Mortal Kombat vs Marvel Universe Side Story: The Union Vale Raid
Snafu's Notes: Here is the side story in regards to the Union Vale raid. In this chapter, the rule regarding 'Chekhov's Gun' is in effect. If you don't know what it is, this is 'Chekhov's Gun' in a nutshell: the rifle seen in the background will eventually be fired at a later date. Also, this chapter is long. This will be the last of the Side Stories for a while. After this, we will go into the Earthrealm mission proper.
Cage Incorporated – New York City Branch. The morning after the Secret Avengers' raid on the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.
It had been shortly after Liu Kang's fight with Iron Fist that Mey had gotten the call from Kitana. Apparently, due to her speaking in Edenian, Johnny Cage had correctly assumed that she had been a Red Lotus spy.
What was even more surprising was that Johnny had allowed her to remain on as not only his assistant, but as a go-between for the Red Lotus and Cage Incorporated.
"Some people would see this as giving one enough rope to hang themselves," Johnny had told her. "But despite our differences, I have no problem with the Shaolin and his wife, despite the both of them and Jade being assassins, and I hope that he feels the same about me and my family. That not only having you around feeding info to Liu and Kitana not only amused, me, but unlike my last secretary, you are very effective at your job."
Had Mey's cover been blown had she been working undercover at either Stark Enterprises or at S.H.I.E.L.D., then the Avengers would had long since been at the Red Lotus' doorstep...which would ultimately lead to more complications for Cage and his family.
Plus, for Mey, Johnny was a nice guy and a decent boss. And she made good coin working as his secretary.
At the moment, the secretary/Red Lotus operative watched as the Cage patriarch sparred with his elder daughter in the workout room of Cage Incorporated. One thing about Johnny Cage was that he wanted the mind to be as strong as the body. Aside from a couple of low-level employees working on the treadmill, the place was practically empty, save for father and daughter, who sparred on the practice mats, Johnny in his old black pair of sweatpants and sleevless shirt, while Cassie favored a blue tanktop and a pair of black trackpants with white trim. Her hands and feet were bound with boxing tape, the blonde hair tied back in a bun.
In the six years she 'worked' for Cage Incorporated, Mey knew that the Cage family can fight. She had even seen Cassie and both parents train Ravenna. Liu and Kitana even held a grudging form of respect towards Johnny and Cassie in regards to their exploits against Shinnok. Jade had found it amusing, her adopted mother having a laugh at Liu and Kitana's expense.
But despite the married grandmasters' obvious dislike of the former actor and his family, Mey actually respected them. She had met Johnny and Sonya back when she was a child, an orphan growing up in the streets of San Francisco. She had been the one to deliver Liu and Kitana's message, asking for a sit-down in Portsmouth Square.
"Martial arts isn't just a physical sport, or a means for self-defense," Johnny had said to his daughters one day. "It's a conversation. A match isn't just a fight, but an exchange in knowledge, a kind of language, of bodies in motion with each other."
Liu, who had been in San Francisco that day visiting a Red Lotus operative who lived in Chinatown, had watched the training session from the shadows. Although given that both girls were mutants, he suspected that Johnny knew that he was there. Johnny had came a long way from the boisterous film star that tried to get into Sonya's pants back on Shang Tsung's Island, he realized.
"I never thought of martial arts that way, and I'm a former monk," the former revenant had said to Kitana after telling her of what Johnny had said.
Mey had seen several good fights between the Cage family over the years. One particular one had originally been between Johnny and Sonya. Then, Cassie and Ravenna had jumped in, and Johnny found himself on the receiving end of a handicap match, which ended with Sonya sitting on his back, and both girls each with a leg pulled back in a Boston Crab.
Mey had a real good laugh over that one.
Another thing she respected about her boss and his wife was the fact that they had trained the girls not to use their powers as a crutch. Some heroes and villains had no training in hand-to-hand combat, but Johnny and Sonya made sure that their girls can fight.
And she can easily keep up with her parents. Which is why this match has been going on for the past half-hour. Cassie had decided to tag along to New York with her father, despite the danger.
The Superhuman Registration Act was now law, and Cassie was a mutant alongside her sister. However, both Cassie and Ravenna were on the military registry, as was Johnny.
So far, Cassie was unable to catch her father with a single shot. Johnny, on the other hand, was busy tossing his daughter around like a rag doll.
The next blow almost caught Johnny on the shoulder, but he barely managed to dodge the blow in time.
Cassie smirked. "Getting slow in your old age, Dad?" she taunted.
Johnny responded by grabbing Cassie's wrist and flipping her to the ground. "To borrow a line from your mother, 'Experience trumps youth,' Cassandra," he replied as he calmly raised his left leg, in order to avoid Cassie's attempt to sweep it after she got back to her feet.
As the fight resumed, Mey's phone began to ring. Retrieving the smart phone, she saw that it was the secretary. The woman was direct and to the point, Mey noted as she answered the phone. "Please tell the Chairman that his 10:30 appointment will arrive in five minutes."
'Damn,' Mey thought as the spar continued. 'I really wanted to see the end of this match.'
About 20 minutes earlier...
Tony Stark had been in a foul mood.
The plan had been one hundred percent foolproof, as he himself had planned it down to the slightest detail. Lure the Secret Avengers to the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, with them believing that Captain America was located, not dead, but in a coma, where he and the Mighty Avengers would finally bring them down.
He, nor the other Avengers did not take into consideration that Doctor Strange had joined the Secret Avengers, and was on their team.
The image of a zombified Captain America had really spooked him. He had barely got any sleep over that fact. Doctor Strange knew where and how to hit them, exposing their minds to what they feared the most, allowing them to escape.
That was not the worst of it, though.
Matt Murdock had been released from imprisonment in the Negative Zone. As it turned out, the military registry was a more popular alternative than signing on with the Superhuman Registration Act, the other being relocation out of the country. Canada was the more popular choice, as Peter Parker sent his wife and aunt to Toronto following his defection, while Ben Grimm was enjoying Paris.
Murdock, however, was small potatoes at the moment. He had bigger fish to fry in the form of Daniel Rand.
