Behind her Kephi heard the lift ping as the heavy footfalls of the Cyborg entered the cart. At the moment she hated herself, the choice she was about to make totally went against the promise she had sworn. With a deep sigh she entered the Avengers Penthouse to find her charge, Abby a twelve year old runaway, engrossed in a conversation with Ms. Marvel.
"Why don't you wear your old costume anymore?" Abby asked, "It was much cooler then this one."
"Because this is what Director Osborne wants me to wear when I'm on duty." Karla told her.
"Do you know Aunt Zara?" Abby asked as Kephi moved catching the eyes of the Avengers in the room, "She tells me all kind of stories when she comes down to the shelter to read to me."
"Not that much." Karla replied, "Then again she does seem familiar." she added a malicious tone in her voice, "What do you think of the Emerald Scarab Abby?"
"She's scary not like Aunt Zara." Abby stated, "Isn't that right Zara?"
"Yes I'd prefer if bad role models like Spiderman and the Emerald Scarab were not exposed to our children." Kephi said her inside twisting in knots. She knew Karla was enjoying this more then she should, what Ms. Marvel didn't know is the horrible choice that was rolling around in the god's gut. Part of her had grown to love the girl while the other was hell bent of following Osborne's instructions to the letter as it meant getting closer to the destruction of Ra and Heliopolis.
"So Kiddo do you want to be strong?" the Steel Soldier asked gently placing a heavy 10kg medicine ball at Abby's feet.
"I can't lift that." Abby complained, "It's too heavy."
"Nah try moving It." the Soldier offered. Abby pushed against the ball and found it moved with just a simple touch. Gingerly she picked it up with one hand and laughed before throwing it at Kephi who straining to catch the stone ball, the weight increased to over thirty tons. She dropped it wheezing as Abby, Karla and the Steel Soldier laughed. "I have the power to alter the mass of objects," the Steel Soldier explained, "I can make things light as a feather or as heavy as steel."
"That's just showing off." Hawkeye grumbled for the chair he was sitting in a magazine on his lap.
"Hawkeye's just jealous because he has no powers." Karla whispered to Abby.
"At least I'm more heroic then this one." Hawkeye replied gesturing towards Kephi who was secretly fuming. "Me and Antman relay on training and skill, a pair of attributes that are more deadly then any powers."
"Can I touch your bow?" Abby asked excitedly.
"Not today kiddo it's a high tech piece of equipment not a toy but maybe we can find the Scarab's bow that's reinforced with magic so it shouldn't break. Then I'll teach you how to shoot, who knows in a few years time and with quite a bit of practice you could be Hawkeye Junior." Hawkeye announced "Hey what's your name why don't you get the Scarab's bow and quiver and we'll meet you down at the practice range."
"Can I Auntie Zara?" Abby pleaded looking very innocent making Kephi's guts twist even harder.
"Only if the Scarab let's you." Kephi answered weakly
"Hey why not get the Scarab to compete with you Hawkeye?" the Steel Soldier announced, "That would be fun for the kid to watch, the amazing archer vs. the crabby Ancient Egyptian."
"Where is the Scarab?" Abby asked, "You promised we would see all the Avengers today."
"The Scarab was sent away to hunt down some dangerous criminals." Antman quickly stepped in not taking his eyes off Kephi, "She might not be back for days." he added.
"Oh." Abby moaned.
"I tell you what I'll find the bow and take you on Hawkeye." Kephi offered, "Unless your afraid to go up against somebody with no archery experience."
Hawkeye went pale, he had just stumbled into a no win situation with out even realising it. If he backed down the child, for which he cared little, would be disappointed and he would be mocked even just for a few hours cruelly by his team mates. If he took the challenge there was no solid chance that he would win, Kephi had a few millennium more experience then him and while the bow was ancient it had held up well against the ravages of time. "Sure." he said trying to sound cool, "I'll school you Zara, you'll rue the day you tried to be a hero."
"Trust me that day's come and gone." Kephi replied tiny emerald fires dancing in her eyes.
Kephi walked out of the room, the introductions could have gone easier but at least Mac Gangran hadn't showed up, she didn't trust him to control the Symbiote around small children. Up ahead Osborne was talking to a group of HAMMER agents who quickly scattered when Kephi arrived.
"Is she here?" Osborne asked.
"Yes." Kephi replied, "I'm having second thoughts though, the procedure you're going to perform requires a perfect mix of science and sorcery and while I don't doubt your abilities in the first field the fact is you're not a magic user."
"That's why I have you Kephi." Norman replied grinning.
"Even so my powers even if they were fully charged would only allow for a temporary change due to the cross Parthenon change from Egyptian to Norse." Kephi explained, "That and part of me feels that it's wrong."
"Maybe this will ease your mind?" Osborne told her before quickly chanting, "Häkissä Jumalan tulen leikata ketjut,
By Tyr ja Isis anna oikeuden tapahtua,
Olkoon tämä liha on riisuttu ja heittää syrjään,
Voi hyvin Kephi vapaasti vielä kerran."
Kephi fell foreward smashing into the floor before feeling blood run down her nose. The later came as a suprsie, she could no longer feel the scarabs gnawing at her flesh, no longer feel the clouds of mist shifting behind her eyes. Looking up she saw Osborne and a regal looking man dressed like an Ancient Eqyptian Pharoh, tiny scarabs crawling over his face.
