7/13 Instance: The Recruit

[Slarti]

Timelined on May 20

<Bobby> Bobby picked the book back up again. No matter how often he put it down in annoyance... well, there was nothing else to do but think. That, he didn't want to do today.

<Bobby> Trying to find a comfortable position on the cot, he leaned back against the wall and carefully rested his head against it.

<Fury> The door to the cell opened and Fury appeared in the frame, speaking to the soldier outside. "You are to report to the guard station untill I tell you otherwise, understood?"

<Bobby> Well shit. That didn't sound good. Bobby froze in position to listen to the exchange, stomach clenching.

<Fury> "Yessir, Director Fury," the man saluted as Fury stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "Good-" he checked his watch, "afternoon, Mr. Drake, and how are you feeling today?"

<Bobby> He hadn't actually seen much of Fury since his arrest, not since the first day. Bobby dropped the book and sat up, pivoting to sit on the side of the cot and rest his hands on his knees as his palms started to sweat. "Fine, sir."

<Fury> "Have they been treating you well then, Mr. Drake? Or would you prefer Bobby?" Fury pulled out the chair from the small table and sat on it, leaning back and crossing his ankle over his knee, the picture of relaxation.

<Bobby> "Y-yes, sir." He winced at the slight stutter. "Either is fine, sir." Whatever he planned to do to him, Bobby figured it would be harder from over there and relaxed minutely. Then he realized Fury probably had a remote that could make his collar shock him to death or something.

<Fury> "You got a lot of people worried, Bobby. For one thing, my bosses would have preferred Essex brought in alive. The SHIELD eggheads were looking forwards to probing that psychotic little brain of his, then you had to go ice it. SHIELD science division are very upset. A few of the more senior ones are keen to get their hands on you for second prize and break you up into little test-tube sized chunks."

<Fury> "The politicians, on the other hand, want to make an example of you. You see, the X-Men don't have too many friends up in the Senate. They're a bunch of super-powered vigilantes. We monitor them, but we don't control them. They want a big public trial that ends up with you dancing the hemp fandango in a year's time. The only thing saving you from that, frankly, is that we don't know how to kill you."

<Bobby> Bobby had no idea what to say to all of that, so he said nothing. He certainly wasn't going to say he felt pretty damn sure if Fury whipped out his gun and shot him through the head he'd be dead. No powers, no problems in killing him, and they had to know it as well. He stopped himself from touching the collar.

<Fury> "But you see, I'm not here to talk to you about SHIELD," Fury continued, steepling his fingers and leaning forwards, looking at Bobby sternly with his one eye. "I'm here to talk to you about SWORD."

<Bobby> "What's that?" It popped out before he could think. "...sir?" Bobby wracked his brain, but this was a new one on him. That couldn't be good either.

<Fury> "The Strategic World-wide Observation and Response Division was originally proposed ... oooh ... twenty years ago now, when the world governments first became aware of the mutant phenomenon. At the time it was dismissed. There weren't enough mutants to warrant such a large endeavor. The budget could be spent better elsewhere."

<Fury> "However, in light of the recent large-scale, super-human attacks upon the United States, and the fact that Apocalypse is still at large, has resulted in the ... initiative being resurrected."

<Bobby> Bobby was still clueless. "So..." Wait. "You're turning me over to them? My cooperation here,” he fought for the right words. “I'm here because I wanted to keep the school safe from threats. That includes threats from you. A-and anybody like you." Oh fuck, he had done all this for nothing. And now he couldn't do anything to stop them from coming for the others.

<Fury> Fury held up a hand to silence Bobby. "You misunderstand the situation, Mr. Drake ..." He thought about what he was going to say next. "SWORD is ... an idea -- that we could assemble individuals with exceptional skills and powers to fight the battles we can't."

<Fury> "Battles against super-human threats that regular soldiers and weapons just can't handle ... you could say in a way that I'm considering handing you over to SWORD ... in that I want to recruit you."

<Bobby> Bobby blinked. "I'm not sure I entirely understand..." Recruit? "I, uh... I know you've read all my files and stuff... I'm not a soldier. Professor Xavier just sent me to training so I could..." He winced a bit, wondering if he should be saying this, but he was sure Fury knew. Right? "So I could teach the students to protect themselves."

<Fury> "We already have a soldier. Darren Kent is the obvious choice as leader of the field team," Fury said. “He's gonna hate being taken away from Xavier's."

<Fury> Fury looked Bobby in the eye. "What we need for SWORD isn't soldiers, it's heroes ... and people who are willing to get their hands... dirty on occasion."

<Bobby> "You want to put me on a team..." He just kept blinking. "With Darren?" Bobby met Fury's gaze, wondering if this was some sort of trick. "I don't like... I-I never really wanted to kill anyone, sir." He decided another dose of the truth at this point wouldn't matter. "Even... as much as I hated Essex, I wasn't ever completely sure we should do it. Or that I could if I got the chance.”

<Fury> "Well, that's good then. I don't want people who want to be killers," Fury sat back again. "I don't want to shoot people, but I do, because sometimes that's what it takes to make the world a better, safer place. Bobby, you've proved that you're willing to take the hard choices, and that you can take the hard choices, and you don't revel in it."

<Bobby> "What would it really mean though, for me? I mean, does that mean you turn me over to Darren?" As much as he might have once thought that was an improvement, he wasn't so sure anymore.

<Fury> "I'm aware that you and Mr. Kent have had a ... falling out over your X-Force. However he is a professional and will conduct himself accordingly if partnered with you, and I very much doubt that his current animosity towards you extends to the point that he would endanger you."

<Bobby> "Okay." That wasn't what he'd meant, but oh well. Bobby licked his lips and chewed on the corner. "Can you promise me you won't use me against the school, or any of the students... or faculty?"

<Fury> "I'm now the director of SWORD. I give the orders here, so I can promise you that, Bobby," he held out a hand.

<Bobby> He hadn't expected Fury's answer to be that concrete, that quick. He blinked. Bobby tentatively reached out to Fury. So, he could at least do something. "Thank you, sir." He shook his hand with a slight nod.

<Fury> Fury smiled. "Welcome to SWORD, Agent Iceman."

[Esynthia]

WOOOO!!!!! *gleeclap!*

Great instance, yall!!!

[Ferguson]

I, for one, cannot wait until Darren finds out.

[puppygirl]

Darren is going to be So. Happy.