Disclaimer: Kim Possible and all characters portrayed and/or implied inside that television animated program belong solely unto Walt Disney Productions.
All technology and/or terms mimicking Star Trek belong unto CBS and Paramount Studios. All similarities to any television programs or series along with magazine and other media outlets' stories, cartoons, character names, in name of incidents, are purely coincidental, not intentional
Teen Titans were created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, produced and belong unto DC Comics
Justice League was created by Gardner, published by DC Comics: Justice League in this series includes: Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Green Lantern, J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter), and Firestorm. Batman, on occasion. Base of operations is the Watchtower, a space station orbiting the Earth.
Batman created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, published by DC Comics, along with the Mentor and Nemesis, Ra's al Ghoul, Founder of the League of Shadows.
Green Lantern dates back unto the 40s. This character's been revisioned several times. Character and subsequent property right belong unto DC Comics.
Avengers created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and published by Marvel Comics, and includes Tony Stark (Iron Man), Captain America, Thor, and other heroes.
Spider-Man created by Stan Lea and Steve Ditko, and expanded by Brian Michael Bandis, and published by Marvel Comics under The Ultimate Spider-Man, along with Villains, Modok and Doctor Octopus, Otto Octavius.
S.H.I.E.L.D. created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, published by Marvel Comics.
They've Known All Along
Fury slowly awakens. Head pounding. Neck stiff. Every muscle aching, like he'd just done a full body aerobic workout. He wills his arms to move, only they don't comply. "What the hell?" Fury snaps his head up glaring around. Hands and feet fettered spread eagle inside a circular contraption
"Notice too, do ya, Nick?"
"Woman, shut the hell up, and help me figure a way of out," he loses his temper with his cellmate.
Dr. Director mocks him with contemptible laughter. If she ever doubted this mutant, she didn't now. She'd been double crossed by everyone she ever thought she could trust, including her own bosses, and allies, like Nick Fury. She recalled the mutant saying she lived on Mars. And, if that's where they were, escaping wouldn't do them any good.
"Well, well, you two are finally awake?"
"Aconasema," Fury grits harder grinding his teeth.
Dr. Director wasn't so emotional, "You played us, start to finish".
"Yes," she gloats with self-satisfaction, "yes, I did. I'm a war god and goddess' daughter. What can I say? Manipulation is in my blood".
"But," Fury gapes, hearing that, "the bombs, guns, drones, fires, dead soldiers..."
"I knew, make it too easy, and you'd perceive my trap, maybe even leave. Give you just enough a challenge with the chance to outsmart me and obtain Golden Heart…"
Both prisoners gasp in shock, though they never verbally say anything, positive or negative. "Oh, yea," she boasts triumphantly, "I knew about your pathetic operation this whole time, since the start".
"Golden Heart. Beautiful name, don't you think, Kimiko?"
"Comical, with a sentimental touch, Mama," the same 16-year-old oriental girl she'd seen inside her office steps outside the shadows.
"Kimiko?" Dr. Director curses aloud, berating herself, "I recognize you, Young Lady. Why didn't I see the resemblance sooner? You're Shari Mueller, the little oriental girl adopted by Jackson and Cheryl Mueller, only to be orphaned again, when your parents perished in an auto accident. You disappeared at age 12, never to be seen again".
"Well, I wouldn't say never seen again," 16-year old Hanna preens. "I've been under your noses this whole time, fused with Mama". She reaches over grasping Aconasema's hand.
"I must commend you both," Aconasema applauds them tauntingly.
"What for?" Fury and Dr. Director snap.
"You both helped us so much. We can never repay your kindness".
"What'd we ever do to help your kind?" Dr. Director beats her cellmate to the punch.
"Simple. You hunted down and murdered that redhead bitch's friends, even went after her family and allies. Why do you think I protected them? I knew you'd suspect they helped me hide your precious weapon. That kept you busy over the past 3-years, which gave me ample time to build that Amazonian base in preparation for your little reception".
"Where are we?" Fury yells, pissed she'd tricked him so easily.
"Mars," she deadpans with a snide smirk.
"Mars?" Fury and Dr. Director eye the teen girl.
