"Tell me, how the hell do I fix my face?" Deadpool asked, finally getting a moment to interrogate Francis.
Francis, bruised and slumped against the wall, looked up at Wade with a weak sneer. "Fix your face? Keep dreaming, Wade." His voice was hoarse but filled with mockery, like he was savoring every word. "You're a walking science experiment gone wrong. There's no fixing that."
Deadpool stared at him for a second, then shrugged. "So why the hell am I even talking to this guy?" he muttered. One quick shot from the pocket pistol hidden in his belt, and Francis dropped to the floor.
"Wade, ever thought about joining the X-Men?" came a voice from behind. Ethan stepped forward, casual as ever, hands in the pockets of his dark leather jacket.
Deadpool turned around with a bit of surprise. "What, no wheelchair-bound telepath giving me a psych eval first? This whole process seems wildly underwhelming."
"Nah, you're getting the express version. I'm authorized to do the recruiting too," Ethan said with a smirk, spreading his hands.
"Wow. The interviewers are getting younger every year. Do I at least get a cool badge or a Danger Room demo?" Deadpool quipped.
Ethan just laughed. "It's not all fun and games. Being an X-Man means living in the light, with rules, regulations... a public image. That attracts a lot of mutants looking for purpose. But you? You've always thrived in the shadows."
Deadpool paused, voice more serious than usual. "Exactly. I'm not made for the bright world. Wasn't before I became a mutant, sure as hell ain't now. I'm a merc. I live underground. Mice don't belong in the spotlight."
"Then what about the Brotherhood?" Ethan asked, tilting his head. "You like freedom. Brotherhood offers that."
"So what, if the Brotherhood slides into my DMs with an invite, I just drop my pants and scream 'Sign me up!'?" Deadpool snorted, then glanced around with mock paranoia. "Shit. Did I say that out loud? Damn brain-mouth connection again. Haha—just messin', folks. No need to light me up with your pew-pew eye beams. Let's all keep our pants and powers on, yeah?"
"Relax," Ethan said, patting him on the shoulder. "We're not here to purge heretics. Besides, I forgot to mention—joining the Brotherhood? You can go through me for that too. So congrats. You're in."
"Wait, what? You guys just recruit on the fly like that? No forms? No blood tests? Man, you're either incredibly efficient or terrifyingly unorganized."
Deadpool leaned back, tapping his chin behind the mask.
"Alright then, let's talk perks. Brotherhood got dental? Paid leave? What's the food like? I don't need disability coverage, obviously, but I do appreciate a solid benefits package."
"How about free treatment?" Ethan offered.
"Sure, you just asked Francis and got squat, but I've got access to better tech, smarter people, and way more resources. If you're willing to cooperate, we'll do a full analysis—dig deep, figure out a way to heal you. All of it, free of charge."
"Sounds real generous," Deadpool said, narrowing his eyes. "So generous that I can't help but feel like I'm about to get screwed over. This smells like a trap wrapped in a gift box."
"You doubt my sincerity?" Ethan asked, grinning.
Deadpool turned, about to walk away. "Let's just say I've got trust issues."
"Nano-bionic mask!" Ethan called out suddenly.
Deadpool stopped. "The hell is that?"
"A perfect human disguise," Ethan said smoothly. "Replicates any face and voice with insane precision. It's top-tier S.H.I.E.L.D. black tech. You'd look normal again."
Deadpool looked over his shoulder, curious despite himself. "Sounds fancy. What's the catch?"
"Well, it only changes your face and voice. Doesn't fix the rest of the body. But hey, baby steps."
Take Coulson, for example. Let's say he sneaks into a Hydra base, knocks out a guard, throws on the uniform, slaps on this high-tech nano-bionic mask—and bam, instant disguise.
But then he realizes the guard he just impersonated was like a foot taller. Not exactly foolproof.
Or picture May—Melinda May.
She KO's a female enemy, strips the uniform off, puts on the mask, and suddenly realizes the woman she's impersonating has, uh, considerably more up top. You get where this is going.
The nano-bionic mask is flashy as hell, but it doesn't exactly come with full-body transformation display.
Because of those little... limitations, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't use the tech often.