Which is why he led the Mighty Avengers to the Rand Corporation building, only to find the superhero and business rival absent.
He soon got the answer from his secretary when asked.
"Mr. Rand and his lawyer are on their way to Cage Incorporated, at the invitation of Chairman Cage."
Ten minutes later, inside the Executive Office...
The Cheyenne-born mutant/shaman studied the schematics of the bionic implants with great interest. He typed in several keys on the keyboard and the schematics went further into detail.
Johnny smirked. He knew that the artificial limb technology would be something that would capture Forge's interest. As a mutant, he could make the bionic technology even more better, even more so than Jax's bionic implants.
"I have to say, Chairman," Forge began, "these are very impressive. Very advanced tech. I suppose this is where I come in, due to my abilities, correct?"
Johnny nodded. "Cassie recommended you, and I trust in her judgement."
Forge looked at Cassie and smiled. "I am humbled by your praise, Cassandra."
Cassie returned the smile. "I learned from the best when it comes to mechanics. That's why I recommended you to Dad."
Forge 'hmmed.' "I can see that some improvements can be made in the tech."
"I told Sonya the same thing," Johnny replied. "I know you got your responsibilities with the X-Men, which is why I'm offering to pay you a consultant's fee for your help in the company's bionics research. Either that, or I can make a donation to the Xavier School. Your choice."
"Let me speak with Xavier and I'll get back to you on that," Forge replied. "And yes, this means that I agree to take a look at the research. I can probably increase the tech's efficiency by..." He took a moment to do the numbers in his head. "...at least sixty percent. Seventy, at the most."
Johnny nodded. "It's a start." He turned to Cassie and nodded. The young lieutenant pulled out a flash drive and tossed it to Forge, who caught it with his bionic hand. "A copy of the schematics."
Forge nodded. He stood up, shook Johnny's hand, and with a nod to Cassie, exited the office. The daughter turned to the father. "Well?"
"We'll see what Forge can come up with," Johnny replied.
There was a knock on the door. The door opened and in walked Mey, followed by Danny Rand and his senior attorney. "Chairman. Daniel Rand and Jerwyn Hogarth," she spoke in Japanese.
"Does she always speak in Japanese?" Cassie asked as she and her father rose from their place on the couch.
"Not many businessmen can speak and translate Japanese," her father replied.
"Plus, it annoys people," Mey added, this time in English.
Cassie rolled her eyes as her father shook hands with Danny. "Danny. Glad you decided to come." He then shook hands with his lawyer. "Jerwyn."
"Chairman," Hogarth replied stiffly.
Both parties sat down. "I understand you and your friends had a bit of trouble last night involving Stark and his band of sellouts," Johnny said.
Danny raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
Johnny smirked. "Cage Incorporated and the Tactical Response Unit have ears," he replied. "Our ears have ears. You guys were pretty lucky to have Doctor Strange on your team last night, otherwise you'd all been at the bed-and-breakfast in the Negative Zone."
Danny snorted. "He wouldn't allow it," he replied, pointing at Hogarth. "He'd be out of a job if that happened." He leaned forward. "Why did you ask me to come here, let alone him?"
"If anyone asks, I invited both you and your attorney here to discuss a promising business venture, of which you turned down due to both your responsibilities as CEO of your own respective business and your superhero duties," Johnny replied. "In truth, I'm here to help not only you, but Luke and the others, to try and take some of the heat off of your back."
"I'm listening," Danny replied.
"First off, a certain blind lawyer has returned from his stay at the Negative Zone."
Danny was surprised. "Matt's back? How...?"
Johnny turned to Mey, and nodded. The bespectacled woman produced several sheets of paper and handed them over to Danny, who began to scan the contents. "This is a section of the Superhuman Registration Act," Danny said.
"Section 11, Paragraph 4, to be precise," Johnny said. "Keep reading."
Danny did, and as he continued to read, the realization begin to sink in. Johnny Cage has just shown him a loophole in the Act. He looked up at the older man. "Is this for real?"
"Ah...I know that look from anywhere," Johnny noted. "What you hold in your hand is indeed a loophole for the S.H.R.A. You can thank my better half for discovering this juicy tidbit. There are two separate registries: the one operated by S.H.I.E.L.D., and the second by the U.S. Armed Forces. It was one of the conditions requested by the military, as most of the senior officers don't entirely trust S.H.I.E.L.D."
Danny, in the meantime, handed the papers over to Hogarth, who began to scan them closely.
"As you already read, any superhuman or mutant who has ties to the military be it by marriage to an active serviceman or officer is automatically on the registry," Johnny continued. "Any superhuman actively working with the military is also exempt from having to sign on with S.H.I.E.L.D." He leaned forward. "My wife has friends down in Fort Burton, as the base trains some of her Special Forces troops there. If you sign on, you and your friends can work out of there. Stark and his buddies can't touch you there. The base is safe and secure, and Luke don't have to worry about Jessica and Dani's safety."
Danny took a moment to digest this information. Then he turned to Hogarth. "Jerwyn?"
"It's ironclad, Danny," his counselor replied. "If I were you, I'd talk with the others about joining the military registry."
Danny nodded. He turned back to Johnny. "Okay, you and your daughters, I definitely see having signed on the military registry, due to the both of them being mutants" he said. "Why are you helping me and the others?"
"Several of Sonya's soldiers are mutants, and are under the military registry as well. Sometimes, in order to do good, you'd have to break the law."
"And here, just when I think you can't surprise me any more than you already have, Cage," Danny said. "Thanks. I'll pass this on to Luke and the others."
"Not that Stark and the others can do anything about it," Johnny said, "unless he wants the bad attention sending a registered military officer to the Negative Zone. So far, it's working. S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to arrest several superhumans for not registering under the Act, but were forced to release them once they found out that they were under the military registry."
Danny chuckled. "I remembered hearing about that. Stark turned a nice shade of red at that when the military demanded their release."
"Stark can't handle the bad publicity if that happens," Hogarth noted.
Johnny's expression then turned grim. "There's more than just the military registry that I wanted to talk to you about. What do you know about Skrulls?"
