"Oh, come on, Yamakura! It won't be that bad! Just let me teach you." The tall, slender blonde said, one hand on her hip.
The boy she was addressing, Yamakura Azuki, stubbornly stood his ground.
"Nah. What's the point? I mean, I'm just the techie. No one's going to come after me. I don't need to know how to fight!"
"I mean it! What if something did happen? What would you do?"
"I've got a plan. I mean, I do have this." Yamakura held up a flash drive.
"And this will help save your life how exactly?" Rowan studied the flash drive, noticing the small sliding part on it.
"I modified a standard flash drive. It's a Taser. Only more so. A standard Taser puts out 50,000 volts; this baby puts out 65,000 volts. All I'd need to do is slide this out and touch the bad guy with it. Easy."
"And what if you couldn't get to your taze-drive fast enough? I mean it, Kura. Just please let me teach you."
"I'll be fine. For now, you better go; I heard you have a special meeting to get to, a meeting you don't want to be late for." Kura smirked as Rowen glared at him.
"What exactly do you know about . . . my plans? How did you even find out about this, anyway?"
Kura grinned. "You'd be surprised at what I know. As to how I found out, well, that I can't tell you." He nearly started to laugh as Ro tried to control herself. (To speak in her defense, though, she was mostly just a little embarrassed that Kura knew about her personal affairs, and curious to know how he knew, not angry with him.)
Ro took a deep breath and collected herself. "Yes, I do have a 'meeting' that I don't want to be late for, so if you'll excuse me, I must depart." She turned to go, and then turned ever so slightly back. "Please at least think about it, Kura. Please."
He said nothing, and she left. He did think about it, some. There were, complications, to him learning to fight. There was his father, for example. Mr. Azuki did not know that his son was aiding Rowen, and SHIELD, and the group known as the Avengers. He simply thought that because his son was a technological, mathematical, scientific genius, he had been invited to join an elite school. This, of course was true, but the fact was that the school was run by SHIELD. Oh, yeah, and if that wasn't enough of a confusing mess, Mr. Azuki worked for AIM, the enemy of SHIELD. Yamakura had never agreed with the things that his father seemed to stand for, and so when SHIELD had approached him for work, his decision was clear. As long as he ensured the safety of his father. His father stood for many things that Kura did not and could never condone, but he was still his father, and Kura still loved him. Nothing would change that. As he sat there, absentmindedly fiddling with the jelly beans that were on his desk, he remembered the conversation he'd had with Director Fury and Rowen regarding his father's safety.
"You can't hurt him, okay! You can take down the organization, but just don't hurt him. If you do, I'll figure out a way to take down SHIELD's entire database. Every scrap of information you've got about anything will be gone. I can do it too! I will!"
The director had been about to speak, and by the looks of it, say something not so kind, when the girl, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke.
"No one's threatening your dad, or doubting your ability to take down our database. We just want you to work tech for the people who are out on the field. I can see what I can do to make sure that you don't have to work any missions involving AIM. And I will personally vet the teams that do take on AIM. We will do our best to make sure that your father is kept safe; but you do need to understand this: if your father attacks one of our men, our man will defend himself. But even in that situation, I will expect our boys to exercise some discretion." She had said it so evenly, so sincerely, and had looked into his eyes the whole time. He had trusted her and had taken their offer.
He had once asked Ro why Director Fury had had her come along that day. She hadn't really given him a clear answer, so he had done some digging. He found a recording of the phone call between Rowen and the director.
"Why me, sir?"
"He's the sort of kid you would get along with easily. Real smart, like Stark. Attitude like him too."
"What do you mean, about him being the sort of kid I'd get along with? Street?"
"No. Just, just meet him. You'll understand then."
"Yes, sir."
Kura didn't get it, really. He and Ro had completely different backgrounds. He had been raised in the lap of luxury, and she had had a rougher life before SHIELD. They were from different countries; he was Japanese, and she was an American who grew up in London. And yet Fury had been right: they had easily become friends. (Interestingly enough, she had quickly come to trust him; trust was not something that came easily to her. She had grown up in a place where, if you trusted the wrong person, you could end up dead.)
A soft, measured female voice broke him from his reverie. "She is right, Kura. Being the techie does not exempt you from danger; in some cases, it could make you more of a target. You should listen to her. By the way, even Kitty Pryde knows how to fight. You wouldn't want her to out-do you would you?"
