Earth-717: Iron Maiden Vol 2

Chapter 1: Sunset

Clicking her fingernails on her right hand repeatedly against the tabletop, the woman patiently waited. She was sitting alone at a gorgeous, Brazilian mahogany table in an elaborate meeting room, with one of the walls being formed of a gigantic glass window. The transparent wall allowed her to see a stunning alpine landscape, composed of numerous frosty mountains and a seemingly endless blanket of trees. It was a landscape that she knew quite well, having studied it many times during her tenure at the installation she was currently inside.

The woman's facial features instantly gave away her Chinese heritage. She knew that she would generally be considered classically beautiful, by most standards. Lacking any major natural blemishes, her skin was as clear as the most crystalline bodies of water. Her brown eyes were highlighted by elongated eyelashes and a deep, glittered lavender eyeliner. Supple, moisture-laden lips adorned her mouth, carefully painted with the same fuchsia tone as her stringently manicured fingernails.

Matching the shade of her eyes, her hair was medium length, parted on the right side with left swept bangs and pulled back into a partial bun. She was wearing an elegant, knee-length, mandarin collared, bottle green cheongsam dress, with a variety of colourful floral and butterfly designs illustrated on it. The silk dress perfectly showcased her slender figure. Framing both sides of her face were four-centimetre wide, golden hexagon earrings.

Letting out a sigh, she continued to click her fingernails as she waited for Killian to arrive.


A tiny bell rung as the door opened and then closed behind them.

"Be out in a moment!"

The shopkeeper bustled out of the backroom, and saw that two customers had entered his store: a mother and her six year old daughter. They were wearing matching dresses, and the family resemblance was almost astonishing. The man smiled at the mother, who took off her sunglasses to look at him. His name tag read 'Aidan'.

"Hello, hello, welcome, welcome!" blurted Aidan. "And what might we be looking for today? New or upkeep?"

"New," said the mother.

"Good, good! Splendid!"

Aidan's gaze flitted over to the daughter, who seemed to be intently taking stock of everything in the room.

"Is she looking for anything specific?"

"No," said the mother, a sullen look in her eyes.

She then glanced back at her daughter before leaning closer to Aidan.

"She has trouble making friends," whispered the mother. "Doesn't talk to the other kids. It's been this way ever since she started school. We're getting worried. Father and I agreed she needed something to keep her company."

Aidan nodded in understanding.

"Right, right. Okay. Okay. I get it. Yeah. We'll take care of it. Make sure she finds something she likes."

"Thank you."

Aidan turned to the girl, who was staring down the aisle where the majority of the cages were. He stepped out from behind the counter and smiled warmly at her.

"Ah, enraptured already, yes? Yes. All manner of wonderful pets here!"

The girl did not turn or respond in any way. Flustered, the mother called out to her.

"Sunset!"

Groaning, Sunset turned to acknowledge Aidan, who awkwardly laughed off her rudeness.

"So, your mother tells me that you're looking for a new friend. We have all sorts here! Come along now, let's see if we can find the right one for you."

Sunset glared at Aidan with disdain for a moment before shaking her head and turning to walk down the aisle, huffing as she went. Either from obliviousness or tolerance, Aidan continued to ignore Sunset's obvious contempt. He lead her down the main aisle of the store, showing off the numerous animals in their cages.

Sunset's eyes glazed over as they walked from cage to cage. Dogs barked at her. Cats hissed at her. Birds met her stare for a few seconds before returning to their own little worlds. Lizards and turtles seemed to pay her no mind, milling about within their confinements. As they reached the end of the aisle, Aidan looked back down at her.

"See anything you like?"

Sunset turned around to look at her mother, who was standing at the front of the store and had a pleading face on. Sunset then turned back around and looked at the fish tank at the back end. She raised her finger and pointed at some of the fish darting around the tank.

"That one."

Aidan glanced at Sunset's mother, who was rubbing one of her hands against her forehead, clearly distressed.


Sitting alone at her desk in her dormitory room, Sunset was scribbling a large series of equations inside of her personal journal. The room itself was spotless, her bed meticulously made, with everything else organized and cleaned to an obsessive degree. The only things on her desk were her personal computer, a circular metal mesh pen container, and her small fish tank. The only things on the walls were a personal calendar with various floral arrangements as the monthly images, and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology logo poster.

