No-One But You (The Zephyr Endeavor) - Part 2
Chapter 91: Prince of Darkness (Part 1)
…
Charles Xavier was right, because Ezekiel Stane hadn't left Latverion's atmosphere at this point in the story.
He was still having Zephyr run a billion different scans and tests. Zephyr even did the talking for him when he communicated with the people below him. Those … people left in groups, and they all escaped their punishment in one way or another.
Ezekiel didn't care about any of it. He watched them all escape, and he didn't care what any of it meant.
…
His heart was in shambles, and he failed to process his own behavior after Doom's blast impacted Wade Wilson's body. Ezekiel saw the impact, and…
…
The silence that followed everyone leaving was… comforting, so Ezekiel remained with the wind and out of sight. He was tracking the wind patterns in Latverion, just in case some remains of Wade had drifted off in another direction.
Any ounce of behaving in a rational manner left his mind after he witnessed the blast, and Ezekiel realized that once he noticed he was finally, alone…
If Zephyr missed something during one of his scans, then the Jackal understood that he could have damaged what was left of Wade's body with his attack on Doom and the crowd.
He felt regret immediately after lashing out like a child…because his ridiculous tantrum could have done more damage than good.
The potential damage to Wade was all he could think about, not anyone else. Ezekiel didn't give a fuck about what happened to anyone else.
He was done trying to alter himself and behave as some sort of hero. That feel-good role never seemed to fit…
Ezekiel wasn't sure who he was trying to fool by joining S.H.I.E.L.D., helping the X-Men, and trying to coexist with the lot. He never fit in from the beginning, but the Jackal kept trying like a stubborn mule.
The young man was very down on himself in that moment, so he looked toward one of the heavens… and took off.
Another scan came back inconclusive, so Ezekiel told his technology to venture out and to fly at top speed. Zephyr advised against it, because his suit hadn't had a chance to scan the area and chart the safest course.
Ezekiel didn't care if it was safe. He thought about joining Wade Wilson in hell, actually, so he ignored the advice of his technology and he told it to fly faster.
Ezekiel wanted to collide into something that could kill him in an instant, but…
…
His technology was too smart for that, and Zephyr avoided flying around anything that put Ezekiel in harms way. Another scan came back with the same exact result, so Ezekiel pretty much lost it beneath his suit.
Oh, you wanna know WHY Tony Stark and the lot were having a hard time finding the baby Jackal? You'd think a simple scan from Stark's tech or Cerebro could tell everyone where he was.
Truth be told, Ezekiel had the ability to lock them all out of his life decades ago, but he chose to open himself up and show himself to the outside world.
Ezekiel CHOSE to interact with them, and he was identified by Stephen Strange…
Now he CHOSE to interact with no one. He didn't want to see them, hear them, or be anywhere near them for the time being. This might seem a bit redundant, but all he cared about was …
…
Wade.
…
Ezekiel told his technology that he needed to head back to Wade's home, in New York, then he'd somehow rebuild his soul from there.
His tech got to work on calculating his trip back to the Bronx, and Ezekiel remained silent the entire way there. That… "gutter rat" house appeared before the somber Jackal, and Ezekiel wasn't surprised to find that the door was unlocked.
Wade never locked his door, but Ezekiel slammed it shut and he locked it behind him.
Entering that house again was very overwhelming. Ezekiel almost lost it as soon as he slammed the door.
Oh, Zephyr clicked open and removed himself from the baby Jackal's skin, then the waterworks picked up soon after…
He couldn't even LOOK at Wade's stuff that was scattered all around him, so he silently walked across the front entry, the living room, down a hall, and into Wade's messy bedroom.
Ezekiel crossed that room and buried himself beneath Wade's bulky old blankets. That's where he planned to stay for good and shut everything else out…
As Wade would say… everyone else can GET FUCKED.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.