Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #9
Identity Politics
Drugged and left to be incinerated in the royal funeral, the Scorpion manages to escape the burning shrine, frightening the locals of Madripoor who have attended the parade. Armed guards think she is a political assassin and begin opening fire, forcing her to run for cover. That’s when she spots Troy Goddard, the young man who she met on the flight into Madripoor, and both recognize each other. As the Scorpion fights off the soldiers, Troy tosses her a dress. She then runs into the flames, as the smoke does not affect her, to put on the disguise. Carmilla then manages to escape with the other villagers. When she catches up with Troy later he is completely blown away by what Carmilla can do and assumes that she is some kind of superhero. Since she is actually on a mission for SHIELD to find her mother, Monica Rappaccini, the leader of AIM, she doesn’t deny Troy’s assumption. When they return to Carmilla’s hotel, the clerk at the front desk tells her that her mother was by and left her something. Carmilla is surprised t find that Monica left her birth certificate with a note written on the back, asking to meet at the observation tower in Petrim Park in Prague. Deflecting Troy’s questions about her family, Carmilla says the palace soldiers are probably still searching for them and suggests that they leave the country, sugging that they go to Prague.
At the airport, Carmilla is separated from Troy by one of the security guards who wants to screen her privately. However, this is just a cover so she can meet with her SHIELD handlers: Derek Khanata, Noriko Nagayoshi, and Ayna Sarvea. They want to know how she survived being injected with a lethal dose of muscle relaxant and was able to breathe in the smoke of a funeral pyre and live. After they take a blood sample and scan her body, Derek warns her to be vigilant around Troy Goddard, because something about his doesn’t add up, pointing out that a writer doesn’t typically have the money to suddenly travel from Madripoor to Prague at the drop of a hat.
Later, in Prague, Troy and Carmilla go out for drinks. There Troy suggests that Carmilla has a superhero name and when she suggests the Scorpion, Goddard points out that there is a villain who already calls himself that and makes a bunch of suggestions each worse than the last.[1] When he starts joking about making action figures, Carmilla tries to parlay this into asking how Troy is paying for his trip. Goddard gets very defensive and wants to know why she is suddenly interested in his life story. Overhearing this conversation are Derek Khanata and Ayna Sarvea. Ayna thinks that Troy probably has a girlfriend back home and expresses her hatred of men. The tense moment sours the trip and Carmilla and Troy decide to split up. While Carmilla is looking at a statue when she is suddenly approached by two SHIELD agents who order her to come with them. She refuses because she isn’t supposed to be meeting with her mother. When they try to force her, Carmilla breaks free from their grasp and escapes on a skateboard. Hearing all this, Derek Khanata is furious and asks his agents if these others are legit. Noriko says one of them, Ali Kokmen, was his training officer on the Helicarrier. Derek then orders his agents to prevent their colleagues from interfering with their mission. As Carmilla tries to escape, the SHIELD agents after her begin chasing her with one of SHIELD’s flying cars. As Carmilla evades the flying car, which is now shooting tranquilizer bullets at her, Derek Khanata and his unit confront Agent Kokmen and demands to know why they are interfering with his operation. By this point, Carmilla manages to get away from the SHIELD car by passing through an archway and cutting lose the cast iron gate onto the vehicle.
Free to move on her own again, Carmilla heads to the observation tower on time for her rendezvous with her mother. As she makes her way up, her SHEILD handlers watch from afar. Once she reaches the top, AIM manages to do a switch without the SHIELD agents noticing. By this point, Troy Goddard notices what time it is and when he turns to look for Carmilla he realizes that she’s long gone.
Recurring Characters
Scorpion, SHIELD (Derek Khanata, Noriko Nagayoshi, Ayna Sareva), Troy Goddard
Continuity Notes
He would be referring Mac Gargan who became the Scorpion back in Amazing Spider-Man #20. However, at the time of this story Mac has retired from his Scorpion identity after bonding with the Venom symbiote in Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #8.
