Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or DC Comics. Please don't sue me, I'm poor.
Summary: The loss of her ability to walk devastated Chiyo Suzuhara, the younger sister of Toji. That is, until she came across a discovery of her mother's. One that lifted her up into the clouds.
Chapter Four: Battle of the Beasts
Ritsuko Akagi was not, as some claimed, as cold and heartless as she might've appeared on the surface. She was a deeply complex, very passionate woman. She loved science, seeing it as the beginning and end of all things. Much as she did enjoy the company of some people, she preferred things she could easily classify, fit into neat little categories and slots and see it all turning together like gears in some great big clock somewhere. Sweet simplicity. Black and white, one or zero.
Ally or enemy.
Right now things weren't adding up. And it frustrated her inner scientist to no end when things didn't add up. She was missing some part of the equation, she was sure of it.
She stiffened as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, half terrified for one second it was the Commander. But no, that would require some affection. And in a public place, no less. Which left only one individual it could possibly be. The faux blonde stifled a groan even before he spoke.
"You're so tense," Kaji breathed. "You really need to learn to relax... take some time off from work, maybe spend it on a beach in a bikini..."
"If I did that this place would fall apart," she replied.
"Probably, but maybe some people are worried about your well-being. A pretty girl like you doesn't deserve to be locked up in here for days on end. That's why I came to see you, after all," he said sincerely. She didn't buy it for a millisecond.
"You did something stupid and now you're hiding from Misato," Ritsuko deduced, giving him a pointed look over her wire frames.
"Partly," he admitted without a trace of shame. "But can't I just be enjoying the company of an old friend as well?"
She lightly pushed him off. Encourage Kaji even a little and he stuck to you like a fly to flypaper.
He wasn't easily discouraged however. He spun against her push, flopping down into an office chair nearby, and kicked off against a nearby table, propelling him over to a far terminal. "So what's with all the light reading?" he asked, tapping in some keys. The screen lit up, mirroring Ritsuko's. A dossier on the Green Lantern, with all information the public, and therefore NERV, had on her.
"Oooh, pretty," he said, admiring the photo. "I wonder if she's single?"
"She can probably do a lot better than you," Ritsuko replied, not looking up from her work. With a few keystrokes of her own, she shut off the connection to Kaji's terminal, a screen replacing the image with a bright red sign and a very distinct 'No' in white.
He chuckled at her display, entirely un-phased by it, then pushed against the far wall and wheeled his chair over beside hers.
"What's with all the interest in the superwomen, anyway? Commander order them all taken down, and figured you'd be the best to devise a way to do it?"
She stiffened, but quickly controlled the impulse to deny such, even though it was in her best interest to do so. Instead, she took a page from Misato's book, and redirected the conversation. "The MAGI have identified an anomaly. I'm trying to ascertain what it means."
"What anomaly? Something Angelic?" he asked curiously.
Ritsuko shook her head. "Not exactly. So far all of the 'superwomen' have shown up as red patterns," she explained. "Even some of the strangest of them. But there's been one exception, and it's been bugging the MAGI units ever since it came up. Readings are coming up inconclusive for the past three days, and they've gone into recursive sync with themselves."
"Hmm, fascinating... you don't say..." Kaji intoned, gazing up at the far wall. Ritsuko's tiny lips turned up into an almost vicious smirk.
"You have absolutely no idea what that means, do you?"
"Not a clue," he replied non-challantly, giving a wry grin. "Does it show?"
She tugged her glasses from her face, feeling a headache coming on. "A red pattern is human," she explained. "A blue pattern is an Angel. Orange means that the MAGI have yet to identify it. A temporary unknown..."
"That much I remember," her unshaven comrade said. "But that's a good thing, right? All the super babes are red pattern... ergo... human. Or at least on our side. Right?"
She shrugged non-committedly. Unlike most of her co-workers, Ritsuko had never been the biggest fan of the superwomen. They had the potential of great power, but also great danger. She knew that better than most.
"But then we have this one," said Ritsuko, tapping the screen. An array of pictures scrolled past, along with profiles. Most were taken straight from the Tokyo Tattler, some weren't even photos, just artist sketches. Not all of the superwomen enjoyed the spotlight. There wasn't even an image for Blue Beetle, which was odd considering she was a JSDDF poster girl. But the image Ritsuko was indicating was near the end, of the winged teenager with a mace.
"Hawkgirl," Kaji identified.
"Right. Her pattern comes up purple. Which doesn't make sense. Even the MAGI don't seem to understand why, and they're the ones giving the analysis! Rrrr," she grumbled, ruffling her faux-blonde hair. "Doesn't make sense!"
"Could she be... I dunno... half-Angel or something?" her unshaven co-worker asked. "I mean I've seen some of those monsters, they don't look very compatible with Earth girls, but..."
"Oh stop being an idiot!" she spat at him, frustrated. "No she can't be half-Angel. I uh... I don't think. It shouldn't be possible! I mean the idea of mixing the Angel genetics with human tissue...!"
Her eyes widened as a sudden thought sunk in.
"... is... is ludicrous!" she continued.
"But isn't that how we designed the Eva series?" asked Kaji. "Cloning Angel DNA and using a human pilot?"
