The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Complete
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Mirage_GSM
- Posts: 6148
- Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:24 am
- Location: Germany
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 11 up
So now they've saved Hanako they won't even try to find a cure for that other guy?
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
Sore wa himitsu desu.griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 11 up
After all they went through to save Hanako, barely making it in time, I doubt it'd even be possible to save Angel at this point. Plus, if nobody important died, what good would Emi be? That's my prediction anyway.Mirage_GSM wrote:So now they've saved Hanako they won't even try to find a cure for that other guy?
Lilly > Emi > Hanako > Shizune > Rin
100% get!
100% get!
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 11 up
Plus this gives Hanako something else to feel really guilty about!
Poor girl just can't win. She finally gets her face fixed and and now she has to deal with knowing that they let a world famous superhero either die or turn crazy and evil to save her.
Poor girl just can't win. She finally gets her face fixed and and now she has to deal with knowing that they let a world famous superhero either die or turn crazy and evil to save her.
Not Dead Yet
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 11 up
Sorry for the delay on this chapter everyone. I've been working my ass off finishing up my Madoka/X-men fanfic (which, if you want to read, is on fanfiction.net under my user ID Chrono180. Or search for Puella Magi illyana Magica). Anyway, its finally completed so with luck I'll finish uploading this soon. Here's chapter 12
Chapter 12: Surprise Early Morning Visitors
Hisao didn't dream at all. But after some indefinite period of time, his rest was unceremoniously interrupted by a unusually enthusiastic banging at the door. As the world swam into view, he looked next to him to see Lilly stirring as well.
He glanced at his watch, which he had forgotten to take off. Six thirty in the morning. Twelve hours of sleep and he still felt utterly exhausted. As he climbed out of the sleeping bag, he glanced over at Hanako, who was still unconscious on her bed.
“Who might that be...?” Lilly mumbled as she pulled herself out as well.
“I can take a guess.” Hisao replied as there was another sharp bang on the door.
He got up and opened the door. As he expected. Emi was there, with a bright blue backpack over her shoulder. Somewhat less expected was that Rin was there as well.
“You know Emi,” Hisao stated, “While I understand you would want to see Hanako, I really don't think doing it this early-”
“It wasn't her idea.” Rin replied, “It was mine.”
Hisao blinked for a moment. “Oh.” he finally said.
“Yeah,” Emi stated, “Rin told me you found the seed, and we decided to come see... well, if it worked or not.”
Hisao paused slightly and turned to Rin, “How did you know we found the seed?”
Rin shrugged “En told me.”
“Who?” Hisao asked.
“Grandmaster.” Rin replied, “Real name's En. He's been monitoring you since you left Tokyo.”
“He's been spying on us?” Hisao replied indignantly
Emi chuckled slightly, Rin shrugged again.
“I think he actually cared about her.” Rin motioned over to the bed, “Because she matters to me and I matter to him. It's a sort of “friend of a friend” kind of caring. Like when dogs are in heat and-”
“We don't really need the rest of that analogy.” Emi interrupted, then looked at Hisao. “Did it work?”
“The seed?” Hisao confirmed, “Near as I can tell it did, though she's rather out of it at the moment. ”
Emi grinned and put her backpack on the ground. “Thank god.”
“It's good for you two to come by.” Lilly stated, “It's been a while since we last talked.”
“Yeah.” Emi nodded, “Last time was after that guy with guns for hands stormed the school. What a mess that was.”
Hisao noticed Rin twitched slightly at the mention of that incident.
“So, how are things with Max?” Hisao asked.
Emi shrugged, “Well, he's visiting his parents again. Seems to do that a lot, to be quite frank. From what he told me, is was due to what he thought happened when he was an Exile.”
“Ah, whats that?” Hisao asked
“Well, from what he told me, when the Exiles were drafted, they were each told that their homeworld's timelines malfunctioned and left them with nasty fates. In his case, he accidentally turned his mother to steel and his father declared war on humanity. It didn't actually happen, but the thought threw him for a loop.” Emi shrugged.
“And his parents... are?” Lilly asked
“Uh, Rouge and Magneto.” Emi fidgeted slightly.
“His dad's a terrorist?” Hisao asked.
“That was my reaction at first too.” Emi chuckled slightly, “But reformed terrorist. It's a long story.” She grinned cheekily.
Hisao shook his head. “I know that man was cleared by the world court, but I still don't understand why the X-men were willing to give him a second chance.” There was a long pause and then Hisao spoke again. “Rin, I have a question.”
Rin nodded, “Yes?”
“If I hadn't been able to find the seed in time...” Hisao took a deep breath, “Would you have really done as she asked?”
There was a long pause once more.
“I knew I wouldn't need to.” Rin replied. “I knew you'd come through.”
“But if I hadn't...” Hisao started. Rin shook her head.
“As I said before you left.” Rin stated, “I had faith in you. Faith means knowing things will turn out alright.” She shrugged her shoulders for emphasis. “But... yes... If it had come down to it. I would have.”
For twenty minutes, the four of them stood in silence. Then, Hanako stirred. Hisao walked over and stood by her bed. Lilly right next to him.
“Hisao...?” Hanako muttered. “Lilly...?”
“Hey there.” Hisao grinned, “How are you feeling?”
Hanako paused for a long moment. “I'm... alright.” She finally said, “I feel better than I have in a long time.”
Lilly leaned over and hugged her, “It's good to have you back.”
“Good to be back.” Hanako replied.
As Lilly uprighted herself. Hanako got up out of her bed. “Emi? Rin?”
“Hey there.” Emi grinned, “Good to see you up and around. Gave me quite the scare, ya know?” She opened her bag and pulled out a large container. “Want some Tamagoyaki? Made it before I came over here.”
Hanako nodded vigorously, and Emi reached into her bag again and pulled out a set of plates and began to divide up the omelet dish.
As they began to eat, Hisao spoke up, “I had forgotten what a great cook you are.”
Emi chuckled, “Thanks. I've actually been taking a culinary class this semester. Learning to make exotic foods.”
“Really?” Lilly asked, “Like what?”
Emi took a big bite out of her dish and replied “Current unit is on Italian dishes. If you'd like, I can bring some Baccala Mantecato over sometime.”
“What's that?” Hanako asked
“Creamed cod on bread. It's pretty good, I think.” Emi grinned. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She reached into her bag again and pulled out several cans of soda. She tossed one to Hisao, who caught it, and then handed two more to Lilly and Hanako. She then picked up a fourth and opened the tab before setting it in front of Rin, who picked it up with both her feet and pulled it to her mouth.
“Emi...” Hanako said suddenly. “Isn't it Thursday? Don't you have track practice today?”
Emi shrugged, “I figured this was more important.”
Hanako gave a smile. “Thank you for coming. All of you. I appreciate it.”
“I'm just glad you're alright.” Lilly replied. “We were all quite worried.”
The conversation turned to lighter subjects. New movies coming out, recently written books, what classes they found the most difficult...
“Meet me in the garden square.” A voice stated in Hisao's head after around a half hour “Now.”
Hisao looked up and said. “Would it be alright if I headed out?” He asked to the others, “Someone wants to talk to me.”
Lilly gave him an odd look. “How can you tell?”
“It's an X-men thing.” Hisao said, “I'm getting a telepathic flash.” He glanced at Hanako, “Is that alright?”
Hanako nodded, “You do what you need too. I'll see you in chemistry tonight, alright?”
“Sure thing.” Hisao replied and got up and walked out the door, picking up his wallet and phone on the way out.
Heading down to the garden square, he immediately noticed a familiar purple haired woman standing outside the dorms. She was wearing a brown blouse and black skirt, rather than her usual one-piece leotard.
“Walk with me.” Psylocke commanded. She set of down a path and Hisao followed at her pace. After a few hundred feet, she spoke up again. “Angel lost his mind earlier today.” she said. Her voice was quite level, rather matter-of-fact.
Hisao opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what to say. There wasn't much he could say. He then opened it again. “Betsy, I'm sorry.”
“It's fine.” Psylocke stated.
“What I said-” Hisao began, but Psylocke shook her head
“No.” she stated firmly, “What you said was the truth. Yes, I cheated on Angel, Yes it was a crass thing to do, Yes, it was a major mistake. One that I should own up to. In that sense, you were right. On the subject of the seed however....” She sighed, “Angel broke out of his cell. Killed two students and wounded a dozen x-men on the way out.
Hisao nodded weakly
“We think he's planning to destroy humanity.” She stated.
Hisao sighed. “I'm not going to apologize for using the life seed on Hanako, Betsy. The circumstances were regrettable, but I stand by my decision.”
“I expected as much.” Psylocke replied. “However, I believe you should be fully aware of the consequences you have brought. A good man, who has been one of my closest friends for nearly a decade, has now lost himself completely. Because of you.”
“If I hadn't done what I did then Hanako would have suffered the same fate.” Hisao replied.
Betsy stopped walking and stared at him sternly. “Warren Worthington has saved the world on numerous occasions. At least twenty three times. Three of which were solo. Can you honestly say that Hanako deserved it more than him?”
Hisao stared back. “Yes. I can.”
“And how do you justify that statement?” Psylocke responded.
“Because she is still an innocent.” Hisao replied.
“In our line of work there is very little difference between innocence and naivete.” Psylocke replied.
Hisao shook his head. “Perhaps to you. But to me...” he sighed, “Hanako saved me, you know. She and Lilly dragged me out of my depression and self-pity back when I was at Yamaku. If they hadn't helped me, I probably would have given up.” He looked straight at Psylocke. “Or died.”
Psylocke raised an eyebrow.
Hisao stood firm. “When I looked into that Godstone a few months back, I saw several major paths diverging from when I entered Yamaku. There are ones where I end up with almost any of the girls I now consider friends. But there also were a significant number of realities where that doesn't happen. In those realities, the most likely result is that I wind up falling off a roof, and often die from the impact. Lilly and Hanako saved my life. I could only do my utmost to repay the favor.”
