Avenging Chapter 11
Ten Rings to Rule Them All IV


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Standard Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the Ranma 1/2
characters. They belong to Takahashi and whomever she sold the rights to.
Marvel Characters belong to Marvel Comics.

Note: I'm now experimenting with using the 'xxxx' to denote POV changes in
the same scene sometimes. I'd just double line breaks, but it isn't obvious
on plain text message like I usually send. If it's too distracting, let me
know and I'll try something else.


xxxxxxxxxxx

"...thinking of New Delhi next. There are too many people in the world, and
it's not as though India has a shortage of people. And on the plus side, the
Pakistanis will probably rush to my side to get the Kashmir region they've
wanted for so long." The Mandarin saw he no longer had the group's
attention. Instead, they seemed absorbed in their own thoughts. In Bucky's
case, she had turned a shade of white usually identified with people totally
drained of blood.

Smiling in obvious amusement at their discomfort, the Mandarin said, "I see
you've come to terms with the fact there is nothing you can do to stop me. I
see no point in wasting further time here. I really must pick a second
target. I sincerely doubt one show of force will be sufficient to get the
world to toe the line. Once I prove I can destroy all their cities at will,
the world will capitulate. I'd tell you to have a good day, but it's only
going to get worse. Much, much worse." Laughing, he exited the room with the
remaining members of his Lethal Legion trailing behind.

Once the party had walked some distance away from the prison wing, Swordsman
gave his employer a wide grin. "I must say, it was amusing to see the
crestfallen look on both that devilish cad and the archer's faces when you
told them about Mexico. To think, they were foolish enough to actually
believe you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Mandarin stopped walking an stared at
Swordsman.

"That they believed your lie."

"Lie? I didn't lie. I did destroy Mexico City."

Swordsman's amusement died. "But I assumed you were bluffing when you told
the United Nations you would start destroying their cities one at a time
unless they gave in to you. You don't mean to say you actually went through
with it?"

"Of course I did. I never bluff."

"But there were millions of people there," Swordsman protested.

"An effective show of force backed by the will to use it, yes." The Mandarin
voice had taken on a dangerous tone. "Do you have something to say? Are you
having second thoughts about joining?"

Swordsman was about to say just that when something inside made him hold his
tongue. He did not like the way the Mandarin and Tarou were looking at him.
There was also something unsettling about Elektra's position directly behind
his back, even if she was obviously so infatuated with him that she would
never do him harm.

Hesitantly, Swordsman said, "No. I was just... ill prepared for the full
ramifications of your actions to hit me. The knowledge that so many people
are dead so quickly is unsettling."

The Mandarin nodded. "I would have preferred to avoid it as well. They would
have been my subjects, and one can never have too many subjects to rule.
However, it was a necessity. Sacrifices have to be made to show that I am in
charge now. More will come, so be prepared for that as well."

Bile rose from Swordsman's stomach and threatened to overwhelm him. "I must
leave. My sword needs polishing." He hurried off.

Once Swordsman was out of sight, Tarou said, "I think Swordy's getting cold
feet."

"Yes," the Mandarin conceded. "It would be best to keep a close eye on him.
I am fairly certain he will see things my way, he is quite the pompous ass,
believing that he is a shining example of humanity, and obviously wishes to
receive what he feels is his due, but he might not be properly prepared for
the actions necessary to obtain those desires. The last thing in the world I
will tolerate is one of my own turning against me." The Mandarin continued
looking down the hall in the direction Swordsman had departed. "If he
becomes a problem, Elektra, I want you to use your talents to..."

He turned to see Elektra was no longer there. Looking down the corridor, he
saw that she was not only no longer behind him, but nowhere in sight. She
had somehow managed to disappear within a twenty meter long section of
featureless corridor in less than ten seconds without making a sound.

Tarou was equally mystified. "Ninjas. Go figure."

"Impudence," the Mandarin snarled.

Tarou used the break in the conversation to change the subject. "And
speaking of impudence, what do you want to do with those jerks you have
locked up back there?"

The Mandarin spoke in the same tone one might use talking about animals in a
kennel. "The regular ones are useless. The armored one I might keep if her
technical expertise proves useful. The goddess is mine, and I wish to
experiment on the pig. I might be able to use it to make you more powerful."

The youth's grin told the Mandarin what his subordinate thought of that.
Satisfied he had the complete loyalty of at least one his hired lackeys, the
Mandarin continued. "As for the fate of the normal ones, since they know the
location of my base, I will dispatch them in a little while, once it becomes
convenient for me."

"How about giving me Cleavage Girl to dispose of?"

The Mandarin made a face at the request. "Do keep your base instincts to
yourself. She has not irritated me to the point I wish her a lingering
death, or a fate worse than one."

Tarou gave a hurt look. "That's cold, especially coming from a guy who just
killed millions of people."

"Only out of necessity, not out of some primal urge," the Mandarin assured h
im. "Be patient. Hundreds of women will flock to you once you are in a
position of power."

"A harem does sound nice," Tarou agreed. "And you'll give me my new name
once this is all done, right?"

"Are you sure you want to be known as 'Studmuffin Tarou'?"

"I want it to be an appropriate name. The chicks will really dig me then."

The Mandarin just shook his head sadly.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

With their tormentors gone, Hawkeye found the ability to speak. "He was
kidding, right? He couldn't have leveled Mexico City. I mean, we haven't
been here long enough for him to do that."

"He was telling the truth," Daredevil said.

"How do you know?!" Hawkeye's voice held an edge of hysteria to it.

"I know when people are lying," Daredevil said morosely. "It's sort of a
super power I have."

"What, like your super sense of smell?" Hawkeye demanded.

