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chapter: After defeating Swarm, Iron Rose headed to her new acquisition, only to discover the Man Beast and his Ani Men already there. After a brief fight, Iron Rose was defeated as Man Beast began his insidious scheme
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"…judging from what Humbug said, and if those Host Club losers are any indication, this Man Beast guy is up to no good. Apparently he's some animal rights loon that's calling for likeminded nutjobs to rise up and cause trouble."
After finishing his speech, Captain Japan surveyed the table which held all of the Avengers, save the absent Iron Rose. The diverse group of heroes were listening intently, although who knew if the Hulk was following the conversation, or was just staring at the captain as though he was still trying to figure out if he should smash him for reminding him of some nearly forgotten enemy.
Giant Man, at his normal height despite the oversized chair that had been offered to him (and was very uncomfortable because of the size mismatch), cleared his throat to gain the others' attention. "I've noticed a rise in acts of violence lately, many of them against research facilities, farms, and other places that animals are kept."
Hawkeye nodded. "Seems like every night there's another story on the news about that rash of animal rights violence. I was planning on bringing it up, but it looks like you took the words out of my mouth, Cap." While another might have sounded irritated at being headed off in that way, Hawkeye's reaction was to smile warmly at the man in question, warm enough to make Captain Japan uneasy and Daredevil glad he wasn't the target of the archer's romantic interest.
"So what should we do to the varlets?" Thor asked, standing imperiously before the group and looking like she wanted to smash something.
Wasp answered, "We hunt down this Man Beast person, since it's obvious from his name he's some sort of super-villain, and beat him up. And we also beat up anyone who's following his orders." She sounded like she was even more eager than Thor.
Giant Man stared at Wasp. His voice was full of hope as he suggested, "Or talk him into giving himself up to the proper authorities."
"Like against the Serpent Society?" Wasp asked, a bit testy at the perceived attempt to ruin her fun.
That definitely caught the Hulk's interest. "Hulk doesn't like snakes. If there are snakes, Hulk will smash."
Wasp flew over and landed on the green goliath's shoulder. "See? The Hulk agrees with me." She kissed him on the cheek, making the Hulk blush and Giant Man come close to openly crying.
"Anyway," Captain Japan interrupted, retaking control of the conversation, "we're in agreement that, for a change, we'll try and stop this guy before he launches some kind of scheme to take control of the country or something. Right?"
It was at that moment the Avengers' faithful butler (nee ninja) Sasuke, burst into the room, shouting, "Master Avengers! Master Avengers! Turn on the television. There's something I think you should see."
Captain Japan touched a button. A small section in the center of the table retracted. From within the table arose a thick metal column with several view-screens, each pointed in a different direction that allowed everyone surrounding the table to watch the same thing without having to move from their seat.
It took the hero a second to set it to the channel Sasuke indicated. The view-screens flickered to life, showing the visage of anchorwoman Akemi Shutaro outside a business building located in the heart of Tokyo.
"…saying that the animal rights group known as the Animal Liberation Front has seized control of the headquarters of Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals, which had recently been purchased by Kunou Enterprises. Witnesses say an armed force of masked people, led by some sort of men and one woman dressed as various animals, stormed the building and seized control of it, taking everyone inside hostage. The Avenger, Iron Rose, attempted to stop the takeover, but was herself defeated in spectacular fashion. We have no word yet on whether Kodachi Kunou, the owner and president of Kunou Enterprises, is among the hostages, though the presence of her bodyguard raises the question. Kunou Enterprises has refused to comment on the situation. I--."
Akemi held a hand to her earpiece. After a few moments, she said, "I've just been informed that the leader of the ALF has released a video, apparently some prerecording, listing his demands. We will show it to you in its entirety right now."
The screen shifted, a logo of Channel 4 appearing in the lower corner. In front of an ostentatious podium was Man Beast, dressed in a formal business suit that was a stark contrast to the animal head poking out of the top.
He said in a pleasant, though firm voice, "Greetings, citizens of Japan. My name, not one of my choosing, I assure you, is Man Beast. Let me begin by offering my apologies for what is undoubtedly an interruption in your daily newscast. I am afraid that forces beyond my control have forced me to take extreme measures, for which I am deeply sorry. I have seized control of the Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals building as a protest against the deplorable and barbaric slaughter of poor, innocent animals whose only crime was to not be born human; a crime that I myself have suffered from. The steps we have taken today are a protest against this sort of cruel, inhumane treatment. However, let me assure you our intention is not to harm anyone, and so long as we are left alone, no one will be hurt. Aside from the obvious steps of freeing these animals held hostage in this building, where they were awaiting prolonged, torturous deaths, this is to serve as a statement against future acts involving this sort of uncivilized behavior. Our intention is to harm no one, however any attempt to retake the building before we are ready to give it up will result in a battle, one in which I cannot guarantee the safety of all involved. There are a number of concerns we wish the government to discuss, while we of the ALF continue to retain control of this building as a message of the seriousness of our desires to open a dialogue whereby everyone might arrive to a satisfactory conclusion."
As the telecast continued with Man Beast issuing his demands, Captain Japan looked at everyone seated at the table. "Well, so much for that idea."
Xxxxxxxxxx
It was a matter of minutes for the Avengers to board their quinjet, Captain Japan grumbling the whole time about bad guys who didn't know anything about timing. As they did so, a figure emerged from its hiding place and followed them. It flitted between the few shadows offered in the small flight hanger with a preternatural ability, one so impressive that it allowed no one to see it, or sense it, in Daredevil's case.
