Hi, everyone. Well, here's the latest chapter. Unfortunately, this chapter comes after the sudden and shocking death of a great action star of the 80's and WWE Pro; Roddy Piper. I quoted Roddy back in the first Spec Ops Story's final chapter, and I will certainly miss him now that he's gone. I just needed to get that out of my system, and we should all pray for his family. With that said, on with the description for this chapter. I know we've missed a lot of Princess/Cal moments, but here they are again with a little more of their backstory ready to be revealed. Fair warning though; some of the stuff I've hinted at with Princess's past has built up to this and it also ties in with Katie's backstory when she talked to Arthur back in the first Spec Ops Story during the chapter 'Purple Haze.' You might want to look back at that and then this for small drops as to where Katie's destiny will lead her. In addition, we'll be picking up with Tyler and learn just what it is he plans to do with his Mother. Also, I would like to welcome a new latecomer OC courtesy of stormrunner74. You'll see what happens here. Anyways, hope you enjoy. As always, I own NOTHING but my OC's. This is for FAN-Purposes only, so PLEASE don't sue!
….
An Unknown HYDRA Base…
Princess had to admit that it was nice of HYDRA to retrieve her snake. Of course, the guys had to use steel mittens because every time they got close to her pet, it instantly lashed out at them. Fortunately, they had brought her here alive and well. Princess instantly gave her snake a pat on the head as it bowed humbly and then turned her attention back to Cal and Whitehall. Cal was just explaining the use of the Diviner. Apparently HYDRA had believed it was just a simple weapon that aliens had left behind, and believed they could use it to conquer everyone.
How typical of them. See an ancient artifact imminently assume aliens made it and that the artifact was theirs to use.
"Conquer?" Cal asked, "You heard 'Conquer?' I think you got a bad translation. The way I understand it, it was 'end' - to end mankind. Sparing a chosen few, needless to say."
"Hmm. And that's why it's called the Diviner." Whitehall noted.
"Of course!" Princess declared as everyone looked at her, "Of course it's not a weapon! Have you ever seen a film where the aliens come down, leave the weapon and the keys in there, and then just screw off and not come back to turn it against everyone else?! No! That's why you don't see people casually picking up Thor's supposed alien hammer and carrying it around everywhere!"
"Princess, please!" Cal warned.
Princess took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Sorry." She said, "I'm just a little tense. As is to be expected."
"Very well." Whitehall said, "Then if it helps, would you please leave the room until you have calmed down?"
Princess stood up and left the room taking her pet snake with her, before going into one of the hospitality bedrooms. She sat back in the bed and wondered how everything led to this moment in her life.
….
China,
A Few Years Ago…
Princess was an entirely different woman from whom she was now back then. She was young and looking into becoming a veterinarian. In her youth, she had parents who had wanted a son instead of a daughter, but Princess eventually worked her way through school and through a one-in-a-million school raffle, won enough money to go overseas to work in China on a special veterinarian seminar so-to-speak. Back then, Princess had her hair more curled and brown and she actually wore large black framed glasses. It was that one day when she overslept and missed her bus to go to the place where the seminars were held that she met Cal. She had frantically run up-and-down the streets trying to get someone to help give her a lift, but to her disappointment, no one really bothered to help her. That is, until Cal had been driving by and nearly ran over her while she was screaming and waving in the middle of the street. After apologies had been made, Cal introduced himself and kindly gave her the ride she needed. As luck would have it, Cal was actually staying not too far away from where Princess's hotel was.
It was a month later that Princess decided she would meet up with Cal for drinks in the hotel's bar. She had picked out her best green dress that she had brought from this country and was waiting for him to arrive when she heard footsteps approaching behind her. Turning around, there was Cal except he was joined by two other people. There was a Chinese Woman with brown eyes and hair, and there was a Caucasian man with slicked back black hair whom she was helping along. The man seemed nervous as the Chinese woman helped him, almost as if he'd never been outside of his house before.
"Princess!" Cal said happily, "Glad to see you're here. This is my lovely wife, Jiaying."
"How do you do?" The Chinese woman said, stretching out her hand.
Princess shook it unsurely, and the woman shook it back.
"I...uh…" Princess admitted, "I didn't know Cal was married."
"Well, it never came up in the conversation, but details and all." Cal smiled.
"So who's your friend?" Princess asked.
"This is Henry Ryan." Jiaying explained, "I work with him. He's…special and needs help at times. I was actually surprised myself when Cal said he wanted me to join you, but I decided I'd bring Henry along. He's actually an orphan. His parents died when he was younger and he's very shy as a result. But I thought perhaps talking with someone else might help."
Princess nodded and eventually, she and Henry found themselves after a couple of shots going up to the roof without Jiaying or Cal. Nobody could really stop them since anyone could go up in this hotel if they wanted. But it was just a breathtaking sight from the top. The cool air breeze, the small lights from the town bellow, it all seemed like something out of a fairytale.
"So you're name's not really Princess, is it?" Henry finally asked, taking a swing of the beer he and Princess had taken from downstairs.
"Ha-ha! No." Princess replied, taking a swing of her own beer, "I just changed it because it was the name my parents gave me, and I wanted to try and get rid of any ties to them."
"Why?" Henry asked.
