Avenging
Act IV
The Hate Monger and the Peacemaker
Chapter 12
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Last chapter: The Avengers dealt with the fallout of Giant Man resigning, and the last of the Reborn have come to Japan. Luna, the Eternal Moon Cat, is ready for a big talk with Usagi.
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"I can't believe you talked me into skipping school. I mean, I'm glad since I hate school, but I'm going to be so busted when mom and dad find out," Usagi lamented.
Luna looked to her 'mistress' and sighed. "You're the future leader of the world. You'll be the one doing the 'busting', when the time comes. Likewise there is no point in attending school any longer. They won't teach you to rule the world, and if they tried, they would only instruct you on how they want it run rather than the way it needs to be run. If they were capable, they would be in charge. They are not, and never will be. Leaders tell those who don't lead how to be led. You should be instructing them, and you will, once you recall what you have already learned."
Usagi visualized herself making her teachers do homework. Oh yes, writing, 'Call Me Queen' a thousand times on a chalkboard would be a wonderful lesson. Especially her math teacher, who was failing her because of quadratic formulae. They should be learning numbers, not letters. Yeah, Mrs. Takashiro would write *that* a thousand times. Thoughts of who else Usagi would pay special attention to if she ruled the earth made her smile.
Luna saw the stupid grin on Usagi's face. Not leader like at all. Rather than lose faith that she was doing the right thing, she looked at where they were. All it did was make her sigh again. "This is all so backwards. It's not how you envisioned, not at all."
Usagi looked around to see if she could get a handle on what Luna was saying. The Tokyo Museum was actually a pretty awesome place as far as she was concerned. All the artwork, statues, bones of dinosaurs, and basically tons of really old, neat things, from all around the world were here. As it was, in the middle of the afternoon, not that many patrons were in attendance. While they didn't exactly have a run of the place to themselves, there were never more than a handful of people in any of the rooms.
It had been Luna's idea to come here, primarily for the Greek wing, since some of the architecture was apparently inspired by this 'Crystal Olympia' place Luna spoke of. She was hoping the familiarity might strike some kind of chord within Usagi and make her remember she was Queen of the Eternal Universe, or some such. Technically if she was a reincarnation of someone else, she wouldn't know, so in theory the story could be true. But it had to be absurd.
Usagi hadn't been all the concerned about the architecture as much as the statues. Especially the naked guys who looked at least college aged. Damn, that one was seriously hung. Maybe she'd gotten it on with him in her previous life or something.
Usagi noted that apparently ogling crotch masonry was not on Luna's agenda, given the half-lidded stare the cat was leveling at her. It was all too familiar. Her parents could do the same thing, and engaged in it on a regular basis, much to her consternation. How the heck could a cat even do that? Oh, right, they always looked at other creatures as though they were the most stupid things on the planet. So Luna was basically looking at her like a normal cat would.
Clearing her throat, Usagi tried the tactic she usually did when dealing with her parents' ire: deflect their attention. "So, explain to me how you became a talking moon cat."
"I suppose you should know," Luna admitted. "Millennia ago the Eternal known as Sprite thought highly intelligent animals would enable him to play particularly clever pranks on others. It was something of an obsession of his, actually."
"Making talking animals?"
"Pranks!" Luna snapped.
"Oh. So this is all some sort of prank, then?"
"What?! No! It most certainly is not!" Luna felt her fur bristle. "Now pay attention. To that end he performed experiments in genetic manipulation with his power cosmic. That is the power that flowed through all the Eternals. He was quite the master. Only Sersi was better at it than him. Eventually, he successfully created a number of animals, like myself, with a human level of intelligence."
Usagi gained a clever look in her eye. "So, if I could somehow smuggle my 'pet cat' into school when I was taking a test, you could whisper answers to me?"
"That is never going to happen," Luna said coldly. "When Serenity discovered the results of Sprite's experiments, she thought it was a wonderful idea to make us into worthy pets. In order to prolong our lives to match the Eternals, we were imbued with a small portion of the power cosmic."
"So you're a super powered cat. I see my days of being bullied have come to an end, my feline enforcer," Usagi said smugly.
Luna was quickly discovering one could have a perpetual sigh. "I only have longevity, increased durability, and can make people not notice me, at least when they aren't paying close attention. You'll observe no one was taken note of an animal in a museum talking to a person? No, when a conflict arises, flight is my recourse."
"So you can fly."
"I mean run away." Luna would not cry before her mistress. Even if it was her mistress who was making her want to cry. "I was Serenity's personal pet, at her side for centuries. I was even present at the Great Betrayal. When Serenity realized all was lost, and the best she could manage was a Pyrrhic victory for Beryl, she imparted to me a special task and the ability to see it through.
"Serenity was convinced that when the Eternals were in their Uni Mind state, they were pure energy, which cannot truly be destroyed, only diffused. She theorized once sufficient time had passed, she would be able to reincarnate herself in a suitable vessel, which it turns out is you."
"The Good Ship Usagi Tsukino, eh? She could have done worse," Usagi admitted. "So what task were you given once you found me?"
"I am to help you rule the world."
Usagi snorted in laughter. "I can't even rule my tenth grade class. Seriously, if I ran for class president, no one would vote for me. Not even me since I know better."
Luna shook her head. "It is your destiny, whether or not you realize it. You were reborn in order to rule, and this world needs it more than ever."
This leadership thing was really entrenched in the cat's mind. Usagi tried a different approach to knock her out of it. "Why me? You said Serenity was one of these Eternals, but I'm human."