Psylocke gave a brief nod. “Do not think I will forgive you for this affront. But we have more pressing matters to deal with. I do not know what Angel is now planning, but it will likely be disastrous to humanity. I want you on the team whenever we figure out where to intercept him.”
“Really?” Hisao asked, a note of surprise in his voice.
“It's your mess. You should be the one to clean it up.” Psylocke responded.
“A fair point.” Hisao admitted. “Let me know when and where, and I will be there. I must say, you recovered quickly.”
“The X-men have a student who can heal wounds.”Psylocke replied, “Now if you'll excuse me..” She turned and walked off, giving a nasty look to Hisao as she did so.
Hisao sighed. While he was confident he had made the right decision, the fact his actions had let to the destruction of one the world's original heroes troubled him a great deal. He truly wished there had been some way to save both of them. But there wasn't. Sometimes, there is no third option.
But Hanako was safe. That made up for everything.
Elsewhere...
Hanako took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It flung open. Trevor looked her over and then grabbed her in a massive hug.
“My god Hanako, I was so worried!” Trevor said breathlessly. “I've been calling every contact I have trying to find someone who can forstall the plague... are you ok?”
“Yeah Fitz.” Hanako replied, “Better than ever, actually.”
Trevor released his embrace and chuckled a little. “Thank god...”
“Agreed.” Hanako replied, “Do you have a bit? I have something I want to discuss with you....”
Chapter 12: Surprise Early Morning Visitors
Hisao didn't dream at all. But after some indefinite period of time, his rest was unceremoniously interrupted by a unusually enthusiastic banging at the door. As the world swam into view, he looked next to him to see Lilly stirring as well.
He glanced at his watch, which he had forgotten to take off. Six thirty in the morning. Twelve hours of sleep and he still felt utterly exhausted. As he climbed out of the sleeping bag, he glanced over at Hanako, who was still unconscious on her bed.
“Who might that be...?” Lilly mumbled as she pulled herself out as well.
“I can take a guess.” Hisao replied as there was another sharp bang on the door.
He got up and opened the door. As he expected. Emi was there, with a bright blue backpack over her shoulder. Somewhat less expected was that Rin was there as well.
“You know Emi,” Hisao stated, “While I understand you would want to see Hanako, I really don't think doing it this early-”
“It wasn't her idea.” Rin replied, “It was mine.”
Hisao blinked for a moment. “Oh.” he finally said.
“Yeah,” Emi stated, “Rin told me you found the seed, and we decided to come see... well, if it worked or not.”
Hisao paused slightly and turned to Rin, “How did you know we found the seed?”
Rin shrugged “En told me.”
“Who?” Hisao asked.
“Grandmaster.” Rin replied, “Real name's En. He's been monitoring you since you left Tokyo.”
“He's been spying on us?” Hisao replied indignantly
Emi chuckled slightly, Rin shrugged again.
“I think he actually cared about her.” Rin motioned over to the bed, “Because she matters to me and I matter to him. It's a sort of “friend of a friend” kind of caring. Like when dogs are in heat and-”
“We don't really need the rest of that analogy.” Emi interrupted, then looked at Hisao. “Did it work?”
“The seed?” Hisao confirmed, “Near as I can tell it did, though she's rather out of it at the moment. ”
Emi grinned and put her backpack on the ground. “Thank god.”
“It's good for you two to come by.” Lilly stated, “It's been a while since we last talked.”
“Yeah.” Emi nodded, “Last time was after that guy with guns for hands stormed the school. What a mess that was.”
Hisao noticed Rin twitched slightly at the mention of that incident.
“So, how are things with Max?” Hisao asked.
Emi shrugged, “Well, he's visiting his parents again. Seems to do that a lot, to be quite frank. From what he told me, is was due to what he thought happened when he was an Exile.”
“Ah, whats that?” Hisao asked
“Well, from what he told me, when the Exiles were drafted, they were each told that their homeworld's timelines malfunctioned and left them with nasty fates. In his case, he accidentally turned his mother to steel and his father declared war on humanity. It didn't actually happen, but the thought threw him for a loop.” Emi shrugged.
“And his parents... are?” Lilly asked
“Uh, Rouge and Magneto.” Emi fidgeted slightly.
“His dad's a terrorist?” Hisao asked.
“That was my reaction at first too.” Emi chuckled slightly, “But reformed terrorist. It's a long story.” She grinned cheekily.
Hisao shook his head. “I know that man was cleared by the world court, but I still don't understand why the X-men were willing to give him a second chance.” There was a long pause and then Hisao spoke again. “Rin, I have a question.”
Rin nodded, “Yes?”
“If I hadn't been able to find the seed in time...” Hisao took a deep breath, “Would you have really done as she asked?”
There was a long pause once more.
“I knew I wouldn't need to.” Rin replied. “I knew you'd come through.”
“But if I hadn't...” Hisao started. Rin shook her head.
“As I said before you left.” Rin stated, “I had faith in you. Faith means knowing things will turn out alright.” She shrugged her shoulders for emphasis. “But... yes... If it had come down to it. I would have.”
For twenty minutes, the four of them stood in silence. Then, Hanako stirred. Hisao walked over and stood by her bed. Lilly right next to him.
“Hisao...?” Hanako muttered. “Lilly...?”
“Hey there.” Hisao grinned, “How are you feeling?”
Hanako paused for a long moment. “I'm... alright.” She finally said, “I feel better than I have in a long time.”
Lilly leaned over and hugged her, “It's good to have you back.”
“Good to be back.” Hanako replied.
As Lilly uprighted herself. Hanako got up out of her bed. “Emi? Rin?”
“Hey there.” Emi grinned, “Good to see you up and around. Gave me quite the scare, ya know?” She opened her bag and pulled out a large container. “Want some Tamagoyaki? Made it before I came over here.”
Hanako nodded vigorously, and Emi reached into her bag again and pulled out a set of plates and began to divide up the omelet dish.
As they began to eat, Hisao spoke up, “I had forgotten what a great cook you are.”
Emi chuckled, “Thanks. I've actually been taking a culinary class this semester. Learning to make exotic foods.”
“Really?” Lilly asked, “Like what?”
Emi took a big bite out of her dish and replied “Current unit is on Italian dishes. If you'd like, I can bring some Baccala Mantecato over sometime.”
“What's that?” Hanako asked
“Creamed cod on bread. It's pretty good, I think.” Emi grinned. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She reached into her bag again and pulled out several cans of soda. She tossed one to Hisao, who caught it, and then handed two more to Lilly and Hanako. She then picked up a fourth and opened the tab before setting it in front of Rin, who picked it up with both her feet and pulled it to her mouth.
“Emi...” Hanako said suddenly. “Isn't it Thursday? Don't you have track practice today?”
Emi shrugged, “I figured this was more important.”
Hanako gave a smile. “Thank you for coming. All of you. I appreciate it.”
“I'm just glad you're alright.” Lilly replied. “We were all quite worried.”
The conversation turned to lighter subjects. New movies coming out, recently written books, what classes they found the most difficult...
“Meet me in the garden square.” A voice stated in Hisao's head after around a half hour “Now.”
Hisao looked up and said. “Would it be alright if I headed out?” He asked to the others, “Someone wants to talk to me.”
Lilly gave him an odd look. “How can you tell?”
“It's an X-men thing.” Hisao said, “I'm getting a telepathic flash.” He glanced at Hanako, “Is that alright?”
Hanako nodded, “You do what you need too. I'll see you in chemistry tonight, alright?”
“Sure thing.” Hisao replied and got up and walked out the door, picking up his wallet and phone on the way out.
Heading down to the garden square, he immediately noticed a familiar purple haired woman standing outside the dorms. She was wearing a brown blouse and black skirt, rather than her usual one-piece leotard.
“Walk with me.” Psylocke commanded. She set of down a path and Hisao followed at her pace. After a few hundred feet, she spoke up again. “Angel lost his mind earlier today.” she said. Her voice was quite level, rather matter-of-fact.
Hisao opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what to say. There wasn't much he could say. He then opened it again. “Betsy, I'm sorry.”
“It's fine.” Psylocke stated.
“What I said-” Hisao began, but Psylocke shook her head
“No.” she stated firmly, “What you said was the truth. Yes, I cheated on Angel, Yes it was a crass thing to do, Yes, it was a major mistake. One that I should own up to. In that sense, you were right. On the subject of the seed however....” She sighed, “Angel broke out of his cell. Killed two students and wounded a dozen x-men on the way out.
Hisao nodded weakly
“We think he's planning to destroy humanity.” She stated.
Hisao sighed. “I'm not going to apologize for using the life seed on Hanako, Betsy. The circumstances were regrettable, but I stand by my decision.”
“I expected as much.” Psylocke replied. “However, I believe you should be fully aware of the consequences you have brought. A good man, who has been one of my closest friends for nearly a decade, has now lost himself completely. Because of you.”
“If I hadn't done what I did then Hanako would have suffered the same fate.” Hisao replied.
Betsy stopped walking and stared at him sternly. “Warren Worthington has saved the world on numerous occasions. At least twenty three times. Three of which were solo. Can you honestly say that Hanako deserved it more than him?”
Hisao stared back. “Yes. I can.”
“And how do you justify that statement?” Psylocke responded.
“Because she is still an innocent.” Hisao replied.
“In our line of work there is very little difference between innocence and naivete.” Psylocke replied.
Hisao shook his head. “Perhaps to you. But to me...” he sighed, “Hanako saved me, you know. She and Lilly dragged me out of my depression and self-pity back when I was at Yamaku. If they hadn't helped me, I probably would have given up.” He looked straight at Psylocke. “Or died.”
Psylocke raised an eyebrow.
Hisao stood firm. “When I looked into that Godstone a few months back, I saw several major paths diverging from when I entered Yamaku. There are ones where I end up with almost any of the girls I now consider friends. But there also were a significant number of realities where that doesn't happen. In those realities, the most likely result is that I wind up falling off a roof, and often die from the impact. Lilly and Hanako saved my life. I could only do my utmost to repay the favor.”