"KATANA!" Kura hissed under his breath as he blushed the brightest red he thought himself capable of. Kitty Pryde, a member of the X-Men, was Kura's long-time crush. He had spoken to her several times before, and she had been incredibly nice. He had done his absolute best not to seem too smart, or at least, superior to her. KATANA and Ro had warned him many times about acting superior and stuck up: he rarely meant to do it; it just sort of happened. (The only person he purposefully acted that way toward was Tony Stark; but then he had his reasons. He and Stark seemed not to get along very well. So far, they actually didn't get along well or ill. Their personalities and intellects were so similar, though, that conflict was all but unavoidable. The conflict never went too deep, though; they would stand up for each other to any outsider who dared speak against the other.)
KATANA was an AI, Artificial Intelligence, which Kura had begun to build when he was eight and had completed when he was thirteen. He had designed her basic personality off of what he remembered of his mother, who had died when he was seven; KATANA fussed over him the way he remembered his mother fussing. He had developed and refined the program over the years, but the basics had remained the same. The one thing that bothered him about KATANA was that she was bigger than JARVIS. Granted she was only about two centimeters bigger, but Stark would not let that fact go; therefore, it irked Kura.
Still slightly embarrassed, Kura packed up his backpack and got ready to leave. He was ready to go home for "spring break." His dad would be waiting for him at their home in the Kiso Valley. The whole plane ride back, he kept thinking about Ro's meeting. In all honesty, he had pretended to know more than he actually did about the situation. He only knew anything because of an accident: he had been waiting on Ro to get him one of SHIELD's latest access codes when he saw her calendar. That day had been marked as follows: A. 3:42 PM. Who was A.? Why did Ro need to meet him at such a strange time? Was he some sort of informant, and she could only meet him (or her) at that time?
Before he even realized it, Kura had drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, the flight was just ending. Spring break! Sort of. He was going to be keeping an eye on his dad, but for the most part it was a break from all of the work that SHIELD had him doing, along with the classes they were putting him through. As he got off of the plane, the first person he saw was his dad. As father and son embraced, Kura couldn't help but think of all the things that were going on with SHIELD and AIM, and how that he was the only one in his family who knew all of the cards. By the end of the day, Kura was exhausted. He was ready to go straight to bed at eight, but his father wanted to have a party to celebrate Kura's return home. By about nine thirty, Kura was having difficulty keeping himself awake. As the butler brought around more treats, Kura noticed that the butler was new. As a matter of fact, all of the staff serving at the party were new. They were exchanging strange looks. Something was wrong; and Kura knew it. He tried to sneak to his dad and warn him and grab anything that could be used as a weapon without alerting the "staff." He was too late.
All at once, all of them pulled out guns and started shooting. There were several moments of chaos, and then one of the gunmen attempted to grab Kura. For one single split second, he froze. Then he fumbled and grabbed his taze-drive. Then he tazed the gunman and ran as fast as he could. He hardly looked to see where he was running; he just ran. He kept running and running; one thought suddenly pulled him up short. His father. Where was he? Did the gunmen kill him? Was he alive or dead? Kura had to do something. He turned and looked around. He raced back to the house. It was an absolute wreck. Most of the windows in the building had been shot out. The lights were all off. It looked like there was no one in the house. Kura cautiously approached the husk of a home.
"Dad? Dad, are you there? Dad?" His fear grew with every second of answering silence. As he slowly turned through the room, his eyes locked on the opposite wall and his heart stopped in fear. Painted on the wall was a frightening symbol, and, below the symbol, someone had scrawled
HAIL HYDRA
Kura reached into his pocket and brought out his phone. With shaking hands he dialed the one number where he knew he would find help.
Ro leaned back against the weeping willow tree and stared at the stone across from her. Her long, fancy black skirt and Renaissance-style red shirt rustled softly with the slight breeze that whispered through the branches. Despite the gentle breeze and soft noises surrounding her, Ro's gaze never left the object opposite of her.
A beautiful headstone sat no more than three feet away. The engraving on the stone read AiIec Summers 1994-2014 Bravery, Loyalty, Love. Two roses, one red, one white, lay at the foot of the headstone.
Rowen unconsciously fiddled with the silver chain around her neck, absentmindedly tracing her finger around the diamond engagement ring it held. Then she gently pushed herself away from the tree and over to the headstone. She knelt beside it and began to speak.
"Hello, Ailec. It's been a year now, and I wanted to come see you. I-I know that you said it wasn't my fault, but it was. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. If I had been more watchful, none of this would have happened. I know that you forgave me, but. . . I'm sorry, Ailec. I'm so sorry." Her tears flowed freely now as she knelt beside the grave of the young man that she had loved. For quite some time, she stayed there weeping beside the grave. Finally, she fell asleep curled up against the willow tree.