It's still classified as black-level tech, but only a few sets even exist in their gear department.
Not impossible to get, just not in high demand.
"Let me put it simply," Ethan said, arms crossed as he looked Deadpool up and down.
"We want to study you. You're a one-in-a-million case—mutant abilities triggered through sheer trauma. You're basically a medical anomaly wrapped in a red leather fetish suit. If we can learn from your biology, we might be able to fix you. And even if we can't, the nano-bionic mask is yours, no strings attached. Think of it as a sign-on bonus for joining the Brotherhood."
Deadpool tilted his head. "Now we're talking my language. When you hand me that shiny little gadget and I can see my sexy face in the mirror again—oh baby, I'll personally draft my Brotherhood application in glitter and blood."
Ethan smirked. Deadpool, ever the mercenary, always cut through the bull with brutal honesty.
"But hey," Deadpool added, patting his own ass with mock offense, "maybe let me take this mask for a spin first. You know, test drive the goods. Free trial. No credit card required."
Ethan chuckled. "Fair enough. But first—do you know the group called 'Rising Tide'?"
Deadpool tapped his chin. "Rising Tide... hmm. Oh! That hacker gang that's been leaking all kinds of government secrets, right? Techy kids with too much coffee and not enough parental supervision?"
"That's the one," Ethan nodded. "I'm looking for someone in that group. A girl named Skye."
Deadpool raised a brow behind the mask. "You're looking for someone? Shouldn't you be knocking on Fury's big, bald door for that kind of thing? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got the whole spy game down to an art. Hell, I found Francis thanks to them."
"Can't go through S.H.I.E.L.D. on this one," Ethan said, voice low and vague. "It's... a mutant matter."
Truth was, Ethan had deeper reasons. Skye's real identity was buried under S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance levels so high they made Area 51 look like an open bar.
Her origins were sealed behind Level 8 restrictions, and not even Fury liked people poking around those files.
Ethan, being the mutant liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D., had his own classified clearance.
But even then, every time he accessed secure data, it triggered red flags—Fury's kind of attention.
The kind that asked questions before you even clicked "search."
Sure, Fury gave Ethan the fast lane when it came to missions, but that didn't mean he wasn't being watched.
Trust wasn't a luxury in Nick Fury's world—it was a calculated risk.
And digging into Skye's background would set off every damn alarm in the building.
Good thing Ethan had other options.
If the eagle couldn't fly, maybe the rats could crawl.
And when it came to underground info networks, Deadpool was basically the rat king.
Loud, unpredictable, and deeply plugged into all the wrong crowds.
Just the guy Ethan needed.
...
"According to the intel Deadpool squeezed out of his underground contacts, Skye should be showing up around here today," Ethan said, standing on the edge of a rooftop with a photo of Skye in one hand, eyes scanning the bustling street below.
Only Katie and Pete were with him this time. As for Deadpool? That guy had just reunited with his girlfriend, and the post-makeout glow was real.
The fact that he even helped Ethan tap into his network of rats was a miracle. Expecting him to show up for an actual mission? Yeah, not happening.
And even if Wade did wrap up his romantic interlude, his next stop was the lab.
Scientists were lining up to poke and prod him under Ethan's supervision, trying to reverse-engineer his walking disaster of a body.
So, no Deadpool backup for now.
"I think I've got her," Katie said, fingers dancing across a holographic panel. She looked up and pointed to a sleek black car moving down the avenue.
"You sure?" Ethan raised a brow. All Wade had dug up was a general area. This was awfully specific.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Katie replied casually. "Because I'm part of Rising Tide."
Ethan blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Why so shocked? Rising Tide is basically the biggest hacker collective on the dark web. Anyone decent wants in just to swap tips and make friends. It's more of a hacker dating app than a secret society."
Ethan groaned. "So you're telling me the only reason you knew where Skye was..."
"Is because I was literally chatting with her ten minutes ago," Katie said, not even looking up. "Once you said her name, I pinged her handle on the internal chat and struck up a convo."
"And you tracked her through that?" Ethan asked, equal parts impressed and annoyed.
Maybe he didn't need Wade's shady contacts after all—just a solid Wi-Fi signal.
