't stop the hot blush that made itself known on her cheeks. She felt a thousand butterflies inside her, flying around in her stomach, and she knew that he loved her as much as she loved him.
"Marie huh?" She heard Logan say and the love-induced moment was over. "Damn it Steve." She muttered as she heard Steve curse. "Don't tell her I said that, she'll kill me." Steve groaned to Logan who grinned amused.
Marie walked in and placed the chicken on the dining table. She then walked over and kissed him sweetly not caring that she was making both men uncomfortable. "Sugar, how could I ever kill you when you say the sweetest thing about a gal." She said lovingly before narrowing her eyes at Logan who only smirked. "You ever tell anyone that's my name, I'll kick your ass again. Clear?" She told him. "Crystal… Marie." Logan replied looking amused while Marie groaned. "I'm never gonna live this down. Thanks Steve." She huffed out annoyed, before walking back to the kitchen to grab a pitcher of water. She pretended not to hear the muttered "Women." That was followed by a sound of agreement.
The dinner went by peacefully with light banter and good company. It was only when the men had retired with another beer, and Marie began cleaning off the table that Logan started telling his story. The clearing of the table grew slower, and the carrying of the remaining food went quicker until she finally stopped all pretence and leaned against the entryway to the living room and listened in curiously. Fury had told her that Logan was old, and that he'd served with Steve at one point but he'd never gone into details. "Maybe Fury doesn't even know…. Huh… That would be a first." She thought.
"I woke up almost twenty years ago with no memory on the Three Mile Island. I didn't know who I was, or what I was, and at that point I wouldn't even have been able to remember you, cap. All I knew was what my gut kept telling me, that I couldn't stay there so I ran." He began his story. Steve listened closely, and Marie felt sorry for Logan. "I spent years hiding in the woods, more animal than man, lost. Alone." Logan sighed. "After a while, and by awhile I mean twelve years, I came across a small town where I ran into Sabretooth." He said and Marie shivered uncomfortably while Steve's face contorted in anger. It didn't go unnoticed by Logan who raised an eyebrow at them, but continued with his story.
"We fought, and it was a long and violent fight, and I ended up on the ground. Sabretooth was about land final blow when he was struck by lightning that threw him three feet of the ground. I couldn't help but think "What a lucky bastard I am" but it turned my luck came in the form of African goddess who could control the weather. She was accompanied by bald and wheelchair bound man. I wanted to flee 'cause the fight had left me exhausted, even with my healing. But I stayed where I was and he told me he could help restore my memory and he did, some of it. The majority of my memories are lost for good, nothing to be done." He said and continued to tell them of his life, the parts he did remember.
His life with the woman Silverfox who tricked him to save her sister, his time in Japan where he fell in love and learned the ways of the samurai and his childhood as the second son of the wealthy landowners John and Elizabeth Howlett in Alberta, Canada during the late 19th Century. Victor Creed the brother. Stryker. When he finished Marie walked over and hugged him wanting to comfort the hurting man. Logan tensed but soon hugged back.
Steve cleared his throat soon after. "Where was my hug when I told my story." he muttered while Marie and Logan let go of each other. "Don't be jealous sugar, it doesn't suit you." Marie tried to sooth him, but she walked over to kiss his cheek anyway. "Seems like you got the better deal here, Cap." Logan commented amused. "Yeah. I did." Steve agreed happily.
Marie stood next to Logan outside the apartment building waiting for the cab. He had cigar between his lips, the tip glowing a bright orange in the evening light. "You're lucky kid." He told her, breaking the bubble of companionable silence that had enveloped them. "I know." She replied simply while wondering when she would get the call from Fury. "Thank you for doin' this," Logan said. "If S.H.I.E.L.D gives you any trouble you tell me. Got it." he told her seriously. Marie nodded. "Like I'd ever say no to an offer of help from the Wolverine." She thought jokingly.
"I can handle Fury and his minions... It looks like Steve… no, you both needed this more than I could tell." Marie remarked. Logan sighed. "When you live as long as I have, or have experienced as much we both have, than a friend is worth more than gold." She could see the yellow cab in the distance. "You know you're welcome here anytime sugar. I'm sure Steve would appreciate it if you stopped by once in awhile." She told him as the cab finally parked in front of them. Logan nodded and got in to the cab. "See ya tomorrow… Marie." He grinned as he closed the door. "Goodbye Mr Howlett." She snarked back at him and heard him growl as the cab sped off. Marie shook her head before re-joining Steve inside the apartment.