Princess finished her beer and then sighed.
"They always wanted a boy instead of a girl." She explained, "Every day they'd beg me to go try out for the girl's swimming team, or go join the soccer team. I guess they hoped I'd be a tomboy at the very least. However, my passion was in helping animals."
She paused and thought back on something she never realized so long ago.
"See," She continued, "One day I saw an injured dog on the streets with a little kid yelling for me to help. I just got down and managed to give it CPR by finding out where it was breathing and then working my way from there. I barely managed to save it, but it lived. I actually felt like I was worth something."
"And your parents didn't feel the same way?" Henry asked.
"No." Princess answered, "They just laughed at me and said to get with the times. That's why when I won the school money raffle, I imminently went as far away as I could from them so I could start over."
She sighed. She was beginning to feel why she had asked Cal to join her, but seeing as how she had talked this far, she might as well tell Henry.
"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked, "It's something I've been keeping to myself for about a week or two before I called Cal to meet with him."
"Sure." Henry shrugged.
Princess nodded.
"My parents just died." She explained, "I know it sounds shellfish to say, especially after you lost yours and probably don't even remember them…but I just found out about two weeks ago. They were driving to see my Aunt and it was late. Dad apparently had a stroke on the wheel as they were pulling up and they…"
She covered her eyes with her hands as Henry held her tightly.
"They all died…" Princess sobbed, "All my family is dead. I want to go back and see them, but I'm worried that if I do, everything I worked for, all my classes…it'll be for nothing. You see where I'm coming from?"
"I do." Henry said, patting her back, "I do. I might not've known my parents, but Jiaying has been like a mother to me. Apparently they died trying to protect me."
Princess looked up at him confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Can I tell you a secret?" He asked.
Princess nodded.
"Look down." He told her.
Princess did so and gasped. Where she had expected to see the floor of the apartment, instead she saw the entire village a good number of feet below them. Princess's mouth hung open as she held onto Henry tightly for dear life.
"Henry…" She asked, "How…?!"
"Don't be scared." He assured.
Princess looked at him funny.
"Scared?!" She asked, amazed, "How can I be scared?! This…this is incredible!"
Henry looked shocked.
"You're…you're not scared?" He asked.
"No!" She declared, "This is amazing! How are you doing this?!"
"I'm not supposed to say." Henry admitted, "But since you have a right to know, I'm part of a select number of special individuals. It's a group where we end up going through a mist that alters our DNA and gives us random abilities. My parents died protecting me from some men who tried taking in our grandparents. Fortunately, I was saved by Jiaying and her people who took me in and showed me how to use my ability after it developed."
Princess waited to take all this in.
"So Jiaying has one of these powers too?" She asked.
"Yeah." Henry admitted, "She's a healer."
Princess nodded again.
"Why are you telling me all this?" She asked, "I think you've made it sound like you could get in serious trouble for explaining all this to me."
Henry sighed.
"It's because hearing your story." He admitted, "It's reminded me of an important lesson my people have; always stick together. And you seem like someone who needs someone who they can talk to and trust."
Princess nodded.
"Thank you." She said.
"I'll go with you, if you want." He explained.
"What?" She asked.
"I can fly you back to America if you want to go visit your family one last time and then we can come back here." He explained, "Unless you'd rather…"
"No." She said, simply, "No, we can do that. Thank you, Henry."
Henry nodded.
"So, shall we go back down now?" He asked.
"Not yet." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, "Let's just stay up here a while."
"Really?" He asked.
Princess nodded.
"What should we talk about then?" He asked.
Princess smiled.
"Nothing." She told him, simply, "Let's just…enjoy the moment while it lasts."
He nodded. Soon, he picked her legs up with another hand and then cradled her in his arms. Princess never felt so happy to be able to speak to someone who was so understanding. Deep down, she was beginning to feel something for Henry.
It was love.
….
Richmond, London
The Present-Day…
Annastasia Boateng sat at the table as Tyler paced back and forth with the phone. He had made a few calls and threatened to blow up some detonators he had laid out if anyone tried anything. That included his Mother attempting to leave. He hadn't said where he placed the detonators, but if he didn't get his way, then any place on the map could get blown up from Big Ben to the Great Wall. Annastasia never believed her son could go this far, even after she had heard the news from what remained of S.H.I.E.L.D. that her son had been working for HYDRA this entire time. It scared her to her core.
"Tyler." She begged, "Please, think of what your doing. Think of your father, Tyler!"
"I am thinking about him, Mum." Tyler explained, checking the windows by the front house, "That's why I'm here now, in fact."
"You're not a bad person, Tyler." Annastasia urged, "You can still give it up and turn yourselves in."
"I didn't travel all this far, and kill so many people just to be put back in a cell." Tyler explained, "And I know you won't risk anyone else's life as long as I hold all the cards."
He looked at her seriously.
"I assume you think I'm doing this because I still stand by what I did for HYDRA." He explained, "The truth of the matter is that I'm done with HYDRA. I'm done with S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm done with taking orders from others. Right now, it's all about the two of us."
He leaned over next to her.
"In a few hours," He explained, "We'll be free from everyone and it'll just be the two of us as a happy family."
….
