$Continuing onward...

	And you know, there's really starting to be a lot of numbers in the
subject of these emails.


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,

	$halls, along with elegant pictures, most of battle scenes.

	Or something.  Need to combine those two sentances somehow.

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?!"

	$Did he call that last out in chinese?

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.

	$Well, it does take a big man to admit when he's wrong.  ^_^

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.

	$number of tiny

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?"

	$*shudder* Imagine if her super power was _cracking_ nuts.

"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

	$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.

	$Heheh.

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

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

"Me too!"

	$So they're not stupid, they just have the mentality of 11 year olds.

"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.

	$Japan!  No, wait, that'd be a waste.  Just give them each half of
Canada.

 Their loyalty
was unsurpassed, and should be rewarded accordingly, but he didn't need
incompetent boobs ruining the world once he was running things.

	$Heheh.  Power Man and Speed Demon would probably take that as a
compliment, even with the 'incompetent' thrown in.

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.

	$Only when it's entertaining.

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!

	$Universe: Oh, I'm sorry, here, let me make it all better.

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.

	$What's she gonna do when it turns green?

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.

	$Heh.  Nice to have options, although I wonder if cyanide would really
have hurt Ryoga.

 Within
moments the red mist was filtered out and the door to the cube sprang
open.

	$Thought it was green mist, for some reason.

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.

	$You know...  I bet it would.

 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."

	$I will never understand why the badguy doesn't remove their masks when
they catch them.  I mean, come on.

"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.

	$Nah, just open minded.

 "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

	$muscle strength

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

	$Suggest putting 'Speed...added.' at the end of the dialogue.

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.

	$Heh.

"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.

	$Heh.  The problems of being an evil villain in a world of superheros.

"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."

	$Heheh.  An excellent point.

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!"

	$*whipcrack*

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?"

	$Heh.  Genma wasn't half bad.

"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.

	$Everyone snickered apreciatively.

"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.

	$Daredevil isn't helping.

"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.

	$Actually, they went all out and got the super-duper-uber-extended
warrenty.  It'll still break the day after the service contract runs
out, just like everything else.

 "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."

	$You know, when you're on the pinnacle, that next step goes a loooong
way down...

"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."

	$Anonymity to radiation?  I know what he's actually saying, but that
sounds weird.

"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 dunno, glass can be pretty harmful.

"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."

	$I agree.

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.

	$Sad but true, most of them do.  Not me, though.

 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.

	$Of course, so will goodness.  You know why we don't have any
superheroes today?  Because we don't have any supervillains.

 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."

	$Oooh.  *winces*  I've got a bunch of co-workers who are going to be
pretty upset about their families.

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...

	$On the other hand, that probably cleared up a major smog problem.  Or
added to it, your pick.

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? ^_^

	$Hell yeah.  My people eat squirrels, and getting your ass kicked by
one would be the height of wussiness.

  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.

	$So the question is, was it really?  And if it was, are they all going
to be wished back to life in the fashion of all too many comic books and
the entire dragonball series?  I certainly hope not.


	Anyway, excellent chapter, as always.  Good to see Wasp and Giant Man
finally start getting in on the action, at least a little, and the
dialogue was quite witty when it needed to be.

	Now I'm off to more C&C.


-Ragun







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