"Yes!" Daredevil snapped.

"No more arguing."

Daredevil and Hawkeye turned to the voice, which had been little more than a
whisper.

On the table, the Iron Rose turned her head. "What was that, Bucky?"

This time the statement was more forceful. "I said no more arguing. If we
had worked as a team, we would have beaten those jerks and kept that psycho
from killing all those people. It's our fault we whined and bitched and
moaned and got our heads handed to us."

"We don't know that," Daredevil said,

"They were powerful," Iron Rose agreed.

"Quit making excuses!" Bucky snapped. "All my life Pop kept trying to hammer
the idea I had to be a superhero in my head 'cause people needed them. Only
I didn't listen. I thought someone else could take care of those problems
and I could live my life without that hassle. But I was wrong, and now a
bunch of people suffered for it. The world does need people like me to
protect it from guys like the Mandarin. And I'm going to protect it. I may
have screwed up once, but no more!"

"I did the same thing, when I was younger," Daredevil said. "I tried to
protect someone I loved, only I wasn't strong enough, and like those people
in Mexico, she paid the price for it. I swore I would become stronger so
neither she nor anyone else would suffer because I was too weak to help. And
now I've failed again. I'll do whatever it takes to redeem myself, even if
it costs me my life."

"You can count me in," Hawkeye said.

"And myself as well," Iron Rose agreed.

"We'll avenge all the people we failed," Bucky softly intoned.

As the final word left her mouth, the door to the room opened again and
Elektra stepped in. She walked across the room with purpose, stopping once
she was in front of Daredevil.

"What? Come to gloat some more?" he asked.

Elektra scowled at him. "There was something strange with the way you looked
at the Mandarin. It wasn't right."

Daredevil's heartbeat quickened. "I have no idea what you're t-Hey!"

Elektra ripped off his mask and grabbed his face roughly. She forced him to
look at her while she stared at him. The blue in his iris' was nearly milky
white as the rest of his eyes. "You're blind!" she said in shock.

"Yes!" Daredevil spat.

"How is it you can do so much? It's not training in blind fighting. I know
people who practice it, and you're far, far better than they. The technique
is wrong."

"I have a radar sense," Daredevil said, seeing no reason to hide the truth
any longer.

"You were bitten by a radioactive bat?" Bucky asked.

"No!"

"Then how did you get such powers?" Elektra asked.

"Drop dead!" he spat.

"You'll die long before me," she said coldly. "I suppose it doesn't..." her
voice trailed off as she stared at his face more closely. A curious
expression began to cloud her features.

Disliking the experience of having his face held, and sensing he was being
stared at, Daredevil gave an irritable, "What's your problem? Afraid a blind
guy is tougher than you?"

Elektra did not respond. Blind, Daredevil was only aware of the change in
her heartbeat as it increased slightly. The others in the room were puzzled
as the assassin stared at the face, obviously confused about something
beyond his blindness. Her hands began running over his skin, studying its
texture as though Elektra was the blind one and the sense of touch was the
only one left to her.

And then her probing stopped, and her eyes widened. In a tone that was full
of wonder and surprise, she said, "Mu Si?"

Daredevil jerked his head hard enough to tear it out of her hands. His own
features mirrored hers as he said, "How do you know my name? I've never met
you before. I'd remember."

Turning a shade of pale which almost matched Bucky's from before, Elektra
backed away cautiously, as though she was afraid Daredevil would somehow
slip out of his bonds and come after her.

"How do you know me?!" Daredevil called out again, inexplicably desperate to
know the answer.

Elektra said nothing as she backed into the door. Refusing to tear her eyes
from Daredevil, she blindly hit the button to open it.

Just as she backed through the door frame, Daredevil cried out, "It's Shan
Pu, isn't it? She told you about me. Do you know where she is? Tell me!"

The door hissed shut.

"She knows! I heard her heart rate speed up when I said Shan Pu's name. She
knows where she is! I've finally found someone who's seen her after all
these years!" Daredevil cried out.

"Who's Shampoo?" Hawkeye asked.

"The girl I've been looking for all my life!" Daredevil cried out. "She's
been lost to me for over a decade. I was beginning to lose hope she was
alive. But that woman knows her! That means Shan Pu's out there somewhere,
and I'll discover where she is. I need to get out of here." Daredevil began
struggling in his bonds, trying to pull free. The metal made very faint
noises as he strained until his muscles burned and his shoulders threatened
to pull out of their sockets.

Iron Rose warned, "Save your strength. Hurt yourself while you're hanging
there and you won't be able to help anyone."

"I need to know where Shan Pu is!" Daredevil insisted.

"No, we need to stop the Mandarin from killing another ten million people,"
Bucky reminded him. "We'll shake down that backstabber for info later. The
innocent people in the world come first."

"But-"

"He's right," Hawkeye said. "Would this Shampoo want you to risk placing so
many people in jeopardy for her sake?"

"No," Daredevil reluctantly admitted.

Bucky said, "Right. Then let's keep trying to figure out how to get out of
these bonds and help save the world. Try to find some weak link in these
metal cylinders or something." Bucky began twisting in her bonds, testing
them rather than just applying brute force in an effort to free herself. She
was methodical as she listened to every noise they made and felt where they
had give and where they were firmly attached. A lock was only as strong as
its weakest point. She would find that point and attack it until it gave.
Nothing would stop her from breaking free.

