Chapter 7: SHIELD needs you
It's been almost a year since the destruction of Tokyo. The city has been rebuild almost completely, the people start to move to the city again, that include Kokoro and her family. Kokoro have been keeping an eye around Japan, keeping order and bringing justice. She become a hero to all the country but there was still people that see her as a threat more than a hero, or even an ally. Kokoro use her powers to help everyone. When she's not patrolling or fighting crime, she goes to the forest to meditate. Izanagi said that she need to do that everyday so she can keep her mind and thoughts in order. That help her to control her powers, she have part of the Chaos in her, if she lose control then the consequence could be catastrophic...
Kokoro was now in the roof of her new home. She was meditating, her sword, the Hanzo Masamune was resting in the floor next to her. She always keep the sword with her, she carry it everywhere she goes. Kokoro was concentrated but her concentration was broken when she feel a presence behind her. Without a second thought, she grab the sword and point at her possible enemy... turns out it was Tomoko, she hide behind a book she have in her hands.
"For god's sake, Tomoko. I almost kill you!" Said Kokoro, withdrawing the sword
"Sorry, i came to see you" Said Tomoko with a smile "Looks like you are doing great"
"Do you need something?"
"Not really. I wanted to ask you if you are looking for a job" Said Tomoko "As far as i know, being a superhero doesn't really pay off"
"You are right... but if i have the power i feel that i should use it. I'll be a waste if i don't use it"
"Well... is the Chaos we are talking about. That kind of power is not something you should use so lightly. Be careful with it" Tomoko was really worried
"It's been a year now. I've been doing everything Izanagi say. He help me to use this power for something more than destroying things" Said Kokoro while she look at her hands.
"I know... Anyway, i wanted to ask you if you want to draw manga again..." Said Tomoko nerviously. Kokoro remain in silences
"After all this years... i almost forgot what my hobbies were. The Yomi changes me a little, sometimes i even forget about myself. It's so depressing..." Kokoro look at the edge of the roof "I don't know how good my drawing skill are. I need to practice if i want to draw again"
"But, will you do it? If so i have a story. Do you want to draw it?"
"... Yeah, let's do it" Since she come back, Kokoro wanted to Continue where she left. She wanted to go back to the University, find a work and keep drawing. She can do it, but she was so immersed in her hero role that she forgot everything else. "Let's go inside, i'll grab papers, a pen, and see if i still got it" Said Kokoro with a smile. For the first time in months she smile. Kokoro and Tomoko enter to the house and they were welcome by Tsukino and Takeshi. They get married 3 months ago, Takeshi was now Kokoro's stepfaher. She still call him Takeshi though. "I'm back Mom, Takeshi"
"Welcome back, Kokoro" Said Takeshi "How you doing today?"
"I'm good" Kokoro was about to go to her room when her mother stop her
"Kokoro, do you want something to eat?" Ask Tsukino
"No, Mom in good" Kokoro look around the living room "Did Izanagi came?"
"Yes, but he left. He say that he was helping Athena" Said Takeshi
"Oh right. Zeus don't forgive that easily" Kokoro go to her room and Tomoko follow her. She look for paper and a pen, sit down in front of her desk and start drawing. In the beginning she didn't know what to draw but know she was drawing a demon. It was a especific demon she encounter in the Yomi. It was big and fat, with giant red horns, his skin was completely black and it have 6 eyes, two in the head, one on each shoulder and two in the back.
"Wow, it's a demon isn't it?" Tomoko ask
"Yes, a demon i encounter in the Yomi"
"It's pretty ugly"
"Yes, it was. Anyway, what do you think?" Kokoro finish rather quickly and give the draw to Tomoko
"You draw it with a lot of details in only 5 minutes. You are good, Kokoro"
"Thanks" Kokoro smile "Hey, i didn't have time so i need to ask..."
"What?"
"Did Luffy find the One Piece?" Kokoro love One Piece so it was natural for her to ask "I didn't have time to buy the manga and much less read it so..."
"No, he still on it"
"Dammit, How long will it take?" Kokoro was pissed off
"Take it easy"
"... okay. I'll pay a visit to Oda and ask "nicely" when will Luffy reach the One Piece" Kokoro was about to do something crazy
"Please no. Leave him alone" Tomoko try to stop her friend. Someone knock the door of the room. Kokoro open the door and Tsukino enter
"Kokoro, a man is looking for you" She said
"Who?"
"He didn't tell his name" Kokoro go to the living room and find Nick Fury sitting on the couch
"Nick Fury, what a surprise"
"It's nice to see you again too" Said Fury while he get up. Tsukino and Takeshi see from the window of the kitchen. Tomoko join them "We need your help with something" He said and leave a document in the table
"It's about that "Avenger Inniciative" thing you told me about?"
"Unfortunaly, That initiative got cancel months ago. This is different" Kokoro open look at the document. A cube was shown in the papers and attached with it, there was files about several peoples. Among them was Tony Stark "This is a level seven... basically, we are in war"
"War?" Tomoko couldn't help but to ask "With who?"
"Sorry Tomoko, but could you leave? This is... confidential" Said Kokoro and Fury nod
"She can listen but if you say a word..." Fury make a threat
"I understand..." Tomoko sit down near them. Tsukino and Takeshi go to the living room too. They wanted to know what happen.
"That object... is called the Tesseract, a source of unlimited power" Tsukino offer Fury a drink, he accept it. Kokoro took one too "It was steal from us"
"That's weird. I thought no one can enter in SHIELD and steal anything at all" Kokoro drink "Who did it?"
"Loki, from Asgard" Kokoro spit the water and cough
"A-Are you serious?!" Kokoro grab a towel and clean herself "How Odin let this happen?"