"Shape-shifting aliens," Rand replied. "Why?"
It was Cassie that spoke. "About two days ago, I was ambushed by one who had my appearance at Fort Charles. Not only it looked liked me, but it also fought with Nightcrawler's teleport, Johnny Storm's fire powers, and Cyclops' eye-beams." She smiled meanly. "There's a reason why my family and I don't want people to know that I'm a mutant. That Skrull learned the hard way not to fuck with a Cage."
"Sonya and I found Cassie and her copy fighting. We managed to subdue the Skrull, and Cassie read its mind." Johnny's expression turned grave. "The Skrulls are infiltrating the planet."
"A secret invasion of sorts?"
Johnny and Cassie both nodded. "From the looks of things, this has been going on quite some time. The Skrulls have replaced heroes with impostors."
"He speaks the truth," Mey added. "Our...mutual friends were less than amused upon discovering that there were Skrulls in their midst. They were dealt with...extreme prejudice. After they spilled their guts, of course."
Danny caught the meaning. The Skrulls had attempted to infiltrate the Red Lotus, but were caught and executed by the three grandmasters...but not before they broke down and told them what they knew.
"Both Liu and myself shared what we know," Johnny said. "And now, I'm telling you."
Cassie's head snapped towards the door. 'Heads up, you guys,' she warned. 'We got company. Stark and the Mighty Avengers are here.' She turned to Danny. 'They're here for you.'
"Hey! You can't go in there! He's in a meeting with Chairman Cage!" the panicked voice of the secretary outside the office was heard shouting from outside. "You can't go in there!"
The doors to the office were thrown open and in walked the Mighty Avengers. While Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel, Ares, Wasp, Black Widow and The Sentry were in uniform, Tony chose to go with a dark three-piece business suit with tie, of which the Mighty Avengers had dubbed as 'Director Stark' mode.
Cassie scanned Stark and the Mighty Avengers. All were human, thankfully. Save for Ares, as he was a god.
For his part, Johnny looked rather annoyed. Cassie looked concerned, despite the looks she was exchanging with Wonder Man. "I'm starting to think that being director of S.H.I.E.L.D. has gone to your head, Stark. Either you must be very brave or very stupid to come barging in here."
"This has nothing to do with you, Cage," Stark replied. He pointed to Danny. "My business is with Rand."
"You're interrupting a business meeting between myself and Chairman Cage," Danny stated in a flat tone. "Make it quick."
"Fine. We'd like to talk to you about last night."
Danny played dumb. "And what exactly happened last night?"
"Oh...so it's going to be one of those conversations, Rand?" the Iron Avenger replied. "That one of us pretends not to know what the other is going to say? Fine. Last night, you – as Iron Fist – were among the Secret Avengers that broke into a classified S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. You sure you want to have this conversation in front of Chairman Cage and his daughter?"
Danny waved his hand dismissively. "I was at the office until late last night. Go and check the logs with your suit."
"Oh, spare me the..."
Danny cut Tony off. "Wasn't me, Stark. Could have been one of the copycats posing as me. If memory serves, there were at least three Daredevils running around a while back."
"Danny, you and the others are breaking the law," Ms. Marvel interjected. "Now all the good that you've done in this world is..."
"Excuse me, I'm Jerwyn Hogarth, senior attorney for Mr. Rand," Hogarth interrupted. "Exactly what law is he breaking?" Then, as an afterthought, he added, "And please speak up. If I know Chairman Cage, he's recording this meeting."
Stark wasn't surprised. "I know."
Ms. Marvel scoffed, her blue eyes glaring at Johnny. "Of course you're recording this."
"Audio and visual. Standard procedure," confirmed Johnny.
"Your client, Mr. Hogarth, is not registered with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Stark said.
"But he is registered with the federal government as a lethal weapon under the law," Hogarth replied. "Second, there is the military database, in which is not only separate from the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, but is also under the rules and regulations of the registration act." He leaned back in his chair. "As you claim that my client has to also register with your organization, that has yet to be laid out in the courtroom. We already have an appeal with the federal court to define what exactly is a power..."
Ms. Marvel cut him off. "Oh, shut up, you wig-wearing hack." She turned to Danny. "Danny, please. Listen to us for once. Luke and Jessica...they have Danielle to worry about. This is a very dangerous game you're playing. What is the endgame here? What do you plan on gaining if you continue down this path? Someone is going to get hurt."
Danny frowned. "You mean someone other than Captain America and Goliath?"
Carol flinched, as did the others. "That was low, Rand. Even for you."
"But true," Danny replied.
"Are you pressing charges against my client, Stark?" Hogarth asked. "And if you are, with what evidence?"
Stark smirked as he produced his PDA. Punching in several buttons on the screen, a holograph took shape, clearly showing not only Danny as Iron Fist, but the rest of the Secret Avengers as well. "Please understand how the technology of my armor works, Counselor. I have scans, radars and environmental sensors running at all times and recording anything and everything I come into contact with. Including last night."
"In other words, we have you dead to rights, Rand," Black Widow added.
Surprisingly enough, Hogarth didn't cave. "In that case, I hope you're prepared to have not only those files, but your tech subpoenaed by the highest courts in the country. If you admit one file, then we will subpoena all the files."
Johnny mentally smirked. Stark had overplayed his hand.
"Now the question you need to ask yourself is this, Stark," Hogarth continued. "What will last longer: the ensuing trial or your tenure as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" He grinned. "But I'd be more worried about the impending lawsuit that the Rand Corporation will file for unlawful arrest and harassment."
Stark said nothing. He knew that he lost this round. He dismissed the holograph and turned on his heels. "Let's go," he muttered.
The Mighty Avengers departed from the room without a single word. Carol, on the other hand, glared at Hogarth. "I hope your wig glue makes you impotent." To Danny, she pleaded with him one final time. "Please, Danny. Tell them to stop. Please."
"Let's go, Carol," Iron Man repeated.
The Human-Kree superheroine was near the door when Johnny spoke. "Heroes fighting heroes. Makes you wonder what the bad guys are doing."