Nothing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Elektra's legs were moving fast enough to almost be considered running. She
was currently in her worst emotional state in years. She knew she had been
unbalanced since she inexplicably protected Captain Japan. But now things
were many times worse. Mu Si was alive! She hadn't thought of him since her
first month of indoctrination with the Hand. She had assumed he had died at
the hands of her original captors. With him dead, there was no need to think
of him, so she had not. His death had signified the last connection to her
past was gone. Burying the misery of her previous life was frighteningly
easy, even if what she was given to replace it was far worse. There were
more important matters to consider, such as staying alive. But now, during
what might have been the most important moment of her life, he had returned,
like the legendary Phoenix her people spoke of. To compound matters further,
it was obvious he had not forgotten her, and was in fact still searching for
her, even after a decade in which he had no reason to believe she was still
alive.

No, he had not forgotten Shan Pu, but Shan Pu was not to be found. That
identity was dead, which was for the best. There was only Elektra the
Assassin now. Mu Si should have meant nothing to her, but he did. Exactly
why remained a mystery. Perhaps she was not quite the killer she fancied
herself, or perhaps the identity of Shan Pu was not so easily destroyed.

She remembered what Mu Si had been like growing up. They had been childhood
friends, playing with one another frequently. But then he changed. He began
to continually assault her with a barrage of proclamations of love; a
feeling she most certainly did not share. It was beginning to get to a point
where she was starting to avoid the pest when her world changed forever. The
village died in a fury of fire and the two of them, all that was left of
their mutual world, fled together. Shan Pu had been devastated by the
destruction of all she knew at the hands of the damnable men in Beijing. It
was too much for her to take. It rendered her nearly catatonic. If not for
Mu Si, she would have never reached Japan. Of course, in light of how events
had unfolded, perhaps dying in China would not have been such a terrible
fate.

"I do not need these distractions!" Elektra snarled. The simplest way to
remove the irritants was to simply ask the Mandarin if she could kill both
Mu Si and Bucky --she was certain that was what he was planning to do
anyway-- but she found the idea of snuffing out either of their lives
equally appalling. That was a further sign of her emotional turmoil, for
until today, there had been no one on the planet whom she would have thought
twice about dispatching.

Elektra ceased her running. She was going nowhere in a hurry. Instead she
calmed herself and headed to her room, intent on seeking the solace of
meditation. This was an important matter, perhaps the most important in her
life. She had to reach a decision regarding what to do, and soon.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"It's good to be the Emperor." The Mandarin smiled to himself as he headed
toward the master control room to properly enjoy the fruits of his labors.
He still had a second target to decide upon, and he was considering a more
high profile target this time. New Delhi was discounted as being too
insignificant to the world at large. Somewhere else. The Western World,
perhaps. Striking the United States was tempting, since they were the most
powerful nation in the world and could potentially put up the most
resistance. However, destroying a major city there would only slow the ease
of transition to his rule, since it would undoubtedly have a devastating
effect on their economy. And there was the fact he had already struck a
target in that hemisphere. Something in Europe then. It was becoming a
decayed old husk and would have to be changed extensively in any case. He
had never liked the French; they were too self-important for a country that
had never managed to accomplish anything. The Germans tended to make a
nuisance of themselves every few generations. Or there were always the
British. Isolated on an island, destruction there would have a more limited
effect on the mainland, while bringing home the point that Europe was not
immune to the Mandarin' hand of death. And they had never truly been
conquered by anyone. There was definitely an appeal there.

"So many targets, so much opposition. Who should fall next?"

"How about you?"

The Mandarin spun around in anger at the unfamiliar voice, raising his left
hand, intent on burning the stranger to a crisp. However, upon seeing who
the speaker was, he hesitated.

That was the only opening Giant Man needed as he grew. Forced to keep his
height under four meters, due to the ceiling, he still was able to grow tall
enough for his fist to close the distance between he and the Mandarin. His
blow slammed cleanly into his foe's body. Flames shot out from one of the
Mandarin's rings, scorching the side of the hallway as he went sailing
backward out of Giant Man's reach.

Giant Man looked at his handiwork in satisfaction. "That's for trying to cut
me to pieces."

Despite the clean blow backed by such tremendous force, the Mandarin was abl
e to roll with the punch, and the dragon scale armor absorbed much of the
damage. He was quick to regain his bearings. Using his left hand to rise off
the floor, he brought his right hand up, unleashing the impact beam. The
shot struck Giant Man with enough force to hurt him despite his mass.

With a moment's reprieve, the Mandarin stood up and raised his left hand
once more. He would use electricity this time, followed by another burst of
flame. Then perhaps some ice to cool his opponent off. Say, a cocoon of it
five feet thick?

"Let's see if you can get this dying concept right this time," the Mandarin
said. A split second before he could unleash a blast of electrified death,
he caught the sight of something small flying in front of his face. It
appeared to be a tiny girl with wings. "What are you?"

"I'm Wasp!" she shouted right before blasting him between the eyes with her
sting.

The Mandarin shouted in pain. It was great enough that he lost his balance
and fell down once again.

That allowed Giant Man to recover some of his wind. "Out of the way, Wasp,
he's mine."

"Watch out for his rings. One of them was crackling right before I shot
him."

"Got it." Giant Man grabbed the Mandarin in his huge hands. He made certain
both of the man's dangerous arms were firmly pinned to the side before
exerting enough force to drive the air from the smaller man's lungs.

"Fools, my power resides in more than just my rings!" the Mandarin gasped
out, glowing in a blue haze as hot chi emanated from his body.

Giant Man cried out in pain at having his hands burnt in similar fashion to
what the Fixer had done. But this time he maintained enough concentration to
keep his grip firm. Instead he drove the Mandarin upward, ramming the
villain's head into the stone ceiling of the passageway.

