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Act IV
The Hate Monger and the Peacemaker
Chapter 13
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tsommer
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Last chapter: The Peacemaker, in the form of the Red Rajah, Usagi Tsukino, has begun to unite everyone's spirits in the name of peace and love. Hate Monger attempted to stop her, only to fail. So he sought out his most hated foes, revealing his true identity in the process.
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"We are not trusting this guy," Captain Japan informed his teammates. He made sure to stare at every one of them who were standing in the room, surrounding their nemesis, who remained surprisingly calm as he sat at their meeting table in one of the chairs.
"I admit, there is little about him I find trustworthy," Daredevil confessed. The rest of the room held the same attitude. Even Ryouga, who was currently in his normal form, though with his bandanna with the eyes cut out over his face.
"Then let us take him to prison." Thor moved, intent on grabbing him forcibly.
Man Beast finally spoke. "And which one will you take me to that isn't under the Red Rajah's control already? You do have eyes, I assume? You've seen the ever-growing number of people she's benumbed? Where in the world is safe from her touch?"
"There must be somewhere," Wasp said, pinching the bridge of her nose as though she had a headache.
"There is nowhere," Man Beast assured them. "Her touch will reach everywhere. Time is the only limiting factor, and you are rapidly running out of it. In case you didn't notice, that pressure in your heads has been getting worse."
Everyone looked at each other. Their mutual looks confirmed the statement in ways words never could.
Seeing he had their full attention, Man Beast continued, "She made a mistake in thinking I could be controlled. It will prove her undoing. When the Red Rajah attempted to get into my mind, it opened a channel to hers. My advanced mind was able to decipher what was transpiring. I understand how it works.
"The Star of Capistan is the real threat. The girl in the outfit is just a host. It is an object that can be properly said to be a cornerstone of the fundamental force of Order. It seeks to impose it on all of humanity by pulling every happy thought you have and linking your minds by mashing them together until everyone has the same, placid thoughts. You'll just be grinning idiots from the day you're born until the day you die without a single original idea amongst your entire race ever again."
"What do you care?" Daredevil asked. "Last time I checked you wanted all of humanity dead."
"Oh, I still do," Man Beast assured him. "An existence of drooling idiocy is too good for you. But I cannot defeat her alone, I couldn't even do it with my allies. And you don't want to end up a bunch of mind-controlled zombies, which means we need to work together before it's too late. And that time is rapidly approaching."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hawkeye asked, already suspecting given how the pressure in her head had been unrelenting in getting worse.
Man Beast made a casual gesture with his hand. "The Star's power is limitless by any conventional standard. The area of effect will increase in intensity and size until it blankets the entire world. The only time it slows is when the Red Rajah focuses its power on one target. But then it snaps back the moment she stops. Luckily for you, my innate nature makes me immune to her power. If you let me inside your heads, I can shield you from her influence."
"No way are you getting in our heads!" Captain Japan snapped. "We're not switching from one person controlling our minds for another."
Man Beast released a growl of his own. "My powers don't work that way, or I'd already be mind-controlling you. What I do is let your inherent anger out and magnify it, so you can direct it at who you really hate. In your case it would be counter-productive since you hate me and I'd be your first target.
"What I would be doing is shielding you from her with *my* hate. Its chaotic nature is anathema to her, even as her orderly one is to me. We're the perfect foils for each other. Believe me, the irony is not lost upon me." He released another throaty snarl.
"Not a chance," Hawkeye insisted.
"Fine," Man Beast retorted. "Confront the mind-controlling villain, who has already enslaved tens, if not hundreds, of thousands, by drawing closer to the source of her ever-growing power. I'm sure you'll be able to resist her on personality alone."
That made the others hesitate. They looked at each other, trying to figure a way around Man Beast's points. They came up empty.
Man Beast had a smug look on his lupine features. "Let your minds answer for you. The pressure I mentioned is still growing, isn't it? She's trying to work her way in and make contact with something inside you: your desire for order, which she defines as peace and love. The more orderly your nature, the more quickly you succumb. Although admittedly the lifestyle you lead lends itself to chaos, even you will eventually break. For instance, have you noticed how your metal clad companion has been staring off at the wall rather than paying attention to anything we've been saying the last few minutes?"
All eyes turned to Iron Rose, who indeed appeared to be ignoring the events around her.
"Hey, you still with us?" Captain Japan asked.
Rather than the deferential attitude she typically displayed toward him, the armored Avenger said, "Perhaps we've misjudged what this Red Rajah stands for. After all, do we not fight for peace? We're being offered peace everlasting. Even Man Beast admits that. Surely we should not resist this most noble of goals."
Before the Avengers could react, Man Beast lunged for Iron Rose and grasped her armored head in his hands. There was a brief flash of energy that leapt from his brow to hers, then he released her.
Thor and Tigra were on him before he could take another step, pulling him away and pinning him to the wall.
Thor dangerously intoned, "What did thou do to mine comrade, Beast?"
Before he could answer, Iron Rose said, "My god. It almost had me." She turned to the others. "He's right. We have to let him do this. If we don't have safeguards of some kind we might as well walk up to her and kneel. We can't fight it and win, because it appeals to our innate nature for peace. It's only the… chaos, as Man Beast puts it, within us that tells us that the cost, the loss of individuality, is too high. We'd have to sacrifice everything else, but we would have something we desperately need. Maybe the chaos is contradictory, and it causes most of our problems in life by influencing us to act irrationally, and sometimes against our best self-interests, but we have to live with it, not discard it. If we did, we stop being human and just become humanlike."
Hawkeye's voice sounded nearly as distracted as Iron Rose's had. "I know what you're saying is right, but a part of me is saying you're wrong and the price isn't too high. A new definition of what being human is can exist and it doesn't need all the ego that causes problems. Once individuality is put aside, once we become one, we function for the betterment of all." The hero looked desperately at Man Beast. "Do it!"
He held her head and repeated his earlier action.
"Better," the archer confirmed. "But it's like there's still part of me crying out, 'don't fight it'."
Man Beast grimaced. "In that respect, the Rajah and I are similar. We both appeal to parts of your inner nature, doing away with the parts that distract you from what we perceive as your true selves, which prevent you from being what you really are. We just approach it from different directions."
"Dichotomy." That came from Tigra. "Humans is both. Not efficient in short term, but potential come from two colliding. That how eventual change is made. Do away with one, nothing changes anymore. Everything always the same since everything in agreement. My turn."