"I told them where I was years ago. And yet, they still sought my decoy and act surprised when I tell them the same thing again," Aconaseam japes, lightly elbowing her little girl.
Hanna joins her in derisive laughter.
A Promising Lead
"Alright, we're all reacquainted. Even with Miss Mueller here," Fury matches her contempt. For both women. "Why don't we cut the bull? Tell us what you want".
"You brought us here for a reason, didn't you? So, spill it," Dr. Director agrees with Fury.
"Oh, you have this all wrong," the teen goads them sorely. "Mama doesn't want anything. You want something from us".
"What do we want?" Fury senses a veiled threat in the teen's barb.
"To live," Aconasema primps them.
"You kill us and our people..."
"Calm down, Dr. Director," Aconasema assures her emphatically. "I have no intentions of harming either of you".
"Why would Mama harm you? You're both more valuable alive, than dead".
Fury cuts his eyes towards the young oriental teen. He started to get that all-too-familiar sinking feeling right before trouble hit, "Why are we so valuable unto you two?"
"You're simply bait," Aconasema deadpans.
"Bait?" The prisoners didn't like how that sounded.
"For who?" Dr. Director inquires deeper.
"The Boss".
Both prisoners lose two shades of color shaking their heads.
"Your choice is simple," the teen conciliates their cooperation. "Tell us everything you know, and we can protect you. Refuse, and we release you both back on earth. Either way, you can't stay here indefinitely".
"And we all know. You won't live 24-hours without our protection, especially once word gets out you failed your last mission". Aconasema brings their situation into better perspective.
Her little scenario sways Dr. Director's doubts. She'd already entertained the thought. Maybe she'd make a better ally. "I've never met nor know the Boss' name. I've only dealt with a modulated voice over a black op satellite cell phone". She dared not say HenchCo Dark Net cell phone. They might kill her.
"What do you know about him?" The teen poses the next question.
"Do you remember GSC Chairman Ivan Pedrov?"
"Of course," Aconasema remembers him vividly. "What does he have to do with the Boss?"
"It's rumored, he met him once".
"What?" Fury screams in insult, "I've served him 3-1/2 years, and haven't met him yet".
"Ares," she touches her ear bud, "get our people shadowing GSC Chairman Ivan Pedrov. Now that Dr. Director and Fury have gone missing, and their forces laid waste in the Amazon. He could suddenly become expendable, depending on this Boss' next move".
"I'll get right on that promising lead, Aconasema".
She turns her attention towards Fury, "Powderpuff already shared what she knows. What about you, Saw Bones?"
"Do what you will," he spits in her face. "I won't tell you a damn thing, Bitch".
"Furious Fury, you've watched too many spy movies. I don't intend on torturing you. Not only would that set a bad example for my little one; you're just too valuable. I can't chance damaging such a value merchandise". She lays him out with a single punch.
"Throw them inside adjoining cells," she instructs two hooded guards standing nearby.
"Ares, Annie," she orders on the way outside the cellblock, "what do your scans show?"
"He's definitely chipped," Wade affirms what she suspected all along.
"I agree," Annie concurs, adding. "Hydra must've implanted him with an aggressive neuro-synaptic compliance chip".
"Meaning what?"
"The longer he's isolated from his puppeteers' command signal the more aggressive he'll become. He'll gradually become nervous and moody, accompanied by a fever and mild nausea, devolving into hyper-aggression, uncontrollable fits of rage, inability to register pain, calm down, or relax, until lapsing into a coma, and dying somewhere between 6 to 12 hours later".
"And if we remove the chip?"
"I wouldn't recommend trying," Ares cautions her against that option. "If we try and miss something, his puppeteers could detect us tampering with their device and terminate the subject. I'm sending your tablet everything our scans revealed about this specific type of chip, Aconasema".
House Calls
Aconasema knew one person who could potentially help. It'd take some coercing, but he might, if it's to serve the good of humanity. She materializes inside Avengers' headquarters.
Tony's eyes rake her standing there. He simply shrugs, "What do you want?"
"Don't worry," she assures him, "I come in peace".
"You come in peace?" Tony Stark laughs heartily jeering, "Now I've heard everything. Do you really expect me to buy your lies? Especially after what you pulled in the Amazon!"