Unable to defend himself, the Mandarin suffered the full effect of the
impact. He was too dazed to maintain his fiery aura, though he had not yet
been driven to unconsciousness. "Come too far to lose," he swore through his
 haze.

Giant Man brought him downward, and prepared to ram his head into ceiling
again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Swordsman was surprised to discover he was tormented by a malady only lesser
people suffered: he was second guessing himself. Ordinarily he always made
the right choices. He was Tatewaki Kunou, by definition he was always right.
Through the majority of his life he had been surrounded by people who always
told him so, and he had paid them well to make sure they stayed around to
confirm that fact. That information enabled him to go through life secure in
the knowledge he was smarter, better looking, stronger, and richer than
anyone else. Of course he always made the right choices. He was perfect.

But then his father and sister had disappeared one right after another.
Tragic accidents to be certain, and he mourned their losses continually. But
then he learned they were no accidents, as someone tried to have him killed
in a blatant assassination attempt. A trio of men, trained extensively in
the art of war and encased in power armor, broke into his home and attempted
to snuff out his life. They would have succeeded had it not been for the
fact that he had released into his care his sister's prototype KTK-1103B,
and had decided to practice kendo with the impressive piece of hardware. In
his expert hands, with its offensive capabilities, he summarily defeated the
assassins wearing the so-called 'Raider' armor, just as they had undoubtedly
done to the rest of his family.

A quick search of his father's private data files, the ones with information
gathered and paid for through a bit of illicit industrial espionage courtesy
of a mysterious figure known only as Spymaster, had revealed the Raider
armor had been built and owned by an American Company called Cordco, which
had been bought out in a takeover by a Japanese company that had been making
it a habit of hostilely taking over many companies, especially those
involved in weapon technologies.

Companies like Kunou Industries.

Suspicions aroused, Tatewaki dug further. A quick search indicated that
Cordco had only been successfully taken over when its owner, Janice Cord,
had been murdered by her uncle Edwin. The man claimed it was a set up,
though the evidence against him was considerable. Despite not getting along,
both owner and uncle had been united in their staunch resistance against the
takeover. However, with them removed, opposition gave way and the takeover
was easily accomplished.

Years of listening to his father's blathering about how business was run had
left something of an impression on Tatewaki. Even he could see how the
removal of the Kunou family would simplify buying out Kunou Industries. No
doubt he had been targeted next. But Tatewaki's mind was like a steel trap.
He would easily circumvent their pitiful (but highly annoying) murder
attempts by disappearing himself, thereby preventing them from trying to
kill him.

So, taking the KTK-1103B with him, Tatewaki went out in one of his sports
cars and drove off. After traveling halfway up the coast. He found a
secluded spot, put a dummy in his place in the driver's seat, and sent the
vehicle careening off the edge of some random cliff into the ocean. It was
brilliant. With his death faked, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone
trying to kill him.

Except no one had ever found the car, and therefore he had never been
declared dead. He had tried calling the police about a 'car going over the
edge of a cliff,' and for them to dredge it up, but he had forgotten where
he had ditched the vehicle. The police, simpletons that they were, thought
it was a crank call and had never bothered to investigate. So it was
Tatewaki found himself declared missing instead of dead, and with no way of
correcting anyone without revealing he was alive and becoming a target once
again.

And then Tatewaki had discovered another drawback to his plan; he had
virtually no money, just what he had on his person, and that was spent
quickly. He couldn't access any funds from the company. Any activity in his
accounts would indicate he was alive and the assassins could come after him.
So he was forced to seek employment, something he only had a passing
familiarity with, and even then it was only in the sense that he knew
employed people, rather than having been employed himself.

Unable to find any openings for rich heirs to tremendous fortunes, Tatewaki
was forced to rely on his inherent abilities to forge out a living. Since he
was good with a sword, and actually enjoyed showing off his skills, he had
decided to teach kendo. Only he couldn't afford a dojo, and no one would
just give him one. It was most frustrating.

Then he saw his first superhero on television. Visions of fame, glory, and
unlimited wealth filled his head. He would show the world the greatness of
Tatewaki Kunou... just without showing the world he was Tatewaki Kunou.
Since he had decided to embark on the course of a superhero, he would need a
flashy outfit to go along with his tremendous sword skills. Completely out
of funds, he helped himself to a closed costume shop by destroying the door
with his sword. He had no doubt that once he became famous the owner of the
shop would pay him an impressive sum of  money for the honor of garbing the
greatest super hero to walk the planet. Only when Tatewaki looked through
the shop, all of the samurai outfits were gone. He was forced to improvise
by wearing a rather tasteful musketeer costume that was appropriate for his
flamboyant style, at least until he could get a decent samurai outfit.

Just as he had finished picking out a mask, the police arrived. Tatewaki
tried to explain how he was doing the owner a favor by wearing the outfit,
but the police had the audacity to accuse him of stealing! Unable to bear
the insult, Tatewaki easily knocked both of them out. Regrettably, they had
the foresight to call for backup, and he was forced to render a half dozen
officers insatiate.

Tired from dealing with idiotic authorities, Tatewaki took an advance in his
pay from the costume shop's safe and found a decent hotel to sleep in.
However, upon turning on the television and hearing the news the next day,
he discovered he had been mislabeled a super villain, which the authorities
referred to generically as 'The Swordsman.' That infuriated him to no end,
since he had been intent upon calling himself 'The Silver Samurai' once he
found a suitable set of silver armor to wear.

Highly offended, Tatewaki departed the hotel, in costume, intent on clearing
his good name. Along the way he encountered an elderly woman being accosted
by someone trying to steal her purse. It was a simple matter to dispatch the
would-be thief. However, when Tatewaki demanded a reward, the woman hit him
in the head with her purse and told him only a rotten jerk would shake down
an old lady for money. He explained to her that he was a superhero and it
was his just due. Her response was to tell him real heroes didn't ask for
money and that he wasn't a real one anyway, like that Daredevil hunk.

