Welcome to the third arc of Rando Week. I say this with every arc but I'm excited for it!

I came up with this title and thought I was so smart but, no, it had to exist already. Also, I came up with the prison(-esque) plot before Loki's show (but it's fitting since this is Sigyn's arc).

Chapter 163: Agents of Asgard Part One

Xavier's Apartment, Manhattan - 7:11 AM

Sigyn was half-asleep when she felt Xavier nuzzle back in beside her. She entered the awkward state of in-between a while ago when she heard Xavier wake up and get ready in the bathroom across the hall. She couldn't be bothered to wake up and ask until he came back and she forced her eyes open. There was nothing to complain about since he was wearing his SHIELD uniform. It was a beautiful sight at every hour of the day.

"What are you doing?" Sigyn asks before yawning.

"Angela and I got called to head over to the SHIELD base in Kentucky," Xavier responds. "I don't know for how long."

"Kay, bye."

Sigyn pulls the sheets over her head and turns around. She smiles as Xavier laughs a little before he kisses her cheek through the sheets.

-o-

James (and Angela's) Condominium, Upper East Side - 7:26 AM

Apollo walks out of the guest room, shocked to see James already awake and dressed for work in his SHIELD uniform. For a moment, Apollo thinks he's in some vivid dream because this sight is uncanny. He can't think of a time when James was ever awake before noon, let alone ready for his odd 9-5.

"There you are," James says, putting down his phone. "SHIELD wants to see you and Sigyn. I just messaged Xavier to tell her." He looks at Apollo's confusion. "For the record, I was never asleep."

"Makes sense," Apollo states. "Why does SHIELD want to see us?"

James shrugs. That's the James Apollo knows.

"Why didn't they call you or Merida? Or Angela and Xavier?" He knows Emily and Daniel are off the table since they're on their honeymoon, and Iqadi's back in Wakanda. It's not like they were the same kind of agents as Merida, James, Angela, or Xavier. The team is just dispersed.

"I'm being sent to Florida since SHIELD wants me to suffer more than her. I'm about to go in to get debriefed. Angela and Xavier just left for some classified crap in Kentucky."

"That doesn't answer about Merida."

James shrugs again.

-o-

Location Unknown - 8:39 AM

Apollo and Sigyn met up to have their classified conversation with the Council. Neither of them had any idea what would happen. They were expecting a series of holographic faces staring them down, berating them with scowls, as their friends have said, but there was only one Council-member present and she had a decently friendly demeanour and smile (as much as a hologram can muster).

Councilwoman Ameen: We need agents or a team that we can deny affiliation at any moment. It'll give you the opportunity to prove yourselves.

"Prove ourselves?" Apollo questions in disbelief. He glances at Sigyn who had the same confused expression. "You've known me since I was a kid."

"And I've been in SHIELD's orphanage for longer than you've been on the Council," Sigyn says despite not knowing if that's true. "Probably."

Councilwoman Ameen: Fair assessments. Look, we want to avoid any diplomatic entanglements. The cleaner it happens, the better for everyone.

Apollo and Sigyn are quiet as Councilwoman Ameen pulls up an all-too-familiar face: Ivory Gates. There's one photo from when she surrendered to Apollo, Iqadi, and Merida when Sigyn left Hel. The next photo is Ivory smiling in her mugshot but in an FBI containment facility. It might as well be a headshot for a modelling portfolio.

Councilwoman Ameen: Ms. Gates was being transported to another one of our SHIELD bases but her ride was ambushed and she managed to escape. Weeks later, she's detained by the FBI. We need her back under our watch for further questioning and a classified conflict we're managing now.

Sigyn groans. "Come on, I'm the reason Ivory surrendered to you. It's not my fault you lost her."

Councilwoman Ameen: Then you could get her back.

Apollo raises a brow. "Wait, like a prison break?"

Councilwoman Ameen: Precisely. We'll send you both in covertly and you'll extract her.

Sigyn frowns, shaking her head. "How about you wait a bit longer and maybe she'll escape on her own?"