Psylocke gave a brief nod. “Do not think I will forgive you for this affront. But we have more pressing matters to deal with. I do not know what Angel is now planning, but it will likely be disastrous to humanity. I want you on the team whenever we figure out where to intercept him.”
“Really?” Hisao asked, a note of surprise in his voice.
“It's your mess. You should be the one to clean it up.” Psylocke responded.
“A fair point.” Hisao admitted. “Let me know when and where, and I will be there. I must say, you recovered quickly.”
“The X-men have a student who can heal wounds.”Psylocke replied, “Now if you'll excuse me..” She turned and walked off, giving a nasty look to Hisao as she did so.
Hisao sighed. While he was confident he had made the right decision, the fact his actions had let to the destruction of one the world's original heroes troubled him a great deal. He truly wished there had been some way to save both of them. But there wasn't. Sometimes, there is no third option.
But Hanako was safe. That made up for everything.
Elsewhere...
Hanako took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It flung open. Trevor looked her over and then grabbed her in a massive hug.
“My god Hanako, I was so worried!” Trevor said breathlessly. “I've been calling every contact I have trying to find someone who can forstall the plague... are you ok?”
“Yeah Fitz.” Hanako replied, “Better than ever, actually.”
Trevor released his embrace and chuckled a little. “Thank god...”
“Agreed.” Hanako replied, “Do you have a bit? I have something I want to discuss with you....”
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 11 up
You've actually made this much more accurate than you may know. A while back, I used a flow chart and did some calculations to find out how likely each ending is if you make random choices. Kenji's ending is the most likely, at 53.9%. Coincidentally, Lilly's good ending, the one you're working with, is the least likely at 0.2%.Chrono180 wrote:Hisao stood firm. “When I looked into that Godstone a few months back, I saw several major paths diverging from when I entered Yamaku. There are ones where I end up with almost any of the girls I now consider friends. But there also were a significant number of realities where that doesn't happen. In those realities, the most likely result is that I wind up falling off a roof, and often die from the impact. Lilly and Hanako saved my life. I could only do my utmost to repay the favor.”
Lilly > Emi > Hanako > Shizune > Rin
100% get!
100% get!
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 12 up
I actually heard that before. Anyway, Oddball and I are fine tuning the next couple chapters. With a little luck I should have them up soon.
-
Mirage_GSM
- Posts: 6148
- Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:24 am
- Location: Germany
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 12 up
So...She sighed, “Angel broke out of his cell. Killed two students and wounded a dozen x-men on the way out.
They have Angel at their HQ.
They've known him for a long time; they know all his abilities and weaknesses. (Abilities which - according to the wikipedia article - include nothing more original than flight, superhuman strength and whatever "aerial adaption" means.)
They know he's about to lose his mind and turn evil.
And still they don't manage to contain him?
Left his cell door open or forgot to close the window?
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
Sore wa himitsu desu.griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 12 up
Superhero prisons aren't for containing people. They're for giving people a place to rest until they decide to break back out again.Mirage_GSM wrote:So...She sighed, “Angel broke out of his cell. Killed two students and wounded a dozen x-men on the way out.
They have Angel at their HQ.
They've known him for a long time; they know all his abilities and weaknesses. (Abilities which - according to the wikipedia article - include nothing more original than flight, superhuman strength and whatever "aerial adaption" means.)
They know he's about to lose his mind and turn evil.
And still they don't manage to contain him?
Left his cell door open or forgot to close the window?
Not Dead Yet
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 12 up
Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I was in the hosptial recovering from my suicide attempt.
Chapter 13: Creations.
The next few days, life went back to normal. Mostly normal, at least.
“Thanks for agreeing to help me with this.” Hisao stated, fiddling with the green box in his hand.
“No problem, Hisao my man.” Kenji stated, looking around at Hisao's apartment. “How's things going with that undercover cop of yours?”
Hisao was momentary confused, then remembered Kenji still thought Lilly was working on the police's behest to take the mob down. “Oh, she's good. Making significant strides on her mission. She out right now... uh.. researching possible strategies.”
Kenji nodded then stared at the item Hisao retrieved from Genosha, “Good, very good... Hmm... So this is what you found, huh?”
“Yeah,” Hisao replied, “It looks like something I saw in a schematic for a energy weapon. It didn't look too complicated, but I don't have the parts. I was wondering...”
“Oh, this is NICE!” Kenji laughed then looked at Hisao, “You probably don't know this, but Celestial tech is adaptive as things get. With one of these, you can make pretty much anything. Energy gun, trans-light drive, time machine... Was there something in particular you wanted to make?”
Hisao paused. “A time machine, really?”
Kenji shrugged, “Well, something on that magnitude usually requires some other components. If you give me a few weeks, I could see what I can get through my sources.”
“No, that’s okay.” Hisao quickly replied, “I was just surprised.” he considered his options, “I suppose what I could use right now would be some sort of weapon. One that could take out a superhuman, but not kill them.”
Kenji chuckled “Trying to subscribe to that “No killing” rule that's fallen by the wayside in recent years?”
“Not exactly.” Hisao replied, “I just...” he sighed. “I'm going to be fighting Angel. The X-man, or former X-man as the case may be. I don't want to kill him, just on the off chance there might be some way to reverse the process. Like with one of those “cosmic cubes” you mentioned.”
Kenji paused “Angel, huh? Is that guy a feminist?”
Hisao shrugged, “Not as far as I know, but what almost happened to Hanako happened to him instead.”
Kenji blinked. “Ah.”
Hisao gave him a quizzical look.
“I hate to break it to you, dude, but Angel's probably too far gone to be saved.” Kenji shook his head.
“What do you mean?” Hisao asked.
Kenji sighed “I didn't tell you this last time, because I didn't want you to worry, but... Look, the last time something like this happened, it wasn't Apocalypse who caused it. Have you heard of Illyana Rasputin?”
“Magik? In passing I suppose. Why, did the same thing happen to her?” Hisao asked.
“A similar process, not as severe, but a similar concept.” Kenji shook his head, “Long story short,some guy named Belasco kidnapped her and corrupted part of her soul. Not the entire thing, but part of it. The reasons are rather complex.”
“Wait, magic?” Hisao pointed out.
“is it really a bigger leap than telepathy or forcefields?” Kenji asked
“I guess not, but apocaylse used science....” Hisao began.
“There's really not much difference between the two, when you get right down to it.” Kenji responded, waving his hand dismissively “Anyway, the X-men were never able to reverse the process.”
“Never?” Hisao asked.
“Never.” Kenji repeated, “They tried everything. Psionic buffers, mystical shields, technological gimmickry. Nothing worked. Illyana remained with her soul corrupted no matter what they did. They even brought in Doc Strange to help, he couldn't do it either.” he sighed, “Magik still has that stain on her essence, seven years later. And that's something she fights against every day of her life. With Angel... if he's really as far gone as I think he is, you can't save him.”
Hisao shrugged, “I don't expect to, but I don't want to kill him either.”
Kenji nodded , “Fair enough. How is Hanako, by the way?”
Hisao smiled slightly, “Near as I can tell, she's back to normal. Found a life seed, burned the taint right out of her mind.”
Kenji paused for a moment, “You got lucky, you know. Very lucky. Cures like that are as rare as finding an ethical politician in your average government...”
Hisao laughed. “Yeah, I did. Had to fight tooth and nail to get it too her, too.” he paused briefly, “Anyway, about the weapon. I looked at a couple schematics. I'm probably going to need a couple Luxium-class transistors, about a half dozen Divinium diodes, a Ecelzia monocapacitor, a Brontula transformer, and some kind of casing to hold it all in.” He sighed, “Not too hard to build, but the prices are through the root. Ecelzia charges 500 for the monocapacitor I need alone, and the diodes run about seventy apiece.”
Kenji shook his head “You actually don't need to buy all that fancy stuff.”
“Really?” Hisao asked, “How come?”
“Well, the thing about Celestial tech is that it changes itself to overcome shortcomings in the design of the item you're building. So even if you use inferior parts, you'll get the same result. Now theres a small chance it might take over your body and turn you into a techno-organic hybrid, but whats life without a little risk...” Kenji paused for a moment, “We could actually probably build it with parts I have in my van. Hold on a sec.”
Kenji bolted out of the room and returned a few minutes later carrying a bag. Taking a few electric components out he placed them on a nearby table. “Now, if we want to disperse the heat efficiently...”
Three hours later:
“Think it's ready?” Hisao asked.
“You're the scientist, you tell me.” Kenji replied.
“No, you tell me. You've built stuff like this before, I haven't.” Hisao replied and picked up the gun they had built. It was roughly ten inches long and was colored a dark black. Several wires were sticking out of the chassis and the barell had numberous scratch marks on it. Hisao had painted a small X-men logo on the side. He wasn't quite sure why, being he barely considered himself an X-man at all but at the time it has seemed like the thing to do. “Well, one way to test it out.” He stated. He pointed it at the bench the had been working on and fired. A bolt of blue energy blasted out of the barrel and struck the desk, leaving slight charring on the wood.
“Is it supposed to do that?” Hisao asked.
Kenji nodded, “Pretty much. Though I'd advice against firing it randomly like you did. While it won't kill anyone, it could leave some scarring.”
Hisao nodded.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“You expecting someone?” Kenji asked.
Hisao shook his head, “Not offhand. Maybe Lilly's back, though she said she'd be gone until the evening...” He walked over and opened the door.
X-23 was there. She was dressed in a black top and pants, rather than her usual X-men bikini-like outfit and in her right hand she held a manila folder.
“Laura?” Hisao and Kenji said at the same time.
“Hey there Mentat, Data. Good to see you.” She stated.
“Call me Hisao. We're not on a mission- wait...” Hisao turned to Kenji, “Did she just call you Data?”
Kenji chuckled slightly, “Yeah, that was my codename back when I was helping Wolverine and the others with their technological stuff.” He shook his head, “Thought it made sense. I was a hacker, so I got information, hence, Data. It didn't go too well.”
