"Sigyn, it's ready. The supersoldier serum, it's ready."

"A—are you sure?" She knew Howard had never stopped working on it, but to be honest, she didn't expect him to actually succeed. She had given up on hope years ago. Also, considering the fact that nothing had been going as planned in the last three years, she hadn't been expecting to hear any good news today when the phone had rung.

Mar-Vell had promised her to help them fight against HYDRA, but a year later, she had been killed by the Starforce. The human pilot who had been with her had been taken by the Kree. Sigyn hadn't been able to save her in time. And three months ago, Mr. Jarvis had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

"Look, Sigyn, I know I made you a promise, and I intend to keep it. But I want you to think this through. The formula is safe, for humans. When it comes to you, nothing is certain."

Sigyn chuckled softly. In his youth, he believed everything could be calculated, therefore predicted. Even her nature. Time had proven him wrong. "I don't care. I want it, even if it kills me."

"Even if it doesn't kill you, it's going to hurt. A lot."

"I'm not afraid of pain."

"And you call me obsessive…"

"Let's just do it, shall we?" She had said she wasn't scared, but she wasn't exactly looking forward to it either. And the longer she waited, the more nervous she would get.

"Fine. Remember the warehouse in Upstate New York? Maria and I'll meet you there tonight. How is Jarvis, by the way? Can you leave him alone for a few hours?"

Mr. Jarvis was almost… relieved after his diagnosis—all he wanted was to be reunited with his beloved Ana—but everyone else was, naturally, devastated. He was being treated by the best doctors in New York, of course, but they had all agreed that Sigyn would take care of him better than any human nurse or caretaker possibly could. So, Mr. Jarvis was staying in Sigyn's penthouse. Tony didn't know about his illness yet. He was studying at Cambridge now, and when he came home for Christmas, Howard was going to tell him that he had sent Mr. Jarvis to a nursing home. They were probably going to have a quarrel.

"Mr. Jarvis is well today." It wasn't a lie.

"Good. And Sigyn…"

"Yes?"

"Peggy doesn't know about the serum. I'd like to keep it that way for now."

"I see." Howard probably didn't trust her after what had happened with Captain Rogers' blood. Which also reminded her… "If the serum works, what are you going to do with it?"

"SHIELD is going to start looking for volunteers, of course."

So is HYDRA, she thought. She hadn't told anyone about HYDRA yet. Odin, Frigga and Heimdall all believed mortals had to discover this on their own. And more importantly, the knowledge alone would put her friends in grave danger. Still, hiding the truth from them didn't feel right. But once she told them the truth, there would be no taking it back. She had to think this through very, very carefully.

"I'll see you tonight," she said, and hung up the phone.

…

Howard and Maria were waiting for her in the warehouse by the time Sigyn got there. They were alone, but Howard had had the place readied for the experiment. There was a medical bed, an electrocardiograph machine, defibrillator, oxygen mask, and other various equipment. Sigyn was quite familiar with Midgardian medicine now. She had to be, if she wanted to take good care of Mr. Jarvis.

Maria seemed even more nervous than Howard. "Sigyn, are you absolutely sure about this? Howard told me how desperate you were when you first came here, but…"

Sigyn held her hands. "This is my choice. But before we start, there is something else I have to tell you."

She had made up her mind. Howard said the procedure was dangerous. She might not survive it. She couldn't let the serum fall into the wrong hands. She couldn't risk taking HYDRA's secrets to the grave. She was going to tell them everything before the experiment, while she still could.

"What is it?" Howard asked.

"Howard, I know how important SHIELD is to you, so there is no easy way to say this, but… You were right. SHIELD has been compromised."

"By whom?"

"HYDRA. Queen Frigga told me a few years ago. I've been trying to decide whether I should tell you or not since then."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Give me a list of the double agents, I'll take care of them."

Only then, she realized he had no idea how deep the corruption went. "Howard, it's not that simple. I'm not talking about a handful of traitors here."

He and Maria swapped looks. Then he said, "Tell me."

"It started with Operation Paperclip."

"Damn! I should've never approved it! Those Nazis were still loyal to Schmidt!"

"You couldn't have known, Howard," Maria said softly. "You just wanted to give those people a second chance."

"Johann Schmidt was just the tip of the iceberg, believe me."

Howard looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"It means HYDRA wasn't just a Nazi science division. It started long before that. Do you remember what I told you about the Kree? Their rumored experiments?"

"Were they successful?"

"Yes. Those mortals call themselves Inhumans. One, and perhaps the most powerful of them, was banished from Midgard thousands of years ago. HYDRA is a cult that worships this Inhuman. Their ultimate goal is to bring him back. Mar-Vell knew this. Once the refugees were safe, she was going to help us destroy HYDRA. She felt… responsible, I guess. We've been gathering evidence. Here, take a look."