Carol spun around and stormed over towards the Chairman of Cage Incorporated, anger flashing in her eyes. Alarmed, Cassie rose from her seat, her hand reaching for her Desert Eagle, but a gesture from her father made her stay her hand. Carol stopped in her tracks, looking at Cassie, her eyes daring her to do something stupid.
And after her fight with Sonya, Carol wasn't about to take any chances with her daughter.
"What do you know about being a hero, Cage?" Carol demanded.
Johnny smiled. It wasn't his usual Hollywood smirk, but rather one that had 'enigma' written all over it. "More than you ever know, Carol. More than you ever know."
"Carol." Stark's voice echoed from outside. "Let's go."
Giving Johnny another hard glare, to which Johnny lost his smile and leveled his own glare on her. 'The Cage Glare,' as Cassie called it. Carol turned and stalked out of the room.
Minutes later...
Danny wasn't surprised to see that while the other Mighty Avengers had returned to Stark Tower, Tony remained behind, waiting for him in the lobby of the building.
"What now, Stark?" Danny demanded.
The Director of SHIELD quickly fell into step with the Immortal Iron Fist. "What's the endgame here?" Tony asked. "I know you, Danny. I know Luke and the others. I just...for the life of me, I can't figure out what you're doing. Just what are you trying to accomplish? The Civil War is over. You fought and lost."
"Luke and the others would be inclined to disagree," Danny replied.
Tony sighed. "You...Luke and the others...could just accept that, and join us. You can be Avengers again. Only difference is that I'm not going to bullshit you, or sell you. But I got to know. What are you trying to accomplish here? Just what kind of life is this? Are you and the others rebelling just because you don't know what else to do? I really want to know, Danny."
Danny stopped walking, as did Tony and Hogarth. The younger man slowly turned to his former ally. "There's a saying. 'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, then give him power.' From what I've seen of you running S.H.I.E.L.D., you're only doing this not to satisfy your ego, but out of guilt. You want to know why we're fighting you, Stark? Fine. We're helping people the way we want to, and that means not working for a government whose agenda is created by people whose motives we don't know. That's not what the people need. We're not the enemy here."
"The people need order," Tony insisted. "They need to know that we can do our job without causing any collateral damage."
"Remind me just how much collateral damage you've caused in the past, Stark? You've sent insurance premiums through the roof alone with your past antics."
Stark frowned. "But I'm not the one who wiped out a neighborhood and school."
"What happened at Stamford...the blame falls on Nitro and on Declan. Not us. Whoever killed those two did us both a favor. Logan and Namor were both disappointed when they didn't get their pound of flesh from him. You're quick to persecute those who just want to help people, yet you give a free pass to the persons responsible for this mess in the first place."
"What do you think the end of the story is, Danny? 'Cause if you know an ending better than the one I can think of...please tell me. Let me in on it."
"Tell that to Goliath and Cap," Danny replied before exiting the building and getting into the car.
Tony watched him leave, shoulders slumped. It was a long walk back to Stark Tower, as he had plenty to think about.
Later, at the Secret Avengers' hideout...
Once Danny had arrived as Iron Fist via portal thanks to Doctor Strange, he had called for an emergency meeting of the Secret Avengers. The notes detailing the military registry were placed on the table, as the Warrior of K'un-Lun explained the events from earlier in the day, from his meeting with Johnny Cage to the confrontation with Stark and the Mighty Avengers.
The Secret Avengers – Luke Cage, Clint Barton sans his Ronin uniform, Stephen Strange, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman – were each seated in various pieces of furniture, save for Logan, who was leaning up against the wall, while Wong continued to perform his duties as Strange's servant.
Luke looked pensive. On one side, here was a golden ticket that allowed him and his team to continue with their duties without being harassed by Stark or S.H.I.E.L.D., not to mention that it was also a way in which both Danielle and Jessica would remain safe. On the other, it meant signing on with not only the government, but the armed forces instead.
"Is it legit?" Barton asked. "Can you trust Johnny Cage?"
Danny nodded. "Both Luke and myself can vouch for him," he said, with Luke nodded in the positive. "Johnny's as honest as they come."
"Plus, both Cassie and Raven are mutants," Logan added, in regards to Johnny's daughters. "They came up trainin' under Xavier and myself. Johnny's putting himself at risk in telling us about the registry. I know the base. Fort Burton has a small mutant population there."
"And Stark can't just march onto the base and arrest us, even if we are under the registry?" Jessica asked.
"He learned the hard way that by arresting someone under the registry draws unwanted attention to himself, the Mighty Avengers, and to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Spider-Man replied. He tapped the documents. "I found out about this after I was given a tour of the Prison 42. Stark purposely hid it from me because he knew I was going to flip." He turned to Luke. "Military protection...and Stark can't touch us with a 10-foot pole...I'd take it."
"I know you don't like this, Luke," Strange interjected, "but sometimes, being in charge means you have to make the tough decisions."
Luke sighed. "I know. I also know that I want what's best for all of us...for the baby." His next words were one that no one was expecting. "Majority vote."
Everyone looked at him with surprise.
"Cap once told me that to be a leader, then you have to lose," Luke continued. "And believe you me, I've lost plenty. We all have. Cap...Goliath...many good friends cause Stark sold out. We vote on it. All in favor?"
Everyone raised their hands, Wong included.
"Guess opposing is out the question," Luke grumbled. "At least now we can work out of a secure location. So how does this work, Danny?"
"We go to Fort Burton, and have a talk with the base commander. We don't have to enlist or anything, as they can make an exception for us. Turns out the man in charge doesn't like Stark anymore than we do."
Luke nodded. "We'll let Stark and his sellouts work tonight. We leave for Fort Burton in the morning."
Near Union Vale...
The Superhuman Restraint Unit was created by S.H.I.E.L.D. with the sole purpose of tracking down and arresting any superhero that was not registered under the Superhuman Registration Act, which would then follow with the perp being sent to Prison 42, located in the Negative Zone.
With the exception of some heroes who managed to escape, the Capekillers had a success rate of 97 percent.
