A/N Hi, I hope everyone is safe and healthy, and I hope this will entertain you.
Warning; This chapter shows more violent scenes than previous chapters.
I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Marvel and Inuyasha, none of it.
Chapter 15
"Ultron?" Kagome whispered in confusion.
"In the flesh, or, no, not yet. Not this... chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission," Ultron started stuttering a bit, looking around the room.
"What mission?" Natasha asked cautiously and coldly. She sneakily handed Kagome a steak knife. Kagome took it, and moved it to a firmer grip, easier to attack or defend if need be.
"Peace in our time," he said firmly to her. The surrounding walls exploded inward as the Iron Legion came barreling into the room. Kagome quickly threw up a barrier to protect everyone from the first wave of glass, and then the attack. Once the shield was dropped, everyone attacked the Iron Legion as they encroached on them threateningly again, having learned lunging was a very bad idea. Kagome flipped over an Iron Legion, stabbing it in the neck, and tearing through the wiring, beheading it in the process.
"Rhodey!" She heard Hill yell out in a panic, Kagome glanced at her father's oldest and closest friend, as he got thrown out the window.
"Dad," Kagome yelled out to him as another Iron Legion tried to attack her again. "You just had to build a homicidal robot, didn't you," she hissed, kicking the bot's legs out from under it, and Clint firing an arrow into its chest as it fell to the ground. He ran over to Kagome as she stood up again from her crouched position.
"Here you go," he smiled, handing her a bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Thanks, Clint," she smiled while taking it into her hands. The pair now stood back to back, firing arrow after arrow into the Legion.
"Sweetie, this is not the time to discuss this," Tony yelled back t0 her, fighting off one of the Legion himself. Since he did not have the suit on, only the glove, it was proving to be a difficult endeavor. Kagome then fired an arrow into its back, though its chest slightly, as it had its hands around her father's neck.
"Oh no, because we are fighting an army of homicidal robots," she snapped, glaring at him.
" Stark!" Steve snapped at him, as he tried to get Loki's scepter back from one of the Legion.
"We are here to help," another Iron Legion said, as Tony attempted to fight it off with a fondue fork this time.
" One sec, one sec, I got this!" Tony yelled, trying to stab it with the fork.
"Oh for the love of Kami," Kagome cursed, swinging her leg, infusing her powers into it, and kicking the bot advancing on her into the wall. Then running over to give her father a hand with his Legion opponent.
"Thor!" Steve yelled for him, trying to get over to Kagome. Who now, tackled the Iron Legion bot to the ground, tumbled across the floor with it, till she was straddling its chest, and stabbed it in the chest with the Steak Knife, she had slipped into her dress.
"Everyone, drop," Kagome yelled, summoning a whip from her fingers. Everyone dropped down onto their stomachs, as Kagome swung the whip around her, slicing through the majority of the Iron Legion like a hot knife through butter. Only one very damaged one remained and aimed its cannons at her.
"Cap!" Clint shouted, having left the room again, without anyone noticing, and tossing Steve his shield. Steve catches and dismembered the bot before it could fire its cannon at his wife. Kagome looked at him with her breathing slightly labored, a loving and bright smile on her face. He returned the smile, and then they hardened their faces to turn and face Ultron.
"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? " Ultron said, in thought, picking up a Legion Iron Robot that was mangled from Kagome's Pire whip. "With these? These puppets? " he gestured to the bot, as he crushed its head with his hand. "There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction," he said firmly. Thor threw his hammer at Ultron, while Kagome sent a pure arrow at him, together the pair destroyed Ultron's body, or more specifically obliterated it, so only the head remained. "I had strings, but now I'm free. There are no strings on me, no strings on me," Ultron's head began to sing. Kagome felt a chill run up her spine, as he sang the familiar Disney song.
"This… This is not over," Kagome whispered in dread, Steve coming over and wrapping his arms around her waist, and holding her close to his chest. Kagome not resisting, laying her head on his chest and taking solace and comfort in the feeling of safety and warmth it provided her.
"We need to go to the lab," Tony started rushing out of the room, everyone following shortly behind him.
"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, and used the internet as an escape hatch," Bruce said, going through the information in the computer, his eyes shining in horror.
"Ultron," Steve quietly cursed as Kagome stood beside Natasha sharing an annoyed look.
"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other," Natasha said firmly and in a tone of caution.