"It took us decades to come to anything even close to that," replied Ritsuko. "And besides, the MAGI aren't in a tizzy about the Eva series this way. This is different. Now get out of here, you're distracting me."
He shrugged, hands in his pockets as he made his way to the door. "Oh alright, I guess I'll just clock out, its nearly quitting time anyway and I've got an appointment to keep. Don't work too late, Ritsuko."
She waited until he was gone, typing rapidly into the keyboard. She couldn't do all of her research here, not in a monitored office. And it was so awful, horrifying a thought she hoped it wasn't true but... she needed to disprove her theory soon.
Because if it was true, it meant there was another big player in the Scenario.
Over the course of her superhero career, Hawkgirl had faced down lots of strange opponents. Bank robbers, cultists, car jackets, pick pockets and armed gunmen. She never fully understood the rationale behind their deeds, but she knew enough to know what they were trying to do and how to thwart them. Her parents had done their best to raise her well, after all.
But her opponent was as inscrutable as ever. She had to approach this delicately.
"Look just... talk to me, maybe? There's no reason for us to fight."
They remained silent.
Growling, Chiyo grabbed up the ankh and tossed it across the bed, hitting her pillow and landing there, still lying perfectly inert. The same way it had been for weeks now.
She knew there was some deeper mystery to it, she just knew it. It wasn't even that it had been amongst her mother's things anymore, it felt the same as her as the other artifacts. It had the same invisible aura to it, the same tingling touch. Something... familiar. It was like waking up from a dream. You knew you had one and you could remember only the fuzziest of details, but the harder you thought about it the more it all slipped away.
Every other piece of her gear worked flawlessly. They responded to her will as if they were an extension of her body. She was still finding out new things about the harness, bracers, and mace. But this was just a useless hunk of metal and gemstone, so far as she could determine.
She needed answers. From people way smarter than she was.
But who to ask? She'd already gone over how she couldn't let her family know, or else she'd have to tell them where she got it. Even if she could continue to hide she was Hawkgirl, it'd be taken back to the museum and she'd likely never see it again except behind a glass exhibit.
If only Mom was still here...
Sighing, she wheeled out of her room and into the living room, grateful the day of her upcoming surgery was getting ever closer. She'd be so happy when this heavy thing was gone.
Then again, she would have to give new thought on where to hide her mace... maybe she was old enough to start bugging dad for a large purse... or maybe a bookbag... the harness would be easier, it fit under most jackets, even though it was usually pretty warm out this time of year...
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. Gawd it was annoying. Maybe she should oil the wheels before it became too annoying to bear.
Chiyo rolled into the kitchen, reaching for her plate and letting Toji hand it to her when it became apparent she couldn't quite manage. Mundane topics passed the lips and ears of the Suzuhara family on this peaceful Sunday morning. Mostly school related, work, schedules, the local arcade, and plans for the evening meal. She only listened with half an ear until Toji made some remark about how she was lucky not to have to listen to his professor's lectures.
Which reminded her of something.
"Any luck with finding that tutor?" she asked, turning to her father. Much as she didn't want someone crowding her free time to go out and be Hawkgirl, it would seem weird if she didn't at least bring it up every so often as if she cared.
"We had one potential applicant, I was going to speak to them this Tuesday to see what they're like."
Maybe Chiyo could meet them as well. If they were a problem she could make up an excuse or some such, delay the process a little.
"Toji don't you have somewhere to be today?" asked their grandfather, rummaging through the fridge for his orange juice.
"Oh yeah, I was invited to come along to the new aquarium by Shinji's friend Kaji-san... he wanted to invite you as well sis, but the facility isn't handicap accessible just yet so..."
She smiled, not offended. "It's okay, I don't like that sort of thing anyway. But you have fun, take pictures, and I'll live vi-viva... uhm, hat's that word where I live through you?"
"Vicariously," intoned their father, then stretched out the word by syllable. "And I'm sure another trip can be arranged. After your surgery."
She gave an overly dramatic sigh. "Not long now..." she murmured, as her wheelchair was rolled out from under the table and she headed back to her room.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
"I just hope Kensuke doesn't break anything important. I just know he's going to get us in trouble one day, hoping his little angel will save him again. I've heard enough about her after he finished his report on the Hawkmen in class."
Squeak-squeak-squeak. Chiyo was suddenly back by his side. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked, voice trembling as she tried to sound casual.
"Kensuke's report. We had to do one on a Pre-Second Impact Phenomenon, and he chose to do research the old Hawkmen. Apparently there have been one or two in almost every generation. Most of them lived in America or Europe though. Ours is the first to visit Japan."
This was new, Chiyo thought, her mind running a million miles a minute. She'd known the gear was old, but if it had been used before, if someone else had been a Hawkgirl, or a Hawkman...
"Any chance you can get me a copy?"
He grimaced. "Don't tell me you're turning into a fangirl too," Toji said.
"Hawkgirl saved my big brother's life. I could not be more grateful to her, whoever she is," Chiyo intoned in a completely serious voice. The irony only resonated in the back of her mind, even if what she said was true.
Toji smiled, chuckling self-consciously. "Sure, I'll ask Kensuke if I can get a digital copy. He backs up most of his work just in case so he ever loses it. Same with all of his videos."
Chiyo nodded dimly, her mind racing. There was also the possibility of more answers available at the museum.