Sigyn knows she's getting on Councilwoman Ameen's nerves and she doesn't care. She doesn't work for them so what could they do? Fire her? Even when she hasn't done anything, they want to send her to jail to do their dirty work and deny any affiliation with them.

Councilwoman Ameen: God, we should've called Barton.

"Why didn't you?" Apollo asks before Sigyn makes some snide comment.

Councilwoman Ameen: We originally planned for Agents Angela and Xavier Rogers to go but-

Apollo scoffs to cover a laugh he couldn't help. "Sorry, but you want their perfect smiles and goody-two-shoes selves in prison?"

Even Sigyn couldn't keep a straight face. "They'd be caught instantly."

"So instead of those dumb blonds, you went with these dumber blonds." He points to himself and Sigyn who's nodding.

-o-

"Do you know what this means?" Apollo asks once they're dismissed.

After receiving their files and agreeing to go on the mission, Sigyn and Apollo were dismissed until further notice which, by their guess, wouldn't be that far.

"Why are you so excited?" Sigyn asks as she calls the elevator. "We're being sent to jail to do their dirty work."

"Exactly. Let's have fun with it. They're paying us a fixed price and it'll hide our Asgard-ness which won't trace it back to them."

Sigyn is intrigued as the elevator arrives and they step inside. The thought of screwing around on this mission because SHIELD can't technically watch this is an interesting concept. She hits the ground floor button, thinking about how desperate SHIELD was that they called, as Apollo eloquently phrased it, the dumber blonds. The thought makes her smile which pumps Apollo.

"Let's have fun with it," Apollo encourages again despite her already being on board.

"How so?" Sigyn asks.

"Well, we have to avoid getting caught so we can't or shouldn't use any powers."

Sigyn narrows her eyes at him. "Oh so now you want me on a binding charm?"

Sigyn knows about the talks that have been circulating Asgard ever since she arrived and got her prophecy about being the most powerful in all the realms. Those who feared her or have witnessed her losing control of her powers wanted her on a binding charm to restrain her. It didn't help her case after she killed her mother and stole her magic, a reverse of fortune. Thor had to fight his council tooth and nail to keep a binding charm off her.

"For the sake of the mission," Apollo states.

"Fuck you," Sigyn spits back.

"It's not like I ever wanted you on one. It's because of me that you weren't locked up ages ago."

"Still, fuck you."

"We could be Agents of Asgard."

Sigyn doesn't cuss him out this time. Agents of Asgard does sound catchy and certainly better than SHIELD's scapegoats. And she can tell by Apollo's excitement that he wants to use that alias.

"Okay."

She lights up her hands and conjures a binding charm. It floats within her hands, ironically, on her body. She presses it on her chest, right between her collarbones. Sigyn could've picked any symbol to use but she went with a pentagram from the Salem Witch Trials. It seemed fitting for her since her magic was being stunted. Once it contacts her skin, she feels the magic coursing through her veins halt as if being put in a freezer. She tries to summon her magic to test it, snaps her fingers, and there's no green in sight.

"Okay, let's see what we're working with," Apollo says as he opens his file and hands Sigyn's hers.

Sigyn immediately closes her. "I'm going by Britney Braun again since Sigyn Lokisdottir is a questionable name. If you asked me, I'd even say Britney was problematic."

Apollo shrugs. "Didn't even change my name. They really don't care about us."

"What's your alleged crime?"

"Conspiracies against the government."

"Same. What does that mean?"

Apollo shrugs again. "I'm noted as your accomplice."

Sigyn scoffs, flipping her hair just to annoy him. "SHIELD knows you're my bitch."

"I hate that so much. It should be our mission, our rules."

"We did say no powers. I bet they wanted us to bust out that prison in a magical lightning storm."

"Their fault." He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Alright, Britney Braun, let's get arrested."

Sigyn tenses a little and Apollo notices, removing his hand. "Gods, it's so weird to hear that name again."

And as you can see, Xavier and Angela going to Kentucky already happened. We know what Merida was up to. James going to Florida will happen soon.