"Oh, yes," Luna became a bit slower in her speech, as though measuring her words. "I strongly suspect you have Eternal genes within you. Eternals could interbreed with humans, probably because despite Celestial alterations, they all came from the same genetic baseline. Though the resulting progeny was always human, curiously. Apparently Eternal genes couldn't be watered down and remain Eternal. While Serenity never approved of such unions, most Eternals were, well let's just say they had a fascination with humanity despite its transient nature. Since you look so much like her, I would assume you're descended directly from her bloodline. Most likely from her father. He was a bit… virile among humans."
Virility. That was a perfect segue to a more favorable topic. "So, was there a Mr. Serenity?"
Luna laughed. "Even by Eternal standards, Serenity was not of a romantic bent. Her ideals were her passion. Oh, she would have intercourse when she felt so inclined, but nothing of a long term nature. No, when it came to companionship, her Inner Circle fulfilled that emotional desire."
"Inner Circle?"
"Serenity's closest friends. They were enforcers of her will, and women of extraordinary ability. They made Serenity's job much easier than if she had to do everything on her own. They were also with her at the end. It's my fervent hope they were reincarnated in the present as well. You will need allies to set the world right. Humanity can be a stupid, stubborn lot."
"I'm human," Usagi reminded her.
"I hope you'll become more than that."
Usagi was about to protest the direction of the entire discussion and bring it back down to this plane of reality, when some part of her mind violently shut that thought down. Everyone said the world was a mess, and until now she hadn't cared. But for some reason, she suddenly cared a great deal.
Worlds needed leaders. Why not her?
She shook her head free of the errant thought. She tried focusing on something else, and found her eyes drawn to a hideous statue. It was an unholy mix of human, demon, and insect. But what she felt wasn't horror, but rather anger.
Seeing what held her ward's attention, Luna felt delighted. "A youma. Vermin created by the Celestials. A test to prove the Eternals worthiness. The Eternals won."
"You said the youma wiped them out," Usagi said distractedly. She was feeling an unnatural fury build within her.
"No, Beryl did. While they were a tool, it was an Eternal who wiped out the Eternals, and was rewarded with permanent exile into a dimension of horror, which she and they so richly deserved."
"Yes," Usagi found herself saying without knowing why. She turned from the statue. She didn't like the inexplicable feelings it stirred up. They were alien to her and she wasn't a reincarnation of anything.
Without asking she left the Greek wing and walked hurriedly into the one adjacent to it: The Hall of Minerals. Good, rocks wouldn't rile her up, and she could go back to normal. Or at least as normal as someone dealing with a talking cat could get.
The hall was quite large, with a large variety of minerals and gemstones behind cases both in the walls and in glass stands spread throughout the floor. There were relatively few people here, and all of them adults. Usagi wondered if the security guards could arrest her for truancy. But they seemed to take no notice of her in particular. The pair of guards in the room seemed more intent on protecting a large display with a placard that said this items inside were on loan to the museum from someone's private collection. She wandered over to it.
Lune continued talking softly. "You should not be afraid to rule the world. You already did so once, successfully. Luckily, I remember everything and can advise you."
Ah yes, Queen of the World with a talking cat as her advisor. She would so have to see a school councilor if she breathed a word of that to anyone. Maybe a bit of institutionalization on the side. She'd have assumed she was crazy if it wasn't happening to her. Maybe she was. Perhaps Luna was a figment of her imagination, the whole 'no one can hear me due to my powers,' was just the crazy rationalizing itself.
But there was no denying that when Luna spoke of ruling the world, it resonated in her. Maybe if Usagi put her mind to it, she could pull it off. And hey, a thousand year old talking cat. She had four legs up on the competition in that regard. And what about those inner buddies she thought were around? Maybe with a little help, Usagi could pull it off.
Luna felt delight as she noted Usagi seemed to be considering her words for the first time. Eternal or human, any version of Serenity was destined to rule.
Then suddenly Usagi's head jerked so hard the ponytails snapped around. Luna felt her heart surge as the laser-like look of intensity on the teen's features was identical to that of her long dead mistress when something had her total attention.
The stare was directed at a glass display case that dominated the middle of the room. It was filled with a pair of gems, exceptionally huge, polished ones. A closer inspection revealed the gemstones were a ruby and an emerald. Both were said to be the largest examples of their kind. While the emerald went unnamed, the ruby had the title, 'The Star of Capistan'.
Luna couldn't understand why the girl was so fascinated by them. Perhaps something about their being jewels invoked memories of Crystal Olympia? It was crystalline, and so were they.
The guards, who had been watching from a discrete distance, tensed up at Usagi's stare. Luna was about to tell her ward to not draw any attention to them, since it could shatter the cat's hard to notice nature, when Usagi held her hand before the case and said, "Come."
And the Star of Capistan flew up, shattering the glass and went directly into Usagi's hand.
There was a flash of light so bright Luna was certain everyone's retinas, including her own, must have been burned out. For a moment she feared being blinded for life, but just as quickly the light faded, and she could see normally. There wasn't even an afterimage in her retinas as a normal flash of light would have left.
A transformation had occurred. Where her mistress had once stood in normal teenage attire, was now a figure who wore a dark red, skin-tight outfit that covered her entire body head to toe. Golden boots that were almost leggings themselves went up nearly to her crotch, while gloves of an identical nature went halfway up her biceps. A high collar surrounded her neck, and a yellow mask covered her entire face. A deep red bolt of cloth wrapped itself around her head like a turban. Its excess went down the back and over the front of her right shoulder, travelling across her chest and down the left only to trail off behind her. The Star of Capistan seemed to pin the garment on her right shoulder, though how it held it down remained a mystery since it had no mount. On the left was the emerald in a similar position. A gold sash looped around her waist completed the ensemble. Twin blonde pigtails trailed out the back of the mask, the only part of her flesh that could be seen.