Slit pupils watched intently as the boarding ramp folded up. While it wanted to jump on then, it could not risk it. Preoccupied though the Avengers were, there was too much a chance of detection, and its presence could not be revealed just yet. While it could have remained in Avengers mansion –their security was pitiful, as was the bumbling would-be ninja that served as their butler— this might be a golden opportunity to complete its mission, especially if the Avengers began to lose in their upcoming conflict.
A smile revealed inhumanly sharp teeth at the idea of things being so easy.
Instead of trying to sneak in the back, it bounded up to the landing gear, then hid inside. It would be a tight fit, and likely to be very cold as the quinjet traveled at incredibly fast speeds, but it could endure a little wind and cold to achieve its goal.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the main research lab of Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals, Man Beast stood before a large bank of computer terminals, appearing as though he owned the world. Flanking him were his most important feline minion, Tabur, and his most important human one, Shinjiro Hikami. Rounding out the quartet was Overrider, sitting at the main computer terminal.
Man Beast watched her with rapt attention. Overrider's hand was literally inside the screen, words and numbers flashing by at a rate so quickly even Man Beast's highly evolved intellect couldn't follow. That and her hand was in the way. Overrider didn't seem concerned in the slightest as she continued to sit nearly motionless, data scrolling past in a blur.
"Well?" Man Beast asked her impatiently.
Overrider turned her head slightly. The solid fishbowl-shaped helmet, with only one-way red-covered eye slits, made it impossible to tell her emotions. Her voice reverberated slightly within her helmet. "Culture 1201 is here, and according to the test data, it works exactly as we were informed. But it's stored in their most secure bio-hazard vault. They have it covered by as many protective programs as they could find, to the point of paranoia. It'll take me a while to get through all of their protection systems before I can get the entry codes to their vault. They really didn't want to risk this thing getting out."
"We could try a brute force approach," Cat Man suggested.
"It's a 'safe room'," Overrider said. "If its integrity is compromised in any way, special standalone incinerators inside the room will superheat it to a thousand degrees, destroying everything inside. Getting the access codes is the only way to safely remove Culture 1201."
"Someone must know what the code is," Tabur insisted.
Overrider said, "When we set off the security systems when we stormed this place, the code was automatically randomized. No one can get inside until a new set of codes are created tomorrow and someone with authorization can read them. No one but me."
"How long?" Man Beast asked in a near snarl.
"A half hour. Two at the most, then Culture 1201 will be yours," Overrider said.
"And then justice will finally be meted out." Man Beast appeared ready to jump out of his fur in anticipation.
"What is Culture 1201 anyway?" Shinjiro said, finally finding an opportunity to make his presence known. He had felt left out since the beginning of this whole operation, and he was supposed to be the Number Two man in the organization. What good was that if his leader wouldn't trust him with important information, like what the heck they were doing?
The interruption made Man Beast turn on him in fury, making even Shinjiro gulp. There were times when his new leader scared him, he was ashamed to admit. Such doubts made Shinjiro feel like he was a failure in some ways. Humans were more frightening than any animal, even if Man Beast's unusual half-man, half-animal state blurred the lines slightly.
Anger remained on Man Beast's features for a moment, then passed as an eerie sort of calm settled over him. "You've done so much for me, I suppose you're entitled to an explanation. Culture 1201 was initially started as a cure for cancer. A virus that was intended to go after cancer cells, and kill them, thus serving as a cure for cancer. Culture 1201 does indeed do that, attacking them with a vigor that's nearly unbelievable. But after it's finished with the cancer cells, it moves on to the healthy ones, literally devouring the flesh from the bones. It's an airborne virus as well, so it's easily transmitted."
Shinjiro blanched. "That's… that's hideous. But I'm not surprised. KP has all the earmarks of a secret member of the military industrial complex, especially after they were bought out by a weapons manufacturer like Kunou Enterprises. I wouldn't be surprised if the government secretly commissioned them to work on bio-weapons, as well as working on medicine that only attack symptoms of the disease, rather than curing them. It's a brilliant plan. We can blow the whistle on this company when we go public with our findings, and they can't deny it since we'll have actual physical samples of the virus."
"Oh, I intend to go public with the virus, all right," Man beast said, amused.
Shinjiro nodded eagerly. "We'll score major points with the public for blowing the whistle on this conspiracy. And those animals that died during the testing of this depraved experiment will be avenged."
Man Beast smiled his toothy grin. "Actually, no animals were harmed in the testing of the virus on any level."
Now Shinjiro was more confused than ever. "They didn't test it on animals?"
"Oh no. They tested it on animals. Every kind they could get their hands on. However, the scientist who engineered the virus originally tailored it to work exclusively on humans, and even this strain only works on them. Oh yes, and primates. Apparently they are genetically similar enough to humanity to be harmed by it. But other animals? No, no ill effects on any other species. They can't even function as carriers. It's perfect."
"Perfect for what?" Shinjiro asked, suddenly uneasy.
"Perfect for the extermination of the human race."
Shinjiro stared at the completely serious look on Man Beast's animal features. His mouth felt like it was operating on automatic as he asked, "That's a joke, right? You mean you're going to threaten to unleash the virus on humanity if our demands aren't met, right?"
