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 Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 12:48 am
The dry leaves crackled beneath his soled feet, but Nicholas Fury paid them no mind. His hand hovered above his eyes to shield them from the fading sunset, which offered one final gasp at daylight before allowing the shadows to take over.
"We shouldn't have come here." He muttered, stooping to one knee and allowing the soft soil scooped up to sift lazily though his fingers. "I shouldn't have given the order."
Hours from now, the field would be a scene or carnage. It was dark, and Sir Fury and his men had set up camp for the night on the river embankment nearby. Torches were lit and shimmered overhead protectively while the men slept. Fury himself did not sleep. He stared into the darkness for an expected sign.
The sign eventually came in the form of a small torch light. It had been set off exactly as he had specified, hovering three feet above the ground before being snuffed.
Daylight would come soon, he mused, shuffling about the campsight checking on the condition of his men. He could not sleep, nor could he rest for too much was on his mind. He meandered towards the river, hoping the flowing water would sooth his thoughts.
Peering in, he could see several forms of life beneath the moonlight. A snake swam downstream, tadpoles lurked about a rock grouping in a shallow crest on the bank, and a fish paused inches away as he leaned down to scoop a handful of water into his cupped hand.
"Care for a drink?"
He glanced around to locate the source of the voice, but there was nothing more than the chirping crickets and echo of the owl behind him. His team remained at rest. He turned his head abck to the water to find the fish hovering near the surface, its' bubbled eyes seemingly staring at him.
"The water was warmer on the other side."
"And how would you know?" He slurred, splashing his face. "You weren't there."
"I told him." A tinny voice calls out to him.
Fury drew his gaze from the fish to an overhanging Birch tree branch. The leaves were beginning to bloom and a yellow canary sat atop it pecking away at a berry. The bird cranked its neck to the left and stared at him challengingly.
He turned his gaze from the bird and back onto the fish, his eyepatch had begun to slide from his bad eye, but he shoves it back into place and snarls between clenched teeth.
"What do you know?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:45 pm
Col Nick Fury The dry leaves crackled beneath his soled feet, but Nicholas Fury paid them no mind. His hand hovered above his eyes to shield them from the fading sunset, which offered one final gasp at daylight before allowing the shadows to take over.
"We shouldn't have come here." He muttered, stooping to one knee and allowing the soft soil scooped up to sift lazily though his fingers. "I shouldn't have given the order."
Hours from now, the field would be a scene or carnage. It was dark, and Sir Fury and his men had set up camp for the night on the river embankment nearby. Torches were lit and shimmered overhead protectively while the men slept. Fury himself did not sleep. He stared into the darkness for an expected sign.
The sign eventually came in the form of a small torch light. It had been set off exactly as he had specified, hovering three feet above the ground before being snuffed.
Daylight would come soon, he mused, shuffling about the campsight checking on the condition of his men. He could not sleep, nor could he rest for too much was on his mind. He meandered towards the river, hoping the flowing water would sooth his thoughts.
Peering in, he could see several forms of life beneath the moonlight. A snake swam downstream, tadpoles lurked about a rock grouping in a shallow crest on the bank, and a fish paused inches away as he leaned down to scoop a handful of water into his cupped hand.
"Care for a drink?"
He glanced around to locate the source of the voice, but there was nothing more than the chirping crickets and echo of the owl behind him. His team remained at rest. He turned his head abck to the water to find the fish hovering near the surface, its' bubbled eyes seemingly staring at him.
"The water was warmer on the other side."
"And how would you know?" He slurred, splashing his face. "You weren't there."
"I told him." A tinny voice calls out to him.
Fury drew his gaze from the fish to an overhanging Birch tree branch. The leaves were beginning to bloom and a yellow canary sat atop it pecking away at a berry. The bird cranked its neck to the left and stared at him challengingly.
He turned his gaze from the bird and back onto the fish, his eyepatch had begun to slide from his bad eye, but he shoves it back into place and snarls between clenched teeth.