Meanwhile,
Heathrow Airport…
Franco never thought he'd ever go to London. When he was with the Mafia, he always figured he would be stuck where he was for the rest of his life, and that feeling only grew during the time he was kept with HYDRA. But surprisingly, as much as he still had some trust issues with S.H.I.E.L.D., he had to give them credit where it was due, it seemed like being an agent (or an asset in his case) had its benefits.
Unfortunately he wasn't here for sightseeing. It turned out that they just got word that the insane Brit Agent who secretly worked for HYDRA had escaped from his captivity and was just spotted in his mother's house making demands or else he'd blow up some nukes stashed away god-knows-where.
Arthur had called Franco up almost imminently after he heard the news and set him up with a cover story. Apparently, he was a liaison to Brigadier-General Glenn Talbot to take control of the situation seeing as how this Tyler Boateng nut was former HYDRA, and thus it made it an international incident. From there, Franco's task was simple; neutralize the threat, and take Tyler back home before anything else bad happened. It was bad enough that Senator Christian Ward went missing a couple hours ago (no doubt his little HYDRA brother most likely), and it seemed everyone agreed that they would NOT let another case tied to the US Government fail to make them look bad. This is where Franco came in. Tyler had known most of the people who joined except a handful like Franco who were only called to the scene if the situation was dire. Thus, Franco would be the best option for getting Tyler back in one piece.
Franco walked out of the airport until he saw his private car and got in, mentally preparing himself to face-down this maniac he was going to encounter. As the car left, he failed to notice a mysterious hooded figure following on a motorcycle.
….
Australia,
A Few Years Ago…
The Funeral was hard on Princess, but it was easy to get through with Henry at her side. She managed to say her farewells and then was back off to China to finish her Vet training. It went well and soon enough, she and Henry moved to Australia to open a little vet shop. Cal kept in contact with her, as did Jiaying. Apparently, things went over surprisingly well with them and even allowed Henry to marry Princess. Their wedding was in the hidden community that Henry had grown up in called 'Afterlife,' which was a hidden village which could only be located via transportation from a young man named 'Gordon' who was a teleporter, but whose transformation through the mist left him without his eyes. Fortunately, Jiaying had helped him adapt to this so Princess didn't have to worry about accidently being transported into a volcano or anything like that.
The wedding itself had been something out of a fairytale. While Henry had a fine suit made for him, Princess was given Jiaying's own wedding gown. She was worried at first about how these sheltered people might react to a human amongst them, but Jiaying personally vouched for Princess and so nobody questioned her presence and was very supportive of her as Cal helped her down the aisles seeing as she unfortunately had nobody in her family left to escort her. After the wedding, the two took a brief honeymoon to London before settling down in Australia to build their new home. Her mother and father had once told her that life would not be like a fairy tale for her, but as far as Princess was concerned, she was living one right now. She had a wonderful husband, a beautiful home, some supportive and powerful friends…everything she could ever ask for and more. For what seemed to once be impossible, Princess had found happiness with Henry. Since they built their home in Australia and set up their little Vet Clinic, Princess's business had been booming, but a few months ago she discovered there would be another thing booming soon.
Princess smiled as she walked down the steps of their house. She was dressed in a white silk robe and smiled as her husband came to greet her. He was already up making eggs for her in the kitchen when she walked into the room. He nodded as he placed his hand on her stomach. It was tight and bulging, with Princess already on the eighth month of her pregnancy.
Unfortunately, they had no idea how they were going to deliver the baby. They had tried contacting Jiaying and Cal as soon as they discovered they would be having a baby, but neither had heard from them in a while. Rumor had it that Jiaying had a child herself recently, but with nobody from Afterlife coming to visit, they had no idea what to do. All they knew so far when they went for normal treatment was that the child was going to be a girl. It was unclear however, whether that girl would be healthy or not.
"It's all right, Henry." Princess laughed as he put his hand off of her, "I can tell when you're worried. I'm sure Jiaying and Cal are doing just fine."
"I hope so…" Henry said, "So have you thought more on the name yet?"
Princess was about to answer but at that moment, the front doors of the house were blown open. Henry quickly got ontop of Princess and shielded her. The windows were then shattered as men in dark army gear stormed the house. Before anyone knew what was happening, Henry was taken away from Princess and slugged in the gut.
"HENRY!" She screamed.
The men put a sack over his head and most of them left with him, while a few stayed behind.
"Who's this woman?" One of the guys asked.
"WHERE DID YOU TAKE MY HUSBAND?!" Princess screamed, hysterically.
"I think it's his wife." One of them guessed, "Normal human. Should we take her out?"
Before anyone could say or do anything else, the backroom door was flung open as Cal rushed in there with a machine gun. Some of the soldiers loosened their grip on Princess enough for her to push them off her. Seeing as how one of them was getting ready to fire at her, Princess slid down, throwing a fist up as she passed between the guy's legs. The guy fell over and she grabbed the gun, running outside in time to see Henry being put in the helicopter.
"HENRY!" She screamed.
Unfortunately, the soldiers heard her and shut the door as the copter took off. What happened next seemed almost like a blur to Princess. Perhaps it was fight or flight reaction, but seeing as how some men were advancing towards her with guns, Princess raised her firearm and began shooting as many as she could. She ignored everything going around her. She wanted them to suffer for screwing with her on a happy day like today.
