Yep, decided to (Finally) try and wrap up this first story arc. I did sort
of leave it on a cliffhangerish ending with the heroes getting defeated.
Will probably do the next chapter of this, then go back to The Things We
Wish For... just in case anyone was concerned about me not finishing
'Things.'

And now on to the story...


Avenging Chapter 10
Ten Rings to Rule Them All III

Any and all C+C is appreciated. You can contact me at
sommer@3rdm.net

All of my fics are stored at the following:

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Standard Disclaimer: Various anime characters are owned by their respective
creators. The super heroes are owned by Marvel Comics Company

When last we left our heroes: The attempt to attack the Musk fortress
failed. Daredevil, Hulk, Hawkeye, Iron Rose and Thor had all been captured.
The fate of the Wasp and Giant Man remains unknown, and Captain Japan was
separated from the others as he tried to rescue the assassin, Elektra from
drowning.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The man once known as Herb, but now known to the world as the Mandarin,
stared at the woman he had just captured. His imagination swirled with the
potential this 'Thor' presented. He was so lost in thought he was unaware of
the arrival of his minions until Tarou cleared his throat.

"Nice work, Boss," Tarou said, lacking his trademark haughtiness.

"Spare me your platitudes," the Mandarin snapped, looking over the quartet
of prisoners Tarou, Power Man, Speed Demon, and Swordsman had retrieved.
"Why are you carrying that green pig?"

His employer's rebuke irritated Tarou enough that he chose to answer in an
equally curt voice. "Some big green monster got dunked in Jusenkyou. Unlike
me, his curse was not beneficial. We can carve him into ham hocks later."

The Mandarin passed a hand over the piglet. One of his rings glowed with a
light green tint. "Hmm. Gamma irradiated, like yourself. This will bear
further investigation." He turned to the others. "Tell me, who are they and
what can they do?"

Speed Demon spun around so the prisoner draped over his shoulder could be
seen by his boss. "His name's Hawkeye. No super powers. Just got a bunch of
trick arrows."

"He took you out," Tarou jibed.

"He's darn good with the arrows," Speed Demon replied, showing no sign of
embarrassment.

Swordsman showed off his prisoner with exaggerated flair. "This foul knave
goes by the name of Daredevil. He is deceitful, ill-tempered, does not know
his place, dared to attack me, who is clearly his better, and is vastly
inferior to my own tremendous skills."

The Mandarin looked to Tarou.

"Guy keeps hidden weapons in his costume. No other super powers," Tarou
translated.

Power Man took his turn with his prisoner. "Speed Demon said she's the Iron
Rose. I don't know how large her tits are since this armor's so clunky."

"I don't care about her breast size!" the Mandarin snapped. "Does all of her
power come from her armor?"

"Yep. She almost knocked me out, and that was after Swordsman fought her. Of
course I had just fought Thor and the pig right before, so I wasn't feeling
too great."

The Mandarin considered that. "Armor that powerful might mean some of the
technology could be potentially useful."

"Want me to peel it off her?" Power Man offered.

The Mandarin shook his head. "No, that would destroy the armor. Removing it
now would be ill advised. It might be booby trapped."

"Excellent!" Power Man and Speed Demon said as one.

"That means it might explode! It has nothing to do with her breasts, you
idiots!"

Both visibly deflated.

"I shall investigate it later. I'll leave all of them alive for now,
imprisoned. Each one is potentially useful to me. If they prove otherwise,
or I find them tiresome, I will dispatch them later. Now... wait a minute.
Where's Elektra?"

"She fell into the underground river with Captain Japan. That was the last
we saw of either of them," Speed Demon explained.

"I insisted we search for them immediately, but our so-called team leader,"
Swordsman shot a glare towards Tarou, "insisted we come here with the
prisoners first. Another sign he is ill fit to lead. There is no telling
what harm might befall the beauteous Elektra in the hands of such a cad as
that Captain person."

"They both fell in the water and are probably dead," Tarou assured his
leader, shooting Swordsman a scathing look.

"I want confirmation," the Mandarin insisted. "Mint, Lime-"

"Ah, ah," Speed Demon warned with a wag of his finger.

The Mandarin rolled his eyes. "Speed Demon, Power Man, secure the prisoners.
The archer and red man can be placed in standing shackles. Strap down the
armored one in the titanium bonds and use the electric nullifier on the
armor, the one we use for twitchy Centurion robots. Since it's only armor,
attaching it to the head should render it completely immobile. Remember to
attach it to the head, not the body."

"Right," both said.

"The pig can be placed in the somnia gas chamber." He turned to the goddess
on the floor. "This one is of particular value to me. The neural paralysis
table should immobilize her in similar fashion to her armored comrade. Make
sure she's securely fastened to the table. I remember the mutant bear that
slipped out of the bonds before you activated the neural paralysis."

"We'll be careful," Speed Demon promised.

The Mandarin turned to Tarou and Swordsman. "You two are going to locate the
Captain and our missing assassin. Bring the man to me alive as well." He
turned to exit the room.

"What if he's already dead?" Tarou asked.

The Mandarin stopped at the doorway to the room, "Then bring back his body."

Once his employer had departed, Tarou finally allowed himself to snicker.
"Now that, can easily be arranged."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Liquid dreams filled her mind as she found herself sinking into an eternal
ocean of blood. An ocean she had created over the severed flesh of her
assigned targets. She was suspended in crimson ether that carried on into
infinity. There was no up or down, left or right. There was just the blood.
Slowly she felt her lungs crushed under the weight of her sins. There were
no voices to taunt her, they had all been silenced at the end of a blade,
but the sanguine fluid that had been spilled would stand in place of her
victims' cries of revenge. She tried to keep the liquid out, closing her
mouth, but the blood seemed to seep into her body through her pores, filling
her lungs, forcing the life-giving air out so that she might drown in her
sins.

Her consciousness began to wither and die, and she felt her soul being
sucked out. Death had come to visit her. Once dead the Hand would consume
her, as it did with all those who failed, and use what remained of her
immortal soul in their plans anew. The Hand was greater than any one member.
The Hand was eternal. No one left the Hand. Once accepted, you belonged to
them even unto death. And beyond. She would forever be a part of something
she hated more than anything else in the world.

And then there was light. And pain. Pain from within, worse than any she had
felt since killing her best and only friend. She vomited fluid, and what
felt like most of her vital organs, and still the retching continued as her
stomach tried reflexively throwing out what had already been emptied.

Eventually the nausea passed, and Elektra collapsed on her back. She had to
regain her bearings. Pain was accepted, and she forced her mind to look
beyond the discomfort and evaluate her situation. She took stock of her
surroundings. She was laying flat on the ground, her body still convulsing
mildly. She was wet, soaked almost as much inside her body as out. She could
hear the movement of someone nearby. An enemy. All people were assumed
enemies until they were judged otherwise.

Her body was in poor shape, damaged temporarily. And like any other weapon
that was damaged, she would have to rely on other tools until it was
repaired. Slowly her hand moved towards her sash where she kept a stiletto,
garrote, and shurikens concealed within the folds of the cloth.

They were all gone.

"You're awake."

Elektra's eyes flashed open. She expected someone to lunge at her with
blade, bullet, or flesh. It would not be the first time such had happened,
waking just in time to counter a fatal attack. But instead of a violent
killer intent on her death, she saw a short, busty girl with flame colored
hair sticking out from the top of a mask wrapped around her face. Her
costume was red and white, with a rising sun emblazoned across both it and
the shield affixed to her arm.

A full recollection of the events that led up to that moment came to
Elektra. She turned to see the flow of water beside her. She was resting on
a rocky projection next to the river. It formed what was almost a crude
pathway, judging by the way the rock continued on upriver and out of sight.
An odd phosphorescent glow seemed to emanate from the rock walls themselves.
Obviously she had been pulled out of the river and onto dry land.

