A Parallel Investigation, Part IV (Conclusion)

Posted on Thu Sep 28th, 2023 @ 4:59pm by First Lieutenant Bethany Harrison & Level 10 Minamoto 源 Takashi 崇

Mission: HYDRA: Another Head Rises
Location: Cult Compound
Timeline: Present Day

The young Marshal took a step around, and back, as Tak approached her, keeping herself out of arm’s reach, eyeing him warily. “You don’t know as much about me as you’d like to think. HYDRA has taken everything from me, not just my childhood. And don’t you dare lecture me about control, agent. Maybe you should go check your records again, and see just how many innocent people I’m not willing to sacrifice. Unlike some of your own people that seem to think of dead bystanders as nothing more than collateral damage,” she said, shaking her head and giving the man a sarcastic laugh.

“And you haven’t really done anything other than lie to me about who you are, agent. I may be young, but I’m not an idiot. Field commander, sure, I guess that’s not a complete lie, so we’ll call it a misdirection. All of you are agents, after all,” the mutant woman continued, stepping around the man and towards the door, while not turning her back on him.

“You act like your precious SHIELD is so perfect, so virtuous, when in truth, it’s been torn to shreds by HYDRA moles and is just as corrupt as any other government agency. The government really can’t be trusted to take anything like this seriously, especially if anyone in power benefits from it in any way.”

Bethany paused and pointed at the ceiling as if another point came suddenly to mind. “Oh and people in your employ seem to think that people like me should be leashed and under your control, or simply imprisoned, because we won’t conform to your way of thinking. That doesn’t exactly seem like you have everyone’s best interest in mind, it just makes you seem like every other corrupt group on the planet that wants power and control. So, I don’t trust you, I don’t trust your government-goon-run agency, hell, I don’t even trust the Marshals.” The young brawler paled a bit more, sighed, and gave a short, bitter laugh. “They’ve just let me do the only thing that I’m good at.”

Takashi sighed heavily, not intending this conversation to get out of hand, as it obviously did. He was still out of sorts from the wanton death that was still surrounding them. Replacing his hands within the voluminous sleeves of his *haori*, he stopped moving towards her, seeing that she was backpedaling.

“My apologies,” he said softly to her finally, his Japanese accented English a bit thicker as he apologized. “I did not intend to sound accusatory. I have read your file and I wanted to gauge your responses to get a more accurate understanding of who you were. And I do care about what happens to mutants and enhanced individuals, as does SHIELD, regardless of the past. It has taken a new direction and I am here to make sure that things get taken care of properly.” He looked around once more at all the carnage and shook his head at the loss.

“Also, I have not lied to you,” Tak said, looking at her directly as he continued. “I am Field Commander of this operation, and I can guarantee you SHIELD is taking this very seriously. While previous iterations of the organization may have been hostile towards mutants and the enhanced, I can assure you that is no longer the case, and not everyone in the organization feels that way. We have had a massive restructuring with the loss of the previous Director, and we have adjusted accordingly.

“Which is why I am here,” he said to her, his voice taking on a more businesslike tone. “SHIELD raided approximately ten other compounds similar to this one as soon as we found out about this situation, so several teams were dispatched to help deal with it. And while we are not perfect, we will do what we can.”

“I don’t expect perfection, agent,” Bethany said, her tone softening a bit as she gave a bit of a shrug. “I expect actions to back up words, though, and that’s yet to be seen. And I’m not in a hurry to work with anyone anymore. HYDRA tends to go after anyone that associates with me, so it’s just better if I keep my distance. The Ice Queen is sadistic and has a vendetta against me, and from everything that I’ve found, they’ve put her in charge of this operation. Which, considering where she comes from, is pretty messed up all on its own.”