“Ah.” Hisao stated.
“Yeah.” Kenji motioned with his hands, “They kept ignoring the glaringly obvious problem that was suffused in every mission we went on.”
“The feminists.” Hisao guessed.
Kenji nodded, “You understand perfectly. Yeah, AIM, Hydra, Leviathan, the Arim Zola defamation league... they were all subsets of the larger conspiracy hidden beneath the surface. If we took out the root cause, we could shatter every terrorist organization simultaneously, yet the others didn't see it that way.”
“So, you and her go way back?” Hisao asked, trying to change topics.
“In a way.” X-23 replied, “The facility sent me to kill him.”
If Hisao was going to pick the least likely answer to the question he had asked, that probably would have been it.
“Ah...” He stated, not sure what to say.
“Yeah,” Kenji said. “After breaching one of the facility's servers, they caught wind of me and sent her to take me out. Took out... what was it, thirty SHIELD agents?”
“Forty seven.” X-23 replied and sighed, “One of the last missions I was sent on before I escaped from their control. He got lucky though, Iron Man showed up at the last minute and got him to safety.”
Hisao looked at X-23, then at Kenji, “And you don't....” He began, but wasn't quite sure how to phrase it.
“Blame her?” Kenji suggested. Hisao nodded. “Nah, I don't blame her.” Kenji shook his head, “She was a victim of circumstance, much like Hanako.” He then paused. “Funny thing... Stark said that I had “better be worth it.” which is part of why I worked so hard to find the root cause of the problems. Yet I got kicked out just a few months later.” He shrugged. “I don't get it. I worked my ass off.”
“That's because there is no feminist conspiracy.” X-23 stated, “You're simply not right in the head.”
Hisao stared at Kenji. This was probably the first time he had seen someone straight up tell Kenji he was delusional, and he was actually fairly curious as to what his reaction would be.
Kenji merely shook his head. “Well, you're a woman, so you would never admit to that. Of course there's a feminist conspiracy. I mean, why else would there be a hundred women in Japan to ninety five men? Or how about the fact that out of the six people typically on your team, only one is a man? I have strong suspicions your branch of the X-corp is being infiltrated-”
“First of all, we now have two men on base.” X-23 replied, sounding somewhat exasperated, “Three if Hisao stays on. Second, just because there are more women being born than men, that doesn't mean they're coordinated. By and large, conspiracies that involve more than a dozen people or so are extremely difficult to keep contained, especially in a world full of telepaths, sorcerers, and investigative reporters. Suggesting that millions of women are-”
“Anyway.” Hisao interrupted and sighed, “I take it you came here about the writing?”
“Pardon?” Kenji asked.
“Hisao offered to look over some stuff I wrote.” X-23 replied. She sighed and held out the folder. Hisao took it and flipped it open. A fairly substantial document lay inside.
“The Medium and the Message.” Hisao read the title.
“I based it off one of our trips to the Mojoverse.” X-23 said, sounding slightly embarrassed, “I made up new characters but the events that happened are pretty much the same.”
Hisao nodded and sat down on the couch, then turned to Kenji, “This might take me a bit.” he stated.
Kenji shrugged, “Fair enough. I'll get going then. Need to help Yuuko move into her new apartment.”
“Yuuko?” Hisao stated then remembered something, “Oh, right, she got resurrected, didn't she? My life has gotten so bizarre as of late....”
“Yeah.” Kenji nodded, “We finally finished the paperwork to have her reinstated as “alive” in the various systems, and now we're trying to get her a job.” He shrugged, “In the meantime, I'm supporting her.”
“That's nice of you.” X-23 stated.
Kenji chuckled, “Well, yeah. To be honest, she's one of the better women I have known. Pretty clever too. She tried to build a feminist detection machine using my life energy. It didn't work, but I appreciate the effort.”
Hisao raised an eyebrow.
Kenji shrugged, “I'll see you later then.” he stated, then exited Hisao's apartment.
Once he was gone, Hisao turned to X-23, “Just so you know, trying to explain things like you did to Kenji doesn't really work.”
X-23 shrugged, “Well, what would you suggest, then? The guy's nuts.”
Hisao sighed, “Well, yes, he is. But I've found the best way to reason with him is to come up with an explanation as ridiculous as the stuff he says. He has a very... the best way I can describe it is that his mind operates in binary. Either someone is a feminist, and therefore an enemy, or not a feminist, and thus a potential ally.”
X-23 paused.
“He trusts me.” Hisao stated, “More than he realistically should, and I've been able to convince him that the friends I have are potential allies, rather than feminists. That's why he doesn't flip out when he sees Lilly at this point. I convinced him she's on his side. Same with the others.”
“And how did you convince him?” X-23 asked.
“In my case, he trusts me enough so that my word was good enough to convince him.” Hisao thought for a moment, “From what I've experienced with watching him, the trick is to explain things in a way that conforms to his expectations. Rather than saying there is no conspiracy, instead explain that the conspiracy is slightly different than what he has assumed.”
“I see...” X-23 replied. “Has he ever taken medication?”
“From what he's told me, he views psychotropic meds as a form of mind control.” Hisao said, then added, “Which, in a way, they kind of are.” He pulled X-23's manuscript out of the folder looked it over. “This might take me a few hours, so make yourself comfortable.”
X-23 nodded and pulled up a chair.
It was a couple hours before Hisao finished the document. “Is this really based on true events?” He asked, “A planet of spineless ones, gladiators genetically engineered to fight to the death on TV, infant versions of superheros... did those really happen?”
“Yes, they did.” X-23 replied.
Hisao shook his head, “And I thought the superhero life was surreal already.... But aside from that.” he scratched his chin thoughtfully, “You have some good points. Your pacing is good, your descriptions are excellent, your dialog is witty.”
X-23 nodded, Hisao sighed, “There is however a couple major issues. A lot of your characters seem rather interchangeable. You need to work on giving them their own “voice.””
“Ah. I see. How do I do that?” X-23 asked
Hisao thought for a moment, “Well, it gets easier with practice. Is this the only thing you've written?”
“The only think I have more than about ten pages down on.” X-23 responded.
“Well, I'd suggest writing more.” Hisao stated, “Every day if possible, or at least when you can. In addition, it helps if you get “inside” the characters heads. Figure out what makes them tick. One way to do that would be to think of various situations, such as a parade or a vacation or something else, and figure out how any specific character would respond to that. If you have trouble with that, think of how the other X-men would respond. I'm sure Psylocke would respond differently to a parade than Colossus or Storm.”
X-23 nodded. “I see.”
“Second problem is, and I mean no offense by this, your grasp on spelling and grammar is... weak.” Hisao stated and sighed. “Now, I've only known English for a couple months, but even I can tell you need improvement on that area. You continually confuse homonyms, you split infinitives repeatedly, you get your tenses confused...” He paused. “I'd recommend enrolling in some courses and seeing if you can find a copy editor.”
X-23 nodded.
“You have definite potential.” Hisao stated, “If you keep this up, you could probably make some pretty good stories.”
Meanwhile...
As Hanako walked down the street, she felt her face unconsciously. For the first time in months, she felt like she was back to normal. She remembered everything that had happened, yes, but now she felt like she could work through it. That she could take charge of her life once again.
As she approached the X-corp building, she took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, then went inside. As she entered, she noticed Armor sitting behind the front desk, right next to Misha. Armor was typing furiously on the computer, while Misha was writing quick notes on sheets of paper. Every few seconds Misha would hand one of the papers to Armor, who set it underneath a stack of similar pieces.
Armor glanced up. Hanako noticed a faint look of surprise cross her face, only for her to quickly suppress it and replace it with a look of anger.
“What are you doing here?” Armor stated unpleasantly.
“I...” Hanako stated, a tad taken aback.
Misha glanced up. “Hanako?” she said, clearly surprised, then turned to Armor, “Come on Armor, be nice.”
“Be nice?” Armor stated, “It's her fault we lost Angel.”
“I'm... sorry?” Hanako asked, “I don't understand.”
Armor grunted in a disgusted fashion, “What, did Mentat not tell you?”
There was a pause, Armor shook her head, “Figures. Look, you weren't the only person going through what you did. You know Angel? Big wings made out of metal, blue skin, one of the five original X-men? He went through the same thing.”
Hanako opened her mouth, but Armor continued,
“Your friend stole the cure we were going to use on him, and used it on you instead.” Armor said, seething with rage. “You survived, he lost his mind. And let me tell you, you weren't worth it.” She lowered her head and went back to typing on the computer.
“It's good to see you again!” Misha replied as cheerful as she usually was. “Don't mind her, she's just mad at Hisao. Not you.”
Hanako nodded, “Should I come back some other time?” She asked. “I don't mean to cause any trouble.”
“You're no trouble at all.” Misha stated, “What did you need?”
Hanako fidgeted slightly. “I was hoping...” She paused and sighed, “I was wondering if you and Shizune could train me in combat.”
At that Armor stopped typing in mid sentence. “You WHAT?” She stated in disbelief.
Hanako sighed and fidgeted some more, “I want to be prepared. Maybe if I had been able to fight when Apocalypse had come through my window, I could have avoided all this, or maybe not. But...” she sighed, “I don't know how to fight yet. I got lucky this time and avoided any major damage, but in case anything like this happens again, I want to be ready.”
“Wahahaha!” Misha laughed, “That's great Hanako! I'd love to have you around-”
“You've got to be kidding me!” Armor snapped, “She gets in trouble, winds up costing the sanity of one of the original x-men, and now you want to let her in the team?”
“Do you really think she's done anything wrong?” Misha asked, “Mentat was the one who took the seed, X-23 was the one who stabbed Psylocke. What has Hanako done, aside from wanting to stay alive?”
“She was the one who put Mentat up to that! If she had just laid down and died...” Armor sighed, “Angel would still be around.” Hanako flinched slightly at that.
“Armor, take a break.” A voice said from a back hallway, “You too Hardhead. I'll handle this.” Psylocke walked from around a corner and stared at Hanako.