One by one each Avengers submitted to Man Beast's power, all reluctantly. After their treatment, each agreed that the pressure building in their minds had lessened, some not realizing how bad it was until it was relieved.
Finally it came to the last Avenger: Ryouga. Man Beast looked at him in confusion. "Who are you?"
"The Hulk," Ryouga said. "I mean, I turn into the Hulk."
"Then you'd best change now. If you change physically my blocks might go with the transformation. Besides, your power will be needed." He gained a pensive look. "In fact, I think I know how it can best be utilized."
Ryouga placed a hand behind his head and laughed. "Actually, I can't just do it. I need something to upset me to trigger the transformation."
Man Beast slapped him hard enough to dislocate his jaw.
That qualified as 'upsetting' enough for the transformation to occur. As usual, the change healed Ryouga of all his human injuries, including a dislocated jaw. That meant the Hulk was able to articulate his irritation. "Hulk smash!"
Man Beast evaded the fist, which shattered the chair he had been sitting on earlier. Before he could swing again, Thor interposed herself between his fist and the target of his ire.
"Hold, Hulk. As a personal favor I would request you refrain from giving this villain the pummeling he deserves for a time."
Had anyone else made the request, he would likely have smashed them as well, but the 'Pretty Hammer Girl' had more pull with him that anyone else. Because even a Hulk could be persuaded by an attractive face.
When she saw him relax, Thor placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, which further calmed him since he liked any contact from pretty women with hammers. "My thanks, friend. The strength of thy arm is sorely needed today. We go into battle against perhaps our most dangerous foe."
"You mean hills that try to take over Earth?"
Thor winced. He was never going to let that one go. "No, my friend. Someone else."
"Hulk will smash them, then. Even if they are not hills. Or evil robots like Tin Can Girl make."
"It was a computer, not a robot. It hadn't made it that far yet." Iron Rose winced. They were never going to let that one go.
"So now what do we do?" Wasp asked. "The longer we wait, the worse the problem gets. I vote for immediate frontal assault."
Having no better idea, the others agreed. Only Man Beast mentioned a tactic he'd like to use, which the others agreed to.
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The Red Rajah stood in the middle of the park, still on the stand that afforded her the best view to visually witness the fruits of her efforts. Aside from the animal men attempting their ineffectual interference, everything had transpired as it should. And the interruption was but for the merest of moments. The crowd reached out beyond the confines of the park and far into the streets beyond. Kilometers by now. She could feel the oneness of everyone's mind, the glorious nature of a single set of everything running through them. Peace, Love, Order on a level incomprehensible if not for her efforts. They were all so much happier now that they possessed the one true way they needed. No useless, destructive extraneous thoughts.
The only sad thing was that it had taken so long for them to be led to it.
Then a flying vehicle came into sight. It arrived on jet engines, and found one of the few clear spots, nearby. It landed without harming anyone. She and the Reborn watched closely as a door opened in the side and seven superheroes emerged. More additional troops added to her own in case she needed protection, no doubt.
But her beliefs were shattered as Captain Japan pointed at her and stated, "All right, we're giving you one chance to surrender before we stomp you and your pals into the ground."
The Red Rajah was appalled that they somehow were able to stand against the siren call of oneness. Standing this close, all should have been enlightened. Except maybe the cat person among them. Perhaps they could be reasoned with. "You are confused. There is no call to surrender, for no one wishes to. I have helped everyone by allowing them to understand one another."
"You ain't helping anyone when they're under your mind control," Captain Japan scoffed.
"There is no control," the Red Rajah corrected. "They are of one mind. There are no longer any differing thoughts to cause dissension. Look upon their faces. That is the happiness when everyone believes the same things. I have taught the world to sing in perfect harmony."
"There is no such thing as a perfect harmony," Daredevil said.
"That's not the point. It doesn't matter what the harmony is: only that everyone sings it," the Red Rajah explained. "That is the only way to true peace. Minds enjoined together collect until all thoughts become the same. Your ignorance from the joys of a single spirit are because you are not a part of it. Only by joining can you understand. Once you understand you'll be happy forever, just like them."
"Be a grinning carbon copy of everyone else for eternity? Sounds tempting, but I'm gonna pass," Captain Japan said.
The Emerald on the Red Rajah's shoulder flashed and a giant column of earth erupted from the middle of the heroes, knocking them all off their feet. As the dust settled they found themselves confronted by a forty foot stone colossus in the shape of a sixteen year old Japanese schoolgirl. Twin pony tails made from the trunks of trees lashed out, grabbing Thor and Iron Rose by the ankles and began whipping them around violently. The captured heroes couldn't orient themselves enough to get free.
The colossus bellowed, "Why fight when the Rajah is right?!" As twin beams of energy shot from her eyes toward the people on the ground.
"Maybe we don't like having our minds made up for us!" Captain Japan shouted as he brought his shield up and blocked the blasts.
Tigra had also recovered and leapt onto the giant's right leg, digging in with her claws to remain there. It unleashed its beams again. Her were-woman agility allowed her to narrowly evade the beams as they blew apart the stone giant's own leg.
As it fell, a pair of buzz-saw arrows sheared through the wooden ponytails, freeing both captives.
Thor rose to her feet, shouting, "Thou shall pay for thy impertinence!" And hurled Mjolnir at the giant. As the mystical hammer struck, it shattered her foe into rubble.
The stone had barely settled when a giant wave of water flowed from a nearby lake toward the group. Captain Japan was the only one who leapt out of the way as the water engulfed the rest of the team. There were held in a perfect cube of liquid that was held in place by an unseen force.
"Hit them!" Aqueduct shouted at Living Lightning.
She raised her hand, and narrowly evaded a shield thrown at her. Even as she dodged she unleashed strokes of electricity that shot from her hand and entered the very conductive medium.
As the electricity hit the water, it flowed right into Thor's hammer.
Aqueduct had a second to curse, "Crap!" right before a repulsor beam struck her in the temple, knocking her out. The water lost its form and fell to the ground, leaving the team soaked thoroughly and angry as hell. Especially Tigra, since she had the same affinity for water that most cats did.
Thor fully recovered first. "I have some measure of sympathy for you due to your ensorcelled state. I have fallen under the sway of such control my—."
Her musings were cut short as a giant ball of fire struck her, courtesy of Sunfire. Having gone from thoroughly drenched to thoroughly singed, the goddess growled, "I no longer possess any sympathy." Then brought her hammer down on the ground.