"What do you know?" "Quite a bit actually." Fury quickly stands up and searches the darkness unfolding around him for the source of the voice, but still he has yet to decipher the origin."My but you are a most mistrusting young man, aren't you?" His eyes again fall to the stream where he again sees that lone fish staring up at him thru the crystal waters, and the faint sound of feathers fluttering over his head heralds the tone that the small bird is still overhead."I suppose after what happened here not so long ago, I myself would be a little jumpy." Fury's eye squints into the stream and his brow narrows. A dream, this has to be a dream."How do you know about what happened?" He asks quietly, in the direction of the stream but to noone in particular. The answer came with a soft chuckle,"Why, a little bird told me." Fury's lone good eye looks upward right away at that answer and to the small bird staring down at him. It ruffles it's feathers, breaking from it's snacking on berries and spreads it's wings before fluttering away and out of his line of sight.
Fury slowly brings himself to look away from the direction of where the bird flew off to and back into the stream and the small fish. He shakes his head."I must be going crazy." "You must, talking to animals like this." "What do you want?" "What else? To talk." The fish dives below the murky depths of the water and Fury hears a soft footstep behind him. He spins around to see the aged gypsy Dream Witch, Fontanelle, sitting on a log by the campfire, smoking one of his cigars with her legs crossed.
She looks at him and smiles."After all, I believe we have a great deal to discuss."
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 6:08 pm
As the laughter dies down and reality comes back to the surface, the mood turns more grim. They have things to discuss in the little time they have.
"Let me show ye in"
He waves his hands over to the hole where the door use to be. Victor gets a puzzled look on his face and searches for the door. He digs through the snow and locates it, lifts it up, and forces it back into place, half-assing the work on the hinges. He closes te door and is satasfied with the work. He opens it and shows them in.
He walks over to each as they sit and pours them something to drink as is hospitable in the ways he was brought up. He sits back in his chair and rocks silently. His gaze moves from Logan and then to his partner. He stands and looks down at her.
"Fergive me, Ah nae introduced meself yet. Ah am Victor McCreed of the proud and stroong Clan McCreed of Ireland. It is a pleasure tae met ye lassy."
He gives a bow and sits back down.
"Now what ye been up tae these past days that got ya all in a we situation? Ah've heard the basics from the we cattle in the town next ta this we lil cabin but Ah'd like ta hear what really 'appened? So please, inform me."
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 6:41 pm
Logan watched McCreed as he fixed his door, and then welcomed him and Elektra in. Finally, warmth tingled at his skin and he sat down at one of the offered chairs near the crackling fireplace. Logan felt himself relax, for the first time, in a long time. For the first time, his guard was actually lowered.
"Looks like word travels fast then, eh, old friend?" He looked at Victor, then glanced at Elektra before eyeing McCreed again. "I'll make this as simple as possible, and leave the long stories to another night." He shifted, a bit uncomfortably at the thought of bringing up what had had him on edge for so long. Leaning foreward, resting his elbows on his knees, he stared at McCreed long and hard.
"Fury is back in England... He's working to upset the Crown and remove King James from his post in the country." Logan's eyes narrowed a bit, and he arched his eye brows. "Not only that, he's working along side the French.. Or at least with one of them: Le Gambit.
"Elektra and I were..." He paused, glancing at her cautiously about the event he was about to speak of. "...Were unsuccessful in removing his presence from that of the living. He had taken up refuge with some Gypsies... but my guess is he's left them by now."
Leaning back, he folded his arms and stared over into the fire. "The other night, Elektra and I were ambushed in our room we'd rented out. False names and low heads allowed, we were still found." Blue eyes focused on McCreed and he frowned. "Elektra believes Von Doom has already heard of her failure, and obviously of course, so does King James."
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 6:56 pm
"Yes, I do." She nods.
The situation was as sticky to her as Fury's was to Logan. There was a long history between them and attempting to unwravel it she had inadvertantly lent her services to Count Otto Von Doom, a man who does not take no for an answer, and a man who insists everything be done in accordance to his wishes lest consequences be suffered.
"I was hired by the Count to train his personal security detail, to prepare them for the worst that could happen to Von Doom himself..,"
"Aye, body guards." Creed mutters in his swollen accent.
"Exactly, and during training Von Doom had seen to it to become personally involved. His approach differed from my own and one of his senior men was critically injured by my hand due to his unexpected involvement."