Which lead to the reason why Iron Man and the Mighty Avengers had led a squad of Capekillers into Union Vale. In the hours before the Act was made into law, Jessica Jones and her daughter, Danielle, had fled New York for the safety of Toronto. Luke Cage, her husband, opted to remain behind.
Now, Maria Hill had found out that Jessica Jones was trying to make her way back to her husband, and the Mighty Avengers, and was hiding out in Union Vale until her husband can get to her.
It was a 50-50 chance that should Iron Man and the Mighty Avengers were successful in taking Jessica and Danielle into custody, then Luke and the Secret Avengers would surrender without a fight. Worst case scenario? Luke would trash Stark Tower.
Either way, this tip was something that the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. could not ignore.
Hooking up her MP3 player to a speaker, Cassie scrolled down her list of playlists, until she found the one she was looking for. One perk of playing her music full blast was that her parents were not here.
With the right music blaring throughout the second floor, Cassie walked into the bathroom.
Outside...
The house, to Iron Man, looked to be nothing special. A three bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom, complete with an outdoor deck. Despite its appearance, it looked rather cozy. A private hideaway for a romantic rendezvous.
But to him and the Mighty Avengers, it was a safehouse containing Jessica Jones.
The security alarm was disabled, the electronic doors now unlocked.
Turning to the lead Capekiller, he gave his orders. "I want Jones subdued and the daughter unharmed. Danvers and Ares will back you up, if needs be."
The lead Capekiller nodded. Giving his men a silent hand signal, they moved in through the front door and the patio's sliding doors, cutting off any chance of escape, followed by Carol and Ares. Simon was in the skies, just in case Jessica attempted to flee there. The living room and dining room was dark, the only source of light and the music coming from a bedroom upstairs.
All I want is to make a killing
To drill a killer might be really thrilling
Carol frowned. Since when did Jessica listen to punk rock? She recognized the song as well, as it was one of her favorites. Turning to the lead Capekiller, she gave him a nod, the order to move in.
Why are my victims so unwilling?
You can't be sure that you won't see me...
Careful with that axe, you meanie!
The Capekiller nodded and leading his men single file up the stairs, weapons at the ready.
"Catch, catch, the horror taxi," a female voice said, singing along. "I'm in love with a video nasty."
Now the retrieval team took position on both sides of the slightly open door, ten in total. Pressing the barrel of his gun up against the door, the lead agent pushed it open.
"Catch catch, the horror train. Freeze-frame gonna drive you insane..."
Instead of a woman with a baby, the Capekillers were greeted with the sight of a dancing woman with short blonde hair, fresh from her shower, wearing nothing but a pair of cotton shorts under her underwear. Her back was towards the Capekillers, giving them a nice view of the phoenix tattoo on her back, of which she covered with a dark tanktop.
He and his teammates were still gawking at her as the song ended.
"Umm..."
The woman spun around, and saw the Capekillers, gawking at her. She screamed, as she just had her privacy invaded, which was followed by...
"PERVERT!"
The lead Capekiller found out two things about the unknown woman. One, she was fast, as she closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. Second, as the broken jaw could attest, she was very strong. Fortunately, he was rendered unconscious as the blow knocked him out of the room.
Then, upon charging out of the room, she saw the other Capekillers. Her reaction was instant.
One thing for certain, Cassandra Cage wondered who her mother was going to kill when this is all over; Stark for leading his band of misfits here, or herself for allowing her home to be trashed.
But as she charged towards the Capekillers, one thing was for certain, Stark was going to pay for this.
Cassie cursed to herself. Her Glocks were on the living room table.
"Open fire! OPEN FIRE!" one of the Capekillers screamed.
Cassie's foot slammed into the downed Capekiller, who was still cradling his jaw, as it had been broken. The man now found himself being punted into the air, crashing into his comrades, knocking them back. The Capekiller that charged at her ended up with his helmet yanked from his head, followed by her slamming his head into the wall.
Still holding the Capekiller's helmet in her hand, Cassie swung it, catching the next Capekiller that charged with an electrified stun baton in the face, making him spin 180 degrees. The hard drop kick to his back knocked him down yet again.
Mentally Cassie smirked to herself. The Superhuman Restraint Unit was created to bring down renegade superheroes. Obviously, neither Hill nor Stark did not take into consideration a highly-trained martial artist tearing through their elite unit as the Capekillers attacked, while some retreated, the narrow hallway giving them a serious disadvantage.
Then, as her senses screamed for her to take a step back – which she barely did – the door leading to her old bedroom exploded, and Ms. Marvel joined in the fray.
Cassie didn't hesitate. Danvers sure as hell did, as she recognized the daughter of Johnny Cage, and that distraction cost her. Cassie swung the helmet in her hands. Once, twice, three times, stunning the superheroine. This allowed Cassie to Shadow Kick Ms. Marvel back into her old bedroom...and through the window.
"PERVERT!"
'That does not sound like Jess,' Iron Man thought as the sounds of violence began to filter into his headset. "Report!" he barked into the headset.
"Contact! We made contact!" one of the Capekillers replied. "Spencer is down! Jesus, she's fast! And strong! She just took out Ms. Marvel!"
As if on cue, a window exploded, the unconscious form of Ms. Marvel having been tossed through it, her nose obviously broken. She landed hard on the driveway.
"Stark!" Simon's voice came through the headset. "Need some help?!"
"No! Keep your position just in case Jessica tries to flee!" Iron Man replied as he charged through the front door...
...and had narrowly dodged another Capekiller sent in his direction. He had expected Jessica to surrender without a fight, as to not put Danielle in danger.
Apparently, he was wrong, as the broken bodies of the Capekillers were strewn all over the dining room and living room. And the woman in question was fighting Ares.
Cassie had experiences in fighting insane gods. While Ares himself was a god, he was no Shinnok. The God of War had watched as Cassie decimated the Capekillers. Then he himself jumped into the fray, sword in hand. However, the last Capekiller that Cassie had slammed into the living room's coffee table had knocked her Glocks into the air.