"Yep. Though, to be fair, she's good. Tracked me back just as fast. I didn't bother with any tricks. Just dropped a few breadcrumbs, said 'wow, we're practically neighbors,' and tried to set up a meet. But she said she's got something big going down today, so no dice."
Ethan frowned. "Something big?"
Then his eyes caught a familiar face moving through the crowd.
His whole body tensed.
"Coulson? What the hell is he doing here?!"
Katie's expression darkened. "He's headed right toward Skye. You think... you think this big thing she mentioned is some kind of infiltration?"
Ethan didn't answer right away.
Katie had been cocky before—trying to hack into the mutant academy network during her first week—but she quickly learned what real-world power looked like.
The school's systems were backed by next-gen black ops tech, and her custom-built rig didn't stand a chance.
It didn't matter how sharp her code was when the enemy could brute-force past her firewalls and send a Trojan horse in with a smile.
She'd barely escaped with her identity intact.
"If Coulson and Skye cross paths here and now, that's gonna get messy," Ethan muttered.
Then, without hesitation, he jumped from the top of the building.
...
Skye closed her tablet, ending her chat with "Accel"—a mysterious hacker friend she'd recently connected with.
She turned her attention to the laptop next to her, watching as the progress bar hit 100%.
"I'm in," she muttered with a grin. "You want us to disappear? Watch us do it." Her voice was steady, defiant.
She activated the feed, knowing full well that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be listening.
"We're like the wind—everywhere and nowhere. You won't see us. You can't stop us. The truth's coming out, and you can't put the genie back in the bottle."
Just as she finished her little monologue, the car door burst open.
"Bang!"
Ethan stood there, framed by the sunlight, the wind tugging at his coat.
His jet-black hair was unmistakable.
Skye blinked.
"Uh... hi?" she said awkwardly. "Aren't you... Accel? What the hell?"
Ethan didn't reply.
"No time. Out. Now." He reached in and yanked her out with one strong pull.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Skye struggled, but Ethan's grip was unshakable, like trying to wrestle with a steel cable.
Her kicks and flails meant nothing.
Before she could yell again, Katie arrived and threw her hand onto both of them.
The next second, they phased through the wall beside the alley and disappeared.
Skye was still catching her breath. "You know, this feels a lot like kidnapping."
"Look out the window," Ethan said calmly, pointing through the wall's translucent edge.
Coulson and two agents had just reached her car, peeking inside, clearly confused.
"Are those... S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Skye asked, stunned.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. You poked the bear, and now they're sniffing around. I gotta say—trying to breach S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system? That's next-level stupid. You're officially the worst hacker I've ever seen."
"I thought the backdoor I built was solid..." Skye mumbled.
The disappointed looks from Ethan and Katie were enough to make her cringe. "Okay, okay. I overestimated myself. Thanks for pulling me out, K."
"About that—" Ethan raised an eyebrow and turned to Katie. "You wanna explain this whole ''Accel" thing?"
Katie smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Miss Skye. I'm Accel. I usually use my boyfriend's profile when I'm online."
"You mean my identity," Ethan said, shooting her a look.
This was way out of character for Katie.
The same girl who blushed for three days when he accidentally walked into the room during a school trip was now using his name to catfish strangers?
Skye laughed, a little too knowingly.
"Been there. Used to pretend to be my boyfriend too, back in the early days. Makes people lower their guard. But hold up... you said online that you were struggling with 'unusual preferences' and needed help sorting it out... and now you're saying your online identity was your boyfriend?"
Katie looked like she was about to spontaneously combust.
She glanced sideways at Ethan, then back at Skye. "Well... good news is... I straightened him out."
Skye blinked, then burst into laughter. "You're a genius. Using that setup online is perfect. Clever and safe. Seriously, I'm stealing that trick."
Ethan stood on the side, arms crossed, completely deadpan.
"Of course. Leave it to two hackers to start swapping relationship tips in the middle of an escape op," he muttered.
The two girls were still chatting excitedly, completely in sync, geeking out like they'd been best friends for years.
Ethan shook his head. "Even female hackers can't escape being... well, women."
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Word count: 2344
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