The figure spoke in a deep voice, one that could be best described as both commanding and loving at the same time. "At last, humanity's prayers have been answered: the Messiah of the Single Spirit strides this plane of existence once more. A perfect messenger for spreading the lesson of the eradication of chaos through order has found its mind opened, and so shall I open everyone's minds to embrace the wonders of oneness. Feel the power of the Star of Capistan, of true Enlightenment, wash over you and permeate your being.
"Rejoice, humanity, for the great unifier, the Red Rajah, is here. Bow to the greater glory that all will embrace.
The guards finally snapped out of their stupor and aimed their guns at the mysteriously garbed figure. One of them ordered. "Okay, lady, you put those gems back then put your hands up." Despite his words, his gun shook nervously in his hands.
The Red Rajah focused her attention upon the man. "You did well in protecting the Star from falling into the wrong hands until my return. You have been a great benefactor to humanity."
The gun stopped shaking, hesitantly he said, "I did?"
"Yes." Her voice remained both forceful and gentle, as though nothing but truth could be contained within. "I can tell by both you and your companion's demeanor this change is stressful to you. You took this job because it's peaceful. Orderly."
His gun wavered and his eyes seemed to take on a dull cast. "Yeah."
"Then rejoice, for that is what I desire was well. Together let us walk the land, spreading the message of peace for all. Can you not feel your mind opening? You and your companion, and those in the next few rooms whose minds are now in conjunction with each other in a way never experienced before? It is a wonderful feeling, the oneness, is it not?"
Both men holstered their guns. As one they said, "Yes, it is."
And they meant it with every fiber of their being.
"Let us stride the land then," the Red Rajah proclaimed. "The message is more easily spread the more open the area. First this city. Then this land. Then the continent. Then the world.
"This is the beginning of true, everlasting peace."
And they, and everyone else the Rajah passed, began to follow.
On Luna's part, she was in shock. Apparently this Red Rajah's control did not extend to animals, as she felt nothing from it. There was no other reason she could come up with for being unaffected. While it was clear her mistress was under an outside influence, the words were not that dissimilar to the intent Serenity always had. Perhaps their similar nature was why both she and the Star, which was almost certainly the catalyst for all this, had come to each other.
On one level, she knew her mistress should be free of another's control. But Serenity had always been determined to take care of humanity by any means necessary as she saw fit.
Was this Red Rajah so different, or would the once leader of the Eternals nod in approval at her designs? Did it matter who, or how everlasting peace was brought about?
Luna decided to follow, and wait and see.
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Dr. Doom came staggering down the basement steps of the Mizuno residence. Typically to be rendered into such a state, he'd have had a prolonged battle with the Challengers of the Fantastic or when Chii overthrew him. But his armor was unblemished.
He spotted his daughter hunched over her workbench. She'd been busy on some project which she'd been secretive about. Normally he never tolerated mysteries; too many of them involved his overthrow. However Doom had been unusually respectful of her boundaries. Well, she was a Von Doom, and had to be given a chance to carve her own path through the world as she saw fit. For her sake it had best travel alongside, rather than head off, Doom's own. While she was brilliant, she wasn't as brilliant as him, as she would learn should they work at cross purposes.
Until now he'd been curious as to what she had been up to, but earthshaking matters had occurred, and mere curiosity rendered irrelevant. "Daughter, we must get away from her immediately. Some powerful force is clouding over my mind, and I can feel its grip becoming increasingly powerful as it expands its influence in all directions. I had no idea such a thing existed, or else I would have sought it out to be utilized properly. I feel it beckoning to me in a way few things have." His voice sounded strained. "It craves Order, like myself. That our goals are nearly the same makes resisting it difficult. I can almost feel myself aiding it, so my goal can be achieved."
His voice grew so distant it almost trailed off, then he was himself again. "It's taking all my concentration to maintain my psychic shields and keep it at bay."
Ami said, "Oh." Then turned and fired a beam of kinetic energy from her handgun into his chest plate.
The force of impact threw him into the wall and he slumped to the ground. He rose to his feet.
"So how do you feel now?" Ami asked.
"My mind is clear." His voice suggested otherwise. "I was foolish to resist. What matters who brings peace to the world, so long as the world is at peace? Ego and vanity have no place in oneness. I have been so blind to my own shortcomings, but now my thinking is clear."
Ami smiled. "That's wonderful, Father. Our new leader of the one truth will bring harmony to everyone."
"Richards!" Doom suddenly said. "Now that my ego no longer stands in the way of thinking, I realize now we are brothers of the same spirit. How much might we have accomplished had we worked together. Instead we've been at odds, squandering time in meaningless battle. But once he's introduced to the new way of thinking, we can work together to bring peace to all. I know his true nature. He will be even more susceptible to having his mind opened than I was. He too craves peace as well."
Ami clapped her hands. "I leave you to recruit Richards to the cause, and I am most proud of you, Father. I might have been less than warm to you initially, but as you said, ego can be a barrier. One that has been overcome." She began collecting things from her workbench. "I must meet my leader. I've sensed in the back of my mind she would return, though from where I'm not clear. But once the clarion call went out today, I responded immediately. I have been reborn to serve at her Majesty's side to bring peace to all."
Doom clasped his daughter's forearms to his, a gesture of admiration amongst Latverian royalty. "At last the Von Dooms are united in common cause. How can we fail to set right this world?"
"Indeed."
As Dr. Doom went to prepare a rocket, at one of his nearby bases, for intercontinental flight, Ami began donning her gear. Once her father appeared in her life, it had felt right to build a suit of weaponry for herself. Not bulky armor like her father utilized, she preferred lighter wear that allowed greater motion. And somehow, deep down inside, she knew she would have to use it soon.
Ami had designed a green bodysuit that gleamed. That was due to the nano-machines that composed it. While they could not protect her body quite as effectively as bulky armor, it was more versatile, and could gather at points where it was attacked, reinforcing the specific area. And the nanites moved at incredible speeds. The main danger was in too many of them being destroyed, but all battles carried risk, as her father had proven throughout his life. She was a Von Doom as well as a Mizuno. Perhaps it was in the blood.