The sky above Sunfire opened up with an instant deluge. But the fires she wielded were internalized in her body, so it did nothing to stop the next blast which Thor was forced to deflect with her hammer. As well as the next one, and the next as Sunfire unleashed a rain of fire which potentially would cause more damage than one of water.
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Iron Rose knew her opponent the moment she laid eyes upon her. A cheap armored foe. So many tried to emulate the graceful, powerful Black Rose of the superhero world. All fell short. Especially this one. Surely she could have designed a better helmet. It practically looked like a fish bowl on her head. Those boots were quite oversized compared to the rest of the outfit, and the gloves weren't much better. And she should have worn real armor, not the thin set of what might as well have been tinfoil. Maybe the poor dear ran out of money after making the helmet, gloves, and boots.
Perhaps she should flaunt the superiority of her armor a bit to put the upstart in her place. Iron Rose shot up in the air, intent on flying a ring around her shoddily outfitted opponent before disabling her armor and sending her back to the scrap heap. She'd be doing her a favor.
Iron Rose turned on the speed and got into her much slower opponent's blind spot. She'd disable the boots, which seemed to be the source of her flight. Her mid-air course was extremely steady. Perhaps something harnessing gravity? Maybe there was some modicum of intellect in the design, and she wasn't quite the buffoon Kodachi imagined.
While she spent a moment assessing the mode of flight, believing herself invulnerable due to her position, Techno fired a blast from her Wonder Glove over her shoulder, hitting Iron Rose dead on and knocking her out of her flight path, momentarily causing her to lose an opportunity to attack.
The Avenger was surprised that her foe had been so accurate without having a direct line of visual contact. Some sort of targeting system, no doubt. And the blast was comparable to a repulsor as well. She had underestimated her foe: a mistake she would not repeat. She opened up with a pair of full powered repulsor blasts.
A force field blocked both shots. How frustrating. However Iron Rose had dealt with the occasional opponent with such a device or ability. There was almost always the same vulnerability with them. She just had to wait for it.
Techno fired again. Iron Rose evaded the blasts and fired the laser from her chest mount. Sure enough, it met no force field. It was nearly impossible to create something that could allow you to shoot while keep things outside at the same time. The rule was if something could go out, something else could come in.
However as the laser struck, it appeared to have no effect. No, wait, it had for a moment. The place where it hit had darkened, but then the armor appeared to repair itself almost immediately. The two dueled some more, Iron Rose suffering another hit, but dealing another in return. This time she saw it: the suit rippled. Damn! She had underestimated this girl badly. Nanotech. Kodachi had considered using it, but while it was versatile, it was also more vulnerable. She preferred the reliability of regular armor who durability was a constant. It also made a bit more sense as to why the gloves, helmet, and boots were more conventional. She was using two different styles of tech.
Iron Rose decided to focus on body attacks. Each time she scored a hit, more nanities would be destroyed. Once they were weakened enough, she'd have her foe.
Of course, it was more easily said than done.
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Hawkeye had taken the worst of the initial hit of water, being not just knocked on her backside but having her arrows spill out of the quiver. She was just starting to rise when she saw the red, white, and blue uniform of Captain U.K. flying toward her. That wasn't good. Excalibur had an international reputation that reached even to Japan, and the archer knew the team leader of the group was incredibly super strong, something Hawkeye was not.
Hawkeye spotted a snarl shaft arrow. She grabbed it and fired in one fluid motion, striking her target in mid-air. The impact caused thick cords of steel cable to expand around Captain U.K., causing her to skid into the ground. The archer breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks to Iron Rose, those things were thick enough to give even the Hulk pause. For nearly a whole second anyway.
It gave Captain U.K. pause for 1.3 seconds before she broke free and went for Hawkeye. The Avenger went for the next closest arrow, a stunner, and shot it into the Britisher's chest. The discharge only made her flinch. Before Hawkeye could grab another one her foe had snatched her bow from her hand and brought it down hard on her back, nearly breaking both.
As Hawkeye went down, something struck Captain U.K. in the small of her back with a healthy amount of super strength, sending her flat on her stomach. Before she could rise a pair of feet landed on the back of her head, burying her face in the newly created mud.
Captain U.K. rose, spitting out moistened dirt, and saw Tigra posing haughtily before her.
In English the were-woman said, "Silly Ozzie should stick to putting shrimps on barbie in Outback instead of eating mud."
"I'm British!" Captain U.K. snapped and swung at Tigra's head. The Avenger ducked and connected with an uppercut that snapped the blonde's head back. The Brit shook it off and tried to punch her again, but this time the felinoid made a jump out of the way, the blow only shattering the ground.
Tigra made a seductive pose and crooked a finger. Captain U.K. snarled and the fight began in earnest.
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The other heroic Captain established on this side of the globe found himself dealing with a very fit blonde in a white and brown hunter's outfit, like something out of a sporting goods catalogue rather than the ofttimes cheesy crap villains made up. There was that one he named Captain Color Blind since he managed to include every color of the rainbow in the worst ways possible in his outfit. And he had a phobia about devils, so he had simply curled into a ball and began crying when Daredevil showed up. No one still had any idea why he had been stupid enough to actually challenge them to a fight.
The girl might have been a couple of years older than him and was butch enough she probably could have passed for a bishonen guy had her shirt not been unbuttoned low enough to show off a bit of cleavage. Nowhere near as much as his female form did, but few did so he could hardly regard it as being unfeminine.
She wielded a pistol and a knife, pretty conventional for super-powered muscle. Well, blocking gun shots was easy enough with the shield, and he knew at least twenty different ways to disarm anyone using a knife. He mentally planned what to do depending on which weapon she used first. He was thinking she'd empty the gun before going for a knife attack based on her haircut.
It proved neither as Haruka Bloodstone said, "The Red Rajah desires converts, not corpses." And tossed both weapons aside.
It was obviously a gesture to toss his own weapon aside rather than a form of surrender. He knew what he should do: throw the shield into her, knock her out, move on to the next foe. The stakes were too high to squander valuable time and effort in what most would describe as a senseless gesture. He wasn't obligated to do take her up on her offer. It could even be a trap since she could have some weapons concealed in those pouches on her belt and she was trying to get him to toss away his best defense.
But that wasn't him. Besides, weren't they fighting for the right for humanity to make potentially poor, inefficient decisions? Because in order to be human, you did what was true to yourself, so that you weren't exactly like everyone else.
He tossed the shield aside.
Haruka took up a stance that showed she knew some Muay Thai. Actually his martial arts eyes could tell from the way she moved she knew a lot. She had that fluid motion of so much practice the body moved on autopilot while the brain assessed his own potential and the best course of action to take.