Something pulled her out of the dream she had been having. For one moment, she couldn't think where she was, or what had awakened her. Then things quickly fell into place. She numbly pulled her cell phone out and answered it.
"This is Rowen. . . Whoa, whoa. Kura, slow down. What happened? . . . Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay hidden, and don't move."
Ro quickly got to her feet and dialed a number on her phone. She started to leave, but paused just as she reached the overhang of willow branches. With one final look back, she whispered, "Goodbye, my love." Then she left the clearing.
As she exited the park, she made her phone call.
"Hey, Ro girl! What can I help you with?" A young man's voice answered the phone. Ro could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he called her "Ro girl."
"Sam, how quickly can you tell me how many SHIELD issue air craft are in the area?"
"How quick you need that info?"
"Now would be a good time."
"Well, you are in luck, girl. I can tell you that there are three SHIELD issue craft within twenty miles of you, and that the closest one is in the private airstrip located at 216 Enville Drive. Big security system, but that shouldn't stop you, now should it?"
"Nope. Never has before. Besides, this is official SHIELD business. I am legally authorized to do whatever needs to be done to carry out my duty. Thanks for your help, Sam. Talk to you later. Bye."
"Bye."
Getting past the security at the private airstrip was easy. Ro made a mental note to inform Sam on what constituted a "big security system." But that would have to wait; right now, she had more important work to do.
It felt, to Kura, that he had made the phone call hours ago. He had been hiding in a small panic room just a few yards from the house. The room was so well hidden, however, that no one ever would guess that it even existed at all. The small room that had been his "lair" in childhood now felt claustrophobic as he waited. No matter what he started with, his thoughts kept returning to his father. Was he dead? Alive? Did Hydra really have him? Was he hurt? What were they doing to him? Why did Hydra take him? What did they want from him? Did they want him dead? The questions cycled through his brain over and over, leaving him in a state of perpetual turmoil.
Suddenly, his phone rang; it nearly frightened him to death. His breathing and heart rate slowed as he saw that it was Ro.
"Hey. . . Okay. . . I'll let you in."
With shaking hands, he opened the door. As soon as Ro stepped inside the door, Kura began to speak.
"I'm ready."
"I'm sorry, what?" Ro's mind was racing as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. She feigned ignorance, trying to suppress the growing worry that told her he was talking about trying to go with her to rescue his father.
"You were right. I need to learn to fight. I'm ready now."
For a moment, she stood there in stunned silence. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Oookaaaaaaaaaaaaay. Um, I'm going to get you back to SHIELD base; someone there will train you."
"And where will you be?" he replied.
"On a new mission." she declared, pursing her lips as she sensed the coming argument.
"No! This whole time you've been trying to get me to fight, you made it sound like you were going to teach me! You can't just pass me off like that! You don't even know where my dad is! You can't just go off like that!" All of the anger, hurt, and confusion from the past several hours exploded. "If anyone teaches me, you do! And if anyone goes to get my dad, I go with them!"
For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. Finally, Ro broke the silence. "Alright. I'll stick around for a few days. I'll teach you while I'm there. In a few days, I should know where your dad is and then I-"
"We'll go get my dad."
"No. I will go get your dad."
"He's my dad! I need to go with you! I have to help him!" Why couldn't she understand this? Kura's frustration was growing with every second; Ro had to let him go with her! He had to make her understand; he had to convince her! And if he couldn't-then he would have to figure out a way to go anyway.
"You are completely untrained! It will only take a few days to find your dad; even if it takes a whole week, that's still not enough time for you to be mission ready, especially not for a mission against Hydra! I can't, in any good conscience, let you go on a mission!"
"Oh, and how long did you train before you went on your first mission?"
Ro stilled for a moment and clenched her jaw briefly before answering. "I trained for about a week and a half at a SHIELD base." Kura started to say something, but Ro kept going. "That was a totally different situation, though."
"Oh, and just how was it so different?"
"I'm a street kid! I grew up fighting! SHIELD didn't train me; they honed my skills! I already knew how to fight; you don't!"
Again, silence settled in the room. Ro sighed. "Look, we can argue this later. Right now, we need to get you to base, regardless of who gets your dad. Please. We both need to rest. Come on; let's go."
Kura nodded reluctantly and allowed Ro to lead him back to the SHIELD plane.