"We don't know. The mission is to find him and the Tesseract"
"How do you know he's dangerous?" Tomoko ask "It could be all a misunderstanding"
"He kill a lot of my agents, brainwash two mans and he keep talking about him taking over the world" Fury make it clear
"Okay, he's crazy" Said Tomoko
"Seeing this documents... it's Tony Stark involved?" Ask Kokoro
"He's not the only one in this. Read the details, when you finish go to this coordenates" Fury give her a phone "This phone will guide you to our headquarters"
"You didn't ask if i was helping at all"
"There's no need... you'll come anyway, because you won't walk away knowing that the world is in danger"
"... Fair enough. I'll see you there, Fury" Nick Fury give his farewell and leave. Kokoro read everything she need to know about the mission. Her parents and friend were worried about this.
"Are you sure about this, Kokoro?" Tsukino ask
"I'll be okay, Mom. I'll come back in a few days maybe early, don't worry about me" Kokoro go to Tomoko "We'll continue were we left when i come back. Meanwhile, think in a good story so i can draw it"
"Sure, be careful" Tomoko hug her
"I'll leave in the night. According to this, the HQ is American territory. When i got there it'll be morning" Kokoro go to her room and prepare herself
It was 8 PM Tsukino and Takeshi were having dinner. Kokoro was in her room, she only packed clothes in the bag. In case she stay longer than a day. Kokoro was dressing a black sleeveless overcoat, beneath that she wear a white T-Shirt and jean pants. She prepare herself because she was going to fly for a while. Kokoro get out of the room with her bag, have dinner with her family and head outside. Tsukino and Takeshi said their goodbyes. Kokoro grab the bag, her sword and fly away. When she flies, she leave a trail of black cloud in the sky...
The travel only last an hour and a half, she was near. In the water she saw a big aircraft carrier. The phone beep, that means it was there. Kokoro landed smoothly and a lot of people were looking at her. She ignore them, fix her long black hair and enter the ship. An agent was in the door.
"Excuse, i'm here to see Nick Fury" She said
"He's downstairs in the control room. You won't miss it, it's also the main hall" He explain
"Thank you very much" Kokoro go into the ship. In a couple of minutes she was already in the control room. Fury was in the middle of the room, talking with another agents. Fury saw her and went to greet her.
"Thanks for coming in so short time, Kokoro" They handshake
"It's an honor... this thing is huge"
"There still more" Then the entire ship start to move. Kokoro look at the big window in front of the room. The carrier was going up "This is not a normal aircraft carrier... it's call the hellicarrier"
"This is the coolest thing i've seen in my life" Said Kokoro with a smile in her face "This must cost a fortune"
"It sure does" Said Fury. A group of people enter the hall. Kokoro look at them and recognize them from the documents Fury give her. Steve Rogers A.K.A Captian America, Dr. Bruce Banner A.K.A the Hulk... ocasionally and Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. When the Hellicarrier was in the clouds, Rogers hand over 10 dollars to Fury. Kokoro was about to ask about that but Fury welcomed them.
"Gentlemans, welcome" Fury go straigh to Banner "Doctor, thank you for coming"
"Thanks for asking nicely" He said "So, how long am i staying?"
"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the wind" Said Fury. Kokoro sit in the table while Fury talk with Banner. Romanoff look at her and Kokoro pretend that she didn't know it
"Where are you with that?" Banner ask. Coulson responded
"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops... If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us"
"You have to narrow your field" Said Banner "How many spectrometers do you have access to?"
"How many are there?" Fury ask
"Call every lab you know. Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places"
"Alright, we'll take care of it" Said Fury "Kokoro, come here" Fury call her and Rogers "Gentlemans, she's Kokoro Nakamura. She will help Rogers when we find Loki" Kokoro give her hand to Bruce
"I saw you on tv a year ago. It was hard to believe what was happening in Japan" Said Bruce
"Tell me about it. It was hard but in the end i won" Said Kokoro and give her hand to Steve "It's a pleasure, Captian America"
"No, the pleasure is mine" Steve was a little confuse "What happen in Japan?"
"You don't know?" Kokoro ask
"He didn't have time to actually read your files" Said Fury "And he wake up recently. So he don't know"
"He's right. Tell me later, i have to leave the bag in my room and prepare" Said Steve and he left
"Anyway, Do you have somewhere for me to work?" Banner ask
"Agent Romanoff, could you show Dr Banner to his laboratory, please?"
"You're gonna love it, Doc. We got all the toys" Said Romanoff. Kokoro go to her room and leave her bag. She didn't have something else to do so she decide to look around. The ship was really big, so big anyone could easily get lost. Luckly, Kokoro is not that type of person. She walk until she find the laboratory and Bruce Banner was working. She decide to enter and talk to him.
"Hello, Doctor" She said
"Hi, Kokoro. What are you doing here?"
"Nothing, i just look around until Fury call me" Kokoro sit in one of the chairs. She still have the sword with her, it never leaves her side
"Why do you have that sword with you?" Banner ask nerviously. He was nervious with a potencial danger in the room
"Don't get nervious Doctor. I don't like to leave it in my room. This sword goes with me everywhere i go. Even to the bathroom"
"Why, exactly?"
"This sword is powerful. It have power, it's not a normal blade and the fact that anyone can take it... i don't like it" Kokore grab the sword and keep her in her side
"So you protect it"
"Yeah" Kokoro look at Banner working "How long it will take for you to find the Tesseract?"
"We'll see. It's not easy, it'll take time"
"I see..."
"You want to finish quickly?"
"Take your time, i was just curious" Kokoro look at Banner but this time she concentrate and look beyond... she saw a green monster, locked in a cage. Kokoro smirk "Everyone hide behind a mask, without exception" She whisper
"What?"
"Nothing..." Kokoro remain silent and watch the doctor working