The following hours passed without incident. ARGUS had gotten all of their answers, and were getting ready to deploy their forces to Maru's compound. Word had not gotten out about what transpired between Steve and the General. Steve didn't know if they just didn't want to public to think that they had some sort of connection to Poison, or if someone was planning to use it against him in the future. Aside from Tracy and those who'd listened in during the interrogation, nobody outside the Maru clan knew. Etta and Diana knew that Marina had helped him escape, but he hadn't told them the reason she had, nor did they know the true reason that the General wanted him in the first place.

Steve was released from the hospital the next morning. He was given the day off and decided to hang out in his apartment with Diana. The two sat down together for breakfast, but Steve's appetite had wavered, despite his change in circumstances with Diana. They were officially engaged. Everything was supposed to be better, but he couldn't shake the melancholy that loomed over him. He barely picked at his food while Diana had practically wolfed hers down. She looked at him with a look of concern and stopped eating.

"Steve, are you alright?"

He didn't answer immediately. What was he supposed to say? The newfound information about his family, about him; it was still racing through his mind. As he looked up at Diana, he realized that she was probably the only one who could truly understand what he was going through, and possibly help him process everything.

"Angel, remember how upset you were when you found out that you'd been living a lie?"

"How can I forget? If it hadn't been for you and Etta and everyone else, I don't know if I could've gotten through it."

Steve pushed some scrambled eggs back and forth with his fork, trying to collect his thoughts.

"Well, recently I discovered that I've been living a lie, too. The man who I called dad wasn't really my dad. General Maru is."

Diana's brows arched.

"General Maru is… your father?"

"Yes, Angel. My own father abducted me and tried indoctrinating me into his crooked group."

Diana frowned and lowered her fork.

"Oh Steve. I'm… I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"It's not just what he did that gets me, Angel. I… I know this sounds silly, but in the back of my mind I'm wondering if maybe one day I'll… end up like him."

At this, Diana dropped her fork and gasped.

"Steve, you could never become like that! You-"

"I'm not a saint, Diana, you know that. He and I… our desires and interests are very similar. I mean, he didn't even raise me and I joined special forces like he did. What else about him is going to pop up within me? My mom might have squashed my interests in chemistry, but what if she hadn't? Would I be out there making weapons just like him and the other people in his family—in my family?"

Diana placed her hand on top of his, and just like that, he felt himself start to calm down.

"Steve, he got to where he was because of the choices he made. I know that you would never choose to do the things he did. Yes, you may have some things in common with him, but he can't be all bad. And from what you've told me, Marina has good traits, too, despite the things she has done—and in the end, she chose to do the right thing, just like you always end up doing."

Steve let out a sigh and looked her in the eyes.

"You're right, Angel. I really wish things could've been different with him, but… hopefully it's not too late for Marina. I hope that wherever she is, that can make a good life for herself."

"Well, now that you have shown her a better way, perhaps she can."

A knock at the door interrupted them. Steve got onto his feet and rushed to open it. There, in the doorway, stood Etta, whose hand was still raised, ready for another knock. She blinked and lowered her arm.

"Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, it's fine. What's up?"

"Well, I know you two probably have plans for today, but something big happened last night and ARGUS is probably going to have us all on standby."

Steve heard Diana suddenly appear behind him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Well, someone broke Maru out of jail, which means there could be another attack."

Steve shook his head in disbelief.

"General Maru's already back out on the streets? This is not good."

Etta shook her head.

"No, not that Maru, Steve. The other Maru."

The blood in Steve's veins went ice cold, and his heart became nearly as still as the night.

"No, not her. Anyone but her."