The ride back was quiet; neither one of them spoke. Finally, they arrived back at the SHIELD base. After saying goodnight, Ro and Kura went their separate ways. Kura went to his room and got ready for bed. He was physically and mentally exhausted; but even while he was lying on the bed, his mind would not shut itself down. He kept replaying the events from the party. Eventually, his eyes slipped shut and he fell asleep. Even in his sleep, however, he could not get away from his father's situation. He dreamed the scenario through again and again, though each time it was slightly different. Sometimes he saw them take his dad; sometimes he tried to stop them. Each time, though, the result was the same: his father was taken by Hydra. When morning came, Kura rolled out of bed, still tired, but eager to get to his training session.
As he made his way to the gym, thousands of thoughts swam through his mind. He wasn't sure how Ro would train him. Would he be learning how to shoot, and punch, and all that sort of stuff? Ro was already there when he arrived in the gym. Before he could say anything, she spoke.
"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. I could have, and should have, handled that situation differently. I'm sorry."
The apology took Kura off guard for just a moment. He had been planning to apologize to her. He had been the one to lose his temper; he should be the one to apologize. "It wasn't your fault. I'm the one who started to yell; I'm the one who did wrong. I'm sorry."
A small smile played on Ro's lips. "Well, all is forgiven. Now, it's time to begin. I have chosen the style in which you will be trained; I think you'll enjoy it. It's called Wing Chun; it's a martial arts form developed in China. The main focus of Wing Chun is having a good center of balance; it focuses more on balance and precision than brute force. It's a fighting style well-suited to your frame. Ready to begin?"
"Um. . . sure. What did you start with?"
Ro paused in her getting ready as she considered the question. "Start with? I didn't really start with a particular style; I just learned whatever worked to keep me and mine safe. The first actual style that I learned was Choy Li Fut, a very effective method of defense against more than one person. Bruce Lee actually called it the best style for handling multiple opponents and the most difficult style to defeat. Here, put these on." She flung two huge foam pads at Kura.
For a moment, he said nothing as he held the pads; then, he asked. "What are these for?"
"I'm going to prove a point. Put them on over your shoes."
He did so, and then stood; or rather, tried to stand. He succeeded in getting upright; the difficult part was staying upright. Without warning, Ro swung a padded stick at him and knocked him to the ground.
"Oooooffff!"
"Point proven. Your balance can be easily affected; you need to improve it." She helped him up. "Just a warning, though: you might want to get used to being knocked down. It will inevitably happen. Now, we need to work on this. I want you to imagine a line drawn straight through the middle of your body, dividing you in half like this." She motioned in front of his face, waving her hand in a line in front of his nose. "Your balance should lie along this center line. You need to focus your weight on that line."
For almost an hour, the two of them worked on balance. After Kura had learned simply to balance himself, Ro worked with him on staying balanced despite being hit. For the whole day, this was all he learned. At the end of the lesson, Ro recommended that he go straight to bed. It had been a very long day, she had told him; best to get as much sleep as possible. Instead of going to bed, Kura decided to start a sort of mission of his own. He knew that Ro was looking for his father, but he needed to be doing something too. When he reached his room, he pulled out his computer. He would start by accessing the video from the security cameras at his house; then he would run all of the people he turned up that way through any other security feeds that he could get access to. The process would take time, but he would do it. For three hours he worked; he set up the programs to run while he tried to get some sleep. Unfortunately, he found that he could not sleep without nightmares. With nothing else to do, he decided to roam the halls. Most rooms were rather empty, which was no great surprise at two in the morning. As he neared the gym, however, he noticed that there was someone in there, someone fighting, it sounded like. As he started to enter, he saw Ro beating a punching bag for all she was worth.
Without even turning or breaking her rhythm, she called to him. "I was wondering if you were going to come in, or just look in. Did you get any sleep?" At this point, she stopped punching, and turned to look at Kura.
"I slept for about an hour, or tried to anyway."
"Nightmares?"
Kura nodded; he guessed that she had had some of those in her time.
"Here. Wrap up your hands and start punching. It helps."
Kura followed her instruction, and for a few minutes neither of them spoke. Then Ro broke the silence.
"Your turn."
"What?"
"Your turn to ask a question. I'll give you a straight answer; but you've got to do the same when it's my turn."
"Okay. Um. . .did you sleep at all?"
"Tonight? Not yet." She kept punching. "Were you hurt in the attack?"
"No. They didn't hurt me; just tried to grab me. Did you sleep at all last night?"
