Chapter 5- The Stories
Third Person:
Moriko and the team, minus Alex, walked into the debriefing room to discuss what had happened to Moriko in the facility. When they got there they found Alex in her designated chair with Thor's cape in one hand, and a needle in thread in the other. She had her feet on the table and her head back, eyes closed, and ear buds in. Nova smirked.
"Who knew that Alex had a feminine side."
Iron Fist smiled slightly.
"It is nice to see that she is doing something she enjoys."
Axel scoffed at that statement.
"No, she hates sewing. Thor just needs his cape back."
Axel sat next to her and took the cape and needle and started fixing up the huge gaping slash marks that tainted the cape.
"I on the other hand, kinda find it calming. She's not the only one that gets nightmares."
The room fell into an awkward silence as the rest of the team sat down.
"So," Kato said to Moriko, "What exactly did happen while you were in there?"
"Everything," Moriko whispered, "The branch in France looks to us as weapons so that was how we were treated- as mere murderous weapons... They wanted nothing more than for us to kill their enemies. Should we disobey, we were hurt. Should we obey, we were hurt- just not as much. Like the American branch, they did experiment on us- electrocution, vivisection, trying to drown us, finding out what our limits were."
"They go just to our limits," Kato whispered, "Just a notch below our limits so that they don't kill us... I remember thinking sometimes, wishing that they would go just a notch higher just so it could be over..."
Kato shivered in memory and Luke tightened his grasp around her. He had one hand in hers as he rubbed her back comfortingly. Moriko continued,
"I remember," she whispered, "... And they clipped my wings. Wings are sensitive- especially for my people and they clipped them off."
She shivered,
"Anyway, I met Reve and as a Dream Weaver, she's able to communicate to people through dreams or meditation so she got in contact with Iopov, another Dream Weaver, and with his help- we got out and here we are. I just... I had to warn you about the Facility- they're onto you."
Kato looked at Moriko horrified,
"No- no... they can't be, I mean- I got out. I'm done. That's... They can't be..."
Her breathing got a bit labored as every single memory of the Facility entered her mind. Her worst fear came true- they were back and they were after her. Moriko nodded solemnly,
"Yeah, I know... But as a superhero in New York City, I wouldn't say you were laying low... So, I say that you just give up the superhero thing and let's get out of here."
Moriko smiled cheerfully as if she was saying the best possible solution to their problems. Kato just shook her head,
"Ane, I can't do that and you know that. I can't just give this up and I can't leave them."
She motioned towards the team and Luke,
"I have too much here to just get up and leave..."
"I don't know," Luke mused, "Maybe you don't have to leave, just stay low..."
Kato looked at Luke offended and Luke continued,
"I'm just saying, I don't want you getting hurt or worse. If you keep showing up, they're gonna find you so maybe until it breezes over, you should just lay low..."
"Fine," Kato growled.
Though Moriko, Axel, and Alex all knew better- like hell Kato would lay low and let them take on all the missions.
"There's something else too," Moriko stated.
Axel elbowed Alex and she fell to the floor, instantly awake.
"What? What's going on?"
"Just listen," Axel instructed. She nodded, pulling the ear buds out out.
"There's a new person there. She travels from Facility to Facility, always finding new ways to torture you."
"Do you have a name?" Alex asked, growing slightly impatient. Moriko nodded.
"Her name is Ringleader."
You couldn't see it through the fur, but both Alex and Axel paled, eyes widening.
"She's ruthless, and she'll do anything to get what she wants," Moriko continued.
Alex stood up and walked to the door, but was stopped by Iron Fist.
"Why are you leaving?"
She turned away, her eyes going downcast.
"Because I don't need to hear stuff that I already know. And I'm not the only one who feels that way."
She shot a glance at her brother, all of the memories she tried so hard to forget flooding back into her brain.
"Perhaps you and Creature could tell us more about her."
Alex sighed, knowing he was right. She sat back down next to Axel.
"She killed a bunch of kids only to get to us. Like Moriko said, Ringleader will do anything to get what she wants."
Moriko looked at then slightly confused.
"How do you two know her?"
The twins stiffened, their fists clenching.
"She made us," they said simply. At all of their looks, Axel continued.
"We're genetic experiments, and Ringleader is a skrull. She made us in am artificial womb and we came out looking almost exactly like we are now. A couple years after that there are the kids I told you about. Then about another year or two later the Avengers sent a doom bot through the roof. A little while after we started staying with them, we took up some secret identities. I worked at Horizon Labs and Alex worked at a dojo owned by Danny."
"A few months later," Alex said, taking Axel's thunder, "She blew up the dojo. She would have done the same with Horizon but Axel never went back after that. In the explosion I lost my arm. Then, another couple months later we found where they were holed up. Zemo cut his ear off and made me half blind. The only thing I regret about joining the Avengers is the fact that I can't hurt her as much as she hurt them."
Axel stared at Alex in shock. That's the most emotion she's ever showed since the dojo. Kato was still tense, but she managed to nod slightly as Moriko looked on the brink of tears,
"Oh you poor girl!"
Moriko hugged Alex tightly despite the protests. Sam laughed,
"And that's your sister."
"Yep," Kato said popping the 'p', "She's..."
"I'm what," Moriko asked, seemingly innocently, but deadly so.
"Nothing."