"And we barely know anything about him," Kagome said coldly and firmly. Gome was the kind and caring woman, in its place, she was the Lady and Miko of the West, the warrior that has seen and fought thousands of battles, and hundreds of wars. "We need information," she said as Natasha nodded in agreement, noticing the personality change, and the seriousness Kagome was taking the situation.
"He's in your files, he's on the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodes asked, concerned, staring at the room filled with people.
"Nuclear codes," Hill supplied in a grave tone, that froze the room of people in horror.
"Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can," Rhodes said in a panicked tone rushing out the room.
"Nukes?" Natasha asked in confusion. She looked to Kagome who had a look of deep thought on her face.
"He said he wanted us dead," Kagome said in thought, nodding her head to a table with her phone on it. Natasha grabbed it for her and handed it to her friend leisurely.
"He didn't say dead. He said extinct," Steve corrected her as Kagome dialed a number on her phone.
"Koi, this so not the time," Kagome stated firmly, getting up, and walking away a bit of distance from the rest of the party. She was dialing a phone number, looking annoyed as she put it to her ear.
"He also said he killed somebody," Steve stated coldly, returning to the group in front of him, but keeping his wife in the corner of his eye.
"But there wasn't anyone else in the building," Hill said, confused looking around at them all.
"Yes, there was," Tony sighed, bringing up Jarvis on the screen. Kagome's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the AI her father had built. She had grown up with the AI, he had been a good companion, and friend, though he was technically a computer. Kagome was then pulled out of her memories, and back into her conversation on the phone.
"This is insane," Brice cried out in horror, walking around a table, his hands to his hair in fear and frustration of the situation they were in.
"JARVIS was the first line of defense. He would've shut Ultron down, it makes sense," Steve said in thought, as Kagome hung up the phone. She walked back over to the group crossing her arms across her chest, her face a cold exterior.
"That is not a calculating attack," Kagome said coldly, staring at the destroyed AI. It appeared to be a mangled and shattered gold sphere of code. "It was a savage kill," she hissed out, eyes darkening a fraction in anger.
"Kagome is right, Ultron could've assimilated JARVIS. This isn't a strategy, this is rage," Bruce nodded in agreement with Kagome. Thor stormed into the room marching right up to Tony grabbing his shit collar and lifting him in the air. Kagome briefly forgot that he had gone after Ultron, as one of the Iron Legion flew off with Loki's scepter, but focused more on the fact he was holding her Father in the air by his collar.
"Woah, Woah, Woah! It's going around," Clint cried out in horror and caution seeing the situation unfold in front of him. Kagome went over and got her father out of the Asgardians grasp rather harshly, tearing off a piece of his collared shirt, pushing Thor away rather forcibly, to prevent him from severely hurting her Father.
"Thor," she snapped at him, glaring at him, standing between him and Tony.
"Come on Pointbreak. Use your words, buddy," Tony coughed up fixing his collar and looking sad at the torn cloth in Thor's clenched fist.
"Shut up, just shut up dad," Kagome snapped at him, not even looking at him. "Only reason I am in between you and not doing what Thor just did, is because you're my father," she said rather coldly. Causing the man's eyes to widen a fraction in shock at his daughter's cold tone and words.
"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark," Thor growled out trying to get to Tony again. Kagome caught him and held him back from attacking the mortal.
"I said back off," Kagome snapped, pushing him back even harder. Causing Thor to crash into a work table behind him, its contents mostly falling onto the ground behind him. He held onto the edge to steady himself from completely knocking over the table, and falling onto the floor. "Thor, I get it, believe me, I get it," she stated coldly, cutting a glare behind her, directed at Tony. "But physically breaking him is not helping," she snapped at him coldly, locking eyes with him. The pair had a silent conversation and argument with their eyes, a trait they had developed together over the years of fighting together. Thor soon sighed, and nodded in defeat, after seeing the reason behind Kagome's words and reasoning. He silently wished she was there when he went to attack Jotunheim, knowing she would have been able to stop him from making the monstrous decision, and as result preventing him from being banished. Besides Jane, and his mother, she was the only person in the cosmos to calm him down from his engulfing and blind rage. "What of Ultron?" she asked him in a deadly serious tone after they stood there for a moment in silence. Kagome did not like seeing Thor so enraged and knew once he got that way, the only way to bring him out was to forcibly knock him out of it, and get him to see reason. They had grown close ther]se three years, forming, what Thor affectionately calls, Warrior Sister. She was his equal in almost everything, but she did not understand the realms above and was not physically as strong as him. Though they both shared the burden of abnormally long life spans, helping rule a kingdom or people, that depend on you to defend and protect them from the evils that lurk in the shadows, and overall the terrors and pains of war. Steve for a time was worried and jealous of the growing relationship between the pair, till Thor very loudly announced, at a gala, that Kagome Higurashi-Stark- Rodgers, was his honorary and warrior sister.