"You kept me from drowning," she said warily to her savior.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, you took a nasty one straight to the temple. You
were out cold. It's lucky for you I dove in after you."

"Why?" Once the word had left her lips, Elektra realized how irrelevant the
question was. The action was done, the reasons meant nothing. This girl had
her own designs, and an obvious use for Elektra, or else she would never
have saved the assassin.

The girl looked at Elektra as though she was the most stupid person in the
world. "Well geez, I couldn't let you die."

The simplicity of the statement, as though the girl was saying 'Of course
the sun rises in the East,' unsettled Elektra. "You mean you did not save me
so I would be indebted to you?" she asked.

The redhead seemed confused by the nature of the question. "Ah, no. That
would be a pretty stupid way of doing things. Heck, I wouldn't be able to
keep track of all the favors people owed me if I expected everyone I saved
to return the favor."

Now Elektra understood: Magnanimity. A useless gesture fools engaged in. To
give something without the expectation of receiving something in return was
a waste of effort. Obviously this girl believed herself some sort of
Samaritan whose duty it was to protect others.

But still, despite the obvious foolishness, Elektra felt strangely moved by
the gesture. No one had ever done anything for her without the expectation
of receiving something in return, at least for long as she could remember.
Everything the Hand gave had a string attached. When she went undercover,
she would frequently be romanced with the intention of someone bedding her.
There was always some form of compensation involved. But this girl desired
nothing. It was most... confusing.

"Where are my weapons?" Elektra asked. She felt naked without them, and was
suspicious of the redhead appearing out of nowhere to save her. It seemed
too good to be true.

"I took care of them. I didn't want you to try to run me through aga... I
mean like you tried to do to my partner."

"Partner?" Elektra looked the girl over. How could she have been so blind?
Obviously from the way the girl was dressed and the shield she bore she
would have been partnered to Captain Japan. "I do not recall seeing you in
the battle..." Elektra trailed off, unsure of how to address her savior.

"I was... ah, late getting there. And the name's Bucky."

The girl was lying about the former, and very poorly. What did she have to
hide? Elektra looked at her more closely. The uniform bore signs of combat.
There was a large tear in the front where the material had been sliced open
and the faint redness of a fresh cut below that. The slash was long enough,
and in such an area, that the girl's ample bosom clearly showed; a fact she
seemed unaware of.

Noticing Elektra's stare, the redhead's eyes followed the gaze. Seeing what
was poking out, she quickly muttered a curse, and proceeded to tear her top
off, using it to tie around her breasts in a very tattered bikini top style.
"No one's going to take me seriously with my belly button showing," Bucky
grumbled.

Elektra was not as concerned about Bucky's appearance as she with the wound.
The injury was identical to the one she had given the Captain himself. A
coincidence? Hardly. Elektra stood up, her eyes seeming to bore holes
through Bucky. There was no way the redhead could be the Captain in
disguise. The physiological differences made it impossible. Although looking
more closely, she could see the uniform was actually loose on the girl. Had
she switched clothes with the Captain? Why? She was not trying to
impersonate him.

Elektra reviewed the facts she knew. The last thing she remembered was being
on the bridge, something shattering it, and being hit in the head by a stray
piece of granite. The next thing she knew, she had been saved by a girl who
looked similar to the man Elektra had been fighting, dressed the same as
him, and had an identical wound. The only problem was gender. So what was
the solution?

The water!

The memory came back to Elektra, one long forgotten in a childhood that she
had forsaken so long ago. If she remembered the tales correctly, there was
indeed something that could change a person's gender. And cold water was the
trigger. She pointed at the girl and said, "Jusenkyou?"

The shock on Bucky's face was evident. "Yeah, how'd you know about it?"

The past. For all of Elektra's efforts to bury it, it had come surging to
the fore. She had not reflected on her childhood for years. Memories of a
dead past only served to slow one down. Bucky's question, in conjunction
with this curse told as a tale from her youth, elicited feelings in Elektra
that she did not want to remember. "It is none of your concern."

Bucky gripped Elektra firmly by the shoulders. "Come on, you got to tell me.
I need a cure for this."

"It was only a fable I heard when I was very young. I did not believe the
place truly existed. I am unaware of any cure." A lie, but one delivered
flawlessly.

Bucky did indeed believe the explanation as her shoulders visibly slumped in
defeat. But then a resolve seemed to settle over her. "All right, so now you
know the truth. What are you going to do about it? Are we going to have to
fight again?"

Elektra shook her head. "I am indebted to you. You saved my life when I
would have drowned. I will not raise my hand against you or signal an
alarm."

Bucky seemed visibly relieved. "Okay. Now I gotta get back and rescue my
friends. Well, they ain't really my friends. I only met most of them once
before today. But that's beside the point."

"I shall go with you. It's a matter of honor," Elektra said firmly.

Bucky shrugged. "Okay. They're a pretty tough bunch. I can take them on my
own, if my buddies haven't beaten them already. But without me, they might
have more than they can handle. We'd better sneak back, just to be on the
safe side. You got any idea on how to get back?"

Elektra pointed upriver along the crude pathway that went up and out of
sight. "Following this as far as it can go would be the best. If there is an
interruption in the path, we will make do as best as we can."

"Works for me," Bucky agreed.

With the matter settled, the two began to walk back.

Xxxxxxxxxx

A tiny pair of eyes fluttered open. There was darkness with light around the
edges of it. Groggily the girl reached upward, towards the darkness. She was
rewarded with the cool feel of metal at her fingertips. Instinctively, she
pushed forward, trying to ward off the darkness. She was rewarded by the
piece of metal scrap, from her perspective nearly fifteen meters in length,
go flying away from her.

Wasp squinted at the bright light of the sun. She covered her eyes until
they had a chance to adjust to the sunlight.

She surveyed the scene around her. There was debris scattered all around. It
took her a moment to recall what had happened. She had drifted off to sleep
nestled among the landing gear, Doctor Tofu (no, Giant Man when he was a
superhero) still babbling incoherently, when there was the sound of a loud
explosion and the sense of plummeting very quickly. Wasp had recovered
enough to rise to her feet as she heard further sounds of metal tearing and
the falling continued. She had managed to grab onto Giant Man, used her
sting to blow a hole through the quinjet's landing gear doors, and flew out
as the vehicle headed straight for the ground. She had barely enough time to
stop her decent, especially with her super hero partner cradled in her arms,
before crashing into the ground It was fortunate she retained her full
strength at Wasp height, else both she and her partner would have met a
rather grisly demise.

It was just as she had leveled off, not more than a handful of meters above
the ground, when the quinjet crashed, exploding and sending debris
everywhere. One large piece in particular had headed towards her...

....And that was it. She couldn't remember anything else. Perhaps the debris
had struck her, and she had fallen to earth with Giant Man...

Giant Man! She had completely forgotten him. "Giant Man, where are you?!"
she ccalled out, but there was no response. She cried out again, but still
there was no answer. Wasp began to panic. What if something bad had happened
to him? What if he had been hurt because Kasumi Tendou had gotten it in her
head she wanted to be a superhero? What if he had died? Could she forgive
herself?

Yes, she could. Doctor Tofu wanted to help the world as best as he could,
and he would never want Kasumi to give up her new dreams in which she helped
others, as well as living the exciting life of an adventurer. There were
risks involved, but didn't she take a risk every time she prepared puffer
fish for the family? Why, given the number of people who died in car
accidents, she was still more likely to die crossing the street, even if she
gave up superheroeing.

"I will carry on in your name, Doctor Tofu," she swore.

"What's wrong with my name?" The voice came from under a piece of metal
located to the right of Wasp.

Stunned by the unexpected response, Wasp flew over, picked up the piece of
metal and tossed it aside. Underneath lay her partner, only now sitting up,
clearly dazed. His uniform appeared a bit dirty, but no external wounds
showed. "Oh, you're not dead after all."