Cassie caught them and after dodging a sword swipe at her torso, flipped her guns so that she was gripping the barrels, which were pulled back to show that they were not loaded, and began to pistol-whip Ares repeatedly, the final blow knocking off his helmet. Then, as Ares was stunned, Cassie ducked, legs extended into a split, dropped one of her guns, and let loose with a vicious uppercut right into Ares' crotch with bone-breaking force. Had Ares not been a God, then Cassie would had destroyed his testes.
Grabbing her other gun, Cassie once again reversed the grip, and slammed both handles into Ares' skull. She then followed through with a Flip Kick, knocking Ares on his ass, and destroying the couch.
She did not hear the soft whine of Iron Man's repulsors until it was too late.
The Iron Avenger did not hesitate. He blasted the woman, who screamed as the blast struck her and sent her flying into the wall, where she landed face-down, the helmet falling to the floor.
With the woman down for the count, Iron Man turned to Ares. "You okay?"
Ares nodded. "I've been hit even harder from my half-brother. I shall live to fight another day." He looked at the downed woman. "That is not Jessica Jones."
A feeling of dread began to seep into Tony's gut. He had seen that hairstyle before. A quick scan showed that the woman was still alive as he walked over to her.
It was only when Iron Man turned the unconscious, groaning woman over, did he realize his error. It wasn't Jessica Jones Cage that had blew through most of the Capekillers and KO'ed several of the Mighty Avengers.
He was staring into the face of Cassandra Cage.
"That is Cassandra Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage," Ares said as he limped over to stand at Iron Man's side. He picked up a photo, was was that of the Cage family. "It appears that this is her childhood home."
Two words came into Tony's mind, of which he uttered. "Oh, shit."
"Stark!" Maria's voice came through on the com. "What happened? Is Jones in custody."
"No. It's even worse than we thought," Iron Man replied. "The info was bad."
"How bad?"
Tony transferred an image of the downed Cassie to Maria. "That bad."
"...oh shit," Maria cursed, voicing the same sentiments now shared with Stark himself.
The Helicarrier, later on...
Natasha Romanoff had a look of amusement as she watched the video of the botched raid, along with the rest of the Mighty Avengers. "I don't know if she's that good or if the Capekillers are that bad," the Black Widow mused.
Maria Hill frowned. "She broke Ms. Marvel's nose, gave Ares a concussion, and put nine Capekillers in the medical bay," she sniped.
The Deputy Director of SHIELD was in a foul mood upon discovering that the whole operation went FUBAR. Even more so than discovering that Jessica Jones had long since returned to town. Meaning that whoever had given them the false info either had a grudge against the Cage family or against S.H.I.E.L.D.
Alongside the video, Cassie's military registry dossier was put up on the screen. Natasha looked at the file. "Hmm...natual gymnast. Proficient in Boxing, Taekwondo, Karate and Jujitsu." She chuckled. "I'm starting to like this girl."
"This mission has been one giant clusterfuck," Dum Dum Dugan said, arms folded. "My guess is that someone had sent us upstate as a distraction. And we fell for it, hook, line and sinker."
Maria turned to the blonde woman who had just entered the room. "Agent Hook, what is the status of our guest?"
The telepath/S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, one Olivia Hook, replied, "She is awake and alert. And she is not in the least amused that she has been brought here as a prisoner. I tried to read her mind, but she has powerful mental blocks in place. I did, however, manage to get some bits and pieces. She had been kidnapped by HYDRA in the past, but was able to escape their clutches, but not before destroying their base. The second is more...perplexing."
"Perplexing how?" Tony demanded.
"A Skrull attempted to replace her, but was quickly subdued by both herself and her mother. Lieutenant Cage executed the Skrull herself via headshot."
"Well that explains why she was hostile when we raided the place," Dugan said. "She was kidnapped in the past and a Skrull almost did the same."
"Still doesn't excuse what she had did," Maria said. "Cassandra Cage has to answer for what she has done."
She walked out of the room, with Iron Man behind her.
Cassie Cage was no stranger to being abducted. In fact, she was kind of an old hat to the thing. First, it was the Black Dragon on Kano's orders back in Eathrealm, in which both she and Jacqui were kidnapped. Interestingly enough, S.H.I.E.L.D. was behind the second attempt, but that was just to test her skills. Captain America had offered her a place as an Avenger, but she declined.
Then, it was HYDRA. Maybe it was the dark side of the Phoenix Force within her, but Cassie took sadistic delight in destroying their hidden base and using her powers to drive the scientists and soldiers to madness, leading them to kill each other off. She had narrowly escaped, but suspected that Jessica Drew – Spiderwoman – knew what she had done. The Skrull impersonating her was more of a challenge, as it had the powers of the Human Torch, Nightcrawler and Cyclops.
After beating it within an inch of its life, Cassie had brought it to her mother. Sonya's reaction was immediate; first, she ordered its execution, of which Cassie had snapped its neck. Then, she ordered the entire base to be scanned for anymore Skrulls. Fortunately, there were none.
Before snapping its neck, Cassie had read its mind, and had accquired a plethora of information. The Skrulls were launching a secret invasion of Earth, with the Skrull Queen disguised as Jessica Drew, aka Spiderwoman, by capturing Earth's Mightiest Heroes and replacing them with duplicates. They had been successful in capturing some of the heroes, but not all of them. Half of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s forces had been replaced by Skrulls.
For Cassie, it felt like Shinnok all over again, if not worse.
Carol Danvers stood in the far corner of the interrogation room, arms folded. Mentally, Cassie smirked, as she remembered her mother telling her about her and Carol coming to blows over Julia Carpenter. Stark must have suspected that the Julia that had signed on with S.H.I.E.L.D. had been a Skrull plant, but kept silent on the matter.
Now, the whole Civil War and the implementation of the Superhuman Registration Act seem so...insignificant. If the Skrulls don't conquer Earth, then the bad guys will most certainly destroy it.
Ms. Marvel had suffered a broken nose and several other bruises at her hands. Compared to some of the other superheroes and the Capekillers that raided her childhood home, she was one of the lucky ones. Her blue eyes stared into Cassie's own, Cassie reading her mind, which was going a mile a minute. 'Go ahead, Cage. One reason is all I need. Just one.'
