Although she was officially just a Consultant, there were times Sigyn used her abilities on the field as a stealth operative. This time, for example, she was investigating the reports of some suspicious activity in Los Angeles, reports on a mysterious man performing "miracles with light." Heimdall had told her to stay out of it, but if she was right, she couldn't ignore the fact that a Gibborim was roaming Midgard. The Gibborim were creatures of pure energy, and they needed to live in hosts, which made them quite elusive. She was on a solid track, though, when Maria called the motel she was staying in one night and told her that Ana had passed away. Sigyn aborted the mission and returned to New York immediately. She would probably never be able to get another chance to capture the rumored Gibborim, but that hardly mattered anymore.
No one had expected Ana to die. It had happened too sudden. Therefore, no one knew what kind of burial she wanted, not even Mr. Jarvis himself. She was a proud Jew, so she would probably want a proper Jewish burial, but Mr. Jarvis was a Christian, and he didn't want to be separated from her "when the time came for him" either. Howard finally let go of the old grudges, and used all his influence to be able to find an interfaith section in a Jewish cemetery for the Jarvises.
Howard's son, Tony, was with them, so Sigyn had to cloak herself invisible during the funeral. The poor boy was only four, but he had such a big heart. And he loved Ana. He looked as devastated as Mr. Jarvis himself. But when Howard shot him an angry glare, he buried his head into the crook of Maria's neck to muffle his sobs, and never made a sound again.
Sigyn wished his sister were here. During her mother's funeral, Sif had never let go of her hand. Sif's absence made her realize how much she had taken for granted back then. But she still needed a hand to hold, so she approached Peggy, the first sister she had found in Midgard. When an invisible hand took hers, Peggy was startled at first, but then, her face softened. She must have realized it was Sigyn. She didn't say anything, but gave it a gentle squeeze. They stayed like this until the ceremony ended. Then they all went to the Stark Mansion on Long Island. Maria took Tony to his room and stayed with him, while everyone else gathered in Howard's study. Only then, Sigyn revealed herself. Mr. Jarvis didn't seem surprised to see her.
"Thank you for coming, Lady Sigyn."
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Jarvis."
After this brief, and painful exchange of words, the room went quiet. Everyone was looking at Howard, and Sigyn decided that only she was brave enough to say what needed to be said.
"I wish you weren't such a cruel father to that boy, Howard."
"Look, Sigyn… I like you, but this is my family. I get to decide how to raise my son, not you. Know your place."
"My place." She chuckled bitterly. She could see how Peggy and Mr. Jarvis were holding their breaths. "Right, my place… The thing is, Howard, you're so busy reminding everyone of their places that you've forgotten yours. The place you have in our hearts. I might not be a part of your family, but you're a part of mine. And all I want is to make sure you don't have any regrets when… I mean, we just lost Ana, and…"
There was so much more she would like to tell him, but she had suddenly lost control and burst into tears. Saying the words out loud like that had suddenly made their loss more real.
Peggy pulled her into a hug. "It's alright, Sigyn. It's alright."
"I'm sorry," she forced herself to say with one final effort, and stormed out of the study. She could hear Peggy yelling at Howard about what a heartless monster he had become as she descended the stairs. But she couldn't stop crying, and she didn't want Mr. Jarvis to see her like this. The poor man was already in too much agony. So, she left the mansion, and walked in the streets aimlessly for hours. Midgard was never going to be the same without Ana Jarvis. Neither would Sigyn.
…
Two weeks later, Sigyn was quite surprised when Mr. Jarvis came to visit her.
"Mr. Jarvis? Is everything alright?" she asked, but then realized what a stupid question it was. He had lost the love of his life. He would never be alright again. His outfit might be impeccable as usual, his face clean-shaven and hair combed neatly, but the light in his eyes was gone. That witty, capable, tireless butler was long gone.
"Yes, my lady, everything is quite alright," he said nevertheless. "Mr. Stark sent me here to give you his most sincere apologies."
"Mr. Stark should've given me his most sincere apologies himself," Sigyn said sharply. Seriously, what was Howard thinking, sending Mr. Jarvis here just to deliver a message? He could have simply called her on the phone. Mr. Jarvis was supposed to be in mourning.
"I believe he means to. He is expecting you in his office… Shall we?"
Well, if Howard had sent Mr. Jarvis himself to pick her up, then he really wanted to see her. He was probably just too busy to come here himself… and too proud.
She grabbed a jacket from the coat hanger. New York might not be as cold as her mother's village, but it was still cold. "Very well."