He liked a quality opponent. More inefficient decisions.
She probed his defenses with a few tentative punches. He gambled and went for a powerful punch backed by everything he had. If he could slip in past her guard he might score a quick victory. While he might be inefficient in some ways, he didn't try to drag things out longer than they needed to. A quick victory meant he was more skilled than a skilled opponent. There was no shame in that.
The attack was executed near perfectly. For a moment she almost deflected the blow, but she was slightly off and maybe made it ten percent less powerful with what little contact she managed. The shot struck fully in the face that made her drop her guard entirely. He followed up with a right to the side of the head then a left to the other side, like he would a boxing punching bag. In fact the combination would have dropped any heavyweight boxer.
A jumping high knee met Captain Japan's jaw.
He staggered back several steps. That was a super strength shot. Not Hulk level, or even Iron Rose; his head was still attached. But it probably did as much damage as his trio of shots did. A part of him thought he was in serious trouble if she pressed the advantage, but she didn't and he recovered. He noted the explanation was that she was shaking off the effect of his own trio of punches. Most likely the knee had been out of reflex rather than a careful plan. He wagered she was more on the strong side than the invulnerable one. He'd use the appropriate tactics, then.
With both of them mostly recovered, they squared off once again. Each more cautious than before.
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In the quinjet, the Hulk looked longingly at his comrades in the midst of battle. Most of them were evenly matched, with no clear cut advantage. "Hulk should help friends," he lamented, and started to go for the exit.
Man Beast laid a gentle, restraining hand on his shoulder. "You must wait, my friend. The battle will ultimately be decided by your prodigious strength, but not on a conventional field of battle. Your friends wage war against mere pawns, all of which could be sacrificed and it would make no difference. We must wait for the right opening and unleash one all-out attack to win the day against the queen. Should you appear before that, all will be lost." Man Beast's voice was soothing, almost melodic and most of all, made the listener want to believe. It was like the Red Rajah but with no near mystical power behind it.
The truth was he loathed having to be nice to anyone or anything. It had only been done out of necessity during his time with the ALF, and it taxed his patience even then. In the identity of the Hate Monger, he could let out what he really was, or at least until humanity was destroyed, then he could relax and be… less hate filled. Maybe he'd get a hobby. Fishing, perhaps?
But humanity had to be eliminated first. As it turned out, in order to kill their bodies he had to save their minds. How ironic that the Avengers were helping him. They followed the same path to drastically different goals. He could actually respect their risking death for the sake of their mental freedom. Oh, it wouldn't save them for having the audacity to genetically leapfrog everyone else, they would endure the taste of genocide as they were escorted to oblivion, but it was a sort of saving trait in the species.
While the Red Rajah had her pawns, the Avengers were his. Everyone else was expendable. Maybe the worst thing was while he and the Red Rajah played against one another, the stakes were winner take all for her, while victory for him was to live to fight another day. It wasn't fair he had to risk so much for so little. He had been striving for his goal for months, while she achieved more in a day thanks to random chance. How dare she!
The knowledge only made his hated grow.
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The airborne fight continued high overhead between the technology-based opponents, neither gaining an advantage. Iron Rose noted 'Techno', as she referred to herself at one point, was an apt name since she had proven herself quite knowledgeable in the field. The girl had assailed Iron Rose with a variety of weapons. The raw power wasn't that much, but the versatility was impressive. Aside from the power beams, there had been vibratory blasts, air shockwaves that threatened to blow her out of the sky, even some type of weapons that caused the air around her to solidify, forcing her use a great deal of power to break out of it.
And that force field of hers was proving an effective countermeasure to many of Iron Rose's assaults. While some of the attacks slipped through, the nanite suit had protected her at the cost of too few of the tiny robots. Given time the Avenger was certain she'd wear down her foe. The problem was she was burning through her own power at an uncomfortable rate. She'd be running on empty before her foe ran out of nanites.
Something had to give.
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Below the pair of armored warriors, Living Lightning was trying her hardest to electrocute Daredevil, who was trying his hardest not to get electrocuted since he was too conductive for his own good. The blind adventurer ducked and dodged in every direction as bolts flew from her fingertips in his direction. His few attempts at attacking failed miserably since she proved herself extremely agile in her own right, and his ability to evade decreased significantly when attacking.
Despite both combatants trying their best, something gave in their fight. Living Lightning switched tactics by destroying a far less mobile target, in the form of a boulder, in front of him. She correctly anticipated his evasion path as the ensuing explosion and shrapnel batted him away and left him reeling.
As Makoto Kino prepared to finish him off, she saw her new ally struggling with Iron Rose. Deciding to shift the battle in her team's favor by two, she took a moment to build up a massive charge and hurled it from a direction the Avenger wouldn't expect. As she hoped, the ball of pure electricity struck the armored warrior fully.
But as the saying went, Man Plans; God laughs. Iron Rose had decided early on that since electricity was so commonplace, it would be a useful means of recharging her armor. And frankly one never knew when an overly temperamental goddess might hurl a bolt in her direction. To that end she had built the armor to absorb any electrical charge directed at it and use it to power the armor. The ball of supercharged electricity Living Lightning used not only fully recharged the armor, but supersaturated its power capacity beyond the recommended limit. Iron Rose could only hold the excess for so long before it burned out the power cells altogether. Luckily for her, she had an ideal target to vent the surplus energy.
Iron Rose unleashed her most powerful respulsor blasts ever. Techno raised her force field, but the blasts went through with barely a pause. The nanites tried to protect Techno by clustering at the blasts' contact points, but they ended up destroyed nearly as readily, though they absorbed most of the power. There was just enough to knock Ami out. Fortunately for her she had the foresight to build a safety feature into her helmet which kicked in when she lost consciousness, and the anti-gravity units in her boots gently lowered her to the ground rather than her going in headfirst like an oversized lawn dart.
Iron Rose preened behind her faceplate. Her genius had won out in the end by focusing more on power than technique. And perhaps this Techno would start wearing some undergarments in the future, since clothing oneself in nothing but a bunch of tiny micro-machines did little for modesty when they were blown away.
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Captain U.K. was becoming increasingly angry. The damnable cat girl was worse than Casca on steroids with the way she leapt about. She'd gotten close enough to brush against the feline's fur on a couple of punches, but each time Tigra got out of the way and retaliated with a solid blow. While Minako's ability to absorb punishment was as superhuman as her strength, she had limits. The never-ending barrage of blows Tigra slipped past her guard was gradually wearing her down. And despite being a veritable blur in motion, she didn't seem to be getting any more tired.