Armor gave Hanako a dirty look, but got up from the desk and stormed off. Misha grinned sheepishly and walked out a side door, glancing back as she exited.
Psylocke looked Hanako up and down and sighed, “Logan's going to be another week or so, so I'm in charge. Anyway... I'm going assume you're the girl who Hisao barreled out an airplane at twenty thousand meters for.” she stated. Her voice was level, not showing any emotion.
“He did that?” Hanako asked.
Psylocke nodded. “Yes. He did. He also suffered at least one heart attack, helped fight five of the deadliest henchmen the X-men have ever known without any combat training, and got X-23 to stab me in the back. All for you.”
Hanako opened her mouth, but was honestly unsure of what to say.
“Hisao is dedicated to you.” Psylocke continued, “Moreso than even most of the X-men are dedicated to each other. Being willing to give up your life for someone is one thing, deliberately going into situations you probably won't survive, when more competent folks are available to take the mission is another.” she paused and added, “When we first went out, I half-thought he would get himself killed. ”
Hanako eyes widened, “I didn't know... I shouldn't have....”
“Be that as it may,” Psylocke stated, “He did. And your survival at the cost of my ex's is the result.” Her eyes narrowed, “Which is why I want to know something. Are you worth it?”
Hanako blinked and looked down. “I just want some self-defense lessons...” she mumbled.
Psylocke chuckled, “I'm a telepath, Hanako. I can see right in your mind even if you won't admit it. You came here because you wanted to join up with us. You want to prove your worth.”
Hanako's mouth opened, then closed. She looked down at her feet, then nodded weakly.
“I'm just so tired of people fighting my battles for me...” she said softly.
“Perfectly understandable.” Psylocke replied, “Hisao told me a lot about you. Uneasy around others, hates being protected, wants to be seen as an equal.” She gave a slight smile. “If I were in your position, I'd do whatever it took so that what happened to you would never happen again. Matter of fact, I was in your postion. Early in my career I was the weakest member on the team.”
“Right...” Hanako replied, and nodded.
“Frankly, I'm glad you decided to take the step.” Psylocke replied, “Both because we could use someone who can create forcefields on the team and because anyone who can inspire that kind of dedication in a guy like Hisao is someone I'd like to get to know. But let me ask you again. Are you worth it?”
Hanako hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, I am.” she said, with a bit more confidence than before.
Psylocke gave a smile, “I can tell you already picked out a codename.”
Hanako blinked and fidgeted slightly, “Call me Survivor.”
Chapter 13: Creations.
The next few days, life went back to normal. Mostly normal, at least.
“Thanks for agreeing to help me with this.” Hisao stated, fiddling with the green box in his hand.
“No problem, Hisao my man.” Kenji stated, looking around at Hisao's apartment. “How's things going with that undercover cop of yours?”
Hisao was momentary confused, then remembered Kenji still thought Lilly was working on the police's behest to take the mob down. “Oh, she's good. Making significant strides on her mission. She out right now... uh.. researching possible strategies.”
Kenji nodded then stared at the item Hisao retrieved from Genosha, “Good, very good... Hmm... So this is what you found, huh?”
“Yeah,” Hisao replied, “It looks like something I saw in a schematic for a energy weapon. It didn't look too complicated, but I don't have the parts. I was wondering...”
“Oh, this is NICE!” Kenji laughed then looked at Hisao, “You probably don't know this, but Celestial tech is adaptive as things get. With one of these, you can make pretty much anything. Energy gun, trans-light drive, time machine... Was there something in particular you wanted to make?”
Hisao paused. “A time machine, really?”
Kenji shrugged, “Well, something on that magnitude usually requires some other components. If you give me a few weeks, I could see what I can get through my sources.”
“No, that’s okay.” Hisao quickly replied, “I was just surprised.” he considered his options, “I suppose what I could use right now would be some sort of weapon. One that could take out a superhuman, but not kill them.”
Kenji chuckled “Trying to subscribe to that “No killing” rule that's fallen by the wayside in recent years?”
“Not exactly.” Hisao replied, “I just...” he sighed. “I'm going to be fighting Angel. The X-man, or former X-man as the case may be. I don't want to kill him, just on the off chance there might be some way to reverse the process. Like with one of those “cosmic cubes” you mentioned.”
Kenji paused “Angel, huh? Is that guy a feminist?”
Hisao shrugged, “Not as far as I know, but what almost happened to Hanako happened to him instead.”
Kenji blinked. “Ah.”
Hisao gave him a quizzical look.
“I hate to break it to you, dude, but Angel's probably too far gone to be saved.” Kenji shook his head.
“What do you mean?” Hisao asked.
Kenji sighed “I didn't tell you this last time, because I didn't want you to worry, but... Look, the last time something like this happened, it wasn't Apocalypse who caused it. Have you heard of Illyana Rasputin?”
“Magik? In passing I suppose. Why, did the same thing happen to her?” Hisao asked.
“A similar process, not as severe, but a similar concept.” Kenji shook his head, “Long story short,some guy named Belasco kidnapped her and corrupted part of her soul. Not the entire thing, but part of it. The reasons are rather complex.”
“Wait, magic?” Hisao pointed out.
“is it really a bigger leap than telepathy or forcefields?” Kenji asked
“I guess not, but apocaylse used science....” Hisao began.
“There's really not much difference between the two, when you get right down to it.” Kenji responded, waving his hand dismissively “Anyway, the X-men were never able to reverse the process.”
“Never?” Hisao asked.
“Never.” Kenji repeated, “They tried everything. Psionic buffers, mystical shields, technological gimmickry. Nothing worked. Illyana remained with her soul corrupted no matter what they did. They even brought in Doc Strange to help, he couldn't do it either.” he sighed, “Magik still has that stain on her essence, seven years later. And that's something she fights against every day of her life. With Angel... if he's really as far gone as I think he is, you can't save him.”
Hisao shrugged, “I don't expect to, but I don't want to kill him either.”
Kenji nodded , “Fair enough. How is Hanako, by the way?”
Hisao smiled slightly, “Near as I can tell, she's back to normal. Found a life seed, burned the taint right out of her mind.”
Kenji paused for a moment, “You got lucky, you know. Very lucky. Cures like that are as rare as finding an ethical politician in your average government...”
Hisao laughed. “Yeah, I did. Had to fight tooth and nail to get it too her, too.” he paused briefly, “Anyway, about the weapon. I looked at a couple schematics. I'm probably going to need a couple Luxium-class transistors, about a half dozen Divinium diodes, a Ecelzia monocapacitor, a Brontula transformer, and some kind of casing to hold it all in.” He sighed, “Not too hard to build, but the prices are through the root. Ecelzia charges 500 for the monocapacitor I need alone, and the diodes run about seventy apiece.”
Kenji shook his head “You actually don't need to buy all that fancy stuff.”
“Really?” Hisao asked, “How come?”
“Well, the thing about Celestial tech is that it changes itself to overcome shortcomings in the design of the item you're building. So even if you use inferior parts, you'll get the same result. Now theres a small chance it might take over your body and turn you into a techno-organic hybrid, but whats life without a little risk...” Kenji paused for a moment, “We could actually probably build it with parts I have in my van. Hold on a sec.”
Kenji bolted out of the room and returned a few minutes later carrying a bag. Taking a few electric components out he placed them on a nearby table. “Now, if we want to disperse the heat efficiently...”
Three hours later:
“Think it's ready?” Hisao asked.
“You're the scientist, you tell me.” Kenji replied.
“No, you tell me. You've built stuff like this before, I haven't.” Hisao replied and picked up the gun they had built. It was roughly ten inches long and was colored a dark black. Several wires were sticking out of the chassis and the barell had numberous scratch marks on it. Hisao had painted a small X-men logo on the side. He wasn't quite sure why, being he barely considered himself an X-man at all but at the time it has seemed like the thing to do. “Well, one way to test it out.” He stated. He pointed it at the bench the had been working on and fired. A bolt of blue energy blasted out of the barrel and struck the desk, leaving slight charring on the wood.
“Is it supposed to do that?” Hisao asked.
Kenji nodded, “Pretty much. Though I'd advice against firing it randomly like you did. While it won't kill anyone, it could leave some scarring.”
Hisao nodded.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“You expecting someone?” Kenji asked.
Hisao shook his head, “Not offhand. Maybe Lilly's back, though she said she'd be gone until the evening...” He walked over and opened the door.
X-23 was there. She was dressed in a black top and pants, rather than her usual X-men bikini-like outfit and in her right hand she held a manila folder.
“Laura?” Hisao and Kenji said at the same time.
“Hey there Mentat, Data. Good to see you.” She stated.
“Call me Hisao. We're not on a mission- wait...” Hisao turned to Kenji, “Did she just call you Data?”
Kenji chuckled slightly, “Yeah, that was my codename back when I was helping Wolverine and the others with their technological stuff.” He shook his head, “Thought it made sense. I was a hacker, so I got information, hence, Data. It didn't go too well.”
“Ah.” Hisao stated.
“Yeah.” Kenji motioned with his hands, “They kept ignoring the glaringly obvious problem that was suffused in every mission we went on.”
“The feminists.” Hisao guessed.
Kenji nodded, “You understand perfectly. Yeah, AIM, Hydra, Leviathan, the Arim Zola defamation league... they were all subsets of the larger conspiracy hidden beneath the surface. If we took out the root cause, we could shatter every terrorist organization simultaneously, yet the others didn't see it that way.”
“So, you and her go way back?” Hisao asked, trying to change topics.
“In a way.” X-23 replied, “The facility sent me to kill him.”
If Hisao was going to pick the least likely answer to the question he had asked, that probably would have been it.
“Ah...” He stated, not sure what to say.
“Yeah,” Kenji said. “After breaching one of the facility's servers, they caught wind of me and sent her to take me out. Took out... what was it, thirty SHIELD agents?”
“Forty seven.” X-23 replied and sighed, “One of the last missions I was sent on before I escaped from their control. He got lucky though, Iron Man showed up at the last minute and got him to safety.”