Mr. Jarvis drove her to the Stark Industries HQ, but instead of following her to Howard's office, he said he would be waiting for her return in the lobby. Sigyn took the elevator to the top floor alone. It was quite late in the evening, so there weren't many employees around. The door to Howard's office was ajar, though, and Sigyn could hear the muffled voices coming from inside.
"So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I'd like to personally show you… my ass. I'd like… I—I can't. We have this, don't we?"
"No, this is different, we—"
Sigyn cleared her throat to get his attention. The three men in the room, who were busy filming a promotional video for the upcoming Stark Expo, turned to her.
"Oh, hello, Sharon… Barney, Johnny, let's call it a night, shall we?"
The other two men nodded, and walked out of the room. Howard went to pour two glasses of Scotch, and gave one to Sigyn. Then he crossed to the window and looked out. This was the tallest building in New York, for now, at least. Erecting the tallest building seemed to be some kind of competition among mortals. Sigyn went to stand next to him.
"So," she started. "I'm expecting an apology…"
"I'm sorry, Sigyn. I really am. I lost Ana, too, you know. And I can't handle grief well. But I shouldn't have been so ungrateful to you. I'm surrounded by traitors and ass-lickers. You're the only true friend I've left."
"That's not entirely true."
"You mean, Peggy is still my friend?" he sneered.
"Look, I've never known Captain Rogers personally, but I'm pretty sure he'd hate to come in between you and Peggy."
"He would," Howard agreed.
"Then can't you at least try to find some forgiveness in your heart for her and Mr. Jarvis? For Steve Rogers' sake?"
"I'm not angry with them. I just… I'm hurt, I suppose. I thought those two knew me better than anyone else, and even they thought I saw another mountain of dollars when I looked at Steve's blood. I don't think I can live with myself if Tony, too, thinks so lowly of me one day."
"Howard, from what Maria tells me, your son worships you."
"He fears me. You should see how he hides behind Maria or Jarvis sometimes when he sees me. I deserve to rot in hell for that look in his eyes alone…" He paused, and sucked in a sharp breath. His lips were trembling.
She decided to be honest with him. Howard was right; he was surrounded by traitors and ass-lickers. He had pushed his true friends away. Maria loved him too much to break his heart with the truth. It was up to Sigyn to tell him what he needed to hear. "Can you blame him?"
"No."
"Then why are you doing this to him?"
"Do you know why Dr. Erskine chose Steve?"
"Because he had a noble heart."
"No, not just that. He also believed a man who'd been strong his whole life would lose respect for that power, but a weak man would know it's value. I was born in poverty, Sigyn. But even I didn't respect what I achieved for a long time. Until Peggy's… betrayal brought me to my senses. And Tony… I don't want him to take this life for granted. I just don't know how to do it."
"He is your heir. You should prepare him, of course, but this is not the right way. Your outbursts will only confuse him."
He chuckled mirthlessly. "My heir… Oh, Sigyn, even after all these years, you still don't understand humans."
"Enlighten me, then."
"In a way, he is my heir, true. But he's going to inherit my enemies as well. If any harm comes to him because of me… I'm not Odin, and Tony is not Thor. I can't just put a magic hammer in his hand and send him off to battle. But I got something else for him."
"What is it?"
He turned around on his heels, crossed to the Stark Expo model, leaned his hands on the table and admired the model for a while.
"I did it, Sigyn," he then said. "I finally did it."
"Did what?"
"The element."
"Are you going to introduce it at the Expo?"
"No. You were right, pal. The world is not ready for it, and I'm not going to live forever. This is not just a model for the Expo. It's a secret blueprint. Tony can use it to synthesize the element one day. With your guidance."
"Howard, if the element is ready, you can synthesize it yourself now. I'm not as narrow-minded as I used to be."
"It's not that. We don't have the technology right now. And I don't think we'll have it at least for the next two decades. I hate being human at times like this. If I'm… not around by then, I want you to be the one to tell Tony. He's not ready to know this yet, but you're a part of the family."
Her heart sank. She was still mourning Ana, and now, Howard was talking about his own death… Still, she was also honored to know that Howard considered her family.
"It's not going to be easy for him to believe me, you know…"
"I know. That's why I want to put a message in film for him. Come on, you know how to use that camera, don't you?"
"Now?"
"Yes. I already have a speech in mind. Let's do this before I forget it."
"As you wish."
Once Howard seemed ready, Sigyn started recording.
"Tony… You are too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday, you'll realize that it represents a lot more than just some people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time. But one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is, and always will be, my greatest creation, is you."