She pauses, and her mind shifts gears to slow down to match the returning memory. Von Doom had seen fit to involve himself at an inoppertune moment during the course of a sword joust. The humble servant immediately took note of his master's presence and lowered his defenses to facilitate his arrival. Elektra had not, and impaled the man on her rapier.
"We argued for serveral moments as to whose fault it was." She says softly, coming back up to speed. "But you can't argue with a man like Otto Von Doom. He offered to have me executed by his remaining men, or to compensate him."
"Fury." Logan mutters in reply to the unspoken question.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 6:57 pm
Victor listens to his brother's tale. At the sound of Fury's name his ear perk and he lets out a low growl. Again this happened when he heard the name of the French, this Le Gambit. His weight shifts in his chair and he scratches his head for a bit.
"So the we b*****d 'as shoon his face again, well tis is a problem."
He stands from his seat and starts to pace in the small cabin, absorbing Logans information as it leaves his lips and formulating some plan of action to take. Though his options were very limited at this moment.
They needed to act fast, knowing that Doom DID hear of her failure and knowing that the news has reached James. And if they were now on the run from both the Crown and the wrath of Doom, they needed to act quickly. He stops and sits back down, placing his arms between his knees.
"Ya got any plans?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 7:33 pm
Logan stared at McCreed for some time, before glancing over to Elektra. He hadn't learned that story yet about her. But, then again, there were many ten years of stories between them to fill. He had yet to explain to her why he hated Fury so. He needn't explain to McCreed though.
Looking at Victor, Logan shook his head slowly and sighed. "No... Unfortunately, we're not in the best of shape right now," Logan edited his phrase, simply because it was Elektra who wasn't in the best of shape, but he didn't want to single her out...and raise questions as to why, then admit the event that he succumbed to his rage.
"You were the only one I could think of who would have a place which I knew would be free of James' and Doom's eyes and ears." Sitting back in his chair, he shrugged lightly. "The only thing I can think of doing is finishing the job with Fury, showing James that I... And Elektra showing Doom that she... did not fail as they believe." Sure, that was a great idea. But relocating Fury and avoiding their antagonators at the same time was not as easy as it sounded.
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 7:58 pm
"Fury is protected by a clan of witches." Elektra offers. "He has charmed them into protecting his interests and have proven themselves to be quite powerful...,"
Her voice trails off as the images return fresh in her mind. They had helped her, healed her in her moment of need when all others had deserted her. They treated her as a friend when she found herself surrounded by enemies.
She exchanges a half glance with Logan. His blue eyes sparkle in recognition of her thoughts, but also in warning. He had his reasons for not mentioning the rest and she would respect them.
"I think we would be best served if we could draw Fury away from their protection, if even for a short period."
She was hoping that McCreed would accept their perceived power as reason enough and that she would not have to explain her true reasons for not wanting to engage the clan. It made it easier this way, for both her and Logan. If Fury was absent from their company, neither would be constrained by their reluctance to harm the clan members. Fury himself, however, was fair game.
"A ruse of some sort..,"
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 6:44 pm
He places one hand on the top of his head and the other under his chin. He slowly cracks his neck. He brings his shoulders back and stretches out a bit, trying to findhimself a suitable and relaxing postion to say what he needs to say.
"Alright, Ah 'ave a plan formin' in me noggin', boot we're goona 'ave tae act quickly. First off, we know tha Doom is oon tae ye, and even me knowing em." He switches his gaze to Elecktra. "The thing ye need tae know is tha he always knows. We need tae cover oor tracks, very carefully an very well."
He raises from his seat and lets out a deep breath. He starts to pace as he usually does when he's either waiting for a fight or dealing with a problem. He starts to scratch his chin while pacing and suddenly stops, getting a crude and arrogant smirk on his face.
"Now, we're goona 'ave ta leave here quickly. Ah'll 'ave to burn the place jus tae throw 'em off a we bit. Ye can lead me tae the gypsies if ye are wantin tae get at Fury, and we can figure oot what tae doo with the we lil b*****d when we're there. Ah doon't know aboot the gypsies so ya can inform me as we travel. Knowing some things Ah've heard of this Le Gambit, he travels with witchbreed. If'n ye encountered any before ye goona 'ave tae tell me aboot them."