Soon enough, she had felled all of them and dropped her weapon, taking a moment to breathe. However, she then heard Cal screaming from behind her.
"PRINCESS LOOK OUT!" He yelled.
She turned around just in time to see him knock into one last soldier who was aiming a gun at her. However, the shot fired and Princess found her right elbow grazed. She felt dazed and before she knew it, she fell to the ground unconscious. She didn't know how long she passed out for, but all the while, she kept imagining the unknown assailants breaking into her home and stealing her happiness away from her.
When she awoke later, she found Cal kneeling over her.
"Princess!" He declared, "Oh, thank god. You made it."
"Cal…" She said weakly.
Suddenly, she remembered everything that happened and quickly sat upright only to find her lower body was in tremendous pain.
"Cal…" She groaned, trying to get all the answers out at once, "What happened?! Where's Henry?! What's going on?!"
"Princess!" Cal demanded, "Calm down. I'll explain everything, but you need to calm down."
Princess took a deep breath and then nodded.
"Okay." She declared, "What's going on?"
"That was HYDRA." Cal explained, sadly.
"HYDRA?!" Princess asked, amazed, "But how?! I thought they were defeated around the end of World War II!"
"So did a lot of people." Cal admitted, "They took Jiaying and I've been tracking them for a while. I had no idea they were going after Henry. I didn't even know you two had built a home here, and I'm sorry I didn't try to get in touch sooner. But I promise you, I'll make it up to you."
"Cal…" Princess asked, groaning, "Why is my lower body in pain?"
Cal sighed.
"When you were hit," He explained, "Your body was operating involuntarily and your water broke…"
Princess's eyes widened.
"My baby!" She declared frantically, "What's happened to my baby?!"
"Calm down, Princess…" Cal said reaching behind him and handing something incredible over to her.
It was a small infant wrapped in Cal's own coat.
"Oh…my…god…" Princess cried cradling the child close to her, "Cal…"
She looked at the child regrettably.
"Cal…I can't keep her." She said.
Cal looked at her shocked.
"What?!" He demanded.
"I can't keep her here when some goddamn Nazis are out there doing who knows what to my husband. I need to keep her safe. We need to send her to an orphanage in America. Switch things up." Princess said, holding the child close for what would probably be the last time.
"Wait, why?!" Cal asked.
Princess looked at him seriously.
"Because I'm going with you." She said, with determination in her voice.
"No." Cal replied, "Out of the question."
"I already said those guys have Henry." Princess replied, "I'm not stopping until I'm with him again. Nothing you or anyone else will say or do is going to change that."
Cal wanted to argue, but he could see Princess was 100% committed to her plan, and he shouldn't argue with her.
"All right." He nodded, "But let's get that child back home first like you said."
"Right." Princess replied.
"So what's her name anyways?"
Princess looked at her daughter and nodded.
"Tracey." She said, "After my Mom."
….
Richmond, London
Outside the home of Annastasia Boateng
Present-Day…
Franco pulled up in front of the house of Tyler's Mom and saw the millions of British Police Cars assembled in front of the house. He took a moment to prepare himself before he stepped out and approached a tall-looking guy with a medium-sized beard and uniform which indicated him as the highest authority. As he saw Franco approaching, he looked at him shocked.
"Excuse me!" He declared as if Franco was a maniac, "Sir, this is a serious crime scene here."
"Alright, Sir." Franco nodded, taking out the fake credentials he had found in the car left for him by Arthur, "I'm Agent Rodrick Ramone, liaison to Brigadier-General Glenn Talbot. I'm not sure if you're aware, but the man in there is affiliated with HYDRA, and therefore it falls within my jurisdiction to asses and diffuse the situation before things get completely out of hand."
The officer looked at him amazed, as the credentials passed like a charm, before shaking his hand.
"I'm sorry, sir." He said, "I'm Chief Superintendent Simon Wright."
"It's all right." Franco assured, "We were shocked ourselves when we found this information out. Just give me the situation, so I can help coordinate you lot better."
"Well," Simon explained, "We'd usually call in the Chief Officer to coordinate with you, but since he's sick and you seem to have the most authority here, this is what you need to know; he's a one-man kidnapper in there. We believe he's with his mother in the downstairs kitchen in the back of the house. How do you think we should proceed?"
Franco thought for a few minutes, before he finally turned to face the Chief Superintendent.
"Okay." He said, "Set up a few men around the back and tell them to find some good cover. You lot back up to give the guy some space as I try to talk him out. My orders are to bring him in quietly and in one piece. I think we can all agree it'd work better if he believe we give into him first. Wait for me to give the signal and then you all start shooting some tranq darts into his system at the first word I give."
"Right, sir." The Chief Superintendent nodded.
In a few moments everything was in place. Next, Franco was given a loudspeaker after kindly asking for one and spoke into there with loud and purposeful authority.
"Hello!" He called, into the loudspeaker, "This is special agent Rodrick Ramone. I'm here to discuss your terms that you wished us to give you, in return for the safety of the woman you are holding, and for the assurance that you will not activate your bombs. Please approach the window so we may discuss this like civilized men."
….
Inside…
"All right, Mom." Tyler said, pulling his mother up from her chair, "That's our cue."