She opened the bag she had brought with her, and showed all the evidence they had been collecting. Mostly books on history, iconography, and symbolic anthropology.

"They do everything they can to keep that Inhuman sated until they find a way to bring him back. Secret meetings, sacrificial blood rituals, it was all a part of history. The sacrifices are sent to the Inhuman through some kind of portal. They're everywhere, yet no one sees them. This symbol, for example. It looks like a ram's head, right? You can find this on ancient family insignias, or carved on the walls of castles… It kept evolving, though. Sometimes the symbol took more… subtle forms, until the organization finally took the name and the shape of a certain mythological sea monster."

Maria gasped. "Hydra…"

"Yes."

"I remember this one," Howard interrupted, placing his finger on a symbol in one of the books. "The Arena Club. In my youth, they tried to recruit me for years, until Whitney Frost destroyed them. And I thought they were just an old boys' club…"

"HYDRA has different factions. Not all the members are aware of this secret history. But the 'heads,' the ones who pull the strings… Families like the Malicks, von Struckers… You can't fight them all by yourself, Howard."

Howard ran a hand through his white hair. "This is bad. No, this is… Damn, how could I let this happen?"

Maria pulled him into an embrace to calm him down. Sigyn was really glad she was here. Maria was the only one who could control him when he was upset.

"Oh, Sigyn, how can we stop this?" she asked.

"I don't know, Maria. But no help will come from Asgard. They only warned me because they wanted me to keep the Tesseract away from them. We're on our own."

"SHIT!" Howard broke free from Maria's embrace and kicked a metal table, knocking it over. "I'm going to have to fix this," he muttered frantically.

"Howard, please don't make me regret telling you."

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Alright, so SHIELD is lost… What about the government? Can they be trusted?"

"Yes. For now."

"Good."

"You sound like you have a plan."

"I do. I'll go to the Pentagon and tell them everything, take full responsibility."

Maria gasped. "Howard, they're going to turn you into a scapegoat!"

"They should. SHIELD was my idea."

"Howard, please! If you don't think of yourself, think of me! Think of our son!"

That made him hesitate for a moment. Then he said, "The serum… Maybe, if I give them the serum, as a sign of good faith…"

Sigyn nodded. It was actually a good idea. "You might earn a pardon."

"Exactly. First, I'm going to keep my promise to you, though. One supersoldier saved the world from HYDRA before, if there's anyone who can do it again, it's you. What do you say, Sigyn?"

"You know the answer."

"Alright, then. Let's do this.

Maria helped her shed her coat, and then her dress, leaving her only in a tank top and a pair of leggings. Then she lied down in the bed, and Maria tied her down.

"Just to make sure you won't hurt yourself," she explained.

In the meantime, Howard had prepared an IV bag with a blue solution inside. He seemed more anxious than Sigyn.

"It's alright. You were going to have to test it on someone, anyway."

"You're not just some random volunteer. You're my friend. If this goes wrong, I won't be able to do anything to save you, do you understand?"

"For a thousand years, I believed I couldn't change who I was. Now you offer me a chance. You have no idea what that means to me. Even if I die tonight, I'll regret nothing."

When the needle pierced her arm, all she felt was a tingling sensation at first. In a matter of minutes, the sensation spread to the rest of her body. She smiled. If this was the pain Howard had been talking about, he had been worried for no reason.

But then, the sensation became more intense, until she thought every single cell in her body was on fire. She was trying to remain calm, but for how long she could keep doing it, she wasn't sure.

"Howard, what's happening to me? Is this normal?"

"Yes. Instant cellular transformation. Just hold on, pal. You're doing great. Just hold on for a few more minutes."

Sigyn closed her eyes. She could feel Maria's hand gently stroking her hair. A few more minutes. Then she would be rid of her curse. She would never be weak again. She bit her lip, and tried to think of her father and sister. They were going to be so proud… And everyone who had ever insulted and ridiculed her for being a "half-breed," they would learn to respect her. She tried to remember all of them. Lorelei, most of all…

She opened her mouth to ask Howard how much longer this would last, but all that came out was a scream. She didn't know how this could be possible, but the pain had become even worse. It became unbearable. There was no thought, no memory, no motivation that could help her now. She should have never agreed to this. No amount of strength was worth this torture.

Howard turned his back, like he couldn't bear the sight of this, but Maria extended her arms.

"No! Stay away from me! I don't want to hurt you!"

Maria must have understood how serious this was, because she immediately took a few steps back. Sigyn's back arched as she struggled against the shackles, and when she finally broke free, she rolled on to the floor.