He walks over to the cabin door and opens it, motioning politely for the two guests to exit for the moment.
"Ah doon't really think ye be wantin' tae see me change, so if you could step ootside fer a bit, Ah'll be just a we minute."
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 7:08 pm
What could he possibly have in mind? He seemed to be considering tackling the gypsy clan directly, a move she was opposed to. Not only were they too strong, she had promised them no harm would become of them from her. She had given her word and intended to keep it. Still, she did not know this man and had no idea what he could possibly be thinking, though he seemed quite willing to help them.
She followed Logan onto the porch while Victor shut the door behind them and proceeded to change. Nothing was said between them, but eye contact had told them both to remain quiet until a plan had been established.
Herself and Logan combined, two of the most feared and experienced assassins in Europe, had been unable to overcome the gypsy clan to reach Fury. Could McCreed's presence be enough to turn the tide against their numbers? She was unsure of his ability, and his skill, having only heard minimal details about the man. His rough exterior seemed more than up to the challenge from her vantage point, and his size. The man was huge, towering over both of them as they lumbered to their feet. His build was powerful, and she doubted he would have any trouble tearing people's limbs from their bodies. Logan had told her that they were together at Fury's betrayal which suggested a man of plentiful experience.
And what of the plan? So far they had nothing. Perhaps the three of them could overcome the clan, but to do so after they had helped her in her time of need would require some soul searching on her part. She sighed, watching her foggy breath dissipate into the cold breeze. It would be a long trip, and they would have plenty of time to get things worked out.
The wooden porch creaked beneath her foot when she shifted her wait to a more comfortable standing position, folding her arms across her chest. She cast a glance to her partner, but he kept his gaze directed into the woods, his nostrils hard at work, looking for signs of company. How would Logan react to going back into the camp? Would he be willing to break his word? The Logan she knew would insist on finding another way, but this was not the Logan she knew. This man - for want of a better term - was far more ruthless, far more aggressive, and far more savage.
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 7:35 pm
He stood there, and glanced over his shoulder at the shut door, and looked to Elektra. He just...looked. For the first time, since they'd been together and not at each other's throats, or him being down a path of long angst and torture, he simply just looked over her face, her stance, how she held herself. Even how she breathed. Took it all in.
Eyes traced over the lines on her cheeks, under her eyes. Not really that of age, but more so tiresome weight of the world. He was sure, if he looked into a mirror, he would see nothing of the man he was once ago. He reached out, and placed his strong arm around her shoulders, holding her gently against him. It felt good to finally feel something other than self-loathing and preached revenge again.
The look on her face, though, he recognized as her look of, "So what next, smart guy" expression she gave him often before back in the Far East. ...He smirked lightly as a memory came back to him, from far hidden reaches of his mind. That had been a very dangerous event, but looking back, seemed far more childish and funny than it had at the time.
He blinked, feeling her thin finger poking his ribs, pulling him out of his memories. "...you thinking about?" He only caught the tail end of what she had said, and shook his head to clear his mind. "Say that again?"
"What are you thinking about?" She asked again, at him in the eyes.
"Oh, just the past..." He covered up, then looked into the darkness. A glance over his shoulder into the shut, but off corner hinged door, then back to her. "I do not think attacking the gypsies is the plan we should do. We should simply track Fury long enough until he leaves their protection. We swore to them we would not attack them, we will not attack them. At least, I will not and I know you would not either. ...We will have to let McCreed know this." He looked out into the darkness outside the property of Victor's shelter. "I owe them more than I can repay..." She'd feel his arm tighten a bit as he said that, before he glanced back at her.
"Perhaps we can send Victor to simply distract them while we pick up Fury's trail... See if he's still with them. I don't know. We need to do something though. He is right, Doom and King James will eventually find us, even out here in no where."
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 8:35 pm
Using Victor as a means of distraction seemed a reasonable idea to her, but the same question struck her about McCreed when she glanced at Logan. Did he have the same problems with his rage? Would he be overcome by it in the heat of the moment, and would he begin to kill randomly?