"I didn't go hunting you. You came hunting me. I only defended my daughter".
"Daughter? We weren't told anything about a daughter," Tony Stark eyes her curiously.
"I'll bet you weren't," she condescends. S.H.I.E.L.D. kept a lot even from its closest allies lately. That was why so many had recently broke ties with the once venerable organization.
"Honey," she calls out.
"Yes, Mama," her teenage twin appears out the shadows.
"Tony Stark, meet Kimiko Hanamura".
"She's your daughter," he asks with considerable doubt.
Aconasema didn't blame him. She'd tricked and beaten his team, twice. She could be running another play against them. "And the very reason S.H.I.E.L.D., Global Justice, and now the Avengers are hunting me. All because authorities want me dead to have custody over my child, Kimiko".
"I believe names are prophetic. They say a lot about us. Kimiko in Japanese means, 'a child without equal'. It's also a shorter version of yours, Chiyoko, which means 'mirror'. Insinuating, you see yourself in and through your daughter. Hannamura is more enigmatic.
Hanna denotes, ' a sweet-smelling fragrance'; Mura annotates, 'a village'. Only, your dwelling isn't so inviting. No, yours is decorated with Orange Lilies, symbolic of your deep-seated hatred of humanity and vengeance against those of us you perceived wronged you in some way, am I right Chiyoko?"
"First off, I don't hate humanity. I mean, c'mon, have a little common sense. I cross 6-billion light years in seconds. Do you really think it'd be that hard for me to destroy our world...?"
"Our world?" Tony Stark cocks a brow. Unsure what he should believe at this point. This attitude so didn't fit S.H.I.E.L.D.'s psyche profile.
"I was born and raised right here. On Earth, Mr. Stark. So was Kimiko. Do you really think, if I hated humanity so much, I'd let her anywhere near you people?"
"I don't understand," Tony sits on his desk's edge. "What about your rants? Threatening and berating humanity as mindless cretins? Exalting yourself as superior to us? Fury showed us the videos".
"I'll bet he never divulged their time stamps".
"Huh?"
"I didn't think so," Chiyoko senses his bitter confusion. "Pay closer attention and verify everything I'm claiming. Don't take my word alone. Fury's correct. I did say those things. But, I said them under his direction…"
"Wait right there," he doubts her story again. "Why would Fury have you say those things?"
"Quite simple, Mr. Stark. Fury or Dr. Director say them. Hydra would retaliate against innocent people, because that's how Strucker could best get even with them. His operatives could use their own Oversight Committee against their directors. So, they sought me out to say those things. I could say them. And Supreme Hydra Strucker over the Americas couldn't harm innocent people. I didn't care.
Strucker wasn't sure how to handle me. He grew angrier with growing frustration. His ire eventually overruled his better judgment. He acted against his organization's best interests. Strucker come into the open, damn the consequences. I shielded global authorities and the public against this madman's twisted retribution. My actions helped them collect solid evidence against Hydra.
They'd been constrained so long. Their Oversight Committee finally sanctioned them moving against Hydra. Fury and Dr. Director assembled their strike teams hitting Hydra's bases in tandem. My actions, however, backfired. Fury, Dr. Director, and other global leader somehow forget about recruiting my help, and became convinced I was out to overthrow them. Many hired assassins, including Fury…"
Mind Games
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Stark stops her charade right there. He wasn't sure what she was pulling. He only knew one thing, "Fury may be many things. He isn't a murderer. And besides, Global Justice and S.H.I.E.L.D. don't employ assassins. Ever".
"Not normally," she shocks him by agreeing.
He'd heard persistent rumors. Many centered around Fury. He'd been moody, violent, and always had a headache. He didn't give them much credit, til now. He still wasn't convinced they were true. Stark entertains the possibility challenging what she thought she knew, "What exactly are you insinuating?"
"Just this," she tosses her tablet on his desk, "study that device's schematics".
Tony picks up the tablet-PC, skims the schematics, and immediately recognizes the device, "How'd you get this design? It's top secret".
"I know what it is, Mr. Stark. A neuro-synaptic stimulator". She couldn't admit her mom helped his company develop these devices. It'd blown any chance to return unto their former lives.
"My company developed them..."