Hisao looked at X-23, then at Kenji, “And you don't....” He began, but wasn't quite sure how to phrase it.
“Blame her?” Kenji suggested. Hisao nodded. “Nah, I don't blame her.” Kenji shook his head, “She was a victim of circumstance, much like Hanako.” He then paused. “Funny thing... Stark said that I had “better be worth it.” which is part of why I worked so hard to find the root cause of the problems. Yet I got kicked out just a few months later.” He shrugged. “I don't get it. I worked my ass off.”
“That's because there is no feminist conspiracy.” X-23 stated, “You're simply not right in the head.”
Hisao stared at Kenji. This was probably the first time he had seen someone straight up tell Kenji he was delusional, and he was actually fairly curious as to what his reaction would be.
Kenji merely shook his head. “Well, you're a woman, so you would never admit to that. Of course there's a feminist conspiracy. I mean, why else would there be a hundred women in Japan to ninety five men? Or how about the fact that out of the six people typically on your team, only one is a man? I have strong suspicions your branch of the X-corp is being infiltrated-”
“First of all, we now have two men on base.” X-23 replied, sounding somewhat exasperated, “Three if Hisao stays on. Second, just because there are more women being born than men, that doesn't mean they're coordinated. By and large, conspiracies that involve more than a dozen people or so are extremely difficult to keep contained, especially in a world full of telepaths, sorcerers, and investigative reporters. Suggesting that millions of women are-”
“Anyway.” Hisao interrupted and sighed, “I take it you came here about the writing?”
“Pardon?” Kenji asked.
“Hisao offered to look over some stuff I wrote.” X-23 replied. She sighed and held out the folder. Hisao took it and flipped it open. A fairly substantial document lay inside.
“The Medium and the Message.” Hisao read the title.
“I based it off one of our trips to the Mojoverse.” X-23 said, sounding slightly embarrassed, “I made up new characters but the events that happened are pretty much the same.”
Hisao nodded and sat down on the couch, then turned to Kenji, “This might take me a bit.” he stated.
Kenji shrugged, “Fair enough. I'll get going then. Need to help Yuuko move into her new apartment.”
“Yuuko?” Hisao stated then remembered something, “Oh, right, she got resurrected, didn't she? My life has gotten so bizarre as of late....”
“Yeah.” Kenji nodded, “We finally finished the paperwork to have her reinstated as “alive” in the various systems, and now we're trying to get her a job.” He shrugged, “In the meantime, I'm supporting her.”
“That's nice of you.” X-23 stated.
Kenji chuckled, “Well, yeah. To be honest, she's one of the better women I have known. Pretty clever too. She tried to build a feminist detection machine using my life energy. It didn't work, but I appreciate the effort.”
Hisao raised an eyebrow.
Kenji shrugged, “I'll see you later then.” he stated, then exited Hisao's apartment.
Once he was gone, Hisao turned to X-23, “Just so you know, trying to explain things like you did to Kenji doesn't really work.”
X-23 shrugged, “Well, what would you suggest, then? The guy's nuts.”
Hisao sighed, “Well, yes, he is. But I've found the best way to reason with him is to come up with an explanation as ridiculous as the stuff he says. He has a very... the best way I can describe it is that his mind operates in binary. Either someone is a feminist, and therefore an enemy, or not a feminist, and thus a potential ally.”
X-23 paused.
“He trusts me.” Hisao stated, “More than he realistically should, and I've been able to convince him that the friends I have are potential allies, rather than feminists. That's why he doesn't flip out when he sees Lilly at this point. I convinced him she's on his side. Same with the others.”
“And how did you convince him?” X-23 asked.
“In my case, he trusts me enough so that my word was good enough to convince him.” Hisao thought for a moment, “From what I've experienced with watching him, the trick is to explain things in a way that conforms to his expectations. Rather than saying there is no conspiracy, instead explain that the conspiracy is slightly different than what he has assumed.”
“I see...” X-23 replied. “Has he ever taken medication?”
“From what he's told me, he views psychotropic meds as a form of mind control.” Hisao said, then added, “Which, in a way, they kind of are.” He pulled X-23's manuscript out of the folder looked it over. “This might take me a few hours, so make yourself comfortable.”
X-23 nodded and pulled up a chair.
It was a couple hours before Hisao finished the document. “Is this really based on true events?” He asked, “A planet of spineless ones, gladiators genetically engineered to fight to the death on TV, infant versions of superheros... did those really happen?”
“Yes, they did.” X-23 replied.
Hisao shook his head, “And I thought the superhero life was surreal already.... But aside from that.” he scratched his chin thoughtfully, “You have some good points. Your pacing is good, your descriptions are excellent, your dialog is witty.”
X-23 nodded, Hisao sighed, “There is however a couple major issues. A lot of your characters seem rather interchangeable. You need to work on giving them their own “voice.””
“Ah. I see. How do I do that?” X-23 asked
Hisao thought for a moment, “Well, it gets easier with practice. Is this the only thing you've written?”
“The only think I have more than about ten pages down on.” X-23 responded.
“Well, I'd suggest writing more.” Hisao stated, “Every day if possible, or at least when you can. In addition, it helps if you get “inside” the characters heads. Figure out what makes them tick. One way to do that would be to think of various situations, such as a parade or a vacation or something else, and figure out how any specific character would respond to that. If you have trouble with that, think of how the other X-men would respond. I'm sure Psylocke would respond differently to a parade than Colossus or Storm.”
X-23 nodded. “I see.”
“Second problem is, and I mean no offense by this, your grasp on spelling and grammar is... weak.” Hisao stated and sighed. “Now, I've only known English for a couple months, but even I can tell you need improvement on that area. You continually confuse homonyms, you split infinitives repeatedly, you get your tenses confused...” He paused. “I'd recommend enrolling in some courses and seeing if you can find a copy editor.”
X-23 nodded.
“You have definite potential.” Hisao stated, “If you keep this up, you could probably make some pretty good stories.”
Meanwhile...
As Hanako walked down the street, she felt her face unconsciously. For the first time in months, she felt like she was back to normal. She remembered everything that had happened, yes, but now she felt like she could work through it. That she could take charge of her life once again.
As she approached the X-corp building, she took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, then went inside. As she entered, she noticed Armor sitting behind the front desk, right next to Misha. Armor was typing furiously on the computer, while Misha was writing quick notes on sheets of paper. Every few seconds Misha would hand one of the papers to Armor, who set it underneath a stack of similar pieces.
Armor glanced up. Hanako noticed a faint look of surprise cross her face, only for her to quickly suppress it and replace it with a look of anger.
“What are you doing here?” Armor stated unpleasantly.
“I...” Hanako stated, a tad taken aback.
Misha glanced up. “Hanako?” she said, clearly surprised, then turned to Armor, “Come on Armor, be nice.”
“Be nice?” Armor stated, “It's her fault we lost Angel.”
“I'm... sorry?” Hanako asked, “I don't understand.”
Armor grunted in a disgusted fashion, “What, did Mentat not tell you?”
There was a pause, Armor shook her head, “Figures. Look, you weren't the only person going through what you did. You know Angel? Big wings made out of metal, blue skin, one of the five original X-men? He went through the same thing.”
Hanako opened her mouth, but Armor continued,
“Your friend stole the cure we were going to use on him, and used it on you instead.” Armor said, seething with rage. “You survived, he lost his mind. And let me tell you, you weren't worth it.” She lowered her head and went back to typing on the computer.
“It's good to see you again!” Misha replied as cheerful as she usually was. “Don't mind her, she's just mad at Hisao. Not you.”
Hanako nodded, “Should I come back some other time?” She asked. “I don't mean to cause any trouble.”
“You're no trouble at all.” Misha stated, “What did you need?”
Hanako fidgeted slightly. “I was hoping...” She paused and sighed, “I was wondering if you and Shizune could train me in combat.”
At that Armor stopped typing in mid sentence. “You WHAT?” She stated in disbelief.
Hanako sighed and fidgeted some more, “I want to be prepared. Maybe if I had been able to fight when Apocalypse had come through my window, I could have avoided all this, or maybe not. But...” she sighed, “I don't know how to fight yet. I got lucky this time and avoided any major damage, but in case anything like this happens again, I want to be ready.”
“Wahahaha!” Misha laughed, “That's great Hanako! I'd love to have you around-”
“You've got to be kidding me!” Armor snapped, “She gets in trouble, winds up costing the sanity of one of the original x-men, and now you want to let her in the team?”
“Do you really think she's done anything wrong?” Misha asked, “Mentat was the one who took the seed, X-23 was the one who stabbed Psylocke. What has Hanako done, aside from wanting to stay alive?”
“She was the one who put Mentat up to that! If she had just laid down and died...” Armor sighed, “Angel would still be around.” Hanako flinched slightly at that.
“Armor, take a break.” A voice said from a back hallway, “You too Hardhead. I'll handle this.” Psylocke walked from around a corner and stared at Hanako.
Armor gave Hanako a dirty look, but got up from the desk and stormed off. Misha grinned sheepishly and walked out a side door, glancing back as she exited.
Psylocke looked Hanako up and down and sighed, “Logan's going to be another week or so, so I'm in charge. Anyway... I'm going assume you're the girl who Hisao barreled out an airplane at twenty thousand meters for.” she stated. Her voice was level, not showing any emotion.
“He did that?” Hanako asked.
Psylocke nodded. “Yes. He did. He also suffered at least one heart attack, helped fight five of the deadliest henchmen the X-men have ever known without any combat training, and got X-23 to stab me in the back. All for you.”
Hanako opened her mouth, but was honestly unsure of what to say.
“Hisao is dedicated to you.” Psylocke continued, “Moreso than even most of the X-men are dedicated to each other. Being willing to give up your life for someone is one thing, deliberately going into situations you probably won't survive, when more competent folks are available to take the mission is another.” she paused and added, “When we first went out, I half-thought he would get himself killed. ”
Hanako eyes widened, “I didn't know... I shouldn't have....”