"Maybe it's time for a field trip," she murmured.
"Hmmm?"
"Oh!" she started, realized she'd spoken out loud. "Uhm, I thought I'd go visit the museum again today, if that's okay. I kinda wanted to check out the new exhibit in the east wing."
Her father smiled indulgently. "Certainly, that sounds wonderful. I think I'll come along this time."
Chiyo stilled. "Uhm, don't you have work?" Her father was very important middle man in the organization, and usually even weekends weren't completely free for him, though he did have reduced hours.
"Oh my supervisor gave me the day off, the project we're working on needs a few more days to... incubate," he explained. "Besides, I've been neglecting my little girl. Time for some quality Daddy-Daughter time."
Not ideal but she could still get some answers if she was quiet about it. And no real choice now, he was coming, and she couldn't back out without looking very odd.
"I'll get my coat," she said, even as Toji bid them all a farewell and skipped out the doorway so he could catch up to his two best friends and their planned outing for the day.
As he slithered up the back of the Museum and into the ventilation system with all the grace and fluidity of a serpent, the thief Gendo Ikari had hired took a moment to reflect on his past and the circumstances that had brought him to be where he was now.
He rarely thought much about his past, and for good reason, it wasn't pretty. Born to circus performers and raised to be one, a gift contortionist and acrobatic in a third-rate freak show that formed in the days following Second Impact in Latin America. He might've languished the rest of his days being pelted with boos and rotten fruit, picking pockets to earn enough money to feed himself, and otherwise been mistreated and ridiculed.
And worse of all, oh very worst of all, no one even remembering his name.
But then all that had changed with the splicing.
Genetic experiments had been on the rise even before Second Impact, and afterwards gene-splicing and cross-species genetics had been given even greater prevalence and even some free reign by some of the remaining governments. He'd just been unlucky enough to have been picked up by one of the worst. He hadn't even signed a consent form before the needle and its unholy DNA cocktail had plunged into his body.
He'd like to think that whom he was, the petty circus performer Nathan Prince, had perished in those experiments. And who he was now had been born in them.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, the thief peered down the long stretch of ventilation tunnels, sitting dead center of the labyrinth, and listened. Enhanced hearing picked up the scurry of tourists and security guards, the hum of the A/C units working to keep the place cool. So cool, in fact, he was starting to feel sluggish. He wasn't cold-blooded but his body temperature was still pitched lower than the average humans, and it was very uncomfortable for him to be in such a cool place for a long period of time.
He still could've waited. Or even left, then come back in the middle of the night, bypass every security guard and slip through the joke security system. No one would even know he was there. But he was getting bored already, and really, where was the fun if he didn't at least make it a challenge for himself? Back in the America's he'd already made quite the name for himself, it was time Japan knew the name as well.
Besides, Commander Ikari's fee included silence and anonymity, but long as no one found out what happened to the relic, who cared who knew it was taken by him?
He slipped down one ventilation shaft too narrow for most normal people to crawl through, and pushed at the grating which led into the Women's Restroom.
"Ladiess and Gentlemen, it'ss sShow time!"
Tokyo-3 International Museum boasted an impressive crowd that day, and Chiyo for a moment felt almost claustrophobic. Being so small, with everyone towering above her, it was a wonder she could see anything at all except for an endless sea of suits, dresses, and tacky tourist shirts. And it was even worse when her father insisted on pushing her chair for her, so her arms could rest. Chiyo couldn't control where she was going like she used to. But it certainly made getting through the crowds easier with two sets of eyes watching.
Besides, she did have to admit privately, it was kind of nice to be wheeled around by someone other than herself. Chiyo felt pampered. Privileged, even. All she had to do was point and her dad happily wheeled her along, navigating effortlessly through the crowds.
"So, which way now?" he asked, after she'd had her fill of prehistoric dinosaur bones and Colonial America relics.
She tapped a finger against her chin, thinking, when suddenly she spotted a new exhibit hall open across the way, and immediately pointed to it. "That one!"
"That one?" he asked. "Israelic Treasures? Sure, if you like old vases and scrolls, I suppose..."
She giggled, knowing full well there was more to it than that. So did he, and he was just as fascinated as she was, else why marry a part time historian?
"This looks new," he remarked.
"Must've recently opened," she replied, pausing to read a passing sign. "Everything here is on loan from the United States. I wonder why they'd risk relics in a city like Tokyo-3? We're the front line of the biggest war in the universe!"
Her father smiled good naturedly. "I'm sure they're just here temporarily. Ah, see? They're doing a tour of the Asian countries, this exhibit is only here for a week then it moves on to China."
The dark-haired girl nodded, taking a look at some of the relics, reading up on the histories, admiring the look and design of old things. Even beyond the interest she had in the mystery of Hawkgirl's equipment, she'd always loved the Egyptian and other Ancient civilizations. And especially the mythology.
They were passing by an archway separating one part of the exhibit from the next when Chiyo spotted something.
She caught a flicker over by the far window, out of the corner of her eye. Something pale and distorted amidst the gray shadows of passerby and visitors. But when she turned her head to look... it was gone.
What was that? A boy?
"Chiyo? Everything alright? You look pale..."
She shook her head to clear it, but spared one last glance in that direction to make sure there was nothing there. There wasn't.