"…to facilitate the body in repairing damaged or short-circuited nerves and help them reconnect with the appropriate centers of the brain which governs their movement. It can even be used to awaken certain comatose patients".
"Exactly," he eyes her closer. "What exactly are you doing with my prototype device? And how does it factor into whatever you're trying to sell me?"
"Fact is, Mr. Stark, I'm not trying to sell you anything. I'm only advocating you study those schematic in-depth. If you do, you'll learn how surviving Hydra members or quite possibly Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, himself…"
"Wait, wait," Stark discounts her claims, "he's dead".
"Study your history, Mr. Stark. He's been dead many times, only to rise again. Him, his son, or maybe a clone double always arises to take his rightful place as Supreme Hydra. That's beside the point, right now. Point is, don't take my word. Just ask Captain America.
He knew your Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, Jr.'s father. He's an accomplished neurosurgeon. I believe, he and a team of scientists retooled your chip into an aggressive neuro-synaptic compliance chip, and implanted it inside Nick Fury's head".
"And if we're right," Kimiko picks up where her mother leaves off, "he's only the first candidate. We believe, whoever's behind this madness intends to mass produce these chips and implant them into every key global leader's head. If they accomplish this, Hydra will become unstoppable. You have no reason to trust us. And we certainly don't trust you".
"Smart girl," Tony glares mother to daughter. "Trust must be earned. How do you intend on doing this, Young Lady? Your hand is pretty weak to start with".
"I mean no disrespect, Mr. Stark," Hanna as 16-year old Kimiko counters his argument. "Yours is equally weak, if only you'd open your own eyes. Fury's been disconnected from his chip's command signal for 3-hours. He already has a headache, next comes the nausea and moodiness, devolving a couple hours later into vomiting and jitters, profuse sweating, followed next by uncontrollable mood swings, tempered by hyper aggression and foul language. He'll become so worked up, eventually even powerful sedatives won't calm him down. Such excitement will overtax his system. He'll lapse into a coma, and pass away within 6-12-hours later".
"I don't see the dilemma, Young Lady," Tony shrugs his shoulders. "Just release him".
"We can't, Mr. Stark".
"Why not?"
"We do. And he's a dead man".
"Are you saying he'll die either way?"
"Yes, Sir".
It Only Gets Worse
"Why?"
Aconasema hands him two CDs.
"What are these for?"
"Those CDs record Dr. Director and Fury's last communique with their immediate superiors. GSC Chairman Ivan Pedrov threatens Dr. Director, all the while, Fury yet unidentified puppet master, code named Hammerhead, orders him, 'Obtain Golden Heart, their designation for my daughter, at all costs or don't bother coming ack to HQ, period'".
Tony Stark didn't believe a word. He snatches up the CD inserting them into his computer. He listens unto both conversations, not believing his ears. How could he doubt such proof? He turns angry yelling back, "What do these recordings really prove? You could've fabricated them, given your level of tech".
"Believe what you wish," she read his doubts earlier. "You know deep down I didn't fabricate those CDs. You have your own doubts about Fury, and why S.H.I.E.L.D. called your team into this op; doubly so since they've been purposely alienating their mutant agents lately".
"Why are you so sure how I feel".
"Your anger proves you're conflicted over this issue. Which insinuates, you've had your doubts, and noticed subtle changes in Fury usual deportment lately. You feel like he used your team. But, you don't like to think bad about people. So, I excuse your hostilities. Knowing, they aren't directed at us".
"Alright, let's suppose these CDs are genuine. What do these recordings really prove?"
"First, this crusade against my daughter and me isn't legal. Didn't you hear Pedrov and Rocco? Neither S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Shadow Committee, nor Global Justice's GSC board sanctioned Fury and Dr. Director's op. That, secondly, leaves us with two conclusions. Either both directors went rogue, or…"
Stark was a skeptic by nature. Even he couldn't ignore the implications here, "I get what you mean. One director going rogue is a distinct possibility, but two long-standing rivals going rogue…at the same time, collaborating on the same unsanctioned op is nigh to impossible to be coincidental".