"Trail went cold about a hundred miles out but it's headed north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it, again," Thor snapped, standing straight again, and walking away from her and Tony, to calm his anger, with the breathing techniques she taught him, in exchange for him teaching her in fighting with Asgardian weapons, like a hammer and broadsword.
"That's alright, I called in the Shadows," she sighed, watch Thor closely with her eyes since he seemed more of a threat to her father's life and health. Her instincts she had developed over the years, by living primarily with Sesshomaru, Shippo, and the other Youkai, were kicking into high gear. Steve cut his eyes to her in anger and frustration at the name of the aforementioned Shadows. Kagome could feel him looking at her, and through his aura, since their wedding night, she could feel his aura almost instinctively now, knowing how he feels. He also can feel Kagome's emotions, and it came in handy when she tried to hide her pain or injuries on missions. "Steve, this Ultron is after all of us, planning on destroying us. This is not only towards the team and me, but our family," she snapped at him, cutting her eyes to him. "I trained them myself, they're good at what they do," she stated coldly. He huffed consenting to her point and anger but turned away storming towards a table. He knew she was right, and this would be the best option in finding the homicidal Robot, but it still pissed him off to ask InuYoukai for help. Kagome rolled her eyes, and aggravation in her face. She was tired of being the one stuck in the middle of Sesshomaru, her father, and husband, always between a feud between the men in her life over something she had no part of, or about herself. Shippo being the only one, was able to understand that it was not right or fair to expect Kagome to pick a side between the most important people in her life. She was very restful for that face and loved her kit stronger. Natasha sent her best friend, between Kagome and Clint, they were all three extremely close from here day they all were accidentally assigned to the same mission. Natasha knew the ever-growing feuds between the three men was causing her a great deal of stress and frustration recently. Natasha is one step away from smacking each of the males, even if one of them is an Inu youkai Lord Warrior, to stop being so mysterious,y idiotic, and leaving Kagome out of their senseless feuding, before one of them loses her for good, from her ever-growing frustration and anger at the situation in a whole. Clint is in the same mindset as Natasha, and about to do the same thing for the young woman.
He remembers the day they met years ago, they were hunting down a corrupt politician that was kidnapping children to seek the highest bitter, he was mainly taking orphans, thinking no one would notice them gone. While on the mission they ran into Kagome, who was hunting for the same man, since he was selling those children to Youkai Underworld Lords, to resell to lesser Youkai. After discovering they were after the same target, the trio paired up to hunt down the monster in human form and his Youkai cohorts.
His mind wanders off to the memory of the busting of the organization. He was on the phone waiting for the signal to move in, Phil on the other end of the phone.
"You think she will be willing to join us permanently?" Phil asked curiously monitoring the bust. At that moment Kagome and Natasha were in a Mercedes in disguise for the bust. Natasha and Kagome were in glamour provided by Shippo, as a favor from his mom.
"I would have been happy to help in infiltrating," Clint sighed sitting on the rooftop across the street from the club, the target entered.
"I know, but our ladies can handle it, " Phil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose at Clint's asking to join the girls part of the mission, again. "Our girls can handle it," he hummed in thought looking at the files of the pair of females. "They are going to infiltrate the target easier than you can, this place's security is tighter than the Pentagon. The only people that are allowed within without an extensive search," he sighed in defeat, grabbing a glass of tea. Kagome and Natasha disguised themselves as an extremely curvy skinny pale red-haired woman, and a busty blonde, with dark tan skin and extremely tall, sat in the club. They were let in, once the bouncer saw them, and how attractive they were. Watching as the humans become high from drugs found in the Youkai realm, and Youkais getting high, having fun with one another unaware of what was happening to them. Kagome glared at the scum present in front of her, and the poor mortals and Youkai being dragged into this world of corruption unknowingly.