Steve was sprawled out on the couch, his arm over his eyes covering them, when she entered the living room. "Steve." She spoke his name, trying to get his attention. He moved his arm slightly away and she saw his contemplative look. She sighed before making herself comfortable on the floor in front of him. "Talk to me sugar." she told him kindly. "It's an odd world we live in." "I know." She replied and this time Steve sighed. "It just feels… unreal that Logan is still alive, but at the same time it makes it feel less lonely to know I'm not the only one out of time. Even with you by my side Marie, I sometimes can't shake the feeling of wariness whenever I step outside the door. Some days I feel like never leaving the apartment, and the very thought makes me feel ill. Everything is different now, there is literally nothing left of my sense of home and normalcy in this time. Everything I ever owned that was considered modern back then, is considered …. Vintage and old fashioned." He cringed at the word old, and as much as it amused her, she didn't laugh. She understood the seriousness of the conversation.
"I'm not gonna lie sugar," she told him "it probably won't get easier with time." She saw his face fall. "But you'll adapt more and more. You have Logan to talk to now, someone in almost the same boat as you, someone who can understand you better than even I can. And I'll help you, anyway you need me to, I'm here for you - all the way." She reassured him.
Steve stared into those big green eyes, smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "Your pep talk has definitely improved." He murmured happily against her lips. "Wanna know what else I've improved at?" She teased him while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at him, wanting to lighten the mood. Steve snorted out loud. "Get your mind out of the gutter." He told her jokingly while shaking his head and Marie pouted at him. "I happen to like the gutter. It's rather comfortable down there. It keeps everything more… interesting." She said while letting her hand wander across his abdomen and across his belt buckle.
She "accidentally" brushed her hand slightly harder over his crotch. Steve took a deep intake of air. Marie grinned, loving his reaction to her. She kept up the brushes for a while before she finally removed her hand again from his abdomen. "But if that's what you want sugar." She said getting up and walking out of the living room. She was standing in front the bathroom door when she heard Steve call out. "Minx!" "You love it!" She called back to him as she closed the door behind herself.
She started the shower and it didn't take more than thirty seconds until Steve had joined her under the hot and steaming cascade of water. Marie loved every second of it, and she could tell Steve was too. Steve had embraced her lovingly and tightly, while leaving a trail of kisses from her earlobe down her neck. Inside the bathroom the rest of the world and their worries faded away, leaving them in a cocoon of companionable silence.
Marie pulled away slightly from Steve and looked at him with wide green eyes. "I love you Steve." She told him and the confession felt so much more intimate when she said it now, naked in every sense of the word, with nothing holding her back. Steve smiled and leaned in to kiss her on the lips, sending Marie's heart into overdrive. He took her face in his hands and stared at her. Marie could see a myriad of emotions in his bright blue eyes. "I love you too." He replied honestly and Marie felt a like a heavy weight of worry and stress had been lifted from her heart.
Marie glared at the phone vibrating violently on the nightstand through squinted eyes. The alarm next to it read six thirty. "Please!" she begged in her mind. "Let me have my Saturday! Just today!" she groaned but picked up the phone anyway. She sighed when she saw who the caller was. "D'Ancanto." She said tiredly. "Get your ass into gear, you're needed. Phil will pick you up in ten." No sooner than he barked out the order, he hung up on her. "Good morning to you too Director." Marie murmured tiredly. She left the warmth of the bed reluctantly but got ready in less than five minutes once she did. Marie took a moment to stare at the empty left side of the bed where Steve would normally sleep. "Relax Marie… it's only been a week. He'll be back soon." She thought trying to reassure herself, but the desperate feeling of anxiousness clawed away at her. "Then why can't I shake this feeling?"
A knock on the front door disturbed her worry and when she opened it, it revealed Phil standing there looking impeccable as always. He had two coffee mugs in his hands and a bag of pastries.
