XII: A New Initiative
Venom stood upon an abandoned building. Just ahead was the new hideout of Doctor Octopus. The lights were on and there was activity inside.
How nice, Venom commented. They left the window opened for us.
'This is going to be quite a shock to them,' Rei replied.
Inside the room, Maya watched as Ritsuko started getting the computers back online.
"Starting over does have its advantages," Ritsuko said, trying to look on the bright side. "I have a better facility now, and the view is infinitely better."
"Well, you always wanted waterfront property, Sempai," Maya offered.
"Actually, I meant that this time you're with me from the start."
"Oh!" Maya replied, blushing.
"How cute!" suddenly came the voice of Venom as she crawled into the room.
Ritsuko spun in that direction, tentacles at the ready, though she could scarcely believe she was seeing what she saw.
"How?!" Maya squeaked in surprise and fear as the girls watched Venom stand up to her full height. The exoskin peeled away from Venom's face revealing the dark azure headed girl.
"It's always amusing to watch you blush, Major."
"Rei! What on earth?!"
"This is impossible," Ritsuko said in disbelief. "Venom is dead. You said so yourself!"
"Actually, no, I didn't," Rei corrected. "I never said anything, I simply went along with your assessment that Venom was destroyed." Her head turned towards Maya who was slowly creeping away. "Relax, Major. I haven't eaten anyone in over a year. I'm not about to start now."
"How?" was all Ritsuko could ask, her curiosity alight.
"The short version is that during the fight with Carnage, she pierced my core, but only the outer layer of it. When Venom figured out what the anti-symbiote dart was for, she crawled most of her mass into the core where it was protected. Once my core sealed, she became a permanent part of me. We were inseparable before, but now... Well, it's safe to say Venom isn't going anywhere."
"And you've kept her hidden, all this time?"
"What choice did I have?" Rei asked calmly. "You or Commander Katsuragi would have taken steps if you knew. But enough about that, we need to talk."
"Don't tell me you're going to try to talk me out of this as well," Ritsuko said with a slightly hostile inflection.
"No. I just want to understand why you're doing this."
She didn't expect that from Rei at all, but she knew she should have. Rei was always the most analytical mind she knew, save for her own mother. She had thought on many occasions that Rei would have made a great scientist herself if the chance at such a career ever presented itself. Of course she would've had questions and didn't simply buy into Ritsuko being crazy.
Ritsuko sat down in a nearby chair, idly wondering why she suddenly noticed she still had clawmarks down her front. Both her shirt and bra had been destroyed in the attack making her consciously hold her lab coat closed.
"The world is spiraling down," the doctor began. "Wars of attrition over energy are just the beginning. Resource wars claim more lives today than religious ones did at the turn of the century. Pretty soon, we'll outpace the death caused by Second Impact itself. But what if all that could disappear?"
"You are speaking of your failed reactor," Rei noted.
"It failed because I used substandard parts in its creation," Ritsuko explained. "There was no way to tell if there was a problem with my calculations or not because equipment failure was the major contributor." More feeling filtered into her explanation now. "But even with the problematic parts I was forced to work with, for a few moments the reactor was pumping out enough power to run Tokyo-3 by itself. Imagine what I can do with a refined reactor! I could end the energy crisis and in doing so, correct a primary reason for suffering on this planet. Think of it, Rei... Free unlimited energy for everyone on the planet."
"I see," Rei replied. "And you felt this was worth breaking laws and killing people?"
Ritsuko's face took a more hostile turn. "I did what I had to do. No one in NERV wanted to hear about my proposal. They all shot me down. I was forced to work in the shadows on the prototype. And when it failed..." Ritusko stopped looking away as one of her tentacle claws poised over her shoulder.
"I see."
"I was so sure that I was doing the right thing... A few lives wouldn't mean anything in the grand scheme if I was successful. But in doing so, it went from 'Fringe Science' to 'Mad Science'. I allowed myself to become a monster... The Octopus... Now all I have to show for it are new wounds."
"Sempai!" Maya half-shouted. "Stop blaming yourself!" She ran to her and held the older woman. "I believe in the plan too. You made some mistakes but we're past that!"
"I'll still have their lives on my conscience, Maya. I'll always have that. But I can't pay for those crimes now. I have to change the world or die trying."
"I can see this means a lot to you," Rei noted. "I was sent by Spiderman to trail you and find out where you were now, but I wanted to know the reasons why it seemed you went mad. I believe you were doing the wrong thing for the right reasons."
Ritsuko nodded.
"And because of that, I will continue to keep your secret."
"What?" Ritsuko replied, not believing what she heard.
"I believe your technology may very well be essential to the future of this planet," Rei explained. "Fossil fuels are about gone, and alternative energy sources cannot keep up with the demands we continue to place on them. Without your technology, our world is doomed. So, of course, I will keep silent about your true location."
"Thank you for that," the doctor said in response. "Though I should probably warn you, I've made it my priority to take down The Kingpin at whatever cost. He's a blight on this world, like Alexander Cartigan. And if there is to a brave new world after my reactor is made public, there is no place in that world for the likes of him."