"Given," Kimiko extrapolates their next point. "Dr. Director's protected her brother since he went rogue. Fury didn't. He'd prosecute his brother in a heartbeat. Dr. Director would join this crusade if she truly believed it was in humanity's best interest. What if Fury's chipped, and being controlled by someone else? Have you asked yourself that question, Mr. Stark?"
"That would explain his aberrant behavior and mood swings lately," he cedes the young woman's point.
Aconasema wasn't deluded. She knew he didn't' believe them yet. At least, he'd opened his mind and entertained the possibility. Now, maybe he'd be more receptive unto their next piece of evidence. "Here," she hands over blueprints.
"What are these?"
"Blueprints of how Strucker modified your company's chip, Mr. Stark".
"What about the chip you gave me moments ago, Young Lady?" Stark eyes the 16-year-old.
"Oh, it was a replica of the one Strucker implanted near Fury's brainstem. And those are the chip's schematics, as best as our 3D virtual scans could ascertain them".
"Those blueprints lead us unto my third point, regarding what else our recordings prove," Aconsema brings their discussion back into perspective.
"I'd love to see the connection between those recordings and the chip allegedly in Fury's head," he condescends.
Kim doesn't take offense. His skepticism worked in her favor. "Simple," she grabs his attention, "they prove, there's a conspiracy working behind the scenes. And, whoever's behind this, he has operatives even working under you, Mr. Stark. Should what I've told you thus far really surprise you? I have your chip? You have medical scans proving its implanted at the base of Fury's spine. Fury and Dr. Director's bosses threatened them both. Bosses, who probably work as double agents for Hydra.
"How'd you reach this conclusion?"
"Hammerhead omitted Fury's title and last name within the same conversation. That's a common tact in Hydra insinuating, 'Fail this mission, losing your command will be the least of your worries'. Do you understand the implications now, Mr. Stark? What does that sound like to you? Does Strucker sound like a forgiving person?"
It Only Gets Worst
Tony didn't say anything, clearly conflicted, but not yet swayed.
"How about this?" Kimiko hands over another CD.
"What's this?"
"Fury has dual identities".
"Dual identities?" Tony jokes, chuckling a bit. "Little Lady, he probably has 20-30 with all his fake IDs".
"That isn't what I meant. And you know it, Mr. Stark. You use humor to deflect what you don't truly understand. It's a cognitive coping mechanism. Whoever's behind this, he/she throws a switch and Fury becomes Jupiter Kipling.
That CD records Fury's alternate identity advocating his personal assassin, Dante Reza, code name Red Hawke, kill Sheriff Jonathan Cornelius 'The Bear' Johnsen, before leaving Eureka, NV, to hunt down and interrogate Shego and her brothers, Team Go of Go City, Colorado. Check the obits, and you will learn. An unknown assailant gunned down Sheriff Johnsen, two hours later".
Aconasema offers him a DVD asking, "Care to watch how Hawke blew up 200 sleeping henches, shot a crazed blue scientist, named Dr. Drakken, then bound and tortured Shego and her brothers, as well as admitting to killing Special S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 3rd Class Kimberly Anne Stoppable's classmates, friends, and associates, and staged their deaths under Jupiter Kipling's orders".
"Why would he do this? What could he possibly gain?"
"Fury didn't have anything to gain…"
"Ah-ha," Stark counters her propaganda, "that only proves…"
"It proves absolutely nothing," she squelches his argument. "Fury may not have had anything to gain. His puppet masters did. Remember that chip in his brain, Mr. Stark? His puppet masters simply flip a switch, and Fury becomes his alter ego, Jupiter Kipling. Fury would pass along their orders without even recalling what he'd done.
Hawke would capture and interrogate whoever he's told, even use torture to get whatever information his bosses felt this victim may know. When done, Reza would kill them, then stage their deaths, and move onto the next victim on his list. He'd do this hoping each might know something that could lead him unto where my daughter and I were hiding, like what happened in the Amazon.
You see, these idiots thought this young girl," she shows him Hana Stoppable's photo, "was Kimiko. I mean, how stupid can you be? Kimiko's 16; this little girl's 6, maybe 8, years old, tops".
"Here's more," she tosses another DVD atop his desk. "I later caught and questioned Red Hawke. He identities whoever's behind this madness as the Boss. They all do. Whoever he/she is? They want me dead and sole custody of my little girl..."
