No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor) - Part 2
Chapter 75: Battleworld (Part 5)
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The game of chess is described as being something more than a game of strategy and tactics. Some might say the game is a profound test of the human mind.
Ezekiel Stane's father and grandfather believed that notion till they both took their dying breath, so playing the game was the biggest constant in his life.
The Jackal knew the game like the back of his hand, but the only person who could beat him was sitting there across the table.
Victor Von Doom beat him every time as he grew up. Ezekiel recalled the memory of that shortly after they crossed paths once again.
One member of his Surveillant Council was suppressing his memories of Doom, and Charles Xavier managed to hide him for a number of years…
That was all ancient history tho. Ezekiel only recalled the details as Doom planned out another move. The man had no "tells" to pull from, well… his eyes were visible beneath his mask, but they gave Ezekiel nothing.
He was looking for any sort of shift, or insight into how Doctor Doom might move his bishop.
The man had been eying it for a while, but Ezekiel had to look away. His eyes ventured off toward a familiar window, then a familiar bed. He remembered how angry Wade Wilson had become because there was a bed in the room.
How funny. Wade thought it was Doom's bedroom, and he lashed out in a jealous rage….
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"Doom… has anyone ever, blindsided your judgement?"
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Ezekiel had to ask, because Victor Von Doom just accused Wade of "tempting him" and he claimed the mercenary was blinding his judgement.
The baby Jackal was in the mood for a conversation about it, and he watched that metal hand as it went in a different direction.
Doom heard the "quiet coyote" loud and clear, and the question amused him like you wouldn't believe…
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"Being blindsided is an interesting way to put it, but, it's happened once or twice."
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Why lie? Doom didn't get where he was without experiencing grief, torment, and the notion of heartbreak.
Perhaps he was speaking out against Ezekiel's filthy mongrel so he could spare the young man some misery. Either way, Doom responded honestly, then he silently moved his second rook.
Ezekiel took in Doom's response with a completely different mindset. So much had happened to the baby Jackal since the last time they sat down and had a discussion… it kinda felt like he was speaking to him as a completely different person. It had been what… two years?
Soooo much had happened since then. Ezekiel tried not to recall it all, because just the starting thoughts were already pretty overwhelming.
Uhmaaa… Ezekiel quickly moved a pawn up, then he gasped as Doom gently grabbed his hand. The ruler of Latveria held it, just above his chess piece…and Ezekiel's eyes migrated down to all the metal.
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"Are we matching your gutter rat's pace now? This is not a race…"
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Doom released Ezekiel's hand after that, and he advised him to think more and slow down. Memories of learning from him filled the baby Jackal's mind in that moment too, so he closed his eyes and let his advice sink in.
He wasn't matching Wade's pace at all, and he DIDN'T like Doom calling Wade a gutter rat.
Ezekiel's face pinched up at the thought, then he drew in a deep breath before he responded to anything. His mind was betraying him in that moment tho, and the thought of his father and grandfather's obsession with the game took hold of his thoughts once again.
Then, thoughts of obtaining his freedom, and thoughts about being with his "gutter rat" took over too…
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"I don't want to play anymore, Doom. I want everything to stop. I've imagined myself turning everything over to Rae-Ann, then disappearing somewhere for good. I want to feel… normal, for a while, and do something simple. I want to do something that no one would expect."
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Ezekiel's emotions picked up, because deep down he knew what he said would be viewed as a huge disappointment. All he did was disappoint the people who "raised him"…
On top of that, he thought about the timeframe that was going to be established down the road. Ezekiel was mapping out what that actually meant, but securing himself some sort of end date down the line felt almost like a pipe-dream, so…
Uhh… he took his hand back after some time, then he pressed it against the left side of his face. Doom was watching all this with a bit of concern.
Perhaps Ezekiel's mind was too far gone in that moment, or maybe… there'd been too much meddling happening behind the scenes.
Doom was catching onto all of it. OH, he was catching onto aaaalllll of that intrusive and unnecessary meddling. He thought about returning the favor ten-fold, but those thoughts subsided for the time being.
The ruler of Latveria simply removed his hands from the game. He set them on his lap for a time, then he advised Ezekiel to get some rest.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.