An attempt to fly at her resulted in Tigra making an acrobatic flip, once again gracefully evading an attack. While in mid-air she took the opportunity to make a rude butt slapping gesture. Captain U.K. knew she shouldn't become agitated, Samantha constantly warned her about keeping her head in battle, but couldn't help herself since nothing was working.
And then it happened. As Tigra landed her foot shot out from under her and she hit the ground awkwardly. At last, an opening! Captain U.K. flew at her at top speed with her fists forward, intent on leaving a bloody pile of fur behind and nothing else. She was close enough to make out the slits of her opponent's eyes when Tigra impossibly leapt up and just over the British hero, striking the back of the neck hard enough to stun her for a split second.
It was also in the same split-second that Captain U.K.'s mind processed what happened. It should have been impossible for anyone short of Jo Diamond to have recovered that fast from a trip like that, no matter Tigra's reflexes. Unless she hadn't really tripped and had baited Minako into charging headlong at her.
Which she realized was exactly what had happened as she plowed headlong into a hillside at 120 kilometers per hour.
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Captain Japan had finally gotten a handle on Bloodstone's abilities and knew he was going to win. She was skilled, but not near his level. When it came to fighting, it was clear she relied on weaponry too much overall, and her super strength when it came to hand-to-hand. A good fighter would depend primarily on technique to overcome a foe, with super strength making the victory easier. While she would have been far more dangerous with the gun and knife, which he wagered was in her usual attack repertoire, even then he was sure he'd have won; it would just have taken longer. Punchout from the Geobreeders had similar physical abilities and given him a harder time. She was as much about technique as power.
After peppering Bloodstone with nearly twenty fists to various parts of her body, Captain Japan switched tactics and went for a leg sweep that knocked her off her feet and landed her on her back. She had barely struck the ground when he landed a high ax kick cleanly in her midsection, winding her bad enough it sounded like she'd never take a decent breath again in her life. A kick to the jaw left her moaning.
He surveyed the terrain and saw that while his team had an advantage, it was hardly conclusive. And from the way the water girl was moving and groaning, she was recovering. No way could he afford to get hit by a water. Way too much explaining to do and this wasn't the time. He reflexively went for his shield which wasn't there. Gauging the distance, he decided it would be wiser to recover the weapon than try to get near the human water balloon.
As he went to retrieve it, Haruka grabbed his ankle. Damn, he'd admire her persistence if she wasn't fighting for the wrong team.
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Thor whirled her hammer as fast as she could so it was in effect like Captain Japan's shield. It was necessary due to Sunfire switching tactics by unleashing a steady stream of fire from above at the goddess. And it was hot, as she could feel past the hammer made shield. It was most vexing. While this fire flinging foe possessed some measure of threat, she should not be able to stalemate Thor like this. The Goddess of Thunder wanted this minion out of the way so she could avail herself of the Red Rajah. But first she had to deal with Sunfire in a manner which didn't leave her combusting. She had assumed the girl would have run out of fire by now, but she was proving herself most resilient.
Sunfire was so focused on immolating Thor she failed to notice the tiny girl flying up behind her, which was how Wasp wanted it. She had learned from the fight –that technically didn't involve her- against the previous Sunfire. She was not letting the girl know she was around to prevent an omnidirectional fire blast which would char Wasp in mid-air no matter where she went. Luckily this Sunfire was maintaining a constant steam of flames in a single direction and totally focused on it, meaning that was the ideal opportunity to strike.
And it did as Wasp blasted her in the back of the head. Perhaps a bit harder than she had to, but she wasn't taking any chances when it came to being the target of someone's heat blasts. She'd burned herself on a stove more than once and it hadn't been fun: being charbroiled to perfection would be even less desirable.
Unconscious, Sunfire fell straight toward the ground. While Wasp was plenty tough, her wings were not going to support that kind of weight. The member of the Reborn would have probably met the ground with bone breaking force had Thor not been there to catch her. For a moment Wasp thought she wasn't going to do it, but then she effortlessly snagged her at the last second.
As she lowered the fuku-clad heroine to the ground, Thor announced, "And now it is time for the orchestrator of this perfidy to fall before—". The rest was cut off as a red beam from the Star of Capistan engulfed her head and she stared off blankly into space.
The Red Rajah announced. "Let all embrace the wisdom of oneness."
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Man Beast had been waiting for the moment. He had not been entirely forthcoming with his pawns. The mental shields he had put within them would protect them from the watered down all-encompassing version of the Star of Capistan, but not when it focused all its power on them. Only he remained immune due to his inherent nature. However, that had been the ultimate goal of the plan, to force the Star to withdraw its controls over the populous. Even now the most chaotic of the people were returning to their normal selves without the constant waves of the Star's power washing over them. He could see as individuality returned to their eyes.
And with the Star's power concentrated in the one spot, it was time to unleash the Hulk. Man Beast placed a hand on his shoulder, filling him with instant rage, and snarled. "Crush that ruby!"
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The Red Rajah felt satisfaction at bringing one of her temporary foes into the fold. It was unfortunate enlightenment had to be delayed for the entity of humanity in such a manner, but such was the way of things. It was probably best to conclude this matter, though with Thor under control, the Alpha Stone should be sufficient to see to the rest of the resistors.
It was at that moment that a quarter ton of emerald fury shot out of the Avengers quinjet and shouted, "Hulk smash stupid red stone!"
Had he not proclaimed the Star of Capistan as his target, the Red Rajah might have attacked him and rendered the point moot as he would have been too busy defending himself to attack. But that it was his focus made her panic. Instead she concentrated all of the Alpha Stone's energies into shielding the Star, so when the Hulk's giant hand tried grabbing it, his fingers enclosed around the field surrounding its surface rather than the gem itself.
But the Hulk was not so easily deterred. He continued trying to squeeze it, to crush the ruby from existence as only he could, but the field resisted his desires. That he couldn't do it only made him madder.
And the madder he got, the stronger he grew.
The remaining Reborn witnessed their leader in peril, but even with Thor neutralized they couldn't find quarter from their duels to aid her in any way.
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Man Beast watched the events unfold, enraged that the Hulk hadn't been quick enough to get to the gem in time. But he was still close enough to succeed. Man Beast knew how the powerhouse's abilities worked. He just needed a bit of a push in the right emotional direction, and no one was better at hate than him.
He focused his mental energies and targeted the Hulk's mind.