"A little; probably about three hours. You?"
"I slept most of the night, but it was all nightmares." He paused and thought for a moment. "Do you have a partner?"
For a small second, Ro hesitated. "No. How did you get away?"
"I tazed the guy and ran. What's that? Around your neck?" He had seen a faint silver glint just above the collar of her shirt.
Ro stopped, her fist suspended before hitting the bag. "This?" she asked softly, fingering the now visible silver chain that hung at her throat; she pulled up on the chain, revealing a simple diamond engagement ring. "This is the reason I don't have a partner." Without another word, Ro resumed punching the bag with a ferocity that almost frightened Kura. "Were you afraid?"
"Yes; yes, I was. Was your partner a guy?"
For the second time, Ro stopped just before hitting the bag. Then it was as if she exploded, punctuating every sentence with a punch. "Yes, Kura, it was a guy. Yes, Kura, he was a friend. Yes, Kura, he gave me this. Yes, Kura, he loved me. Yes, Kura, I loved him. Yes, Kura, he's dead. Yes, Kura, it's my fault." She slowly sat down as if this outburst had sapped all of her strength. Kura came and sat beside her, waiting patiently. "His name was Ailec; he and I grew up together. We were best friends, inseparable. He was two years older than I was, and at first he was like my brother; he was the one who took care of me and practically raised me. When we were older, well, we fell in love. We worked together for law enforcement for a while, on the streets where the ordinary officers couldn't; and then SHIELD approached us. We worked that for a while. Then Christmas came, and he proposed. It was at a Christmas Eve party; everything was perfect. Then, in March, we were doing a job. Things went wrong; there was a shoot-out. We took care of it, at least, that's what we thought. Ailec and I thought that everything was over; our back-up was there, and we started to let our guard down a little. Some guy tried to shoot me; I didn't see it, but Ailec did. He pulled me behind him and he was shot instead of me. He died in my arms that day, three months before our wedding. That was a year ago the day that you left school. That is why I don't have a partner. That is why, if anything happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."
"I'm not going to get shot, Ro."
"Yeah, because you're not going on a mission."
"Whatever you say, boss." He said with every bit of sarcasm he had, hoping to lighten the mood at least a little.
All of a sudden, it seemed as though Ro switched gears; she quickly pulled herself together. "I think it's time that you went to bed. Goodnight." Ro stood and left the gym, leaving Kura alone. He sat there for a few more minutes; slowly, then, he rose and went to his room.
For three more weeks Kura trained and worked to find his dad. He had created a new program to help him track down Hydra technology; he was hoping that it would work to help him locate his father. Neither he nor Rowen spoke of the conversation that they had had that night in the gym. Now that he did know these things, though, he did understand Ro more; he understood why Ro was so protective of those closest to her. He understood more now about her actions and reactions; things made a little bit more sense. Occasionally, his thoughts would drift and he would use what he knew about Ro's past to piece together her motives or thoughts when she would do different things throughout the day.
One day, as he was sitting in front of his computer, waiting for something to happen, he once again started to think about the events that had occurred the day his father had been taken. Lost in thoughts and memories, he hardly noticed when his computer screen began to flash; it was really only when it began to beep at him that his attention snapped to the present. His eyes quickly took in the message on the screen, but it took an extra moment for his mind to catch up; once it did, however, he was furious. Before he fully realized what he was doing, he was practically flying out the door. In fact it was almost a blind rage that led him through the halls; he was only vaguely aware of where he was going, who he was passing, what was going on around him. He had only one goal in mind, and that was . . . well, right now, he was too angry to think straight and figure out what that goal was. The minute that he found the right room, he burst in without even knocking.
"They know where he is! And they're not doing anything!"
Ro turned and faced Kura, puzzled. "What?"
"AIM! They know where my dad is! They have a tracker in him, and they know where he is, and they haven't done anything! Only now I know where my dad is!"
"Kura! Slow down; start over. How did you figure this out?"
"I set up a program on my computer to trace different types of tech, like from Hydra and AIM; just a minute ago there was a message on my computer that showed that AIM has a tracker in my dad! And so far, they've done nothing! He's in the Andes Mountains. Look!" Kura shoved his phone at Ro, showing her the GPS style display on the screen.
Ro quickly took it in. "You're sure that it's your dad? And that it's AIM that's got a tracker in him?"
"Yes."
Ro took a deep breath, and absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair. "Alright. Get that information from your phone to mine. I'll be back here in five minutes." With that she left the room.
