The Wanderer - 182 (Patreon)

[A/N: This one is for you, Ravenlord2015. Enjoy!  :D ]

Chapter 182 – Cunning

[2009 – October]

Having just finished his call with the Council, Fury left the Holographic Projection Room with a light frown.

As much as he had advocated investigating the reason behind Elijah Frost's attack on the main base of the Facility, he himself knew the best just how unsettled he was by what he had witnessed.

Such strength in the hands of a young man who he knew basically nothing about, even though he tried to convince himself that he knew enough – it frightened him.

The more extraordinary individuals that he got to know about, the clearer Fury understood the threat each of them posed, and his instincts told him that Elijah Frost certainly was a very dangerous individual.

And he really did not even want to imagine having to engage the young man in conflict after having seen him upturn the land, treating the very surface of the planet as nothing more than an oversized sandbox.

The fact was, though, that Fury knew very well that he might not have much of a choice in the matter, which certainly didn't help his mood.

At this point, he hoped that their investigation would help them unearth some information that would enable him to understand why the young mutant had done what he had done, even if just for his own peace of mind.

Even from experience alone, Fury knew that without at least understanding what drove the young mutant forward and gave him directions on the path that he was walking, it was utterly nonsensical to fight and engage Elijah Frost.

The lack of intel might conceal the fact that they might not even fight for different things, or that maybe some of their goals were aligned, which made any kind of conflict unnecessary.

As a spy, Fury had always believed in reaching his goal with the least amount of open conflict, which made fighting a 'last resort'-type of action in his book.

If he could gain an understanding of Elijah Frost's beliefs and ambitions, he was sure that he could manage to find common ground between them and maybe borrow the young man's incredible prowess for the Avengers Initiative, however faint of a hope that was.

So, knowing it was impossible for the Council to not 'blacklist', Fury had at least insisted on investigating the reason for the attack.

Still, he wasn't delusional enough to not understand the Council's stance on roping in dangerous individuals as collaborators. Even though they had not yet explicitly stated so, Fury knew that they would never allow individuals to operate freely under their mantle of political immunity.

And while he did understand their concerns, he was ready to find ways to make it happen anyway as he believed it to be the only chance to protect what needed to be protected.

Ideas and notions of endless schemes and hidden operations whirled through his mind as Fury thought about all this, secrets within secrets within secrets being the trade by which he lived.

Though when he moved through the short corridor from the projection room and stepped into his office, the maze of secrets was pushed to the back of his mind as he suddenly felt his hairs stand on ends, his gaze fixed on the young man that sat atop his desk.

His chin was held in the palm of his hand while his arm rested on his left knee, his leg bent and drawn to his chest, the other leg swinging leisurely back and forth as his deep green eyes pierced through a curtain of dark locks and fell on the Director.

Fury's eyes widened a fraction as he suppressed the urge to draw his weapon on the dangerous mutant before him, shock and trepidation flaring up for a moment as he couldn't understand how the young man had appeared before him without warning.

The surveillance system had given him no warning about the young man's presence, which should have been impossible considering the advanced technology that had been used to build it.

"Hello, Director.", Elijah Frost greeted, darkness swirling within his eyes as a faint and calm smile sat on his lips.

…

Looking at the bald, one-eyed, black spymaster, I could sense his surprise and spikes of fear, though I also sensed how Fury reined in his own emotions in but a few moments, displaying a mental fortitude deserving of a man in his position.

And while I did not have a good impression of him and had no interest in letting myself be drawn into his schemes and plans, it was still a bit strange to meet someone that I had only ever known from movies and comic books.

Fury carried himself with a fierce spirit, his authority almost a physical manifestation that was wrapped around his figure. He was imposing for a simple baseline human, even though turning him to dust was hardly any different to me than crushing a planet.

Both just required a bit of force, one slightly more than the other, which wasn't of significant difference in the large scheme of things.

Still, that wasn't the reason why I came here to meet the spymaster, or I wouldn't have met him face to face. I had no habit of chatting with those that I planned to kill, nor did I ever plan to make it one.

No, I came here because I knew that the actions that I took when saving Celeste had naturally caused panic in the upper echelons of governments all over the world.

I wasn't sure who exactly knew about what I had done as I just had destroyed a few hundred satellites without caring who they belonged to.

The public had naturally already been placated with lies about a sudden 'inexplicable' shift in the tectonic plates that had caused an earthquake, but I was sure that those who knew what had really happened were still fearful and filled with trepidation, not knowing if I would come for them next.

Or more accurately, if they could stop me if I came for them next.

Generally, I didn't really care about the games played by the different governments or even the World Security Council but I didn't want them to act on their fear and make my life more complicated than necessary.

As such, I thought that a short talk with the Director might be warranted since I had avoided him until now.

Being a Realm Lord, I no longer had to worry about the forces of Earth as no amount of Super Soldiers would be enough to harm me, not to mention that Earth's weapons were unable to break my shields since they were backed up by a mind that was strengthened as part of the living incarnation of the Darkforce Dimension.

…

Regaining his bearings, Fury's brow was drawn into a frown as he spoke up: "Elijah Frost. I certainly didn't expect to meet you, after the message you sent me through my Agent."

Even though he was slightly intimidated by the invisible pressure that seemed to be exuded from the young mutant's form, the Director had no intention to show how much the sudden appearance of the young man had shocked him.

He also knew that Elijah Frost most likely didn't come to kill or hurt him but that didn't mean that he would relax his vigilance as he stepped further into the room, turning sideways to the small sideboard, on top of which rested a bottle of liquor and two glasses.

Naturally, Fury didn't do so to pour himself a glass of whiskey but to covertly press a few buttons on his phone before turning back to the young man, demonstratively taking a sip.

The young mutant though just looked at him with what seemed to be amusement, his smile widening as he reached out and grasped at the air with his free right hand.

"Even though you don't need it, you won't be able to call for help while in my presence. Nothing can enter or leave this room unless I allow it to, not even your messages and calls.", he said while dark shadows manifested atop his palm, winding and turning.

And a moment later all of Fury's communication devices had been taken from him, levitating inside a cloud of erratic dark smoke above the young mutant's hand.

Clenching his fist, Elijah Frost just turned his devices to nothingness as he continued: "Though I think it is for the best to destroy the illusions that you have about your own cunning altogether. Otherwise, this meeting might not end with a result that you will enjoy."