“Be that as it may,” Psylocke stated, “He did. And your survival at the cost of my ex's is the result.” Her eyes narrowed, “Which is why I want to know something. Are you worth it?”
Hanako blinked and looked down. “I just want some self-defense lessons...” she mumbled.
Psylocke chuckled, “I'm a telepath, Hanako. I can see right in your mind even if you won't admit it. You came here because you wanted to join up with us. You want to prove your worth.”
Hanako's mouth opened, then closed. She looked down at her feet, then nodded weakly.
“I'm just so tired of people fighting my battles for me...” she said softly.
“Perfectly understandable.” Psylocke replied, “Hisao told me a lot about you. Uneasy around others, hates being protected, wants to be seen as an equal.” She gave a slight smile. “If I were in your position, I'd do whatever it took so that what happened to you would never happen again. Matter of fact, I was in your postion. Early in my career I was the weakest member on the team.”
“Right...” Hanako replied, and nodded.
“Frankly, I'm glad you decided to take the step.” Psylocke replied, “Both because we could use someone who can create forcefields on the team and because anyone who can inspire that kind of dedication in a guy like Hisao is someone I'd like to get to know. But let me ask you again. Are you worth it?”
Hanako hesitated, then nodded. “Yes, I am.” she said, with a bit more confidence than before.
Psylocke gave a smile, “I can tell you already picked out a codename.”
Hanako blinked and fidgeted slightly, “Call me Survivor.”
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up
This was a good chapter. I feel like you went out of your way to get in some more development for some minor characters. It was good to see Kenji again, and I enjoyed seeing some character development for Armor, since she's pretty much the only character so far that I know nothing about. It's also always good to see Misha acting independently of Shizune. My only complaint is that is that it's a bit strange that Lilly's the least common recurring character other than Emi, given that this is post Lilly good end. However, from what you've got so far, I'm guessing you've got something big planned for that. Keep up the good work!
Lilly > Emi > Hanako > Shizune > Rin
100% get!
100% get!
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 12 up
Chrono180 wrote:Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I was in the hosptial recovering from my suicide attempt.
I found out about Katawa Shoujo through the forums of Misfile. There, I am the editor of Misfiled Dreams.
Completed: 100%, including bonus picture. Shizune>Emi>Lilly>Hanako>Rin
Griffon8's Writing
Completed: 100%, including bonus picture. Shizune>Emi>Lilly>Hanako>Rin
Griffon8's Writing
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Mirage_GSM
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Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up
Are you sure this is what you meant?Being willing to give up your life for someone is one thing, deliberately going into situations you probably won't survive, when more competent folks are available to take the mission is another.
This sounds as if giving up your life for somebody were less difficult than just facing very dangerous odds.
Maybe "Being willing to risk your life for someone..."?
Emi > Misha > Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
My collected KS-Fan Fictions: Mirage's Myths
Sore wa himitsu desu.griffon8 wrote:Kosher, just because sex is your answer to everything doesn't mean that sex is the answer to everything.
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 12 up
Yeah, I know. It was a stupid stupid move that I will never attempt again. Talking about suicide is one thing, actually attempting it is something completely different. I have no idea what goes through my head sometimes...griffon8 wrote:Chrono180 wrote:Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I was in the hosptial recovering from my suicide attempt.
Anyway, here's chapter 14. When Oddball finishes the next two chapters, this fic will be completed, and I'll have to work on the next sequal, "The man in the mirror."
Chapter 14: Preperations.
As Psylocke led Hanako down one of the hallways in the X-corp building, she stopped at a closet and opened it. Pulling out a black leathersuit with purple highlights as well as black gloves and boots, she handed the ensemble to Hanako.
“This'll be your uniform for the time being.” Psylocke stated.
Hanako held up the suit, “It looks a lot like Misha's.” She remarked.
Psylocke shrugged, “The junior recruits typically get a standard uniform for the first year or so. Unstable molecules are extremely hard to fashion around a nanotube array so we have to make sure whoever is wearing it is in it for the long term before we get them a custom outfit. We have two designs, one for men one for women. Beyond that they only differ in the color of the highlights.” Psylocke paused, “Thought considering Shizune's drive, we might move it up in her case.”
“Really?” Hanako asked.
Psylocke nodded, “She's worked her ass off ever since she got here. Her danger room track record is exceptional. In fact, she's making faster progress than two thirds of the X-men to ever join up. And she spents almost all her free time studying the metahuman database. Not like her girlfriend... ”
Hanako raised an eyebrow, “What about her girlfriend?”
Psylocke sighed, “Misha's motivated, yes. Not as much as Shizune, but she's motivated too. Problem is, she's also immature, irresponsible and reckless. She's barely read any of the files and seems to be in this lifestyle more for kicks than anything else. She doesn't take our business seriously.” Psylocke paused for a moment and added, “If it wasn't for the fact she and Shizune come as a pair, I'd put her on the reserves.” Psylocke then stared straight at Hanako, “If you're going to do this, you need to be better than her. Log plenty of hours in the danger room, keep a constant watch for potential problems, and most importantly read the damn files. Yes, its over a thousand pages long, but every bit is important. Knowing the history of what you're up against can save your life, or the lives of your teammates. Got it?”
“I'll give it a shot.” Hanako replied
“Thats good.” Psylocke stated. “Go change and then I'll show you to the others.”
Hanako nodded and headed into the restroom. Shifting uncomfortably, and making sure nobody was around, she took off the blouse and skirt she was wearing and putting on the leathersuit, she looked in the mirror and gave a disgusted look.
“I look hideous...” She mumbled and shook her head vigorously.
She walked out and rejoined Psylocke in the hallway. “How bad do I look?” She asked
“You don't look bad, Hanako.” Psylocke responded.
“No, seriously. I do.” Hanako replied, “I look like something out of an Ian Fleming novel.”
Psylocke sighed, “Forge just never was one of the most fashion conscientious X-men....”
Hanako looked down at herself and shook her head again. “Do I have to wear this?”
“Well, yes.” Psylocke responded. “ordinary clothes would shred or burn under the kind of situations we face. So unless you want to wind up naked in the middle of fighting a supervillian...”
Hanako visibly recoiled.”O-okay. I g-get what you're saying.” She stammered out.
Psylocke chuckled, “Just teasing you. Well, sort of. Out of curiosity, are any of your other friends going to join up?”
Hanako paused for a moment to collect herself, and thought. “Lilly's not the type to join in a firefight, so she probably won't. Emi might, she's quite active so a lifestyle like this might suit her. Rin, I honestly have no idea. She's a good person, but I don't really understand her most of the time, and her personality is hard to get a lock on. Kenji probably would, considering he's the one who introduced us to superpowers to begin with.”
“I think Wolverine would sooner cut Kenji in half before letting him onto this kind of team again.” Psylocke responded.
“How come?” Hanako asked.
Psylocke sighed, “While back Kenji's talents were hacking were discovered after he broke into the Fantastic Four's files. Since hackers on his caliber are hard to come by, Mr Fantastic decided to hire him as the superhero communities resident data-monger. Ir worked for about a year, until his schizophrenia manifested.”
“Is that's whats wrong with him?” Hanako asked.
“Near as Doc Samson could figure out, yes.” Psylocke shook her head, “We tried to get him on medication, but he wouldn't take it and since he wasn't actively violent we couldn't legally force the issue. His behavior became increasingly erratic.”
“Like he is now?” Hanako asked
“Indeed.” Psylocke sighed “Then on one particularly bad mission, his distorted view of reality led him to to tell a team of X-men, myself included, there was a world-endangering feminist conspiracy with its leaders hidden in this old steamship....” She shook head in annoyance, “We went in to humor him and wound up unleashing the Children of the Vault.”
“The who?” Hanako asked. From context, she was able to guess Forge was the tech designer and Doc Samson was Kenji's psychiatrist, but she couldn't even guess who these others were.
“A species of human variants with some of the most powerful technology to have ever existed. They were isolationist in the extreme, so if we had just left them alone, they never would have bothered us.” Psylocke sighed, “As it is, they realized they had been found, so they tried to kill us all. Came damn close too. We barely escaped, and since then they've attempted to destroy mutantkind numerous times. Theres a lot of bad blood between Kenji and the X-men, particularly those of us who were on that mission.”
“I'm sure he didn't mean it.” Hanako pointed out.
“Of course he didn't mean it, but the last thing we need is yet another civilization of superpowered whackjobs trying to wipe us all out.” Psylocke rolled her eyes and started walking off, Hanako followed.
She walked down the hall and reached a keypad on an iron door. Tapping a code into it, the door opened to show a field where a major battle had taken place. The parts of numerous robots were strewn around a city landscape. Armor, Shizune, Misha and Nate Grey were standing in the rubble.
“I got twenty two.” Armor stated, “How did you do?”
“Seventeen” Misha replied, “Voidstar says she got twenty five. How about you, Mindblast?”
Nate sighed, “I really need a better codename...Anyway, I think I got around thirty five or so.” His eye flashed with light, then he glanced over at Psylocke “Oh, hey there.” he stated. The other three turned to Psylocke and Hanako.
“Hanako!” Misha cried out, “You're joining up after all, right?”
“Yes. She is.” Psylocke stated, “She'll go by the name Survivor when on mission. I need you four to train with her, especially you, Voidstar.”
Shizune grinned and nodded, then made several signs with her hands.,
“She said she'll be happy to help, and that she's very glad you're letting her join us.” Misha stated, grinning.
“Psylocke...” Armor began, “With all due respect, have you lost your mind? Considering it's her fault Angel's insane-”
“Armor.” Psylocke stated, “It is not her fault. Mentat's fault, yes. X-23's fault, quite likely. A case could even be made of it being my own fault. But all Survivor has done the past few days is sit in a bed and pray.”
Armor glared at Hanako, “And you're asking Voidstar to train her instead of me, why exactly? I am the senior member.”
“Two reasons.” Psylocke responded, “First, unlike Voidstar, you barely know her. Second, despite barely knowing her, you seem to resent her a great deal.”