The rest was blank. When she came back, she was lying in the bed again.

"Sigyn?" Howard was shaking her gently. "Come on, pal. We've come this far. Come on, don't die on me now."

"I'm fine," she forced herself to say. It had taken all her strength. Her eyes were still closed, but she heard him release a deep breath of relief.

"You scared us," Maria said. She helped her sit up and brought her a glass of water. She took it with trembling hands, but she needed the water, because the screaming had left her with a sore throat.

"Look at her muscles, Howard. I think it worked."

He studied her carefully from head to toe. "It seems so… Sigyn? How do you feel?"

"Tired, but also… strong. I don't even know how that can be possible."

"Give yourself a moment to adjust."

They waited in silence for some time. The pain had already become a distant memory, and her strength was coming back to her. She looked at her arms and legs; they were indeed much more muscular now. Well, she couldn't say she looked like Thor, but she could both see and feel the difference.

"If you want to test your strength, be my guest," Howard said. He seemed to be eager to see the results of his hard work.

She looked around, and decided to use the front door. It was made of reinforced steel. She went up to it, and punched it with all the newly-found strength she had. She expected her knuckles to bleed afterward, but they didn't even hurt, and there was a dent on the spot she had punched. She punched the same spot again. And again. After the third punch, there was a hole in the door. It had worked.

She hugged Howard. There were tears in her eyes, but they were tears of joy. Howard was the first person who had given her hope. And he hadn't failed her. "Thank you, my friend. Thank you."

"You owe me a new gate, you know that, right?"

She released him. "I owe you a lot more than a gate. Like I said, I'm now forever in your debt now."

"I knew you'd do it," Maria said, and kissed him. "I'm so proud of my husband."

A look of concern crossed his face. "And I was almost going to hand this to HYDRA…"

"Asgard didn't want me to tell you."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I don't take my orders from Asgard anymore." She went to fetch her clothes, and put them back on.

Maria looked at her first, and then Howard. "What now?"

"Let's wait until Tony comes home for Christmas, and not tell Peggy anything in the meantime."

"Do you want me to take them to another realm until HYDRA is dealt with? With the Tesseract, I can—"

"No, no… That's too extreme. Jarvis will be with you, Peggy with her family, and Tony will throw a party the moment we leave the house. He'll be safe with a crowd."

"What about Maria?"

He looked at his wife, and thought for a moment. "She's coming with me. I'll keep her safe."

"Good," she said, although there was now an uneasy feeling about this in her stomach. Had she done the right thing by telling them?

"Maria, dear, why don't you wait for me in the car? There's something I want Sigyn to have, then we can go home."

Maria walked out of the warehouse, but not without giving Howard a questioning look first.

"Come," he told Sigyn once they were alone. He took her to a small, dusty room in the basement, and took a large hard case from one of the shelves.

Property of H. Stark

"What's this?"

"You were supposed to give this to Tony one day, remember?"

"Right… Your secret message."

"If things go south in Washington, I want you to make sure he'll never find out about SHIELD. Never, do you understand? I know I'm being such a hypocrite, but he can't know about you either. He's smart. Even if you tell him only a part of the truth, he'll figure out the rest himself."

"I'm confused. Do you want him to know about the element, or no?"

"Only if you think he really needs it one day. I trust your judgment. But even then, please try not to get directly involved."

"Oh, Howard…"

"Look, this is just the worst case measure, okay? There's no one I trust more than you. Take this, and wait until you hear from me again."

She nodded. "Be careful."

"Steve was a good man," he suddenly said. "But I was wrong to think he was this world's only hope. All this time, the hero we needed was standing right before me. I was just too blind to see that."

No, she wanted to say. I've seen the future. I'm no hero. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. The strength she had always dreamt of was finally hers. But right now, all she felt was fear.

"I'm deeply honored. But I can't be the new Captain America. You know that."

"You don't have to wear a costume, or sign autographs. Steve wasn't very good at that part either. If you have to work in the shadows, so be it."

"I'll do whatever I can."

Howard smiled, and hugged her. "Everything's going to be alright, pal. Don't worry."

"Good luck, Howard."

…

For most mortals, Christmas was the best time of the year. But this year, Sigyn didn't think she could share the holiday spirit with the rest of the realm. Mr. Jarvis wasn't getting any better. He had received another dose of treatment earlier today, and had lost his appetite since then. He had been able to eat a small bowl of chicken soup, but that was all. And now that their son was home, Howard and Maria were flying to DC tonight. Sigyn didn't think she could sleep until she heard from them.

"Lady Sigyn… Lady Sigyn, would you please sit down?"