Man Beast looked Shinjiro in the eye, seeming to take in his entire form. Shinjiro swore he could see himself in there. A very tiny, terrified version of himself. "Don't be silly. You want to save all the animals from humanity, so the best way to do it is by removing humanity from the equation. Simple solutions are sometimes the best to apply to complex problems."
That wasn't what Shinjiro wanted at all, and he said so. "I want man and nature to live in harmony!"
Man Beast's snout turned into a rictus grin. "I'm disappointed in you, Shinjiro. I thought you had vision. I thought you were willing to sacrifice anything, even your life, for the cause of saving animals from people. And I, being a kind and generous leader, am eager to give you the opportunity to live up to those expectations. Not another single animal will ever die at humanity's hands again if there are no humans to kill them. It's the only sensible solution that guarantees animals protection long after we are gone."
It was then Shinjiro learned that just because something was logical didn't necessitate it making sense. "But… killing off all of mankind is just another form of genocide, like what man does to nature. Genocide is wrong for people and animals. We can find a more peaceful solution that doesn't involve killing."
Man Beast arced a curious eyebrow. "Really? This is a side of you I've never heard before. You were certainly eager to cripple some of the scientists that we've attacked, and a handful of people have died during our operations, even if they were not by design. And you implied we should do more if our demands were not met."
Shinjiro moved uneasily. "Well, I meant no indiscriminate killing. I mean, sure, I'm a realist. Some people deserved to die for the things they've done to animals, some even as a message to the others that would do the same thing. But… but not everyone needs to die to prove a point."
Man Beast suddenly became calm. Eerily so. "Would you like me to tell you a story? It's called, 'The Evolution of Man'."
"I already know about Darwinism," Shinjiro said, then immediately regretted the words. If Man Beast wanted to explain evolution to him in excruciating detail, it would be best to listen. As long as the half-crazed animal was talking to Shinjiro, it meant he wasn't trying to exterminate Shinjiro, and the human race along with him. Besides, maybe there was something he could say to get his leader to refocus on the true nature of the cause. He was probably just getting caught up in the moment. Power corrupting and all that.
Man Beast shook his head. "Not this sort of Darwinism. Oh no. Mind you, Darwin had the right idea, if not the correct version of the true 'origin of man.' The High Evolutionary discovered it, and it took time for even him to absorb the full repercussions of the truth." Man Beast turned away and began speaking, waving his arms as though giving a lecture to an invisible class of students.
"There is a race of enigmatic beings, thousands of feet tall and each encased in its own unique armor, called the Celestials. They go around from life-bearing planet to life-bearing planet, since that is what they do. They visited Earth a million years ago and examined the 'highest' life form: your ancestors. They decided to experiment on this 'highest' life form on a genetic level and see what would happen.
"They created three unique types of beings from that first common ancestor. One was a now-extinct race called the Eternals. Another, also extinct race, was called the Youma. However, the third race was different. Unlike the other two, it managed to flourish, eventually covering the planet and becoming the dominant life form.
"Humans."
Now Man Beast began to take on a frenetic tone. "The High Evolutionary isn't certain exactly how you were tampered with, but it doesn't matter. Like your two sister races, you should have become extinct. Instead, you self-deluded genetic abominations have covered the landscape, and in the process retarded the natural evolution of every other life form on this planet. You should never have existed. I, and the other natural races, should have been the ones to inherit this planet, just as we have in Wundagore. Instead you leapfrogged everything else, thanks to those cosmic interlopers. Well guess what, human, it's your turn to find out what it's like to have someone pass you by. I am the peak of lupine evolution, a stage which far transcends your million year one. I have judged humanity an aberration to the natural order, and will execute it, returning this planet to a state upon which its intended natural evolution will be allowed to progress as nature intended."
For just a brief instant, Shinjiro could understand how a person could kill an animal, given the insane creature before him. He'd feel guilty about such thoughts later, since they went against everything he believed in, but right now he had to make it out of the room alive, and there was only one way to do that. "It all makes sense when you put it that way. Yes, you are right, Sir. We do need to remove humanity from the equation. It's the only way to be sure." Shinjiro tried sounding fanatically devoted to Man Beast's cause.
Man Beast placed comforting hands upon Shinjiro's shoulders and smiled. "I'm so glad you understand, my friend. All we're doing is setting things right."
"Yes, sir." He could feel his face burn red, his heart race in panic, death so close to him as it was now.
"Excellent." And with that Man Beast grabbed Shinjiro's head and snapped his neck with barely a hint of his true strength.
As the body slumped to the floor, Cat Man said, "You didn't rip his throat out."
Man Beast gave a sedate look to his companion. "He didn't anger me, really. He was loyal, but alas, knew too much."
"Only because you told him," Cat Man pointed out.
Man Beast shrugged. "What difference does it make? It's not like the rest of humanity won't be following in his footsteps in the next hour or so."
Cat Man said, "By the way, you said it worked on primates as well. Do you think it might harm Gort? I know you probably already calculated the chances of his being too evolutionarily advanced for the virus to work on him, but," Tabur trailed off as Man Beast gave him a flat stare. "Right. Why bother calculating when it would only affect one of our guys?"
