"Andi, slow down," Himawari shouted, running to keep up with her roommate. Andi had shouted about Gwen being abducted and stormed out of the dorm before the woman had even had time to put on proper shoes.
"I don't have time, Himawari," Andi shouted back, dialing Coach's number again. She hadn't been able to reach him in a few days- probably some mission that'd gone on just a bit too long- but this was an emergency!
"You're not making any sense! How could she get abducted-"
"I don't KNOW," Andi roared, stomping her foot hard enough to crack the asphalt under her. Himawari flinched, but didn't move away.
"Look, if Gwen was abducted, all we have to do is call S.W.O.R.D., tell them what happened, and they'll be all over-"
"How long," Andi says pointedly, arms crossed over her chest.
"W-well, I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent so-"
"How. Long?!"
"No more than forty-eight hours-"
"THEY COULD KILL HER BY THEN! She might already BE dead, Himawari!" It took every ounce of her control to keep her Hell-Mark from burning. Now would be the worst time to out herself as a superhero.
"You don't have a plan, Andi! Please just stop and think-"
"I have a plan. I'm going to steal a spaceship and go get her. I don't need your help!" She was angry and exasperated, the Other-Gwen's warning still ringing in her ear. The last thing she wanted was for Himawari to get wrapped up in this. She was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent! This could ruin her career before it even started.
"No! No… okay. Andi, look… I can't let you steal a ship-"
"Himawari, I promise you you can't stop me," Andi threatened. She knew her friend was strong and well trained, but she was an agent against the host of a symbiote and a Hell-Mark.
"Just listen," Himawari shouted, grabbing Andi by the wrist and pulling her to a stop. Andi was a second away from wrenching her hand free before deciding to give the woman a chance. "Look, I know you love Gwen. I love Gwen. You've both been amazing friends and roommates and if anything happened to either of you…" she trailed off, looking down at the ground for a moment as she gathered herself. "We don't need to steal a ship. At least… you don't," she finishes, dragging Andi off in the opposite direction down the street.
"What are you talking about? Where are we going," Andi asked confusedly.
"Every S.H.I.E.L.D. base has a ship on site- just in case we ever need to get to Alpha Flight's HQ or a S.W.O.R.D. installation. I'll just… I'll borrow it." Himawari held onto Andi's wrist, seemingly afraid that if she let her friend go she'd run off without hearing her out.
"Let me guess. I'll have to bring you along." Andi could feel her blood run cold. If this was the only way she could make it to Gwen… If she trusted Himawari then she'd be signing her roommate's death warrant.
"Andi, you need me! I'm the only one who can get the ship, who knows how to fly it, and if Gwen's been abducted by angry aliens, I'm the only one who knows how to shoot a gun! We're doing this together! Now come on!" Himawari made some decent points and didn't leave much room for arguments. She took off, headed for the campus gate without even looking over her shoulder. Andi watched her for a few moments, letting her get far enough away before jogging and keeping a good distance between them.
"Can you help me fly a ship," Andi asked. She was worried she already knew the answer.
"Nooo." Mania might be Venom's clone, but they didn't share everything when they weren't bonded to one another, and they hadn't been for months now. Any info on piloting ships was in Venom's head. Not hers.
"F#¢k."
Torture wasn't fun. It hurt. A lot.
"What's it like? Feeling so helpless? Knowing that there's nothing you can do to stop the pain?" The assassin didn't wait for an answer, instead pressing the button yet again and sending Gwen into another fit of screaming and thrashing. She was restrained to the chair she was sitting in- wrists and ankles strapped down, and outfitted with dozens of electrodes stuck to various parts of her body that ranged from uncomfortable to worth a police report. At least, like this, he wouldn't have to touch her to cause her pain. Small miracles.
After thirty seconds, the pain stopped and a rush of adrenaline poured through her. A byproduct of the weird restorative gel that oozed from the electrodes and coated her skin just long enough to fix any damage the torture machine might cause. All to keep subjects from dying too quickly. Gwen had been quiet until now- there was no need to engage with the man when her agony would only be temporary. Either she'd find her own way out or Andi would come and rescue her. That much was obvious. But for once she turned to face the man, a small smirk on her face as she met his gaze.
"I'm gonna have so much fun killing you again when I get out of here," she said smugly, jaw aching as she allowed it open for the first time since the torture had started. She wasn't too positive the restorative gel would be able to heal a bitten off tongue or similar injuries.
"Get out? And go where? You're on a spaceship with dozens of angry, armed aliens who want to kill you. We're less than a day out from Teuthida- a planet full of angry, armed aliens who want to kill you. Once we dock, you're going to be put on trial for the murder of dozens of Teuthidans. The torture camps planetside are a lot more well stocked." He had the giddiest smile on his face, as if every ounce of pain Gwen felt was inversely exciting for him.
"The likelihood that Marvel will let a bunch of angry tentacle aliens get a cute blonde girl for long is really low, weirdo." She did her best to keep from chuckling at her joke- the last thing she wanted was to come across as too Deadpool.