Armor grunted in irritation. Psylocke gave her an annoyed look.
“I don't know what your problem is.” Psylocke stated, “But you need to get over it, fast. My ex is out there plotting something disastrous for humanity and we're going to need all the help we can get to take him down. The last thing we need at a time like this is internal conflict on the team, so take your grudge and bury it. That's an order.”
“Yes ma'am.” Armor stated, though her eyes were still shooting daggers at Hanako.
Psylocke nodded, “Computer,” she stated, “Reset simulation to level one and run on my mark.” She then turned to Hanako, “The best way to learn is by doing. In this program, robots will appear and you should try to disable as many as you can during the time limit through whatever means you have at your disposal. Got it?”
Hanako nodded.
“Begin program in ten” Psylocke commanded and walked out the door to the danger room.
Hanako braced herself. In moments, a series of training robots appeared in front of each of the X-men and began firing energy blasts. Hanako instinctively raised her force field and one of the blasts dispersed again the barrier. She reached out and trapped one of the robots in a field and began to crush it. It proved notably easier than when she had crushed the Chronomancer's armor, and as it shattered, she turned her attention to another, only to feel a nasty zap on back of her leg as a painful electric jolt ran up and down it. She continued to fight, but her eyes traced to the others. Nate, in particular. He was emitting large bursts of power at a near constant rate, destroying everything that came near him. Nothing was even getting close.
A mechanical voice stated “Time is up.” and the simulation disappeared.
“How'd you do?” Misha asked.
Hanako shrugged, “I think I got about seven...”
“Is that all?” Armor scoffed.
Misha gave an annoyed look, “This is her first time, give her a break! I only got nine my first run through of this program.”
Shizune made a couple signs with her hands. “Try again?” Misha translated.
Hanako nodded.
“Repeat program” Misha stated, and the city landscape reappeared.
The second runthrough of the program began much like the first, with Hanako trying with some measure of success to simultaneously raise a shield and crush robots with her telekinetic fist at the same time. However, all of a sudden, after about three minutes, Nate Grey collapsed.
“Mindblast!” Misha cried.
“Computer, end program!” Armor stated and rushed over to him. As the simulation disappeared, she began checking his vitals. “Pulse is strong, pupils are responsive...”
“I'm alright...” Nate mumbled, “Just felt extremely weak for a moment there...”
“We'd better get you up to med bay.” Misha stated to several signs Shizune made.
“Yeah... yeah, alright...” He mumbled and slowly got up and out the door. The others followed.
Forty minutes later...
“Nate...” Psylocke said softly to the teenager hooked up to a half dozen different contraptions. “I have some really bad news.”
Nate winced. “And what's that?”
She motioned to a series of readouts on a computer monitor. “You're power level is immense. Quite possibly the greatest I have seen in any mutant I have ever met. Theoretically, you could surpass Pheonix. Thing is...” she sighed.
“What?” Nate asked.
“It's burning you out. There's no other way to put it.” Psylocke shook her head. “Near as I can tell, Sinister put some kind of failsafe in you that is causing your body to overload from your power. Eventually, it's going to result in your nervous system short circuiting, which will prove fatal.”
Nate was silent for a moment as this information sunk in. “How long?” he asked
Psylocke did some quick figuring, “I'm guessing between three and five years.”
“Is that all? Fuck...” Nate mumbled and tore the wires connected from his body, then he put his face in his hands. He then glanced to the door, where outside the others were waiting. “Do the others have to know?” he asked
Psylocke paused, “Not if you don't want them to. Is there a reason you would rather keep this private?”
“Because I don't want them treating me different than have been.” Nate replied.
“Very well.” Psylocke stated. Then she paused, “It is a rather heavy burden to carry by yourself though. If I may make a suggestion....”
“Yes?” Nate asked.
Psylocke hesitated but continued, “I would suggest you confide in Hisao. He went through pretty much the exact thing you're going through.”
Nate raised an eye. “Really? I'll give that some consideration then.” He got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked out.
“Is everything alright?” Misha asked as he went into the hallway.
“Pretty much.” Nate stated, “I just can't use too much power at once or my cells overload, thats all.”
He then walked off. Misha considered following for a moment, but Shizune tugged on her arm and shook her head.
[Leave him be Misha. Trust me on this.] The blue haired girl signed.
Misha nodded.
For two weeks, Hisao had no contact with Psylocke and then one day, out of the blue, he received a telepathic alert.
“This is a message to all current members of X-corp Tokyo.” It stated. “There has been an update on the Angel front. Assemble in the briefing room in thirty minutes.”
Hisao was only two miles out at the time, changed outfits in five minutes and reached the headquarters in ten. To his surprise, as he exited his car, carrying the neural disruptor he had made, Hanako was walking up the street in an X-men uniform.
“Hanako, why are you here?” He asked, his mind trying to process the scene in front of him.
Hanako blushed slightly from her friend seeing her in her outfit. “Same reason you are.” she replied.
Hisao's brain twisted into knots at that statement. “I... you... what...” he stammered, “You joined up?”
Hanako nodded.
“But... why?” Hisao asked.
“Because I don't want other people to fight my battles for me anymore. I talked to Fitzroy and we spent a long time discussing this subject. About what has happen, what is happening, what likely will happen...” Hanako replied.
“But this lifestyle is so dangerous,” Hisao stated, “I mean, you could get killed!”
“So could you.” Hanako replied, “But that didn't stop you. It's not going to stop me either,” she paused and then added, “My life came at the expense of Angel's sanity. The least I can do is honor his memory.”
Hisao was silent for a moment. “Is this what you want?” he finally asked, “To be a superhero?”
“I don't know if its what I want so much as what I need.” Hanako replied, “Things are different because of our powers. Your heart, Lilly's vision, my face...” She brushed her bangs self-consciously, “Four months ago we thought they would remain the same as they always have, but they didn't. Our lives are changing. Drastically. It's best we learn to adapt.”
Hisao nodded. “I suppose you have a point. Still not what I envision for myself though.”
Hanako motioned to the gun in his hand, “What's that?” she asked.
“It's like a stun gun.” Hisao replied, “But more powerful.” He shook his head, “Telepathy isn't the greatest offensive power, so I'm improvising.”
“It's good you're doing so!” another voice piped up behind him. He turned to see Shizune and Misha walking up beside him. Misha grinned “Preparation is always key to successful mission!”
[Funny that you're the one saying that...] Shizune thought and signed, and Hisao noticed her rolling her eyes. [In any case, we'd best get inside.]
The four of them entered the headquarters and made their way down to the briefing room. They entered to find Psylocke, X-23, Armor and Nate Grey sitting at a table.
[Is Wolverine still busy?] Shizune asked
“The business in the Kree Galaxy is taking longer than expected.” Psylocke replied, “He says he will return in a few days. Unfortunately, we do not have a few days.” She shook her head. “Pity, we could use his help.”
“We've got eight people-” Misha began.
“And we're going to be hard pressed with that few.” Psylocke cut her off. “There was an attack at Project PEAGUSUS today. Angel, as well as his apparent new ally, Holocaust.”
A look of fear flickered past Shizune's face. Hisao blinked,
“Holocaust?” he said, “He took his codename after-”
[Yes, he did.] Shizune stated telepathically and in sign [Which pretty well falls into the category of 'names to run away from really really fast.”]
“Who's this 'Holocaust'?” Nate asked.
“He is the unholy love child of Autumn Rolfson, better known as the first Famine,” Armor stated, “And Apocalypse himself. He is one of the most powerful mutants the X-men have ever fought. Power set includes being sentient energy in a night indestructible containment suit, blasts of nuclear fire that put the Human Torch's to shame, and the ability to drain your lifeforce just by being near you.”
“Like Omega Red did?” Hisao asked, wincing at the memory of that fight.
“Essentially.” Armor stated, “Though he doesn't use that as much as he prefers the physical sensation of blasting someone into atoms. Nasty piece of work. Enjoys wanton destruction more than any of the horsemen. Possibly more than his father as well.”
“I thought he died after that incident with Jamie Braddock?” X-23 asked.
“Apparently it didn't stick.” Psylocke stated, “He and Angel entered Project PEAGUSUS and decimated the staff. Over a hundred and fifty dead. The only survivor was their security head Darkhawk, and he's been beaten within an inch of his life.”
“Do we know why he broke into the faculty?” Hanako asked
Psylocke reached under the table and took out a large manila folder and flipped it open to reveal a detailed schemetic “He took this device, know as project DESTINI. Deep Earth Seismic Trigger INItiative.”
Hisao picked up the files and quickly flipped through them.
“It's pretty much what the name implies.” Psylocke stated, “Can trigger earthquakes at almost any point in the globe. There are a hundred ways he could use it to wreck havoc, but we don't know what his plans are or where he's going or-”
“I know where he's going.” Hisao stated.
Seven pairs of eyes immediately turned in Hisao's general direction.
“Really?” Armor said, disbelieving.
Hisao sighed, “Apocayplse's schtick is “the strong will survive”, right? He wants to wipe out humanity to pave room for mutants and yadda yadda yadda...” Hisao waved his hand, “There's many places Angel could use this machine to create damage, pretty much any major fault line really. But there's one place specifically where a trigger such as this could cause whats essentially an extinction event.”
X-23 raised an eyebrow, “Where might that be?” she asked
Hisao took a deep breath, “He's going to blow the caldera under Yellowstone.”
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up
Are you a fan of Schlock Mercenary by any chance?
I found out about Katawa Shoujo through the forums of Misfile. There, I am the editor of Misfiled Dreams.
Completed: 100%, including bonus picture. Shizune>Emi>Lilly>Hanako>Rin
Griffon8's Writing
Completed: 100%, including bonus picture. Shizune>Emi>Lilly>Hanako>Rin
Griffon8's Writing
Re: The Enemy Within. (Katawa Superpowers Sequel) Ch 13 up
Major fan. How did you guess?griffon8 wrote:Are you a fan of Schlock Mercenary by any chance?