23 Supervising Shaw

What?!"

[Yeah, you remember the abandoned factory a few streets away that we used to play in when we were kids?]

"I do. You're telling me that there's a monster in there?"

[Allegedly. A woman claimed to have heard 'monster roars'. I even checked it out after the police went away. The bottom-most floor collapsed into the sewer.]

"Did she mistake the floor collapsing as the roar of a monster?" Peter questioned, holding up the phone with a finger, his tone quite convincing.

[Dunno. Maybe, but that isn't the craziest part. There are rumours of an insane man who can breathe fire hijacking a plane from California to New York. It's said he speaks in rhymes.]

"What? A man who can breathe fire?" Peter frowned, going through the many possibilities of a terrorist who was a pyrokinetic. Pyro? Firebrand? Dragon Man? Killian? But none of them speak in rhymes. Was it some more of the alternate universe fuckery?

[It's said he had heated his body to melt through steel. He burned through people's faces with that - he's a psycho, and the plane is landing in a few hours. I really want to go beat him up.]

"No, don't. The authorities will take care of it. Hundreds of armed soldiers are probably on their way already. Don't expose yourself so soon, Gwen. Your suit isn't ready either," he shook his head while his mind went through the possibilities. With the given information, the only plausible person was Killian, but this was way sooner than the MCU. He already knew about A.I.M as it was a minor company that dealt with genetics but was outdone in every way by Oscorp, but he didn't think that Killian would snap so soon.

[I-...Fine. But you better come for dinner next Saturday. Else I'm going back to beating up the bad guys.]

"I'll be there. I promised you, did I not?" he sighed, and he could've sworn he heard the words 'dense idiot' through the phone before she hung up.

He placed his phone back down before narrowing his eyes. If it really was Killian, then he HAD to get his hands on him; after all, Extremis was arguably the greatest achievement of mankind. It was easy to assume that Killian had gone insane, as he would never do something as stupid as hijacking a plane in broad daylight and spew poetry while doing it. It was either that, or it wasn't Killian in the first place.

He slowly got up from his chair and headed to his room door, taking measured steps to prevent himself from smashing through the wood.

***

The sky was overcast as its grey body ambled across the heavens. The aforementioned clouds muffled the sun's rays, but enough pierced through to give the scarcely populated streets of London pleasant weather.

A slight drizzle of rain wet the cobbled streets while the people who walked to and fro carried umbrellas. An eternal grumpy expression stuck to their faces, as though they were tired of the recurring weather that many foreigners would consider welcome.

Many wore coats as they passed the small shops, and cars occasionally sped by. It seemed like an ordinary day, but a woman sitting on a sidewalk bench seemed utterly out of place.

The first thought that would occur in anybody's mind when looking at her would be that she was incredibly beautiful. It didn't help that her odd outfit was designed to be as seductive as possible - revealing her shoulders, torso, and a good portion of her long and graceful legs.

The neckline of the pure white dress was anything but modest, while the short sleeves that rested just above the elbows were adorned with small, transparent crystals, allowing her freedom of movement.

The entire form-fitting dress moulded her bountiful curves with precision, highlighting her hourglass figure and portraying an air of confidence and control. A large, white fur cloak flowed down from her shoulders giving her a regal air that would mesmerise any man, but oddly, nobody noticed the goddess in human form.

People walked past her as though she were an inanimate object that needed no attention, but the small smile that danced on her perfect face revealed that she expected such treatment. In fact, it seemed as though she had orchestrated it. Even the rain that threatened to drench everyone slid off an invisible barrier above her, implying that she was an individual with power. More than just the monetary or political kind.

Her blond hair swayed in the scarce wind as her blue irises studied the dull sky above.

ZING!

Her eyes twitched at the familiar noise before relaxing.

"Shaw," she said, back to her near-lazy demeanor.

"Frost," a deep voice emanated from the large man who suddenly stepped out from behind the bench. He was quite evidently middle-aged with an appearance that would be hard to forget. A long, sharp, and angular goatee that traced his chin to his sideburns, covering most of his face while a thin, neatly trimmed mustache sat above his upper lip.

His attire was what many would describe as pompous - a well-tailored reddish-black suit whose edges were laced with golden threads, pants fashioned with exotic material costly enough to make many a small business bankrupt. His boots were similarly fashioned, polished to the extreme and coated with silver. He had an imposing frame, his muscles well-trained, a wide chest, and a height of 6'2.

"You used the relay? It isn't like you," Frost said, looking at a young couple walking by. An invisible mental pulse emanated from her, and the man unconsciously wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"I have to switch things up a bit. Running all the way gets tiring after a while," Shaw answered, fixing his tie, but his eyes, which were usually sharp and calculating, leered at the woman's chest.