Cassie reponded by staring into Carol's eyes. The 'Cage death glare,' as her father had called it. Combining her mother's patened 'Blade death stare' and her father's legendary 'Cage glare,' and Cassie had a look that made the thousand-yard stare look normal.
After five seconds, Carol blinked.
Then, there was Agent Hook. Cassie knew that she was good, but she was better. It was like Stark to have Hook come in and invade her mind. So Cassie invaded hers. Fortunately, Ms. Marvel was outside when Cassie had countered Hook's psi-attack with her own. If she was lucky, then Hook wouldn't remember this for a couple of years.
Cassie knew that SHIELD had been infiltrated by the Skrulls. The Skrull that attempted to impersonate her had given up plenty of information. Information that coincided with what Mey had relayed from Liu and Kitana. Especially how to tell the difference between a human and a Skrull.
CLICK.
The door unlocked and opened. Deputy Commander Maria Hill entered the room, a folder in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. She was followed by Iron Man himself.
"Congratulations, Lieutenant Cage," Maria said as she sat down opposite Cassie. "You're looking at an assortment of charges, assault being the top of the list. How proud your parents must be to have a loose cannon for a daughter."
Cassie smiled meanly. "The only loose cannon in this room is your boss," she replied, gesturing to Iron Man. "You aren't worth the dust off my mom's combat boots or my dad's Italian-made shoes. Your men broke into my mom's home. I acted in self-defense." She scoffed as she placed her shackled hands in her lap. "If that's the best your Superhuman Restraint Unit could do, then they need more training. Imagine the kind a damage a normal person could do."
Cassie smirked as Maria's eye twitched. "You have your father's tongue, no doubt."
"I get that a lot." She looked at Ms. Marvel and Iron Man. "So what's this? 'Good cop, bad cop, worse cop?' So Stark is the good cop, Danvers is the bad cop and that makes you the worse cop? How are you going to explain this away?"
"We don't," Maria replied. "You put my men in the hospital, some with serious injuries. Among the injuries, you broke Ms. Marvel's nose and you cracked Ares' skull before blowing his eyes out. That is assault. With the damage you caused, you should be registered as a lethal weapon under the Act."
Cassie snorted. "But I'm not. It comes from a lifetime of martial arts training." She looked at Tony. "You fucked up big time, Stark."
"I'm not the one in handcuffs, now am I?" Iron Man replied. "You could have surrendered peacefully. But you didn't."
"And your men should had identified themselves, yet they didn't. How was I to know that you guys were not HYDRA agents? Or Skrulls, for that matter?" Off the surprised look of Ms. Marvel, Cassie smirked. "Oh? You mean, you didn't tell her, Stark? That while the heroes were beating each other senseless over this stupid Act, that the Skrulls are infiltrating the planet? Makes you wonder who you can trust. I mean, if you guys were fooled into thinking that Julia Carpenter was one of you while the real one was working for my mother..."
"Enough," Iron Man barked. "We have the Skrull situation under control." His faceplate snapped upwards, revealing his face. "As for you, Lieutenant, you've made your bed, and you're gonna lie in it."
Cassie smiled meanly. "I don't think so, Stark," she replied, just as the handcuffs landed on the floor with a metallic sound. Cassie raised her hands – now free of the cuffs – and neatly folded her fingers, not looking the lest bit frightened when Iron Man raised his hands, ready to blast Cassie with his repulsor beams, while Ms. Marvel was itching to blast Cassie with her energy beams.
"Somewhere along the lines," Cassie deduced, "S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Mighty Avengers fucked up." Now the realization began to sink in as she connected the dots. "Jessica Jones fled to Canada before the Act became law. You assholes raided my mom's hideaway because someone dropped the dime, saying that she was up there, on her way back to Luke." She looked at Iron Man. "Am I right so far?"
Slowly, Stark lowered his hands.
"I'll take that as a yes," Cassie said. "I thought you were smart, Stark. But you made three mistakes." She held up a single finger. One: you forgot that there's six people you know that have the surname Cage: Luke and his family, my father, my sister and myself." Another finger. "Two: you dropped the ball when you didn't look into whoever said that Jessica and Danielle were up there. You were looking for an opportunity to finally bring the Secret Avengers down." A third finger. "And finally – this is the most important part – Union Vale is home to several senior members of Cage Incorporated. Which means that by now, my parents will have already found out about this." Her smile then turned sinister. "Have fun trying to deal with the both of them."
As if on cue, Agent Hook entered the room, holding a phone in her hand. "Director Stark...it's Colonel Blade. She sounds very upset."
Tony visibly paled. He had seen how both her and her husband had dismantled Osborn, and held her own against Carol.
Cassie's grin widened. "I'd answer, if I were you."
Giving Cassie a glare, Stark took the phone. "Colonel Blade. Director..."
"...STARK, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Sonya's voice screamed in righteous fury, making even Carol and Maria flinch from the volume. "JUST WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, ARRESTING MY DAUGHTER LIKE SHE'S SOME SORT OF CRIMINAL?!"
Stark, for his part, attempted to placate the irate Cage matriarch. "Now, Colonel Blade, the information that was given to me was..."
"I DON'T GIVE A HIGH HOLY FUCK WHAT SOMEONE HAD TOLD YOU! YOU KNEW DAMN WELL THAT HOME BELONGED TO ME, AND YOUR ASSHOLE FRIENDS WRECKED IT!" Sonya bellowed. "I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF YOU ARE THE DIRECTOR OF S.H.I.E.L.D.! IF MY DAUGHTER ISN'T RELEASED WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR, YOU BETTER HOPE YOU HAVE ALL OF S.H.I.E.L.D. AND THE GODDAMNED MIGHTY AVENGERS PROTECTING YOU, BECAUSE I WILL NAIL YOUR FUCKING ASS TO THE WALL IN THAT FUCKING ARMOR OF YOURS! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
Tony cut off the phone, silencing Sonya's threats. Cassie looked amused. "Mom always had a temper," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Dad's more subtle. He'd let his lawyers do the heavy lifting. I think Hogarth said it best: what will last longer: the trial, or your tenure as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Tony growled. He turned on his heels and stormed out of the interrogation room, followed by Maria and Ms. Marvel.
