Chapter 10: Falling
Kokoro was taking a nap while Tony and Bruce keep working. They were almost finish, they start to track down the Tesseract. At the same time, Tony gain access to S.H.I.E.L.D's secure files. He and Bruce start to look at them while the computer search for the Cube. There was a lot of files but what was more striking was the files with the title "Phase 2" on them. Tony and Bruce start to read them, Kokoro wake up and get up from the chair.
"Good Morning sleepy beauty" Said Tony "Look at this" He say and point at the monitor. Kokoro didn't know what she was looking at
"What is this? Documents?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D's secure files" He said. Kokoro look at them closely and start to read. But she couldn't read too much. Fury enter the laboratory and Kokoro look away of the monitor. Fury was angry.
"What are you doing, Mr Stark?" He ask
"Kind of been wondering the same thing about you" He answer
"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract"
"We are" Said Bruce "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile"
"Yeah, then you get your Cube back. No muss, no fuss" Said Tony and look at the monitor "What is Phase 2?" He ask. Steve enter the laboratory and leave a gun in the table
"Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D uses the Cube to make weapons" Steve explain "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me"
"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're making-" Fury try to explain himself but Tony interrupt him and show him the monitor. There was an diagram of a missile with the Tesseract inside
"I'm sorry, Nick. What were you lying?"
"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit" Said Steve
"Why don't we give a chance for him to explain himself" Said Kokoro and they all look at her "There's no need for us to start a fight now" At that moment Natasha and Thor enter too. Bruce was the first to talk
"Did you know about this?" He ask to Natasha
"You want to think about removing yourself from this enviroment, Doctor?" She said
"I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed" He said
"Loki is manipulating you" She said
"And you've been doing what, exactly?" He ask
"You didn't come here because i bat my eyelashes at you"
"Yes, and i'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction" Bruce asked and Fury point at Thor and Kokoro
"Because of those two"
"... What did i do now?" Kokoro ask
"Us?" Thor ask
"Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone but we are hopelessly hilariously, outgunned. A couple of months later, a giant "God" appear in Japan and destroy almost 90% of Tokyo... killing millions and leaving thousands without home. Not only we are alone in the universe, we suddenly have gods among us that fight each other for the control of the world"
"Fury, not all the gods are like Mikaboshi. He's not a threat anymore, the other gods won't lay a finger on the humans unless you start a war against them" Said Kokoro
"My people want nothing but peace with your planet" Said Thor
"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Fury ask "And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled"
"... Like me?" Kokoro ask and Fury at her "Suddenly i'm the monster here? Because i'm the daughter of Chaos itself? Well... sorry to be born at all, Fury"
"I didn't say monster, Kokoro"
"What's the difference? Someone that can't be controlled is consider a monster" Kokoro look at Bruce "Even if they didn't choose to be like this at all"
"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war" Said Thor
"A higher form?" Fury ask "You forced our hand. We had to come up with something"
"A nuclear deterrent" Said Tony "Because that always calms everything right down"
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark" Said Fury
"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep" Said Steve
"Hold on. How is this now about me?" Tony ask and Kokoro support him
"He's right. We are discussing about something else" Said Kokoro and she point at the monitors "If you use the Tesseract to make weapons... you are done, Fury. Humankind will face destruction to the hands of the Olympians"
"I thought humans were more evolved than this" Said Thor
"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury ask to Thor
"You treat your champions with such mistrust. One of them is a powerful demi-god and you treat her like a tool"
"Are you boys really that naïve?" Natasha ask "S.H.I.E.L.D monitors potential threats"
"Captian America's on threat watch?" Bruce ask
"We all are..." Everyone start yell at each other. Everything was falling apart quickly, Kokoro was in the middle. She sigh and calm herself up, if she get carried away by this then the mission won't be finished at all. Loki is making them fight, it's all he's fault. Kokoro walk away from the Laboratory and go to Loki's cell. She's the only one with her mind in the game. Kokoro arrive to Loki's cell and he was looking at the control panel that open his door. When Kokoro enter, his eyes lay on her... more especifically, the sword.
"Well, well, well... Chaos, what do i own this visit of yours?" Loki ask with a smile on his face
"I don't know how you did it but you made them fight to each other... impressive" She said with a little of sarcasm in her voice
"Thanks, it's a gif"
"Although..." Kokoro take out her sword "This is making things... harder. I may be Chaos daughter but it's my job to mantain an order. You are going to tell me where's the Tesseract or i'll inflict you a lot of pain... A lot, what do you say?"
"You think that threating me is going to make me talk?"
"No... i'm going to stab you in the shoulder... again. So tell me, where's the Tesseract and who is your boss?"
"I don't have a boss"
"Liar, i saw it. Someone give you that scepter, who was it?"
"You are not someone that usually threat people... you are afraid, aren't you?"
"Afraid? Of what?"
"To be like him... to give in to that huge power that in the end will corrupt you to the very core of your soul. You are afraid to tain your hands with blood, i saw it. The moment you stab me, your face told me that you don't want to kill anyone. That's why you leave Mikaboshi alive, you could kill him but no... you are afraid to kill, to take a life" Said Loki and punch the glass "You are weak... pathetic demi god. You fear your own power, that's why you meditate. You want to control it, so you can become the hero your people so desperately want but you'll become the monster you always feared to become. Just like your father"
"..." Kokoro didn't answer. Her face was showing anything at all
"Nothing to say?"