"Sure dad, just... I dunno, kinda distracted. Like I'm not all here, ya know?"
He nodded in understanding. "I get like that sometimes," he said. "Too much going on in the head... that's why it's good to get out and relax sometimes."
"Yeah, I..." she started to reply, when she spotted something. She grabbed the wheels, wincing as she felt them tug against her palms, but stopped her dad flat. He bumped into her as they came to an abrupt halt.
"What is it?" he asked.
"That," Chiyo replied, pointing.
A series of dark, brown with age pages lined the top of the exhibit, but there was also a space below, and a resting place as if waiting for something else besides the transcripts detailing the exhibit.
"The Dead Sea Scrolls?" asked her father, puzzled by her interest.
Chiyo peered over at the transcripts, recognizing the shape of the resting place. "Centerpiece lost in destruction of Tokyo-3 downtown during Third Angel attack," she read aloud. "Lost..."
It was the ankh. It had to be. It was somehow related to these Dead Sea Scrolls, whatever they were. She kept reading.
"... located in approximately fifty years Pre-Second Impact... religious manuscripts... fragments of a larger collection... theorized Egyptian origin despite discovery in Israel nearly five thousand years later..."
She felt the ankh press against the small of her back where it had been hidden, and felt her hands ache, wanting to bring it out and put it on the display, see what happened. Chiyo knew something was here. She knew it.
Where did these things come from? she wondered. And why are they so ancient yet seem to be more advanced than any sort of science mankind has yet discovered?
Shrieks of terror interrupted her reverie, and she turned to see a dozen women come screaming out of the restrooms nearby.
"What the hell?" she asked, eyes wide in shock.
"Chiyo, langua-..." her father started to admonish her, then watched in surprise as the screaming women were followed by something that was definitely not a female. No, what emerged from the restrooms looked barely human.
Chiyo saw him too. A tall, wiry thin individual, with a gaunt look. But surprisingly young. He didn't look much older than her brother, actually, but he was almost half a foot taller. Dull orange spandex covered him in a garish snake outfit, faded green gloves, boots, and pants the only thing that broke the monotony of that awful color. The top of his hooded head opened up into a snake's hood, the top of which came down in front of his forehead in a pair of long fangs.
But his face was what was truly terrifying. Inhuman, even. He had all the right features, two eyes, nose and mouth, but they were all twisted. The nose too narrow, the mouth wide and gaping, with sharp fangs fitted at top. And his eyes were mere slits of black against the white, with no sign of any iris.
If it had been Halloween, she might've thought it a good costume.
As it was...
"Helllooooo Tokyo-3!" shouted the strange man, arms upraised like he was a rocker guitarist at some rave. "Whoss ready to party?!" he called out, his voice a sibilant hiss.
An armed security guard, thinking this was just some costumed nut, especially based on his performance, unholstered his gun and reached out to grab the guy's shoulder.
"Alright you-!"
Without even glancing back, the snake-themed man swung out his fist over his shoulder, clocking the guard hard on the nose and sending them crashing to the ground. He moved with shocking speed and power, the blow might as well have come from a brick... that struck like a cobra.
As if the violent act was a cue, everyone suddenly started running.
Many more started screaming.
Men, women, children with their parents, old men coming to see artifacts older than they. All of them, running as fast as they could. In every direction but towards the copper-clad individual who'd just laid out a security guard with his bare hands. Many got caught in the mad rush to escape, as an entire horde of people found an intense desire to squeeze through the narrow doors of the museum to the safety found outside.
The snake man rolled his head and his eyes, his shoulders slumping in disappointment, then made his way past and through the fleeing droves towards his destination: heading right for Chiyo and her father.
Misunderstanding his intent, her father threw himself in front of Chiyo and her wheelchair. "Get back you!"
"Out of my way, old man!" he moved to shove Chiyo's father aside, sounding bored.
Her father threw a punch, but the snake man just slid underneath it, effortlessly, fluidly snaking around the much larger man to the back of his legs. Fangs flashed in the light as Copperhead's head came down swiftly, burying the inch-long fangs of his costume into Ichirou Suzuhara leg, just below his knee. Chiyo's father cried out and sank to one knee, clutching his injured leg.
Chiyo screamed.
The monster shaped like a man sprang up, landing before her and grasping armrests, holding her wheelchair firmly in place as he glared down at her ominously.
"What the hell are you?" she said, leaning back, well away from his glistening fangs.
"Jusst a ssimple thief," replied the lizard man. "Namess Copperhead. Perhapss you've heard of me?"
"C-Can't say I have," she wondered, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She should've been screaming her head off, but kept felt calm. Weeks of battling armed criminals must've helped dull her survival instincts to extreme danger. Right now she wasn't sure if that was helping or not.
The click of guns altered both bird and snake to the arrival of the security guards. They'd formed a pair of lines, one kneeling, one standing, with all sixteen of their standard issue pistols pointed right at Copperhead.
"Freeze, snake!"
Copperhead blinked in surprise, then his ugly face contorted into a grin, showcasing his fangs. He slipped part ways behind Chiyo, grabbing the back of her wheelchair.
Oh god, though Chiyo, almost disgusted as well as horrified. He's gonna take me hostage. Use me as a human shield. How cliché...?
"That'ss more like it!"
