A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the four chapters are up on my Patreon for early access as well as the bsp;to vote on the dire of the story!

  inally wao have all three interlude vos in this chapter, but Sage likes to think a lot so her vo with Xavier ran long lol.

  -x-X-x-

  “What. Happened.”

  Director Nick Fury’s clipped tone makes it clear he’s barely taining his anger. Natasha doesn’t wince or anything like that… but she is grateful that this versation is happening over the phone, rather than back at the Triskelion in the Director’s Office. After how rattled st night left her, the femme fatale isn’t really ied iing her ability to lie to her superior face to face at this point. Given Natasha’s skillset and training, that really goes to show just how… off the rails st night got.

  “The situation evolved quite rapidly, sir.”

  “I’d say! Shaw is DEAD. Chad Cummings was supposed to be a minnow in a damn o! He was supposed to be a patsy, our pathway into the Hellfire Club. Instead, he just whacked the king st night and no one saw it ing?!”

  The events of the previous night fsh through Natasha’s mind’s eye. Watg Thaddeus transform to deal with the gunmen had been iing to say the least. Even a little impressive if she was being ho. However, when he’d refused to let her go with Shaw, Natasha had been… worried. The smart thing to do would be to let Shaw have her. Then, she could have acted as Thaddeus’ spy on the inside of the Bck King’s court. After all, she still haddeus.

  But Natasha supposed she’d thhly uimated the pride and possessiveness of the young man. Thaddeus wasn’t willing to give her up even temporarily, even though he should have thought that he was still her best path to power. Watg him and his… suit transform into liquid metals and force their way down Shaw’s throat to kill him wasn’t what Natasha had expected as an oute though.

  Of course, she ’t tell Fury that. She ’t tell Fury half the things that happe night.

  “Shaw’s mutation made him an incredibly capable batant, but it also gave him an obvious sense of superiority that ultimately led to his downfall. Thaddeus, as he prefers to be called, wasn’t even the one who killed him. It was another mutant he’d made on cause with, a woman named Mercury whose mutation allows her to turn into living, liquid mercury. She bypassed Shaw’s defenses entirely. Even someone as powerful as the Bck King still o breathe.”

  There’s a long, pregnant pause as Fury turns over Natasha’s expnation in his head. The red-haired femme fatale waits patiently, sitting with the phone against her ear and her face expressionless.

  “Mercury is one of Xavier’s get, isn’t she? How did we not know about her and Cummings’ e?”

  Luckily, Natasha had her bases covered there.

  “As I had already reported, Charles Xavier sent some of his students to ESU to keep an eye on and ingratiate themselves with Thaddeus. Mercury was not one of them, but I only assume she was introduced to him through them.”

  “You only assume.”

  Fury’s tone is deadpan and more than a little irate. Which is fair. If Natasha wasn’t lying to him about all of this, she would be beating herself up right now for failing to notice the e. It was an inexcusable failure on her part, allowing a threat like Mercury to slip under her nose. Of course, that hadn’t happened… but Natasha had to pretend it had for the sake of the story.

  “I’m sorry sir. I was focused on Thaddeus’ es to the Hellfire Club. I deemed his iions with the X-Men to be of minimal importand prioritized keeping track of his meetings with Frost as well as building my retionship with him. That said, there is a silver lining on that front out of all of this.”

  The SHIELD Director snorts derisively.

  “Yeah? Lay it ohen.”

  To be fair, Natasha is pretty sure Fury already knows what she’s going to say. In fact, it’s probably the only reason this ISN’T an in-persoing with her pulled off of this missioirely. Still, it has to be said aloud all the same.

  “Last night, Thaddeus Cummings was willing to die for me. To the extent that his secret a the hole had to reveal herself to all of us and kill Sebastian Shaw to save his life. We use that to our advantage, especially since Frost promoted Thaddeus to the position of White Knight iermath. This isn’t even a setback for us sir, not really. If anything, it’s a massive leap forward.”

  Another pregnant pause ehough much like the previous one, Natasha simply waits patiently. She already knows what he’s going to say after all.

  “… Stay on target Agent Romanoff and tinue rep in on the regur. Keep a for any more surprises.”

  “Yes sir.”