"Tyler, please!" She said, "You can't force me to do this!"
"I already made you do something once before, Mom." Tyler explained, "And I will NOT let you get killed because of my mistake."
Annastasia looked at her son amazed.
"What?" She asked.
"Why do you think I made you stay so far away from everyone after I joined S.H.I.E.L.D., Mom?" He asked, "Why do you think I insisted you never see anyone again? Why do you think that I insisted you stick to your regular phone instead of using the new HAMMER Phones? I did it to keep you safe, Mom. I made that my only condition to Igraine when I agreed to help her and HYDRA. I would only do the job if they spared your life."
Annastasia continued to look at her son shocked as he nodded.
"It wasn't easy, but I did it." He explained, "If it had worked, you would've seen how much better the world would've been…"
He was cut off when Annastasia slapped him across the face.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed, tears starting to flow from her cheeks, "YOU DON'T GET TO SAY THAT! YOU'RE NOT THE SON I RAISED! HE WAS PERFECT, CAREFREE, AND VALUED HUMAN LIFE AS MUCH AS HIS OWN!"
She took deep breaths before continuing to speak.
"I'm ashamed to have been your mother and I wish I had known what you'd become." She spat, "I would've ended you then, but now…I'm leaving you, Tyler."
She began to walk away, when she noticed he had grabbed her arm.
She looked at him with pity.
"Tyler, please." She said, forcefully, "You just said yourself you don't have the courage to kill me."
Tyler let go as she began to walk out. However, Tyler still had his last ace in the hole, and pulled out his detonator.
"I still have this!" He said, "You walk out that door, and I will blow something up!"
"I'd like to see you try." She replied, now beginning to doubt he even planted any bombs at all.
"ONE!" Tyler yelled, with a warning.
However, as she reached the back door, she saw something through one of the windows. It was a red beam of light. Tracing the pathway, she saw to her horror that it was over Tyler's heart, and he wasn't paying attention because he was still focused on her.
"TWO!" He declared.
At that moment, Annastasia wasn't sure why she did what she did next. Perhaps it was because she was still Tyler's mother and she still cared for him no matter what. Maybe it was because with all the meaningless death and carnage that went on in the world these days, she didn't want to see it happen to anyone else. Whatever the case, Annastasia leapt in front of the target. Tyler looked surprised, but his surprise was replaced with fear when he heard a shot fired. The next thing that happened was the glass from the window his Mom had moved in front of broke. Then a sickening sound could be heard of a bullet hitting a target. Tyler looked in shock as did his Mom at what had happened.
Then a small red stain began to grow over her heart. Annastasia Tyler then dropped to the ground, dead.
"MOM!" Tyler screamed, horrified, "NO!"
This couldn't be happening. It was like someone had walked in, ripped his heart from his chest, and ate it with sadistic glee. Tyler's whole world had been stolen from him again. He only felt this way once before and it was when he learned his own Father had died. Tyler was now all alone and had nothing left to care for anymore. Desmond was alive, but they had brainwashed him into being a loyal agent to S.H.I.E.L.D. Tyler had no one left who believed in him.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated and he checked it. It was from Ward.
'Troubles? HYDRA can help you. This time for real. Come to this address within 24 Hours. If not, then you're on your own.'
Following that, there were coordinates which was no doubt HYDRA's new HQ. Tyler sat on his knees for a minute before deciding. He didn't like the idea of working again so soon, but seeing as how he was a man without a mission and he sure as hell didn't want to be taking orders from Arthur again, he felt his best bet was to regroup with HYDRA.
Suddenly, he heard people approaching from outside. No doubt the people he called, deciding the time for diplomacy was over. That worked fine. Diplomacy was over for him as well. He pressed the trigger button and waited.
…
Outside…
Franco didn't know what the hell just happened, but the minute he heard what had to be a sniper followed but a scream, he knew he had to get everyone inside and apprehend Tyler as soon as possible.
As he took one step forward, he felt something underneath the ground. Pausing, he listened closely and his eyes widened when he heard a beeping noise.
"BACK!" He screamed, "HE BOOBY-TRAPPED THE OUTDOORS AROUND THE HOUSE, GET BACK!"
Everyone quickly did so, but Franco knew there wouldn't be enough time to survive the blast. He had to use his powers, but do so in a way that no one would notice.
Acting quickly, he concentrated as hard as he could and began to move the earth beneath them in order to push the bombs down further into the ground. He kept pushing quickly, not knowing when they'd go off, or how powerful an explosion they'd give off.
Eventually, the ground beneath them exploded, but it was not one of great flames which would've engulfed them all. Instead, it merely sent them flying back on their asses, leaving most unconscious. However, all the tests and all the workouts he had done after leaving that HYDRA hellhole allowed Franco to get back on his two feet just in time to see Tyler leaving the house. With that, Franco gave chase into the forest behind his house. Running faster, Franco almost thought he had caught him when Tyler spun around, aiming a gun at his head.
"You know, even for a special agent to Talbot, you seem overly-obsessed over trying to take me in." Tyler pointed out, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were another kind of agent."
Well shit. Franco thought to himself.
Before anyone could say anything else, however, Tyler found himself collapsing to the ground as a bullet hit his knee, causing him to go down.