With a sudden movement he shoved her, wheeling her out of the way as he sprang forward, directly into the line of security guards. Gunfire rang out, but the shots went wild, and suddenly he was amongst them, throwing punches and kicks and using that tail as a fifth limb, slapping one guard across the face and yanking the legs out from underneath another. He leapt backwards, grasping onto a column without even facing it, and Chiyo watched as the guards attempted to open fire again. He slithered up the column and around it as easily as a serpent might, then again plunged amongst them, kicking and laughing.
It was all just fun to him, she realized, as he knocked down another guard.
"Oops, can't forget my prize," he said, smashing the case and grabbing the Dead Sea Scrolls out of them, rolling them up into a single scroll in his tight little fist.
"Put those down!" shouted one of the guards. His partner backed him up.
Copperhead struck lightning fast, his tail swatting aside security guards like they were bowling pins, knocking the two over. A third he backhanded out of the way, sending them crashing into Chiyo. Her wheelchair was knocked over, and she spilled out, crashing hard to the ground. Worse, the ankh slid free of the covers and bounced on the ground, almost directly at the feet of Copperhead. Finished with his foes, he glanced down at the trinket by his boot with a surprised look.
"Well well well, what have we here?" hissed the thief, crouching down to pick up the artifact. "Ssneaky girl."
"No, you can't!" she stretched out a hand to try and stop him, but she couldn't quite reach.
"Watch me," he hissed.
Crouching low, he sprang up on powerful legs to the far wall, and slithered up along it, clutching his prizes in hand. Both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the ankh were in his possession, and it seemed as if no one could stop him.
Like hell, she thought.
Chiyo growled and crawled on the ground, lifting herself up on her arms to take a quick look around. No one was watching, all the guards were unconscious, as was her father. Please let him just be unconscious, she thought. Everybody else had already fled outside. She unzipped her coat so fiercely she nearly ripped off the slider...
Copperhead growled as he loped his way up the wall, slithering around another column and unsnapping the top of the window hatch, sliding it open. In seconds he was out of the museum and climbing up the side of the roof. He clambered along the sheer wall as easily as if it was horizontal instead of vertical, making his way around to the front of the museum. By this point, Copperhead figured there'd have to be reporters around, photographers, hell he'd settle for some amateurs with camera phones. A quick snapshot image of the mysterious snake thief for the papers then he could be on his way.
Two gunshots rang out, and he ducked his head out of the way. Some of the police had arrived, and were setting up a barricade at the front of the museum. They'd just opened fire on him. Normally Copperhead could tear right through them, but there were more coming, and one of them might get lucky and blow his head off.
He bid a hasty retreat, springing from wall to wall, hanging vertically as easily as if it was a flat surface. Okay, fine, he'd circle around the back instead, make his way for the sewers...
"Don't go yet, the party's just starting!"
"Huh?!"
Copperhead's head snapped up seconds before a winged girl slammed full force into his gut, knocking him off the side of the building and through one of the large glass windows of the museum. The two of them went crashing down in the middle of an exhibit on medieval weaponry. Hawkgirl threw herself clear but Copperhead crashed into a suit of armor, knocking it down and scattering pieces of it everywhere.
He slithered to his feet in seconds, hissing angrily at the superwoman who'd dared to stop him.
"Get out of my way, birdgirl!"
"Not happening," she retorted, fists on her hips, trying to look intimidating. Somewhat ruined by the fact that she was almost a full head shorter than her prey and without her customary mace.
"Your funeral," he hissed, and lunged at her. She dodged out of the way, but by a very thin margin. His clawed fingertips scratched against the metallic feathers of her wings as she swept aside and in a wide arc. He was dangerous. And unlike the majority of foes she'd faced up until this point, Chiyo had absolutely no idea if she could beat Copperhead.
She should've just left him to the police. Let them do what they were good at. Arrest criminals.
But this was different. Just like those crazy Light of the Divine who'd threatened Toji and his friends, Copperhead had hurt her father. It was more important than stopping a thug because of some superhero civic duty.
It was personal.
Chiyo frowned darkly and lifted up her fists, bracers in place and boosting her strength. But more than simple power she felt a furious, righteous anger inside of her. One demanding an outlet. She gave it one.
"RaaaaAAH!"
Hawkgirl surged forward, fist upraised to smack Copperhead upside his ugly head.
Unfortunately, Hawkgirl was inexperienced in actual hand-to-hand fighting, having relied on her mace and her wings when she had virtually no idea how to throw a punch. Copperhead, on the other hand, was a seasoned brawler, and saw her move long before she'd made it. He dodged with unnatural fluidity, ducking under her thrown punch and inside of her guard, slugging her fiercely in the gut. And for all her enhanced strength, Chiyo was still only a twelve (nearly thirteen) year old girl. The blow knocked the wind clean out of her lungs.
Her concentration definitely disrupted, her wings curled up, and gravity took hold as the snake's punch followed through, sending her crashing to the ground, skidding across the linoleum floor until she hit another exhibit.
"That the besst you got?" he said, cracking his knuckles. And then his neck. The later with an unnaturally long number of cracks and pops.
She coughed, trying to catch her breath. "Just getting warmed up!" she replied with as much bravado as she could muster, willing herself back to hovering. Her eyes cast about through the slits in her mask, hoping to find a weapon. She may not have her mace, but that didn't mean...