"Who's the real monster here? You or me? Now i only see someone that's trying very hard to make me feel bad for myself"
"Is that so...? Let's try something else then..."
"What exactly-" Kokoro could finish the sentences. The ship shake violently and start to fall "What the...?" Kokoro stand up and look at Loki who was smiling. Then a big scream could be heard through the hallways. It was Bruce Banner "Hulk... Dammit!" She yell and run away from the cell and went to find Banner. Kokoro went to the Laboratory but no one was there, broken glass cover the floor. Kokoro put on the earpiece that she left forgotten on the table. "Stark? Rogers? Fury? Is someone there?" Kokoro ask. No one answer but she heard a woman sending a message
"Evacuate the hangar immediatly. The Hulk is-" The message was interrupted. Kokoro didn't waste time and run to the hangar. A lot of people was running away from the hangar, Kokoro pass all the people and saw Hulk fighting Thor. Kokoro take out the sword but stop, she didn't want to hurt Banner even if the Hulk was active. Kokoro put back the sword and run right at Hulk. Thor was trying to knock him down but Hulk was stronger than him. Kokoro punch at Hulk in the face and send him flying to a plane.
"Are you okay?" Kokoro ask
"Yes" Said Thor and stand up "Watch out!" He yell. Kokoro look around and Hulk grab her and throw her at the ceiling. Kokoro break the ceiling and end up in the Laboratory. Hulk follow her and punch her in the stomach. Kokoro withstand the pain and return the punch. Thanks to her power she not only can withstand Hulk punches but return them with equal strenght.
"Dammit, Bruce. Stop it!" Kokoro stop Hulk's punch and try to knock him down but Hulk wasn't going down that easily. Hulk throw Koko to the ground and was about to step on her but then a plane start to shoot at Hulk through the window of the Laboratory, he was angry. Hulk turn around and jump at the window to attack the plane. Kokoro get up and fly toward him. Hulk landed on top of the plane and start to tear it apart. Before he could destroy it completely, Kokoro grab him and take him with her. Both fall from the sky, Kokoro grab herself around Hulk's neck from behind and prepare for the impact, if she couldn't knock him down then a fall from this height should do it...
Bruce Banner feel completely tired. He open his eyes but close them again thanks to the sunlight that his face. Slowly he got up and look around him, the place was completely destroyed, he was in a factory and he didn't remember how he end up there.
"You fell out of the sky" Someone said and Bruce look around. An old man was looking at him, he was standing in what was left of the ceiling in the ground of the factory.
"Did i hurt anybody?" Bruce ask while he try to stand up. He saw that he wasn't wearing any pants. He cover himself with his hands
"There's nobody around here to get hurt. But you did fell with a girl... she hit you pretty hard before you break her arm in two"
"W-What?" Bruce was confused "Who?"
"She said that her name was Kokoro and she apologies for the troubles, what a nice girl. Now she's outside, i insisted on calling and ambulance for her but she didn't want one"
"Oh God..." Bruce couldn't believe it. He break Kokoro's arm, he should consider himself lucky if she's still breathing... and walking at all "You saw it all?"
"The whole thing. Right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck-ass nude with a girl trying to beat you senseless" The man throw a pair of pants at Bruce "Here. Didn't think those would fit until you shrunk down to a regular-size feller"
"...Thank you" Said Bruce and put on the pants
"Are you an alien?" The man ask
"What?"
"From outer space, an alien"
"No"
"What about that girl? Is she one?"
"No"
"Well, then, son, you two have a condition" He said and walk away "The girl is outside if you want to see her" Bruce didn't lose time and get out of the factory. He saw Kokoro sitting next to the door, she was holding her right arm like it was going to fall apart. A tear was coming out of her while she laugh a little. She was laughing to avoid the cry
"Kokoro" Said Bruce and Kokoro look at him. She didn't say a word, she look at the ground "Are you okay?"
"..." She raise her arm despite the intense pain. The Radius and Ulna were broken, her hand was hanging like the hands of the clock "Does this look okay to you?" She say and smile "It hurts like hell!"
"S-Sorry"
"Sorry?! You-" Kokoro stop and grab her broken arm and yell. Bruce try to watch at the broken arm but Kokoro didn't let him "Get off me, Banner. You know how painful was for me to finally put you down?! I didn't want to use my sword on you, if i do you'll be dead by now. I may be a demi-god but i'm still human..."
"I'm so sorry for this, Kokoro. I'm-"
"That's enough... I'll fix my arm in a couple of minutes. I just need to maintain the bones together and they'll be like new... I envy the gods, their wounds can heal in seconds but mine heal in hours" Kokoro take a breath and grab her broken arm and hold it together. She was crying from the pain
"Y-You should-"
"I don't need a doctor, Bruce. I'l be fine... I try to stop you and i did... walking away with a broken arm is not so bad, i should consider myself lucky. I knock down the Hulk, not many people can say that" Said Kokoro with a smile "You didn't hurt anyone besides me so i consider it a win. Don't worry about me, the last thing i need is to someone checking on me every moment of the day... My mother is the only one that can do that... Now then" She look around "We need to go back to the Hellicarrier and search for the Tesseract... again. Unless you want to punch Fury in the face"
"That won't be necessary" Said Bruce "After you left the Laboratory, the computer find the Tesseract's location"
"Really? Where is it?"
"It's in New York, inside the Stark Tower"