Five minutes later, Kura had the program on Ro's phone, and Ro was suited up for a mission. She wore all black, from her boots to her clothes. Kura only saw one gun on her, but was fairly certain that she had a few more weapons with her.
"I'm going." He said.
Ro turned around and looked him dead in the eye. "No. You're not. You are going to stay here. I'll keep you updated, but you are going to stay here, out of danger. Understood?"
Kura frowned and nodded; Ro turned and made her way down to the hanger. Something was wrong with the whole situation, she could feel it; something just didn't feel right. Before she got onto the unmarked plane, she made one phone call.
The minute Ro was down the hall, Kura hit the door. He grabbed a bag from his room that had been ready for weeks, and ran through the halls down to the hanger. As he peered through the door, he saw Ro at the far end, on the phone. He guessed that she would be taking the unmarked plane, and so he made his way over to it and boarded as quickly and quietly as possible. Once aboard the plane, he looked around for a hiding place.
"There's not really many good hiding places on these unless you know your way around them. Sit down, buckle up, and we'll talk once we're in the air."
Ro's voice nearly scared Kura to death. She had walked up right behind him and he had had no idea. For once rather obedient, Kura took a seat and buckled in. A few minutes after, Ro came back to the passenger portion of the plane. For a moment, she just stood there looking at him, as if silently measuring him up. The guilt that Kura felt for trying to sneak out on the mission with Ro warred with his anger and desire to help his father. Kura was just about to apologize when Ro spoke.
"Don't tell me that you're sorry; I don't think that you really are. I figured that you were going to try something, and, trust me, it's much better that I caught you than one of the officers back at base. I'm not pleased with your decision, but I understand and respect it. One thing you've got to understand, though, is that you're not going to leave this plane. You are going to stay here and run tech for me while I go in. This is one order that you will not disobey. I mean this next statement in the kindest way possible, but it is also the truth: because you are not fully trained, you are a liability on the field. If Hydra got ahold of you, they could use you as leverage against either me or your dad; that would pretty much ruin every chance we have of saving your father. Do you understand?"
Kura nodded. "I'll stay here; I promise."
"Good. Now, I have a plan, but you're going to need to help me with this."
For most of the rest of the flight, Ro and Kura planned how they were going to get Mr. Azuki out. The whole situation was actually quite complicated, but it would work, if they could just get this right
Mr. Azuki had been the prisoner of AIM for close to a month now. They had pressed him numerous times to join them, work for them, help them, whatever; he had resisted them so far. He found it slightly strange that they had not tried a more . . . forceful approach. Some people might have been relieved by this fact; it worried Mr. Azuki.
"Dad. Dad, can you hear me? Are you there?" Kura's voice came floating over the speakers.
Instant fear surged through Mr. Azuki. "No! I won't fall for that! Where's my son? What have you done to him?"
"No, no, Dad; it's me! I'm okay! It's me! Are you alright?"
"Yamakura! Yes, I'm okay! Where are you?"
"I'm somewhere close; I can't really tell you where right now, but a friend of mine is going to be there soon to get you out. I know that you don't know her, but. . . I trust her, and I need you to do the same. Please, Dad."
At that moment, the door to the room Mr. Azuki was being held in slid open. A blonde girl, wearing all black and covered in dirt, stood in the doorway. "I know you don't know me, but I'm friends with your son, Kura. I'm here to get you out; and believe me, things will go much easier for both of us if you come with me now. Come on, but be quiet."
For a moment, Mr. Azuki stood there, saying nothing; then he walked over to the door. The girl quietly spoke, "I came in through an exhaust vent, but we're going to have to get out a different way. Your son has hacked their computer system, and is going to be overriding it as we go through. I need you to stay behind me, no matter what, sir. I assume you know how to use one of these?" Ro held a gun out to him.
"Somewhat. I'm not the best shot in the world, but I can shoot it."
Ro locked eyes with Mr. Azuki, and let him take the gun. She turned toward the hall and hit the comm.
"I've got him. You ready?"
Kura, in the plane and on his computer, started to type. "On it. I've got the blueprints in front of me now. It looks like the best way out is the corridor to your left. Ro, how is he?"
Ro peeked back at Mr. Azuki, who was looking slightly nervous holding the small sidearm that she had handed him. "He's looking okay; tired, a bit scared, shaken up, but okay. No, they didn't hurt him." Ro knew what Kura's next question would be, and answered before he could ask. "I know you want to ask more questions, but I need you to stay focused, all right?"