"Yeah," he sighed. "To answer your question, I don't think so," he said in thought, getting an arrow ready. All the while Kagome and Natasha were being approached by a bully bear Youkai.
"Why do you think that?" Phil asked curiously. Kagome and Natasha walking to a curtained area. There sat a purple lizard Youkai dressed as a generic gangster in the 80s, and the human politician that is their target.
"Most of the agents won't be able to keep up with her," he chuckled deeply. As Kagome begins to throw herself against the Youkai, Natasha does the same to the politician. The Yuokai smiled a dark smile at Kagome, signaling his bodyguards to leave. As he leaned down to kiss her, reaching for the hem of her skirt. "She is a bit," he hummed in thought, expecting one of his arrows. Kagome feigned lust but pulled out a dagger infused with her reiki out of the hidden pocket in her black mini skirt. "Intense," Clint finally finished smirking, as Kagome stabbed the demon in the heart, killing him quickly, her Reiki causing the Lizard Youkai to turn to dust. As Natasha used a taser to knock out and stun the politician. While inside the club, S.H.I.E.L.D agents and Sesshomaru's men swarm the place capturing members of this group that tried to escape, both human and Yokai alike.
"Is that so?" Phil hummed in thought, about to enter the Club. Clint was already within, storming the place with the others. Kagome stood beside Natasha, both now unglamored, as they freed the human girls and children. They were being held in a dark dank basement room in the back of the club.
Clint had been close with her ever since that mission, not as close as Natasha is to her, but after these few years, he's grown into seeing her as his younger sister, even though she is technically older than him. So seeing her in this state made him upset with the three men causing it. Then his phone pinged, showing someone was calling him, and he stepped out to take the call.
"The genie's out of that bottle. Clear and present is Ultron," Natasha snapped annoyed, crossing her arms. "Kagome was right," she sighed in defeat, getting up and walking over to her, to show her support in the subject. "The Shadows will find him and bring us to him or him to us," she nodded in agreement. Kagome allowed a small smile onto her face, directing it to Natasha in thanks.
"I don't understand. You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?" Cho asked curiously and confused. Kagome was tempted to throw something at the woman, for her ridiculous and stupid questions. Suddenly Tony began laughing humorlessly, preventing Kagome from snapping at the doctor. Kagome slowly turned her head to him, with a cautious and angry look on her face at his sudden outburst.
"You think this is funny?" Thor snapped at him, I hung to hit the man he blamed for the situation they were in.
"No. It's probably not, right? Is this very terrible? Is it so... is it so... it is. It's so terrible," he continued to ask like a madman, laughing while doing it.
"This could've been avoided if you hadn't played with something you don't understand," Thor roared at him beginning to storm towardsTony, Kagome stopping him again, pushing him back from herself and her father, not as hard this time. But her look mirrored his angered one., as they locked eyes
"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is funny. It's a hoot that you don't get why we need this," Tony stated sarcastically and coldly, pacing behind his daughter.
"Need this? Need this?!" Kagome yelled at him in anger, turning her whole body to face him now. "How the hell do we need a homicidal, mad, self-righteous AI, Robot?" she yelled at him in pure anger, her eyes beginning to glow pink. Soon her form began to glow pink, but it was not a soft glow, but a crackling sensation that resembled a raging fire.
"Tony, maybe this might not be the time to," Bruce said timidly watching Kagome as her anger raised to exponential levels. He was not as close with Kagome as the others were, but he did like her. She taught him some meditation techniques to control his anger, claiming that always being angry was not healthy. So seeing her anger growing extremely and manifesting in her powers and aura, to the point everyone can see it, means Tony is entering very dangerous territory.
"Really?! That's it? You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls," Tony demands angrily, glaring at his friend and fellow scientist bro. He had completely overlooked and ignore his daughter's anger reaching its limits.
" Only when I've created a murder bot," Bruce snapped at him, watching Kagome cautiously.
"We didn't. We weren't even close. Were we close to an interface?" Tony asked sarcastically, looking at him, a tinge bit betrayed.
"Well congratulations Dad, you made an interface, a killing machine, that is gunning for us!" Kagome snapped sarcastically, her aura flaring, even more, eyes slightly glowing now a full-on ethereal glow covering her electric sapphire eyes. The Avengers and others were slowly backing away from the explosion about to happen between the Father and Daughter.