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The Hulk felt a surge of anger from within him like nothing he had experienced before. It was pure, raw undiluted emotion. No reason in it at all. Even the Hulk wasn't just angry for the sake of being angry. Something had to cause it. Something had to maintain it. And while the focus of his ire was the stone, even it only made him a normal degree of angry. That was rational thought.
There was nothing rational about what he felt now. Sanity limits how much emotion a person can feel, but insanity knows no such boundaries. Lacking rational thought, the Hulk literally became insane with rage.
He became stronger than ever before.
The field contracted until it touched the surface of the multi-faceted stone. Any other normal gem would have shattered, but the Star of Capistan was anything but normal. An artifact of immeasurable power, it was durable beyond measure.
But so was the Hulk's strength. His hand remained where it was expending as much strength as ever.
Something had to give.
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Man Beast's brow was matted in sweaty fur. He had never expended anywhere near this much mental energy in anything. It was taxing him like nothing ever had. Fueling the Hulk's rage was no longer even delightful given the pain using his abilities was causing. And that damnable gem remained intact. How was it even possible with the tremendous force the Hulk was exerting? It felt like he could have crushed a mountain with his strength, yet still it resisted. Mocking him with its existence, the opposite of everything he was.
The stalemate couldn't continue. Something had to be done. But what? He was using every ounce of his ability, and he couldn't make the Hulk angrier. But that was exactly what he needed before his strength somehow waned or some other force interrupted him. And if the Star had a chance to direct its abilities at him, it would almost certainly placate him enough that he'd never break the damnable thing.
Actually there was one thing Man Beast could do, the cost would be unimaginable, and it wasn't even guaranteed to succeed. But if he did nothing, he'd almost certainly lose everything anyway. No path led to a result he actually wanted. What did he do?
And then the answer came to him in the form of asking the right question: how much did he hate someone who put him in this position?
He released one last surge of mental energy, the greatest he had ever unleashed.
And he did it with a ravenous smile.
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Man Beast's own hatred, which knew no depths any sane, or even human mind, could grasp surged into the Hulk, intensifying his strength beyond anything he had experienced before.
The pressure on the field increased even more.
And then it happened. A single crack formed on the crystalline surface of the Star of Capistan.
The last barrier preventing destruction was the entire gem's structural integrity remaining perfect. One crack was all it took to compromise it. Once compromised, it was over. The crack grew under the no longer increasing, but rather constant, pressure. More cracks splintered in different directions from the first one, eventually forming branching cracks of their own until the gem had more cracks than facets.
The last, softly spoken words the Red Rajah said were, "How sad it is that humanity will be denied the perfection of oneness."
And the gem shattered into infinitesimally small splinters.
The reaction was instantaneous. Over a million minds linked together, all thinking the same peaceful, loving thoughts were instantly disconnected. For a moment, all of them remained lost. The constant reverberations of everyone's minds reinforcing each other in the same way, allowing no dissenting thoughts, were silent.
Depending on each being's unique personality, individual thoughts began to emerge at varying rates. For some it was a split second. For others it was nearly ten. But for all of them, thought that had nothing to do with anyone else, errant notions no longer being silenced for being 'wrong' in some fashion by the oneness of all, began bouncing around in everyone's heads. And slowly people began to think for themselves.
For some, it was as if someone released them from being deprived of oxygen, but not being allowed to suffocate to death.
For others, it left them hollow and empty inside.
And there was everything in between.
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The Reborn, in many ways the least affected overall, but the most affected to the core of their being, snapped out of it at the same time. Their eyes found one another, and all understood they were the same. They were who they were born in the now as everyone was, but at the same time had memories not exactly theirs of previous lives in a very different time. Despite the dichotomy, the thoughts coexisted. The ones of the past were more like a reference to the present, rather than having control of what happened now.
All eyes went to where the Red Rajah had been, and was obliterated forever more. All that was left was a teenage girl in a normal school outfit staring up at the sky, unblinking.
"It's over, ain't it?" Captain Japan asked. And everyone knew it was.
Daredevil made it to her side. "I can't get a feel for any physical damage. Breathing and heart rate appear normal. She'll need medical attention though."
"Man Beast!" Hawkeye shouted. The other Avengers raced along with the archer to the quinjet, hoping to grab their enemy, who had been briefly their ally, before he escaped.
It turned out they had nothing to fear. He lay on the floor, eyes closed, drool escaping from his mouth, breathing shallowly.
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It was nearly four hours later at the nearest hospital the Avengers and Reborn had taken the patients to. It was fairly quiet in the facility. It turned out the Red Rajah had been bad for business. Eventually the physicians informed the teams of both patients' medical condition. Man Beast had suffered a brain embolism and was in a vegetative state they were fairly certain he'd never wake up from, considering the massive damage he had suffered.
Usagi Tsukino was in a coma showing very little brain activity herself. But since they couldn't determine a physical cause, they were at a loss at what to do for her. But given all the heroes assured the authorities she was as much a victim as everyone else, they swore to see to it she was given the best treatment imaginable.
And the official group of heroes was left with an unofficial group on their hands.
Captain Japan took the lead. "Sorry about beating you guys up. Any idea what you're going to do now?"
"I have duties back home," Captain U.K. informed everyone, but primarily her old friends who she was meeting for the first time.
Living Lightning looked to the others. "While I've been running solo for a while, I have nothing against working with a team. Heck, if I'd ever met any of the Avengers, I'd have probably petitioned to join."
"I did not wrest the title of Sunfire from my detestable cousin to not redeem it in some fashion, especially given his actions of late. I'd have no issue with working as a unit. Like the Avengers, I think we would be more effective." Sunfire looked at the other girls.
"This was my maiden flight. I could use some advice," Techno admitted. And most definitely did not mention who her father was.
Haruka stopped staring at Tigra's breasts. "Sure. Dad and Sis will be fine on their own." She stared checking out Aqueduct.
"It's not like I'm part of Alpha, Beta, or Gamma Flight. I wouldn't mind operating here." Aqueduct shot Bloodstone an icy glare. "And you're about two seconds away from drowning to death in a drinking fountain."
Haruka gave a whiplash smile. "Well, if I had to go out at your hands, it'd be worth it. And I bet that green is your natural hair colack!" She found her statement cut short by a garrote of water coming from the nearby drinking fountain and wrapping itself around her neck.
The person that had been using it was none too happy either at having their drink shoot away from their mouth and go asphyxiate someone, since it did nothing to quench her thirst.
"We had issues starting out, too," Captain Japan told them as Haruka's eyes began to bulge. "Growing pains. Don't worry about it. You'll get over them."
