This takes place right after Predators #4: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic-8/marvel-iron-age-predators-4-1515302/#6
New York
Agent Takada tucked her hair under a beret, stuck a fake mole on her upper lip, put on a pair of ancient aviator sunglasses and trudged through the streets. The place was a beautiful train wreck. Abject poverty side by side cutting edge technology. The walkways that crisscrossed the sky as the hover vehicles racing above and below whilst holo-boards flashed images of the Supreme Commander’s latest most wanted: Darius Stane, Carol Danvers, Zemo, Jessica Mongoose.
It was good to see Jessica again, but any longer than the brief visit could’ve opened a series of old wounds. Some conversations didn’t need to happen. She checked her phone but there was no signal.
“Supposedly the future and still have twentieth century problems.” grumbled Ngumi as she tucked it back into her jacket. She clocked a street patrol shaking down citizens. She wanted to step in and end them but she was needed back in New Latveria. “Helping” could land her on another “adventure” that would keep her from the girls, who though they were use to absences by their mother, Leanne get from China to Cuba in a second whilst Ngumi had to travel the old fashioned way. A wave of emotion ran over Ngumi as she realised Silver Sable would never ever just pop up.
“Music?”
Ngumi looked at the little Novo Brazilian man selling old school bootlegs from his suitcase table. She lowered her glasses and looked quizzically at the names of the bands; most of them she’d never heard of.
“The Dazzlers?” she picked up the stick.
“Canada, very good, very rock.” he smiled through his three nicotine stained teeth “You like?”
“Ah what the hell,” said Ngumi “Can’t be any worse than the original”
Two days later, Doomstadt, New Latveria
Ngumi opened the door to the apartment and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her bag fell to the floor and before it hit, her sword was out and her pistol drawn.
"Girls?" she called as she slowly entered.
"They can't come and play right now! Can I take a message?” came the familiar sing-song call from the lounge room. Ngumi rounded the corner to see Scalphunter calmly sitting on her lounge eating a wedge of cheese. His sword was firmly rammed through her coffee table like the sword in the stone.
"Cheese?" he offered.
Ngumi pulled the trigger as Scalphunter dove away, bullets ripping through the black leather "You could just say, no thank you I'm watching my weight!"
She ran after him, furiously swinging like she was cutting cane. Scalphunter jumped, ducked, dodged and threw personal items in the apartment to avoid being hit. "Seriously fish face," he warned "This place reeks of taste!"
Ngumi ignored his chatter, her mind focused upon him and the damage he'd caused to her and to her new family. The sword danced back and forth not that the chatty assassin noticed as he danced around it like he was in a limbo contest.
"How's the fingers?" he mocked waggling them in her face.
"How are your balls?" she asked as she threw her sword up into the air. Scalphunter watched the blade go up.
"What kind of..." His sentence was cut short as Ngumi slammed her foot into his groin. Her sword fell back to her waiting hands and came down towards his neck.
"Kylie...and Kiki!" he gasped as the razor sharp sword stopped on the skin. Ngumi's hands shook with rage, it'd be easier to kill him, decapitate this monster and be done with him. But he was here and her girls weren't.
"Where?" she demanded as she slammed him up against the wall, blade pressing into his Adam's apple.
"Italy," he whispered "In a room full of jet fuel and a timer that goes whoosh in forty six hours"
"You have a teleporter! We go there now!"
"Actually chopsticks, Commander Grumpy took it off me!" he shrugged "I had to fly coach from America, coach! Also could you go a little to the left, I have a tickle in my throat"
Ngumi stared at him. Slowly she took a step back and released him.
"Thanks." he coughed.
She spun the sword and rammed it through his gut pinning him to the wall. She then unloaded; fists, elbows, palm strikes, knees and a head butt. Scalphunter finally lashed out and grabbed her by the throat, his fingers burying deep into the soft flesh.
"That really starking hurt!" he yelled squeezing tight "If I had a newspaper, I’d smack you over the nose!”