Sunset was trying to focus on her equation work, but was repeatedly distracted by the noise coming from down the hall. Fuming to herself, she tried to continue writing but was put off by another intense boom of music. Rolling her eyes, she looked over at her fish, who blew out a bubble in retort. Tossing her pen into the mesh container and slapping her journal down on her desk, Sunset stood up and exited her room.

The music naturally got louder as she walked down the hall towards the source. She arrived in a large residence hall stuffed with people, engaged in various, frivolous party-like activities that Sunset couldn't quite understand. Surveying the crowd, she saw several faces that were vaguely familiar, but no one that she knew very well.

Biting the inside of her lip, Sunset started walking amongst the crowd of people, an unseen intruder who phased through the celebration like a ghost. She continued on for a few moments before stumbling into a girl with a salmon-coloured shirt and long black hair.

"Ugh . . . . pardon me."

The girl turned around to look at her.

"No . . . . pardon me," the girl said, her voice husky and enticing. "Hey."

Sunset was standing still as the girl continued to dance, looking at her with mildly-drunken glee. Sunset raised an eyebrow at the girl's wanton friendliness.

"Hey," Sunset flatly responded.

"How's it going?"

"Well enough."

"Seem familiar," said the girl. "Met before?"

"Not really."

"Good. Was hoping to introduce myself," said the girl, taking a moment to run her eyes up and down Sunset's slender figure. "Tasha Stark."

"I'm aware."

"So how about you? Got a name? Or am I just gonna have to call you Green on account of that gorgeous dress?"

Sunset took a moment to exhale before responding.

"Sunset Bain."

"Ooh. Nice. I like it."

Tasha whipped her hair side to side at a particularly beat-heavy part of the song. She then grinned at Sunset with desire in her eyes as she continued to dance in a seductive manner.

"Don't feel like dancing?"

"Not really."

"Awh, come on, term's over! Everybody's gotta let off some steam sometime. Come on, I'll get you a drink. What do you like?"

Sunset folded her arms.

"Are you . . . . trying to pick me up?"

Tasha giggled.

"Caught me," she replied, licking her lips. "Don't tell my boyfriend. Or my girlfriend."

Sunset's eyes widened, clearly startled.

"Come on, I'm kidding!" laughed Tasha. "Just tryin' to get ya to laugh. Don't have to do anything you don't want to. Just a friendly girl."

Tasha's shirt clung to her skin via the sweat that was building up from the atmosphere of the party. She closed her eyes and pulled off a few dance moves. Sunset caught herself mesmerized by the movements of Tasha's breasts for a brief second before shaking her head and looking back up at her face.

"Besides," continued Tasha, opening her eyes, "I would regret it in the morning if I didn't try. Granted, might regret it in the morning if I do, so, might as well just do what I want."

"I see."

Tasha held out her hand.

"Come on. Dance with me. Can't hurt, right? Maybe tonight's the night you come out of that shell of yours."

Sunset looked down at Tasha's hand as she considered the offer.

"Ready for your date with destiny?" asked Tasha.

Sunset gulped, running the fingers on her left hand through the hair over her ear. She made a slight gesture as if she was going to take Tasha's hand, but pulled back at the last moment.

"I . . . . I'm, I'm sorry."

Tasha withdrew her hand.

"Eh, it's alright. No problem, Green. Maybe next time. And hey . . . ."

Tasha reached into her pocket, pulling out a small beer pong ball. She tossed it at Sunset, who awkwardly caught it.

"Something to remember me by," said Tasha, winking.

Tasha then danced her way back into the crowd and out of sight. Sunset held the ping pong ball in her right hand, studying it for a long time before returning to her room.


The next day, Sunset walked towards the graduate studies office on campus. It was early morning, and she knew that the results had been posted outside the main foyer. She strolled with uncertainty but also hope, and she was holding the ping pong ball in her right hand.

Only a couple students were already there. Sunset had made a point of waking up extra early to get to the results before the inevitable rush. Clutching the ping pong ball, she walked up to and looked at the board.

HIGHEST ACADEMIC RESULTS – GRADUATE STUDIES

1. TASHA STARK

2. SUNSET BAIN

Sunset didn't bother looking further down the list. Nothing else mattered. Her heart sinking in her chest, her feelings of shock and sadness quickly turned to resentment, as she crushed the ping pong ball in her hand. She then tossed it to the floor and stormed away from the building.