"You're my hero Phil!" Marie exclaimed grabbing the offered coffee and bag. Phil smiled at her as they left the apartment behind. "What can I say I'm a regular Captain America." He snorted. Marie grinned as she entered the waiting SUV. "Should I tell Steve that he has competition for me?" She asked him mischievously. Phil choked slightly on his coffee. "That's not what I meant." He stated while clearing his voice awkwardly. Marie laughed. "Whatever you say sugar. So what's the deal, why are ya'll interrupting my beauty sleep this early in the mornin'?" She asked him curiously. Phil steered the car down the almost empty streets of the Saturday morning Brooklyn. When they stopped at the first red light, he pulled open the glove compartment and handed her a manila envelope. Marie looked at it before her curiosity won out and she opened it.
There was a picture of a man whose skin was a darker blue than even Kurt or Hank's, his eyes were blood red and they contained no iris. His hair was a bright white, like her stripes. "The Corruptor. Identity; unknown, Origin; unknown. Date of birth; unknown. Marital status; unknown. Known associates; unknown. " She frustrated read out loud. "Seriously?" She commented disbelievingly at the last one. "What do you know about this guy?" She questioned Phil who looked uncomfortable. "We believe he's an enhanced." Marie raised an eyebrow at him. "Enhanced?" She asked curiously. "I find the word mutant derogatory, so Clint and I came up with this one instead. It covers both the mutants and people with powers who aren't mutants." Phil explained and Marie grinned. "Aw Phil! That's so politically correct and considerate of you… Let me guess, you and Clint were both drunk when you came up with it." Phil's normally unreadable face faltered slightly, and Marie noticed the small, barely there blush on his cheeks. "Huh… wonder what that's about." She thought surprised.
"I'll take the silence as a yes." She told him still grinning. "So what can the Corruptor do? Ya know, besides sounding like a paedophile." She remarked and Phil chuckled amused. "We aren't completely sure yet, which is why we need you, but exactly what his name says. He's the new head of the criminal underworld in New York. We don't know how, but it seems like he's managed to convince every other criminal out there to his the dirty work for him, everyone from the Kingpin to the Hand is waiting on his every whim and need, and he managed this in less than three months. He has them working their assess off for him, and we have no idea what he's offered that's so valuable to them all, to make New York's worst come together as one big happy family suddenly." He explained her. Marie looked thoughtful. "But you have him detained since you need me?" She asked him and Phil nodded. "Fury ordered his arrest once S.H.I.E.L.D. got news that he'd gotten his hands on blueprints of several embassies. We believe he's going to blackmail or somehow infiltrate them, and we want to prevent any future diplomatic crisis." "Alright." Marie replied while taking in the large amount of information and preparing herself to face this criminal mastermind.
Phil pulled up to an old warehouse building that served as a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. Marie couldn't help but be surprised how normal these buildings always seemed to look. To think women and children and old people passed this building everyday, never knowing it housed part of a secret government facility. "Then again, sometimes ignorance is bliss, and bliss is safety in this case."
Once inside the building, as they were getting cleared, Marie couldn't help but wonder if Phil knew anything about Steve's current status with the mission he'd been shipped off. Clint had picked him up the morning after they'd confessed their love to each other, and she couldn't help but think it unfair. She bit her lip before shaking her head to clear it. It was no use, she knew Phil would inform her if Steve was hurt, but he'd keep quiet otherwise.
They rode the elevator down in silence, and Marie couldn't help but wonder what power this man held. "Maybe it's telepathy… it would make sense if he's been able to manipulate and control so many people in such a short time." She thought concerned. "Why couldn't it be a regular guy, with no superpowers? It would make everything so much easier."
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open with a ping. She followed Phil down a long corridor. There was a guard on either side every two meters armed to the teeth. "Looks like every SWAT team has been called in because of this guy." She thought surprised. They reached the end of the hallway. Marie took in the heavy steel door in front of her. Phil nodded at her and entered a door to the left. Marie sighed and adjusted her clothing, and still holding her coffee cup in her hand she entered the room.
The door behind slammed closed and the sound of a lock sliding closed kept her wary, though she didn't show it. There were two heavily armoured guards inside the room with her; they were standing against the wall behind the prisoner.
The blue man sat chained heavily to a chair, his hands were cuffed to the table that separated her chair from his. His eyes were glued to her as Marie made her way to the chair. She sat down relaxed and unconcerned, leaning back slightly in the chair with her legs crossed in front of her, as though she was sitting in a café and not an interrogation room. Marie kept her coffee in her hand but placed the files on the table.
