#14 - Conversations Unexpected

By Gary Dreslinski

"Please, sit down. You are here, one would imagine, to discuss coming to some sort of arrangement." Bennet du Paris tried not to let any of the uncertainty show on his face. He had been quite secretive about his role as CEO of Sycorp. And yet the man in front of him had known where to send the package, and how to send a message that would grant him an audience.

What was even more bewildering, was that the man was Dane Whitman. Not the one that Bennet, as Exodus, had fought both beside and against. That man was on the continent, exploring the new world, and trying to find a solution to the puzzle that was the mystical barrier that surrounded Europe. Even with all the power at his disposal, he had been unable to dent it. Which meant that it couldn’t be done, by conventional means at least. Perhaps Dane, his Dane, would be able to come up with something, or bring him people who could. There were already phone calls, and crystal ball projections, when the phones finally gave up the ghost, coming in from France. Dane was up to something,

So was this man, this other Dane Whitman. This, Proctor. He had the Ebony Blade resting at his side, which explained the contents of the package at least.

"You sent me the head of Alec Drake, the Ebony Knight. Why?"

Proctor stared at him for a moment, a slight smile forming there, "I thought you would appreciate the gesture. He was going to be a pain for both of us. I got rid of him, and returned the Blade to its rightful line."

"Dane Whitman is the rightful possessor of that particular blade."

"I am Dane Whitman." The smile completely dropped off his face. From the crazed look in his eyes, Bennet wondered if the man was actually coming to leap across the desk at him.

"So you say." Bennet said, before changing the subject slightly. No matter who the man actually was, he had the Ebony Blade, and thus was no one to be trifled with lightly. "I must confess my curiosity. How did you kill a man who shouldn’t have been able to be killed."

"What do you mean?"

"He had the Blade. The only way to do actual harm to someone with the Ebony Blade in his hand is with another piece of the same material."

"You’ve obviously given this a lot of thought." The smile crept back into place.

"I’ve had reason to look into the matter. But it was actually his… your… ancestor, Eober Garrington. Who told me about it. He seemed rather proud of that particular fact."

"That didn’t save him. He still died. There are ways around everything… our friend Mr. Drake included. You see, he didn’t have the sword in his possession when he died, I did. And, he wasn’t of the line. He wasn’t bonded to it. Unlike myself."

"I…see."

"You’re trying to figure out if you can kill me. You can’t. Use that mind of yours to do something useful."

"And what might that be?" Bennet leaned forward, his fingers templed on the desk. Clearly this Proctor thought a great deal of himself. Clearly, he was underestimating the threat he was face to face with. But, Bennet had to admit, the situation had its charm. Rather than obliterate him where he sat, it might actually pay to listen to what the man had to say.

Her name was unimportant. She hadn’t used it in so long, most of the time she had forgotten it herself. She was the Asp. International terrorist, selling her unique abilities to the highest bidder both solo and as part of the fearsome Serpent Society. That was before the barrier had changed everything. Now, she was the highest bidder, or tried to be. It was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. She liked to think that being the right person also played a part. But she knew that was more likely than not just wishful thinking. History was made, after all, not by the rich or powerful, but by those in the right place, at the right time, who grabbed the riches and power for themselves. The Asp vowed to be one of those people.

She was well on her way. The black market operation out of Paris had given her the foothold she would need to make the next step. It had brought her the Black Knight, with his companion and fellow Avenger Sersi. Through him, she would gain what she needed for the next phase of the operation - the foreign scientists who had managed to stay out of the hands of the other Powers That Be, or into lesser hands. He would bring them to her, or at least give them something to think about. Eventually, they would come, one way or another. She was a pleasant alternative to what other people would do if they managed to get a hold of them.

"We need them, don’t we baby?" She was sitting on the floor, stroking Sersi’s hair through her long dusky fingers. The Eternal did not answer. The constant venom that dripped from Asp’s fingers kept her in that state. "They need to understand, we wish them well. We can negotiate with the French government. We can get them to tell Doom where he can stick it, get them to bring their heroes back out into the streets, knowing that our combined efforts are working toward a solution. Then we can start getting this ‘European Union’ back together as something more than a name. Force them to work together again, instead of every man for himself. The only one that is benefiting from any of this is Doom. We need to work together… you see that, don’t you baby?"

There were other powers out there, in other cities across Europe, trying to do the same thing she was doing. Some of them were working for the good of society, others wanted to set up their own private empires. With some of them, it was hard to tell. In the end though, it didn’t matter. Not as long as things got back to normal, or at least as normal as things could get.