Giant Man winced. "You don't have to sound disappointed, Ka... Ka.. Kasumi."
His eyes fully glazed over, a state of insentience far worse than when he
had first started to come around.

"Oh dear, it's happening again." Wasp grabbed one of the metal cylinders on
Giant Man's belt and detached it. She pointed the nozzle at him, and hit a
button located on the bottom. A stream of green gas enveloped the upper
portions of his body, dissipating almost immediately. The growth gas served
to negate the effects of the shrinking one he had used earlier, and allowed
Giant Man to live at least partially up to his moniker as his form grew from
a handful of centimeters to the height of a normal man.

No longer in his Kasumi inflicted haze, Giant Man regained his bearings and
looked around. "Where are we? This doesn't look like the airport."

"It's not. The heroes' plane we were stowing away in crashed. We barely made
it out in time." Wasp went airborne and flew up until she was eye level with
Giant Man.

As before, her diminutive size seemed to dull the effect her presence had on
Giant Man. "What about the others? Did they survive as well?"

"Oh my. I didn't even think about them. I just woke up a minute ago and was
worried about you."

Giant Man began to blush, and laughed nervously. "You were worried about
me?"

Wasp seemed unaware of the change in demeanor. "Yes, but since you're okay,
I'm not concerned anymore. We need to check on the others."

That shook Giant Man out of his stupor. He grew to a height of eight meters
and looked around. "I see the main wreckage over there." He pointed over a
small mound of boulders around the hillock. "Let's investigate."

They easily made their way over the rocks and to the crash site. Hesitantly,
they began to search through the wreckage. Their initial fears of finding
charred corpses were allayed as it quickly became evident there were no
bodies to find.

"They probably escaped like we did. It's not surprising. They are super
heroes, after all," Wasp said.

"But that leaves the problem of where they, and we, are." Giant Man surveyed
his surroundings again. "We seem to be in the middle of a mountain chain. I
don't think it's in Japan, though. They look wrong."

Wasp took a deep breath of mountain air. "It smells too clean and pure to be
Japan. Maybe we're in China, or even the United States."

"Could be."

Wasp carefully considered their situation. "Why don't we go to the top of
the mountain? It's not that far up. We'll get a better view from up there
and might be able to get our bearings. We can figure out where we are, or
better yet, where the others are. Once we find one or the other, we'll have
a better idea of what we should do next."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Giant Man looked up the mountain side.
There were no easy paths, but at least this part of the mountain wasn't
steep and had large ledges that would make climbing easier. Still, he was
grateful he had taken up rock climbing as a way of staying fit a few years
back. Wasp flew alongside, staying with him rather than darting on ahead. At
the rate he was going, they would be at the top in no time.

xxxxxxxxxx

Speed Demon and Power Man made their way through one of the long stone
corridors of the fortress that served as their base, their two remaining
prisoners in tow. Actually, Power Man was doing all of the towing, while
Speed Demon walked alongside him. The big man had the world's largest piglet
tucked under one arm and the Goddess of Thunder slung over the other.

"Hold on a second." Power Man placed both his burdens on the ground, then
pulled up his tights.

"What's wrong?"

"My outfit is a little loose. I think I lost some weight."

Speed Demon shook his head sadly. "That wouldn't happen if we had uniforms
made out of unstable molecules. They fit you snugly no matter how big or
small you are. It's like the ultimate spandex. Too bad the Mandarin is too
cheap to buy some for us."

"Yeah, you think with the big missile and satellite system he built, he
could drop a few yuan on us to get us some decent clothing. I mean, sure,
the material the old Spider Clan made is awful tough, but it itches
something fierce."

Speed Demon scratched his crotch. "I know what you mean. After we get our
own countries, I'm sure we can afford to buy lots of outfits for ourselves.
Now let's drop these guys off. The holding cells are just around the
corner."

Power Man shouldered his burden again and set off down the corridor. His
concentration was fixed so firmly forward, he neglected to notice the hammer
that had been dangling from Thor's wrist by its strap and come loosed and
had fallen off when he set her down.

The pair turned the corner and entered the holding room. Unlike the stony
corridors of the fortress, the room was completely encased in metal.
Computers lined one of the walls. A number of large glass cubes stood
alongside each other, while the third side to the chamber bore several flat
tables. Huge metal restraints that could be snapped into place were at each
one's sides, and odd-looking helmets rested at the head of each table. A
number of wires led from the helmets to one of the banks of computers along
the wall.

Speed Demon said, "Let's hurry up. I'm hungry. I'll put the pig in the
somnia gas chamber. You put the girl on the table."

Reminded of the fact they had not eaten since their return from Japan, Power
Man roughly tossed Thor upon the table and locked the bands into position.
As each locked down, it tightened until it created a form fitting bond
across the unconscious woman. They were firm, but not tight enough to cut
off circulation. He then placed the helmet on her head. Like the bands, it
too tightened until it formed a perfect seal on the top of her skull.

Speed Demon's task was simpler. He tossed the pig into one of the clear
cubes, and closed the access door to it. With that he walked over to a
console located on the largest computer of all, and punched a button. Red
wisps of the Mandarin's somnia gas filled the chamber. Seeing Power Man had
Thor strapped down, he turned a second dial and was rewarded with a hum of
power emitting from the helmet.

"Everything seems to be working fine. The gas will keep the pig asleep and
the neural table will prevent any higher brain activity, like waking up,
from Thor," Speed Demon said as he looked over the control panel. "Let's go
eat."

Power Man nodded in agreement. As the duo exited the room, the larger man
said, "Hey, Mint."

"Speed Demon."

"Fine, Speed Demon," Power Man said with a touch of irritability. "You don't
suppose the boss created those chambers to keep us in line if he thought we
were going to turn on him or something, do you?"

"Not us. Probably if Pantyhose doesn't like his new name or something,"
Speed Demon assured him.

"Oh, that makes me feel better." They were halfway down the corridor when
Power Man followed up with an, "Oh, shoot!"

"What?"

"We were so busy doing what the boss said, we missed a perfect opportunity
to touch Thor's breasts."

"We could go back."

Power Man considered that. "We'll eat first, then grab later."

"Good idea. We need to get our priorities straight, after all." The two
continued on.

And in the chamber they had left behind moments before, the sixtieth second
had passed since Thor had last been in contact with her hammer. She
disappeared in a flash and was replaced by an ordinary Japanese teenager.
The helmet slipped off the smaller head. The bonds around the body also
remained at their previous setting. Akane Tendou's form was so much smaller
that that bands did not even touch her as she lay motionless on the table.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bucky continued up the path along the river. It was almost as though it
served as some sort of access way, which seemed impossible. Why would anyone
create a walkway alongside an underground river that led only down into the
earth? It wasn't even part of the fortress proper. Just a crude underground
passageway carved out of the earth by the flow of water. Still, she was not
one to look down on a gift handed to her. With luck they could travel most
of the way on foot. Hopefully the idiots in the fortress either thought she
was dead or were too scared to come back.

At this point she was assuming her friends had lost the fight. Bucky was
fairly certain they would have sought her out immediately if they had been
victorious. That lot might have been a little rough around the edges, but
they did seem the good sort. She wouldn't have been difficult to find. The
Iron Rose probably had some sort of gizmo that could track her, while Thor
could have flown down the length of the river to spot them. But there was
nothing.

Trying to take her mind off the potentially bad situation, Bucky decided to
strike up a conversation with her companion. "So, how'd you end up working
for the bad guys?"

Elektra shrugged. "They hired me. It's just a job."

Bucky looked at her as though she had grown a third eye. "How can you be so
blas� about it? I mean, they're bad guys. They want to hurt people and
stuff." Suddenly she realized she didn't know what these people were up to.
She had gone after them in the beginning because they were attacking the
police, and later, because they had defeated her. But she had no idea of
what their motives truly were.