Not everything was composed of nanites. There was a danger in using only one type of device that someone might circumvent. In addition to that she wore boots that were larger, bulky, and composed of metal. Anti-gravity units would allow her to fly weightless, and internal energies provided propulsion rather than jets. The boots had been designed to cause considerable damage when kicking someone. One could not underestimate the power of a good old fashioned kick.
A helmet also protected her head while hiding her identity. Its visor allowed her to see in any one of a number of fields, from radar to heat to ultraviolet, and even in 360 degrees, which had taken some getting used to. It also had a number of targeting displays and readouts on the nanites. She had been tempted to call it Theia, but decided it was too gauche.
The gloves, in many ways, were her crowning achievement. They improved her strength many degrees, fired energy blasts, could construct a force field around her, and held a number of more esoteric devises. She had dubbed them her 'Wonder Gloves' since they could do so many wondrous things.
And now she had given herself what she felt was a good codename: Techno, since she was technologically savvy. And frankly, wasn't very imaginative when it came to names. Then again, her father simply used his own name. Perhaps that ran in the blood as well.
She could feel her mistress calling. Techno prepared to take flight for the first time
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The Hate Monger's headquarters was simple and inconspicuous, a stark contrast to the criminal's designs. On paper the warehouse was owned by LTC Inc. whose business page said it was dedicated to opening lines of communication through synergistic infrastructures for the betterment of definable solutions. A rambling word salad that meant nothing. But it sounded sophisticated enough that no one questioned what it meant for fear of being thought of as being stupid. The few people who mentioned the company by name, said it had 'noble goals', or some other positive and ambiguous compliment.
The interior had been renovated into living quarters for Hate Monger and his small band of minions. It was there they gathered information and plotted the ruin of Japan by any means necessary. Since they were between plans, most of the group relaxed or worked out.
It was the largest of the group, who had been watching television, who yelled at the others to come see what was on.
They arrived within seconds of one another. It was a news broadcast by anchor Toji Yamamoto with a camera crew that indicted it was a live feed. He was in the middle of a park, the camera panning to a figure in red while he positioned himself so he dominated the shot. She had taken over a small stage that was used for public performances. Surrounding her in all directions was a massive crowd that numbered in the low thousands. More people could be seen approaching the gathering from all directions. A casual look revealed the crowd came from all walks of life. From well-dressed businessmen to the homeless. From school children to the elderly who looked like they might pass on at any moment. The tall, the short. The fat the thin. Athletes to the physically handicapped. Every group possible was represented.
The reporter spoke in that dialect that all television broadcasters used that no normal human spoke in. "This is award winner Toji Yamamoto here at Mizumuto Park, where a rather flamboyant new age guru called the Red Rajah has taken up shop. While colorful eccentrics shouting out things on street corners are a yen a dozen, this one has quickly gained quite a following. Why don't we listen to what she has to say?"
The camera and microphones were directed toward the Red Rajah, however the way her voice carried it was almost as though the devices were unnecessary. It was as if the words themselves wished to be heard and inserted themselves directly into the consciousness themselves.
"I have been summoned to your side in this time of need, and the need is greater than it has ever been.
"This world is full of wars, strife, injustice, inequality and pain.
"This is a world of chaos.
"But this is not the true nature of humanity. An orderly existence is what it truly desires. However, as time has proven, humanity has been ill-suited to achieve this goal on its own. There is too much division. Too many different ideas following too many different paths that travel in opposite directions that can never converge. And thus humanity can never be united.
"Humanity has been unable to truly progress because no one had the ability to show you the way.
"Let it be known that this is the day everything changed, because the only one who can shepherd you down the path has finally appeared.
"I am the Red Rajah, the Messiah of the Single Spirit, and I am here to change all of that. I have come forth to lead and enlighten you who are so desperately in need of both. All you have to do is open your minds and hearts so I can show you the way from the fear and confusion you're in. Clarity of vision leads to Truth, and once found it can be embraced. Once all embrace Truth, we can move forward hand-in-hand toward the wondrous future only dreamt of. Shuttered minds can only grasp glimpses of a larger picture, it takes many minds to grasp everything. That is why oneness is a blessing, since only through it can all thoughts be collected together as one, forged into a whole that grasps everything in its entirety. The concept of Understanding becomes fact.
"A single spirit means an end to wars, since there are no disagreements when everyone believes the same thing. It is an end to injustice, since there is only one justice that can be followed. It is an end to inequality, since all will possess the same thing. It is an end to pain, since everyone will share the same delights.
"Peace will not be a word. Peace will be a permanent state of being that transcends mere words.
"And now is it time to gather yourselves unto me, for I am the only guide you'll need throughout the world, since I am Good, Just, and Pure: I would not seek to lead you were I not. And I am benevolent since I care for you all, and that is all I care about. There will be no need for other leaders since they could only agree with me, which is unnecessary, or disagree, which by definition would be Evil, Unjust, and Impure and thus unworthy of leading. And due to my immortality I will be your perfect guide forever.
"There will be no need for religion. I am better than any god since I will listen to your wishes and answer your prayers.
"There will be one language, since many lead to misunderstandings.
"There will be no nations, only a world, since division leads to conflict and oneness leads to peace.
"We will embrace diversity in appearance, since everyone is equally worthy no matter what they look like. We reject diversity of thought since it crumbles the foundation of strength by implying those that have made the correct decisions are wrong. If the path we were going down is wrong, we would not be taking it.
