The destruction of Chateau de Corbeau sent ripples through the Nazi occupation forces in Normandy and, more discreetly, through the intelligence agencies of the beleaguered Allies. The official German explanation was a catastrophic accident involving volatile chemicals, but the completeness of the destruction, the precision targeting of critical infrastructure, and the rumors of expertly neutralized SS guards suggested something far more deliberate. For the local French Resistance, it was a much-needed morale boost, a sign that the seemingly invincible occupiers were not untouchable. For Elias Thorne, it was a successful proof of concept: Logan, when properly directed, was a devastatingly effective instrument of sabotage and targeted destruction.
The acquisition of a full Prime Essence Shard, albeit pieced together from Hessler's minor augmentations and the "echo" of the monstrous Subjekt Gamma, opened a new avenue for Elias. The System now indicated he had the baseline requirement to attempt prototyping the ["Feral Striker" (Tier 2) Troop Template]. However, the energy cost was immense, and success was not guaranteed. He decided to hold off on immediate development, needing to conserve his vast but not infinite energy reserves and preferring to further refine Logan's integration first. The Shard was a key, but he wasn't ready to unlock that particular door just yet.
With Chateau de Corbeau neutralized, Elias shifted his European focus. The intel from Hessler's satchel, combined with ongoing analysis by Dr. Finch and Anya (who was now coordinating a small, highly discreet network of informants and observers across several neutral and occupied countries, her anachronistically secure communication methods a marvel of Elias's subtle technological influence), pointed towards other, similar Nazi research facilities. But attacking them one by one was a reactive strategy. Elias preferred to be proactive. He needed better intelligence, higher-level access. He needed to get closer to the nerve centers of the Allied war effort, particularly British intelligence, which, despite its recent setbacks, was renowned for its sophisticated networks and global reach.
His new alias, "Mr. Andre Blanchard, Swiss industrialist with valuable Continental contacts," was already established. Now, he needed to make himself indispensable. He possessed something few in the Allied camp had: recent, firsthand intelligence on the inner workings of at least one Nazi "unconventional warfare" program, and a proven, if completely deniable, capability to act upon such intelligence.
Leaving Logan in the temporary care of Vivienne Dubois's Resistance cell (a risky but necessary move, with Vivienne now holding a healthy respect tinged with fear for Elias's "associate" after the Chateau's spectacular demise – Logan, for his part, seemed to tolerate the rustic, no-nonsense Resistance fighters more than city life), Elias, along with Anya, made a perilous journey. Not back across the Atlantic, but across the English Channel.
Their passage was arranged through different, more established (and even more expensive) black market channels – those specializing in extracting downed Allied airmen or smuggling high-value individuals out of Occupied Europe. It involved a midnight rendezvous with a fishing trawler on a deserted stretch of coast, a tense crossing dodging Kriegsmarine patrols and Luftwaffe spotter planes, and finally, a discreet landing in a fog-shrouded inlet in Kent.
London in late 1940 was a city under siege. The Blitz was in full swing. Air raid sirens wailed nightly, ack-ack guns thundered, and the smoky haze from countless fires mingled with the ever-present fog, creating an almost surreal, Dantean landscape. But beneath the grim determination and the rubble, the machinery of war and intelligence ground relentlessly on.
Elias, as "Mr. Blanchard," accompanied by "Miss Sharma, his highly capable private secretary," quickly established contact with certain discreet elements within the British intelligence community. He didn't walk into MI6 headquarters; his approach was far more subtle, through layers of cutouts and intermediaries Dr. Finch had identified from pre-war academic and financial circles. He offered tantalizing fragments of information – sanitized versions of what Logan had recovered from Chateau de Corbeau, hints about Nazi biological research programs, presented as intel gathered through his "Continental business network."
He wasn't offering this information freely. He was trading. He wanted access, information in return, and a degree of unofficial sanction for his own… "private initiatives" against mutual enemies.
The initial meetings took place in smoke-filled back rooms of discreet gentlemen's clubs, in fog-bound safe houses, always with an air of wary appraisal on both sides. The British intelligence officers – men like the shrewd, seen-it-all Major Davies of SOE (Special Operations Executive) or the icily pragmatic Miss Penelope "Penny" Worthington of a more shadowy department concerned with "unusual threats" – were initially skeptical of this enigmatic Swiss national. But the quality of the intelligence Elias provided was undeniable. It corroborated some of their own whispered fears about the Nazis' more outlandish research projects and provided new, actionable leads.
"Your sources are… unconventional, Mr. Blanchard," Major Davies had remarked, peering at Elias through a cloud of pipe smoke, his eyes like chips of flint. "But they seem remarkably well-informed."
"Desperate times require unconventional methods, Major," Elias had replied smoothly, his composure absolute despite his youth, which he knew they found both intriguing and unsettling. His Wolverine-enhanced senses allowed him to read their tells – the slight quickening of a pulse, the almost imperceptible tightening around the eyes when he mentioned specific German research departments. He knew he had their attention.
Anya's role here was crucial. While Elias conducted the high-level negotiations, Anya, using her Archer-sight and remarkable ability to blend into any environment, provided detailed surveillance of their British counterparts, assessing their true allegiances, their operational security, and any potential vulnerabilities Elias might exploit or need to guard against. She also established her own micro-network of informants amongst the displaced European émigré community in London – academics, artists, former government officials – a rich source of nuanced intelligence that official channels often missed. Her loyalty to Elias deepened further, now at [99% (Absolute Devotion; Shared Destiny Perceived)]. She saw him not just as a powerful benefactor, but as a visionary shaping events on a global scale, and she was proud to be his indispensable instrument.
The System logged these developments: [Influence (Allied Intelligence – SOE/MI-Unusual): 15% (Cautious Engagement; Information Exchange Protocol Established). Reputation (Global): [Enigmatic Intelligence Broker (High-Value, Untraceable Intel Source)].
Elias was playing a dangerous game, insinuating himself into the clandestine heart of the Allied war effort. He was feeding them carefully curated information, gaining their trust, while simultaneously pursuing his own agenda: identifying more Nazi "enhancement" programs (and potential Prime Essence Shard sources), locating other Prime Conduits who might be caught up in the war, and subtly guiding Allied strategy towards objectives that aligned with his long-term goals.
He was also learning. The British, for all their current dire straits, possessed a wealth of experience in espionage, counter-intelligence, and psychological warfare. He absorbed their methods, their tradecraft, filtering it all through his own superior intellect and the System's analytical capabilities.
The war had shifted from the hedgerows of Normandy to the foggy, bomb-scarred streets of London. It was a different kind of battlefield, one fought with whispers, coded messages, and a constant dance of deception and revelation. Elias Thorne, the young Canadian landlord transformed by alien power and primal rage, was proving to be a terrifyingly adept player. He was now positioned to not only react to the war, but to actively, if secretly, begin to shape its hidden currents. The dogs of war he was unleashing were no longer just the physical fury of the Wolverine; they were the subtle, insidious tendrils of his growing intelligence empire.