Man Beast stopped looking at Tabur as though he were as bright as their simian partner. "Precisely. If he is not immune, I'll have a monument built to him in remembrance of the sacrifice he made. If I bother to remember. And if he is immune, all the better. In any case, we won't trouble his straightforward mind with that minor detail." Man Beast turned his attention back to Overrider. "Keep me posted with how far you are past the security field. I want to know the instant you break through. I'll be through that door and opening that virus faster than you can say, 'Genocide'."
A rumble shook the building.
Man Beast whirled around, looking at Cat Man. "That was not an earthquake. I would have sensed it before it struck."
"An explosion," Cat Man seconded.
"Can't those stupid humans not interfere for just one hour? Is it too much to ask?" A communicator on the Man Beast's uniform crackled, interrupting his railing. He grabbed it and set it to transmit. "What happened?"
The frightened sound of a human voice quavered, "The Avengers are attacking the building. They're hitting the lobby."
"Our crack human troops are there with the best weapons we bought off of AIM," Cat Man said.
"Which might hold them off for several seconds," Man Beast snarled. "Get the rest of our companions. We just need to buy an hour of time. And if we have to kill those fools to do it," he smiled viciously. "All the better."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Man, talk about cannon fodder," Captain Japan said as he dispatched the fourth to last masked ALF soldier with a hard fist.
"I hate wasting arrows on these putzes, even my rubber tipped ones," Hawkeye seconded as she dropped the third to last man.
"You need a returning weapon," Daredevil said, bouncing a billy club off the next to last man. The return path of the weapon caused it to hit the floor once before landing in Daredevil's open hand.
"They are immensely dissatisfying," Wasp said as she relieved the last of the resistance of her consciousness with a low-powered sting.
The Hulk picked himself up off the floor, snickering so hard his eyes were tearing. "Stun blasts tickle Hulk."
"We'll be sure to let you handle all of them in the future, you big galoot," Captain Japan assured him. "Now what we gotta do is spread out and take out the rest of these losers before they get it in their heads to start harming hostages."
Thor scowled. "Tis most unfortunate that Iron Rose is still delirious from the concussion she sustained in battle. Since it could not have come from these louts." She nudged one of the fallen ALF. "There must be greater powers that lie within, powers that might test the goddess of thunder."
"Hulk likes laughing, but hates tests," he grumbled.
"T'would be a test of strength, which thou doth excel at," Thor reminded him.
"Hulk would pass strength test. Probably get 'A'," he admitted.
Wasp said, "It would be a lot more fun than beating up on these, what should we call them, lackeys? Minions?"
"Loyal servants devoted to a benevolent cause from which all might benefit."
All eyes turned to the main hall which led deeper into the building. They saw Man Beast and the five members of his Ani-Men approach. Man Beast stood at the forefront of the group, while both Bird Man and Dragonfly were already airborne. The other, land-bound villains fanned out behind their leader, intent on not presenting too close a grouping.
"You this Man Beast guy?" Captain Japan asked.
"None of them are human. They seem to be real animal men, not guys in costumes," Daredevil informed the others, able to hear their heartbeats, smell their hair, and their overpowering animal scents. Especially the Ape Man. Hadn't he ever heard of a bath?
"Too true," Man Beast acknowledged. "But while we are not human, and are proud of our animal heritage, we still regard ourselves as equal to humans, and worthy of the same respect you would give to others whose only common ground with you might be their genetic structure."
"Uh, yeah, sure," Captain Japan said.
"Of course we respect you," Giant Man said more firmly.
The Hulk scratched his head. "Hulk feels like Hulk is in zoo."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Ape Man shouted. A glare from Man Beast silenced him, ending the diatribe before it could begin.
Giant Man was quick to intercede. "Forgive our companion. He's a bit childlike in simply blurting out whatever comes to mind."
In an unusual gesture of assistance, Daredevil asked the Hulk, "What's your favorite food?"
"Beans, which reminds Hulk that he's hungry." He rubbed his stomach for emphasis.
"Perhaps we can accommodate you by drawing things to a quick conclusion?" Man Beast suggested.
"Yeah, give yourselves up or face the combined might of the Avengers," Captain Japan proclaimed boldly, sticking out his chest and trying to make himself appear as much a paragon of justice as he could.
Both Hawkeye and Thor took a moment to appreciate his figure.
Man Beast pondered that. There was a winsome note in his voice as he said, "I sheepishly confess, now that I have taken this impulsive step in seizing this building and issuing our demands to the world, I feel a certain reluctance in doing what I threatened. Violence is a poor solution to such problems as the ones society faces, and I wonder if perhaps I am worsening the situation by engaging in such behavior. I would implore you that you might give me time to ponder my actions and consider an alternate avenue, a non-violent one, of achieving my, and my organization's, goals?"
"You mean you're just giving up?" Hawkeye asked warily.
Man Beast shook his head. "Not exactly. More like reconsidering my position. Allow me to suggest a gesture of good faith for this request for more time. I will release a dozen hostages into your care right now. I will then release another dozen in a half hour, and then one more dozen at the end of the hour? I will also guarantee that so long as no one takes up arms against us, we will harm no one. Feel free to remain outside, poised to fall upon us should we try to break our word or affect an escape in any way. I would not protest your presence, and given your responsibilities, you could do no less yourselves than remain on watch. I beg of you, give me this chance so we might resolve this situation without further violence."
Giant Man smiled. "Actually that sounds—"
"--Like whatever master scheme you have is only going to take an hour to do," Captain Japan finished. "You super-villain mastermind types always try the same tricks, and they always fail. You're just so predictable it makes me wanna barf."