…

In the outskirts of Tokyo, a small motel stood nearly vacant, as evidenced by the lack of people moving in and out, along with the high number of empty parking spaces. Of the few occupied rooms, one had its curtains tightly sealed—not even a sliver of light penetrating through it. Inside the small room sat two occupants. One of them, a muscular, brunette man, sat in an armchair beside a TV stand, lighting up a cigar. Across from him, just on the edge of the bed, sat a frail and pale skinned woman, whose untamed dark hair hung halfway down her back. She had some cuts and bruising on her arms, and dark circles under her eyes. Those blueish-gray eyes, however, burned with life not evident with the rest of her body. The man, Maxwell Lord, took a drag on his cigar and blew a puff of smoke.

"I apologize for the lack of space. I don't normally go for motels, but I'm still trying to keep a low profile." He shook off some of the ash onto a nearby tray. "I hear that you are quite the chemist, Ms. Maru. Your history aside, even without proper lab equipment you still manage to whip up concoctions within your penitentiary."

The woman grinned, and a raspy voice escaped from her throat.

"Yes, a quick slip into the storage supply closet and I gained the tools to take out four guards. I would have escaped if I hadn't been so distracted by the… beauty of it." Her expression then become more serious. "Of course, I know I probably wasn't your first choice. I know my brother has special forces that deal with this nature of weaponry."

"Yes, well, your brother was caught and arrested, and word is that his organization is finished. I suspect though that his compound still has the tools he needed for his weapons, but instructions can only go so far. To properly execute his design, we need someone with talent."

"Ah, and his little girl, the so-called Colonel Poison, is not up for this task?"

"Her whereabouts are unknown. Besides, why hire a Colonel to do a Doctor's work?"

"Heh, I see that after all these years my pseudonym still follows me." She gripped the edges of the bed, clawing into them with her jagged nails. "I am not interested in your money. There is no amount that you can give me that will satisfy me. I have a… different price."

Maxwell took another drag off his cigar and leaned in.

"Name it."

"I want a fully equipped lab, free to use whenever I please and for whatever I please, along with any supplies I deem fit."

"Consider it done," he said, grinning. "Now then, I picked something up while I was breaking you out. Consider it a gift."

The woman furrowed her brows, and Maxwell picked up a suitcase placed beside his chair. He picked it up and opened it, then held it out for her. Her blueish-gray eyes sparkled, and she slowly reached into it, clearly savoring the moment.

"I'm amazed they still had it sitting around, considering how long it's been. Of course, it'll probably be a bit big for you now. I know firsthand that prisoners don't get to eat as often as they'd like." She began pulling dark, heavy clothing from the case, and he cocked a grin. "Now, I've gotten word about where your brother's compound is located. All that needs to be done is for my men to gather notes to bring back-"

"I would like to visit this compound, if you don't mind. I'm sure my brother has some things that like your gift, were once mine."

Maxwell frowned as she began to put on some leather gloves.

"We only know about the location because ARGUS knows. That compound will be swarming with their best agents. My men-"

"Your men stand little chance against them on their own. Send me in with my tools, and ARGUS won't be a problem."

He leaned back in his seat, seemingly contemplating her suggestion. After a while, he gave a nod.

"Very well. You are, after all, the best your family has to offer. And ARGUS won't be suspecting your presence."

She chuckled and began putting on her old ski mask. Maxwell took another drag off his cigar and stood up.

"My men will be leaving early in the morning. Can you have something ready before then?"

"Oh yes, I've had the perfect formula sitting in my head for years. Just allow me to gather the proper ingredients, and I'll be more than prepared."

"That won't be a problem. You and I are going to do incredible things, Ms. Maru."

"Please," she said with a grin, her mask fully in place. "Call me Doctor Poison."

He gave another nod and headed for the door.

"Please, follow me."

Still emitting an unnatural, almost forced grin, she rose from the bed and began to lag behind him with her hands held behind her back.

'After all these years, the world is once again my playground,' she thought with glee, 'It's time for the experiments to begin.'

End

Thank you everyone for the subs and favs, and thank you to acosta perez jose ramiro for your reviews. I have some ideas for a follow up to this, but I can't say for sure when I'll post it since I'm still in the brainstorming stages. I hope you all enjoyed this story. Happy holidays!