House of M

• Writer - Daniel Way
• Penciler - Javier Saltares
• Inker - Mark Texteira
• Colorist - Paul Mounts
• Lettering - Virtual Calligraphy
• Lettering - Randy Gentile
• Ass't Editor - Cory Sedlmeier
• Editor - Jennifer Lee
• Executive Editor - Axel Alonso
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Chasing Ghosts

Summary

  Note: this is part of the House of M cross-over.

  Shaw summarizes: Fury attacked the Mexican embassy and stole the Sentinel and there was no collusion between him and Logan; Mystique confirms it. Shaw says Fury was one of SHIELD's best tacticians, but he's been dead 20 years; Mystique is shocked.

  When SHIELD was ordered to intensify the anti-human campaign, Fury was rotated out of the field and de-briefed. Most "de-briefings" were executions, but Fury was too valuable, so they took his son Jacob hostage and give him orders to train a new group, Red Guard. The general in charge also has a family taken hostage, and he convinces Fury to cooperate.

  As a lowly human, Nick is given no military respect by the recruits. He inspects them; Spangler's codename is Earshot because he can throw his voice; Fury grabs him by the throat, neutralizing him and teaching him not to pick a codename that explains his power to his enemies.

  He checks his list: "Wolverine. A fuzzy, stumpy little varmint with big claws and a bad attitude." He easily picks him out of the line-up and yells at him that anyone can kill; he's going to make him a leader.

  Mystique asks if they were friends; Shaw says no, they hated one another.

  Fury set up a ring in the dirt, for when anyone had a beef with a teammate. Earshot asks what if they have a beef with him, so Fury enters the ring, and Logan follows, confirming Fury's judgment that he's a leader. They fight, no holds barred, and Fury tosses Logan around while teaching the team that you need to fight and think at the same time. The only time you should confront an enemy to his face is if you want to talk; otherwise, take him down hard and fast. Logan then flips Fury and pops his claws.

  Mystique asks if Logan is the one who killed Fury; Shaw says nobody knows, but Earshot was suspected, since Shaw embarrassed him. Earshot got an anonymous note for him to do his thing at the motor pool next morning; he kept himself hidden, throwing his voice to make Fury track him down and leading him into the motor pool. Fury found a cigar burning near fuel drums, and the explosion killed him. Earshot killed himself two days before his court-martial.

  Mystique asks if Fury's body was found, because he could have used this as cover for an escape, but then she realizes he'd need an accomplice.

  Shaw asks about Logan in the infirmary after the embassy attack; she says he was already gone out the window, and when she found him three days later he had already caught up to Fury. Shaw asks how Logan could have known who he was looking for, but Mystique doesn't know.

  In the ring, Logan lunged at Fury, who pulled a knife and stuck it in his ear, teaching the team that your best weapon is the one your enemy doesn't know about. He dismisses them and then pulls out the knife, promising someday he'll bring down all of Logan's kind.