Giant Man whirled on Captain Japan. "Now see here. We finally have a chance to resolve things without—"
Man Beast's eyebrow twitched in fury. "Let's see if you can predict this. You'll—"
"--Never leave this building alive," Captain Japan finished with a smirk.
Man Beast trembled in rage, almost having a mini-seizure. "Kill them! And make it—"
"Painful!" Captain Japan shouted.
Man Beast lost all coherence as he charged at the white and red hero, mouth all but frothing. Captain Japan stood his ground, ready for the attack. It never landed though as Thor's hammer struck Man Beast in the side, batting him away and into the reception desk in the lobby, rendering it a broken tangle of wood and plastic.
The other heroes were about to leap into action against the remainder of the Ani Men when Dragonfly shouted, "Don't look into my eyes!"
Naturally, all the Avengers did so, while all of the Ani Men, except Dragonfly, made a point of staring at the ground. The heroes watched as her pupil-less orbs went from white to yellow. Suddenly, all desire to fight left most of them. They stood, motionless, staring off into space, not a care in the world.
Cat Man looked at Dragonfly's back as he complimented her. "Telling them not to look into those hypnotic eyes of yours was a nice touch."
She kept staring at the team as she answered her teammate. "Whenever you tell people not to do something, their first impulse is to do it. Now we can kill them at our leis—"
A billy club bounced off her head, making her break eye contact with the group as Dragonfly dazedly fluttered to the ground, her eyes reverting back to their normal white.
"I guess I didn't get it," Daredevil bragged as his companions began blinking back into the real world.
"Allow me to explain, then!" Cat Man ran at Daredevil at top speed. The red-garbed adventurer tried to snare the feline in a set of chains that burst forth from his billowing sleeves, but Tabur proved too nimble, rolling under the flying weapons in a furry ball. He came out of the roll just in time to leap up and scratch Daredevil across the double 'D' of his costume's chest.
"Score one for our side," Cat Man boasted, then slashed at the Avenger again.
"Don't worry, I'll help!" Captain Japan hurled his shield at the feline, only to have a green blur cut into the path of the weapon, kicking it out of midair. The shield skittered across the floor, stopping near a set of benches and well away from its owner's hands.
Captain Japan barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the sight of the foe who was choosing to square off with him. "Great, who are you, Leap Frog II?"
"Technically it's Frog Man, probably II if there was some guy that went by the name before me. You can call me Croaker, though. But before I'm through with you you'll be the one croaking!" Frog Man leapt at the hero.
Even Captain Japan was surprised at how quickly Frog Man closed the distance to them. He barely had enough time to leap out of the way as Croaker landed right where the hero's foot had been a moment ago. The Ani-Man's legs impacted with enough force to crack the marble floor of the entryway.
"What do you know, a Frog guy that doesn't completely suck," Captain Japan admitted. "Though they'll be serving frog legs in prison before the night is out."
"We'll see about that, humie!" Frog Man leapt at him again.
The Hulk was still in the process of blinking his eyes free, his mind being more captivated by Dragonfly's hypnosis than the others, when a furry form bulldozed into him, knocking him off his feet. Before the Hulk could get up, five hundred pounds of angry, evolved ape jumped on his back. Ape Man's legs wrapped themselves around the Hulk's torso, clinging tightly as he began to pound away with all of his superhuman strength. Even the Hulk was caught off guard by the sheer savagery of the attack as the Ani-Man pressed his advantage.
Giant Man was at a loss. Things had started out so well. However, it had all been an illusion, Man Beast lying about giving up, at least that was what it seemed since he was so quick to confirm Captain Japan's accusation regarding him. Now Giant Man found himself embroiled in yet another conflict. At least this time he could feel some satisfaction since there were people's lives on the line, including his teammates, who weren't faring all that well. Captain Japan was weaponless against his foe. The Hulk had a giant monkey pounding on him, one that was powerful enough to have an effect against even the emerald behemoth's thick hide. Dragonfly was starting to flitter up on her insect wings, and Daredevil was at an obvious disadvantage against his more nimble, and stronger foe.
Since he had lost sight of Wasp, and no one seemed to be attacking her, Giant Man finally decided on helping the blind adventurer. He was about to kick at Cat Man when a loud, ear-piercing shriek caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. He turned toward the sound, only to have a whirling dervish of feathers and claws rake at his eyes as Bird Man attacked.
The first rake tore through part of Giant Man's mask, drawing blood and nearly claiming one of his large orbs. Giant Man threw his arms over his face in an effort to ward off the attack from the avian member of the group. He silently cursed the fact he couldn't just grow higher, due to the lower ceiling of the lobby, and out of reach of Bird Man. Fifteen feet was the most he could manage without knocking himself out against the ceiling, and possibly crushing friend as well as foe.
Wasp winced as Giant Man tried to keep his eyes from being scratched out. She wanted to save Tofu, of course, but he was going to have to hold his own for the moment. The woman with the insect wings, like Wasp's own but larger, had returned to the air. Her hypnotic powers might have made her the most dangerous, and the diminutive Avenger couldn't allow her to use them again. Mindful to stay behind the villainess, Wasp flew up until she was nearly at point blank range. Since the Ani-Woman had shrugged off a billy club to the head, Wasp was determined to unleash a near full power sting at her. That should take care of Dragonfly, then she could help Giant Man with his feathery problem.