“We have been targets of HYDRA for years even before all of this,” Takashi said dismissively, his tone filled with derision at HYDRA. “So no need to worry about that. And SHIELD took action as soon as we became aware of these compounds. My hope is that we can find one or more of them before they vacate and kill everyone. We will continue to monitor all channels of information and then act once we have good, actionable intelligence. I want to spare the lives of the innocent, just as much as you.” Turning away from her, he looked about at the carnage once more, sighing heavily as he did so.

“Hopefully my team can backtrack that signal,” he said as he turned back to look at the Marshal. “That way, we might be able to catch them flat-footed, and we can save the abducted.”

“I’m not sure that you understand. The Ice Queen’s vendetta towards me is actually personal,” Bethany said, watching as he surveyed the wreckage around them. Very few people knew about their history, that she had tried to kill both her, and Jon, on numerous occasions over the last few years, even pitting them against each other with her mind control. Their bond had managed to break her mental hold over them, but she shared no such bond with anyone else, and others had been caught in the crossfire.

“I escaped her fate.” She paused briefly, as Tak turned back to face her. Bethany’s hair went white, her colorful eyes settling on a blue that was so pale as to almost blend in with the white, her skin paling as though she had never seen a moment in the sun. While they weren’t twins, the familial resemblance was evident. “She came from the same compound that I did, both of us were sired by the Preacher. I was eight when she changed, and the men made us all watch as they beat her, just like the others. I thought Eva was dead until she showed up the night I awakened, leading HYDRA’s minions.”

“So this is personal and misguided,” Takashi said, as he looked at her, his face blank as her powers manifested in what appeared to be a subconscious display, immediately giving away her discomfort. She really did need to work on that; her emotional state was available for everyone to see, which was not good for a law enforcement officer as she could be easily manipulated. “But why would she do this to her own people?” he asked her, sliding both his arms out of the large sleeves to indicate the dead around him. “This goes beyond psychological manipulation and is bordering on genocide.” He didn’t say anything for a moment as he continued to gauge her reaction, then continued.

“Is there more to this story that would drive her to this kind of evil?” Pulling his arms back inside the *hadori* as he slowly walked closer to her. “Because this is not your normal, run of the mill sociopathy. This almost seems like… an extermination at the level of Nazi Germany or the Uyghurs of Communist China.” He was intentionally mentioning some of the worst cases of genocide in human history to see how she reacted and to glean what information he could, seeing as this ‘Ice Queen’ or Eva, was indeed the Marshal’s half sister.

Was there indeed some connection between what was going on and some intentional baiting of the Marshal to somehow… draw her out into the open? Or possibly trying to see who she is working with. Takashi needed more information before he would make any real guesses.

“HYDRA has their own mutant recruitment program, agent, and this is at least part of it,” Bethany said, motioning to the room around her, her color returning to normal, her eyes settling back on their natural bright green. “The Preacher’s compound was around for a long time. At least one of us a year, if not more, changed and were beaten nearly to death, and then sold off to HYDRA. Of course we didn’t know that at the time. We thought they were being killed for being demon spawn. She was betrayed by the men at the compound where she was born and raised, tortured, her mind operated on. They twisted her into what she is now, and she’s following orders. They sent her after me years ago and, so far, she’s failed in that mission.”

The young light-bearer sighed and shrugged, “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in this to hunt her down. Fighting her isn’t exactly at the top of my bucket list, or anything. Trust me. I’d rather take her out from a distance, with a high-powered rifle and an explosive-tipped round. And I’d really rather not sacrifice anyone else to that woman’s grudge against me, but saving as many of these people as possible is worth the risk of running into her myself.”

“Yet more of HYDRA’s brainwashing,” he said finally, nodding at her explanation. It fell in line with what SHIELD knew of HYDRA and of the evil organization’s propensity to turn people against their will. Sighing heavily once more, Tak looked around one final time and shook his head in defeat. It was really beyond him as to why anyone would want to do something like this, but understood that it would definitely not be the last. He also took note of Harrison’s vehemence of not facing off against this so-called ‘Ice Queen’. She well and truly was against it, likely for multiple reasons, one of which was the fact that she was her sister.

