No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor)
Chapter 88: Sunshine (Part 8)
Ok people… since a lot has taken place in such a short amount of time, let's do a quick character recap.
The top track to this story is called the "Zephyr" Endeavor, if you recall, so of course we're going to start things off with Ezekiel Stane.
When we last saw him, he left Wade Wilson at a bar and traveled north. Now, the "White Jackal" spent the first few hours in his secluded home working through some information in total silence.
Ezekiel was writing up a thorough report for his Surveillant Council, and he also took that time to gather intel about what happened with the rest of his team.
His involvement with the Church of Human Potential was cut short because of the Iron Mongers, but it led to a discovery that was very unexpected.
…
"You're quite taken with that vile brute, aren't you?…"
…
Victor Von Doom's words about Wade Wilson sprung to mind as he tried to document the conversation in his report.
The members of his "Surveillant Council" were definitely going to ask about the time that he spent in Doom's presence, so Ezekiel was trying to get ahead of it. He was trying to write it up word for word, and basically get the conversation over and done with, but…
…
"He's managed to keep you very distracted and stuck in your flesh. There's not much happening up there with him around, unfortunately."
…
There was a lot going on with that statement, and Ezekiel stopped inputting the information when he took a moment to reflect on it.
Also, the thought of being intimate with Wade started building up in his head, but, it was best if they remained separated for a little while…
Ezekiel actually bit his bottom lip, then he glanced at a device that was meant to replicate a cellphone. He didn't technically have a cellphone, but it looked like one. You get the drift, right?
He wanted to feel Wade's body, right then and there, so he closed his eyes and forced himself to move on from those lust-filled thoughts. Ezekiel continued building up his report, and he decided to stop documenting what was said between him and Victor Von Doom.
So, now there's another Victor to contend with? How interesting. Ezekiel gave the notion a brief thought. He thought about checking in on Victor Strange as well, but he didn't want to distract his progress.
The Jackal pressed on, and he started checking in on the other members of his team once again.
Yelena Belova and Clint Barton checked back into the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility a short while ago, as well as Natasha Romanov and Bucky Barnes.
He saw the details relating to when they made it back to base and logged in, then he made a mental note that "Reverend Miller" was successfully apprehended.
The Jackal's thoughts on that went sour almost immediately… because he didn't get to explain his plans with her to "Agent" Barton…
…
Thoughts on that were put on ice, because Ezekiel wasn't in the mood to go down that road at all. He started looking over a field report that was composed by Steve Rogers.
"Captain America" was actually taking the time to write up what happened before he was called away to Charles Xavier's office. Steve Rogers was composing that report right there in that moment. Ezekiel could actually see the words as they were being typed onto the report log.
How amusing…
Ezekiel had a small smile on his face, then his eyes flipped over to a report that was already submitted and complete. Tony Stark had jotted down his account of what took place in Latveria.
The Jackal read what he wrote with interest, and he started focusing on the part about how he "willingly" sat down at the chess table, before Stark was epically dismissed…
That probably wasn't going to go over very well at the next meeting, but Ezekiel didn't want to dwell on it.
He looked back at Steve's growing report, and he could see that the blonde was inputting details about Donna Strange and the "other" Bucky Barnes checking in with him after he followed up with the X-Men.
How cute. Captain America was reunited with his best bud. Ezekiel could have rolled his eyes, but he actually enjoyed them. He actually… respected … them.
…
Anyway, his busy mind returned to Tony's report, because Steve was taking way too long to complete his. Ezekiel decided to continue reading about what happened after he left Latveria.
Tony's report included details about the conversation that took place after the fact, and Ezekiel could see that Victor Von Doom made an interesting request.
Apparently, Doctor Doom wanted to be present at the next Surveillant Council meeting… because he wanted to "advocate" and invoke a provision on Ezekiel's behalf.
Doom was told that his presence would be discussed and put to a vote, but until that happened he wasn't allowed to attend.
…
Great. Wonderful. Ezekiel closed his mind on the matter as best he could, then his eyes migrated over toward the small glow of a screen. Once again, he didn't have a cellphone. He had a device that operated in a similar fashion.
The baby Jackal started chewing on his bottom lip again when he saw it, because that glowing light only took place when someone sent him a direct message.
It was either Victor Strange, or Wade Wilson… and in that moment, Ezekiel was inwardly hoping for one of them in particular…
His body was craving for the feel of Wade's, and the impulse was getting hard to ignore…
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.