Before Wasp could fire her blast, Dragonfly spun in a one hundred eighty degree arc, lashing out with a fist. The spin allowed the blow to build up a great deal of velocity, and she unerringly knocked Wasp out of the air and to the ground.
Dragonfly looked down at her foe. "Nice try, but I can see in all directions, just like an unevolved dragonfly. Now, let's see how well you fight with your eyes closed, unless you want to look me in mine and see whose will is more powerful."
Having already fallen under the villainess' sway once, Wasp closed her eyes, flying and firing in the general direction of where the Ani-Woman had attacked her. Dragonfly took exclusively to the air to avoid the blast. Wasp heard her flying and also took off, initiating an aerial ballet that had Wasp trying to keep Dragonfly in her peripheral vision while the larger woman tried to make eye contact with her.
Thor was concerned for her teammates. While the remaining Ani-Men had wisely chosen to take on other, lesser foes, it would not save them. She could break the stalemate, her power being enough to defeat any of her foes, even if Dragonfly had gotten lucky in hypnotizing her.
Thor figured it would be easiest to defeat the Ape Man, freeing the Hulk up, and then she would move on to dispatch one of the others while the emerald giant did the same.
Thor drew back her hammer when Hawkeye cried, "Look out!" and pointed an arrow at her.
"What is the meaning of this!" For a moment, Thor thought Hawkeye had been ensorcelled by Dragonfly, much as the Enchantress had bound Furinkan's male population to her will. Then the goddess saw the movement behind her, just at the edge of her vision. Where she had given Man Beast a full force throw of Mjolnir.
Thor watched a jagged bolt of pink energy leap from his forehead and toward her. The beam slammed into her with the force of a runaway train, bowling the Goddess of Thunder backward and into her archer companion. Hawkeye's shaft went wide as the far heavier, denser Asgardian's body knocked her unconscious.
Thor rose, seeing her comrade lying on the ground. She took a moment to peer at her fallen archer closely, and was relieved to see Hawkeye breathing regularly. As much as Thor wanted to stay at the bold archer's side, there was far more pressing business to take care of. "Od's blood, thou art truly a monster for using me against mine comrade."
"As though some deluded human has the right to judge one so vastly her evolutionary superior," Man Beast roared as he unleashed yet another bolt of mental energy.
Thor raised her hammer and a bolt of electricity fired from it, meeting the mental blast in midair. A flash of blinding light erupted from the collision of primal and mental forces before they cancelled each other out.
Man Beast gnashed his teeth in anger at seeing his offense thwarted. "Foolish woman, that will not save you. I'll tear you apart with my bare hands!" He rushed forward
"I say thee nay!" Thor raced headlong to meet his charge.
The two collided with bone-breaking force. As powerful as the Man Beast was, his foe was more powerful. The collision sent him to his knees while Thor stood above him.
"The Fenris Wolf thou are not." Thor drew back her hammer for a mighty swing.
Man Beast recovered far more quickly than Thor anticipated, grabbing her by the wrist and preventing the hammer from descending. Worse, she left an opening and was caught off-guard as his fist slammed into her jaw. One of his claws caught her on the lip, slicing it open and causing it to bleed.
Using all of her might, Thor threw Man Beast aside, then wiped her face with her arm. She noted the crimson streak left behind on her flesh. "So, let us do combat for real."
"There is no other way I fight, you genetic abomination!" Man Beast snarled as he did his best to kill the goddess.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
The vertical slits of the figure's pupils tracked the way the fight progressed: a stalemate, more or less, though it would not last long. After having observed hundreds of fights to the death, the trained eye could tell when one force had an advantage through surprise. While the Ani-Men were pressing, they did not strike deep enough in the hearts of their foes to slay them. Soon the tide would most likely turn.
But that wasn't true on every front. One fight was going badly, and that was the opportunity the figure needed.
Muscles tensed up as the being waited for the right opening.
Xxxxxxxx
Daredevil cried out as Cat Man's latest slash dug into his flesh again, drawing blood. While the blind adventurer was quick, possibly the quickest one on his team, the feline had to be seen to be believed. He was all over the place, avoiding the attacks leveled against him, his claws digging deep with every blow that landed. Cat Man was quicker, more agile, far stronger, and completely ruthless. Only Daredevil's versatility with weapons held off the superior warrior. Had he been going for the kill the way Cat Man was, it might have been a different story, but Daredevil had long ago decided that was no line he would willingly cross.
His weapon advantage became a thing of the past as Cat Man snared a tear from an early blow in Daredevil's outfit. The claw caught, tearing a large chunk of the chest and one arm off from the uniform. Daredevil's hidden weapon technique was seriously hampered by a lack of clothing.
A kick to his gut caused Daredevil to double over, momentarily winding him and switching his worry of losing his weapons over to losing his life.
"Time to die." Cat Man would have preferred to play with his prey --no matter how evolved one got some instincts were hard-wired into the psyche-- but he was needed in one of the other fights. He was certain once one of his companions was freed up from their fight, their superior numbers would turn the tide of battle in his side's favor.
Just as Cat Man was about to claw out Daredevil's throat, a purple and pink blur came out from behind a bench. It was as fast as he was, if not faster, and on him before he could react. He felt fire come from his back as a set of claws dug deep past his fur and into his flesh beneath.