The incident made Tatewaki seethe. No money? Half the reason for becoming a
hero was for money. The other half was to demonstrate his brilliance to the
world.

Annoyed that his ideas were not bearing fruit, he became further frustrated
when the police came upon the scene and attempted to arrest him yet again.
They also made matters worse by continuously referring to him as the
'Swordsman.'. They weren't interested in hearing how he was actually the
victim from the fight last night --or that he wanted to be called Silver
Samurai-- so he was once again forced to render the authorities insensate.

But then his luck took a turn for the better. Upon the conclusion of the
fight, Tatewaki was just starting to walk away when a limousine pulled up
alongside him and offered him a ride. Delighted at being treated in the
manner he was properly due, he accepted the offer. Once inside, it was
revealed to him that they were men who worked for a 'businesswoman' called
Mantis, and that she wished to contract Swordsman's services for a
significant sum of money.

Tatewaki, now resigned to calling himself Swordsman, quickly accepted. The
men drove him to the Chinese section of Tokyo, much to his surprise. From
there he was taken to an exclusive underground garage, and then escorted by
the men to a private elevator that led to an interior that was easily as
tasteful, and expensive, as the furnishings at Kunou Manor. Finally they
arrived at their true destination as he was directed to an opulent
bedchamber where an incredibly attractive Chinese woman resided. Or she
would have been incredibly attractive, save for the fact she had to be at
least thirty. Tatewaki Kunou, age seventeen, was only interested in girls
about his own age. Besides, the woman reminded him of his dear departed
mother, except for the two peculiar locks of hair that stood up slightly,
then bent forward almost like antenna.

The beautiful woman introduced herself as Mantis and dismissed the men who
had escorted Swordsman there. She lit several sticks of incense, and posed
seductively for him. Every word was a purr, and held a throaty rasp that
would have made lesser men fall to their knees had she so ordered.

But Tatewaki Kunou, the Swordsman, was no lesser man. He could tell that she
had fallen for his charms, despite the mask he wore. It was no surprise to
him, since every woman he met could not but help be impressed by his
strength of character, his virtue, and his manliness. He would have been
tempted had she not been so much older. But since she was, he refused her
advances, much to her surprise. Later, after he had worked with her on
several occasions, she said something curious about his ego being the only
one that was so tremendous that it rendered him immune to the effects of her
Aphrodisiac Incense.

Seduction failing, Mantis immediately offered Swordsman a job to 'recover' a
few items of hers that had been stolen by a gang of thieves who had a
hideout by the docks. Since this damsel was in distress, and since the sum
of money was impressive, Tatewaki readily agreed to help take care of the
miscreants and recover the stolen items. He and a small band of men --whom
Swordsman thought of as nothing but a bunch of thugs-- went to the hideout
and proceeded to storm it. It turned out it was an operation run by a group
of men in identical garish yellow costumes., who all wore the same stupid
looking yellow buckets on their heads, with only a wire mesh grill to look
out. The men, who Swordsman's compatriots referred to as A.I.M., proved
little problem, however, the small army of various androids they employed
was very powerful. Swordsman was forced to use all of his blade's various
functions and his best techniques to destroy them.

Upon successfully completing his mission and recovering the stolen goods,
which were highly advanced weapons oddly enough, Mantis once again attempted
to reward Swordsman by offering her body. Again he refused, doubly
surprising her. She gave him a bonus for doing such an effective job, and
offered him the second most opulent room in the building, which was next to
hers.

It proved to be a sound decision on her part, as the base cads of A.I.M.
attempted to steal back their ill-gotten gains and kill Mantis as well. Once
again Swordsman employed his unique talents to dispatch the killer robots
and attack vehicles before they could bring harm to his employer.

After changing her base of operations (of which she had over a dozen spread
out through the city), Mantis offered him a contract to work exclusively for
her. He readily accepted. For the next few months, he found himself being
sent out to 'recover' or 'acquire' items for Mantis (and she seemed to want
a great many odd or expensive things), usually breaking in to some facility
or other that had heavy defenses which he would be forced to destroy.
Fortunately the pay, as well as the home, expensive food, and fine clothing
she gave him were more than enough recompense for his trouble. It was after
the seventh such job he participated in when he caught a news program
claiming that the very jewels he had 'acquired' from an armored car had
actually been 'stolen' from the armored car.

Swordsman immediately confronted Mantis with the news. "Did you realize that
those jewels actually belong to someone else?"

"Not anymore," she purred.

"But that's stealing."

Mantis gave him a curious look. "Of course, my ever so long and powerful
Swordsman," she emphasized the last word. "What did you think I meant when I
told you to acquire them for me?"

"I was under the impression that they were actually yours to begin with and
you wanted me to retrieve for you."

"When I say I want you to 'acquire' something for me, it's just a polite way
of saying I want you to steal it."

"No?!"

Mantis's look changed to open confusion. "Swordsman, you do understand that
I'm the biggest Chinese crimelord in all of Eastern Japan, correct?"

"Do you mean to say you engage in illegal activities?

"I've been having you steal weapons, drugs, and money for me for a couple of
months now."

"And your gambling casinos, bordellos, protection services, and arms deals
are not legal enterprises?"

"Of course not!"

"I feel so misled," Swordsman admitted.