"Yeah, okay. Take the corridor to the left of you. I'm disabling the alarm system now, so if you start going, I can have you straight through and have the system turned back on in less than two minutes."
"Alright. Sir, you ready?"
Mr. Azuki followed Ro as she led him down the corridors. She followed what the instructions Kura gave her over the comms, and all went well for a while. Actually, Ro felt like things were going a little bit too easy. As she turned one more corner, she heard a gentle click; then she knew that something was wrong.
"Kura! Check their automated weapons systems! Now!"
"Um. . ."
"No! Don't give me 'um'; give me information!"
"It looks like they have regained control of the automated weapons; and it looks like there are a whole lot of agents in the corridor!"
Ro's whispered voice came through the comm. "Yeah, tell me something I don't kn-"
Her words were cut off and Kura faintly heard gunfire. Then Ro hollering. "Kura! Take out the auto weapons! Now!"
'I'm installing KATANA; that will take care of- whoa. So that's how you do that. Wow." Kura stared at the screen in front of him, his voice at a whisper. "That is so simple; I can finish the project in just a few-"
"Kura! Focus! We are being shot at and you are trying to tinker on that project! Hurry up! Now!"
"Yeah, sorry. The download is almost complete. There!"
The corridor went pitch black. Two shots and a hiss filled Kura's ears.
"Kura! Get the lights back on, right now!"
"Sorry. KATANA: lights, corridor B."
The lights in the corridor flashed on as quickly as they had gone off.
Kura heard more gunshots and scuffling noises. Then he heard Ro tell his father that it was safe to come out now. Good, he thought. She had kept him safe. Just as he thought all of the trouble was over, Ro burst his bubble.
"By the way, for that, my price just doubled." Ro growled.
Kura groaned. For the sake of his father, he and Ro were acting almost as if she was a mercenary; he knew, however, that what she was referring by payment, was his training. "Look, I'm sorry. Please don't make me train twice as hard. Please!"
Ro didn't respond, and Kura knew that he was in for it.
Ro and Mr. Azuki arrived at the plane half an hour later. As soon as Kura saw his father, he hugged him; it was almost as if the two had been apart for years. Where Ro went or what she did during that time, neither father nor son knew. Five minutes later, though, Ro came and told them to buckle up; they were going to take off in a moment. Kura noticed something was different, though.
"Wait. Are you wearing a Hydra jacket? Did you steal that jacket?"
"Let's not call it stealing; let's call it commandeering enemy resources. Maybe I wanted a trophy to keep. I mean, we did just beat incredible odds. That base can hold up to one hundred people, and two of us just carried out a hostage extraction. By the way, sir, how did they manage to get you, anyway?"
"I had hired a catering company to do the welcome home party for my son; they got in that way. I never suspected."
"Hm. Well, be careful next time you hire somebody. Vet them thoroughly; 'cause, no offence to you intended, but I do not want to meet you again under these sort of circumstances."
"Yes, yes. No offence taken. I thought the company was good; my boss recommended them. But, no, I do not want to meet under these circumstances again, either. I will need to speak with you privately, though, once we reach our destination. Where are we going?"
"Back to your house. That's where I'll leave you. Your son felt that this situation would be best dealt with without the public knowing. I believe that once we get you two home, you can begin to rebuild. You guys ready?"
"Yes!" Kura was at any rate.
For the father and son, the plane ride home was full of rises and lapses in discussion; they spoke of what had happened and how it had affected a change in them both, and how it would change them in the future. Neither one of them made mention of the actual various agencies involved. Mr. Azuki merely said that Hydra wanted a scientist, nothing of AIM. Kura let his father believe that he had hired a mercenary, never mentioning SHIELD. As they sat there, Ro kept to herself in the cockpit; she had several things to think about, including the current situation.
As soon as the plane landed, the Azukis raced to their home. They took in the damage, and Mr. Azuki assured his son that they could make the repairs quite easily and quickly. As Ro stepped into the house, Mr. Azuki excused himself from his son and went into another room to speak with Ro.
"I want to thank you for what you did. I believe, though, that you did it for a price. How much does my son owe you? I'll pay the rest of it."
"Nothing, sir. The kid did me a good turn, I wanted to repay him. The price is more of a joke, though it might be kind of helpful to have a rich guy owing me one!" Ro grinned as she spoke, hoping to dispel any thoughts of a monetary compensation.
For a moment, Mr. Azuki stared at Ro, and she got the feeling he was searching her for something. "I think you'll find the room down that hall, first door on the left, helpful; it has a big utility sink. You might want to wash the dirt off of your face and arms. Anything you find in there you can use. There should be some cloths and towels. Go ahead."