"Why do they want her so badly?" Starks poses the next question topping his growing list.
Hana answers this one teary-eyed, "This madman wants to mindwipe then chip my grandfather, forcing him to rape me…"
"Why?"
"Their objective is simple, Mr. Stark. Fury's bosses, whoever's controlling him, want my daughter to reproduce their demigod super soldier".
Tony didn't love Fury. They'd fought since day one. In fact, Fury didn't think he was hero material. Despite their differences, he respected the man. "What?" He scoffs with bittern denial. "He'd never…!"
"Watch the video, Mr. Stark. Don't dismiss what we're saying so easily. Keep an open mind at least," she urges a little leeway.
"What are you saying, Lady?" Stark grows irritated over her mounting accusations. Against Fury. Against S.H.I.E.L.D. Against him. Against his team. She demeaned everything he held dear.
"I'm say, I agree with you. Fury would ever dream of doing something like this, if he was in control of his own actions. Truth is, he isn't in control. If that chip is any indication, I believe Hydra is controlling him. I urge you, please watch that video. You'll understand Hydra's objectives behind this chip far better than by my word alone.
It isn't to end my so-called tyranny over humanity. Fact is, I've only defended humanity. Nothing more, nothing less. I possess two ultra-powerful weapons, like Thors hammer. I possess Raja's sword and Phoenicia's shield".
"Wait, you possess both weapons already?"
"I have wielded both weapons since my youth, Mr. Stark. I never found the necessity to wield them in battle. That was, until I learnt about these pedophiles' convoluted plan. They want to rape my daughter, just so she can procreate their demigod super soldier, who can wield my father's sword. Because, only a child born of divine blood can handle his weapon, and activate its mystical energies. A mortal can wield it but once, and only once".
"Why only once?"
"Wielding Father's sword comes with a great price. It requires blood to activate its mystical energies. Human nor mutant blood will suffice. They're tainted; impure. Believe me or not, it requires divine blood. A mortal can wield the sword, striking his enemies with crippling fear, and defeat them. However, once the battle ends, the sword will sample the wielder's blood. If he's impure, the sword will slay him there".
Actions always speak louder than words alone. She whips out Raja's sword and strikes an animatronic arm. A crackling crimson aura spreads over the appendage's full length atomizing it completely.
"That's the power they're wanting to possess, Mr. Stark," Kimiko reinforces Kim's point. "An innocent soul must perish every time their leaders decide an enemy must be taught a lesson. A wielder will be chosen. It'd be a suicide mission whenever someone wielded this blade".
Aconasema tosses her sword up. It changes into a necklace latching itself around her neck.
Laying All Cards On The Table
"By Odin's beard, it's real".
"Thunder God, you fight and sometimes even kildl in Asgard's defense. Even here people hail you a hero. I saved humanity from certain destruction. And they repay me by hunting my daughter, and seeking to kill me. I defend her. And yet, I'm the greatest threat humanity's ever known. You Avengers say, a hero is known by her actions. Well, didn't I prove myself when I took down those sentinels?"
"I'll admit. That crisis even taxed the Avengers' beyond our limits. If you hadn't intervened, it could have at lost worse".
"Possibly even World War," Tony backs up his teammate's assessment.
"Mr. Stark, Kimiko and I aren't seeking accolades. We only want to live in peace. I'm not a hero. Nor do I wish to be a villain. My daughter and I only wish to be left alive. That way, we can live our lives in peace. But, don't misconstrue my adversity to violence as weakness. I can, and will, protect my child, regardless the cost.
My daughter is an impressionable teen. Harming people—even those attacking us—sets a negative example. I wish her to learn. You can usually solve your problems without resorting to violence. Even you must agree, if we all shared this sentiment, the world would be a better place. And besides, I'm a war god and goddess' daughter. Every victim's blood only increases my thirst for violence".
"Like Banner and his temper?"
"Exactly, Mr. Stark," she presses her point stronger. "Only, my thirst and powers are a million times stronger, more volatile. Can Hulk destroy worlds with a single thought? Can Thor?"
"No," Thor replies, never imagining she possessed this type of power.