If Elektra was moved by Bucky's concern, she did not show it. In a casual
voice, she said, "I am of the Hand. I obey their wishes. They were contacted
by the Mandarin, who was in need of enforcers to protect his fortress from
attack, obviously a wise choice. I was selected to aid him. It is as simple
as that."

"But that's wrong! You can't hurt people just because you're told to. You've
gotta act responsible and protect others. It's the duty of the strong to
protect the weak and stand up for them."

Elektra shook her head. "So naive. You actually believe that mindless idiocy
you're babbling about."

"Of course I do." It took Bucky a moment to realize what she had said. "I
mean it's not idiocy or babble. It's the way you got to do things to make
the world a great place."

"You cannot change the world anymore than you can change human nature.
Society is composed of two types of people. The strong and the weak. The
strong prey upon the weak. That is the way of things."

"That's crazy. You can't live life like that. Everyone would be miserable.
You gotta try and help others. Wouldn't you like it better if everyone
treated you like I did?"

Elektra tried to say something, but there was hesitation in her voice. She
shook her head fiercely, as though to clear it of some errant thought. "An
ideology like yours is stupid. Try to live your life like that, and you'll
pay for your naivet� someday."

Bucky was about to argue further, but thought better of it. She had more
urgent matters on hand than trying to explain to a super villain why her
entire method of thinking was wrong. There would be time enough for that
later, when she turned her in to the proper authorities.

Bucky concentrated on the path in front of her. Just as she was about to
turn a corner following yet another bend in the seemingly endless river, two
figures came from around it first.

There was a moment of bewilderment between the two pairs. After a moment,
Tarou, the first to recover, said, "Well, well, well. What have we here? I
go out to find a putz, and instead I find a babe." He smiled lasciviously at
Bucky. "What's your name? Cleavage Girl?"

Swordsman seemed equally as pleased at the sight before him. "How kind. The
goddess of fate has bestowed her favor upon me. I set out on a quest to find
of one vision of loveliness, only to be confronted by two instead. Oh joyous
rapture!" He held his sword up and pointed it to the Heavens, or more
correctly, towards the ceiling, since he was currently underground.

Tarou continued smirking. "Judging by the costume, what there is of it, she
looks like a groupie of Captain Weenie. Hey honey, why don't I show you what
a real man can do with a hot little number like you?"

"You lousy pervert!" Bucky railed. Keeping her eyes on the two opponents,
she said over her shoulder. "Keep behind me. I'll protect you."

Bucky mentally planned a course of attack that would take her between her
two opponents, in the hopes they would get caught in their own crossfire,
when she felt a hard blow strike a single point in the back of her neck. She
wanted to turn around, but instead she felt her body grow limp.

A voice from behind her said, "I told you you'd pay for that naivet�
someday."

Muscles not responding in the slightest, Bucky slumped to the ground,
turning as she fell so that she landed on her back. Her vision began to grow
faint along the edges as Elektra came into view. "Why?" was all she managed
to get out as darkness began to claim her.

A snort of derision came from Elektra. "I'm an assassin, you idiot. Stabbing
people in the back is what I do."

And then the world went black.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tarou came closer to stand over the girl. He continued leering at her as he
spoke to Elektra. "Where'd you find this one, and where's Captain Jerkwad?"

Elektra was about to explain the Captain's situation, something Tarou could
appreciate since once she had mentally reviewed the fight she realized that
he too had a Jusenkyou curse, when she found herself saying instead, "The
Captain is dead. Drowned. His body washed away. The girl is his partner. She
stumbled upon me as I pulled myself from the river. She was unaware of the
Captain's fate, and assumed, I was aligned with her. I was still weak from
nearly drowning, so I pretended to be on her side until you showed up."

Swordsman said, "It is good to see you did not suffer overmuch from the base
attack the foul Captain unleashed upon you. It is for the best that he met
his demise, else I would smite him myself for daring to try to harm you."

Tarou ignored his comrade's excessively flowery speech. He kept his eyes
riveted on Bucky. "I'll tell you guys what. Swordy, why don't you take
Elektra back and go over things with the boss, since he'll want you to
confirm Flag Boy's dead? I'll ah... secure this prisoner and catch up to you
guys later."

Elektra saw that Swordsman was too preoccupied with being allowed to travel
with her to understand what Tarou was really implying. She had seen that
look before on dozens of faces, both on her opponents and occasionally on
her fellow Hand members. Instead of being amused at the idea of the arrogant
clod accidentally raping a man --a fact that would probably drive him into a
frenzy-- Elektra found herself feeling inexplicably protective of the girl.
"She's my prisoner."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be responsible for her. You've been through a
lot and need a break," Tarou insisted in a smooth voice.

"I said she's mine." The assassin reached down and picked the girl up,
effortlessly tossing the burden over her shoulder. As she turned, she
noticed Tarou shooting her a murderous glare. She found that truly amusing.
>From the moment she had met him, she had taken an intense dislike of him
that bordered on hatred. Probably because he reminded her so much of her
mentor, Matsuo. They were cut from the same cloth.

As Elektra began to walk up the path to the fortress, Swordsman
pontificating about how fortunate he was to be in the presence of two lovely
visions of beauty, she caught Tarou muttering something about "Chick's
probably a dyke and wants the babe for herself."

Elektra was barely able to suppress her mirth. It was just as well, since it
served to blunt the confusion at her own inexplicable actions. Lying about
the Captain being dead and protecting him from Tarou's abusive hands were
both acts that went against everything she had been taught. While denying
Tarou his opportunity to pleasure himself was rewarding, it would also serve
to make Elektra a target of his anger. He had the skill and power to make
life difficult for her, and presently she didn't have the option of killing
him without provocation. And she didn't want to think about what the
Mandarin might do to her if he found out she had lied. While it was true the
Captain would still be a prisoner and represented no threat, it would make
her employer trust her less. And trust was always a commodity one tried to
broker, since it made turning on the person that much easier if one had to
betray him.

She would need to meditate on the matter later, when time permitted.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Centurions!" the Mandarin shouted.

Within moments, several robots lumbered into the room. Identical to one
another, each was humanoid, about six feet tall, and weighed well over five
hundred pounds. Their lower torso and thick legs were jet black. Their upper
torsos and heads were a polished silver that seemed to reflect all the light
shone about it. The design was similar to that of a Roman legionnaire
wearing a mask and helmet. Rather than faces, each one had something more
akin to a grill for their lower nose and jaws, while a black slit dominated
the upper portion of the face. A solitary red dot bounced back and forth
across the slit, going the length of one end to the other, and the repeating
the motion endlessly.

In a highly digitized voice, the lead robot said. "What... is... your...
command?"

"The reactor facility has been damaged even worse than I originally thought.
All robots are to report to it and began repair work immediately. I will not
have my plans undone at this stage."

"By... your... command." The robots turned as one and headed to the lower
bowels of the fortress.

As the robots exited the chamber, Elektra, Tarou, and Swordsman appeared.
Elektra still bore Bucky over her shoulder, continuously telling Swordsman
that neither she nor her burden were interested in double-dating, especially
if he was the only man there.

While the two quarreled, Tarou pointed at the departing robots and said to
the Mandarin, "I always wondered, if you got those neat robots, why not just
build an army of them and take over the world that way? They're pretty
durable and strong as hell. I mean, they are slow, but you could use them as
walking tanks or something."

"Perhaps," the Mandarin admitted. "But the design has one major drawback:
they're terrible shots. Have you seen their eyes? They only have the one
that keeps going back and forth. It would be a miracle if they hit anything.
It's just fortunate their programs are capable of designing things, or else
I wouldn't have been able to order them to build the higher functions of
this facility, like the rocket and satellite. Conscripting the local
villagers into building something basic, like the fortress, was simple. But
farmers are incapable of the delicate work needed to create vehicles capable
of breaching the atmosphere."