With his sign, she turned the camera off. "You know, for a second there, I thought you were going to say your greatest creation was Captain Rogers…"
He bowed his head in what looked like almost remorse.
"Oh, come on, Howard! It was a joke. You were supposed to laugh."
He looked up, and gave her a reluctant smile. "I try to be good to him. I really do. I just don't know what comes over me sometimes."
"You're just human, Howard. And you bear a burden no human should bear. You've done too much to change the world. It takes a toll on you."
"My failures, especially…"
She knew what he meant by "failures." "You have to let Captain America go. For your own sanity."
"It's not just Steve. I failed you, too. I haven't been able to replicate the serum."
"I don't give a shit about the serum, Howard!" Sigyn snapped. "Not anymore. Not if it's going to destroy you. You have to let it go. Please."
"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises. Oh, I got something else for you as well. I made… some arrangements."
"What sort of arrangements?"
"When I die, Tony will take over the Stark Industries, but I don't know who the new Director of SHIELD will be. Nevertheless, I made sure the Director will be the only person you're going to have to work with. I know personal attachments with mortals are painful for you. So, once we're gone, you're never going to lose another friend, because you're never going to have to make them in the first place. You're going be an Alpha member, with a Clearance Level 10, and only the Director is going to know about you. This has everything he, or she is going to need to know."
He took out a briefcase. Sigyn wiped away a few stray tears with the back of her hand. She couldn't believe she had forced Howard to think of the aftermath of his own death.
"I also bought you a house in Tonsberg. That was your mother's town, right? If someone comes for the Tesseract, and SHIELD fails to protect you, you can hide in there. The house is registered under the name Helga Tiersen, not Sharon Tyler, so no one will be able to find that place. I even got you a Norwegian passport and all."
Sigyn was left speechless. He offered her the briefcase, but she was too baffled to move her arms and take it.
"It's alright, Sigyn. Take it. I'm the futurist. I have to think of the future beyond my own time."
…
Sigyn had hoped Howard's relationship with his son would improve after that night, but she had been mistaken. It only became worse. When he wasn't busy running Stark Industries as the CEO, he was busy fighting the Cold War as the Director of SHIELD. In the end, Howard sent him off to a boarding school, despite Maria's pleas. SHIELD kept Peggy, too, busy, but at least she knew how to balance work and family. Unlike Tony, her children were old enough to know about SHIELD now, and they had decided to have less dangerous lives themselves. Her great-niece was a different story, though. After her parents' death, Peggy had raised Michael's son as his own. And when Michael Carter Jr. had got married and had a daughter, Peggy had been a grandmother to her. She had even wanted to name her after Sigyn, but since a Nordic name would be too conspicuous, she had given the child Sigyn's "American" name instead. Sharon might be just a little girl, but she was determined to live up to her great-aunt's legacy and join SHIELD when she grew up. Although nepotism wasn't tolerated at SHIELD, deep down, Sigyn was hoping Sharon would become the Director of SHIELD one day, so that at least she wouldn't have to work with a complete stranger.
That was, until one day Queen Frigga's projection appeared in her living room.
"My queen," she said with a quick curtsy. "Forgive me, I wasn't expecting you."
"It's alright, Sigyn. I love you as a daughter; you don't need to fear me."
"Of course I don't fear you, my queen. It's just…" She paused, at a loss for words. Every time someone from Asgard wanted to have a word with her, she wondered if Loki had done something stupid. They hadn't spoken in decades, but she knew him well. He wasn't someone who would give up so easily. She had a feeling like he was winding up. For what, it remained to be seen.
Frigga looked at her with her usual warm smile. "You have built yourself a good life here. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you."
"However, there are things you don't know." Her smile faded, revealing the deep concern she had been hiding from Sigyn.
"What sort of things?"
"SHIELD."
"SHIELD? What of it?"
"They cannot be trusted with the Tesseract. Howard Stark was right to hide his discovery from the world, though even he is not aware of the real threat. Heimdall told us years ago, but Odin and I weren't sure when to tell you. But we've finally decided that it's time you know. And that you should hear it from me. This is not going to be easy for you."
"Hear what, exactly? My queen, please… What's going on?"
"HYDRA. They have been slowly taking over SHIELD since it was founded."
Sigyn frowned in confusion. What Frigga had said didn't make any sense. "HYDRA? But it was destroyed years ago. When the Red Skull died—"
"HYDRA did not start with the Red Skull, and it certainly did not end with him. Take a seat, Sigyn. I will explain everything."