No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
Chapter 37: Head in the Clouds (Part 7)
Well, well, well… it seems Ms. Prada herself decided to grace everyone with her dignified presence.
Natasha Romanoff watched Donna Strange's noble entrance, but the Widow didn't budge. She read the file on Ezekiel's "Surveillant Council" long before the meeting, so she figured the two of them were bound to cross paths again at some point.
…
Natasha had to wonder, cuz the last time she saw Donna Strange was… when?
She couldn't recall their last encounter, mainly because the Black Widow found her to be an arrogant snob. Her older brother Stephen was an arrogant snob as well. In fact, he could have been her twin….
They both had this exalted aura about them, and it always rubbed Natasha in the wrong way. Let's not forget the fact that they both were verrrryyyy involved with Bucky Barnes…
Donna lived with him for a long time, and Natasha always knew there was a looming void going on for Bucky after she suddenly left. Natasha had no intention of filling that void, and she had no intention of decorating his cute and cozy little apartment.
That was a task for women like Donna Strange, so she stared at Ms. Prada for a short while. Natasha pondered a thing or two about the Bucky they both knew, but that was it..
Donna had no intention of interacting with "Agent" Romanov in any shape or form. She didn't like her from the start, and she had a bad feeling about the way things ended between her and James.
Why the fuck was some other version of him standing there…. Donna thought the person in the room seemed cold, ruthless, and heartless. He was the polar opposite of the person she knew.
…
Whatever… Donna turned her focus away from Natasha entirely. She centered her focus on the two people who finally entered the room.
"Rae-Ann" finally entered, and Wade Wilson followed just a half step behind her. Those two were practically joined at the hip, and her baby brother Victor was too blind to see it.
He was also blind to something else as well, and Donna was reminded of that when they finished gathering around in the room. Her eyes stopped on Clint Barton, and she remembered a thing or two about him…
That baby bird actually cared about her brother. They were such a cute couple. He was beyond sweet to Victor, attentive, and loving, but unfortunately someone failed to see…
What a shame. Donna closed her eyes for a moment, then she pressed on and listened in on the first thing that was said.
Steve Rogers spoke first, and he welcomed everyone in the room. His vibe was always very "Captain America" and serious whenever the Surveillant Council was brought together.
Donna paid attention to his demeanor, because the blonde pointed his words more in Rae-Ann's direction. Steve Rogers informed the person before him that he had a few questions, and that the first half of their meeting was going to operate as another review.
Rae-Ann didn't seem affected by what was said at all. She said she welcomed another review, but the atmosphere between them was icy and super quiet. They both seemed very stoic, and very matter-of-fact.
Something conversational, yet confrontational started happening between Ezekiel/Rae-Ann and Steve Rogers, as if they were the only two people in the room…
…
"Your decision to use my mother's image as the face of S.H.A.D.O.W. needs an explanation. I want to know why you're choosing to use her image.."
…
Steve Rogers was actually staring at a person who intentionally resembled his mother Sarah. Ezekiel did it on purpose, and Steve was preettttyyyyyyy pissed off about it.
He was keeping his cool, but the vibe didn't lie. Everyone could tell that he was super pissed.
…
"I find it symbolic."
…
Symbolic. Great. It looked like Steve was gritting his teeth. The blonde processed that minimal response, then he drew in a slow breath to keep his cool.
Ezekiel Stane had more to say about using the image of Sarah Rogers, paired with Rae-Ann's perfect name. It all came full circle for the quiet coyote, but he didn't feel like elaborating in that moment. He could elaborate, if he was asked to do so…
…
"How… is… that, symbolic?…"
…
Ooooooffff. The vibe was thick and megaaaa intense. Everyone felt a little more than uncomfortable after that, cuz Steve Rogers was friggen seething as he spoke.
How was it symbolic? Ezekiel maintained a poker face as he processed the question. The answer revealed itself in his mind, so he gave a glance over in Xavier's direction. The mutant already knew the truth of it, so...
…
"I think your mother and Rae-Ann would be proud of what S.H.A.D.O.W. will ultimately accomplish. Think of it as something being done in their honor, or as a tribute of sorts."
…
"And you think you are in a position to construct a tribute to my mother and Rae-Ann? Seriously?"
…
"Yes."
…
UHH, Wade Wilson's jaw hit the floor a while ago, cuz he totally missed the memo about Rae-Ann's look being taken from Captain America's mother. He kinda thought that she looked like the female version of Steve, but now it all made sense.
Rae-Ann was a friggen cutie too, so Wade did his best to keep his mouth shut. He also recalled the fact that he got super handsy with Rae-Ann whenever he could, so that definitely explained Captain America's icy vibe.
…
"Are you ready to hear what I have in mind for S.H.A.D.O.W.? I'm willing to answer additional questions, but I'd like to be courteous of everyone's time…"
…
That icy vibe remained after Ezekiel said what he could to change the subject. Steve Rogers looked even more icy/hot after that. Super hot, actually, so Deadpool looked around for something to cover his waist.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.