Aha!
She dove to the side and grabbed up an axe resting out of its case nearby, feeling the welcome weight in her hands. It wasn't as smooth or light as the mace currently resting back home, but it was a weapon, and she welcomed it. Still, nothing said she had to fight fair.
"Batter up!" she shouted, swinging her arms up as if intending to cut him in two. He crouched, prepared to lunge out of the way, but she'd anticipated that and spun, sending a flurry of sharp metallic feathers from her wings directly at Copperhead, aiming only enough to ensure she didn't puncture a vital organ.
Back again, with unnatural, inhuman fluidity, Copperhead twisted and dodged, arching his back until she thought his spine would break, then performing a flawless handstand and backflip up and over an ancient chariot. Most of the feathers imbedded into the artifact instead of their intended target.
"Oh is that the way you wanna play?" he growled, head swerving left and right. He grabbed up a nearby spear, kicked it up with his foot, caught it, and gave it a casual heft, testing its weight.
"Let'ss play!"
He leapt upwards, and she swooped around, their weapons colliding with enough force to send sparks flying. Blades clashed in the air, almost singing. Both combatants pressed every bit of their superhuman might into their duel. Every near miss smashed through another exhibit or display case, glass rained down on the floor everywhere as both sought to gain the upper hand. Wings and tail were of no use as sharp metal was swung through the air.
Copperhead parried a blow meant to whack him upside his cowl (Hawkgirl was trying not to cut him into too many pieces) and leapt backwards, executing a flawless backflip to land to his feet. Hefting his borrowde weapon, he threw it. The spear sailed through the air, and Hawkgirl narrowly avoided being skewered as it passed by her bared midsection and under her left wing, imbedding itself in the far wall.
She turned to follow its flight. A costly mistake. When she looked back, Copperhead was gone.
"Damn," she cursed.
Her wings flapped as Hawkgirl followed after Copperhead, weaving underneath displays and banners. She exited the medieval armor section and found herself in a room displaying Egyptian tablets.
"Where are you?" she whispered, eyes darting through the slits in her mask, searching for her prey. "Where'd you go?"
"Right behind you!"
She didn't have a chance to react as a pair of arms snaked around her and under her wings, trapping her arms at her sides and tightening. She gave a muffled scream as Copperhead slapped one hand over her mouth, then tightened his grip. His arms, unnaturally flexible and superhumanly strong, began to crush all the air out of her lungs like a constrictor.
"Thiss iss what you get for sstanding in my-"
She didn't let him finish, Hawkgirl spread out her wings and launched herself skywards and backwards, using a move she'd only seen in cartoons before. Fortunately, it worked, and she slammed against the far wall, Copperhead cushioning her body while his own took the brunt of the impact. His grip loosened, and she slipped out of it, climbing higher into the air as he dropped back down to the ground.
She greedily sucked in a breath of fresh air, coughing.
He, on the other hand, didn't even look winded, though he clutched his right shoulder from where he'd struck the wall with his free hand.
"Well it'ss been fun, bird brat, but I gotss a delivery to make," he said, shaking the scrolls and ankh clutched in his hand. "Sso if you'll excusse me."
He started off again, and she cast her eyes about desperate for some means to stop him. She couldn't attack him again, he was too dangerous in close combat. And he kept dodging her feathers, so she needed something bigger to do it. A plan sprung to mind. This time she aimed for a nearby banner display, hanging from the ceiling over an archway. The slithery thief ran through the archway, and with two well placed feathers, she sent the banner crumbling down atop of Copperhead, obscuring his view and obstructing his movements.
"That's not yours to take!" she shouted, snatching the ankh and scrolls from his hands. He ripped the banner in half, hissing angrily.
"Fine, keep them!" he retorted, swinging around his tail to smack her full in her midsection, sending her flying through the air to smack hard against the far wall. Her skull impacted against the ankh as she fell to the floor.
Flash.
Chiyo gasped in intense pain, exploded behind her eyelids. She stumbled to the ground, unable to maintain her hovering. Unable to stand. She couldn't even think straight, that blow to her head had left her thoroughly shaken. So much so she couldn't even see straight as Copperhead non-challantly strolled up and plucked up the ankh with his tail, tossing it into his hand.
"Now then, take it from a professssional little bird. Don't ssteal from ssomeone you can't outrun, outfight, or outssmart. Learned that from a Cat. And I'd ssay I've got you beat in all three of those areass. Hassta la vissta," he hissed, sticking out his tongue at her in juvenile fashion, then springing up along the wall and out the gaping window, making his escape as planned.
Chiyo struggled to go after him, but her head hurt so badly, she couldn't focus enough to fly. Her metallic wings gave a sort of half flutter, then collapsed around her. She couldn't catch up to Copperhead now, not with the head start he'd gotten. As it was, Chiyo barely had enough time to retract her wings and hide them under her coat, after first making her way back to her wheelchair. By then her father was starting to stir and the medics had arrived, two of which helped her up and back into her wheelchair, which was righted.
"Are you alright miss?"
"F-fine," Chiyo said, letting her voice tremble in what she hoped was a convincing manner. "What about dad? Is he okay?"