Ngumi’s vision swirled as she began to lose consciousness. She jumped, buried her feet on his chest and kicked back breaking the hold and smashing her coffee table. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed his weapon as he pulled hers out of his gut.
“I am going to kill you!” she stated.
“Pfft dream on china doll!” laughed Scalphunter tossing the sword from hand to hand “Seriously the weight on this is all wrong. You’d do better with a hockey stick!”
-Where the hell is my backup!-
Ngumi locked eyes with Scalphunter. He was possibly the best person she’d ever fought and last time they did, he nearly killed her…and he was barely even trying.
“Here you take this,” he tossed her sword back to her which she snatched out of the air. “Its rubbish, your other one was better!”
Ngumi stood there with two swords watching as Scalphunter resumed eating the block of cheese. The killer faced off against the assassin in what would only end up…her eyes welled up at the thought of the girls once again harassed by the man who killed their mother, her friend. Her lips quivered, she was caught between a rock and a hard place. The swords dropped from her fingers and she exploded into tears, slowly sinking to her knees.
"Ah tricky tricky but I aint falling for crocodile tears!" laughed Scalphunter as he crossed the room pointing the cheese at her like a gun. As he reached her, she was still sobbing uncontrollably. He looked at her quizzically, waiting for her to suddenly strike. But the attack never came.
"Ah geez stark lady, what are you doing? C'mon get up! This is just...pathetic. Worse than when I chopped your fingers off...could you stop? Please?" Scalphunter edged closer and after a minute or two awkwardly patted her on the head "There there"
**
Ngumi took the cup of tea from Scalphunter. The last twenty five minutes had been the most awkward and strange of either of their lives. The silence was tangible. Scalphunter silently poured his tea, she was curious on where a ruthless, egotistical assassin would know how to prepare a Japanese tea ceremony. He blew the steam off his cup and smiled.
"So how about that Supreme Commander huh?"
Ngumi burst into laughter "Are you insane?"
"Nope, at least we don't think so." shrugged Scalphunter "But do I do take a lot of hits to the head. So I'm happy to keep that whole "boo hoo woe is me" episode between us...well for a while anyway coz, we're like enemies and stark!"
Ngumi sipped her tea "Thank you. So?”
“Oh yeah, the reason for my visit. I need to pick your brains about Mysteria."
"She's dead!" stated Ngumi as roughly dropped her cup on the table; memories surged back at the name.
"Oooooo mysterious Mysteria has a past with chopsticks!" giggled Scalphunter "Do tell!"
"One thing at a time," Ngumi stood up "How did you get in here?"
"Are you kidding? New Latverian security has more holes than that chainmail bikini you have in your underwear drawer!" smiled Scalphunter "How we don't just end you all is beyond me!? Probably dumb luck. I literally waltzed across the New Germany border dressed as a SHIELD agent, threw up a salute and then caught a very efficient and eco-friendly bullet-train to Doomstadt. Got some info from some helpful sources..."
"You killed to get my address?"
"Der! It's not like you're in the book stark for brains!" Scalphunter stood up and stretched "Anyway, after some people helped me with some inquiries I found your address and that you were out of town. But you were being watched. Did you know that? Your place was under surveillance and everything! So when they went for their lunch, can you believe they actually went to lunch, I reset the feed to the apartment next door on a lower floor and went to reintroduce myself to the little ones."
Ngumi tensed at the mention of her kidnapped wards, and also internally shook with rage and the incompetence of the people Carol had assigned to watch her kids whilst she chased Creed across America for no reason, possibly killing the thunder god's sister.
"Oh they remembered me! The babysitter had no idea; she’s in the shower by the way, well most of her. They are some vicious little brats! You taught them some moves I see." Scalphunter rubbed his thigh "A few more years and they'll be starking dangerous! Well hopefully they’ll have a few more years’ coz they’re all tied up, sitting on a bomb. So spill Aunty Gumi!"