Aqueduct walked up to Haruka, who was still being strangled. "You want to behave from now on? Oh, and I should mention urine is composed of enough water that I can control it. Think about that."
Haruka gave a thumb's up, partially from the lack of oxygen, but mostly because she didn't want to be terrified when going to the bathroom for the rest of her life. That super power was just plain wrong.
Aqueduct released the water's hold and welcomed her new gasping member to the team.
Iron Rose said, "We'll see to it Man Beast's henchm… anima… menagerie," she finally settled on. "Are imprisoned. We owe them." At last they could get back at the insipid councilwoman's implication the Avengers had quietly murdered the Ani-Men and did away with their bodies during their first meeting. And that there were bombs that had to be disposed of, though it was clear Man Beast had used one to cover their escape.
The teams continued more formal introductions until Hawkeye noted the time. "It was nice meeting you." Everyone took it as a signal to part company after a very, very unorthodox day even for two groups of super heroes.
As they left, Captain Japan said to his comrades, "You see, that happens all the time. Good guys beating each other up the first time they meet. It's like a superhero tradition. Look at the Geobreeders. Same thing happened with them. It's kind of a thing."
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As night fell, Usagi Tsukino lay in her bed unmoving, a variety of monitors hooked up to her and giving off soft beeping noises. She was alone, since she was being monitored and there was no reason to watch a comatose patient, since being comatose was the diametric opposite of being able to do something. Being dead was probably the only other condition more certain than that.
But had anyone been in the room, it would have mattered little since they'd have never noticed the cat with the crescent moon shape in its fur, sitting on the bed next to Usagi's head. Because that was something it was very good at.
Luna regarded the comatose girl. She was uncertain if she was depressed at the Red Rajah's failure or not. The goal was worthy, to be certain, and the being had been sincere, the cat was equally certain. It wasn't the exact kind of peace Serenity had envisioned, but had the Eternal possessed the ability, perhaps she would indeed have done the same thing.
But it mattered not. The gem was destroyed for good, and the cost had been high. Given her majesty's current state, she'd never rule the world again. While she might come out of it on her own, it was just as likely she wouldn't. Who could tell with catastrophic psychic failure?"
While the ideal solution had been for Usagi to willingly accept her destiny, Serenity had left Luna the ability to use an alternative plan should her 'successor' prove reluctant to accept the mantel of leadership she had to wear. While it hadn't been intended to be used this way, Luna thought her mistress would approve.
She touched the moon symbol to Usagi's head. It glowed as an exact copy of Serenity's millennia old personality began to imprint itself on the teenager's now inert mind.
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[Weeks later]
Irie Soyozoh stared idly from his position on an upper level of the warehouse that allowed him to look down in the central area, personally overseeing the last of Hound's bases being dismantled. It had been a slow process, since everything a government bureaucracy did was a slow process. First they had been left in place to make certain the Phantom Cats were all truly destroyed. When it was finally proven they were, well, decommissioning took a while, mostly because the organization had been highly secretive, and burying it as though it had never existed meant creating tons of more bureaucratic paperwork in the Ministry of Health and Welfare to make it seem they had been something other than what they were. But Irie had stayed with it to the end, overseeing everything as he had been tasked to
Narusawa had mentioned to him most people, especially government officials with any form of power, were reluctant to part with it, and was surprised he didn't seem sorrowful about Hound being shut down. While it was true all the personnel were being reassigned rather than fired, and would continue to draw the same salaries they had, including him, they'd mostly be busywork jobs rather than anything meaningful. Irie explained he had never had actual power to wield, it wasn't like he could phase through walls or regenerate from wounds. He had simply been an instrument that those with the 'power' Narusawa referred, utilized. In all honesty, had they assigned him the task of digging up holes then filling them, he would have felt just as 'powerful' as he had being the head of Hound.
Narusawa had actually said to his face she didn't know if he was the type that could be trusted with ultimate power because he'd only use it when needed, or should never be trusted with it since he'd use it as 'effectively' as was required.
Irie said he didn't know the answer, and unless he actually got some, it was irrelevant. Because 'what if's were useless mental exercises. 'What is' was all that mattered.
She said she was pretty sure it was the latter and left it at that.
He thought she might have been right. She was a fairly good judge of human nature. It was one of the reasons she had been his right hand woman.
As he watched another forklift position itself to place some heavy machinery in a large packing crate, someone entered the room whom he hadn't expected to see. Councilwoman Arjuna Ariyoshi. At one time he thought he might be on her list of 'people we line up for the firing squad first' back in the day. Now she seemed to hate superheroes even more. But she also seemed the type to leave a name on the list, even if their position fell down a few ranks. She was also the type to make sure there were enough bullets for everyone.
He figured she was here to gloat. Perhaps she had managed to get him reassigned to a remote undersea facility to test the practicality of ocean bottom kelp farming. While most people would dread such a thing, he'd see to it the whole operation was run to the best of his abilities.
She was smiling. If she wanted a reaction from him, she'd be disappointed. While he reacted to things, gloating politicians weren't one of them.
"Congratulations, Mr. Soyozoh. You are hereby ordered to cease dismantling this base." Her grin nearly reached back to both her ears.
Rather than ask for an explanation, Irie used his phone to text everyone to cease what they were doing. He patiently waited for her next instruction.
Clearly she had been expecting him to ask something. When he didn't, her smile lessoned somewhat. She handed him a small flash drive and told him the security password to it, as well as handing him some physical documents. Official government documents.
She informed him, "To make a long story short, these super powered fascists finally went over the line in a way everyone agrees with. Mind raping millions of people got through to all but the most obtuse member of the Diet. We passed special measures to put into place government agencies and resources to deal with the menace they represent. Oh, it's not termed that way, but that's what it means. You can't deal with them in the manner you could with the Phantom Cats, but you are allowed to use force, potentially lethal, if the situation calls for it.
"Actually, once they read my resolution, some of them added to it, much to my delight. Even old dogs can learn new tricks. You have more financing, and more resources, than you ever did as Hound. You'll even be more public. In fact, we're counting on that. The more exact details are in there, and they're very broad. We're going to have to work out more precise details on how to set up and execute everything, operation parameters, physical materials, and all that. And I will be keeping a close eye on everything since I have power over the whole operation. While you'll be in charge of administration and who will be in command in the field, I will be in charge of you.