"Everyone is equal. No one is greater or more important than anyone else. Everyone is the same in the way that matters: in who they are. Equality allows us to function in harmony. Harmony is critical and all important since it enables things to be orderly. Individuality is dangerous since it encourages the idea that a person is different from everyone else, when everyone is equal. Differences are not equality. Individuality leads to division, strife, disagreement, and chaos. Chaos is the bringer of all evil.
"I will teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. Deep down inside, this is what everyone wants. This is the dream everyone wishes to attain.
"One voice, that is everyone's voice.
"One thought, that is everyone's thought.
"One happiness, since all deserve to be happy.
"To want anything else, is madness.
"I love you all, and you will all love one another."
At that point the camera operator began to drift off, catching Toji's face for a moment, showing the same stare of muted rapture that adorned everyone else's.
At the headquarters, the group looked at one another. The leanest spoke, "Oh yeah, mind control."
The lone female said, "I don't think it's line of sight or visually hypnotic in any way, since I'm sort of an expert in that. Scent like the Mandrill seems unlikely. I'm wagering psionics."
"Why the speech?" the first one asked.
"Helps to get inside, maybe? People have natural psionic defenses. They can be lowered by the power of suggestion."
One of the others said, "In any case, I'd say this goes to the cause. Look at how many she's dazzled in, what? A day or so? We'll have to figure out a way to block the control ourselves, but it's not like the Boss isn't hideously psionically powerful himself. I'm sure he'll come up with something."
The largest member sat in a chair and titled back on two legs, while propping his feet on a table. "What this means for us is time off until we see what kind of damage this gal can do and how we can exploit it."
At that moment the door to the room literally burst off its hinges and flew across the room. It would have struck the tallest member of the group had he not flown out of the way, allowing it to slam against a wall with such force it nearly went through it.
Hate Monger strode into the room. "Get ready to move out. We have to someone to kill, and this time it doesn't matter if we blow our cover." He finally noticed the channel the television was on. "Good, you know the target."
The group stared at him in confusion. The woman spoke, "Why? Isn't she contributing to the destruction of Japan? I thought that was our goal."
A red rimmed gaze full of rage was directed at her. "Didn't you hear what she said? She's doing the exact opposite. She's going to save them from themselves."
"But they aren't exactly being *saved* since she's controlling their minds," one of the others pointed out.
Hate Monger's anger seemed to fill the air as though it were a palpable thing. "She's making them sheep so she has a flock to shepherd: I want them dead so they're corpses rotting in the sun. Those are opposing goals. Having free will has nothing to do with either scenario. We're heading out." And he turned to go, knowing the others would be following in his wake.
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"So, Thor, Bucky, and Tigra."
"I am *not* playing this stupid game."
"Come on, Ranma. Marry, Kill, Bang. Which one is which?"
Ranma rolled his eyes. Daisuke was being worse than usual, and Hiroshi's eager gaze for his turn didn't offer encouragement. As to the names, well, he wasn't narcissistic or suicidal, so that left one of the individuals off the list. And since Captain Japan didn't kill, that eliminated a category. The idea of doing anything with Thor was a bit… intimidating. Not that he couldn't handle six feet of Nordic beauty -magical gender changing aside, he was a man among men and could handle any woman- just that one had to be wary of her, the way one only taunted Hulk so far or else you had a half ton of irate behemoth on your hands. Thor could be… prickly when it came to romance.
And as to Tigra, well, given the way she enjoyed rubbing her body against his and the highly suggestive language she used (which was only directed at him rather than being a flirt in general), bang was a distinct possibility rather than an abstract idea.
But since he liked having a secret identity, he settled for. "No way."
With Ranma balking, Hiroshi stepped up to the plate. "Bang Tigra. Kill Thor. Marry Bucky."
Against his will Ranma envisioned the latter for a moment, and felt nauseated. It was truly horrifying.
Daisuke looked at his friend in disapproval. "Dude, totally insane. Kill Thor? With that body?"
"Because then I could say I killed a god. That's like the coolest intro line you could use for yourself," Hiroshi explained. "What about you?"
"Bang Thor. Kill Tigra. Marry Bucky."
Ranma felt like curling up into a ball. His female side was the type guys wanted to marry? What the hell?
Hiroshi disagreed as vehemently as his friend had earlier. "Tigra's too hot. She actually fights in a skimpy bikini. Tell me you haven't fantasized about motorboating that."
"Allergic to cats. Cat girl gets whacked."
Ranma sighed. He hated end of the day study hall. This was what passed as an 'important discussion' for his friends. Times like this he wished he had a business to run and could be excused early, like Ukyou. Although part of the reason he was annoyed today was his friends were being more perverted than usual. They really needed girlfriends, and not busty redheads like they seemed to want so badly. If they had any more pent up sexual energy they might spontaneously combust.
Glancing across the room, Ranma considered walking over and talking to Akane, but she was embroiled in a deep conversation with some of her friends. That escape plan was off the table. Getting involved in girl talk was even less desirable than one with his pervy buddies. It would be all about make-up and how sexy bishonen guys were. It made the fact his friends unwittingly had the hots for him barely tolerable.
And then Ranma became aware of a feeling in the back of his head. Like a buzzing. Or maybe a pressure. It was weird, but it felt like it was originating from inside rather than outside. He looked around for a possible source, like a hot goddess on a divan magically charming him—again, but everything looked normal.
"It's not a tumor," he mumbled under his breath with a slight Austrian accent. Movie night with the Avengers always made whatever movie he watched have an impression on him. At least the lead actor in that looked big enough to beat someone up. Most of the 'action stars' nowadays looked even more weenie than a bishonen guy.
Ranma wondered if it was really all just in his head, meaning psychosomatic rather than something physically put in there from an outside force, when a trio of students rose from their seats. Almost as one, they headed for the door in near perfect unison. Since three quarters of the class was involved with inane high school chatter, only one quarter noticed. Well, them and the teacher. It appeared he was about to chastise the trio when he shut his mouth with an audible snap, and followed them out of the room with the same steady gait.