Sigyn froze on the spot, and looked at Mr. Jarvis. She had been pacing up and down in the living room while Mr. Jarvis was reading—or, at least, pretended to be reading—a book in the corner. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jarvis. Do you need anything?"

Before he could reply, the phone rang. Sigyn's first reaction was to check the clock on the wall. It was nine in the evening. This didn't make any sense. Howard and Maria were supposed to be on their private plane right now. Had the plans changed?

Perhaps deep down, she knew she was being too optimistic. She dreaded answering this call. The phone rang again.

She picked it up with trembling hands.

"Hello?"

"Sigyn?" The sob that came from the other end of the line told Sigyn everything she needed. She should probably say something to Peggy, pretend to be clueless, but all she was able to do was to cover her mouth with a hand. Peggy doesn't know. She can never know.

"Howard and Maria," Peggy went on, ignoring the lack of response. "They… they're gone, Sigyn. I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to do…"

"Who killed them?" Suddenly, the sadness was taken over by rage.

"What? No one killed them. It was a car accident. Howard was going to take Maria to the Bahamas for Christmas. They were on their way to the airport."

Damn. She had slipped. "Oh, right…"

"Sigyn?" Peggy asked suspiciously. "Do you know something? Were they really going to the Bahamas?"

"As far as I know, yes. I just thought… Howard had too many enemies, and—"

"There's going to be an autopsy. I'm calling from the hospital right now. Obadiah Stane is going to bring Tony, so you probably shouldn't be here. I'll keep you updated, alright?"

"Thanks, Peggy."

"Sigyn?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tell Mr. Jarvis?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, now I must—"

Sigyn heard a cracking sound, and the receiver broke in half. Only then, she realized how hard she had been squeezing it. She also felt the surge of magic building up inside her against her will.

"Mr. Jarvis, watch out!"

She had warned him just in time, because one second later, she was no longer able to contain the surge. It exploded, and the invisible blast scattered every object in the room. Mr. Jarvis had taken cover behind a column. She didn't have to tell him anything. They both knew their beloved friends hadn't died in a car accident.

"Mr. Jarvis, what have I done? What have I done?" She broke into sobs.

"My lady, it wasn't your fault," he said, but he was crying, too.

She knew she would lose all her mortal friends one day. It had started with Ana, and now… But with Ana, there was only grief, at least. No matter how painful it was, it was only grief. But this… There were no words to describe what she had done to Howard and Maria.

She collapsed on her knees. "I killed them! Mr. Jarvis, I killed them!"

"No. It was HYDRA. It was HYDRA, not you."

"They warned me. Queen Frigga, Heimdall, the Allfather… They all warned me. I should've listened…"

"Lady Sigyn?" he said, as if he needed something from her.

"Yes?"

"I lost them, too," he said in a small, gentle voice, but it was enough for Sigyn to remember that Mr. Jarvis knew Howard longer than she did. And Howard had died before the two men could repair the rift between them. Mr. Jarvis was never going to know if he was forgiven for giving Steve Rogers' blood to Peggy.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Mr. Jarvis."

Sigyn hugged him, and they cried in each other's arms, sitting on the floor, for what seemed like an eternity. Mr. Jarvis was the one who let go first. He wiped his tears, then in a dutiful manner, said, "You should probably send me to an actual nursing home."

"What?" she cried. "Mr. Jarvis, I'm not leaving you!"

"Master Tony will surely want to see me. So, unless we wish to disrespect Mr. Stark's last wish…"

Right, the boy… More tears fell from her eyes when she realized that the poor boy was now an orphan because of her. But Mr. Jarvis was right. Tony loved him. He wouldn't leave him to die in a nursing home.

"Don't worry, Lady Sigyn. I'll be taken good care of."

"I don't doubt that."

"Lady Sigyn, I have to ask… Did Miss Carter mention the formula being found in the car?"

"No…"

"Then we must assume HYDRA stole it. We don't know how they had the information, but if they knew about the serum…"

"Then they might know about me as well," she gasped in horror. "And the Tesseract… What am I supposed to tell Peggy?"

After Mar-Vell had died, Sigyn had brought the cube back to Midgard. It was in SHIELD's possession once again.

"You must take the Tesseract back to Dr. Lawson's laboratory. Tell Miss Carter that the refugees still need it. Please, my lady… We have to stay strong, for both Master Tony and Miss Carter."

She scrambled to her feet, then helped him stand up as well and sit down in an armchair. He had made some good arguments. She felt like her very soul had been shattered into a thousand pieces right now, but there was still work to be done. "You try to get some rest, Mr. Jarvis. I'll take care of everything."