Cheshire - glad you continue to love everything. here's that next chapter as promised and Greer finally starts taking some steps...
CC - there are a lot of similarities between Colton and Logan, this chapter bringing up another one I'm sure you'll recognize. Colton seems to have found his feral counter-balance...I wonder if sometime soon Logan encounters one of his own ; )
Retro - alright...so things don't get much 'brighter' here...but I think you'll notice a change that should make things a bit more bearable for all involved.
Greer stood silently next Colton, doing her best to mimic his posture...his demenor. It was better than showing how she was really feeling. After all, this was the first time she had been whisked off to a SHIELD black-site to have a face-to-face with the Director of SHIELD while one of the worlds top ex-assassins and current Avenger stood watching.
Yea...better to just stand here and follow Colton's lead. He hadn't said a word on the ride over...Greer suspected it was because he didn't want whatever they said recorded. Logan always grumbled that where Fury was involved...assume he was always watching.
"Glad you agreed to come. Get you a coffee?" Apex just growled a little and kept his gaze locked on Fury while being sure to keep track of Widow. The fact that Fury had sent her and an entire squad of soldiers to come get him was not normal behavior. The only question was...why. And what did he want with Greer...
"Right. You're not a coffee man." He paused a moment, just watching the Panther like feral fume before casually continuing. "I wanted to talk about your recent... outcomes. Seems to me you're workin' outside your pay grade," Fury clicked a button and a number of screens opened up between himself and the two ferals, they showed an array of bodies, mangled cars, and burned out buildings, "You mind tellin' me exactly who authorized you to be judge, jury and executioner?"
Again...Apex remained silent. Fury was known to pontificate...he'd get to his point eventually. What he didn't appreciate was the silence coming from Greer...he didn't want her hearing this.
"Send Tigra home Fury. She has no purpose here." Fury smiled a little, giving Greer a quick glance.
"We'll get to Ms. Nelson in a moment. Right now...we're talking about you." Fury tapped the images and they disappeared, "Thus far you've been picking off low level and keeping your damage to a minimum...but now...I can't just look the other way."
"I do what I have to do...that's all."
"Wrong. I know what you can do and this is something else. This wasn't our arrangement...I cleared you to clean up, gather intel, _...not to wage war." Fury let a tone of anger into his voice. "This is a much bigger operation than you can ever imagine. And you going around blowing up other operations costs too much damn time and money."
"It's your operation?" Greer saw Colton clench his fists, "And how many more are going to die while you waste all that time and money as you sit by and worry about politics?" Fury just scoffed.
"Don't be short-sighted. You're so focused on the battle you've lost sight of the war." Fury sounded almost disappointed.
"Who cares about winning the war if we're not around to see the end of it?"
"We care about making sure the bad guys are stopped. We're on the same page on that regard."
"Ummm...what bad guys are we talking about?" Greer had almost lifted her hand but stopped herself in time. She was tired of standing there like an idiot while the 'adults' talked. Fury kept his eyes on Apex as he answered.
"Weapon X." Fury let the words hang in the air as Greer looked over at Colton, "Apex here was supposed to be helping me clean house...find out who was in charge and funding the program. But recently...he's been going around killin' everybody. As if he doesn't know that hacking off the stems won't solve the problem...we need to destroy the source. Take out their network."
"Which is what I've been doing." Apex rumbled.
"No...that's what you were doing. Now you've just been dropin' bodies. I've been tracking the distribution and found where the main supply is coming from. Cassidy might have been on SHIELD's radar but he was being protected. I wanted you to bring Cassidy in so that Natasha could question him and I could get this going from the inside without anyone else knowing. That is..."
"Until you decided to blow up the entire operation." Natasha finished...she almost sounded bored. Except that she hadn't taken her eyes off of Colton, Greer noticed.
"Then all we're doing is wasting time. Cassidy is injured...his operation degraded...which means he'll be limping back to his source."
"He's right Director...maybe we should just let the man go after 'em." Greer growled a little at Widow's direction. It was fairly obvious she considered using the term "man" loosely in regards to Colton...and probably her as well. Not to mention she didn't like any of this...not at all.
"Oh we're gonna let Apex go after 'em...we just have some new conditions."
"We already had our deal Fury." Apex knew there were three ways out of this room...the only difficulty was going to be dropping Fury before Black Widow could react. There were options...
"Well deals can change. From now on, you're going to be taking directions directly from me."