It was then that another new face joined the party. From the trees above, a mysterious figure dressed in black landed on his two feet and rose so that Franco could see him clearly. He looked as though he was around 28, with short black hair, and had icy blue eyes. Along his jawline was a scar, and he was wearing a black bodysuit stocked to the brim with weapons and explosives.
Before Franco could say anything else, the man pulled a Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife from his boot and held it to Tyler's throat.
"Woah!" Franco said, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"This man is HYDRA." The newcomer explained, "He deserves to die!"
"Yeah." Franco explained, sarcastically, "See, that's the thing. He's a HYDRA Agent and he's a piece of crap, yes, but he needs to live. Personal business, I hope you can understand that."
"I'm afraid I can't." The man shot back without a hint of humor in his voice, "Now get lost! This kill's mine!"
Before the man could cut Tyler's throat, he found himself knocked back by a rock that seemed to come from nowhere. The man was sent flying back until he hit a tree, and then groaned as he got back on his feet. He could see Franco, using his powers to create a stone shield and sword.
"I'm afraid I can't let you take this man, or explain why I can't let you take this man." Franco explained, "Now you either leave now, or I'll put you down."
The man responded by pulling out a Sig P226 pistol, and firing at Franco. Franco blocked with his stone shield, but it was clear that this nut was gonna break on through eventually. So Franco pushed forward and slashed at the guy's chest, causing a noticeable wound that wouldn't hurt him, but cause the newcomer to stagger back. Franco turned his sword into a rock knuckleduster and prepared to take him out, but was stopped when the newcomer fired his gun into Franco's chest, causing him to focus more on what was at hand at this moment.
"You're good…" Franco acknowledged.
"Not good…" The newcomer admitted, "The greatest."
"We'll see…"
With that, Franco swept around at the guy's feet, sending him landing on his back and on the ground. With that, Franco gave a swift boot to the head, not enough to kill him, but enough to knock him out. Smirking, he went back to get Tyler but saw to his horror that Tyler was long gone.
Arthur's going to kill me… Franco thought to himself, but then looked back at the mysterious attacker.
Then again… He thought, realizing something.
….
The Playground,
Later…
The man woke up to find he was in a metal chair and cuffed to said chair. In front of him was a desk and another chair at the end of the desk. Suddenly the door opened and in walked a man in his mid-twenties with short red hair holding a folder. He smiled as he took a seat at the opposite end.
"Jason Steele." The man said, "My name is Arthur Williams. Might I say it's an honor and relief to see you alive and well."
Jason stopped as Arthur opened the file.
"You are a tough man to find, though." Arthur explained, "We've been looking for you and your brother ever since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. You were a good agent before everything went wrong. You and your brother were part of the 42 Commando Unit British Royal Marines, then you were a sniper for them, and then you both worked as agents for S.H.I.E.L.D. where you had a lovely girlfriend who was a good hacker for us before she got killed by HYDRA the day everything changed. From there, we had no idea where you were or what you were doing. Now we know most of the missing parts until now. You've been killing HYDRA Agents all over North America. You know HYDRA actually refers to you as 'The Lone Wolf?' True story."
He put the file down and looked at him sternly, all manners of cheerfulness gone.
"Then we find you over in London where you shot and killed Tyler's Mother. Then when one of my friends who knows a guy, who knows another guy brought you in, you were apparently mumbling some kind of coordinates that we believe are of use to us. You want to explain why?"
Jason looked at Arthur seriously and gave a long drawn out sigh.
"I don't know what happened." He admitted, "I was hunting HYDRA in the States and then the next thing I knew, I woke up fighting that friend of yours."
"So someone put you up to this against your will." Arthur pointed out, "And since I doubt it's Asgard, I feel as though it's going to be something much worse than HYDRA on the horizon. Unfortunately, you let someone real important get away, but we're convincing the US Government to let us find something that could make up for that. Of course, what happens next is going to be your choice."
Jason looked at him suspiciously.
"What is my choice?" He asked.
"Well," Arthur said, "There are two options here, Mr. Steele. One is that you get thrown in one of the worst prisons in existence that makes every S.H.I.E.L.D. Jail Cell look like Guantanamo Bay, and makes Guantanamo Bay look like a nice day at the beach. You'll be locked up with some of the worst criminals, under constant surveillance and monitoring, unable to get into any fights with anyone until you die. The penalty for trying to escape from said prison is usually death by an electric chair and I really don't think you want that considering the other alternative I'm going to give you."
"And what alternative is that?" Jason asked.
Arthur grinned.
"A chance to rejoin S.H.I.E.L.D." Arthur said, simply, "You say yes to this, and we'll forget the whole fight ever happened. You'll be back on my team, being able to work with some of the best weapons and gadgets we have available. Plus, if you ever get caught, I have a few connections. Say if you were put in a cell, you might find some guards who just happen to win the lottery at the same time and leave the place empty and tools for you to use to escape."
Jason nodded. He had to admit, he was intrigued.
"And I promise you this above all else." Arthur added, becoming serious, "I will move heaven and earth to try and help find any other S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent out there still missing which includes your brother. Because one family was ripped apart tonight, and that shouldn't mean that you have to loose yours forever."
Jason sat there, but eventually smirked at Arthur.
…...