"Your denial is incredible. I can't wait to watch all that confidence crumble once you realize the situation you're in." He smiled smugly before taking a bite out of- was that an apple?
"Weird, how did these guys get apples?"
"For such a great assassin, no one on M.O.D.O.K. even missed you. Not Terrible Eye, not Mega Tony, not Batroc… it was like you never even existed," she sighed, bracing herself for the next round of torture. She just had to wait out her opportunity.
"You'll wish you never existed after a week of the torture camps, girl."
"Yeah, yeah. Just hit the button again, your voice is so annoying and the buzzing drowns you out."
"Andi you have to wait here! There's no way you can sneak into the base! It's impossible," Himawari begged her. Andi couldn't possibly begin to explain how it wouldn't be the first time she'd snuck into this specific S.H.I.E.L.D. base.
"Himawari, I don't have time for this," Andi spat, moments away from refusing to wait in the empty lot three blocks away from the base. The sooner they were on the ship the sooner they could rescue Gwen. This was a waste of time!
"Andi! I'm begging you to trust me. I've already agreed to do this. I've already agreed to put my whole career on the line to save Gwen. The least you can do is trust that I want this plan to work! We only get one shot at this, and I don't want it to be ruined because we were dumb enough to think that we could sneak you into a S.H.I.E.L.D. base!" She sounded desperate. As if she wanted this almost as much as Andi did. She hated the thought of making Himawari do this alone but… she had a point. No way she'd be able to sneak onto the same base twice using Mania, let alone do it without her symbiote. She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.
"You've got twenty minutes or I'm going in after you," she growls.
"Don't start counting until I get in the building and you have a deal," Himawari said, taking Andi's hands in her own for a moment. "I won't let you down. We're gonna get her back."
"Please just go," Andi said, the hint of a tear in her eye. Himawari nodded and started jogging towards the base.
Like any S.H.I.E.L.D. base, it was heavily guarded, but most of the detail knew Himawari by name. They nodded as she passed, and only the guard posted by the gate- a tall woman named Abia- asked for her credentials.
Getting inside was easy. What was important was not letting agents Doyle or Kimball find her. She was on an undercover mission after all, and strolling into a S.H.I.E.L.D. base wasn't exactly great for her cover. She didn't like sneaking through her own job. It felt terrible, like she was betraying all of the people who raised her her whole life. But she knew there was no way S.H.I.E.L.D. would allow her to take the ship otherwise. Especially not to go and attack another ship of an alien race they had almost no diplomatic ties with. The case would end up getting forwarded to S.W.O.R.D. and they'd have to exhaust any and all political avenues before attempting a rescue mission. That could take weeks, or months! Time that Gwen didn't have. Time that she didn't want to wait for her friend.
"I'm going to be in so much trouble when I get back," she whined softly, making her way through the base on her way to the hangar.
"Yeah, we are. And I'm still not really sure why I shouldn't stop you." The familiar voice in her head hadn't been too excited about this entire plan.
"Look, Star, I know you don't really know them, but they're my friends. My first real friends outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. I can't just let Andi get herself arrested trying to save Gwen from aliens! I promise I'll take all of the blame for this. But you have to let me do it," Himawari begged. Making decisions like these was hard. Both women shared a body, and while they usually agreed on most things, this was something that seriously troubled Star.
"If they pull me off hero detail for this," Star groaned, the dregs of her anxiety seeping into Himawari's thoughts.
"They won't. You're already public. You know S.H.I.E.L.D. won't risk admitting a failure like this unless you screw up badly," Himawari reminded her, nodding quickly as she passed an agent who was carrying paperwork back to his office.
"Whatever. Just hurry up. And I'm not helping you steal the ship either," Star warned her. She'd have to do this all on her own. Luckily, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents weren't easily discouraged and she'd been training for more than a decade.
Her trek through the base was uneventful, but she realized just how difficult the final leg of this mission would be the moment she entered the hangar. Kimball and Doyle were right by the ship, discussing potential upgrades. She'd have to sneak into the main hub, upload access codes, open the hangar doors- which would immediately alert the entire base, uncouple its moorings and then take off all without alerting her mentors or getting caught.
"As far as second assignments go, this is pretty standard, don't you think?" The voice in her head huffs, and Himawari could tell Star would be rolling her eyes right now if she could. "Oh, come on. Usually it's you being stubborn and reckless while I have to rein you in. Let me enjoy this."
She couldn't sneak through the hangar- too many people around, and if anyone saw her here, out of uniform, they'd be suspicious. No, she had to walk as if she belonged here. That meant everything was up to her timing. As long as she could walk behind the crates that obstructed her mentors' view of her, she'd be fine.
"You're too confident. They can look this way at any moment," Star warned her as she calmly walked past a gap in the crates.
"You never paid attention during infiltration courses. They're not expecting this and have no reason to be on the lookout. Anyone who could make it this deep into the base without setting off alarms wouldn't be spotted now. We're fine," Himawari reminded her through grit teeth. Star growled in her mind as she made it to the main hub.