"It's easier if you stay out of it." Apex needed Fury...his intel, his cover, his supplies. But that didn't mean he trusted Fury...and he suspected Fury felt the same about him. Not to mention the likelihood of Weapon X having support from within SHIELD.
"Unfortunately I can't allow that. And you'll have to adjust to having a new partner." Apex turned his attention towards Black Widow.
"I work alone." Like Fury, Apex had a grudging respect for Natasha Romanova. The two of them had attempted to remove the other on a handful of occasions...even if they weren't always aware of it at the time. Either way...like Fury she couldn't be trusted.
"Oh I don't think you'll have a problem with this partner. Isn't that right Ms. Nelson?" Apex's roar reverberated in the metallic room and Widow once again had her guns trained on the dark feral. The room could be pumped with enough gas to drop him...but Natasha didn't like the time that would take. Damn Fury...always had to make things dramatic. The tigress at least seemed a little struck at what the Director had said.
"I'm done." Apex rumbled. Fury was going to die...Black Widow next. Probably had the room wired...maybe gas...he'd have to do it in under ten seconds...
"Don't forget Apex...you don't do this? I drop your fuzzy ass in a cell so deep you'll never see day light again." To his credit, Fury hadn't given any ground, his one good eye still fixed on the feral.
"I said..I'm done. And if you come after me -"
"You'll what...take on all of SHIELD? I'd like to see that...even from you." Apex just growled...they weren't going to let them go. They weren't going to let Greer go. They weren't giving him any choice...
"When do we start?" Apex jerked his head back as suddenly Greer stood in front of him, her eyes trained on a now smiling Fury.
"That's the forward thinking I was hoping for."
"Greer...don't."
"I said, when do we start?"
"Consider yourself operational. We'll send word when we have the next target." Natasha had slid her pistols back into their holsters as Fury addressed Greer directly.
"Fine. Now get us home." Greer crossed her arms and looked Fury in the eye. She just wanted to get out of here and talk to Colton...there was a lot she had to say but first she wanted out of this damn box.
"Fair enough...hopefully, I won't be seeing either of you any time soon."
Without another word, Greer marched past Fury and followed Black Widow out the door. Apex and Fury stared at each other, each one measuring, until Apex let out a final growl and followed after Greer. The last thing he needed was to lose sight of her in a place like this.
Director Fury waited until he saw the two of them board a Quin Jet before punching in a code on a nearby panel. This conversation was going to be tricky...
"What the hell you playing at Fury? This was not what we discussed." Logan emerged from behind a hidden door and he was pissed. Fury had locked it once Apex and Tigra had entered the room.
"You were the one that said that she was the best strategy to get him under control." Logan hated when Fury tried playing politics with him.
"You know damn well what I meant and I told you I was workin' on it. I never agreed to have Greer become part of this. She's out. End of story." Logan growled but Fury was quick to turn around, the screen on the wall again coming on.
"Do I need to show you the pictures again Logan." As Fury spoke the screen flashed through more screenshots of what looked like the aftermath of massacres.
"You know as well as I do, pictures don't tell the whole damn story, Fury. Don't try to pull that shit on me, I was there, I saw what it looked like. And we're not gettin' the whole story yet."
"You're right Logan...you're not gettin' the whole story. You only saw a handful of the carnage I've had to clean up. Apex is out of control. This was supposed to be black on black. Total deniability. Precision. That is what I agreed to. Not for me to have to clean up after malfunctioning equipment!" Logan glared at Fury with a renewed rage at the use of words. Fury however seemed immune.
"Equipment? You're talking about a kid down there -"
"That kid broke into a SHIELD surveillance hub, disabled all my men, and hacked a signal to get me to show up. Since then I've given him the cover to do what we both know needs to get done."
"You forget to mention...that safe house was less than ten miles from where I live..." Logan growled. Fury just waived his hand in dismissal...as if Logan didn't know he had eyes everywhere.
"As long as Apex can' handle what needs to get done, he'll be fine. And if Tigra can manage to keep him in line - keep his mind where it needs to be without letting him go rogue, then we might just be able to pull this off." (or something.)
"If anything happens to that girl...there won't be a place secure enough Director."
"Really?"
"Don't push your luck, Nick." Logan's look was enough for Fury to guess what he was implying...Logan had done a lot of things for SHIELD that were never supposed to have happened. But Nick was never one to show doubt.
"I'll keep it real simple for you Logan. Either Tigra can get Apex back under control…or I'll have to."