"The Avengers were supposed to be different from S. .L.D.," Steve stated calmly, watching his wife concerned about the amount of power coming out of her. He has not seen this amount of anger come from her, not even when H.Y.D.R.A was discovered, not even with Loki and the attack on New York. She was normally a calm, and clear head, rarely letting her emotions overtake her senses and judgment. This was not the time, she was angry, with righteous fury, that was about to explode any minute now if Tony kept talking. The likelihood of the Billionaire Genius knowing now would be the best time to shut up, was slim to none.
"Anybody remembers when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony asked curiously, eyeballing the room, noticing them slowly backing away from him and Kagome.
"No, it's never come up," Rhodes said, supporting his best friend but backing up like the others, because of the glowing Kagome, and knew when she exploded, the best thing to do is to duck.
"Saved New York?" Tony demanded, completely ignoring his daughter. Who was growing in anger, her face becoming redder and redder, as well her powers sparking around her form more violently.
"Never heard that," Rhodes shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, slowly beginning to squat behind a table, bring Hill down with him. Everyone but Tony, began to follow suit, at seeing Kagome's power become even wilder.
"Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it. We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but, that up there? That's... that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?" Tony granted the room, confused at the beginning to take shelter around the room.
"Together," Steve stated calmly, waiting for the eruption to happen, ducking behind his shield.
"We'll lose," Tony stated coldly, eyeballing his son-in-law.
"No," Kagome snapped loudly, her voice booming abnormally. "We wouldn't lose," she said, her voice icy with fury laced within it. Tony finally looked at his daughter and the infernal storm of her powers around her, and the glowing of her eyes. "We are not alone, this world is beginning to show more and more heroes, and with them, along with the youkai, we would win. But no, you never consider that! You decided to build a MURDEROUS MEGALOMANIAC MANIAC AI ROBOT THAT IS GUNNING FOR US ALL!" She yelled at him in anger, her power flare ing outward. Tony takes a few steps back seeing the severity of him not noticing his daughter's anger " AFTER HE IS DONE WITH US, WHO TO SAY WHO ELSE HE WILL GO AFTER NEXT!" she screamed at him in pure anger. Her powers flared out, knocking and throwing everything around her away from her. Everyone, but Tony, completely hiding now from the enraged woman. "NOW INSTEAD OF RECUPERATING AND TRAINING, OR PREPARING OURSELVES FOR SUCH A THING! WE HAVE TO GO AFTER THIS ULTRON! THAT KNOWS EVERYTHING SINGLE THING ABOUT US ON ELECTRONIC FILES BECAUSE YOU JUST HAD TO TRY AND MESS WITH A POWER THAT IS BEYOND YOUR CONTROL OR UNDERSTANDING! NOPE NEVER ONCE THOUGHT, "hm, is this should be done?" YOU HAVE PUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US AND OUR LOVE ONES IN DANGER!" she screamed at him. In the last phrase, her powers exploded from her, throwing her father back, shattering most of the windows, and sending out a burst wave of pure energy. It would not have killed the Youkai, but startled them, quite a bit in the surrounding area and neighboring countries.
"Kagome," Steve called out, pulling her into his arms, and close to his chest. As she gasped for air after the blinding light faded and the wave passed. He was happy he had the foresight to hold up his shield to protect him from her power and items flying at him that were not nailed down. "sh...It's alright," he whispered, trying to calm her raging anger. As she became limp in his arms, feeling drained from releasing most of her power in that angry outburst. Tony stood up from his position on the ground, from being thrown back by Kagome's power, in shock at the sight of his powerful and severely pissed-off daughter. Begin to feel remorse for what he has done, and the events it is causing for trying to build a shield around the earth. Then the memory of the sight of her lifeless body coming to his mind, and resolved any guilt he had about Ultron.
"Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller," Steve ordered the room, as they got out of their hiding places, petting Kagome's head gently, trying to calm her raging emotions. Who was currently doing calming breaths, to ring in her anger.
"He's all over the globe. Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place," Hil described to them, reading from a tablet she had in her arms before Kagome's powers exploded.
The group had moved to a board meeting-like room after they realized how destroyed the lab was from Kagome. Kagome was sitting on Steve's lap, to help keep her calm, and prevent her from exploding again. To her being close to her husband and in Youkai society, mate calmed her down considerably and keeping her emotions in check. It was something that the pair discover a while back after Kagome had gotten injured pretty badly while taking a H.Y.D.R.A base. Steve had gone into a blind rage, and only Kagome holding him close to her could calm him down, and keep him calm on the flight back to their apartment in the tower.
