The Wanderer - 276 (Patreon)

Chapter 276 – Offering A Path Of Survival

[2009 – October – Saturday]

[Tianjin, Frost International Tower]

"So, who is the man for whom you arranged to stay in one of the company's apartments?", Emma asked, her smile subdued yet gorgeous.

"Do you really want me to believe that you haven't found out his identity yet?", I questioned back while smiling faintly.

I knew my older sister's character too well to believe that she hadn't used her considerable resources to uncover the identity of the man that I had brought back from Maveth. Emma basically lived by the principle of 'knowledge is power', so she would obviously not patiently wait for me to tell her what she desired to know if there were other options.

Her smile widened at my words and her pearly white teeth became visible as she replied innocently: "Well, I am just curious where you found an astronaut and former United States Air Force pilot who has been missing for over eight years. He couldn't have been a prisoner of HYDRA, could he?"

Shaking my head at her strangely adorable antics, I spoke up again.

“I found him on Maveth. He has been sent there as a sacrifice by HYDRA.”, I told her.

A surprised look flashing past her eyes, she asked: “Interesting as that may be, why save him?”

I wasn't surprised by Emma's uncaring attitude towards another man's life since I knew that her circle of people that she felt protective towards was very small, which wasn't too dissimilar to me.

“He survived for years on a barren planet in utter solitude after his three teammates died rather gruesomely, remaining sane when most others would have been driven mad.”, I answered her calmly.

“You admire him for that.”, Emma realized with some shock, seemingly not expecting me to be impressed by a normal baseline human.

“Hmm, I would call it respect.”, I corrected her softly, “He is a rare breed amongst humans, a survivor through and through.”

Tilting her head, a few strands of Emma's platinum hair brushed past her right cheek as she stated with a smile: "You almost make me want to meet him with your high praise."

Her words sounded out lightly but she couldn't hide the contemplative thoughts running through her mind from me. Emma was an astounding individual and one of the most intelligent people on Earth but ultimately, she was still just a mutant and a mortal, so it was comparatively easy to read her for me.

Clearly, she also understood what I meant by calling Will Daniels a 'survivor'.

It wasn't hard to find people with exceptional skill if one had the right resources but finding someone with an unbending mentality, someone who could survive tribulations that would destroy the very sanity of most other humans was an entirely different matter.

Will Daniels might just be a pilot and astronaut, which weren't necessarily professions that held any valuable skills in Emma's eyes, but his mental fortitude meant that he was someone who could excel in any field, simply because giving up was not an option.

I had no doubt that Emma understood the rarity of this quality and valued it at least as much as I did, probably more given that she was always looking for exceptional individuals worth recruiting to her side.

In part, this was also my intention for placing Daniels in an apartment owned by Frost International. I didn't intend to meet him again nor did I plan to control him in any way, but I also knew that he would find himself in a difficult position if I just released him out in the world.

I could only guess how many government agencies would be after him when word reached them about his return. My best guess would be that either the Army would lock him up in a laboratory or SHIELD might just forcefully recruit him after squeezing him dry of any intel that he might possess.

There was also the very real possibility of him being captured by remnants of HYDRA, which would spell an even worse fate for him.

And while I didn't necessarily plan to act as his protector, my efforts of saving him from Maveth would be wasted if he just got himself captured and treated like a lab rat. Simple pride wouldn't allow me to let that happen.

As such, I had chosen to give him a chance by directing Emma's attention towards him. I had no doubt that he could prove himself a valuable addition to her faction while she would have no problem protecting him from those who might be after him.

After all, with her influence and myself around, who would dare extend their claws towards those being sheltered by the Frost name?

Naturally, it was still his decision to accept this favour. If he planned to set out on his own and try his luck, that would be his decision to make even if it might ultimately lead to his downfall.

My kindness was limited to offering Will Daniels a path to survival but it was on him to walk that path.

“You're welcome to do so.”, I agreed lightly, though my next words were spoken a tad more gravely as I gave Emma a deep look, “But don't touch his mind.”

Holding my gaze, Emma's crystal eyes shimmered with understanding and an unspoken promise as she nodded while smiling gently: “I won't.”

Seeing her like this, a faint smile spread on my lips as I spoke up again: “Well, I should get going. Laura and Jean are waiting for me to catch up with them.”

“Go, do your thing.”, Emma encouraged, her graceful neck exerting some force as she lightly turned her head while gesturing to the outside with her delicate jaw. As always, her movements were elegant and filled with a distinct beauty, she was like a piece of art that anyone with eyes wished to possess.

Half-dispersing my form, I brushed past her with untraceable speed, leaving a faint kiss on her cheek as a sign of my affection and gratitude.

“Bye, Emma.”

My whisper reached her ears as I vanished completely.

…

Her fingers tracing over her cheek, Emma smiled to herself as the echo of her younger brother's voice lingered in her ears.

She knew that her schedule was packed full but she still didn't restart the elevator even after Elijah had vanished. Instead, she took a step and watched the metropolis down below while her slender but womanly frame leaned against the glass, a depth of emotion swirling in her crystal eyes.

The flash drive in her pocket weighed as heavy as her newly discovered responsibilities as a mother. But while Elijah's trust weighed heavy, it also filled her veins with warmth.

For a long time, it had been fear and ruthless ambition that had pushed her forward while she had felt unsafe and vulnerable even as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club.

Elijah's arrival and acceptance had changed all this.

He had given her back her daughter, which she had thought impossible, and he had also gifted her a profound sense of security that had taken away her fear and replaced it with a spark of warmth and affection.

Still, Emma was ambitious by nature, so she had never thought of leaving behind all her schemes and intrigues. Now though, there also existed an undeniable yearning to be more than just the White Queen, which had been buried in the depths of her heart before.

Her future no longer solely revolved around gaining more power and authority but also about being a mother and sister.

From an outsider's point of view, her life didn't seem to have changed in any meaningful way but Emma knew that Elijah had flipped her world upside down, and the icy beauty couldn't help but love him for it.