Ranma looked at Akane, who had also noticed. That was weird.
And the buzzing seemed to grow.
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Ukyou distractedly cooked okonomiyaki at her grill. She was dealing with the first wave of early customers who had filled the room to about half-capacity. Not the biggest crowd, but not insignificant. It was that way nearly all the time since business was only so-so, and it wasn't due to the quality of her food. If anything it was only because she was nearly as good at okonomiyaki as she was at archery that people were coming, given her erratic hours of business. Between being closed during the morning and early afternoon because of school, and sometimes at night due to Avengers business, there were occasions where it wasn't open during peak hours. People didn't care to go to a restaurant that might only be open half the time. Her Avengers salary meant she'd stay solvent, but she wanted the business to be successful on its own even if the martial art side of the family business was going to die out. Maybe she should change it to archery. It was cooler anyway.
The first round of food was nearly finished. Ukyou knew she was being workmanlike about it rather than treating it like passionate artwork as usual. The cause was hardly a mystery: Jessie's revelation and promise. First Genma, and now her. The whole idea of pretending to be a guy was so no one connected a young girl who used to put the first arrow in the bull's eye, then put each succeeding one into the arrow preceding it, and whose nickname had been Hawkeye, as a grown up super hero since he was, you know, a guy and not a girl
And not being 'tittyrific,' shouldn't have been necessary for it to work.
But it appeared nearly anyone from any walk of life could pierce her disguise. Maybe she should let the Avengers know. Then she wouldn't have to lie when potentially messy situations came up, like why she couldn't fight a villain who could control women. That was so almost messier than anyone other than her realized. She never thought a shield to the face could be so desirable.
And an identity revelation would certainly help her on the romancing Captain Japan front, since she couldn't make a move on him right now without freaking him out. Of course if he was into guys that would have been a relationship killer as well in the other direction. Only Ryouga's identity was known as the Hulk, so no one should be too irate that she had pretended to be a guy. Everyone had agreed to let private lives be, and if you couldn't show up, they accepted it, as well as not knowing the person behind the mask.
Except she had kissed Thor on their first mission. The Goddess of Thunder might not react well to a perceived perversion, and Ukyou had no illusion that trick arrows could stop lightning bolts. On the other hand, there were times when Ukyou could swear she was checking out women, assuming they were attractive. Maybe she went both ways. She was European, after all. She heard they were pretty open minded about that sort of stuff. On the other hand, she was quick to claim people were perverted when they behaved too sexually familiar to her. Or went about naked, like Bucky. Or were just flirty, like Tigra. Although Ukyou was beginning to think the animosity toward them was that they were perceived as being more desirable than her. It wasn't exactly difficult to believe someone who pompously referred to themselves as a goddess would have a superiority complex and wanted to be alpha female. Ukyou wasn't insecure like that.
There was more to femininity than being 'tittyrific'.
And if Ukyou revealed her true gender, she could start trying to convince the hunky Captain she was his girl, the way Tigra tried. Except not sticking her breasts in his face or trying to straddle his body at any given moment the way the alley cat did. And she was not going into a fight clothed in only a 'battle bikini'. She still had no idea why certain anatomical features of Tigra's didn't go flying out given some of the athletic maneuvers the curvaceous feline executed in combat. Gravity and mass should have caused a wardrobe malfunction at some point. Maybe she had the additional super power of making clothing remain exactly where it was no matter what. Or anti-gravity melons.
One thing Ukyou admitted to herself was that she really needed a boyfriend. She'd been forced to fly solo on the romantic front her whole life thanks to the unusual nature of her life. She was nearing seventeen. Most of her contemporaries were enjoying heavy make out sessions, and some of the more audacious ones way more. She was being left far behind on the dating scene. Of course it was partially by choice. As it turned out, in openly trying to be cute and feminine in order to contrast her public persona with that of a male archer, she was desirable enough that lots of guys asked her out. But she couldn't just date anyone thanks to her alter ego. Most guys would not be cool with a super hero girlfriend since they would feel intimidated, or worse, had a fetish. And if she had a bitter break up with them, there goes the secret identity and every villain in the world would visit her place, and not to dine. One idiot in an 8 Ball helmet had been enough, thank you very much. The place would end up razed to the ground within a week.
While Ukyou loved having an extraordinary life, she could do without extraordinary problems.
And now she was aware of an itching sensation from what felt like the inside of her skull. She wondered if it was an impending migraine. Lord knew with her life issues, it was a miracle they hadn't affected her yet.
Ignoring the sensation, she noticed the pork okonomiyaki was done. She served it to a customer, whose response was to get up out of his chair and head for the exit.
"Hey, at least eat the food before you look down on it!" she snapped, then saw another customer get up from the middle of his meal and head in the same direction. This was ridiculous. Her food was delicious.
"No one dines and dashes on my watch, pal!" She picked up a rolling pin. You didn't need to be trained in rolling pin martial arts to whack someone with one. Heck, they hadn't even fought a super villain using that motif. Evil jugglers, sure, and one that used bowling pins, but not rolling pins.
The man had made it outside, Ukyou a step behind him. Just as she was about to grab him and force him to pay up, she noticed he seemed to be staring off in the distance as he walked. It was as though he was answering some call only he could here. There was no urgency in his step, and he looked… blissful was the word. Almost like he was on some kind of drug.
Then she saw others walking down the street using the same gait, identical looks on their faces.
As the buzzing increased, she made a mental note this wasn't a good thing at all.