"Access codes are simple to duplicate," she mumbled, not even sitting at the console as she entered her credentials. "Would be simpler if you hadn't taken the ship out and crashed it last year," Himawari said with a hint of frustration in her voice.
"Oh, yeah, blame me for that. The controls aren't made for claws and you're lucky my reaction time is what it is or we'd both be dead."
"I'm not thanking you for not getting us killed. Motto chūi shite-"
"Oh, put a sock in it."
"We can detach the mooring cables from here, but there's no way I'd be able to grab the ship with Doyle and Kimball on alert like that," Himawari mumbled to herself.
"Too much of a risk. You need another plan!"
"Already on it." There weren't many contacts in her phone. Gwen, Andi, five classmates that formed her study group for her history of criminal law course, and three numbers for a mom, dad and sofu that would ring agents assigned to her cover. But among her recents were Domino's Pizza and Korean BBQ. Domino's picked up on the second ring, he was always dependable when she needed him.
"Um, hey, Doyle?"
"Himawari, why are you calling on this number? What's going on?"
"I… I'm in my room. Can you bring Kimball? I need to talk to you two." Both agents were running before she'd even finished her sentence. Her room was on the far side of the base and they'd both be expecting the worst.
"That's maybe five minutes to get out of here," Himawari said, breathing a sigh of relief as they left the hangar. She waited two minutes before hitting the release, uncoupling the ship and opening the hangar door. The security detail still in the room confusedly looked to the hub, only to see her happily wave back at them.
"Everyone in this base is way too trusting," Star sighed.
"Yeah, well, it's hard not to trust someone you watched climb through vent shafts as a kid. Can't believe they had to make them inaccessible now," she sighs back. Ever since those vigilantes had broken into the base everything fun about this place had been removed.
She quickly made her way to the ship- she only had about a minute before Doyle and Kimball would be back! Then they'd shut down the hangar and-
"Oh no…" She skidded to a stop on the metal floor, locking eyes with Agent Kimball. The woman slowly lowered her pistol, but not by much.
"Oh, so you're not a lookalike. That's good, that means I don't have to use the gun," Kimball said sternly. "Why are you trying to steal the star cruiser? Are you out of your mind?!"
"Kimball, I-"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? You could've blown your cover doing this! Danvers could've been here for all you know!"
"I didn't-"
"What does Star have to say about this? She expects us to allow her to continue doing hero detail if she co-signed this ridiculous-"
"Star has nothing to do with this! This is all me!" Himawari practically shouted, hands clenched into fists at her side.
"Why?" Simple question. Unfortunately, Himawari didn't have a simple answer, and Agent Kimball wasn't the kind of woman who liked long stories.
"Kimball… when I was a child and I asked you if I could ever see my parents again, you told me no, and I understood." Himawari took a tentative step forward. Agent Kimball responded by raising her pistol just an inch. Himawari knew that the agent would shoot more than she knew the sky was blue.
"When you told me my only options for the rest of my life would be to live as an agent, a prisoner or a test subject, I understood." Himawari desperately raised her hands up and took another step forward. Her eyes stayed locked on the woman who might as well have been a mother to her.
"When I begged you to let me attend high school, you said no, and I understood." Himawari took another step closer, a tear in her eye as she remembered that day. It felt so long ago now, but the pain was still fresh.
"But after all of that, you said yes when I asked if I could attend KSU. You understood how much I needed to be my own person, even just for a little while."
Kimball's face was inscrutable. Her gun stayed level and Himawari was sure she'd have a bullet in her leg in the next few seconds.
"I'm begging you… Please trust me. I'll explain everything when I get back. But if you stop me now, one of my friends will die. And the other will get herself arrested or worse trying to do what I'm doing now…" Himawari slowly took one last step towards agent Kimball. The other woman never moved, keeping her gun trained on her. But she didn't move to shoot either. "I don't want to lose my friends," she begged, wiping a tear from her eye.
Agent Kimball watched her for a few moments before taking a deep, angry breath and holstering her weapon. She glared at Himawari, arms crossed over her chest. "This better be good."
"Thank you," Himawari said gratefully, quickly wrapping her arms around the taller woman.
"Get moving or you'll miss your window. Try not to crash- no one's going to sign off on a second extraction mission to the middle of the Atlantic."
"That wasn't my fault!" Himawari quickly ran into the ship, the console already responding to her codes. Thankfully she was a better flyer than her alter-ego.
She took off, the ship moving silently through the Philadephian night. She spotted Andi halfway between the park and the base, the woman having grown impatient waiting. Andi's eyes were wide as she looked up at the ship hovering above her. Himawari would've chuckled if she weren't in such a rush, and she quickly lowered the ship to hover six feet above the street and ran to the entry hatch.
"Come on! We've gotta go," Himawari shouted, kneeling down and extending a hand out to her roommate.
Andi jumped up and took it, letting her friend pull her onto the starship. "You did it?" She was just as confused as she was curious.
"Of course I did. I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."