The jet dropped the two ferals off just outside the snow covered grounds of the Institute. Dawn was a few hours away...they had been gone almost all night. Apex attempted to gauge how Greer was doing but she seemed distant as they made their way back towards the Mansion. It weighed on him...what he would have to do. But it was the only way to keep Greer out of this...to keep her safe.
Only when Apex finally followed her into his room did Greer finally look at him.
"Tell me...tell me everything."
There was a low rumble.
"Greer...you don't have to worry. I'll get you out of this. I swear." But Greer just shook her head and wrapped her arms around her stomach.
"No...just tell me how this happened. How did you end up...working for SHIELD?"
"I don't work for SHIELD...Greer...I already told you what I've been doing." This conversation needed to end...he knew what he needed to do...he just didn't want to do it in front of her.
"Not like this. No...I want to know it all. The entire thing, not just the bits and pieces you choose to tell me." Apex lowered his head, refusing to speak only to look up again when Greer's hand found its way to his shoulder.
"Colton...you don't have to hide anything from me. We...We're in this together."
Apex bared his teeth.
"We are not in this together. I refuse to allow Fury to do this...it's exactly what I didn't want to happen. It won't happen." Apex shrugged Greer off and headed for the closet.
"Right now what we want isn't important. Colton, I swear, I'm not mad or blaming you or anything...I just want to know what's happening."
"Nothing happened."
Greer's eyes narrowed.
"We are partners Colton...mission or not. Now...what happened when you went to the farmhouse?" Apex stopped right in front of the door...none of this was supposed to happen.
"None of this is your concern." Apex was getting frustrated but he was not ready for the growl that Greer let loose. He was surprised Peter didn't wake up from the reverberations. He had never heard Greer growl like that before...and he turned back to face her, her hands now in fists, tail thrashing behind her.
"What part of 'together' don't you get? You don't get to lie to me anymore...no more half-truths. Now tell me...what happened at the farmhouse?" Greer had closed the distance between them.
Apex sighed, suddenly exhausted...but he knew Greer wouldn't let him go without talking. And when he was done...this would all be over. But looking into those eyes he knew there was little other choice.
"After I secured the girl and...took care of the -,"
"You mean kill." Apex stared at her for a moment before nodding his head.
"I was clearing the structure when I found it..."
"Found what?"
"Money...too much money. Bags of it, just...laying around. And the ammunition they had was advanced...military grade. Highly regulated. A significant step above what a group like that could have gotten their hands on. That's when I first started to suspect."
"Weapon X..." Greer whispered it...like they were listening. Again Apex nodded.
"I found the same thing...Friends of Humanity...Sapien League...all the same. And that's when I...arranged...a meeting with Fury."
"But...why?" Greer knew that SHIELD were supposed to be the good guys but...there was something about Director Fury and the entire organization she just didn't trust.
"Logan tried going after Weapon X alone...and...it followed him here. Even with everything I know, I needed Fury's intel, supplies...and most importantly his cover. I needed to know what SHIELD knew about me and for Fury to keep them off my back. In exchange...I'd be able to..."
"He was going to let you stay here." Apex looked up to see Greer...but she was unreadable. To stay here...that had been part of it...
"Fury supplied me with what I needed. I went after their research, funding, munitions, allies...When I told Fury the depth of Weapon X...of their connection not only to the US and Canadian governments but possibly SHIELD as well, he wanted it cleared out. But now that he wasn't sure who to trust...how high the connections went..."
"He needed you to figure it out. But...what changed?" Apex looked at her...how could he possible tell her that...
"I found out...they were still after you. And when you were hurt I swore...I swore to break their world apart...against Fury's wishes."
"But why do you need to do this? Why now?"
"Because I know them. Because I can do what's necessary to stop them. And I know that they'll never stop...they'll never let us go."
There was a tense silence between the two ferals…and Apex was sure Greer would storm out of his room. He was counting on it actually...only to have her slowly approach him instead. Apex tried turning away but she stopped him.
"Colton… Colton look at me…" and hesitantly, Apex raised his head.
"I appreciate you trying to protect me. But...I'm done being helpless...of being the victim. We're in this together now and we're going to take Weapon X down together...No matter what."
Apex wasn't sure if he was interpreting Greer correctly.
"But you said X Men don't ki-"
"I'm not an X Men anymore." Greer shot back, her eyes suddenly hardening. "I haven't been for a long time…" She said quietly, almost to herself before turning back to face him.
"I told you...we're together. No matter what..." and with that, Apex could only watch in stunned amazement as Greer calmly turned around and started shimmying out off her uniform and boots before tossing them to a corner, leaving her in just her bare essentials as she climbed onto his bed. As much as Greer wished for a shower...sleeping was by far the most pressing need.