"I can. Why do you think I stay on Mars? I only came back, because I learnt this boss has been killing innocent people, anyone who he thinks may have helped me in defeating Hydra. I certainly couldn't allow him to carry out his inhumane plans. He intends on molesting a 6 or 7-year-old little girl, thinking she's my Kimiko".
"You really do care?" Hawkeye steps out the shadows next.
Hanna turns beet red, humiliated to talk about such things around complete strangers. She didn't say anything, knowing it was absolutely necessary to stop or at least minimize the ensuing violence. She drew closer grasping Kim's hand. A black aura engulfed her body crackling like fire. "Calm down, Kimiko. They don't mean us any harm".
"I keep my distance because I care so much, as you can see, Mr. Hawkeye," she assures him.
"What do you want from us, exactly?"
"I only want one thing, Mr. Stark. Help me uncover this boss' identity. I suspect that I must've missed a Hydra cell within S.H.I.E.L.D. last time. And its spies—possibly members of the Shadow Committee among them—report back unto Strucker, if he's this boss I've heard so much about. Help me prove or disprove my hunch".
"What else can you share?"
"Sadly, not much," she shrugs. "Fukushima, the international assassin, is this boss' own private bodyguard/enforcer. Sources tell me, he recruited Red Hawke after the Rangers forced him out, over beating a female recruit senseless".
"Well, why don't you simply ask him?"
"I can't," she looks away. Great heaviness weighed on her heart.
"Why not?" Thor asks, recognizing that burden.
"I'm not proud of my actions," she ejects her still bloodstained claws.
Stark and his team jump back. Weapons raised, and ready for trouble.
"Red Hawke boasted about Fury and Dr. Director heading Hydra cells within their own organizations. He then boasted how their Boss planned on raping my daughter to produce this demigod super soldier. I lost my temper and beheaded him with my own claws, then tossed his head into Dr. Director's lap," she turns to leave, teary-eyed.
"What about Banner? He's on life support below," Tony inquires about his friend's health.
"Your friend will wake up within the hour," she informs him. "Tell him I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to harm or put his life in danger. I only meant to drain his gama surplus enough, where he'd revert back to his human form. I've restored what I took".
"You really can strip a mutant's powers, can't you?"
"I can," she admits. "But, there's a vast difference between mine and my daughter's powers. She's half human. Kimiko can't strip a mutant's powers. This Bossdoesn't buy this limitation. Hawke claims, this Boss intends on hooking her into Cerebro…"
Stark knew, if this gets out, it could start another mutant-human war. He didn't relish reliving that nightmare against. He barely kept his team intact last time. "Why does he wish to hook her into Cerebro, Aconasema?'
"He doesn't believe my daughter can't strip a mutant's power. He believes, she's young, and the power simply hasn't manifested yet. His geneticist convinced him. Hook her into Cerebro, and she'd access that latent power unconsciously".
"Let me guess, she could then strip every mutant, supposedly making them human again, and ending the mutant threat forever, right?"
"Yes," she nods, adding, "that's this Boss' claim. You can be they won't stop there".
He may be idealistic. Even he knew that much. He simply couldn't answer, "Why didn't they get you to do this, first?'
"They tried, and I refused, Mr. Stark".
"And that was when this crusade against your daughter started, wasn't it?"
"I didn't know it then. The Washington agents who approached me were really double agents, quite possibly working for this boss. Because, yes, the crusade against my daughter started shortly afterwards. I guess, this Boss reasoned, if I wouldn't do what they wanted, my daughter would, whether willingly or unwillingly. He doesn't understand the complexities or differences in our powers.
He thinks he can force her into tapping a power she doesn't have. I fear for her safety, Mr. Stark, if they ever caught her, and she couldn't access this power. What lengths, or cruelties, would they resort to, even against a little girl, to get her to 'cooperate'. It didn't matter what they did. She couldn't do what they ask. It's impossible. For her. Even if she could, their cruelties wouldn't stop there. They'd dream up more perverse ways to exploit her powers. I cannot allow this. Like me, she could destroy humanity".
A portal opens ahead them. Aconasema and Kimiko journey through disappearing amidst the swirling vortex, which closes shortly behind them.
One reviewer scolded me, saying I'd diverted from canon. I hope by my revisions I've restored some.