She repeatedly ran her fingernails across her scalp in frustration as she walked down the sidewalk. Stopping near the curb to the street, she breathed in and out several times as the reality of her situation sunk in. For several minutes, she stood still, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes closed, and her head facing downwards. She couldn't hear anything that was happening around her, until one specific phrase was uttered.

"Miss Bain?"

Sunset's eyes darted open, and she turned around to look behind her. Standing next to a limousine was a handsome, blonde man with slicked hair and a strong jaw line. He was wearing an impeccable beige suit.

"Excuse me, Sunset Bain, if I'm not mistaken?"

Sunset blinked several times.

"Y-Yes."

The man smiled at her, stepping forward.

"Good morning," he said. "My name is Aldrich Killian. I represent a technological think tank named Advanced Idea Mechanics."

Killian took a card out of his breast pocket and held it out to her. She took the card and looked at the logo for the company.

"We've had our eye on you and your work since you entered MiT. I was hoping that we could talk. You're a brilliant mind, Miss Bain, and we'd love to have you on our team. So . . . ."

Killian held out his hand.

"Interested?"

Sunset looked up from the card. She glanced back at the graduate studies building for a moment before returning her gaze to Killian. She then reached out with her free arm and shook his hand.


Sunset clicked her fingernails on the tabletop one last time before Killian walked into the room. She stood up and nodded at him with respect, and he returned the gesture. Ellen Brandt was standing behind him.

"Miss Bain," said Killian.

"Mister Killian."

"Sorry for the delay. I was . . . . otherwise occupied."

"It's no trouble at all, sir. This way."

Sunset led Killian and Brandt to the other end of the meeting room. Going through the double doors, they then arrived in a control room overlooking a sleek and polished factory production floor. There was a central command console in front of the window to the production floor, and a fish tank installed in the back wall.

Sunset grabbed a datapad off of the command console and began her presentation.

"After years of studying the Alma Wade files, I've finally managed to develop a working way to co-opt the mind signals of human subjects. I give you . . . . the Protocol chip."

Sunset pulled a small blue microchip out of her pocket, holding it in her free hand. It was about the same size as her earrings.

"Once installed into a subject's brain, it permanently overwrites the subject's ability to think for themselves, and instead implants a bio-mechanical command signal that can be directly programmed, creating utterly loyal soldiers who can be fed orders and reprogrammed at will. I introduce . . . . AIM Risk Control."

Killian eagerly looked through the window at the production floor. Dozens of individuals were being fitted with combat gear that completely covered their bodies. The gear had a gold, white and black colour scheme, with small, red glass visors for sight.

Sunset pressed a button on her datapad, and a display overlay appeared on the window, showing multiple variants of soldiers, holding assault rifles and shotguns. Killian grinned to himself as Sunset continued talking.

"Given that we are continuously being sent subjects from our homeless shelters and refugee camps around the world, I will soon have access to thousands of cheap to produce, easily replaceable and completely loyal shock troops. Three variants each per gender. For males, we have squad leaders, assault troops and engineers, with those last ones capable of constructing automatic turrets."

The display screen then switched to show multiple female soldiers holding sniper rifles, and other crouching ones holding swords.

"For females, we have snipers, pilots, and, my personal favourite: agile, sword-wielding stealth operatives that I like to call Wraiths."

Killian slowly clapped as the display screen turned off. He turned to look at Sunset, who held her hands and her datapad behind her back.

"Multiple field tests have confirmed that the Protocol chip has a one hundred percent success rate. They'll be ready for deployment by the end of the week."

Killian laughed under his breath. Brandt looked at him but did not speak.

"My, my, Miss Bain," said Killian. "You've done incredibly well. I knew that you would do great things here with us."

"Thank you, sir."

"There are very bright days ahead of us, Miss Bain, and remember . . . . we'll have you to thank for them."

Killian and Brandt turned to walked out of the control room via the door they entered. Sunset accompanied them, but stopped at the meeting room and watched them leave. She then turned to look out the window again, as the evening sun started to set behind the mountains.


"I don't have any other appointments, do I?"

"Not until tomorrow, ma'am," replied Janice.

"Nice," said Tasha.

Tasha was standing in the penthouse suite at the top of Stark Tower. Downing what was left in her champagne glass, she then looked hungrily at the supermodel in her bed. The girl tossed her bra at Tasha's feet.

"Do enjoy yourself, ma'am."

"Always do."

Tasha jumped onto the bed as the evening sun started to set over the Los Angeles skyline.