"He's going to be fine," they assured her. "Let's get you both to the hospital." They started to wheel her out, right past the broken displays and ruined relics that her fight had made. She winced as she realized she may've caused more damage in the museum with her fight than Copperhead's one small theft. And she hadn't even prevented that.
"I'm really bad at this," she muttered, hanging her head shamefully as the police and medics wheeled her out, helped her into the back of a police car that was following the ambulance her father was in. They were both headed towards the hospital.
They kept reassuring her that her father wasn't in any real danger, but they wouldn't let her see him. Instead, Chiyo was rolled into another room to be examined by a nurse.
An hour passed, and she felt weak, the stress of the day coupled with her battered body making it dangerously hard to stay conscious. Plus her head still ached. She think she'd read somewhere once about something called a concussion, but she wasn't sure what it was or if she had it. Fortunately, the medic couldn't find anything unduly wrong, and so prescribed her some over the countertop painkillers.
Toji arrived shortly after her diagnosis was finished, sprinting across the lobby and causing more than a few nurses to yell at him not to run, as he bolted down the hallway to where his father was recuperating.
"Dad?!"
"I'm here, Toji. Hey, it's okay... everyone's fine. Me and Chiyo both."
She gave a lazy wave. "Hey bro."
"Just had a rather bad trip to the museum," their father explained. "Doctors want to make sure my leg is okay before they discharge me."
"Are you sure? I mean, how can they know?"
"Son, I'm fine. Really," he said, attempting to wave off Toji's concerns.
"Sure you'll be alright?"
"Of course I'll be alright... we Suzuhara's are made of sterner stuff than..." he paused as a thought occurred to him, then gave a laugh. "Ha... guess this makes a complete set."
Chiyo was puzzled. "Dad?"
"All three of the Suzuhara's have escaped deaths clutches now!"
The two children flung themselves into his arms as the small family laughed.
Ichirou Suzuhara was released later that day, albeit on a cane in case his injury should flare up again. He was told to keep off the leg for another week, but there was no sign of any remaining toxins in his bloodstream. A clean bill of health. Chiyo and Toji stayed with him the entire time, and accompanied him back to their apartment in the same cab.
"I say we order out tonight," said their father as he settled onto the sofa. "What do you kids say, pizza or Chinese?"
"Pizza!" exclaimed Toji.
"Chinese!" Chiyo said at the same moment.
They glanced at one another. Then both burst out laughing.
"Pizzinese it is!" laughed Chiyo.
"I'll get the phone, we have those two on speed dial, right?" Toji asked, not looking where he was going. And tripped, bumping over one of the kitchen chairs. It clattered on the floor with an ominous bang. Chiyo winced, pressing a finger to her aching temple. It still stung from where she'd fallen at the museum. Her father spotted the grimace cross her face.
"You alright, Chiyo?"
"I'm fine dad, just... got a big headache," she murmured, pressing a hand to her temples. "You know, I think I'll skip dinner, maybe go take a nap, okay?"
"Alright. I'll come check on you in a little bit."
"Thanks dad," she said.
"Sweet dreams, Chiyo-chan."
She smiled, though it was closer to a grimace, as she rolled into her bedroom and lay down on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly, her mind drifting into a dark, dreamless void.
Tha..ga0... Lo..S...ate 9...ZX6..-58...7.D.
.. ..t Ch..yer..ol Rep...X... ... ... .0...
Nt...etal P...ert..s . 0e...Atmosp..re B...tha..e
L..e .X..s Fai... ... ... U..ble to ...me
X0kn..n A..en F1rm C1...if0.d 1s ..xels... . ..
W0..hi..ed a..GXds. ..X. ...0... . no..gy as Mx1ic
Er..r Sy..emXCo..upte.. ... ...rXu..ed.. ..
G0Xda..an.. ...to. Ic...ltu .r..r D..age ...Er..r
Er01r ..rXr..rro...rr.. Error ..ro...r0or E..or .rr1r
Two days passed, during which Chiyo spent most of the time in bed, nursing a wicked headache and feeling decidedly unwell. She didn't sleep well at all that first night. Kept having odd dreams which she couldn't remember upon waking. Thankfully, by Tuesday morning she was almost right as rain again, and didn't have to have Toji bringing her breakfast in bed anymore, feeling like a useless invalid. Their father had tried to get some time off from work to help, but he was too invaluable to NERV to be let go whenever he pleased, so unfortunately, she was all on her own most of Monday and a lot of Tuesday.
Just past three, however, he came strolling in.
She was sitting on the couch, sketching idly on a board and trying to kill time. Chiyo'd been considering a jaunt as Hawkgirl but hadn't really felt in the mood ever since her encounter with Copperhead. She'd never fought anyone remotely as tough as that before, and the experience had scared her a little.
It showed, her sketches were decidedly more wobbly than normal. She'd already scribbled over half, torn them out, crumpled them up, and tossed them in the garbage.
Her father's return home was a welcome distraction. "Hey dad. Back already?"
"I don't have much time, I have to get back to work in an hour or so, but I've good news."
"Good news?" she asked.
"I know it's taken a long while, but we finally found you that tutor we were talking about. The applicant I interviewed is perfect for the job," he said.
Joy, thought Chiyo, rolling her eyes. Then she plastered a fake smile on her face as she turned back around to meet her father's gaze. "Sounds good. I don't want to get too far behind."