Mantis sighed. She walked up to the Swordsman and maneuvered behind him.
Slowly she ran her hands over his body, making certain they dwelled longest
in the most sensitive areas. "When I took you in, you were only a penny ante
thief who was going to get nailed by the cops for lifting cash registers. I
made you into something bigger." Her voice became softer as she purred into
his ear, "Admit it, you like all of this. I know your kind, Swordsman. You
were bored before you met me. You were idle rich, I could smell it from the
moment I laid eyes on you. Ennui settled over you, even if you were unaware
of it. You never earned a yen on your own. Everyone always gave everything
to you and you never batted an eye."

She moved away from him, spinning in a seductive dance to a tune only she
could hear. "But now you're different. Now you're happy to risk your life
dancing on the edge of the abyss. You get a thrill when people try to kill
you, and it's only the inherent skills you've honed to razor sharpness that
keeps you alive. Every yen you've made, no matter how ill-gotten it is,
you've earned, unlike everything else that's been handed to in your life.
You love the lifestyle of the illicit and powerful. You can do things
society would never allow you to do. That, Swordsman, is what true power is
about. To do what you want, when you want, the consequences be damned."

Swordsman considered that. Over the last few months he had been simply
reacting to situations rather than thinking about them. But now that Mantis
pointed it out, he took a step back. Much to his astonishment, everything
she said had been true. Impossible though it seemed, he was much happier
being forced to rely on his skills rather than leading the life of the idle
rich. True, he had originally left his former existence to save his life
rather than find adventure, but that was what had happened. He liked doing
things he would never have dared as a law-abiding citizen. And the
ill-gotten money he was earning meant he could continue living the
extravagant lifestyle which he was accustomed. He was delighted with the
life of the outlaw. It was fun.

At that moment he decided to remain as he was, a hired sword for a beautiful
woman, protecting her from danger at every turn. Even when his sister turned
up alive, he chose to remain the handsome, suave, and mighty Swordsman,
rather than once again continuing his dreary existence as the incredibly
bored and under-appreciated Tatewaki Kunou.

His relationship with Mantis remained at arm's length, with the poor (older)
woman all but a slave to trying to gain his attentions. Then there came a
day when she informed him that an old acquaintance of hers was calling in a
favor. It seemed he needed super-powered muscle to protect some of his
interests at a critical juncture, and that a tremendous reward would be
offered to Swordsman, as well as a sizable one for Mantis herself. When
Swordsman was informed his payment would be control over a significant
portion of Japan, he jumped at the opportunity. Curiously, Mantis had turned
down the offer, saying she much preferred manipulating events from the
shadows, and was content to allow Swordsman to actually control the land
himself. So without any preamble, he journeyed to the airport at the
appointed time to meet his new employer, who would bestow upon Swordsman a
mantle he was truly worthy of.

Or at least that was what he had thought until a quarter of an hour ago.

Until now, no one had ever truly been hurt because of Swordsman's action. He
had always been careful not to cripple or kill; that would have been beneath
him, though knaves like Daredevil and Captain Japan sorely pressed him at
times. But now his employer had killed more people in a single moment than
anyone else in the history of the world without a second thought. The full
impact of that made Swordsman wonder if he had truly embarked on the right
course after all. True, he would be given control over most of Japan, as was
his due, for he was a born leader, but the cost...

The sounds of battle stirred Swordsman out of his reverie. Grateful for the
reprieve, he rushed to the clamor. In a handful of moments he arrived at a
scene that almost made him release his sword. His employer, the Mandarin,
was being tossed around like a small, abused, unwanted doll by a man who was
truly colossal in dimensions. It was obvious the Mandarin was helpless to do
anything, as evidenced by his head being driven into the ceiling by the
towering foe.

For a moment, Swordsman hesitated, despite his duty being clear. Here was a
chance to break free of the Mandarin's schemes and atone for all of the
deaths that had occurred. It wouldn't even be his fault. He'd just allow
events to happen as they would had he not been present. All guilt could be
laid aside as the Mandarin met the fate he probably richly deserved.

But with the Mandarin's defeat, all that promised power would be lost as
well. There was a price to be paid should he take that course. Japan would
suffer immensely, just as it was now with no end in sight. Only with taking
the mantle of leadership could there be hope for the masses. Once in charge,
he would single-handedly put an end to corruption and wrongdoing. He could
be like the Emperor of old, or at least a powerful Daimyo, a true leader
whom all could aspire to be, though they would ultimately fall short of
their goal. Still, emulating him could only make them better people. They
would all be happy as the proper castes were reinstated, and all would be
grateful for the new golden era he would bring. In return for bequeathing
such greatness to them, he would be paid proper tribute by the populace.
They would bestow upon him wealth and respect. He could have the largest
collection of concubines the world had ever seen. Wouldn't it all be worth
the sacrifice? Some bad in the short term for long term good?

The Mandarin's eyes fell on his subordinate. "Help," he called out as his
head lolled slightly.

Before Swordsman could reconsider his actions he brought his sword up and
unleashed a power blast directed at the Giant Man's jaw. The blast hit dead
on, and the hero released his hold on the Mandarin. Both fell to the ground,
where they tried hard to return to their feet. Neither fared very well.

Swordsman swaggered forward. "So, my overlarge foe. You sought to invade
this citadel and commit treachery upon its master. But you have been laid
low by the ever resourceful, dashing, handsome... is that a little girl with
wings?"

Wasp unleashed a blast directly at Swordsman's body. He crumpled to the
ground, in tremendous pain. But despite the near overloading of his senses,
years of training allowed him to instinctively maintain a firm grip on his
weapon.

"If you hurt Giant Man, I'll make you sorry," Wasp said crossly as she aimed
at Swordsman again and unleashed another of her stings.