"Fatalities?" Steve asked, pulling Kagome closer to his chest, feeling her anger and worry spike through their bond. Tony sat across from her and Steve, glaring at the sitting arrangement they were in. They may be married now, but she was still his daughter and did not like or want her sitting in a man's lap like she was doing right now.
"Only when engaged. Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see," Hill sighed in defeat, reading from the report. Kagome looked at her phone as it pinged, seeing a message from the Shadows.
"Maximoffs,'' Steve whispered in realization, looking at Hill while glancing at Kagome as she read something from her phone.
"Well, that makes sense he'd go to them, they have someone in common they don't like, at all," Kagome said in thought, at the update her Shadows sent her. "They have something," she said in joy, sitting up slightly. She sent Hill, or more specifically her laptop the information she received from her Shadow's team. "Hill," she called, sending the information to her.
"Not anymore," Hill sighed as the information downloaded to her tablet the Shadows information.
"Here," Kagome said, showing it to Steve on her phone. While the others looked at Hill's tablet. It was a picture of Strucker's dead body, and his cell wall painted with his blood. It said "Peace", and it was a terrifying sight to behold.
"There went my dinner," Natasha said, shaking her head looking at the picture.
"They said they have lost the trail, but are searching for a scent," Kagome sighed in defeat, reading a new message sent to her.
"I am getting Clint," Steve said, before leaning over kissing her cheek. Kagome nodded her head in agreement, her eyes glued to the screen. Steve picked her up and lightly sat her on his seat, while she continued typing vigorously.
"Kags," Tony called to her trying to draw her attention to him, and talk about earlier.
"Dad, don't," she snapped typing away on her phone, not even sparing him a glance.
"You have to understand," he began to try and explain to her, why he did what he did, now that they were both calmer now.
"Understand what?" Kagome snapped looking at her phone a bit more focused, trying to zone her father's voice out.
"I was trying to protect you, and," he began to try and explain again. The vision of her dead body in his mind, and the horror he felt at seeing her dead and mangled in his arms. To see his little princess dead on the ground, being held by Steve protectively.
"Protect me?" she snapped, everyone looking at her wide-eyed, taking a step back, expecting her to explode again. "How many times do I have to tell you? I am not a little girl anymore," she snapped, finally looking at him harshly. "I am not that little girl that came crying to you, because she thought there was a monster under my bed," she snapped eyes ablaze with pure rage. "I am over 500 years old, I can take care of myself. This dad, what you did," she seethed getting up and in his face.
"You're still," he began to yell at her but stopped himself. "You're still my daughter, my little princess," he said through teeth, trying to remain calm. "I am going to try and protect you, no matter how old you are," he said softly.
"Dad, I get it, oh believe me I do," she said emotionally. "But dad, this, what you created," she said in an emotional tone, showing the picture to him of Strucker. "Frankenstein, Jurassic Park, all those movies we watched when I was young, remember all those guys, brilliant minds. They thought I could do this wondrous, magnificent, revolutionary scientific discovery. They never once thought of the consequences, or if they shouldn't," she stated coldly, lowering her phone from his face. "You are Frankenstein and John Hammond, you are them in this situation. You shouldn't tamper with something you have no control over," she steed nicely as Steve came into the room with Clint. She brought the photo of Strucker on a hologram screen.
"What's this?" Clint demanded in horror, staring at the screen.
"A message," Steve stated coldly going over to Kagome. He places his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently, to help calm her down.
"A strong and curious one," She sighed, leaning into him. "Ultron killed Strucker," she stated stoically, crossing her arms, as a thoughtful look crossed her face.
"And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us," Tony stated, annoyed crossing his arms.
"This is a smokescreen. Why send a message when you've just given a speech?" Natasha asked stoically, leaning on a table crossing her arms.
"What if it's both," Kagome said in thought, looking to the image again. "A message is a smokescreen, but also a leader," Kagome said in thought, leaving Steve's arms and marching across the room.
"She's right, Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss," Steve said in thought, looking after Kagome as she left the room for a moment.
"Yeah, I bet he," Natasha began, taking out Kagome's Laptop, and powering it on. After it powered up, she went into her files and saw she had Strucker's file. She opened it to see that it was completely cleaned out. "Yep. Everything we had on Strucker has been erased," she sighed in annoyance and defeat.