She shuddered at the pet name he'd learnt off the girls. Her blood boiled but she was caught between a rock and a hard place. "Anything to get my girls back?"
"Your girls? I thought they were Silver starken Sable's brats? Were you two...well you know," Scalphunter asked making vulgar gestures.
"Do not say her name again!" growled Ngumi.
"Whoa! Okay crazian! Just making chit-chat! And don’t talk to me like that or I’ll just go home and you’ll read about brat one and brat two being spread across the Italian landscape!” Scalphunter warned “So now you talk”
“What do you want to know?” said Ngumi.
“Until last week Mysteria didn’t exist on my radar. I can’t think why she’s shelling out big bucks for my head. Checking through the Ferrum database for her, your name came up under “known associates”, it also pinged you as a “sex offender” and a “spider” as well! So are you Mysteria?”
“…no” said Ngumi almost stunned by his stupid question “Does outright asking people every work?”
“Sometimes. I’d say seven percent.” Scalphunter pulled out a pistol and spun in on his finger, then put it away “So, are you?”
Ngumi stood up “You need to shut up and listen, because the more you talk the more time you waste and if those girls are killed…”
“You’ll kill me, yeah yeah heard it all before” groaned Scalphunter rolling his eyes.
Ngumi hurled her cup at his head which he easily caught, just like she hoped. She followed through with a tackle, spearing him into the wall. She slipped to the side and quickly clamped a choke hold of her own on him before taking them both to the floor.
“You heal, I get that. But if they die,” She squeezed hard “I will keep you alive and kill you every day until my unnaturally long life runs out. I will do things to you I have only ever dreamed about!” She pulled tighter, Scalphunter’s neck at a completely wrong angle “Do you understand me!”
Scalphunter tapped her arm in submission. She held the hold for a few seconds more before kicking him away. He wobbled to his feet.
“Stark lady! You’re meaner than I remember!” he wheezed as he realigned his neck.
“You haven’t seen anything yet”
**
Officer Sergei Puccini stood before Queen Carol and the New Latverian court. His head was hung low.
“Let me get this straight,” Carol got up from the uncomfortable throne and marched down the stairs towards him, much to the disgust of several members’ court. “Scalphunter, THE Scalphunter! Head of the European Assassination Division caught a TRAIN into Doomstadt, killed seven people, disable a surveillance post, kidnapped two girls, left, CAME BACK and you’re telling me this NOW!
Carol grabbed him by the collar and shot a few feet into the air “Are you an idiot? How would Doom repay this stupidity?”
She gave him a shake and tossed him roughly to the floor and floated down next to him “You are relieved off all duties and stripped of your rank, effective immediately! Toss this moron in a cell before I snap his neck!”
Two guards swooped in and dragged Puccini away. The court broke slowly into applause, even the weird ambassador from the Chechyen DMZ joined in.
“No, no! NO!!” If she wasn’t so angry Carol knew this moment could’ve swung the court entirely in her favour “What if it was Iron Claw and a battalion of soldiers? What if it was the Supreme Commander himself just wandering around our capital? UNACCEPTABLE! Having someone like Scalphunter casually walk through our defences makes me sick to my stomach!”
“And Agent Takada?” asked General Kurske, her temporary Minister of War.
Carol rubbed her forehead at the position she was now in. Ngumi associating with Scalphunter was treason. Even if he’d kidnapped the girls the fact she left with him and not delivered his yammering head to her on a plate. Carol ascended the steps and retook the throne.
“Hopefully there is an explanation for all this.” said Carol, more to herself than anyone in particular.
General Kurske stepped forward “Your majes…”
Carol shot him a glance that froze the blood in his veins and he relented, stepping back. Carol took a deep breath and released the armrests that had indents from her grip and stated with no pleasure “Agent Ngumi Takada…is charged with treason. She is to be treated as an enemy New Latveria!”
**
To be continued by @time_phantom
(To see their first encounter: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic-8/marvel-iron-age-scalphunter-a-hole-in-the-shield-655210/#8 )
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