"Now you might be wondering why I would put someone who I had… disagreements in philosophy with in charge of this. Now that I have the security clearance, I looked through everything with Hound. You really were very thorough. I like that in a subordinate. I expect you to be just as thorough with this. Simply put, you are the best man for the job, and this job cannot be screwed up. Japan's future hangs in the balance, as if the Red Rajah affair wasn't proof of that, and personal distaste must be put aside. Do this job well, and you might find yourself in my good graces. If you've been following my political career at all, you realize it would serve you best to be there. You'll go far Soyozoh, very far if you do the job I want you to do."
Irie bowed. "Very good, Councilwoman."
It was clear Arjuna liked the show of respect. "By the way, the organization will go by a different name from now on. Hounds chase cats. We need something more intimidating to chase, and bring down, these out of control monsters. Something that hunts bigger prey.
"Your new name will be Kerberos: Wolf Brigade."
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Kang stood before the time vortex in his citadel in Limbo, pulling the images he wished to see from it. A pivotal event unfolded exactly as anticipated, ending with the same resolution it had in his original timeline. The Avengers triumphant. Had Kang succeeded in killing them earlier, the Super Adaptoid, immune to the Red Rajah thanks to it being a robot, would have killed the girl and dumped the Star of Capistan in a volcano. If it hadn't been destroyed there and returned at some point in history, it was in a future distant enough he cared nothing of it.
The Red Rajah had been required to be the necessary straw that broke the back on government reluctance to do something about the surge in super-powered beings. And that legislation had been very, very necessary. Otherwise the key event that made what happened be referred to as 'the Tragedy' wouldn't occur. And it had to. The path to Heaven had to start here, and he had been allowed to walk it until the Avengers destroyed it from underneath him, driving him to the desperate measures that led him here to take up the mantel of Kang the Conqueror.
Certain events had to transpire. But the Avengers could be removed, had to be removed, between 'now' and 'then'. He had the next point he was convinced would work. He could lure them here and eliminate them in Limbo with no repercussions. Even now he was choosing the best people from time to do the job. But it was a balancing act. Too many and they would turn on him and win. Too few and they would fail to kill the Avengers. Despite the situations he would engineer to make them willing to work with him, none would be loyal to him personally. Not a single one could be trusted. This was a dangerous path to tread as well. At least he had figured out an appropriate name for them. A bunch of people on the edge of death whose only way out was to deal it to others.
The Death Parade.
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[End Act IV]
End notes: Well, that only took a decade plus. My life went through a lot of low points over that time, but now I'm feeling the old urge coming back, as evidenced by putting all this out with some regularity. If it wouldn't mess everything up with the comments section, I'd consolidate a number of the Act IV's short chapters into fewer larger ones. Really, I'm pretty sure while it has twice the number of chapters as Act I, it's about half the size. This work is not as daunting as it appears.
In hindsight I didn't get as much character development as I wanted in this act due to only working on it sporadically and not establishing a rhythm like in my other longer works, like Shampoo ½ and Vacation Days. Though I was happy with what is there, which is what really matters. I got the Nabiki-Ranma dynamic the way I wanted, and hey, he couldn't keep the identity secret from everyone forever. Kasumi being advanced, and Tofu's long time resentment of being on the team finally being dealt with. I confess he was always going to be the one to quit, and he had been in a bit of a rut in Act 3 and first 2/3 of 4 with harping about being on the team so it was time to finally have him snap. Hey, not everyone can adjust to the hero's life, and he was probably the most normal of the regular cast so it made sense. Kasumi, who had been number two, just went in the opposite direction.
Dang, I now want to commission artwork of her 'Hooker Kasumi' disguise.
Biko Stane-Daitokuji was *finally* revealed as the figure back in Chapter 2 and beyond. And the Super Adaptoid being at her side. She actually figures into the big climax, which is why she's been in it for so long. And I no longer have any idea how many people have actually seen Project Ako at this point. Hey, when I started this in '99, it was considered 'early common anime' that most fans had seen since it was commercially released on VHS, so she would have been a recognized character that fit the role. BTW, I still feel the first is worth watching and held up well, especially when you realize who Ako's parents are supposed to be since it fits in this genre if nothing else. I'm sure it's on youtube somewhere. While some CGI is very good, nearly all the old style cel animation is still quality in my eyes. Well, not all, but a lot.
And liking the old time Marvel style of writing, I had a good bit of continuity in this with previous chapters, even bringing back the good old Crusher from his one scene appearance in the Hercules chapter. As well as introducing some newer ones. Some of the more old time Marvel folks figured out Man Beast was Hate Monger as early as the 'we dyed Peanuts' reference, and that he was the second Hate Monger at one time as the giveaways, but I wanted some foreshadowing for those that look for it. He did the classic 'no body death' so the potential was always there: it's why as a writer you don't leave a body behind unless you are positive it's for good. I never cared much for leaving a body, and then retconning the character back with really bad contrivance even for the genre. *cough* Norman Osborn *cough*. So I recycled one of a major arc villains into a second arc. I will spoiler things a bit by saying don't expect him for a third go around. He was perfect in the role in this arc as the foil for the Red Rajah since they were polar opposites. He's not coming out of brain death any time soon.
And while the character didn't last long, I always rather liked the Red Rajah and its one story arc appearance in Defenders (it took over Dr. Strange there) and the fight in this was derived a lot from that. So was some of the dialogue. It stuck with me. Hey, Keith Giffen is good at fights. Actually I really enjoyed his entire run there. But the character is not classic evil. Rather, it's a very well meaning 'the ends justifies the means' antagonist. Which made it ironic the classic evil guy helped the good guys since they had the common goal. The juxtaposition is fun and I think I pulled it off decently. Heck, the entire act was named after it.
And as for the long term ramifications, well, the next to last scene was pretty much the launching point for it. It has been building for a while, and now it's starting to bubble over. And I already laid a lot of groundwork with Irie and company so we don't really need to reintroduce them either.
Continuity also saves time.
And I was struck by some inspiration in developing some of the less touched upon Avengers early in the next act (hell, Act II was nothing but that, so I did need to balance it somewhat). But I think I've got a handle on exactly how I want to deal with it. So there'll be more of that integrated with the story. The main cast moving along won't be ignored. I just tend to have a sharp focus on one or two at a time.
Oh yeah, I did get Red Dead Redemption 2. I do love the open world there. No, I'm not rushing the main story at all. So this won't be coming out *that* quickly. But since this entire chapter was started and done after I started playing it, I can juggle both. Luckily I can tell it'll be like Skyrim: only one playthrough. So once I kill one of every animal and fish, which will be that.