"I see," Rei replied. "I understand. In fact, I want to help."
"Really?"
"Yes. I agree that Wilson Fisk doesn't belong in the new world. Many have tried to knock him down a peg or two, but have failed. I believe that you have the potential to pull it off, and I wish to help you."
Ritsuko smiled a little as Maya let her go. "Great! Only, I don't have anything for your to do in that regard right now."
"That's fine. I believe I know something I can do. The authorities have never been able to bring down Fisk only because they could never find the evidence that connects him with the major organized crime syndicates. I will start looking for these links."
"How?" Maya asked. "If the authorities couldn't get the information, what makes you think you can?"
"Because the authorities have rules they have to follow," Rei replied as she walked back towards the window. The mask of Venom covered over her face as she walked. "And those rules have no control over us."
Maya gasped in shock at the voice shift, especially the duality in it. She'd never heard it up close before.
"For now, you should concentrate on the reactor project. Let us deal with gathering what you need to bring down the Kingpin."
Ritsuko nodded. "I never thought I say this," she said in gratitude. "But thank you, Venom."
"Don't thank us yet. We have a long road ahead of us."
In a large facility north of Nagano, one man was annoyed beyond reason. Unfortunately for this man's subordinates, he was the Kingpin.
"Three dozen! Three dozen men and they still couldn't catch this bitch?!"
The Kingpin and a few of his close subordinates walked with him as they headed for the main lab area. The Kingpin for his part had been yelling for the better part of an hour.
"The men did what they could," Eddie replied. "Section-4 was nothing to play with. Herman is still recovering. He's got a cracked skull and is likely to be out of action for a while."
"I don't give a fuck about Shocker," Fisk barked. "He's failed too many times to be reliable anymore. And to get overpowered by Ibuki of all people just shows how useless he really is in the end."
Eddie tried to hold back his smile, but it was hard. As far as he was concerned, Herman got what was coming to him.
"How come The Lizard couldn't stop her?"
"Connors put up a valiant fight," Eddie explained. "And he was winning, by all accounts. As far as I can tell, she simply got lucky this time. She really is no match for him."
"He needs to do more," Fisk commented as he pushed his way into the lab.
Inside, Doctor Connors was working on refining his regeneration formula. He didn't even flinch when the door opened.
"You could try knocking sometime," the doctor said without turning. "One day I might be working with something volatile. Don't want me dropping something like that, do you?"
"That's enough out of you," the Kingpin said menacingly causing Doctor Connors to turn towards his overweight guest. "You need to do something about this bitch. It's what I hired you for."
"And what precisely do you want me to do?" Connors asked challengingly. "NERV can't track her, and no one knows where she's disappeared to for now."
"Figure something out! You're supposed to be a genius! Start proving it!"
"You're in quite the mood today," Connors noted. "I'm a biologist, not a bloodhound. Point me in the right direction and..." He paused. "Hmm, that does give me ideas."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing that will help now. Just something for a future project."
The Kingpin actually growled. "I'm surrounded by useless people." He left without a further word.
He needsss to lighten up, the Lizard commented from within.
"Noted..."
Maya waited for several hours while Ritsuko was out. Finally she came home, with a large bundle of materials wrapped in one tentacle.
"Where did you get that?" Maya asked.
"Military Storehouse," the doctor replied. "And no, I didn't have to hurt anyone to get them, though I probably just made Tokyo-3's Most Wanted list if I haven't already done so."
Maya frowned at the joke and unwrapped the bundle. "This looks like some of the material we need to rebuild the reactor," she commented. "But what's this?" She removed several long bars of metal.
"Non-magnetically reactive, military grade steel," she replied. "Stronger and more durable than the stuff in my tentacles currently."
"Why the upgrades?" Maya asked.
"Because the Lizard proved to be a much more powerful opponent than I'm accustomed to. I'm not sure if even this will give me the edge I need but it's an upgrade nonetheless so it can't hurt."
"I see," she replied. "So you're going to fight him again?"
Ritsuko stopped what she was doing and turned towards Maya. "I won't have a choice," she replied. "If I'm going to take down the Kingpin, I will have to fight the Lizard again. The next time I go against him, I plan to win. Connors will face the music, same as Fisk. It's just a matter of how to take them down."
Maya looked down at the equipment. "What are you upgrading specifically?"
"The armored rings and the servos," Ritsuko replied. As she started working on releasing the first claw. She suddenly stopped as a sharp pain was felt... It was coming from the claw.
"What the," Ritsuko whispered.
"Sempai?"
She tried again and the same thing happened. She walked over to the table and found her medical scanner.
"What is it?" Maya asked worriedly.
Ritsuko ran the scanning interface over the claw. What she saw was both amazing and slightly scary. The electronic pathways that ran the signals from her brain to the mechanized claws were techno-organic now, and it appeared that nanties were already in the process of strengthening the servos and armor.
"Apparently the tentacles are, truly, fully integrated now. They aren't just something I'm stuck with, they're truly a part of me... and they're evolving."