Ro slowly walked away, wondering just how much he knew.
After a few minutes of wondering what his father and Ro were talking about, Kura decided to go and find them. He walked into the room where they had been, and, finding it empty, started to roam. He saw the door to one of the cleaning closets open, and the light on and decided to check in there. As he approached the room, he realized that Ro was in there.
"Hey, Ro. I was wondering-What happened to you?"
Ro turned quickly to face him, her left sleeve cut off about an inch below the shoulder, revealing a bloody gash on her arm.
"Kura, it's-"
"You got shot, didn't you? You fuss and worry that I'm going to get shot, and then you go and get shot yourself! I'm going to get a doctor!"
"Kura! Will you stop talking for one moment! I'm fine, okay? It's only a graze; I've had far worse. I've got a friend, an M.E., in town; she's going to stitch me up. Everything's fine, all right? Now, if you want to help, hand me that bottle of rubbing alcohol." She held out her hand as he passed the bottle to her.
"That's why you took the jacket, isn't it? To hide the, the wound?"
"Partially." She replied as she struggled to get the lid off of the bottle with one hand. Kura took the bottle and opened it as Ro continued. "It's a compression jacket; it applies pressure and keeps wounds from bleeding out. That one's not as good as some of the ones we've got, but I needed something. Thanks." She winced and hissed as the burning liquid splashed into her wound.
At the sound of her hiss of pain, realization struck Kura. "I heard you. When you got shot. I heard you over the comms. You hissed like that. I heard you."
Ro looked up at him, and felt so sorry for him. In that moment, she allowed herself to see him, not as a coworker, but as he really was: a kid whose home had been attacked, whose father had been taken, whose life had been torn apart, and mended. He had suffered so much in the past month, and had been completely unprepared for everything. For her, this was life; running through enemy filled corridors, being shot at (and, very occasionally, being shot), running from . . . well, pretty much any enemy. This was something new for him. He was just a kid. She pulled herself back to reality, and finished wrapping the bandage around her arm.
"Hey. It's going to be all right. Your dad's back. Everything's going to be fine. All right?"
Kura looked up at her and nodded.
"Go on. Go see your dad. I've got to get this stitched up, and then I'm going to go. I'll swing back by to say goodbye. The boss says that you don't have to come back to school for a while; we'll probably send you some of the lessons, and you can take the tests online." Ro turned, and started to leave.
"Thanks. For everything."
Kura's words stopped her for one moment as she looked back and grinned. "No problem. But remember, you owe me several hours of training next time!"
Kura grinned as Ro left. He turned back to face his home, wrecked and almost ruined. Almost. Not quite, though. Ro was right. Now was time to find his father and rebuild, not just his house, but his family. There was still hope for his father. There was always hope.
Epilogue
"I'm here to see Dr. Anna Rose Garcia. She's expecting me." The blond girl in a dark denim jacket told the receptionist.
"Of course. Room 5A."
"Thanks."
The girl quickly slipped through the halls, knowing that she needed to get to the doctor fairly soon. She entered 5A and waited; Anna Rose was not there yet.
One minute later, a strong, beautiful, determined young woman entered the room. Anna Rose Garcia was one of the leading Medical Examiners of her day. She had worked harder than anyone else in her class, and had made her way through the medical ranks. Worry, however, was evident in her face as she entered the room; when she saw the girl standing, though, some of the worry faded.
"Well, you're on your feet. That's a plus. How bad?"
"Not too bad; just a graze, actually." The girl said as she took off the denim jacket, revealing her left sleeve cut off to accommodate a bandage.
"Hmm. Let's see." Doctor Garcia began to cut away the bandage. "What was it this time?" She asked as she began to inspect the damage.
"Hostage rescue that started out like a surgical operation and ended like blunt force trauma."
"Field agents!" Anna Rose muttered as she cleaned the wound.
About ten minutes later, the graze wound was properly cleaned and dressed. The blond was on her way out of the building when her phone began to ring. "This is Rowen. . . Yes, sir. I got all the files. . . No, sir, I haven't been able to go through them yet. . . Yes, sir, I'll look at it." She pulled her phone away from her ear and scrolled through the files that had appeared. "I'm back, sir. . . I know. This is a highly dangerous situation. I need to get them both out of there. . . Thank you, sir."
She hung up the phone, got into a small black car, and headed back to the Kiso Valley.