Mostly by reflex rather than conscious thought, Swordsman brought his sword
up and parried the blast.

Before Wasp could fire a third time, she found herself hammered by a vortex
of air. It caught her from behind and hurled her into a wall. Weakly she
fluttered to the ground.

"That will teach you, insect!" Mandarin snarled as he returned to his feet.

"Wasp!" Giant Man shouted. The shock of seeing her injured allowed him to
focus enough concentration to rise to his feet. Even Akane would have been
taken aback by the fury in his eyes, a look promising violence to the those
who had dared attack the woman he loved.

The Mandarin's response was to glow blue and shout out, "Rising Dragon's
Fist!" He shot up like a human missile and impacted a powerful fist solidly
into Giant Man's midsection, knocking the wind completely out of him. Before
the hero could rise again, the Mandarin employed his Electro Ring, sending
enough electricity coursing through his opponent to knock him out cold.

Now recovered and full of rage, the Mandarin brought his disintegrator ring
up and prepared to use it on the fool who had dared lay his hands upon him.
But at the last moment he turned it away, and instead encased the lower half
of Giant Man's body in ice nearly a meter thick.

He turned to Swordsman, who was only now recovering from the Wasp's sting.
"I've selected my next target."

"Oh?"

"Since these so called heroes have insisted on calling attention to their
pitiful island nation, they shall have it. Tokyo shall be next."

Swordsman stammered out, "But I'm to rule Japan. That would include Tokyo."

"I'll give you some of Indonesia," the Mandarin said in compromise. "And I'm
not waiting to deliver a second ultimatum. The moment the satellite is
recharged, I'm firing. Japan must pay, and that giant fool will learn the
price of defying me. Once he learns he was responsible for killing so many
people, I'll kill him and that flying girl." The Mandarin looked around.
"Where is she anyway?"

Swordsman also visually scanned the area. "I don't see her."

"Blast! My vortex beam must not have struck her fully, or she was more durab
le than I believed." A haunted expression crossed the Mandarin's features.
"Perhaps she has gone to free the others. Quickly, go down to the normal
prisoners' cell and make sure they are still secure." He brought up his
communicator. "Tarou, Elektra, be advised, there is a centimeter tall,
flying girl who can shoot energy from her hands. She is extremely dangerous.
Don't bother trying to capture her. Kill her on sight. Speed Demon, Power
Man, make certain Thor and the piglet are secure as well."

The speaker crackled as Speed Demon's voice came from the communicator.
"We... ah, just came from the holding area."

"Why are you... For your sake you'd better not have molested my woman."

"Nonononono! We didn't lay a hand on her."

"You'd better not have. That one is going to be the mother of my children.
If anything was to happen to her, you would be made very sorry. However, as
long as she's secure, you have nothing to fear."

"She's... ah, secured."

"Good."

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Secured her escape, you mean," Power Man said after Speed Demon turned off
the communication's link.

"We shouldn't bother the boss with such minor details, especially since it's
obvious he's agitated. We'll just catch her and the pig, throw them back in
there, and everything will be all right. You'll see."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Power Man said miserably.

The two hurried from the area and began to search around. Speed Demon chose
not to institute a high speed search, mostly because he was afraid of
finding Thor without Power Man to help out.

They had been searching for less than fifteen minutes when they spotted
something. Not the object of their search, but another thing that had
captured their attention almost as thoroughly as if it was.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" Power Man shouted at the intruder, who looked
suspiciously like an ordinary Japanese high school student.

The girl gave them a panicked look, gasped "Oh no!", and began hobbling off.
Within three steps she rounded the corner and out of their sight.

Power Man was about to rush after the intruder when Speed Demon placed a
restraining hand on his chest. "What?"

Speed Demon gave his companion a sly look. "Don't be so quick to run after
her."

"Why? It's just some girl. She's not dangerous."

"Ah ha!" Speed Demon held his finger up, as if Power Man had made his point
for him. "Don't you find it the least bit peculiar that some innocent
looking Japanese school girl with a really bad limp just happens to appear
in the fortress as if from nowhere and we just happened to spot her?"

Power Man scratched his head in thought. "Well, now that you mention it, it
does seem a bit odd. And she was holding a piglet. It wasn't the one we're
looking for since it's black, not green, and about a hundred pounds less
than the other one."

"Do you know what I think?"

"No. I'm not telepathic. If I was, I would, though."

"I think it's a trap. I think she's only pretending she's afraid, but is in
fact a super hero. I bet she's going to act all scared like she's
intimidated by us, and when we get overconfident, she'll hit us with her
superpower and knock us out."

"Wow! That makes perfect sense. How did you know?"

"The limp. She overdid it with the limp. That's a clear sign of bad acting."

"Hah! She thought she'd play us for fools, but we sure outsmarted her."

They both laughed heartily at the foolishness of their opponent.

Once the bout of levity had passed, Power Man asked, "What should we do?"

"Follow cautiously. She'll tip her hand eventually. Then we'll get her."

So the duo began to discreetly follow the path the girl had taken.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Akane limped off as best as she could, she looked over her shoulder
again. Sure enough, the two villains were poking their heads around the
corner, watching her flee. She couldn't understand what game they were
playing, tormenting her as though she stood some chance of escaping. They
were cruel beyond measure to engage in such sadistic behavior. If only she
could find her cane, then she would make them pay for this humiliation.

She turned yet another corner of the seemingly endless array of stone
corridors that composed the fortress. It was like a giant maze and she was
the rat, though in her case finding the piece of 'cheese' would enable her
to level the fortress. With the way she had fled mindlessly away from the
pair, and some of the rooms she passed, she was certain she was running in
circles again, and was heading once more toward the room she had awakened
in.