"Now get in here...if you're going to drag me out like this every other night you're damn sure helping me fall asleep." She said coolly before lying down, her back to him.
Cautiously, Apex shrugged off his body armor as he approached the bed and took his place beside Greer, unsure if she was mad or tired or something else entirely. She had never been this hard to read before.
He lay there rigidly before taking the risk and wrapping his arm around her waist, ready for her to growl and swat it off. Instead, he was relieved when Greer wrapped herself around his arm and curled further into him...Her thumb tracing a familiar pattern into his fur as her tail sought out his. Relieved and content, Apex placed his head behind her neck, allowing his breathing to slow as he tried to just let her scent calm him.
Tonight had been a long night…and he wanted to remember this.
Greer did her best to continue to keep her back to Colton…She didn't want him to see the uncertainty she was feeling.
'What did I get myself into?' she thought to herself fearfully...Before growling low in her throat.
No, she was tired of feeling fearful…and weak, and helpless and dependent on others for protection. No...She didn't want to be that person anymore. That person was someone desperately running after a lost cause. Thinking that she could assimilate herself back into the X Men like Weapon X hadn't existed.
Greer curled her fingers around Colton's fur...No, she was going to stop and properly face this...Weapon X had changed her, conditioned her…and there's nothing she could do to change it. Her best hope was to apply all that Weapon X had done to her and use it to help Colton bring the bastards down...Colton...She was going to try and make herself stronger…For him…He needed her...
Finally turning around Greer brought a hand to a sleeping Colton's face…
"I'll do this… For you…" Taking a deep breath of her own, Greer settled herself onto Colton's shoulder and finally closed her eyes.
Apex had never fallen asleep...despite just how badly he would have liked to. Greer had curled next to him and it would have been so easy to just lay there...with her...but...
He had listened carefully until Greer's breathing had slowed, her grip on him slackened...until she had fallen asleep without any nightmares to torment her.
Apex took one last look at her face, breathing deeply, and headed straight for his closet.
He needed to hurry...dawn was already here and the Mansion would be awake soon.
Apex carefully removed a square piece of wood he had sliced into the back of the closet and pulled out a go bag...he almost hesitated when he looked at the second one but quickly replaced the wood instead. He got dressed quickly, slipping on his inducer and grabbing the bag...he stopped with his hand on the door. Greer laid there...so peaceful...
"And it's going to stay that way..."
He was down the stairs and headed towards the garage when he let out a slow breath that ended with a growl. He should have known...
"So I guess this is what it looks like from the other side." Logan stood leaning in the doorway, a cup of coffee held calmly in his hands. He had gotten back a hour after the two felines...and had suspected a move like this.
"You here to stop me Logan?"
"That depends, kid. You plannin on leavin' her out to handle Fury and the rest of this mess alone?"
Apex slowly turned to fully face Logan. Thus far Logan had seemed to be on the edge...aware that he had been operating but not aware to what end. Obviously the time for half-truths were over for everyone.
"Fury only involved her...Weapon X only involved her...because of me. If I'm gone she'll be safe."
Logan's mouth pinched up in the corner, almost a grimace as he shook his downturned head, his eyes never leaving Colton's.
"If you really think it's gonna be that easy, then maybe you should just go. We both know Stryker has his sights set on her...and now that she's on Fury's radar ..." he sighed, no attempt to hide his concerns now. "She isn't gonna be safe anymore. And you know damn well she's not gonna try to go back to how it was before just cause you're gone. She'll go lookin' for you...and likely get herself killed in the process...or worse. But don't let that bother ya while ya run ... kid." Logan gave an ironic salute with his mug before disappearing back towards the stairs.
Apex stood there for a few more minutes...bag grasped in his hand and a jeep down the hall. He should have already left...it was what he had decided to do the moment he and Greer had gotten onto the jet. It would keep her safe...he could finish what he started and...it was the tactical decision...
"mmm...where'dy go..." Greer nuzzled her head back into Colton's chest and tried opening an eye as she felt him get back into bed...she had gotten chilly and did her best to use him as her own personal blanket. The thought made her smile as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Nowhere...I'm not going anywhere..." Colton nuzzled her cheek for a moment as he reached down to cover them both with the rarely used covers. The tigress gave a whispered 'thanks' and with a sleepy purr her breathing slowed as Apex saw she had fallen back asleep. He just kept staring at her for a few more minutes before tucking her beneath his chin.
"I'm not going anywhere."