Tabur spun and saw his foe. A cat girl, every bit as feline as himself. She was covered head to toe in purple fur with pink points and black stripes across her body. She wore next to nothing, just a blue bikini that covered a barely decent amount of flesh. He could see a belt of what looked like sharpened fangs around her waist, above the bikini, and a little cat head emblem that kept the front of the bikini together. He had a thing for front-tie bikini tops.
But as turned on as Cat Man was by the appearance of the seriously hot female so similar to him, pain transformed that lust into rage. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Nihao. Am Tigra, the Were-Woman," she purred, making a display of licking the blood from her claws.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
In the main research lab, Overrider jerked. She had been keeping an eye on the fight as she infiltrated the security systems. She was only one firewall away from reaching her goal when Tigra made her appearance.
It couldn't be! The Tigra was here? Overrider knew the legends, of how they spoke of her returning to them at their greatest moment and being the key to opening the gateway, but still, to see her right on the security monitor was almost more than Overrider could comprehend.
Killing off humanity with the virus no longer mattered. Nothing did. All was secondary to the Tigra's return. Overrider's true loyalties were what mattered, not this spy mission to infiltrate the ALF and give them the assistance they needed. Black Cat had to be notified immediately and decisions would have to be made.
Removing her hand from the computer screen, Overrider rose to her feet, then walked through a wall, heading toward the nearest ground level exit.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Together," Daredevil shouted as he lashed out with a kick to the back of the surprised Cat Man's legs.
Instinctively using his sense of balance to right himself, Cat Man was unprepared as Tigra unleashed a hard right to his head, knocking him to the floor. Daredevil rolled over next to the feline's prone form and elbowed him in the head, knocking Tabur senseless.
As though heralding the inevitable, other fights began turning in the heroes' favor. The Hulk had finally recovered enough from the surprise and force of his foe's savagery, becoming angry himself. "Hulk has plenty of monkeys on his back! He does not want another one!" He reached over his shoulder and grabbed Gort by the fur, pulling the evolved gorilla from his back and slamming him into the ground, cracking the marble. A second fist met the fallen Ape Man's solar plexus, winding him. Gort barely had the strength to bounce back to his feet, nearly failing to get out of the way of the follow up fist which might very well have finished him off.
Giant Man finally managed to connect with Bird Man with a blind swat, knocking him to the ground, landing near enough to the fallen Cat Man that had he struck, he would have broken the feline's bones.
Dragonfly was forced to retreat, flying unsteadily. One of Wasp's blasts had gone through the membrane of her wing, causing considerable pain and loss of maneuverability. She was a sitting duck for the diminutive Avenger, and decided to seek cover of her teammates, using them as shields, if necessary.
Frog Man continued bouncing around Captain Japan like a hyperactive rubber ball. But the super-soldier serum had increased the hero's reflexes to peak human efficiency. That edge was sufficient to finally anticipate Frog Man's flight path, and enabled Captain Japan to be quick enough to do something about it. "That's enough of that!" he yelled as he held an arm straight out at his side.
The huge arm caught Croaker in the gut, nearly cutting him in half with how much velocity the Frog Man had. The villain barely enough strength left to take two tiny bounces toward his other beaten comrades.
Man Beast was the only one still holding his own, his rage making him powerful enough to fight Thor to a standstill. But then he took a telling blow from a fist to his face, courtesy of the Asgardian.
With two feet in-between him and his foe, Man Beast might as well have been a mile away as far as Hawkeye was concerned. An arrow flew through the air, embedding itself in his fur and discharging a powerful shot of electricity into him.
Hawkeye stared at him grimly, another arrow notched in the bow. "Jackass, nearly making me miss the fight. Hawkeye isn't going to take that lying down, Dog Boy."
Man Beast roared in anger at the insult, but with a break in the action, he saw the others and realized the fight was over, the day lost as his Ani-Men huddled together in defeat. He backed toward them, saying into his communicator. "Overrider, what's your status?"
The communicator cracked. "I'm abandoning ship. Overrider out."
The communicator shattered in Man Beast's grip. "Damn that bitch! I'll kill her! I'll kill you all!" he raged at the Avengers.
"You ain't going to be killing nothing, except time in a cell," Captain Japan said.
Man Beast's fury grew. "You think you've won? Well I've got news for you, you'll never take us alive! And you won't make it out of here either, since I have explosives wired at critical junctures of the building. It'll come down around all of our ears, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
A ripple of concern shot through the gathered heroes.
Thor tightened her grip on the hammer. "Thou shalt tell us where yon explosives are. No 'or's are involved. You will tell us."
Man Beast laughed. "Better to die at our own hands than be defeated at yours, you genetic mistakes!"
A crackling aura of pink, the same shade as Man Beast's mental bolts, enveloped the group. The Avengers saw the villains stare at them in grim resolve.
Then there was a flash of light and a loud explosion that knocked all but Giant Man, the Hulk, and Thor off their feet. By the time they could see again, nothing was left of the villains but a blasted out hole.
"Man, I hate fanatics," Captain Japan sighed.
"I think—" Daredevil's statement was interrupted by the sudden explosion of the largest column in the lobby, spraying debris all over the Avengers, the largest piece bouncing off the Hulk's head, irritating him.
"Shoot, he wasn't bluffing. There really are bombs!" Hawkeye shouted.
"How do we find them?" Giant Man asked.