  With that, the call ends and Natasha lets out a slow breath as she puts the phone down. It wasn’t easy lying to the Director of SHIELD. But… needs must.

  -x-X-x-

  “I must fess my dear, there were times when I worried you might have gone… native. Our st meeting was uandably under adverse circumstances, but even then you gave me doubts as to whether Shaw had mao turn you.”

  Uasha, Sage doesn’t get the luxury of a simple phone call. Instead, she finds herself sitting in the ba of an incredibly expensive coffee shop, at a table across from one of the most powerful men in the world. Professor Charles Xavier looks at her with a friendly albeit wary gaze, even as Sage offers a brief smile in response.

  “Then I suppose I was doing my job correctly, wasn’t I?”

  That gets a slight smile from the wheelchair bound mutant and a dip of his head in turn.

  “Indeed, I suppose you’re right. Still… what oh happe night?”

  Sage makes a show of hesitating for a moment before reg the facts in a clipped tone.

  “Frost’s new pet brought a Bck Widow to the Ga. Shaw wanted her. Before he could take her, Donald Pierce came back from the dead to try and take revenge. Shaw dealt with him, and Frost’s new pet dealt with Pierce’s gunmen. Iermath, Shaw made another py at the Bck Widow… things went awry.”

  That draws a soft incredulous snort from Charles.

  “I should certainly say they did. The Bck King of the Hellfire Club… dead. On the one hand, it’s not as though the turnover of that particur anization isn’t abysmally high. Oher hand… I would not have expected Shaw to go down so easily.”

  Yes, Sage khat very well. If Charles thought that Shaw was an easy target, then he might have made a py for removing the Bck King from the board years ago. Not killing probably, but certainly, with Sage as Shaw’s ‘defense’ against other telepaths, they had multiple options avaible to them. Multiple options that Charles had ignored… much to Sage’s tinual chagrin.

  “… Afterwards, Frost altered the minds of all of those present, including my own. She believes me to be subordio her now, since she was able to dominate my mind and ge my loyalties so to speak.”

  That gets a proper frown on the bald mutant’s face. Charles Xavier leans ba his wheelchair, his hands steepled together in front of him.

  “… I suppose your particurly unique mind allowed you to throw off those shackles retively swiftly a to me here and now.”

  Sage ines her head in silent aowledgment, but Xavier’s frown only grows.

  “Even still… she shouldn’t have been capable of such a thing anyways. Emma Frost is a powerful mutant to say the least. However, you have always been her equal, if not her ht better.”

  The Professor thinks himself clever. And to be fair, he is clever… perhaps one of the smartest men Sage knows. However, something she’s noticed in all of these years knowing him… he sometimes lets his cleverness distract him from the intelligence of others.

  Affeg a furrowed brow and a worried expression, Sage grimaces and shakes her head, making sure to look as fused and baffled as possible.

  “… Yes. It doesn’t make any se’s like she suddenly grew in power ht. She’s easily twice, maybe thrice as powerful as she reviously. Her psychic abilities pletely eclipse mine. As you said, if it wasn’t for the sedary effey mutation, I would probably have no clue what really happened. I ’t expin it.”

  There’s a long moment of sile that. And then Charles nods.

  “It’s the boy, I’m afraid.”

  Hook.

  “Dear Kitty has informed me of what young Thaddeus is truly capable of.”

  Line.

  “He doesn’t just grow more powerful through copution. He gives back to those he ys with, and when it es to women with power… he enhahem, seemingly permaly.”

  And sinker.

  Sage lets her eyes widen at that revetion; a sharp intake of breath inteo reveal her abject surprise over Charles’ reveal. She tell despite the grave look on his face that the male mutant is eating it up.

  Thaddeus and Emma had postuted that Charles likely already khe full extent of Thaddeus’ mutation. They’d eveioned Kitty Pryde as the most likely to have reported such facts about Thaddeus to the Professor. As such, it was deemed… less than ideal fe to ht lie to Charles about what REALLY happe night. Instead, banking on Xavier’s propensity for holding his cards extremely close to his chest, they had decided he would be the only oo know the truth.

  “… That would expin how Shaw truly died then.”