That very instant, his eyes glazed over before he raised his hand and slapped his face with all his superhuman power.

WHOOSH!

His palm's sheer strength made the steel pole next to them bend, but when it made contact with his skin, it seemed to lose all strength. The titanic strength that he displayed seemed to fizzle out into a small tap.

"What in the..." Shaw stuttered before glaring at Frost. "We agreed that you wouldn't touch my mind."

"But my eyes were up here~~," Frost pouted, turning around and giving him a playful smile.

"You shouldn't be dressing like that if you don't want people to look, Emma."

"You shouldn't be waltzing about with your mind open like that if you don't want people to peek, Sebastian."

"....," Shaw looked at her blankly before breaking into a smile displaying pearly white teeth.

"I missed you," she whispered before sitting up and grabbing his tie in a smooth move.

Before he could protest, she enveloped his mouth in a deep kiss, transforming his dissent into a muffled yell. Their tongues intertwined while electric sensations travelled through them both. He quickly got over his surprise before reciprocating the kiss with his very soul, knowing very well that he was a lucky man. Her hands slipped around his neck, pulling him closer while Shaw's arms closed around her hips, partially lifting her owing to his height.

A low moan escaped Emma's throat when they parted before she leaned her body on him, enjoying being enveloped in his well-built arms.

"I missed you too," Shaw gave her a genuine smile before patting her head that was buried in his shoulder. He closed his eyes, savouring the moment before sighing and extracting himself from an annoyed Emma Frost. "While I would love to catch up, we have a job to do. As one of the many leaders of the Inner Circle, we have a duty to fulfill. Relationships come second."

Emma's eyes narrowed and made Shaw slap himself for the second time, which his mutant power thwarted once more.

"You could've said it in a way that didn't make you look like such an ass," she huffed, attempting to fold her hands across her chest, but failing.

"I remember quite vividly that you liked men who were upfront and honest," he smiled, flicking the pole which made it stand up straight once more.

Her pouting face split into a sly smile once more and motioned a finger toward her, psionically moving Shaw forward.

"Come here, you," she bit her bottom lip and moved for another kiss, but was unfortunately interrupted.

BAMF!

Shaw and Frost jumped back in surprise and looked at the source of the noise before them.

Three people knelt before them - a faint smell of Brimstone hanging off them. They all looked different. The one on the far left was clearly female with white, almost blinding, hair and grey pupils that matched the clouds above.

The one on the far right seemed to be the opposite of the previously mentioned woman. He was the embodiment of every emo kid ever. A mop of black hair covered a part of his face, while his equally black lips and eyes stood out on his pale face. He looked as though he would keel over and die any second.

The third, and the final person didn't look human whatsoever. He was almost demonic-looking, with only three digits on each hand, two toes on his feet and a long 3'6 prehensile tail. That wasn't the worst of it, as his body was covered in blue fur-like hairs while his canines were more pronounced and his ears were pointed. He was even panting, as though he'd just ran a marathon before teleporting the two people here - perhaps it was the act of teleporting itself that tired him out.

"We greet the Inner Circle," they chanted, not daring to raise their heads.

[They were supposed to come earlier], Emma grumbled in Shaw's head who was hurriedly straightening his slightly wrinkled suit.

She looked like a completely different person - her chin now pointed up, displaying her arrogance for the world to see while her passive mental pressure pressed down on the people before her, making them feel as though they were in a bowl of thick soup.

"You are punctual. That is appreciated," Shaw finally said, breaking the silence, but the newcomers didn't move a single hair, to which he gave a smile of satisfaction - enjoying the feeling of power. "Do I need to debrief you on the mission?"

"No, Your Highness," the woman on the left said, still staring at the ground.

"Sir will suffice."

"Yes, Sir."

Shaw grinned and lightly clapped his hands, "I'll give you a brief overview anyway as I do not wish for anyone to conveniently forget what is important and what's not. If they do...", his eyes lit up in sadistic glee, "They'll be disposed of."

An involuntary shudder passed through all of them which they quickly ceased.

"This mission's primary objective is to retrieve the body of an Aldrich Killian, preferably alive, whose little project we funded," Shaw began circling the people with his hands clasped behind his back. "Unfortunately, we made a mistake in trusting that fool and his lover as he prematurely took the serum he was working on going insane. Now, the madman's on a flight that's heading to New York City which is on complete lockdown."

"Interested?" Shaw grinned as though the people had a choice. "I haven't gotten to the best part yet!"

The newcomers trembled once more.

"I'll be personally supervising this mission!"

***