"I might be able to with my enhanced senses," Daredevil offered.
Hawkeye said, "But even if we find them, how do we dispose of them? Iron Rose might have enough technical know-how to do it, but none of us do."
"Leave that to me," Thor said.
It was at that moment that the ceiling groaned and started to sag, starting where the column had blown. Obviously it had been there for more than ornamentation.
Captain Japan shouted, "Quick, Hulk, hold up the roof before the whole ceiling comes down on our heads."
The Hulk obeyed without protest, as though sensing the gravity of the situation. He stood under the jagged remnants of the column. He grabbed the column with his huge hands, using his own body to support the sagging structure.
Seeing the makeshift brace succeed in supporting the tons of building above it, Captain Japan turned to Hawkeye, Giant Man, and Wasp. "Evacuate the building fast, and if there are any more of these ALF goons, take them out."
"And what about Tigra?"
All eyes, even the Hulk's, turned toward the feline woman in their midst.
"You're on our side?" Captain Japan asked.
"Tigra would not have helped Avengers, if not on your side," she said, eyeing the bloodied Daredevil meaningfully.
"Good enough," Captain Japan said. "You help with the evacuation, and I'll be keeping a close eye on you, just in case you develop a sudden revelation about having more in common with those animal guys than us."
She sidled up to the hero, rubbing her furry body against him in a blatantly seductive manner. "Tigra would like nothing better than to keep the big strong Captain next to her," she purred.
Thor and Hawkeye growled nearly as deeply as the Man Beast had earlier.
"Let's go!" Captain Japan shouted.
With lives at stake, the group did as instructed.
Xxxxxxxx
Ten minutes later the Avengers stood outside the headquarters of Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals. The hostages had been rescued and the building evacuated. The remaining handful of ALF members had been quickly dispatched. Even the Hulk had been recovered from his serving as an emerald version of Atlas, though the interior of the lobby collapsed as soon as he left. The remaining bombs had been recovered before detonating and sent to some other dimension courtesy of Thor's hammer. The only exception was a trio of explosives that had been planted in the building's basement. Those had gone off during the evacuation with spectacular effect. Luckily the foundation held, though the surrounding buildings were also evacuated, just in case.
Wasp flitted among the group. "It was a good thing the rest of them didn't go off. I doubt we could have saved everyone if they had detonated when the first one blew up."
"Chalk it up to shoddy explosives," Captain Japan said.
"I don't know," Daredevil grumbled, something not feeling right about the way things had ended. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt out of place. It was a pity they hadn't kept at least one of the explosives, but he agreed that it had been too dangerous to keep the sophisticated devices around when one could go off at any time. Still, it would have been nice if Iron Rose had been present to look them over.
Agitated heartbeats switched his mind over to a matter closer at hand, one that might be even more dangerous than walking around with a super-villain's suicide device. Thor and Hawkeye were glaring daggers at the newcomer, this Tigra, who continued to drape herself over Captain Japan, who seemed uneasy at the cat girl's attention.
Captain Japan removed himself from the were-woman's grasp before the others removed her from him. Not so much that he felt in danger from his teammates, just that having women blatantly throw themselves at him always made him a bit uneasy, even if he could understand how they found a paragon of virtue like him irresistible.
"Now, just who are you?" Captain Japan asked.
"Ah, yes, forgot to introduce self properly." She bowed before Captain Japan. "Am Tigra, the Were-Woman. Tigra helped Avengers because she wants to join. Tigra can be valuable addition to the team, just like she prove today."
"Sorry, roster's full," Hawkeye said quickly.
"Tis in the charter," Thor agreed.
"We don't have a charter," Giant Man pointed out.
"Pay no heed to meaningless details!" Thor snapped nastily, making even the large hero take one giant step back from her.
Tigra gave a wide smile, showing off her fangs. "So, too tall Swede afraid of being upstaged by Tigra? Is probably good fear."
"None can outperform the Goddess of Thunder, as many a foe can attest to," she bellowed. "And I'm not Swedish."
"Another teammate may be good idea," Wasp ventured.
"No, it's a bad idea. We'll trip over our own feet if there are too many of us," Hawkeye said, then added, "Besides, we have standards this alley cat could never live up to."
Tigra looked ready to claw the archer's eyes out, while Hawkeye appeared eager to use the feline for target practice.
"Maybe we should vote on it?" Daredevil suggested.
It was at that moment the Hulk finally interjected himself into the discussion by moving toward the applicant. He walked right up to her, not saying a word. Tigra remained where she was, looking up at the jade giant with no fear, but missing her earlier bluster.
The Hulk raised one hand slowly above the were-woman, palm open. Tigra tensed up, but the Hulk lowered it slowly on her head, resting it there. He then began stroking Tigra's long purple mane of hair, petting it like he would a housecat.
He did that several times, then stopped and turned to the group. "Hulk likes Cat Girl. Cat Girl can join."
"We have to put it to a vote," Hawkeye protested.
"And Hulk voted. Now Cat Girl is on team." The Hulk's body posture told everyone that as far as he was concerned, election day was over and his candidate had won in a landslide.
Everyone seemed content with the choice, with only Thor and Hawkeye reluctant in their acceptance, but not wanting to appear juvenile in before the others.
Tigra's feline eyes glistened in delight.
Mission complete. Captain Japan would be hers. It was only a matter of time.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
End Chapter
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