Pietro, Tony Stark, and James Rhodes.
These three were tasked with going after Madame Gao. Although The Fingers are a group that originally split from K'un-Lun, known for its mystical background, the only one known to wield such powers is Madame Gao.
Ideally, it would have been Wanda, but that was not possible. It was more prudent to send her after Alexandra Reid, the leader, to avoid any surprises.
Hulk, for example, also did not participate in this operation, since against enemies of this level, the uncontrolled destruction he generates would be more counterproductive than useful.
Even so, despite Madame Gao's powers, they were not excessively strong, which allowed this group to be designated to face her. In fact, it is the smallest team in S.H.I.E.L.D., and the reason is obvious: they did not need more.
As soon as they entered the house, a large group of ninjas attacked them. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents dealt with as many as they could, although it was difficult, since most aimed directly at the central group: Tony, Pietro, and Rhodes.
However, none of the ninjas managed to touch them. Forget landing a hit: anyone who got within two meters simply vanished before being able to do anything.
As the trio advanced toward Madame Gao's position, the path opened without major complications. It wasn't that they were welcomed, but Pietro handled everyone. That is also the reason for the scarcity of support agents: Pietro alone was practically invincible against normal or even enhanced opponents. Although his speed would be useless against someone at Hulk's level, against these ninjas nobody could even touch him.
In less than half a minute, the hallway in front of them was completely clear, and they entered the old house where Madame Gao awaited them.
She stood in the middle of a hall, waiting calmly, as if nothing could disturb her.
Suddenly, a yellow glow appeared around the old woman, and Pietro was thrown against the wall.
Tony, inside his armor, asked,
"Are you okay, kid?"
Pietro responded with difficulty,
"Yes… it's just that she has some kind of shield. Be careful."
"The chi," Madame Gao explained calmly, "is much more mysterious than you think. Your journey here makes no sense."
"Mysterious? I'm sure if I watch a few movies I'll figure out how it works."
Tony joked before firing several beams at her, followed by Rhodes from the air.
Both attacks were stopped by the woman's chi shield.
"Don't compare those movies to real mysticism," Gao replied, and threw a punch toward Tony.
The billionaire raised an eyebrow, confused,
"You know we are more than five metr…"
But before finishing the sentence, he felt as if he had been hit and was pushed backward.
"Okay, that's new," he said, quickly getting up to attack again.
Rhodes joined him, and soon the place was filled with smoke. When it cleared, the old woman remained unharmed.
Tony frowned,
"J.A.R.V.I.S., any ideas?"
'Sir, the target appears to be surrounded by an unknown energy that…'
"I know that part, tell me what comes next."
'According to the readings, the energy is concentrated around her, especially in the ground.'
"Show me."
A visor appeared in front of Tony, similar to thermal vision. Under the earth, massive energy roots connected to Madame Gao, which she absorbed.
"Cheating old lady, you're on top of a dragon vein."
"What is that?" Rhodes asked, confused.
"Chi comes from the earth. The cracks where it concentrates before emerging are called dragon veins. Didn't you prepare before the mission?"
"Prepare?" Rhodes asked, confused as he didn't remember Tony preparing. "Wait… you mean the Chinese novels you read before coming?"
The conversation was interrupted by another attack from Gao. A great pressure forced them to the ground, barely able to move.
"It doesn't matter if you know how it works. That won't help you defeat it," the old woman mocked.
Tony laughed
"Are you crazy? Knowing how something works is what allows you to study and control it."
He fired missiles at Gao.
"That's what we call science."
For more than five minutes, Tony and Rhodes bombarded her with missiles and energy beams, failing to penetrate her shield.
"Where is your science now, Stark?" Gao mocked.
"Thanks for asking. How are we doing, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"
'Full analysis, sir. Although the so-called chi is extremely powerful, the user's abilities are not at the same level. Both her shield and attacks use very little energy and dissipate quickly.'
"Skip to the part that matters."
'Affirmative. According to the analysis, the shield's power should not withstand the attacks it has received. What happens is that…''
"It doesn't withstand them: it simply regenerates very quickly."
At that moment, Gao caught Tony and pinned him to the ground.
"Even if you know how it works, that doesn't mean you can defeat me."
Tony smiled,
"How fast does your shield regenerate?"
The old woman bragged,
"Faster than anyone can perceive."
Stark's smile widened.
"Did you hear that, kid?"
A crack resonated and Gao's shield broke. Pietro appeared in front of her.
"Sounds like a challenge to me."
"Impossible!" she shouted. "Even if you were fast enough to break it, it should regenerate. Why isn't it?"
Pietro smiled, his body vibrating at such speed it seemed to blur into multiple projections.
"Because I'm still hitting it."
With the shield destroyed, Gao backed up seeking distance. But against Pietro's speed, she couldn't escape.
"How's it going?" Tony asked.
"It regenerates very fast, I have to keep hitting without stopping. I can't do much else."
"Understood. Then it's our turn to deal with the old lady."
Now unprotected, Tony and Rhodes managed to harm her, throwing her against the wall and through it in the process. Gao used the momentum to try to escape.
Tony noticed and fired a missile.
The old woman didn't worry. She wrapped her hands in chi and, as if performing a dance, guided the missile, gently redirecting it. The projectile changed direction and came back toward Tony.
The billionaire clicked his tongue.
"What happened to not comparing real mysticism to movies? I saw that in Kung Fu Panda."
But he wasn't the only one able to redirect it. Pietro intercepted it before it exploded, spun it in midair, and sent it back toward Gao.
Unable to react in time, she was caught in the explosion and died instantly.
Tony and Rhodes landed beside her body.
Rhodes looked at him.
"Seriously, Kung Fu Panda?"
"It's a good movie," Tony defended himself before getting serious. "Tell a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to take care of the body."
"I'll do it," Pietro said. He was about to run when Tony stopped him.
"Something wrong?"
"You did well, kid. You can rest now."
Pietro nodded again. After notifying an agent, he sat down to catch his breath.
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+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
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(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)