Tarou nodded in approval "Yeah, lucky you found that spaceship with all
these advanced gizmos and stuff, otherwise this whole takeover the world
scheme would just be a dream."

The Mandarin gave Tarou an evil stare, "How did you find out about the
space-"

"Shoot, we forgot to feel her titties again."

"Maybe I should run back for a quick grope."

"Aw, come on, Min... Whiz... I mean Speedy. I want to grab them too."

"Oh," the Mandarin said in a flat voice as Speed Demon and Power Man entered
the room.

The pair spotted Elektra, and more importantly, the burden she bore. Despite
being face down draped over the assassin's back, they were somehow aware of
the fact she was not only female, but had a bosom that was worthy of
attention.

"Who's that?" Speed Demon asked as Elektra prevented him from feeling up the
redhead.

"Yes," the Mandarin agreed. "I was under the impression that this Captain
Japan person was somewhat male."

Elektra repeated what she had told Tarou and the Swordsman.

"I was hoping to interrogate her myself," Tarou threw in before Elektra
could protest. "I guarantee I can get her to talk."

"I shall be the one to conduct all the interrogations," the Mandarin
informed him in a tone that would brook no argument.

Tarou merely bowed.

Elektra again hid the smile that threatened to come to her. She could
practically feel the anger boiling off Tarou, even if he openly accepted his
employer's decision with a stoicism she had previously thought him incapable
of.

To Speed Demon and Power Man, the Mandarin instructed, "Secure the girl in
the same room as the rest of the normal intruders."

Elektra was quick to say, "Perhaps it would be best if I were to personally
chain her and allow those two to show me the way, since we should make
absolutely certain she is secured. After all, we wouldn't want any
distractions that might prevent them from doing a good job."

The Mandarin noted the way his henchmen drooled over Bucky's revealing top.
"Yes, you raise a good point. You will bind the girl. Soon the satellite
will be in position. After issuing my ultimatum, I shall interrogate the
prisoners and discover how they knew the location of my secret base. We
should have been impervious to any form of electronic detection, none of the
villagers would be foolish enough to betray me, and the members of the
government that are backing me have almost as much to lose as I, should
their identities be revealed. It is a mystery that tasks me, and I would
know what this all means."

Just as he was about to head towards his control room, an electronic voice
emitted from a microphone at his belt and said, "Security breach in the
gateway."

"Is there no end to these interruptions?" the Mandarin snarled as he headed
for the nearest security checkpoint to monitor the nature of the intrusion.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Having returned to his normal height, Giant Man watched with an amused gaze
as his diminutive companion flit to and fro, basking in the opulent setting
of the entryway to the mysterious fortress perched on top of the mountain.
He could never recall Kasumi being so enchanted and lively, not that he
could remember much about Kasumi to begin with, other than she was the most
divine creature he had ever beheld in his entire life. Still, seeing her in
such a delighted state eased his reservations about helping her become a
superhero.

"Have you ever seen such an amazing place?" Wasp asked.

Giant Man took in his surroundings with a critical eye. The entryway was
astounding. It was larger than his entire office and house combined. Its
cathedral-like ceiling held stained glass filled with intricate, sinewy
dragons. Statues of terracota soldiers lined the halls. Elegant pictures,
most of battle scenes, lined the length of the hall. If the intent was to
impress the casual visitor, it had certain done that and more. The room was
filled with more works of art than most museums.

"I'm almost certain we're in China, judging by the style of artwork," Giant
Man told her.

Wasp said, "I wonder why it's in the middle of nowhere? You'd think a place
like this would be world famous."

Giant Man shrugged. "Perhaps whoever owns all of this likes his privacy. I
imagine the Chinese government would frown on someone owning so many
luxurious items, unless it was owned by one of the higher ups in the
government. In which case they would hide it so the populous wouldn't get
jealous. It's all just conjecture, in any case."

"Maybe it's the secret base of the group of villains the other heroes were
hunting?" Wasp offered.

"I doubt that very much. I think you're getting a touch over-enthusiastic
about this super hero thing. Not everyone who's wealthy enough to own
something like this is an evil mastermind bent on world domination." Giant
Man began searching the room. "I know some Chinese. Let's see if we can find
some servants to tell us where we are. Hello! Is anybody home?!"

In response to the call, a voice filled the air, echoing loudly throughout
the massive room. "So, yet another hero has dared to defile my lair. Since I
already have your comrades, I deem you quite expendable."

A series of small turrets, each with a single barrel, popped out from their
concealed alcoves and targeted Giant Man.

"Or I could be wrong," he admitted.

Giant Man lunged to the left, narrowly avoiding a dozen beams of silent
crimson light that struck the area where he had been a split second before.
The beams bored tiny holes through everything they touched. Giant Man fell
to the ground and rolled, several of the beams attempting to track him
missing him by only the narrowest of margins. He eventually stopped rolling
and crouched behind a statue. From what he had observed, none of the beams
could reach him from this position. Since the statue was obviously some
expensive piece of art, there was little chance the villain would shoot
through it in an effort to kill him. That would give him a chance to think
about getting out of his dire situation.

And then dozen lasers struck the statue, slicing it into a number tiny
pieces.

Xxxxxxxxx

"Remind me to get a new statue," the Mandarin instructed as he watched the
destruction on the security monitor.

"I'll send a robot to clean up the mess," Speed Demon said. "Luckily, lasers
cauterize as they cut, so they won't have to shampoo the carpets."

Power Man winced at the small pile that had been left behind. He turned away
from the monitor, rather than risk seeing the grisly remains beneath the
rubble. "They'll probably only need a dust pan for that mess. Did you
recognize him?" he asked Speed Demon.

"Nope. Didn't see him in any of the magazines lately. But there's been a
recent explosion of costumed heroes in Japan. I remember reading about
someone named Squirrel Girl."

Tarou snorted. "And what could she do? Hide nuts for the winter?"

"From what I understand, she could control squirrels."

"And?"

"She looked like a cross between a squirrel and a girl. I think she was a
mutant. A lot of them don't get cool powers. That's sort of a myth that's
cropped up over the years."

"I wonder what powers that guy had?" Power Man asked idly.

"The ability to fall to pieces." Tarou laughed hard at his joke

The levity only served to anger the Mandarin. "Do any of you realize I have
suffered more interruptions in one day than in the last five years since I
initiated this plan?!"

"And the day isn't over yet," Speed Demon happily pointed out.

"Don't remind me," the Mandarin intoned. "He was very odd, though. Imagine
talking to yourself like that."

"Maybe he had a companion who was invisible?" Power Man suggested.

"I did a heat scan in the room. There was nothing larger than an insect in
there. No, he was obviously maladjusted. I have no need of unbalanced
lackeys. Somewhat stupid ones are okay though," the Mandarin said pointedly
to Speed Demon and Power Man.

Speed Demon shook his head. "I disagree. Standards must be upheld in order
to maintain a well-disciplined chain of command. Otherwise it will lead only
to chaos and anarchy."

Power Man nodded his head sagely.

Tarou said, "My latest issue of Playboy just came in."

"Tittie mags! Oh goody! I want to see it!"

"Me too!"

"Would you two idiots get out of here!" the Mandarin shouted.

Tarou also took it as his cue to leave, snickering nonstop as he exited the
room, Power Man and Speed Demon practically hanging all over him as they
begged to see the issue of Playboy he had mentioned.

Alone once again, the Mandarin shook his head. Maybe he would only give the
two twits a small island nation rather than entire countries. Their loyalty
was unsurpassed, and should be rewarded accordingly, but he didn't need
incompetent boobs ruining the world once he was running things.

With that in mind, the Mandarin checked on his satellite's orbit. Ten more
minutes, and then the world would bow to his every whim.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wasp flew down among the debris of the statue. She began quietly stalking
among the remains, calling out, "Giant Man? Giant Man? Where are you?"