Later…
Katie had to admit it was weird that they were already picking up yet another new agent so late into the game. But it seemed they were going to need all the help they could get. Now that there was someone with powers and abilities in the game, they had to move up the time-table and find whatever it was that strange map led to. Fortunately, Coulson and his team had returned and finally had a location for where the map matched up in.
So why had Coulson called Katie in to talk to her after speaking with Arthur? She honestly had no idea.
As she took a seat, she took a deep breath, having a feeling she wasn't going to like where this was headed.
"I ran into Skye's Dad." Phil explained.
Katie looked at him shocked.
"What?" Katie asked.
"I ran into him when we were pinpointing the signal for the location of the map." Coulson continued.
"Sir…" Katie asked, "Why are you telling me this…"
"Because apparently he said he met you when I spoke to him." Phil answered.
Katie's heart froze.
"When?!" She demanded.
"He said it was during the mission your team had in San Diego." Phil continued, "He said that he had a good chat with you."
Katie's heart began to sink even further. The guy who said he had helped give birth to her. That was Skye's dad. But she couldn't tell anyone still. Part of her wanted to tell Phil, she wanted to spill everything that happened out, but knew it would only lead to bad places. Plus, it would mean putting more stress on Arthur, and she was sure that he didn't want to go through another parent problem again.
So instead, Katie lied to him.
"No, sir." She told him, "I don't believe we ever met. There were a lot of people at the convention and I can't say for sure I ever had prolonged contact with him."
"Are you sure?" Phil asked.
"Yes." She nodded.
"Very well." Phil replied, "I think that's all for today. Dismissed, Agent Sheila."
Katie left and imminently ran into her room and grabbed her pillow which she sobbed into. She felt her whole world was diminishing and there were few people she could trust. She only hoped this mission would put an end to it, and then she'd be able to leave her mother behind.
…
Austria,
A Few Years Ago…
It had been a few years since they last saw Princess's child, but their leads had brought them to Austria where someone said they might've seen something. Cal lead the way, and then told Zelda to wait as he checked the surroundings. As he moved forward he saw something and ran ahead. He looked down horrified to see his wife's corpse, having been cut open and left to rot here in the fields bellow. He held his wife closely to him. He was sure he could fix her, but he'd need the right time and equipment to do so. But he made a vow that day. He swore that he would tear apart the man who tore his own world apart.
Then Cal saw something out of the corner of his eye. A hand which bore a ring on there that he recognized from a wedding he and Jiaying had held at Afterlife years prior.
"Cal, what is it?!" Princess asked.
"Princess, don't look!" Cal warned.
He knew how distraught Princess had gotten in the past few years. They both had to harden themselves to get this far, but both of them would keep the other in-check if things went too far. However, Zelda had changed the most from this experience. She had become more violent and more rage-prone than Cal could've ever imagined in recent years. Additionally, she had stopped caring for her hair and dyed it blonde at some point, and even began wearing contact lenses. However, her main concern seemed to be finding Henry and seeing him like this would surely break her.
However, Princess was still moving forward as Cal tried to hold her back. Unfortunately, she caught sight of the hand and noticed the ring on the finger as her eyes widened.
"No…" She whispered, her eyes beginning to shed tears.
He couldn't be…not after everything they went through…
"HENRY!" She screamed, pushing Cal back with all the force of a football athlete.
Running over to the hand, she dropped to her knees and cried when she saw what it was. Her husband had been cut into different pieces with various wounds in different body parts. His head was left there with half of the skin on the right side missing along with an eyeball. His brains had also spilled all over the ground and different cuts had run up and down all of his severed body parts with various muscle, skin, and organs leaking out from there. It was a gruesome sight and Princess felt completely devastated by what she had to come to terms with now. All of those years looking for Henry…she had failed. He was dead and there was nothing she could do to bring him back.
She cried, holding his hand with the ring still on it tightly as Cal went over to her.
"Princess!" He declared, "I'm sorry. I really am sorry! But Henry's dead. We can't bring him back, but we can get revenge on the people who stole our lives from us. I have an idea, but we're going to need to fix Jiaying in order to make it work. In order to do that, I'm going to need your help. I'm sorry that I can't fix Henry, but I can fix Jiaying and MAYBE we can make the ones who did this to us pay. I just need you to trust me…as a friend. Like Henry did for you."
Princess remained there, as she remembered what Henry had told her when he revealed his powers to her.
'Always important to stick together.'
Princess nodded, slowly taking the ring from Henry's dead corpse and putting it in her pocket.
"Okay, Cal." She said, softly, "I'll help. But you have to promise me something as well."
"What?" Cal asked.
Princess turned around and looked directly at him. Tears were now flowing from her eyes and down her cheeks like a waterfall, but her eyes were filled with hatred the likes of which Cal had probably never seen before.
"THIS ISN'T OVER UNTIL I'VE KILLED THAT BASTARD AND ANYONE WHO PROTECTS HIM!" She screamed, "YOU HEAR ME! HE HAS TO PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE TO ME AND MY FAMILY! HE TOOK MY HENRY!"
"Princess, calm down!" Cal demanded.
Princess took a deep breath and nodded.
"He'll pay for what he's done to everyone." He assured, "I promise you. When the time's right, we'll rip him apart. Together."