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The Red Rajah continued shouting words of peace and praise to the ever-growing crowd. It was doubling nearly every hour, and it would continue indefinitely. Or at least until all of humanity heard it. Technically, she didn't even have to speak, but in some way it was important someone give voice to what was happening. There was a sort of appropriateness about it. Once it was finished, once everyone was as wondrously enlightened as those that had already joined, then the time for words would be over.
It was happening quickly. Those most aligned, whose nature grasped the inherent beauty of a single spiritualty, were the first to answer, but as her wisdom stretched further and further, the reality would set in for even those of the most chaotic dispositions. She wasn't impatient for it. Why rush the inevitable? Already so much beautiful harmony existed in those before her. All would join.
It was then her litany was interrupted. It took her a moment to understand words not hers were being spoken. A lack of oneness suddenly prevailed where none should exist. This close to her wisdom, all should have understood the harmony of the soul.
She saw a group of six beings at the edge of the crowd. Five wore plain, identical black costumes, while the other, who had the disposition of a leader, wore a conical mask and purple tabard with an 'H' on the front. She said, "How curious that you should draw so near yet not realize the delight of harmony. All the more reason for you to come to me so I can help you attain that which you don't realize you long for."
Hate Monger snarled, "I'm not wasting time debating about your mind-controlling crap, or if you actually believe the stupidity you're spewing. This ends here and now with your death." Hate Monger ordered two of his minions to dispatch the bringer of peace. From slits in the backs of their uniforms popped out wings; one set insectile, one avian.
Both flew directly toward their target.
There was no sense of fear from the figure. "In times past the Red Rajah would fallen before such might, but fate has seen fit to give me the ability to defend myself." The Red Rajah lifted her arms and pointed a finger at each of her airborne foes. The emerald at her shoulder glowed and twin beams of power lanced from her fingers. Both foes were struck by such tremendous force they were hurled from the air and to the ground where they lay unmoving.
Unconcerned at his fallen comrades, Hate Monger shouted, "Kill her!" at his remaining men.
They made their way through the throng of raptly staring people and drew near the stage. They were about halfway there when the Red Rajah spoke again. "It is a sad truth that those who have difficulty accepting the wisdom of oneness and the harmony of it, must at times be restrained until clarity of thought attains enlightenment."
Suddenly the crowd moved as one to subdue the trio. It was like a whirlpool of humanity that surged forward to drag them down to its depths.
The pair of smaller figures reacted immediately. One began kicking people away with clearly inhuman strength, where the other displayed equally inhuman agility and claws in an effort to fend off his attackers. While bones broke and blood was spilled on the part of the crowd, it was to no avail as both were brought low and pummeled into unconsciousness.
Not so the largest, and last, of the minions. He was powerful enough to swat his attackers away no matter how many came at him. He plowed his way through them, his progress marked as the sea of humanity unwillingly parted itself as he encountered it, until he found himself at the edge of the stage.
The Red Rajah remained where she was, unconcerned.
He lunged for her, only to receive a backhand which sent him flying away to smash into the ground.
"The Alpha Stone serves humanity now. It is with reluctance that I am forced to protect myself." She indicated the emerald, then returned her attention to Hate Monger. "You who are the originator of this chaos, shall be enlightened."
A beam of energy shot forth from the Star of Capistan and engulfed Hate Monger's head. At the same moment, most of the crowd wavered erratically, where before there had been unity in all motion.
Hate Monger's head jerked for a moment as he was bathed in the glow. Then he gave a low growl. "Now I understand how you work."
The glow retreated and the crowd returned to its state of muted rapture. The Red Rajah was the only one who reacted by drawing back in surprise for the first time since reawakening. "Impossible! None can be so totally immune to the call of oneness. Order is the base desire for all."
Despite the contention, Hate Monger remained unmoved. "I have suffered your arrow and found it wanting, now feel mine!"
A beam of pure psychic malevolence erupted from his brow and launched itself at his foe. The Red Rajah's entire body was bathed in a pinkish glow, encapsulated fully. Yet nothing happened as the glow disappeared.
"The Messiah of the Single Spirit can never waver from the path of all-encompassing peace. This world will be opened up to embrace it," she stated as though it was already fact.
As she spoke, the largest of Hate Monger's minions had recovered from the blow the Red Rajah had administered. Seeing his foe distracted, he leapt right for her unprotected back, prepared to unleash the full force of his prodigious strength and pulverize her with it.
Halfway to his target a red white and blue missile intercepted him with super strength of its own. It stuck him hard enough that he went clean through a stone statue and several trees before coming to an unceremonious stop where he lay unmoving.
Captain U.K. landed next to the Red Rajah and kneeled, bowing her head to the ground. "I have returned, your Majesty."
"Arise," the crimson garbed girl said. "There are no 'majesties' in this new world. We are all equal, though some remain ignorant to that basic truth." She turned toward the one who had somehow resisted the call to oneness. However, in the time she had been distracted, he had escaped and was no longer in sight.
A delay, nothing of importance. That was all it was. "I will enlighten his allies, at the least." She walked over to one of the flying attackers she had dispatched earlier. His mask had been torn off when he crashed into the ground. With his features no longer hidden, a being who looked as much avian as human was now revealed.
The Red Rajah drew back. "An animal in human form! That explains much. Animals are too closely aligned to nature, which is intrinsically chaotic. Even claiming parts of nature are ecosystems is inappropriate since there is little systemic about them."
Something caught her attention. It was a girl in a red and white fuku flying through the air, trailing fire behind her. Another came from another direction, seemingly gliding through the air. She knew instinctively these were allies, like Captain U.K., answering an innate summons that went beyond what the Red Rajah could do.
She returned her attention to the bird man. "We will collect them in cages for now, but I doubt there is a place for them in this world. If need be, they will be liquidated for the betterment of all. There is no longer a place in this world for the chaos they represent." She returned her attention to the ever-growing crowd. It had only been given pause when she focused her peaceful mind to her foe. And now she knew why the effort had been wasted. She would not make such a mistake a second time.