"Under here." A muffled voice cried out from under one of the larger pieces
of rubble.

"We seem to be making a habit of digging ourselves out of debris," Wasp
lamented. After seeing the lasers hit, she might have been more worried
about her partner's fate, save for the fact she had seen him activate one of
the canisters of shrink gas a split second before the lasers sliced the work
of art into so many pieces of worthless rock. She was about to knock the
lasers out with her sting when they ceased on their own. Sensing that either
they were unable to track her, or she was so small the people watching were
unaware of her presence, she decided to remain quiet and help Giant Man
sneak away. With any luck, the villains thought he was dead, which meant
they would have the element of surprise. Obviously it was an important
element, as she was quickly learning. She and Giant Man had been unaware of
the lasers, and boy had that been an unpleasant surprise.

Wasp flew down to the piece of rubble and helped heave it off Giant Man.
"Are you all right?"

Giant Man stood and rotated his shoulder. "One of the chunks hit me pretty
hard. No major damage, but it's definitely sore and I wouldn't recommend any
lifting for a few days, Ka... Ka... Kasumi."

Wasp silently scolded herself. There must have been something in the shrink
gas that was affecting the doctor. He would never fool around in his usual
relaxed manner like this in such a tense situation. That he acted serious
when he was human-sized or larger proved that. But every time he shrank down
to her size, he became a babbling wreck. Given different circumstances, it
was amusing, but not under these conditions.

She began leading him away by the hand. "We'll let you grow big once we're
out of the range of those nasty lasers."

"A walk through the park with you would be nice, Kasumi." Giant Man sounded
as if he was in heaven.

Wasp sighed. Surely superheroing was not supposed to be like this.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Akane opened her eyes, confused as she went almost directly from the
dreaming world to that of reality.

She started to rise from her uncomfortable bedding and discovered she could
only sit up a tiny bit, as a series of metal bands were a handful of
centimeters above her. She began to panic, until she realized she could
squirm out the bottom. It took only a moment to do so. Once freed, she found
herself standing in the middle of a room that appeared as though it belonged
in the middle of a bad science fiction movie.

Where was she? It took only a moment for her to recall what had transpired.
Her blood began to boil as she remembered how easily the Mandarin had dealt
with her. She would make him sorry. She felt recovered enough now from the
injuries the villain and his rocket had inflicted upon her. At near peak
condition, and aware of his rings and inherent abilities, she would be able
to kick the crud out of him and show what she could do. Akane Tendou was a
wimp that lost in everything, and she would be damned if she would allow
that to happen when she was Thor as well. All she needed to do to even
things up was tap her cane...

Her cane! Where was it? Her eyes scanned the room high and low, but she saw
no sign of the instrument. This was extraordinarily bad. Had the Mandarin
somehow discovered the secret of the walking stick and hidden it away from
her? She was helpless without it. She would be ordinary Akane Tendou, never
to fly again, never to know the awesome might contained in the powerful body
which allowed her to do what she had only dreamed about. She would be the
same helpless cripple she always had been. It wasn't fair!

A pall of helplessness threatened to consume her when she remembered seeing
something odd in the room. Originally she had been so focused on locating
her stick she had disregarded everything that wasn't it. But now that her
mind had a chance to process the information, it brought the unusual thing
to her attention.

Slowly Akane walked up to the glass cube and saw a sight that forced out her
depression. Some cruel monster had locked up a poor little piglet. It was a
cute little thing, with black skin and a yellow and black striped bandanna
tied around its neck. She had always wanted a pet just like it. And some
jerk, probably that evil Mandarin, had locked it away to either experiment
on or do something equally heartless to it. Well, she would foil his plans
and save the little piglet.

Spotting the control panel, Akane began to look it over. There was no
writing on the panels: just symbols. She began pushing some of the larger
buttons in the hopes that it would release the porcine prisoner. It was the
second dial she turned that caused a hum to emit from the cube the piglet
was in. In response to her twisting, two buttons located under the dial
began flashing. One was red and the other green. The only question was which
button to push.

"I like green better than red." Akane pushed the gas evacuation button
instead of the one that would have flooded the cube with cyanide. Within
moments the red mist was filtered out and the door to the cube sprang open.

Akane hurriedly entered the cube and carefully picked up the piglet,
cradling him in her arms. He was warm to the touch, and seemed to be
breathing regularly. She held him close and whispered softly, "Mr. Pig? Mr.
Pig, are you all right?

The gentle voice roused the piglet. It fluttered its ears and woke groggily.
It looked around, appearing confused, then looked Akane in the eye.

"You're all right." She hugged the pig. As it was nestled against her cheek,
she failed to see it turn a shade of red, obvious even against its dark
skin.

Akane held it out from her body so she could look it in the eye. "Don't
worry. I won't let these bad men experiment on you, Mr. Pig. We're going to
get out of here. But you're going to have to stay quiet and not squirm
around, otherwise it'll slow us down. Do you think you can do that?"

The piglet nodded its head.

The response made Akane giggle slightly. "It's almost like you can
understand me."

This time the piglet nodded its head vigorously.

Akane considered that. Perhaps they had already experimented on the pig and
increased its intelligence so that it could understand Japanese. That would
make things easier. She cradled the pig against her body as she limped out
of the room. Almost as an afterthought, she said to him, "Keep your eyes
open for a wooden stick lying around. We can't leave without it. Finding it
is the only way we'll get out of here alive."

The piglet nodded its head and looked around as the pair began to furtively
walk around, seeking both the cane and an exit to the mysterious facility
they were located in.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"And exactly how did you get here again?"

"I already told you. Cap secretly asked me to stowaway and help out if you
guys got caught."

"And exactly how does your getting caught help us?"

"Shut up, Smell Man."

"And what sort of idiot wears a bikini top into battle?"

"Oh ho, like someone who's been stripped down to their shorts and a
stupid-looking mask has any business criticizing someone else about their
fashion sense."

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" Daredevil snapped.

"That's right. It's not Daredevil's fault they stripped him because of all
the weapons he had concealed in his clothing. By the way, have you ever
considered briefs instead of boxers?"

"Stop looking at my body, you pervert!" Daredevil shouted twice as loudly.

Flustered, Hawkeye said, "I'm... ah not looking at you. I'm looking past you
at Bucky's breasts."

"Don't look at my body either, you pervert!"

"Thor doesn't think I'm a pervert," Hawkeye mumbled before realizing that
the very reason Thor thought she wasn't a pervert in fact did make her a
pervert. "At least Captain Japan is still free."

Bucky shifted uncomfortably, "Actually, I wouldn't count on him for help.
He's been... incapacitated. But I guarantee you I'm more than up to the job
of replacing him."

"Oh, you've been doing a great job of it so far," Daredevil said dryly.

"Well if you're such hot stuff, why don't you get us out of here?!" Bucky
snarled back.

Pushed to the edge, the Iron Rose shouted, "How about we try figuring a way
out of our predicament instead of YELLING AT EACH OTHER FOR NO DAMN
REASON?!"

That shocked the arguing trio out of their 'debate' and made them reassess
the situation. All four of the people were trapped in a prison cell.
Daredevil, Hawkeye, and Bucky were all hanging vertically from the ceiling.
Their arms were held high above their heads, not simply manacled, but
encased in some sort of metal tubes that hung from the ceiling and were
attached at their wrists, completely encompassing their hands. Even if they
had lock picks, they couldn't use them since metal would be between them and
the locking mechanisms. Their feet were likewise completely encased in metal
cylinders that were attached firmly to the floor.

The Iron Rose's condition was not much better. She lay prone on a metal
slab. There was a mechanical device, reminiscent of a spider, attached to
her helmet. She had informed the others that it completely immobilized the
armor and only a minimal amount of power still ran through it. She could
have moved the bulky armor using her own muscle's strength, but a set of
metal bands so thick that Thor would have had problems snapping them were
wrapped around her legs, torso, and arms.

