Diamond Skin[DISCONTINUED]

Old Enemies...

Mariko gritted her teeth to keep quiet as she listened to her little sister scream. Luckily it wasn't a bullet that went into her chest, if it was Mariko knew she would have no control of her more animalistic side. Nor would she try to keep the beast at bay. Unfortunately the sick bastard on the other side if the gun had shot Mystique with one of his special solutions that had the effect of attacking the nerves so all the once blue woman felt was pain as the air touched her bare skin. Without thinking, the woman put her gun back into its holster as she grew claws from her fingernails, fangs lengthening until they were below her top lip and showing much more clearly. Her eyes swirled as they started to glow an unnerving ice blue color, her senses becoming sharper. Taking a deep breath from her mouth as she tasted the air. Her friends were in the rafters, waiting for her signal. Slowly, Mariko crouched down and prowled forward stealthily. The dark skinned man barker orders in his grand voice, cold eyes filled with glee as he took in her sister who writhed on the floor in pain. The two women made eye contact. That's when Mariko felt just a smidge of control slip, her predatory side hanging just beneath her human conscious. She whistled loudly to drag his attention to the shadows she stood in. His gap toothed smile broadened as he turned to stare into her blazing blue eyes. Except he'd always been immune to her soul piercing gaze.

"Ahh...Weapon 0, or do you go by Mariko now?" He crooned joyfully. As if they were discussing the weather instead of her test subject days. The other men suddenly turned, their guns aimed at her. Yet Mariko just grinned savagely as she stepped into the light. Regular bullets couldn't hurt her.

"Ezra Blackburn. You're supposed to be dead." She purred sweetly. Her sensitive ears heard the frantic heartbeats around her, smelt the fear, and even saw the sweat on a few of the men's brows

He chuckled, rubbing the scars she had gifted him as a necklace. A reminder that she couldn't be tamed. His eyes that were filled with an insane glee lifted to meet her lethally calm ones just as his a breeze gently pushed his sickening sweet scent her direction. A low growl rumbled through her chest as she lifted her lip into a snarl, nostrils flaring as she took a deep breath through her mouth. He wasn't just enhanced, but he was like her. Originally a mutant before becoming something much more powerful, only she had a feeling he did this voluntarily while her foster parent sold her for a few quick bucks. He smiled at her widely. Mariko watched with an unamused face as his teeth sharpened to point that would tear flesh to shreds like paper. Black, leathery wings emerged from his back, much like a bats yet thicker. Horns sprouted from his forehead before curling like a rams. She could tell that wasn't even a full shift, just a little preview of the monster beneath his mortal flesh. Mariko cocked her head to the side boldly,

"Is that it? I was expecting something a bit more...beastly..."

His grin wasn't short of terrifying, but the restrained Avengers had a feeling that she had seen worse when she smiled brightly. A look they had never been unfortunate enough to be at the receiving end of, because the way she smiled almost made them all shit themselves. Fangs and all, on display.

"Take care of them. Let me deal with her." He crooned, but still he had yet to match the strange edge she had over him.

She grinned playfully. Another look that set a deep rooted fear in all of them. He lunged just as she let out a shrill three note whistle, side stepping his brute force easily. White gas hissed from these round silver pellets that were thrown to the ground, giving her time to vanish within the smoke as two men with contrasting costumes dropped from the ceiling. One was dressed simply in red leather, a helmet with no possible way to see out of it that had two small horns on the top. The other was dressed entirely in white with a crescent moon line with black on his chest. Adamantium armor laced with Vibranium nearly impenetrable with a white shroud over that which owned a few holes and tears from near misses in his life as a vigilante. Mariko searched for the dark man that was now more beast, except he had somehow vanished. With a roar that rattled the stars she used the gas to her advantage as she easily ripped men apart with her claws, not bothering wither her sword her gun. Ezra had pissed her off just right without calling her a certain word. The feral woman didn't bother wiping the blood off of her face as the fight raged on. She twisted and twirled around bullets and small blades fluidly, as if she didn't have a single bone in her body. Her strikes, viscous as they were savage. No holding back with her strength as she threw men so hard at concrete their bodies broke. No holding back with her speed as she was just a blur within the shadows. Her scars burned in ghost pain as her temper raged on. When the smoke cleared, they all saw her covered in blood surrounded by bodies. Her eyes dulled back to nearly black brown, claws shrinking alongside her fangs. But they all could tell something had changed in the way she walked as she neared her sobbing sister. Seemingly able to pick up the blue woman without causing her any more discomfort. Ignoring the blood on her as she nodded to the two men behind her. Without a word they set to freeing Earth's Weakest Heroes.

Peter greeted the man in white weakly, "Hey Moony."

The man in white grunted a hello before he came up to her left, passing her to take the lead to the rooftop where a stolen SHIELD jet sat ready for them. Mariko set her sister carefully on a stretcher, watching sadly as the blue woman started to shift her features uncontrollably due to the pain,

"Let me." Murmured a faintly British voice with a bit of Norse laced within.

Loki stood a good few inches taller than her, but at the moment he seemed just as broken as her emotional sate was. At her firm nod, the God stood at where the blue woman's head rested. Placing his fingers at her temples while murmuring a spell underneath his breath. Mystique relaxed instantly, finally able to take a proper breath.

"As long as I'm in contact with her, I can dull her pain."

Mariko looked deep into his pale green eyes before turning to where the Avengers sat in their places, looking lost as well. Daredevil spoke without even trying to guess where she stood, for somehow she was always able to avoid his senses,

"I'm coming with you. This is much worse than you played it out to be, especially with Blackburn as the head of this new project."

Mariko still didn't speak, but she did place a hand on his shoulder before moving to sit next to the man dressed in white. He left the pilot seat open for her, starting the jet easily.

"We are not going back to the Tower." She spoke in a monotone voice, devoid of all emotion, "My Deathstalker discovered SHIELD has once again been compromised, even Pandora's Box isn't safe for us anymore."

"Where are we headed then?" Steve questioned,

"What about the others? And our loved ones?" Peter questioned.

"Their safe. We're headed to The Castle Base, which is where everyone is located." Then as an afterthought, "I'm sorry Peter but your family member is also there."

"Does she know?"

"No. So, I can only assume she's driving a friend of mine insane."

A light, bitter chuckle was heard from the young adult. Slowly, Mariko listed the jet into flight easily. Flying silently for a good long while until Stark ruined her peace,

"So, what's up with 'Spandex' and 'Dark and Brooking'?"

Mariko didn't even have to look over her shoulder to see Natasha had hit him over the head.