It was time once again to save humanity from itself by allowing it to truly embrace itself with no boundaries to get in the way.
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Iron Rose stood like a statue in the meeting room of the Avengers, in an ill mood for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was being on monitor duty when there were other things to do. At least she could do the remodeling around headquarters she had been planning. And by 'doing' she meant ordering Sasuke to make them. It was what he was being paid for.
At that moment the butler-cum-ninja was trying to obey his latest command and was closely examining Giant Man's enormous chair. It had been designed to support the one-time hero's frame, and was oversized. The diminutive butler had figured out how to remove it from being bolted to the floor and done so, but now there was another problem which he brought to his superior's attention. "Mistress Rose, what should I do with Giant Man's chair itself?"
Behind her mask, Kodachi Kunou's brow crinkled in disgust. Even hearing Giant Man's name filled her with rage. The others were dealing with the betrayal better than her. Far better. She loathed the weasel with a passion. They had been in the direst of straits when he abandoned them. To be left a slave in the clutches of that… that animal! She had half a mind to discover Giant Man's identity and use the resources of Kunou Enterprises to ruin his life.
But for now she would relegate herself to token gestures. "Throw it in the incinerator."
Sasuke examined its dimensions with a careful eye. "I'm afraid it's too large, Mistress."
Iron Rose raised her hand and unleashed a repulsor blast, shattering it into a hundred pieces. "Now it will fit."
Sasuke gulped. "Yes, Mistress." He had been considering asking for a raise, but perhaps another time. When she was less moody.
Iron Rose found her rotten mood increasing. Nothing was going right any more. She knew Biko Stane-Daitokuji was up to something. Something most foul. The 'Ice Bitch' of the business world reeked of it, and was secretive even by business standards. Her father, who had run the company before his demise, had been ruthless, and while Biko wasn't openly like that, it was inconceivable to believe she was any different. Obadiah Stane would never have allowed his legacy to be so corrupted by someone that wasn't as ruthless as him.
But all of Kodachi's efforts at penetrating Stane-Daitokuji's security had failed miserably. Usually one could get at least a few spies in low level positions, either inserting them directly or through bribery, but neither bore fruit. She'd even attempted a bit of hacking, but that failed as well. Anyone with security measures of that level, had something to hide. And that wasn't counting super powerful robots that duplicated other's powers. Kodachi still had no idea what tech could do that, but whatever it was was off the charts.
Iron Rose so wanted to get her hands on the robot, cut it open, and see what made it tick.
There was one other recourse she hadn't attempted. In going through her father's secret files, she had stumbled upon the names of several professional spies that specialized in corporate espionage. Spymaster, Saboteur, and the Ghost were apparently at the top of the list. Pricey and dangerous. Very pricey and very dangerous. That her father had sought out their names was a bit shocking, but in peeling back the layers of secrecy in her family's business, she had come to learn the patriarch of the Kunou family had not always done things by the book. At least it seemed most of his corruption was limited to countering others who used corruption against him, like Saginomiya, rather than initiating things himself. And as near as she could tell he'd never actually hired any professional spies. Kodachi was not quite ready to resort to using such people. At least for now.
Were that all that was troubling her perhaps things would not have been so irritating. But then there was her total lack of progress on the Captain Japan front. The party had been marvelous, and the bodyguard excuse had worked far better than she thought since she had actually needed him as a bodyguard, but since then she'd come up with nothing to bring them closer together. Kodachi Kunou had far fewer excuses to cross paths with him than her alter ego, and she wasn't quite ready to reveal her identity to him yet.
And then there were teammate issues there. That furred slut was infuriating. At least her Captain had the good taste to resist the feline's advances, though he did not reject them as emphatically as he should. Iron Rose was tempted to hit her with a repulsor blast on his behalf as a reminder of her station in life, which was having nothing but platonic interactions with Kodachi's future boyfriend.
But she wouldn't do it. Not only would it make her look jealous, but Tigra was so lurid it would most likely turn her on.
Plans were coming and going through her mind at a fast clip when an alarm sounded in the headquarters. Sasuke went over to the main computer and assessed the situation. "There's an intruder on the grounds and he encountered the defenses." Another set of alarms suddenly blared. "Oh dear, make that, shredding the defenses. I haven't seen someone go through them like this since Hercules."
The automated defenses Iron Rose had set up could have dealt with any normal or insignificantly powered intruder; enough of them had tried to assault Avengers mansion to make a name for themselves only to get caught in the first set and turned over to the authorities. Anyone able to go through every level of them as quickly as Sasuke said meant she would deal with it firsthand.
Iron Rose was the ultimate defense after all.
She flew through the air and toward the entryway to go outside and confront the intruder. However, just as she made it to the door, it blew inward. That was impressive an impressive feat. It was made of an osmium alloy and designed to handle a tank smashing into it at full speed.
As a figure made its way in, Iron Rose aimed her repulsors at him. Right before she could fire, her attacker said, "Wait! Despite past history, I come in peace."
Iron Rose was alarmed. She recognized the voice, though the speaker was supposed to be dead in an explosion. Although she admitted they had never found any bodies. Wary, she waited until he came into full view. Sure enough, while the purple tabard and chain mail were different, the torn mask revealed the face she loathed so well.
Man Beast had returned, looking the worse for wear.
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End chapter. At last the titular character of the Peacemaker has appeared, and live up to her name. Next one should be the last chapter for the arc. I considered making this one huge like in the old days, but I probably would have ended up putting some of the end stuff in the start of the next act, and in hindsight I'd rather leave it in this arc as a jumping point for the theme of the next one.
And oh yes, here's the Red Rajah costume I tried to describe. It's at the bottom. Just add ponytails.
Appendix
