Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall (local time: late morning)…
"I'd rather, Ms. Kennison, you leave Ms. Black alone."
"As long as she doesn't kill anyone that attracts Ottawa's official attention — or the attention of any of the provincial or territorial governments — she has nothing to fear from my organisation," the lovely twenty-something with the curly brown hair styled in a taper at the back of her neck, the deep blue eyes and a finely-sculpted face with a Romanesque nose answered as she sipped her coffee. "She has her uses in our eyes. And considering that she could have easily slipped down the same path the Joker took when he finally went insane, that Ataru did so much to give her some sense of control over her life did wonders for her in the end. And she does have a sense of honour."
"The only thing mercenaries often have to their name," Bruce Banner — who had allowed himself to transform back to his normal body once the Hulk had transported Doctor Death from Wood Buffalo National Park to North America's largest shopping mall five kilometres south of the Yellowhead Trail, the northern branch of the Trans-Canada Highway connecting the four western provinces of the Dominion — noted.
"True, you're right," Maria Kennison — who served publicly as Telepath of the Heroes Alliance of Canada; in secret, the Royal Canadian Navy lieutenant-commander was the officer commanding 33rd Specialised Warfare Operations Squadron, the military unit that were the perpetual direct descendants of the 1st Canadian Specialised Warfare Unit — noted. "So, Searrs was involved in this. Understandable given their quest to control the HiME Festival and manipulate the Obsidian Lord to help them unleash their 'Golden Millennium' project." Noting the curious look on the nuclear scientist's face, the part-time social worker and nearly full-time superheroine moved to explain.
At the end of it all, Bruce chuckled. "Another attempt to conquer Earth," he mused. "How many does it make this week?" he then quipped.
Both of them laughed. They were currently in the Tim Hortons on the second floor of the WEM overlooking the Ice Palace. Maria had brought with her a NOYDB — "none of your damned business" — distortion field generator with her to ensure her conversation with Bruce would remain private and still give the man the chance to enjoy a good breakfast. She then sobered. "Would you like some justice?" she asked.
He blinked. The Heroes Alliance were a much different breed of superhero team than Alpha Flight; unlike the "official" Canadian government team, the group headquartered in Toronto were always willing to cross over certain lines not even government-sanctioned teams like the Avengers dared cross. Given what he had always sensed they really were deep down, that was somewhat refreshing. And potentially dangerous to any supervillain who became stupid north of the Forty-Ninth Parallel. "How so?"
"Professor Banner, regardless of the initial reason this all started, more than one person was directly affected by what befell Moroboshi Ataru," the Ontario-born telepath — Bruce knew Maria was Charles Xavier's equal even if she wasn't a natural-born meta per se; she was one of Grigori Wyszynski's many subjects before he became Destructo — stated. "Two of them — no, THREE of them! — were the young ladies that finally helped you tame the Hulk and reunite your mind. And they did it without hesitation. That sort of willingness to help anyone in need should be encouraged; it's the basic essence of being a superhero in the North American sense of the term. Thus, it personally strikes me as quite wrong that this so-called 'secret society' — which has only existed since Charlemange's time despite their claims to the contrary; it's just disgusting to listen to them at times — would decide to play God with people's lives."
"Including, indirectly, mine," Bruce noted, nodding.
"That's right. Dean Raeburn's late sensei — at the end of the last HiME Festival three centuries ago — vowed it would never be allowed to happen again. He's not here to see that oath fulfilled. Neither is she. It therefore falls to us, her students. And while I'm sure His Imperial Majesty would certainly welcome our moving to ensure the Festival doesn't start up again — with all the casualties such an event unleash — if we went there in the open, it would cause an international incident, especially if the 'wise and benevolent' Searrs Foundation got involved. So we would prefer…"
"Someone who is capable of making himself invisible if required…but is also strong enough and experienced enough to deal with real threats," he finished.
"Exactly," she stated. "Our unit in Tōkyō has just recently got in contact with Headmistress Kazahana about what is coming. When we mentioned to her that you had been a beneficiary of what Professor Wyszynski ultimately instigated through Ataru, she was quite willing to invite you to come on staff at the Academy. A man of your scholastic talents — to say anything of your other virtues — would teach the young ones much."
A smirk. "I'll need intelligence support." When he had first met the woman after he had relocated to the Okanagan Valley, Bruce had been quick to sense that Maria was part of something similar to Department H, the group of the Canadian Department of National Defence that monitored metahuman affairs in the Dominion. But unlike the people who supported Alpha Flight, Maria Christiana Kennison was a still-serving officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, even if she wasn't in uniform now. Given the Ohio-born scientist's long experience with the American armed forces, he could see all the signs.
"Done."
"I may have to make calls that could hurt people," he warned.
"Understandable. But please keep it to a dull roar."
"Naturally. And if push comes to shove, I will get Margo involved."
A smirk. "As long as it doesn't make too much noise."
Bruce nodded. "Please inform the Headmistress I'll be on my way."
Fūka-jima, the Fūka Academy (local time: three hours after midnight)…
"THE HULK?!"
Kazahana Mashiro smiled; she just got off the phone with her contact in the Canadian Embassy — in truth, the Specialised Warfare Observation Unit Tōkyō — on the Aoyama-dōri west of the Imperial Palace. "Please, Yōko-san. The man DOES have a name."
The small gathering of teaching staff — as well as Himeno Fumi, the current maid to the child-like, wheelchair-bound mistress of Fūka — blinked as they took that in, and then Sakomizu Kaiji breathed out. "My gods…to bring HIM here?!"
"Why?" Sagisawa Yūko, the Academy's nurse — who, while not part of District One, was in the know about the upcoming HiME Festival — then demanded.
A sigh. "Searrs was involved with what happened to Moroboshi Ataru. And by extension, all the people whom he took the Forge of the Seekers to let them gain metahuman powers. Three of them — the Academician, Prodigy and Soul Searcher — were involved in finally helping Banner-hakase gain full control of the monster within him two years ago."
Silence.
"Searrs…?!" Sugiura Midori, the high school history teacher and a gifted archaeologist in her own right, then demanded. "Why are they involved?!"
"They seek to control the Festival…and in the end, gain the favour of the Obsidian Lord to unleash their own vision of a utopia on humanity as a whole," Mashiro answered. "A utopia, of course, that will NOT tolerate metahumans."
The others in the room all nodded. "Will Banner-hakase's enemies seek him out here?" Ishigami Wataru, the art teacher for the middle school kids, then asked. "Sacred Buddha, I don't want to see Yukariko and others threatened by such monsters!"
"That is a risk, Wataru-san," Mashiro stated. "But it is one that must be taken."
"Why?" Midori demanded.
The lone survivor of the previous HiME Festival — who was, in an odd sense of the term, also the living Child of one of the new generation of HiMEs — took a deep breath. "One of the young HiMEs gained a metahuman Gift thanks to Moroboshi Ataru…
"…and another is the fourth living heir of Shazam, Midori-san."
Lightning flashed through the windows of the headmistress' residence as we…
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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