Leg throbbing, Akane found she could run no further. She looked down at the
innocent piglet in her arms. He gave her a wide-eyed stare that nearly broke
her heart. No matter what happened to her, she would make sure that the poor
creature escaped the evil Mandarin's clutches.

She turned to look down the hall. The pair still hadn't poked their heads
around the latest passageway. She chose a door next to her and opened it up.
It was some sort of storage room. Wooden crates filled it to the ceiling,
and there appeared to be a healthy quantity of dust on the floor.

Relieved, Akane put the pig down. She placed her hand on his backside and
shoved him into the room. He turned and gave her a panicked stare. He was
concerned for her. It was so sweet. It was a pity she couldn't have kept him
as a pet. "Don't worry, Mr. Pig, you'll be safe in here for now. I'll lead
them away, and you try to escape later." It was obvious from his insistent,
"Bwee!" that he would try to follow, so she quickly closed the door behind
her.

Tears filled her eyes. "Good bye, Mr. Pig." And she tried hurrying away as
best as she could, her pain encumbered limb forcing her to use the wall to
help prop her up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"See? She waited in the hall until we caught up. She's luring us into
something. I can feel it," Speed Demon said as he poked his head around the
wall again.

"Very tricky," Power Man agreed.

Their communicators buzzed again. "Report!" the Mandarin barked.

Speed Demon said, "We're following a superhero around."

"One of them is free? Which one?" the Mandarin asked.

"A new one. The trickiest of them all. She's dressed like a normal Japanese
school girl, and walks around with a limp."

"What powers does she have?"

"We don't know. She hasn't shown them. She just walks around like she's
afraid of us. But we're outsmarting her. We're following just out of sight,
using the walls as cover. So far we haven't given her the opportunity to
blast us."

There was a moment of silence on the communicator. Then a voice as frozen as
the block of ice said, "Let me get this straight. There's a stranger in the
fortress. A helpless one with a limp who you've been following around
mindlessly while not trying to impede her progress in the slightest?"

"Got it right the first time, Boss."

"Then why don't you capture her and FIND OUT WHO SHE IS SINCE IT'S OBVIOUS
SHE'S NOT A THREAT, YOU MORONS?!"

"But she might be super powered and is setting us up in a trap."

"IT'LL BE FAR WORSE IF YOU DON'T CAPTURE HER AND I GET MY HANDS ON YOU TWO!"

"Watch the blood pressure, Boss. You don't want to get a heart attack at the
moment of your greatest triumph," Power Man warned.

The communicator issued one final unintelligible cry, and then dead silence
followed.

"I bet you he destroyed his communicator again," Speed Demon said.

"No bet. We'd better get that girl before he does get his hands on us."

The two rounded the corner, seeing the girl nearing the end of the 'T'
junction at the end of the hall. Speed Demon sucked up his courage and ran
quickly, ending up in front of her in the blink of an eye. The girl gave a
cry and came to an abrupt halt. Speed Demon saw Power Man hurrying up the
corridor to provide him with backup. Relieved, he said, "All right, you're
under arrest. I mean, you're captured because you're a trespasser. Hey,
where's the pig?"

Speed Demon saw that just as Power Man passed in front of a door to some
unused storage room, a green blur shot out of it, tearing the door of its
hinges as it impacted solidly with Power Man. The small ball of porcine
might struck Power Man with the force of a cannon. Both were driven clean
through a couple layers of stone thickened walls and out of sight.

"Ah, it's the Hulk!" Speed Demon ran back to see if he could help his friend
in any way.

Akane, given a reprieve, didn't even bother to turn around at the sounds of
battle. Until she found her stick, she would just be a liability to anyone
trying to rescue her. So she hurried off once again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Power Man found himself under assault by the bouncing piglet. The small
creature's blows, while individually not so bad, hurt like hell once they
added up. Worse, the initial attack had disoriented him badly enough that he
didn't have time to even catch his breath. All he needed was a moment, then
he'd make pork rinds out of the Hulk, even if it did go against the
Mandarin's orders.

Power Man got his break as Speed Demon appeared in a blur directly in front
of the mean green ball of muscle. "You know what I had to eat today?" the
speedster asked.

The piglet shook his head.

"Baconbaconbaconbaconbacon!" he stuck his tongue out and began dancing
around.

The mocking dance enraged the Incredible Bwee and he launched himself at
Speed Demon. The speedster proved too quick as he was out of the way before
the piglet had risen more than a couple of centimeters off the ground. The
leap only succeeded in punching a hole through yet another wall.

As Bwee leapt back through, destroying another section of wall, Power Man
snatched him out of the air. With a tiger-like roar he unleashed a savage
hook under Bwee's tiny chin and blasted him through the third wall of the
room to be destroyed.

Power Man looked in satisfaction at the hole that had been left behind.
"That takes care of that."

Speed Demon spoke hesitantly, "Say, Power Man."

"Yes?"

"What's behind that wall you just knocked the pig through?"

"Nothing much. It's a large open area; the Boss's private bath. You know,
the one with the Olympic size pool that connects with the hot springs
beneath the fortress."

"Yeah, that's where I thought it led," Speed Demon sighed as a now human,
and fully enraged Hulk, exploded through the wall, sending pieces of stony
shrapnel in all directions and forcing Speed Demon to use Power Man's body
for cover.

The Hulk's muscles bulged and his hands curled into anvil-like fists.
Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted, "Where is Not-So-Little-Man who
dared to hit Hulk?! Now that Hulk is big again, Hulk will smash!"

"Oh boy," Power Man said as he prepared for the fight of his life.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx




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