Cassie chuckled softly to herself as she placed her hands behind her head. All she had to do now was wait.
Later, in Director Stark's office...
Tony Stark needed a drink. He needed several drinks. If it wasn't Sonya Blade's threat of bringing down the full force of the Tactical Response Unit, it was Cage Incorporated's legal team threatening to sue him out of house and home. Both Maria Hill and Dum Dum Dugan were present in his office when Tony was on the phone's speaker, the senior attorney of Cage Incorporated on the opposite end.
"Director Stark, this is Robert Evans, and I represent the legal team for Cage Incorporated."
"Please, not now..." Tony groaned. "I already got an earful about Cassie from her mother..."
"This call is to inform you that The Chairman is planning on filing suit on both yourself, the Mighty Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. itself for the wrongful arrest of one Cassandra Cage," Evans continued, not giving a crap about Tony's feelings, "not to mention the destruction of the home owned by Colonel Sonya Blade."
"Look, it was a misunderstanding. And besides, Cassie isn't as innocent in this mess..."
"Lieutenant Cage acted in self-defense. I'm sure that the videos from the Capekillers will support that theory. And you can be certain that we will subpoena not only those files, but also those that are contained within your suit, as well as the suit itself."
"Look...If I release Lieutenant Cage and drop the charges of assault, will that suffice?" Tony asked, ignoring the look of outrage from Maria's face.
"Chairman Cage promises not to pursue any legal action if the above conditions are met."
"Fine. I won't pursue any charges, and Lieutenant Cage will be released within the hour."
"One hour, Director Stark. We will have a chopper en route to retrieve Lieutenant Cage. If she is not released within that time frame, then we will follow through with our threat. Good day."
Stark groaned as he rubbed his temples, the call now over. "Director, I have to protest this course of action," Maria said. "You've seen the type of damage that Cage had done to the Capekillers, not to mention the Mighty Avengers. We should at least make her a part of the Initiative as a condition of her release!"
Stark shook his head. "She's under the military registry," he replied. "Meaning that she's untouchable. We're already on thin ice by sending Murdock to the Negative Zone when he was under the military registry."
"And add the fact that Lieutenant Cage's parents wield considerable influence in both the military and in the business world," Dugan said, "and they both can bring down a lot of heat on our heads. S.H.I.E.L.D. is already on shaky ground with your little stunt regarding Banner, and his cousin would much rather break your spine than to be in the same room with you."
Tony shuddered. Even now, he did not know who had tipped Banner off. He had suspected that he had shot a Skrull into space, while Banner went underground. As a result, Jen had violently resigned from the Avengers (by means of breaking Tony's jaw), and relocated to Toronto.
Tony Stark hated to lose. An an Avenger, as a businessman and as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. While Cassie had overreacted (and given the past kidnapping attempts, was justified), he was a fault in not checking on the information that was given to him.
The last thing he needed was Cassie's parents gunning for his head. Or worse, back the Secret Avengers in retaliation. Tony knew when to cut his losses, and now, he lost. In fact, he had lost before this whole debacle had begun.
There was only one thing left to do.
About 45 minutes later...
The King Raven-class helicopters was one of Cage Incorporated's brainchilds. Sonya had designed it back when she was General of S-F's Earthrealm Strategic Defense, but due to the fiasco with Shinnok's Amulet and Raiden going insane, Sonya was unable to get her personal helicopter off the ground.
Until now.
KR-002 was Sonya's personal helicopter, and to any military man who saw it, they were in awe of not only its beauty, but also its firepower; frontal machine guns loaded with standard armor-piercing rounds, minigun attachments on both sides (although Cassie preferred the .50 caliber grenade launchers), and of course, a variety of missiles.
The chopper had been undergoing repairs and upgrades down at Fort Burton before it was to be sent back to Sonya out West. What made the King Raven so unique was that it used a prototype fuel cell, also an S-F brainchild.
Despite her differences with Sonya, Carol Danvers was impressed as the chopper landed on the Helicarrier's flight deck, the insigia of the Tactical Response Unit emblazoned on the side. She'd suspect that even Rhodey would get a hard-on upon seeing this chopper. Thankfully, Sonya wasn't on board, but three heavily-armed S-F troopers hopped out of the chopper and stood guard, patiently waiting for Cassie to emerge.
&^%
Within the corridors of the Helicarrier, Iron Man escorted Cassie Cage, accompanied by Dum Dum Dugan - who was nice enough to give her a spare pair of womens' pants – and Maria Hill.
For Iron Man, what Cassie had said about the Skrulls concerned him. He had past encounters with the Skrulls, but to try and kidnap and replace her was a pretty brazen move on their part.
"You should know that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised," Cassie remarked as they boarded the lift that would take them to the flight deck. While she was unable to look at Tony's face due to his faceplate being down, she enjoyed the look of shock on "The Skrulls have infiltrated the organization."
"And when were you going to tell us this?" Iron Man demanded.
"Would you had listened to me? Or my parents, for that matter, despite the bad blood between us?" Cassie replied.
Honestly, Tony wouldn't have. Cassie noted that his silence spoke more than any word.
"The best way to identify a Skrull is by three simple words: 'He loves you,'" Cassie explained. "The Skrull has no other choice but to respond. Well, that, and their true forms shall be revealed. After that, do with them what you will."
The lift reached the flight deck and its doors opened. Cassie stepped out onto the flight deck, followed by Maria and Iron Man. Ignoring Ms. Marvel, she walked over to the King Raven, where the three men snapped to attention, and saluted. Cassie responded with a salute of her own and without a word, boarded the chopper. Once the three soldiers boarded and the doors were slammed shut, the King Raven took to the air and away from the Helicarrier.
Iron Man, Maria, and Carol watched as the chopper vanished. Without a word, Iron Man turned and walked back to the lift. If what Cassie said was true, then S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to get its house in order.
By the time the Skrull plants were found out and sent to the Negative Zone, Jessica Drew would arrive with the body of Skrull-Elektra, following a Secret Avengers raid to rescue Maya Lopez.
And things were about to get worse for all parties involved.