"You want another one kid?" Asked the bar tender.

I sighed, looking down at my now empty beer bottle in front of me. Beer was pretty much the only food that was supposed to make you feel better, make you forget about everything. But it couldn't do that for me. It was one more thing being the daughter of Daken stole from me.

"Why not?" I moaned.

"You sure you haven't had enough?" The guy asked.

"Just give me one." I snapped.

He handed me another, and I took a sip, letting the burn and bitter taste slide down my throat. I didn't even turn to look when the bar door opened, and Artemis and Conner walked in.

Artemis took the bottle away from me, "Mio… you're drunk?"

"I can't get drunk." I shot down, "All poisons, including alcohol are fought off by my healing factor."

"So you're just sitting here, playing with your healing factor?" She questioned.

"Makes me seem like a bit of a jerk when you say it that way." I mumbled.

"Are you really just going to sit here and drink until you can't sit up straight?" She snapped.

"Can't get drunk. What part of that do you not understand?" I asked.

"Lovette's about to leave with Logan in ten minutes, why aren't you there, saying goodbye?" Artemis accused.

"Don't get all PMS with me, I know you, all of you idiots, view me as some kind of superhero while you're civilians. I know you, instead of just bonding with Green Arrow or Black Canary, decided to latch onto my as a mentor. I'm gonna tell you right now, knock it off." I snapped.

"I'm not golden, I'm not a hero, I'm not a good guy." I said evenly.

"That's bull." Artemis said, glaring at me.

"I've killed young children before Artemis." I said. "I had no good reason either. I had a nightmare while I was living on the streets with Lovette, and I tried to kill her when she woke me up, I flew into a rage. Chased her down the street, claws drawn."

Artemis look horrified, bordering on the edge of disgusted.

"People tried to stop me from hurting her, and I killed them all." I said. "Mothers, fathers, children, grandparents. They were all just meat bags standing in me way."

"So, your the famous Mio, huh?" The man, Norman Osborn asked. I knew who he was, big dealer in the government, leader of the Dark Avengers. The people who were now surrounding me in the small living room."Famous?" I asked in a deadpan voice, not really caring."Your famous now." He said, taking out a folder, holding it so I couldn't see anything in it, and took out a picture, and handed it to me. The woman, Dark Avengers version of Mrs. Marvel, and Lovette sat on the couch, the man who had recently broken my nose, Daken, leaned against the wall, watching me with interest.

It had been Daken who had stopped my killing rampage on the street, who had knocked me out and brought me here. I hated him, but could not help but respect him for his talents, his power, his skill. The way he moved the fight was always on his terms. The way he stood, everyone in this room was under his subtle control, whether they knew it or not.

I could not help wondering, if I was under his control, but ultimately decided I was not. He had not known me long enough to have control over me yet. It would not take to long to leave. Stay for the moment, gain trust, faith, and create an illusion of dependence, then kill them all, starting with Norman.

The picture he was holding up was of me, standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by bodies. Lovette was standing off to the side, watching with helpless horror. It was taken by a street it pained me so much to see Lovette like that, I managed to say, "That's a crappy camera, the picture's all blurry."He glared at me, "I'm glad you find this humorous, countless lives destroyed, families severed, lives ruined."

"I am not taking this humorously, I am very disappointed in this action." I said.

"Really?"

"Of course, every single killing was sloppy. The young man I'm standing on in this picture, I did not sever his neck properly, I should have cut straight across, not diagonal. The woman fallen right next to him, I hit her heart by stabbing through his spine, there was no pain, to suffering. Damaging her spine ended her pain, and any injury after that was pointless."

His glare pierced through my eyes, "You truly are nothing more than an animal, are you?"

"Aren't we all?" I questioned. "Deep down, in the darkest corners of your mind, I am sure to find something far worse than what I have done today."

"Do you really feel nothing about those deaths?" Bullseye asked, disgusted.

"I am sorry I do not remember the fight. I blacked out, and the rage took over. I am truly sorry I do not remember the pain, suffering, the screaming." I described, deciding to let them know what my mind truly looked like. "Most serial killers I've met like the look of fear on the victims face the most about every kill, or the feeling of the victims blood on their hands. But me? I prefer the screams."

Most looked disgusted, except Daken, he looked a bit more… intrigued at this statement, as if he liked something a little different from the scream, and wanted to know why I preferred it. Like a debate between politics.