"We're screwed," Hawkeye lamented.

The only door to the holding room opened. Striding with all his regal
bearing, the Mandarin entered, his purple cape billowing behind him. His
imperious stare seemed to bore holes through the captives, as though he had
been the one discomforted by their transgressions rather than the other way
around. In his wake followed the entirety of his Lethal Legion.

The Mandarin turned his baleful gaze upon each of the prisoners. Even
Daredevil could feel the ire and contempt radiating from the man, making him
very uneasy. There was an unearthly quality about the villain that set the
sightless youth's senses on edge. It was similar to the emanations he felt
from Thor, but possessed a malicious edge the goddess lacked.

After the Mandarin finished looking his captives over, he deigned to speak
with them. "Now that I've finished issuing my ultimatum to the United
Nations, I can get to the small matter of my unexpected intruders. Forgive
me, but we have not yet been properly introduced. I am the all-powerful, and
soon to be master of the world, Mandarin."

"A Mandarin is actually a pretty low official in government hierarchies,"
Daredevil mentioned.

"The name is temporary. A reminder that I have not yet attained my goals.
Once I am officially declared ruler the world, I shall claim the title my
birthright demands: Emperor Herb."

"Not much of an improvement if you ask me," Bucky quipped.

The Mandarin flicked out a finger. The impact beam hit with a force that
could crack a cinderblock, knocking the wind out of the redhead and leaving
her gasping for breath.

"I did not ask for your opinion," the Mandarin said icily. "You are my
prisoners. It would behoove you to remember that. You are at my mercy, and I
show very little to those that do not obey my every whim."

"It's true," Power Man said.

Speed Demon added. "Sometimes he shows very little mercy to those who do
obey his every whim as well."

The Mandarin turned his glare upon them.

"We'll shut up now," Speed Demon said quickly. Power Man nodded his assent.

With some measure of her breath regained, Bucky gasped out, "Where's that
Thor chick?"

The Mandarin gained an amused grin. "She is well cared for. Much better than
you, in fact. She is something of a guest of honor, and potentially useful
to be. A situation far less dire than yours. If you do not behave
yourselves, your fate will be identical to that of your comrade."

The quartet looked at each other in confusion.

"What comrade? Do you mean the green behemoth? He's not with us. I have no
idea how he showed up. I think he attacked your men only because you
attacked him. He seems to do that," Iron Rose said, still strapped to the
table.

"No, not him. He's locked up with Thor. I meant the one in red with the
little insect-like projections on his mask. Blue gloves, boots, and shorts?"

"Don't know anyone like that," Hawkeye said.

"You know, talks to himself? He was trying to come in through the front door
looking for you," the Mandarin insisted.

"More backup?" Daredevil asked Bucky.

"Nope. I was the only one with Cap. Maybe Thor had a sidekick."

"Playing dumb only serves to anger me," the Mandarin warned.

"Maybe he was someone else you pissed off," Bucky offered. "You don't seem
to be the type that has a shortage of enemies."

"That's true," Speed Demon blurted out. He saw the look the Mandarin turned
on him again. "But it is," he insisted.

The Mandarin relented. "A good point. Still, I doubt if that masked
adventurer's presence was coincidental. I'll torture you later, to be
certain."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Bucky said acidly.

"Be wary, girl. You try my patience."

"Oh, and what will you do if I get you angry? Torture me? You already said
you were going to do that."

The Mandarin was at something of a loss. Bucky had raised a valid point. He
looked around, and then his eyes settled on something that would prove
useful. "If you don't behave yourself, I'll let my two associates feel you
up."

Power Man and Speed Demon jumped in joy.

"All right, titties!"

"This is great. The Boss never lets us feel women up!"

Bucky saw the two slavering men approach, their eyes focused solely on her
cleavage. She began squirming in her bonds, trying to stay out of their
reach and not moving a centimeter. "I'll behave! I'll behave!"

Delighted at the acquiescence, the Mandarin gave a curt, "Back! Back I say!"

Power Man and Speed Demon reluctantly backed off, mumbling about how they
were never allowed to have any fun.

Now with some measure of control of the situation, the Mandarin said, "How
did you discover my plans for world domination?"

Hawkeye said, "Actually, we didn't know until you told us just now."

"How did you find my base? It's protected by a technology from beyond this
world."

The Iron Rose shouted. "Ha! I knew it. No system made on Earth could track
my... I mean my employer's Quinjet. Her genius is the most brilliant on the
planet."

Daredevil said, "Look, your flunkies made a mess at the airport. They won
the first round against some of us, so we set out to hunt them down for
revenge. We tracked them until they disappeared around here. From there, we
got lucky and stumbled on your base. And that's the whole truth."

The others agreed with Daredevil's statement.

After a moment's consideration, the Mandarin said, "You know something, I
believe you."

"Good," Bucky said.

"Because the whole lot of you are too stupid to have figured out my plans by
yourselves."

"Hey!" Hawkeye shouted.

The Mandarin relaxed visibly. "My worries were for naught. There will be no
further interruptions. No more attacks from random people whom I've never
met before. My base is secure. My would-be attackers are now my prisoners,
and all of my plans will reach fruition."

Bucky tensed up. This was a perfect situation to institute a basic technique
her father had taught her when it came to being a superhero. "Why, whatever
plan would that be?"

"You are interested in my plans?" the Mandarin asked.

"Sure." Bucky twisted a bit in her chains. "I've got nothing better to do,
and I'm curious as to what's going on here that had you so worried about
people knowing this place existed.."

"I'll be more than happy to share the scope of my genius with you."

Bucky smiled inwardly. It was just like her father had always said.
Megalomaniacal criminal masterminds loved nothing more than to brag about
their greatness. They'd do it to anyone, even their enemies. Now she'd learn
everything.

The Mandarin began. "I am the last of a line of rulers whose blood is
infused with that of legendary dragons."

Speed Demon raised his hand and said, "I've heard this story before. Can I
go?"

"Me too," Power Man seconded.

"Get out of here!" the Mandarin snapped. The duo exited immediately. "Does
anyone else wish to leave?"

"Me," Iron Rose said.

"Oh, shut up!" Blue energy crackled briefly around his body. It dissipated
as he regained his composure. "Now, as I was saying, I am of the Dragon Clan
of the Musk, an ancient and powerful line whose destiny it is to rule the
world. However, for all my inherent power, the Musk were never large enough,
nor had enough allies, to make these dreams come true. That was until I
stumbled on a treasure that lay in the legendary Valley of the Mists."

"It's said the ghosts of dead dragons fill the area and devour all those
that dare trespass upon it. Of those that have dared to tempt the legend by
entering the mists, none have ever returned," Daredevil said in a voice
filled with awe.

"I see you are familiar with the legend," the Mandarin said, delighted that
someone backed up his tale. "But being imbued with the blood of dragons, I
had no need to fear such a place. I entered the valley, scouring every
centimeter of it. It was there I discovered the key to my ultimate victory:
the ruins of a spacecraft that had fallen there hundreds of years ago."

"It was hundreds of years old and still worked?" Hawkeye asked.

"The race that created it apparently knew how to make machines that last,"
the Mandarin said. "I also found what was left of the pilot. It was obvious
from the skeletal remains that he was of reptilian origin, rather than
mammalian. Perhaps sensing the draconic blood within my veins, the still
working parts of the craft responded to my attempts to control it. I found a
device which implanted the knowledge of how the equipment functioned, and
how I could create robots to assist me with employing, redesigning, and
refitting the equipment for my own plans." He held up his hands, showing the
jewelry that adorned them. "In fact these rings were components of the
engine, which had been rendered useless in the crash. Each one had a
different function which enabled the craft to navigate the vast ocean of
space. In my hands, in conjunction with my inherent abilities, they make me
the most powerful man on the face of the planet."