She did not know the answers to these questions, but he did seem in agreement with her not to attack them directly out of respect to their word. They would have to find another way.
Her mind swam in the pool of thought she suddenly found herself wading in. Both men were intent on making their move as soon as possible, and she was inclined to agree. To allow too much time to lapse would be to give them the advantage.
"Does Victor have your... abilities?" She asks, following his gaze into the wilderness where it settles on a doe creeping up to a nearby stream. He nods, but holds his hand out to ask for quiet.
The animal lurked.
He wouldn't kill a doe, would he?
They were both hungry, but more important matters were at stake than an easy kill. The doe's ears perked as Elektra shuffled her feet on the deck. A twig then snaps and the animal darts for cover into the dense foliage. With that distraction gone, she was now able to speak.
"I think the wise idea for us would be to draw Fury away from the clan." She says, noting the indifference in his eyes upon losing sight of the creature. Even his nostrils had stopped flaring, telling her that she had his full attention. "Perhaps we could hire a courier to give false word to Fury and draw him from their protection?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 8:51 pm
He narrowed his eyes a bit that she alerted and scared off the doe, but he knew it was her helping him keep the animal side at bay. With her question, he nodded. "Yes... His ability to heal isn't as fast or as strong as mine, and he doesn't have the..." Logan looked at his wrists, and grimaced. He hated those damnable claws. "...But he can hear and smell and see like me."
The idea of hiring a courier to draw out Fury sounded plausable, but the question was... who? Logan's eyes looked back to her in curiosity. "You have any ideas as to who or where to look?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:05 pm
Her brow furrowed in ponderment as she did not have a ready answer. It was obvious that a normal courier would not be able to find their shielded camp, so he would have to locate one of the gypsies while in town on business. Fury himself rarely ventured outside of the camp any more and preferred to do his business through others. He was a very secretive man, but it stood to reason with his former post as Spymaster general under Queen Elizabeth.
"I think we could simply hire a courier in town to deliver the message, but Fury is a paranoid man, he does not trust so easily."
Not as easily as I do.
Her thoughts stray from Fury to the man at her side and what he had become during the time apart they had spent. What he was and what he had become were near polar opposites, yet she felt compelled to trust him again as she had done before. Perhaps out of hope?
"He sends clan members to town daily, so we may be able to spread a rumor rather than hire a courier. All we need is something to draw him out alone. We see to it that the clan member hears of this news and delivers it to Fury. In effect, one of the clan members could be our courier and McCreed could give him the news. The clan likely knows us, but they do not know your friend."
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:40 pm
Elektra was true with her logic on Fury. He wasn't easy to trust, and so he shook his head at the idea of sending Victor. "No.. He wouldn't work. He was with me when Fury betrayed us--he'd recognize him about as fast as I he would me, or you now. No we need to..." Logan' thought for a few seconds longer, before his eyes lit up with an idea. He grinned and looked over at her.
"...Rogers..." He breathed, the idea almost so simple he couldn't understand why he never thought about it. "Rogers... Stephen Rogers!" Logan almost laughed at the simplicity of it. Elektra simply stared confused at him. So, once he'd look at her, he grinned. Logan opted to explain.
"Stephen Rogers is a man from... We don't know. He came from the the wilds, as an native known as Rohjaz... Why no one caught on to a big, white, blonde haired and blue eyed man that wasn't indian confuses me, but they did. ...Anyway, he left for England after taking care up as body guard for the first born in the Americas. Anyway, long story short, turns out, this 'indian' was really from another time, or so the stories around the colonies go. Says he came from another time, and caused a big problem, almost destroying our world... Anyway. Fury had been wanting to find him, not really believing what Dr. Reed Richards and ol' Carlos Javier had to say."
Logan jerked his thumb over his shoulder into the cabin. "We'll send Victor in...who's about the same size, to go start the rumor of Rogers being back, wanting to go to the Americas and stir up trouble for James' control of the colonies. Fury'll jump that in a heart beat." Logan looked at her for her approval of the idea, knowing it was the best thing they had to work with for the moment.
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