  When Charles gives her a curious look, Sage expins the events that led up to the Bck King’s demise. How it wasn’t just Mercury who went down Shaw’s throat, but also Thaddeus… in what looked like a liquid diamond form. She also tells Xavier ht that their pn is to pass it off as solely Mercury’s murder based on how Emma altered her memories of the events.

  The wheelchair bound psychic falls into a ptive sile that and Sage watches him think things over.

  “… I must admit, the terrifying union of Ms. Kincaid, Ms. Frost, and young Thaddeus’ powers was not something I had truly sidered before today. In truth, Thaddeus is being a terrifying young man in many ways, and he only grow from here. If he and Ms. Frost coputed enough times for her to overpower you like she did, then it’s likely he himself is now a telepath of some power as well.”

  Finally, Charles looks up at her.

  “What does Frost have you doing now?”

  Sage sighs.

  “She’s assigned me to be the White Knight’s personal assistant.”

  That surprises him.

  “Truly? I would have thought she would have taken you for herself to keep you close and maintain the ges she made to your mind.”

  Yes, Sage would have expected her to do that as well, in a situatiohat was what had actually happehe White Queen and Knight had some excuses ready for that though.

  “Frost is upset with Cummings. She didn’t know about his retions with your X-Men, nor was she even aware that he was wearing Mercury under his suit st night until after she revealed herself. I am to watch him for her a ba his dealings from now on. To Thaddeus Cummings, I am a gift. For Emma Frost, I am insurance. And of course… she likely delights in the insult of having me work for a boy when I was ohe Bck King’s secretary and closest advisor.”

  Again, the Professor takes the bait, slowly nodding as if what Sage has said made perfect seo him. Then, he looks at her with, much to Sage’s surprise, genuine .

  “Perhaps it is time for you to leave your position at the Hellfire Club, my dear.”

  Sage raises an eyebrow at that. She’d holy not expected Xavier to be the oo offer an out. He’s quick to eborate though.

  “With Shaw dead, the Hellfire Club is missing both its White and Bck Kings for the first time in a long time. The threat is greatly diminished for the time being.”

  Scoffing, Sage shakes her head.

  “The White and Bck Queens are some of the most powerful women in the world, however. Between Emma Frost and… Selehe threat is more real than ever.”

  Charles just nods.

  “Which is precisely why it might be time to get you out of there. The dahat Frost will discover you overrode her mental ands is ohing. The danger of Selene ing after you however… that’s something else entirely. It would be safer for you if you disappeared, don’t you think?”

  He’s right, of course. But Sage ’t take him up on his offer. Not just because she’s made promises to Frost and Cummings that she intends to keep, but also because… she’s not sure she trust Xavier to truly have her best is at heart. Not after everything he’s put her through. She’s still his perfectly trained spy after all. If she lets him pull her out of the Hellfire Club, what’s ? Will he have her infiltrate HYDRA or something?

  … No, better the devil she knows and all that.

  “My work isn’t do. And you and I both know that Shaw, while a pox upon this world, was not the greatest evil the Hellfire Club has to offer. Even the Bck Quee hold a dle to the evil of the man behind the curtain.”

  That gets a pronounced grima Charles’ fad after a long moment he nods as out a sigh.

  “Very well… if you think you make something work of your new position, then do so. But please be careful. It’s not worth your life.”

  Sage wants to scoff at that. If it wasn’t worth her life, he shouldn’t have trained her a her on this mission in the first pce. She wants to say that to his fad watch him sputter without a response. But she knows better. He won’t sputter. He’ll have some empty ptitude… and also be aware from that moment on of how she truly feels about him.

  So instead of saying anything, Sage just nods. They talk for a little bit longer befoing their separate ways in the end. Sage has to admit, she’s still not sure about all of this. But if there’s ohing that she’s always been good at, it’s making the best of bad situations.

  And really, it could be worse. Talking with Charles was irritating but not really terrifying. Emma Frost, oher hand, was likely having a face to face versation with the Bck Queen right this instant. Sage could only hope, for all their sakes, that the versatio well.

  -x-X-x- The Vote: [ ] Use Emma's POV for the start of chapter - 41%[X] Use Selene's POV for the start of chapter - 59%

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