"Ten million is enough for you to buy several wine cellars... heck, you could even open your own winery. So if you want to earn enough for your drinking habits, you'll have to work harder, Mr. Deadpool," Sean said amiably, steadying the staggering mercenary.
This man, originally named Wade Wilson, was actually the product of a mutant gene experiment conducted by a scientist named Ajax... though "mad scientist from a third-rate lab" might be a more fitting title...
Ajax had successfully created this unstoppable motor-mouth, a chatterbox who never shut up.
Come to think of it, this had everything to do with Hydra. Those Nazi fanatics who were obsessed with chaos, destruction, and conspiracies, probably because their leader, the Red Skull, was a product of the Super Soldier Serum, had a particular fondness for all kinds of human experiments.
Brainwashing Captain America's best friend into the Winter Soldier? Check. Partnering with Samuel Sterns to replicate the Hulk serum? Check. Using the Mind Stone to create enhanced individuals? They were practically experts in the field.
So naturally, Hydra wouldn't pass up something as promising as mutant experimentation.
Ajax was one of Hydra's scientists...
Initially, he was just a medical assistant with sadistic tendencies, but for some reason, Hydra agents took a liking to him and recruited him, elevating him to the top position in their mutant manufacturing facility.
Through relentless research, Ajax discovered a method to "activate" mutants... a special serum that used extreme pain to stimulate latent mutant genes in human DNA. The success rate was abysmally low, but this "minor flaw" could easily be compensated for by sheer numbers.
Since the mutant factory was located in the suburbs of New York right under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s nose, Ajax had to keep a low profile. He hung up a sign for a "cancer treatment center", aggressively recruiting terminally ill patients.
These desperate souls who had nothing left to lose would cling to any lifeline, even if it meant taking enormous risks.
Once these patients were lured in, Ajax subjected them to inhuman tortures; oxygen deprivation, waterboarding, electric shocks... anything to push them into extreme emotional states, forcing their latent mutant genes to activate.
Since everyone's mutant genes were different, the resulting abilities varied wildly.
Ajax himself, the mad scientist, had experimented on his own body. The price? The complete loss of his sensory nerves. In short, he could no longer feel pain, or any pleasure for that matter.
And Deadpool? He was Ajax's magnum opus...
Originally a mercenary named Wade Wilson, he was diagnosed with cancer and tricked into joining the mutant gene trials. After enduring unspeakable agony, he gained a regenerative healing factor, making him virtually unkillable.
His cancer was 'cured', but the process left his face and body horrifically disfigured and his nervous system scrambled, turning him into a motor-mouthed chatterbox who acted like he'd die if he stopped talking for even a second...
"I call hax! You're totally cheating, like some OP protagonist in a video game or novel fanfiction! The author must've given you plot armor, right? Otherwise, how could you possibly beat the greatest, handsomest, most charming mercenary in the universe... yours truly, Deadpool!"
Now fully healed, Deadpool pointed an accusing finger at Sean, convinced that some underhanded trick had been involved.
There was no way he could lose to a guy with a mere ten-million-dollar bounty on his head.
"Round two!" With a battle cry, Deadpool lunged forward again, his twin blades weaving a seamless web of silver flashes, like an impenetrable storm of steel.
His slashes were so fast, they could deflect bullets mid-air.
Under the night sky on the deserted highway, the foul-mouthed mercenary launched an endless assault on Sean. His attacks came like relentless silver waves, punctuated by blinding flashes of light as his blades stabbed from blind spots, carrying an eerie murderous chill...
"Let's call it a night. The game is getting boring." Sean's footwork remained steady and precise.
While Deadpool's physical prowess was formidable, and his blades could slice through bullets... to Sean, who had long surpassed human limits, the mercenary's strength and movements weren't much better than an average person's.
Those razor-sharp slashes, though lightning-fast to most, moved like molasses under the influence of Sean's invisible force field.
"You're out, Mr. Deadpool." Sean spun abruptly, delivering a devastating roundhouse kick.
The force of it sent a shockwave through the air, and Deadpool who had just repositioned himself behind Sean was sent flying like a soccer ball, slamming into a bridge support with a loud CRACK, leaving a spiderweb of fractures in the concrete..
"Goooal!" Sean whistled, pleased with the powerful strike.
He strolled leisurely toward the downed mercenary, "Sorry, oh great mercenary, but it looks like you won't be collecting that ten-million bounty today. If you're ever out of work, come to Umbrella. I'd be happy to offer a talented guy like you a promising career with room for advancement."
"Sorry, pal, you're severely underestimating Deadpool's integrity. A job? You think money can buy me? As the greatest mercenary in the universe, I'm not some cheap sellout! Besides, I'm kinda busy hunting down a certain asshole right now!" Deadpool struggled to sit up, his tone uncharacteristically serious.
If not for the red mask covering his face, Sean might've seen a rare look of determination.
"If you're talking about that bastard, Ajax, I might have some info for you. That bald agent who paid you five million to kill me? He might know where to find him."
Sean pulled a business card from his pocket and tucked it into Deadpool's belt, grinning sincerely, "Don't rush to say no. Who doesn't love a few extra Benjamins? And I'm not exactly a bad guy. So think it over, Mr. Mercenary..."
"...Who knows? Maybe I can fix that face of yours. Or get you a cooler belt. I was kinda hoping you'd teleport, to be honest." Sean stood and climbed into the black sedan that was parked on the roadside.
Playing chauffeur tonight, Emil Blonsky gave Deadpool a brief glance before looking away.
Half an hour ago, he had received a call from the Red Queen, instructing him to pick up the boss...
"Hey pal, I'm really not the kind of guy who can be bought with just money! Unless you throw in a sweet ride, a personal driver like that short dude, and maybe a penthouse in Manhattan with a pool, then maybe I'll consider it! Otherwise, no way in hell am I bending the knee!" Deadpool shouted after the departing car.
Even for a weirdo like him, Sean's offer was baffling. Who in their right mind would spend that much hiring a mercenary?
"We'll talk after you finish your revenge. And when you do, call me boss." Sean's voice drifted back through the night air.
A cold wind blew.
Deadpool patted his messed-up head, glanced around in confusion, muttered "Boss" under his breath, and then cackled wildly as he sauntered off into the darkness...