"Anyway," her father explained, "He's coming by in an hour for an initial meet and greet, and after that'll drop by every afternoon after school. I even managed to cut a deal with the landlords, and they said they'll set up the unused dayroom on this floor for the two of you. So you can get out of the apartment a little more but don't have to go so far." Chiyo smiled at that, well imagining the sort of hassle it must've been to arrange.
"I won't have to worry about that much longer," she replied, thumping her armrests for emphasis.
"Another reason this tutor works afternoons. You'll still have the mornings to yourself. After the surgery you'll probably need to get back on your feet... er... so to speak."
She laughed at that. It was true, physical therapy was being arranged by the hospital following her upcoming surgery, and between that and tutoring she'd be having much less time to play superhero. But there was nothing she could do about that right now. Besides, after her encounter with that snake Copperhead, Chiyo suspected she'd earned a little peace and quiet. No more surprises, no more dangerous encounters with supervillains, thugs, or cultists.
The trip down the hallway was quick, as her father had said, Chiyo was less than a stone's throw away, yet afforded a measure of privacy and peace as well as a measure of security. Clearly her father did not trust this tutor enough just yet to let them have free reign of their home, even if they were now allowed in the apartment complex.
The dayroom was simple and spartan. There was a TV in the corner, but it looked so old fashioned and dust-covered it was probably broken. A long couch and a few folding chairs were the only other furniture, though the far end of the room boasted a dartboard. All in all it felt... cozy almost. Peaceful.
Her father's phone began to ring, and Chiyo glanced up curiously, half-expecting it to be her tutor saying he'd arrived.
"Look I don't... can you just call me back in... alright, alright," he said, then placed a hand over the phone. "I gotta get something off my laptop for a co-worker. Be back in a minute, okay?"
"Sure!" she replied, leaning back in her chair.
He slipped out of the room, leaving her be, and she idly hummed to herself, waiting for the tutor to arrive so they could get their meet-and-greet over with as soon as possible.
"Such a devoted father, taking care of his little girl..."
Chiyo spun her head around as fast as she could, to find a boy Toji's age standing there, smiling.
"Heartwarming, really," he clarified with a smile.
The first thing she noticed was his hair, which was abnormally faded in color. It looked like the sort of almost white strands that grandfather Suzuhara had, but the owner of this hair was clearly in his early teens.
He was also very pale, even more so than most children his age, and coupled with his faded hair he looked like a ghost. Even his eyes were abnormal, a reddish hue not normally found amongst the seas of green, blues and browns. The uniform of Toji's school, a crisp white shirt and black slacks, fit him poorly, hanging loosely on his thin frame, but it did not seem to bother him in the least.
She blinked, glancing back at the doorway, then back at the boy. He hadn't... had he? He couldn't have gotten in, there was only the one door (well, and the window, but they were twenty-five stories up) so how could he have possibly entered without her seeing him?
"Hello?" she managed to say at last. "Nice to meet you."
He gave a polite bow, but that smile seemed to be plastered to his face as he did so, making the gesture look hollow. Even mocking. That feature of his, that lazy half-grin, was his most prominent feature apart from his albino features, and a line of reading came back to her, reminding her of a story she'd been read as a child. And one particular name:
Cheshire cat.
He smiled like a Cheshire cat.
Then Chiyo remembered. She remembered the flicker back at the museum. It had been this boy, standing there. Watching here. He'd vanished in an instant, but she was positive this boy was him. He'd seen her. But what else had he seen?
Ignorant of her inner musings, he smiled, then extended his hand to shake.
"Hello Chiyo. I'm Kaworu. Kaworu Nagisa."
Next Time!
"For now, observe this Hawkgirl. Learn about her connection to Ikari, and discover her secret identity if you can. Do not engage her, we will determine her fate when you have brought this information to us."
The shadowy figure dipped into a polite bow, and stepped backwards, fading into nothingness before their very eyes. It would get things done, one way or another. Of that there was no doubt.
A beeping sound came from one of the monoliths, the one bearing the emblem of '07'
"What is it?" asked SEELE-01.
"The Eighth Angel has begun its descent. As was ordained."
Omake – OCs and X-Overs
"sSnakess eat birdss for breakfasst!"
A random museum guard stuck his head out. "Actually according to most naturalists, its hawks that prey on reptiles on a regular basis."
"Quiet you!" said Copperhead, knocking the guard out. "Main characterss talking!"
"Since when do you qualify as main?" asked Hawkgirl, hands on her hips. "You're barely a third-stringer in DC."
"You're one to talk, Miss OC Stand-In!"
She gasped at his low blow, then rolled up some imaginary sleeves.
Twenty minutes later Copperhead was little more than a greasy smear on the pavement.
"Now, what've we learned?" she asked, her foot buried in his back.
"To be accepting of other peoples interpretations of entertaining material, to be polite when offering criticism, and if I don't like something, no one is forcing you to read it," he rattled off.
"Good. Now you go to jail."
Author's Notes:
The Copperhead of my story is something of an amalgam of various snake-themed supervillains from the DC-verses myriad incarnations, only about 66% of which were originally called Copperhead. But since he was indeed a third-rate supervillain from DC, I doubt anyone cared.