The Mandarin began pacing, pausing before each of the hanging people for a
moment before continuing to the next. "It took me several years to redesign
the devices on the craft into suitable items I could use. It took almost as
long to court the proper authorities to supply me with the more elaborate
materials that I required to construct what you see before you, but it was
worth every moment. For now, I stand on the pinnacle of success."

"And how do you figure that?" Bucky asked.

The Mandarin laughed. "Using the devices within the spacecraft, I have made
this fortress invisible to the eyes of the outside world. Even if someone
stumbles on it, my weaponry can shoot down any craft or vehicle. You
witnessed that yourselves. And I have other devices that can raise a barrier
of energy to protect the fortress from anything, even nuclear attack. Not
that radiation can harm me to begin with. An advantage of my dragon blood
makes me immune to it. I have complete anonymity."

"I don't see how nobody being able to find you makes you able to take over
the world," Hawkeye said.

"Alone, it could not. However, my invisible nature means I can strike with
impunity, and strike I can. Today I was finally able to launch my satellite,
the last piece to my master plan. It's no ordinary one. Oh no. It employs
the most powerful weapon from the space ship: an orbital particle beam. With
it stationed in orbit, I can create a thirty-five kilometer wide beam of
destruction that can eradicate anything in its path. And it leaves no
harmful residue behind, unlike nuclear or biological weapons."

"I hate to break this to you, but satellites can easily be shot down," the
Iron Rose said.

The Mandarin turned to her. "Ordinary ones, yes, but not this one. Thanks to
the spacecraft, the satellite is invisible to any electronic equipment on
the planet. I am the only one that knows where it is and can track it. The
only way one could spot it is by flying around and spotting it visually, and
even then I have precautions, for the surface of the device is made of light
refractive materials. You'd have to be within a quarter of a kilometer of it
to see the distortion it makes, and even then you have to know what you're
looking for. And the satellite even shifts its orbital path after every
blast, making it impossible to figure out its location by where and when the
blasts were delivered.

"Think about it. If you were a world leader, how could you live with the
knowledge that at any time I could render your city to ashes with a touch of
the button? I could destroy whole countries within a day. No one can stand
against my divine hand. I hold the power of life and death over very living
being on the planet. I am like a god, and will rule the entire world."

"No one will give in to your outrageous demands," Hawkeye said.

The Mandarin laughed. "On the contrary, I should have official control by
the end of the week. Long before I launched my satellite, I made
arrangements with certain elements within the Chinese government. They have
already agreed to 'give in' to my demands. In return for their obedience, I
intend to allow them to control the majority of the Eastern Hemisphere.
True, they will be subject to my ultimate whims, but they will have far more
power than they have now. Once other countries see that obedience will be
rewarded, it'll be a race to see who can capitulate first."

"And you think you can trust the Chinese? Believe me, they'll turn on you
the first opportunity they get. I can attest to that firsthand, " Daredevil
spat.

Elektra nodded almost imperceptibly at that.

The Mandarin laughed. "Of course I don't. Once I have consolidated my
control, I'm certain they will try to kill me and seize control of the
satellite. I have already made preparations for that eventual betrayal. But
they will obey me for now, since our goals are the same: complete global
domination."

"You're insane," Hawkeye spat.

"Actually, his idea has merit," Iron Rose said from her prone position.
"Even if the man implementing it clearly needs to be institutionalized."

The Mandarin laughed. "Have you seen the state of the world? It is nothing
more than a collection of fractionalized narrow-minded people constantly at
each other's throats. There is always at least one war going on somewhere.
Governments change almost every day in some parts of the world. Brutal
military dictatorships. Widespread famine and disease. Overpopulation.
Religious, economic, and political dogmas that cannot coexist with one
another. They will destroy themselves, or at the very least continue to make
themselves miserable for eternity. That is unless one force conquers them
all. Conquers them and unites them. And that force shall be me.

"I am not insane. I do not live under the delusion that I can truly control
an entire world alone. I might be the supreme leader, but I will need
trustworthy individuals that will obey my orders to whom I will delegate
authority. I will need people to manage the daily maintenance of the land.
To others, it might seem oppressive at first, especially to those that
believe in freedom --which does not really exist-- but the truth is people
want to be ruled. I shall give absolute rule to them. All of them.
Everything I do will be for the good of all. I desire subjects to govern,
not a world full of corpses. I desire a world of peace, not one filled with
violence. I want a world full of one people, not a collection of races. One
system of belief. One government. One ruler."

"And you're that ruler," Daredevil said coldly.

The Mandarin's eyes seemed to glow. "Of course, for I am the greatest person
in the world. I am more than human. I am the best hope for humanity. All I
truly want is what is best for all, and I am willing to go to any lengths to
see to it that my wisdom is acknowledged. I am strong enough to bear the
burden of leadership. I am strong enough to make the changes that must be
made, to make the sacrifices that must come about, in order to ensure one
world order under me and for all future generations. All that I ask in
return is complete obedience, and I shall take care of everyone. Suffering
will come to an end. Since I know better than everyone else, and humanity
has proven it cannot take care of itself, there is no other way than for me
to assume control."

"And what about those that disagree with you?" Iron Rose asked.

The Mandarin scoffed. "Did you not hear what I said? I am the greatest man
alive. I know what is best for all. That is the truth. Those that would
stand against me are by definition evil, and need to be done away with. All
will come to realize this in time."

Bucky said, "You know, Hawkeye was wrong about you being insane."

The Mandarin laughed. "So you finally acknowledge the necessity of my
leadership."

"No. I mean you're not just insane. You are
really-no-doubt-about-it-completely-over-the-hill-need-to-be-locked-in-a-str
aightjacket-insane."

The Mandarin raised his left hand and held it in front of Bucky's face. She
found herself staring at a yellow ring. It began to glow, the smell of ozone
reaching her nostrils. For a moment, she understood that she was staring
death right in the eye and could do nothing to prevent it.

And then the Mandarin lowered his hand. "You amuse me, in a fashion. I think
I shall allow you to survive a while longer, or at least until you see me
ruling the world. There will be no greater triumph that to see your ideals
shattered right before your eyes."

Bucky laughed. "Like that's ever going to happen. I got news for you, pal.
Once I get out of these little manacles, I'll be making you eat those words.
I'll stop you before you get a chance to use that satellite and blackmail
the world."

The Mandarin stared at Bucky in confusion. Then a look of realization
crossed his features. "You misunderstand me. I could hardly issue an
ultimatum to the United Nations without a show of force and the willingness
to use it for its stated purposes.

"As of a half hour ago, Mexico City became a thirty-five kilometer wide
crater."


Xxxxxxxxxxxx


Endnotes:

Not sure if I threw anyone with the idea that the heroes have essentially
failed in their mission, or at least the scope of it, and now can only keep
things from getting worse. Admittedly, it can get much worse, but still...

FYI, yes, there really was a character called Squirrel Girl and yes, those
were her powers (though I'm not sure about her being a mutant). She appeared
in one of the seasonal Marvel Super Hero comics in the early 90's in an Iron
Man tale. She defeated Dr. Doom. I'm fairly certain Doom has since explained
that it was really a defective Doombot she had beaten, and that it had been
summarily destroyed for daring to debase the good Doctor's name. I mean,
wouldn't you if someone claimed Squirrel Girl kicked your ass? ^_^  And yes,
the Mandarin's Centurions are indeed identical to Cylons from Battlestar
Galactic. Kudos if you're old enough to remember that series.


In case anyone was wondering, Mexico City's population is somewhere around
13+ million by the latest census estimate. Just in case the full impact of
Mandy's statement wasn't fully realized.


Special thanks to
Gary Ee
Chris Horton
William Morse







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