"In Hydra, they told me not to scream. They told to cry was excusable, natural. They told me a scream was intolerable. While crying says that the body has been overcome by an emotion, screaming is an act of desperation, an act seeking pity and consolation. This is the ultimate dishonor, that is what they told me."Norman looked ready to really school me on my savage ways and blood thirst, but I just shook my head. "Your taking life far to seriously Norman. Lighten up, and enjoy it, whatever makes you happy, do it. It's not like your going to live through life, so why be serious?"He kept talking about all the people who had been identified, Sarah Rosemary, age forty-three. She had a husband, and two little girls, neither one was even thirteen. Ben Wyoming, fifteen years old, his parents had just sent him to the story to get a jug of milk. Paul McDonald, twenty-five, had a fiancé, and a baby on the way. John Oberon, fifty-three, had a now widowed wife, and a son in college. Each name made me want to cry. But I kept a straight face, and finally when I had enough, I asked, "Done yet?"He glared, "As I was saying, these people are all dead now-""No, really?" I asked smartly."And it is entirely your fault.""Yep.""And your not even sorry.""Nope." I lied. Daken smirked, and I could tell he had smelled the lie on me."It's in the governments best interest that you work for us. You'll be trained by someone on the team of my choosing, you'll go on missions with the others, you'll do anything we ask of you without argument." He ordered, and stared me down, daring me to refuse. Idiot, if I did, he couldn't stop me, he was counting on Daken, and maybe the woman to bail him out.

"Okay." I said. "I will stay."

Norman was surprised, he was expecting resistance. I would not give that to him just yet, as I have said before: gain trust, faith, and create an illusion of dependence, then kill them all, starting with Norman. I have also decided, I will end with Daken, who vaguely intrigues me. I will make his death more of a complicated plot than a death. I will find out everything about him, including what puts him in control, and take it from him.

Then, I will kill him.

I shook the thoughts away, "Innocent people, in cold blood, just walking down the wrong street."

Artemis held up a hand, "Stop."

I shrugged, "That's who I am Artemis."

"That's who you were." Conner said, speaking up for the first time. "And right now, you'd never hurt Lovette. You'd never kill an innocent, especially not in cold blood, over nothing!"

He grabbed my arm, yanking me up to stare him in the eye. "You're different. You've changed. Changed into a wonderful person, who's risked her life for people she doesn't even know. Your still dark, very dark, but that, it's fine, it's excusable."

He let me go slowly, his stare softening. "You're… you're someone I care about, I care a lot about you. Everyone waiting for you at Mt. Justice. I know you're not gonna let Lovette go away for a long time without saying goodbye, are you?"

I groaned, walking past him, "Fine, I'm driving."

"But you just drank, and a lot at that." Artemis objected.

"Are you drunk, or did ya just loose all your common sense for today? I. Can't. Get. Drunk." I walked out, jumping onto my motorcycle, "Maybe you really are a blonde."

"Hey!" She snapped.

I just growled, and took off, Lovette was not going anywhere.

I got there while she was walking out, with her back pack. I jumped off my bike, scooping her up and twirling her around.

She laughed, hugging me by throwing her hands around my neck. "I'm gonna miss you Mio!"

"I'll miss you too." I said, holding her closer.

"Then how about I just stay here?" She asked.

I chuckled, shaking my head, "Sorry kid, but I've gotta keep you safe."

"That didn't work last time." She pointed out.

"Yeah, well this time, Daken promised not to come after you." I explained.

"Then why do I have to go?" She asked.

"Because, I don't trust his word, he might just get someone else to go after you." I shrugged. "No one else he sends is gonna be able to get to you Lovette. I promise."

She sighed, "Okay, but I'll miss you."

I smiled, hugging her again, "I'll miss you too."

I walked her out to Logan's truck, placing her in shot gun, and buckling her up. She looked up at me, "Mio, I don't remember my real Mommy."

"I know." I said, she had told me this before. Hydra had taken Lovette when she was an infant, and I had rescued her from them, taken her from the facility, and lived with her on the streets for nearly five months. I had kept her fed, warm, and safe, but I hadn't really given her what she needed. A mother, a loving mother who cared more for her than herself.

"Mio?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"You're my real Mommy." She hugged me again, and my eyes widened, patting her back slowly, and nodding.

They left, and I felt Conner come up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder, and pulling me into his chest slowly. I looked over my shoulder at him, "What?"

"You're hurting." He said.

"Obviously."

"I wanna help." He offered/demanded/pleaded.

"No." I said firmly, trying to pull away.

"Why?" He asked desperately.

"Because." I said, finally tugging away from his grip, "That's not me. No who I am, or who I will ever be Conner. The me you see come in every day, helping you guys learn and advance in your skills, and caring? It's a lie. You needed me to be nice, to encourage, so I put on a mask. I'm a natural born actor Conner, I could fool Batman if I really tried."

I walked away from him, "I'm going home. I'm glad we had this talk."

I am Mio Howlett. I have no Mother, and a Father who I plan to kill after taking everything from him. I am dependent on no one for comfort, no matter who they are, or how I feel for them.

I am Hell Hound.

I stand alone.