Marie studied the blue man, never taking her eyes of him. She didn't speak but remained silent even when he raised his eyebrow at her. "Now would be a good time to test if he really is a telepath." She thought and without moving a single facial muscle she screamed out "HAS ANYBODY TOLD YOU THAT YOU LOOK LIKE A SMURF!" in her mind, projecting her thoughts as loud as she could. The blue man remained unmoving, not even twitching a facial muscle at all. "Not telepathy then." She thought surprised. "Then what is it?" Marie remained silent but took a sip of her coffee. She noticed the way his eyes followed the movement of her throat as she drank. "He must be thirsty." She realized that the room was warmer compared to the rest of the building. A small bead of sweat ran down his face.
"Are you just here to stare at me? Believe me, I can think of several more… Pleasurable ways to spend our time together." He grinned at her while staring at her chest unashamedly. His voice was deep, rough and completely American. "Definitely a northerner…" She looked at the guards who were unfazed at the sound of his voice. "So not hypnotism either…" Marie thought getting a bit frustrated. "Sorry, I'm already in a relationship. Not interested." Marie told him while leaning forward in the chair. She rested her hands on the table on her side. "Oh, but I can make you give in to your deepest desires, remove all the guilt and have nothing hold you back from your true nature." He said with a wicked glint in his eyes and his fingers twitched, as though they were trying to reach out and touch her. Marie grinned as she realised how he worked his powers. The blue man looked at her questioning. "Never thought I'd meet another mutant who controls their powers through touch, huh…"
"What's so funny?" He asked her suddenly wary. Marie shrugged. "Nothing sugar. Didn't your mama ever teach you any manners, you haven't even introduced yourself to a lady." She told him, trying to get him to loosen up. "What about you?" he countered at her.
"The name's Anna." She told him and he grinned again. "If you come closer I'll shake your hand Anna." He told her and Marie leaned in closer to him, teasing him, though staying far away enough for him not to be able to touch her. "And your name is?" She asked him. "The name's Jackson. Jackson Day." He admitted grinning and Marie couldn't help but worry what the man had planned since he was giving up the information so freely. "Now, you wanna tell me what you planned to do with all of those blueprints you were found with?" She asked charmingly with a small smile.
Day grinned at her and then he leaned back in his chair as much as he could. "Nah, not really." Marie refrained from scowling at him. She smiled flirtatiously at him. "I've never met a blue man before." She smiled. Day licked his lips when she pushed out her breast a bit. "Wanna find out where else I'm blue?" He smirked and Marie wanted to punch his throat in. Marie walked behind him and let her finger graze his neck quickly; before he even knew what she was doing she had removed it again. She caught some stray thoughts. "Forty million dollars... Diplomat Raul Vincente… A liquid drug… Power… Corruption…" She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Sugar, I'd be honest if I were you. You're the one chained here. I'm the one with the power." She emphasized. He shook lightly when she said it, as though the very word brought him pleasure.
"If he corrupts a person through touch, then how the hell am I supposed to absorb him without getting corrupted too? I really don't wanna be under his control with the way he's leering at me… Creep." She thought annoyed. "I need to speak with Phil."
"Are you thirsty?" She asked him suddenly yet maintaining her flirtatious manner. "Yes." He replied shortly. Marie got up and knocked on the door. She could feel his eyes on her ass. The door opened immediately, and as soon as she'd left the room a guard closed and locked it again. Marie entered the room she knew Phil would be in.
Phil stood with his arms crossed, and frown on his normally neutral face. He stared out the window at the Jackson Day, who seemed to be staring right back at them as though he could see them.
"He's way too calm about this." Phil commented to Marie. Marie nodded. "Yeah. And a perv." she cursed. "I figured out how he does it. Whatever it is he does." She said and Phil lifted an eyebrow at her. "Touch." she said simply and Phil winced. "You're kidding me." Phil said disbelievingly. "Nope." she said. "I don't know if I can absorb him completely Phil. I could try, but chances are he'd do his thing on me before I can neutralize his powers. The last thing I want is to be under that creeps control." She said annoyed. Phil's face was hard. "We're not taking that chance, it's too risky. We can't afford to lose you to the dark side." He told her and Marie nodded. "Then how do I proceed, 'cause if I have to flirt with him anymore I might barf…" Their attention was suddenly brought back to Day as the two guards walked up to him on either side. "Phil, please tell me the guards didn't touch his skin when they brought him in!" She yelled out distressed as the guards lifted their machine guns at the one-way mirror.
