No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
Chapter 18: Connection Error Song (Part 8)

Tony Stark said his goodbyes to Steve Rogers and Stephen Strange, then he made his way to speak to "Rae-Ann" and see her face to face.

On the notion of personas, alter-ego's and wearing costumes… Ezekiel wasn't expecting a personal visit from the "Tiger Striped Cat". Wade Wilson wasn't expecting him either, so the mercenary quickly dismissed the S.H.I.E.l.D. file that he was doing his best to comb through.

Rae-Ann was working on a mobile suit, called Shrike. Tony just waltzed into the work space and his eyes started scanning one of Ezekiel's new toys. The brunette didn't say anything to Wade or Ezekiel for the moment, but his sharp eyes did catch a glimpse at the file Wade was reading.

Reading up on the Surveillant Council wasn't a big deal, so Tony wasn't fazed by it or impacted at all. The more Wade Wilson knew, the better.

…

"I read the plans you have in mind for your new S.H.A.D.O.W. fleet, and I was wondering if I could help you build them."

…

Ezekiel gently looked up from Shrike's chest plate. He heard what Tony Stark said, but his mind didn't necessarily accept the information as it was delivered. There was always an angle with a Stark, and Tony's habit of info-gathering crossed Ezekiel's mind after some time.

…

"Is this a consultation?"

"You can call it that if you want."

…

Tony hated being labeled as Steve's "consultant", but that's how the cards were dealt. The inventor only served S.H.I.E.L.D. in two capacities. Being Steve's consultant was one, and now his presence was needed for the Surveillant Council.

All of that was super boring. Tony passed the notion of consulting and surveillance through his mind, then he switched his focus over to Wade Wilson.

The devil in red was a bit too quiet, and Tony figured that he wasn't liking his reading material. Well, Tony didn't like reading or looking into any information relating to Ezekiel Stane either. It took him too far down memory lane, and Stark's were known to keep tabs on their enemies. Know your enemy, folks, and consider yourself constantly lied to.

"You've come a long way, Rae-Ann. Are you proud of yourself yet?"

Tony had to ask. He made a gesture with his left hand, and Wade watched him pull up the plans Ezekiel made for his teammates. Every initial member of his team had a special suit designed and ready for construction. The Jackal even added in one additional suit, because he had a gut feeling that one more person was joining his team…

"I'm proud to know that my birthday is on June 22nd. Victor Strange told me that. I'm also not surprised to know that you had that information, but you never cared to share it with me."

Tony Stark knew the day he was born, and where it happened. Nothing about being born in Istanbul was shared with him, and Ezekiel decided to think hard on that behavior. It meant too many things, but Tony didn't seem fazed once again. His eyes just skimmed over the new plans for the mobile suits named Zephyr, Shrike, Arachne, Minerva, Kheima and Sevgili.

The fleet looked cool as fuhhhkkk so Tony wasn't interested in Ezekiel's trust issues. Trust issues had a big part in the game, so the inventor just carried on by inspecting the plans. He wanted to support S.H.A.D.O.W., and the fellow inventor who was standing there in the same room.

"I voted in your favor, if you recall. In fact, I just voted in your favor again this morning. SO, tell me about the names of these suits… What does Shrike mean?"

Tony had a wild guess, but his "angle" was to get the quiet coyote talking. He looked over at Deadpool once again, and he almost mentioned that being silent wasn't his style. Tony recently voted in Wade's favor as well, but most of the Surveillant Council voted against him.

Wade lost that battle, and obviously Deadpool hadn't reached that part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. file. The merc didn't have a clue about it yet, cuz Tony expected him to freak out and fly off the handle. Oh he was going to be suuuuppperrrr pisseddd. Tony could feel it.

…

"Shrikes are birds Tony. They are small songbirds that are known to impale their prey on sharp objects. I'm making this suit for Clint Barton."

Ah, the forever noble yet comically adorable Clint Barton. Tony had hardly crossed paths with "Hawkeye", but he knew him to be a very loyal and gentle young man.

Shrike seemed very fitting, so Tony confidently stepped further into Ezekiel's work space. The brunette even rolled up the sleeves of his fancy designer shirt, because he was truly there to put in some work…

Chapter: END

Thanks for reading.