Princess nodded and hugged Cal tightly, as tears continued falling freely from her eyes again.
"Thank you, Cal." She cried, "Thank you for always being there for me, even when you didn't have to."
Cal nodded. He had a wife and daughter to be concerned of, but now he also had to be concerned for Princess too. She was innocent when he had met her, and now thanks to HYDRA, she had become something different. Something monstrous. Cal would have to do the same at some point, but he also promised that day that he'd keep a close eye on his friend because it was clear she would need someone to talk to still, now more than ever.
Meanwhile, Princess made another promise to herself that day as well. She would make sure her daughter would pass through those mists when she was old enough. She'd be able to preserve her husband's Inhuman legacy no matter what the cost. One way or another, his bloodline in the Inhumans would not end here and Princess would ensure that.
…...
An Unknown HYDRA Facility
Present-Day…
Princess sighed as she opened her eyes. The memory was still painful, but she trusted it would be over soon. Soon she would end this stupid 'alliance' with HYDRA and would settle for ripping Whitehall's damned head off and then mutilating it until nothing was left. She would have her revenge and then she and her daughter would be together. It had taken many years and cost many things, but Katie was well worth it. Katie would be the daughter who Princess always yearned for and would go through the mist as Princess had always planned. Her only prayer was that Katie would be strong enough to survive it and that she would still be beautiful and healthy when she came out. But seeing as how Katie was born after the tragedy that sent Princess on the path to killing Whitehall and how Katie was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who apparently saved the world one time, Princess had to imagine Katie would be strong enough to survive.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." She called.
With that, Cal entered and smiled.
"You haven't been out for a while." He told her.
"Sorry." She said, "Just…I was remembering him."
"I know." Cal said, holding her hand, "He was a good man and he didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody should."
"Except all the HYDRA guys we're going to kill when the time's right." Princess said.
"Yeah." Cal nodded, "By the way; everything's in place."
Princess's eyes lit up as she looked up at him.
"So Katie will be there?" She asked.
"She will be." Cal assured, "And I convinced Whitehall to let you talk to her before she goes in while I speak with Daisy."
Princess felt happy for a few minutes which might've been the happiest she had been in a while, but then her smile faded.
"What?" Cal asked.
"I…uh…" Princess admitted, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I see her."
"You'll think of something." Cal assured.
"Cal…" Princess said with a small laugh, "What am I supposed to say? Just 'Hi, Katie. I'm your Mom that you never knew. Your father was killed by HYDRA agents who split him open and experimented on his organs before you were born and you're going to become something beautiful in a few minutes?'"
"So Henry was the father." Cal declared, "How'd it work?"
"Turns out one of my eggs was a couple months late to the party." Princess admitted, "But don't change the subject, Cal. This is something you should be thinking of for when you talk to Daisy as well. I'm asking you to help me here. What am I supposed to say that doesn't make her hate me like I did with my own Mom when I was her age?"
Cal gave her a minute to compose herself and then lifted her chin up so she was looking at him.
"Here's what you say;" he explained, "You say you've loved her no matter what, and that you are going to do anything for her to make amends for the past couple of years that you weren't there for her. You're doing this for her because you're her parent and as such, it's your job to keep her safe and strong."
Princess smiled.
"That sounds perfect." She smiled, "Thanks. Though I do have one question; did you come up with that on your own on the spot, or did you steal that from somewhere?"
"Come on, Princess." Cal smiled, playfully punching her arm softly.
"What?!" Princess laughed, "I was raised in Florida, remember? Stupid crap is supposed to spill out of my mouth all the time."
The two took a minute to laugh together, until they were done. Then Princess's stomach growled.
"You know you spent the whole day in there, right?" Cal asked.
"Really?!" Princess asked, amazed, "Wow! Time flies, huh?"
"Yeah…" Cal said, "Wanna get a bite to eat?"
"Gladly." Princess smiled.
With that, the two walked out only to bump into a new arrival. It was an African American man with short hair and chin hair with a black T-Shirt on who had two futuristic-looking mechanical arms instead of normal hands.
"Oh," Cal said, slapping his head laughing to himself, "I almost forgot. Princess, this is Tyler Boateng. Tyler, this is Princess; Katie's Mom. Tyler here is going to help get Katie back."
"You know my daughter?" Princess asked, curiously.
"Let's just say it's because of her and S.H.I.E.L.D. that I don't have regular hands now." Tyler told her, "However, because Cal told me all you want is to be reunited with your daughter, I will be more than happy to hand her off to you."
"That's nice of you to say." Princess told him, "I'd hate to think of what I'd have to do, if I found out you killed her."
With that, she and Cal walked off together. Tyler eying them suspiciously. He knew coming back here would have its ups and downs, but he hoped he could find a purpose to live again here with HYDRA.
…
So there you go, everyone! I told you I was going to give you more Princess/Cal, and I hope I delivered on my promise. Anyways, next chapter will be the moment you've been waiting for; the Inhuman Temple. Some will live, some will die, and new alliances will be forged. Plus, Katie and Princess; REUNITED. All that and the true identity of Princess will be revealed! Be here next time! As always, I own NOTHING but my OC's. This is for FAN-Purposes only, so PLEASE don't sue! Take care!