"Meaning?" Maya asked fearfully.
"Meaning I just stole a bunch of military grade metal for almost no reason," Ritsuko replied. "Oh well, I'll find a use for it in my reactor project anyway I'm sure."
Maya looked slightly shocked. "This doesn't bother you?"
"Maya, as much as I've already become a techno-organic creature, this was a natural evolution. I've learned to stop worrying excessively and accept who I am. After all, if I'm good enough for you, then why should I care?"
Maya chuckled and smiled at that. "I guess you're right, Sempai."
"If I was a super genius engineer, where would I hide?" Spiderman asked himself as she swung between buildings. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'll never find her like this."
It'd been a couple of days since the raid on the Kingpin and there hasn't been any sign of Doctor Octopus. Unfortunately, this meant that Rei was missing as well. Shinji wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to cover for her.
As he swung upwards, a black tendril flew from a shadowed alley and grabbed him out of the air. Before he could make any sound, he was dragged into the alleyway.
"Really?!" He scolded Rei lightly as the face of venom melted off of her. He took his mask off and kissed her deeply before continuing the verbal lashing. "You scared the hell out of me."
"Sorry, Shinji-kun," Rei replied. "I was hoping to catch you before you left for patrol but I was a bit slow."
"Did you find her?"
Rei stayed silent for a moment before she finally stated, "We need to talk."
"Not again," he lamented. "Last time you shattered my world with a secret you've been keeping for a year. What is it now? Do I not buy you enough flowers or something?"
She chuckled. "No, nothing like that. I found Ritsuko but... I've agreed to keep silent on her location."
"What?! Why?"
"Because I believe in her work," she stated. "Ritsuko also wants to take down the Kingpin, and I've volunteered to help."
"But, Rei, so many have tried already. What makes you think that the two of you can do this?"
"Well, for one, we don't have to go by anyone's book but our own. That, in itself, has caused most of the previous attempts to fail because the Kingpin is well aware of how our legal system works."
"Well, that's true. Is she trying to kill him?"
"No," Rei replied emphatically. "Maya has convinced her to stop killing people."
"Major! Come in please!" came a voice over his earpiece.
"Sorry, babe, I gotta take this," he said with a light smile. "What is it, Anako?"
"Sorry to bother you on your romp, but we just got word that one of the JSSDF storehouses has been ransacked... It looks like it was the Octopus."
"Terrific," he replied. "I'll look into it." He shut off the communicator. "Ritsuko knocked over a military storehouse. Now she's really crossed the line. It was bad enough when she hit NERV and Fisk. The JSSDF will want her to themselves. Misato won't be able to protect her now."
"I don't trust Misato," Rei replied with a touch more anger in her voice than Shinji was used to hearing. "It's why Eve is with Hikari and not her. She's become too much like the old Commander now. I don't know who she is anymore."
"Look, she's under a lot of stress. I'm sure she'll be fine once things calm down a bit."
Rei's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe that... and neither should you."
In the bowels of NERV, the Commander stood over a hospital bed. Leads connected to small suction cups were connected to the forehead of a child that appeared to be around 16 months hold. Dark azure hair cascaded over the little girl's shoulders, and her eyes were closed. The machine she was connected to was downloading everything she would need to know to function down here. In less than a few months, this girl would be at the apparent age of 16.
Misato Katsuragi walked from the table into the next room. She picked up a bar of metal and examined it closely for flaws in the metal. Using a scanner she tested its purity, and nodded to herself in approval.
"Everything is going well so far," she said to herself. "Lilith is growing quickly, but there are flaws still. It's to be expected. My first attempt couldn't be perfect. But I'll have perfection when I begin creating more clones."
In her mind, a new regime would be established. She saw in that same insane image, a war enveloping the planet, and Cartigan leading a massive war machine to battle against the rest of the world.
"I won't let this come to pass..."
Misato began melting down the metal, preparing to pour it into a freshly made weapon mold.
In the former United States, Andrew Cartigan had managed to solidify his foothold, establishing the American Administrative Zone (AAZ) of the Cartiganian Regime. Despite the apparent dictatorship that is his rule, it seemed that this time the people of the former United States were onboard with him. Now the full power of what used to be America's military might was at his control.
Before the world could begin to tremble at what this madman had planned, the reports already came in. His forces have crossed the Canadian border. As the Canadian Military prepared for the worst, they suddenly found themselves besieged by its own people. Protests sprung up all over the country. People were calling for the dissolution of the Canadian Government and were calling for Cartigan to lead them into the future.
The world indeed began to tremble. In less than a week, Andrew would have full control over North America. As it happened... it was also a very productive week in Japan. It would see a war against nature, the fall of a tyrant... and the rise of a new one.
End of Chapter XII
These days drift on inside of fog, it's thick and suffocating
This seeking life, outside it's hell, inside intoxicating
He's run aground, like his life, water much too shallow
Slipping fast, down with the ship, fading in the shadows
Now a castaway
Fame has gone, away
Fame gone away
