Rebel Defenders: Fighting the Framework (Book 4 MCU/Star Wars Crossover)

Take Shelter

Aida was frustrated with how things have unfolded in the last 24 hours. Elektra was busy trying to convince a tied up Matt to accept her plan. Agent Kallus exposed her servant LMD Fitz and it wouldn't be long before the real Fitz would also be exposed. She knew where the real Fitz was hiding but Aida didn't care because it served her greater plan. Once she controlled the Multiversal Core she would be together with the real Fitz forever. However without the Iron Fist the Core was inaccessible.

Ayla's energy disappated and she was no more so only the power of the Iron Fist could help Aida complete Stage 3. With Alexandra's death Aida knew her ability to control the Hand would be tenuous. It wouldn't be long before the Hand discovered that LMD Fitz murdered one of their leaders Murikami. That Elektra the Black Sky according to their legends would no longer serve the Hand but Aida alone. Aida doubted LMD Fitz could even be relied upon at this point. She needed to figure out a way to reach Stage 2 without the remaining members of the Hand from attacking them.

Then she realized that with Alexandra's death Aida had two important pieces of information the two remaining Hand leaders Sowande and Bakuto would need. One was the location of Madam Gao and the other was the locations of the loved ones of the Defenders. That would create enough choas to allow her to send Elektra to capture the Iron Fist.

****

"Thank you for bringing Daisy back to base. I've questioned Madam Gao but so far I've learned nothing about where Aida is. Danny couldn't sense Aida at Midland Circle so she's hiding in a place fueled by some sort of mystical power." Simmons told the Defenders

"We need to find Matty. We find him then we find Aida." Stick said

"I've just received a message from Fulcrum regarding Fitz's escape. We need to find him and figure out what he's learned from the Empire." Simmons argued

"You've withheld information from us. Fulcrum thinks the Hand is going after my sister. You need to do something about that before I help you find Fitz."

"I'm not planning on abandoning my own husband. He's actively being pursued by the Empire while Trish Walker is hosting a popular radio show from the comfort of a studio. That's not the same thing." Simmons argued

"You're no different than an Imperial if  your daughter Ayla disintegrating into nothing doesn't move you. I'm not a Rebel so I don't take orders from you. I just thought you'd do me the decency to order some of your flunkies to help me save Trish." Jessica retorted

"I'll help you Jess. We can leave right now." Luke offered

"Aida's not my real daughter. Not in this reality. She was just a tool in a war between myself and Aida. That psychotic computer is obsessed with torturing me because Fitz chose me over her. Aida is dangerous and with the loss of Ayla as her pawn she'll react by taking drastic measures. You can't underestimate her."

Jessica continued shaking her head at Simmons in disgust.

"We need to focus on finding Aida by finding Matty." Stick argued

"I'll go with you Stick." Kanan said as he entered the room

"So boy billionaire what are you going to do? Go with the blind boomer over here or actually do something decent and help me?" Jessica demanded

Danny thought about the conversation carefully and sighed heavily, "I'm sorry Jessica. I wish I could help your sister but Aida is more dangerous than ever now that she's working with the Hand's most powerful warrior. If she finds Fitz then he'll be able to activate Stage 2 and Stage 3. If that were to happen the entire city gets wiped out."

"Whatever. Screw all of you." Jessica said bitterly as she slammed the door

"I like that one. She's got a pair unlike Matty." Stick joked admist the awkward silence

"Jessica wait. Jessica. Listen. You don't need to make enemies with people who are on your side." Luke argued

"Are you going to help me or not?" Jessica snapped

Luke shook his head, "Hey I get it alright. I'm going to help and I know someone who can keep an eye on Trish once we rescue her."

"Misty Knight is going to have to make room for two more. We need to rescue Matt's friends Foggy Nelson and Karen Page." Ezra said as he exited the room

"So he really let's people call him Foggy." Luke said amused

"Whose Foggy?" Jessica asked

"He's the lawyer that got me out of prison." Luke replied casually

Jessica raised her eyebrow in confusion, "You've got to tell me that story of how you ended up in prison when this is over."

****

"Matthew why won't you just allow Aida to win. We'll get the life together that we always talked about." Elektra said

"People will die. Lots of them." Matt replied struggling against his binds

"That won't matter once Aida accesses the Core. She'll embue the city with energy and rebuild it because she'll change reality itself. Rewrite things so that those people won't be ruled by the Empire." Elektra promised

"They'll be ruled by Aida and have no freedom. They won't be able to make any choices which is no different from living under the Empire. You preach about making your own choices and deciding how to live your life and who to spend it with. Yet you aren't concerned about taking those same choices away from millions of other people." Matt argued

"You think I care for a bunch of strangers when they don't care about me. I thought you'd understand but you're all charm and good intentions and no understanding. That's unfortunate because I'm going to have to keep you locked in here until the mission is done."

"What?! If I'm not interested in going along with your plan than why keep me here?"

"Someone else will go along with it. You're not that special. There are other men just as attractive and more like me out there. I'll be able to find that man in the new world Aida is creating."

"Elektra intercept Iron Fist right away. Don't worry I have no interest in killing Murdock."

"I don't care. I'll get the Iron Fist. And if Murdock gets in our way I will kill him." Elektra said

Matt could tell from Elektra's heartbeat that she was lying. A bomb went off that overrided Matt's senses. When his senses returned he couldn't hear Aida's heartbeat. He could sense her body lying still on the ground by focusing his hearing on the air molecules around her body.

"We need to go Devil man. We followed you here based on the tracker." A Russian woman said to Matt

"Who are you?"

"My name is Yelena but we need to move. We don't have much time. We need to meet up with my boyfriend."

"Get down." Another woman said

She threw another grenade and this exploded in flames.

"Don't you think that's overkill?" Matt said

"You can trust Piper Matthew. She's an experienced Agent."

"I'm also aware of the fact that Aida has a high tolerance for pain and a high level healing factor. She's going to heal so we need to go." Piper explained

A bolt of energy enveloped the trio as they attempted to escape. For the first time since he was eleven years old he could see. He saw the house on London Coruscant and two children playing with Elektra. Exactly as he imagined it all those years ago when Elektra described it to him.

"Welcome to the Framework Matthew. Where your greatest regret is taken from you so you can live the life that you were meant to live. Enjoy your stay. Also that escape you experienced was just your mind attempting to make sense of the energy from the Multiversal Core and the thoughts that it's feeding into your brainstem. No one's coming to your rescue. Hopefully when Elektra returns with the Iron Fist and we move to Stage 2. You'll change your mind about rejecting her." Aida said