Chapter 57 Making deals
Nick puffed his cigar as he looked at me. “You know earlier today one of the strangest things happened. One of my best operatives came in and asked to be moved permanently to the magical department. Do you have any idea why the fuck Natasha would want to move there?”
I almost respond. “Probably because she’s pregnant.” But it isn’t my place to go around telling people. “I know why but it’s best you get it out of her if she wants to tell you.” He had a babble cradle going already. I pointed at it. “You know that takes the magic out of the air to use right? It’s not something you should just leave on forever.”
He gave another few puffs as he enjoyed the flavor. “I figured. Activated it when you portaled in front of the building. I want to say no out of principle.” He drummed his fingers on his desk before sucking his teeth. “Yea, I don’t know what I can do for you. We can only work so fast. It’ll still take a few more weeks to get your facilities built and faculty to staff it.”
I plead for him to do something. “Listen. A man attacked and mind-controlled people I care about. The only way to assure their safety is with very expensive equipment and the only way to find him 100% is the creation of a brand new spell. To do either of those things I need more resources and people to test them on. I’m willing to legitimately work for SHIELD if you do this for me.”
He ponders over the correct choice. It would only cost him an extra million or two to rush the project. In the short run, it would secure my loyalty to him. Is the cost worth my loyalty? He ashes his cigar before looking me in the eye and I already know his answer. “Mr. Storm, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I wish I could but we just don’t have the budget to rush something that will be done in a few weeks anyway.”
I can’t help but smile at his inaction. I let him know exactly how I feel about this situation. “If that’s how it is then. I’m sorry for the mistake you just made and you have my sympathy for what’s about to befall anyone who tries to hurt someone that I care for.” I give him my dead stare, dropping the fake smile and showing the monster hidden underneath.
He speaks to me but it sounds like he’s underwater. I ignore him and walk through a portal as I rethink my plans. I had to stop half-assing it and trying to be the good guy. For the next week or two I was going to put a lot of people in my debt for the money I’d need as I made a call to Stephanie to get a hold of Batman for me.
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Barbara Gordon sat in front of her computer and did her normal work. She had several police communication lines open and was watching security camera footage at suspected hotspot areas. She took a sip of her tea as she watched the clip of a mugger ripping the purse from an old lady's hand as she listened to the police get the incoming call for it deeming it not important enough to push to her Bat Family.
A knock on her door brings her attention to it and she wheels herself over to look through the lowered peephole to see who is on the other side. The man somehow knew to back up and let her get a good look at him as he spoke. “Hello. I was sent over by Bruce to look at your injury. He should have sent you a message on your phone.”
She had set her phone to silent and forgot to ask for a moment to make sure he wasn’t lying. A few dozen messages came in from Stephanie and Dick and a few from everyone else she talked to regularly. Sending a message this way… It was the third time in total that Batman had sent her a cell phone message instead of calling.
She almost dropped her phone when she read the message he sent her. How would that be possible? It shouldn’t be, it had already been a few years since she became handicapped and years of losing hope of ever finding a solution. With trembling hands she undid the latches on her door, she had developed a deep fear of people arriving at her doorstep without her knowing first.
It didn’t even take five minutes for her to get the feeling back in her feet. She stood up and almost fell over immediately from the lack of use and the sudden rush of blood. He put his hands on her back and the wobbliness faded. Her heart almost beat out of her chest as the tears flowed freely from her eyes. Before the man left he asked her to look at the price of fixing her.
The sudden ding from her phone as both Cassandra and Stephanie began talking as their mics were left open and they chattered asking to do a Facetime call made her forget to see him leave. She didn’t notice that her door locked itself as the man left.
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“Hello is this Ms. Carter’s room?” I gave her a big smile and the confused look on her face as she asked. “Hello deary, have we met before?” I walked over and put my hand on hers before using diagnostic touch. Her Alzheimer's and Dementia were at extreme levels and she wouldn’t live to see the end of the year. That is if she didn’t make a deal with me.
I fixed her enough so she was coherent and the happy old lady had turned into the steely woman she was when she led SHIELD. She gave me an appraised look before asking. “Are you an assassin sent to kill me after bringing back my lucidity enough so I would know you did it?” I was taken aback by her statement before she responded. “By the response, I can take it as a no then. What do you want?”
“Well, I obviously want to make a deal with you.”