“Well, it looks like there is little more we can glean from this location,” Tak said as he began moving toward the exit. “I will have a team retrieve all of the bodies and notify their loved ones once we have positively identified them. SHIELD will make all of the arrangements.”

There was a long pause before Bethany responded, eyeing Tak, studying him. “Look, don’t take the Marshal’s Office out of this entirely, yet. I think there might be a high-placed mole, and if you shut them down, we won’t be able to ferret them out. It’s the only way I can even explain why an infiltration team wasn’t sent in first, especially knowing the intel they had. Securing and protecting the captives during a raid is their job. Also, this was a short investigation that missed an entire underground complex. Someone managed to call the search short.”

“Yes, I thought as much when you were the only one they sent in,” Takashi said matter of factly, almost dismissively, his tone saying as much. “Why else would you come alone? But, I will do what is in the best interest of the innocent, and right now that means SHIELD taking over the investigation… and you leading it.” He said that last over his shoulder, almost as matter of factly as his last statement, knowing it would likely elicit an explosive response.

“You’ve really tapped the wrong wire there, agent,” the young Marshal said, tensing visibly. “First, I have no desire to be a part of your agency. Being a Marshal is annoying enough as it is. Second, I fight, I don’t lead.”

Bethany crossed her arms, her head tilting slightly as she continued to study Tak. “I was sent here by my direct superior. I have an insight into these types of operations that others lack, that’s all. I can sometimes find things that others overlook.” She paused, shaking her head. “Though, this is the biggest mistake I’ve seen so far. I don’t care if you take over the investigation, but if you cut the Marshals out of it completely, we lose the chance to chase that mole out.”

“It is already in motion," he continued, still speaking over his shoulder a little further away. “That way, the Marshal’s office can do what it needs to clean its house without having undue negative influence on this investigation. These people need nothing less than our ‘full measure of devotion’.” He motioned once more to the dead around him after drawing his hands free of the *haori* as he walked away from her slowly, his back toward her.

“If you honestly believe that I’m not dedicated to the plight of the innocent, why would you try to weasel me into some kind of leadership role, even though you don’t really know me,” Bethany retorted, giving a small, short laugh. “Look, I was shot in the chest for the first time at five years old just so that I’d know what it felt like. I was forced to do things that turned my stomach. I grew up in a world that was built on fear and manipulation. I may not know much about the modern world, but I do know when someone is trying to get under my skin.”

“I know you are dedicated Marshal,” he said to her, a slight smile could be heard in his voice despite his accent. “I am counting on that, actually. We wouldn’t be having this conversation otherwise. If you are as dedicated to those in need as I believe you are, taking me up on my offer really is the best, most efficient way of helping them. You will have the full backing and resources of the most potent organization in the world, as well as free reign to proceed as you see fit.” He continued walking toward the exit, his accented English easily heard over his shoulder.

“Not to mention,” he said casually, as if speaking about the weather. “We are best equipped to take out this HYDRA operation. It stands to reason that you might find your mole using SHIELD resources. The Peak makes for the best operations center and staging ground for any operation on Terra.” He stopped to face her at last, almost at the entrance to the death-filled room, both his hands now casually draped on the hilt of his katana, right over left; a common Japanese gesture of comfort with the speaker while wearing a *daisho*.

“I know you don’t see yourself as a leader, but a doer,” Tak’s voice now sounded sincere to her, a few octaves lower than usual. “Only in my experience, the most effective leaders lead from the front, not the back, where most of them feel they safely belong. And I am not ‘weaseling’ you into anything, I am merely using the most effective means to justify saving your fellow mutants.”