"Osbore you do suprise me." the man said, "You freed me from my mortal shell."
"Crap." Zara cried struggling to her feet the heavy scarab necklace bouncing around her neck.
"What do you want to do with this slag?" Osborne asked Kephi.
"She served me well, kept me safe." Kephi told Osborne, "I'm a merciful god if she swears loyallty to me then I'll let you live and prosper."
"Never." Zara screamed before sprinting down the corridor.
"Lester," Osborne called on his armor's comm. link, "Zara is heading your way, terminate her with extreme prejudice."
Eric watched as Hawkeye tought her to pull the drawstring on one of the practice bows. From the entrance of the training room Victoria Hand appeared smirking at him unplesantly, "O'Grady one of the Seminole Gunships is still malfunctioning, the crew chief needs somebody to a diagnostic of the hydralic system, something that your perfactly caperble of."
"Can't it wait" O'Grady asked.
"No Osborne wants all the Gunships in working order before we move out tommorrow." Victoria instructed.
"Give me a minute." O'Grady repplied, "Hey Steel keep an eye on the kid, I don't want anything to happen to her while Kephi and I are away."
"Sure thing." Steel answered.
From out in the hallway gun-shots could be heard and O'Grady turned his head, "What the hell's going on?" he asked. Victoria shrugged before staggering to the floor blue skin rippling over her clothes, pushing past the injured woman Zara appeared holding a pair of pistols.
"Eric, Abby we're leaving." she said angrily keeping the pistols trained on Ms. Marvel and Bullseye.
"Kephi what's wrong." Hawkeye mocked, "Oh that's right your powerless." he added laughing as he fired an arrow, the projectile slicing through Zara's hand knocking one of her guns out of her hand. Zara responded by firing a wave of shots, the bullets embedding in his armored suit. "Hold her." he yelled as strands of black webbing descended from the cealing where Mac was pearched.
"Let me go." Zara hissed.
"It's a while since I tasted god flesh, I wonder if you live up to the Asgardian standerd?" Mac Gangran asked hauling her to the cealing.
"I hope you burn in hell." Zara said. From her hands golden flames ran up the webbing setting Mac Gangran on fire, the alien predator dropping Zara to the floor.
"I thought you said she had no powers." Karla said worringly
"She's not meant to." Hawkeye protested, "Dosn't matter it's her and Antman vs Me, you, Steel, Mac and Hand." he added as Mystque got to her feet drawing a sidearm from the holster strapped to the belt around her nacked body. Zara surveyed her odds, she had faced worse but that was when she was a god, the powers she had now were much weaker as evidenced by the extinguised flames dropping from the cealing.
"Zara what's happening?" Abby asked hiding behind the Steel Soldier's considrable bulk.
"There going to turn you into a lab experiment Abby, I need you to go to Antman and run. I'll hold them here." Zara instructed as Eric moved towards the Steel Soldier and Abby.
"Hold it O'Grady." Mystique yelled, "Take one more step and you get a bullet in your brain."
"I doubt it." Zara whisphered her hands forming around the hachet that formed in her hand. "Now Eric." she yelled flinging the axe at Mystique knocking the gun out of her hand. O'Grady dived and tackled Abby before shrinking them down to microscopic size as the Steel Soldier began stomping on the ground determined to crush them. Zara leapt flying through the air over the strands of webbing that Spiderman fired and through Ms. Marvel as she flew towards her before slamming into the Steel Soldier's torso her blows enhanced by the golden mist and flames that had formed round her fists and feet.
"Okay got it." Hawkeye confirmed over the comm. link before stringing three arrows in his bow before releasing them. The projectiles flew through the air cutting through the scarab pendants chain causing the medallion to fall to the floor. Almost immediatly Zara slowed down, her golden strikes disapeing until every blow caused her to wince in pain. The Steel Soldier responded decking her to the floor with a sickning crunch right next to Mystique's dropped gun.
"I'm going to enjoy this." Spiderman said licking his lips. Zara fired a shot into the symbiote causing it to momentarily stagger allowing her to escape. Hawkeye fired again and this time Zara was ready firing two shots, the first impacting with the arrow causing it to fly off target and the second slicing through the bow string and embeding in Hawkeye's fist. Zara span and emptied the clip into the Steel Soldier as he came charging in the tiny projecilts ricocheting off his armored body. Zara spun and the Steel Soldier careered past her slamming into Venom the pair of Avengers smashing through the wall. A blinding flash of light lit up the room as Karla flew in grappling Zara and dropping her to the floor.
"Not so tough now Kephi." Karla mused.
"Neither are you" Zara announced blasting Karla with a pulse of light before revealing the moonstone she had stolen.
"Give it back." Karla cried as Zara picked up the Scarab Amulet as well, "That's not yours."
"Why so worried Karla, it's not like you don't have a spare." Zara mocked, "Oh that's right you left it in your room."
"What do you want?" Karla growled
"Safe Passage out of here." Zara repplied. Behind her there was a flash and she collapsed to the floor. Karla scuttled over and took back the moonstone before feeling Zara for a pulse.
"Good work." she told the attacker, "She's dead."
"I know," Antman answered as Victoria and Hawkeye held Abby down. "I know."