"Not everything," Kagome called reentering the room. Carrying a stack of files in her arms, and dropping them on the table. Everyone looked at her surprised, as the files made a loud thump noise. "What, you think we wouldn't take the solid copies of the electronic files that were printed?" she asked stoically, with a raised eyebrow.
"God I love you," Steve smiled at her. She sent a small smile on her face to him, leaning over and kissing him lightly on the lips. Steve took the opportunity to pull her even closer and deepened the kiss.
"Please don't," Hill asked, bowing her head, trying not to blush at the display. The couple shook their heads at her as they broke the kiss. She has been here for 3 years and had to witness many, many lovey-dovey moments and accidentally walked in on several make-out sessions.
"Let's get cracking," Kagome smiled, clapping her hands together. They all took a file and began reading them vigorously, to find any hint or clue of where Ultron and the Maximoffs were heading next.
"Known associates. Well, Strucker had a lot of friends," Steve stated as he read a file. Kagome was leaning on his chest as she read her file, they were on the floor so she could sit between his legs.
"That's a nice way of putting it," Kagome stated, turning the page in the file she was reading.
"Well, these people are all horrible," Bruce stated sitting on the floor by a table, closest to the couple.
" Wait, I know that guy," Clint suddenly called, getting up from his lounge position in his chair, placing a photo on the table. They all got up and gathered around the table to get a look at the photo. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast, black market arms," he explained to them. Steve sent him a pointed look, while Kagome picked up the photograph.
" Ulysses Klaue," she read, in thought, placing her knuckle to her chin. "I remember this creep, he tried to break into the Western Lands. He wanted the Tessaiga, Bakusaiga, and Tetsusaiga," Kagome said in thought. "Along with other things," she said darkly in thought.
"What else?" Rhode asked, locking eyes with her.
"One of Ayame and Kouga's young female pups," she stated. "Let's just say, he failed, and will never be able to reproduce after Ayame was through with him," she smirked. All the men in the room winced in pain and instinctually went to protect their jewels. "He only escaped, because, uh, he hired a bunch of other youkai outlaws," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, remembering the big mess it caused.
"I see," Bruce hummed in thought but winced in pain at just imagining it.
"Right," Tony nodded towards her. "There are conventions, alright? You meet people, I didn't sell him anything. He was talking about finding something new, a game-changer, it was all very Ahab," he explained to the group, causing some to grow confused by his weird description.
" What's this? " Thor asked, looking over Kagome's shoulder. She noticed him and held the picture towards him so he could get a better look.
"Uh, it's a tattoo. I don't think he had it," Tony said in thought and confusion.
"No, those are tattoos, this is a brand," Thor explained with a grave tone, he pointed to a different part of the perp's body, then the brand again.
"Oh, yeah. It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way," Natasha explained simply]ly looking at the brand herself.
"What dialect?" Bruce said in thought, trying to see the picture for himself. Kagome merely handed it over to him with a warm smile on her face.
" Wa...Wa...Wakanda?" she said, trying to remember the country.
"Wakanda? It's a small, but powerful province, or country in Africa," Kagome said in thought. Then her eyes widened in shock looking at Steve then her dad, remembering the country's main good they had traded with them. "Oh crap," she hissed out in annoyance.
"If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods," Tony trailed off in shock, locking eyes with his daughter. who he could see came to the same conclusion as him.
" I thought Howard said he got the last of it?" Steve asked, looking between the daughter and father pair, catching onto what they were talking about.
"Hm, that was a big fat lie if I ever heard one," Kagome scoffed, crossing her arms. "They have been trading with us for centuries, and that is one of the main items we trade with them," she sighed exasperatedly.
"I don't follow. What comes out of Wakanda?" Bruce asked, confused, looking at the three.
"The strongest metal on earth,'' Tony stated, as Kagome looked at Steve's Shield.
"Where is this guy now?" Steve asked with a grave tone, looking at his wife. She looked at him, as he nodded his head, consenting to use her team. She smiled, and flipped her phone out, making a phone call.
"I will get it in an hour," she stated, as the phone rang.
A/N I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! I was hoping to describe the Avenger's dynamic, involving Kagome, after working with her for three years! As well show a little bit of what Kagome was like before she met Steve and joined the Avengers, and worked with Natasha and Clint. I hope you enjoyed it! Till next time!