“死は羽よりも軽い 義務は山よりも重いです” Takashi said in his native Japanese, his hands falling to his lap as he spoke, bowing to her respectfully. “My Grandmaster taught me that growing up, a quote attributed to the first Hattori Hanzo, *Shinobi* to Tokugawa Ieyasu. ‘Death is lighter than a feather, Duty is heavier than a mountain’.”

“I don’t need any more justification to do what I do,” the Marshal said, stepping away from the fallen door and, again, out of immediate reach of the man. “And I don’t just do this for my fellow mutants. There are plenty of innocent humans that suffer at their hands, like my mama, and Eva’s mama. They’re beaten down, brainwashed, and live in constant fear for their safety, the safety of their children, and they normally have nowhere to turn for help, even if they wanted to.”

Again the young woman sighed and shook her head. “And I have resources. As for being a leader? I’m not afraid of being that kind of leader. I would never ask anyone to do what I wouldn’t do myself. The Preacher couldn’t kill me, so he was planning on putting me in charge of a terrorist cell, under his direct control, using my mama to keep me in line. Lorde kidnapped me and tried to convince me to lead his mutant army. Let’s just say that I’ve developed a bad taste for the very idea of it. And, well, I’m kind of a curse to teams. You’d need a bunch of suicidal fanatics to follow me around, and I really hate that idea. I’m not the Preacher, no matter how hard he tried to turn me into that kind of monster.”

“Then don’t be, Marshal Harrison,” Takashi said to her, placing his hands on the hilt of his katana once more. “Be yourself. You will see that we have grown both as individuals and as an organization. Let us work together to help those who cannot help themselves. And,” a sly smile suddenly lighting up his face. “We can bash some HYDRA skulls into submission and bring what’s left to justice. What do you say?” He walked over to her, his right hand sliding from its position atop his left and extended it to her.

“If it doesn’t work for you,” he said, his hand still out there for her to grasp if she chose. “You can walk away at any time with no animosity. We won’t try to stop you.”

While Bethany had gotten more used to the idea of shaking hands with men, it was not something that she was comfortable with. It had taken her a very long time to break the impulse to simply start snapping digits when a man reached towards her. As it was, the mask that she typically kept firmly in place, slipped.

“I don’t like being touched,” she said, shaking her head, her gaze narrowing, her jaw tensing. After a long moment, she gave a bit of a nervous chuckle, and cleared her throat, her voice a bit shaky when she spoke, “At least I don’t just start hurting men when they reach towards me anymore. I mean, unless I have to break them, or something.”

After a long, heavy sigh, she continued, “Look, agent, I don’t want to lead anything, or anyone, and while I don’t mind helping out on missions, I don’t want to join up with SHIELD. Hell, if I had my way, I’d just disappear into the mountains and never bother anyone. But, living through what I’ve been through, knowing the things that I know, I couldn’t forgive myself if I gave up on them. And I’m pretty sure God couldn’t either. So please, just let me do what I do.”

“Very well, Marshal Harrison,” Takashi said after a brief moment, lowering his hand and sliding both within the sleeves of his *haori*, then bowed to her respectfully. “I thank you for your time. Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I have paperwork to fill out. If you would be so kind as to see yourself out, I would appreciate it.”

He turned away from her and walked past the broken vault door and back toward the entrance. He knew there would be a better than likely chance she would refuse his offer and frankly, he guessed that she would not take it. The information that she possessed would have been very valuable for SHIELD to have, seeing as they were working to catch up in an investigation that the Marshal had been doing for several years. He would need to adjust their tactics slightly and do what he could, as SHIELD was ‘behind the eight ball’, as Americans were fond of saying.

Hopefully the computer encryption specialists would be able to back-trace the signal of the camera feed led and they could finally stop these abductions and indoctrination camps. No one deserved the kind of fate that he saw within the vault, and SHIELD Director Minamoto Takashi would do everything in his power to stop it.

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FIN
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Bethany Harrison
Fractal
Mutant Underground

Minamoto Takashi 源崇
Hypernova
Director of Shield