No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
Chapter 40: Head in the Clouds (Part 10)
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Sometimes… Tony Stark had a hard time listening to Ezekiel Stane as he spoke. His voice and body were disguised in that moment, but there were still a ton of gestures and expressions that took Tony back down memory lane.
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"Think of the Church of Human Potential as a funnel, or a catalyst for gathering mutants for places like Three Mile Island. There is a strict vetting process from within, but when a mutant enters one of these churches, odds are they don't come out."
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"Rae-Ann" was standing in front of a series of digital photographs as "she" spoke. Tony Stark listened to her, and he watched her hands as they moved around a giant screen.
Ezekiel Stane was the reason a place called "Three Mile Island" was disassembled back in the day, so everyone in the room was eager to hear of another puzzle piece. So, some Church of Human Potential was a front for some anti-mutant cult?
Stark glanced over at the yummy blonde toward his right. Steve Rogers was sitting next to him. He was super-focused, and just….
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Stunning. The man was a sight to behold. Tony looked back at all the photos which indicated five different locations in the United States. Ezekiel had mapped out five separate missions, technically, so Tony began to contemplate his own involvement…
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Oh yeah, his boo Steve Rogers didn't want him out on the field. They fought over that dozens of times. Well, Tony never gave a shit about only being Steve's precious "consultant", so…
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"Beneath the surface, this mega-church has a militarized group called the Purifiers, an organization called Serenity Industries, and the Prosperity Gospel. It's all dedicated to finding some sort of 'holy solution' to the mutant problem."
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Ok. Ezekiel paused everything for a sec, because he felt as though he was giving everyone far too much information at once. His thoughts on that changed just a bit when he looked over at Wade.
Wade Wilson was very engaged, and Ezekiel knew why. He gave a half smile for a moment there when he thought it all over, then he turned all of his focus back toward his work.
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"Now, I know this is a lot of information, but this super-church is the main supplier for the central command for Weapon X. We barely put a dent in it when we hit Three Mile Island, but nothing changed, even when we got Reverend William Stryker into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody."
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Getting Stryker into custody wasn't enough. Ezekiel knew that, but he was taking precautions to keep himself alive and out of prison before he even thought of moving forward again.
Forming S.H.A.D.O.W. was his first big move in a long while, so the White Jackal organized the thoughts in his mind in that moment before he spoke again.
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"To infiltrate the Church of Human Potential, I plan to send two people to every location. Their vetting process usually begins with the mutant describing a need. If they need shelter, work, or if they're planning a wedding… something like that is established first, then they are taken further in."
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Ezekiel hoped he was being clear. He turned around with Rae-Ann's appearance, then he looked directly at his Surveillant Council. From right to left, Ezekiel looked at Nick Fury, Charles Xavier, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Donna Strange.
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"Wade Wilson and I will be going to their mega-church in Serenity Hills, Texas. We're going to tell someone there that we're getting married and through the paperwork process, we'll identify ourselves as mutants."
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Deadpool had a goofy smile after that, but his demeanor overall was beyond serious. He love love lovedddd Ezekiel's plan, and he couldn't wait to get going.
After a moment of silence, the quiet coyote turned his attention toward the members of his preliminary team. Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Yelena Belova, and the Bucky Barnes that belonged in Earth Dimension 3000-21.
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"If you intend to help me, then I plan to send Clint Barton and Yelena Belova to the church in Youngstown, Ohio. Natasha Romanov and Bucky Barnes will go to Hachita, New Mexico, and there they will ask for details about getting married."
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That left two churches behind for them to infiltrate. Ezekiel ran the numbers and logic, and he knew that he had Victor Strange as his Mystic Consultant.
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"Victor Strange can be brought in to infiltrate the church in Loup County, Nebraska. That's his home state anyway, so I'm sure he'll be more than happy to assist. Victor can tell someone at the church that he's looking for shelter, and they will take him in right away…"
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Hmmm…. Donna Strange sat back a bit in her chair. She was opposed to Victor's involvement with S.H.A.D.O.W. from the start. She voted against Ezekiel for dozens of reasons, and she didn't want her brother being involved at all.
A solution to that crossed her mind immediately, but the sister held onto her thoughts as Ezekiel spoke to the room once again.
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"That leaves the last church. I need to expand my team, so I can send someone to the church out in Aspen, Colorado. I want to infiltrate all five churches at once, and communicate with everyone at the same time. So, that's where this plan stands for now…"
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Ezekiel had already made arrangements with Charles Xavier to move the X-Men in when the time was right, but securing additional help for the final church was key.
Oh, Tony Stark formed a solution in his mind straight away, then he glanced toward his right once again. His eyes settled on Steve Rogers for a sec, then he gave Ezekiel Stane exactly what he was asking for.
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"I'm your man. Count me in for Aspen, Colorado. I can pull the same play as Victor Strange, or… I could ask the church-folk all about gettin' hitched."
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Stark had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "Gettin' hitched" meant getting married, but you all should know about that southern slang.
Ezekiel blinked several times. He didn't understand the southern reference, but he was more than glad to hear what Tony Stark had to say. He didn't have a ton of time to process what Tony said, because someone else spoke up before he could respond.
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"Victor Strange will not be participating. He needs to focus on being the Sorcerer Supreme, so I will go to Loup County instead."
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Donna Strange was firm with that decision, and she already knew how she would infiltrate the church. The plan was crystal clear in her mind, and none of it was up for debate.
Ezekiel blinked a dozen more times, because members of his Surveillant Council had suddenly chimed in and joined his team. The quiet coyote felt relieved, grateful, and… happy about it. He looked down at the floor for a short while, then he refocused on the room.
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"Thank you both for volunteering. I've also created armor for the members of my preliminary team who want to participate, and… I'd like to take a few days to teach them all how to use it.."
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That was the final task. Getting a solid team established was the first step, then teaching that team how to use what was built was the next. Ezekiel looked to his team for some sort of response. He stood there patiently, and waited….
Chapter: END
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