Phil tackled Marie to the floor the very same second bullets started to rain at them, breaking through the glass and everything else in their way. Phil covered Marie's body instinctively, even though she was more durable out of the two of them, and more likely to survive the attack. Phil pulled out his gun. Once the attack stopped and everything silenced, Phil and Marie peeked out the smashed window. "Clear." Phil called out and the two of them rose. Marie saw that the door to the interrogation room was wide open. Phil took the lead as they entered the hallway. Every guard they had passed earlier was down on the ground in pools of blood. Some were writhing in pain while others were completely still. Marie felt the bile rise through her throat. "This way." Phil ordered her as they moved through the building. She reached out with Magneto's powers, hoping they wouldn't be necessary. The elevator was splashed with blood, and it reminded her of Clint and her attack on her old home. Marie was tense while they were waiting for the elevator to bring them up. She and Phil leaned against the sides of the bloody elevator as much as they could when it pinged and the doors opened on the ground floor again. They both checked and left the elevator when there was no imminent danger. They were both bloodied from the elevator.
"Man, this was a favourite." Marie commented at her shirt while trying to push out the images of all the dead and heavily injured guards they'd left downstairs. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will compensate for a new one." Phil said as he checked the completely empty room still aiming his gun. "I don't like this." He said. "Where the hell is everybody?" Phil questioned angrily.
Marie looked around. "No blood splatter anywhere. I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad one at this point." She noted. Phil lowered his gun and started to pull out his phone. "We'll take it as a bad one for now. It means that Day has probably corrupted them all, and we just lost an entire S.H.I.E.L.D. staff to him."
Phil rubbed his head as punched in a number on his phone. Marie knew he was calling the director, and that this had just escalated from potential threat to complete clusterfuck. When Phil hung up again, it only took ten minutes or so for Fury and what seemed like half of S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrive. Fury yelled out orders as he walked through the front doors. "Clear the area! I want a security perimeter! You see any blue guy, you shoot first ask questions later!" He stomped his way to Marie and Phil, and Phil was quick to fill him on the situation and Jackson Day. "You're telling me, he got half of my men? On his side? Helping him!" Fury yelled out in anger. Both Phil and Marie winced. "The other half is dead downstairs." Phil said soberly. Fury cursed before turning his attention to Marie.
"Did you get anything off him?" He questioned her. "I was discussing how to proceed with Phil in the observation room when they opened fire at us. But I did get something when I touched him. He was thinking about a diplomat named Raul Vincente, forty million dollars and some kind of liquid drug. I didn't get any solid connection between the three, but they could be connected." She explained. Fury nodded approvingly. "Good," He said before turning to Phil. "Now quarantine her."
"What!" "Why?" Phil and Marie both exclaimed. Fury glared at them. "Because you touched him, and the last thing I need, with half of my men already missing, is you going dark." Phil sighed but nodded and Marie glared at back at Fury. "Fine, whatever." Phil led her away so SUV. "Where are we going?" She asked Phil. "The helicarrier." He said. "Great." Marie sighed. She hoped Steve was still out on his mission. It would be hard to explain to him why she'd be missing at home later tonight.
The Argentinian Embassy… Raul drinking his favorite scotch… Wilson Fisk sitting in a chair across him presenting him with a large case filled with money….Day grinned.
Marie cleared her head as she entered the car with Phil. "There shouldn't be any flashes… I didn't touch him long enough for me to absorb so much of him… Why is this happening?" She wondered worried. "We could go to the helicarrier." Marie told Phil who looked at her curiously. "Or?" He questioned her suddenly wary. "Or," Marie began as Phil drove away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. "We could visit Raul at the Argentinian embassy and question him about his dirty deal with Wilson Fisk." She said. "I thought you didn't get anything solid from Day." Phil asked her a frown marring his face. "No I didn't," she agreed. "But let's just call it a leftover hunch from Day." Phil stared at her for a minute before he sighed. Phil made a harsh U-turn making Marie slam into his side surprised. "This is going to leave a paperwork hell for me. This is like Budapest all over again." He muttered to himself while Marie beamed at him. "That's the spirit sugar!"