She looked over to the corner. When the Black Knight had left, she had sent people to their hotel… and started tracking down everything she could get her hands on. Everything that the couple had brought across the Channel, was now in her possession. There was the atomic steed, which her people had already taken a careful look at, tearing it apart and putting it back together the best they could. There were… lots of other neat inventions. Avenger Communication Cards that didn’t work. SHIELD security clearance badges. Those she tucked away. They might be useful. But the most intriguing thing was a piece of wood, no longer than her arm. Someone had been very precise when they had wrapped it. Clearly, this was something of importance, if not in general, than to the Black Knight. Just as clearly, it was hers now. She wondered how best to use the fact that she had it. What advantage could she maneuver, when the threat of harm coming to woman he loved was no longer enough. Would the fate of a stick be enough to keep him from trying something stupid? If it did, it was obviously something of great power. If it wasn’t, well then, she hadn’t wasted anything more than she had been prepared to gamble.

Her eyes didn’t seem to be able to stay away from it for more than a few minutes. Whatever else it was, it was a mystery. A piece of wood that was important enough to have brought with them when they left England. If she could just…

Sersi shifted on her lap. The Asp went back to petting her head. The Eternal was strong. The sheer amount of venom that had been put into her system would have long ago killed a human. But the immortal Avenger continued to cling to life. The Asp kept petting her, letting a little bit of the venom she excreted drip onto Sersi, to be absorbed into the skin. It was the only way to keep her out of the game. If she was going to manipulate the man, she had to take the woman out of the picture first.

The Asp ran her fingers through Sersi’s hair again. It was full and rich. The kind of hair she imagined models would have. It felt nice slipping between her thumb and index…

The noise startled her from what she was doing. She looked up just in time to duck, unconsciously covering the defenseless Sersi from the flying debris. Where the wall had once been, there was a large gapping hole, letting in the sunlight. The light blinded her, flooding into the room as if it were an invading army; Strong and overwhelming, chasing away the shadows from even the deepest corner.

There was a figure standing in the makeshift doorway, as if examining his own handiwork. She couldn’t make out much, the light was directly assaulting her eyes as if it had a personal grudge.

All she knew was that he was large. And dressed in some sort of high tech armor.

And he was pointing a large, gauntlet covered finger in her direction. "There she is…" he proclaimed, "Surrender her, and live."

Asp looked down at Sersi lying in her lap, completely oblivious to everything. She looked over to where she had stashed the belongings of the Black Knight and his love. She carefully stood up, moving Sersi’s head gently and deliberately to the floor.

"And what will happen to her, if I do?"

The man stared at her for a moment, as if confused by the question. Or consulting someone.

Finally, he spoke. "She will die."

Asp looked back down at Sersi. She had made a deal. If Dane did what she told him to do, he would get his love back, healthy. It would be easier just to let whoever this was kill her. It would certainly take a major problem off her hands, mainly what to do once the Black Knight completed contacting the final people on the list, and brought them to her. She would have to hand Sersi over. At which point, she had lost her edge. If she could just step back and let someone else kill her… then Dane would be far too busy going after them to wonder where she had slinked off to. But… although she was a snake at heart, she had made a deal. Sersi, was under her protection, until Dane got back from completing his tasks.

She looked back over at the large man in the armor, and quietly whispered a reminder of her plans. It was good, she had found, in times like these, to focus on the end goal, and let the events of the moment just happen.

"What if I don’t feel like giving her to you?"

The armored man grabbed a section of the wall, crushing it, in his hands, into a fine dust, just by applying pressure. "Then you too shall die at the hands of the Quark, Defender of the Kree Empire and Champion of the Realm of Faerie."

Dane Whitman stared at his old friend, and protégé. Or more precisely, at his decapitated head that was now floating a few feet away from him, smiling.

Sean Dolan, the head in question, didn’t seem to mind Dane staring. In fact, he seemed rather resigned to it. "Would this make it any easier on you?" Sean asked, as a spirit body formed, giving the decomposing head something to rest upon. "Just think of me as a ghost."

"Isn’t that what you are?" Dane asked, cautiously.

"Of course not. I told you before. I’m an Oracle. I see into the future. Or the past. People ask me questions. I answer them."

"I don’t believe this… The Ebony Knight… he…"

"Yes, he killed me. Cut my head right off. Bloody nasty bit of work. Not at all displeased to see him dead."

"What?" Dane exclaimed.

"Dead. Someone cut his head right off. Nice bit of irony huh?"

"How? …"

"With a sword." Sean looked pleased with himself, "Unless of course you want to know ‘How do you know that?"

Dane nodded.

"Because… and see if you can follow me here… I… AM… AN… ORACLE. We see stuff. Like what’s coming for you. That’s what we need to talk about. You need to ask me some questions. Ask the right ones, and I’ll give you the answers that might just keep you alive a little longer. Ask the wrong ones, and well… maybe I can get you a job as an Oracle too."

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