Hi, everyone!
Have a nice chapter!
Today more about the dark side of the Force (watched Star Wars two days ago, I'm not back from it yet.)
Enjoy!
The young soldier bursted into one of the conference rooms, where the queen, the scary one and the man who stayed silent were. He had heard the others talking about fleeing, and had felt compelled to report it. He didn't want his buddies to die. Because it was exactly what was going to happen if they decided to go away and get caught.
The heads of the three of them turned towards him. He was greeted by a questionning stare from the queen. He saluted, showing his respects. The two women scared the hell out of him. He felt that one wrong ste was enough to send him to his death.
"Why are you here, soldier?"
The queen asked with her usual cold and commanding tone. There was that charisma about her, that undeniable autority that made almost everyone comply.
"I heard men talking about leaving, my Queen."
Torunn frowned. She couldn't tolerate that kind of behavior in her army. She couldn't tolerate even a thought about rebellion.
"Is that so? Where are they?"
Ward looked at her, with a frown. He was suddenly quite afraid for the rebels' heath. He had seen once or twice how Torunn despised when people tried to step over the boundaries she had established.
"In the yard."
The young woman sighed. She would have to draw blood. It was the only way.
"Good."
Hella muttered something to the girl's eat and the latter took off towards to the yard, Ward and the soldier following. They both dreaded the outcome of the confrontation. They had seen that sparkle of anger in her eyes after Hella's word. They knew it meant troubles. And the presence of the sword at her hip didn't reassure them at all.
The door opened suddenly, making half of the men jump in surprise. They saw the blonde, eyes glaring, exit the building.
"What did I just hear?"
Her voice snapped in the air, making every single person tense. The quiet anger they had discerned back in the building had grown into a burning fury, a scalding hot dander wrapped around every single word she said.
"Some of you had the ludicrous fallacy of leaving my command?"
Silence reigned in the yard.
"Then, you shabby cowards who prefer act in the dark rather than in the light. Step forward."
Five of the whole squad followed her order and stepped out of the group. One of them was braver than the others, holding his head high, clearly challenging her.
"We are not cowards. This, is the army of the United States of America, not the one of an auto-proclamed tyran as yourself!"
She drew her sword, the shining blade reflecting the dazzling sun. This man, who dared speak up to her, was without doubt the leader of the rebellion. The one she had to kill, or convince. The one who needed to understand she wasn't going to let anyone take other her authority.
"I shall be merciful. You'll be free to leave. But only if you beat me in combat. Only then, I will admit you are not cowards. You have the choice. Refuse to fight, and you'll be granted life. Fight, and the outcome is up to your fighting skills. Now. Who wants to be first?"
Swallowing, three of the men went back into the group. They didn't want to die. Even to get away from that psycho.
"I'll go first!"
Torunn's eyes narrowed at the leader of the so-called rebels. He was taller than her, but not a lot. He was muscular and had a little intelligence. He was also quite unafraid of death. Good. It would make it a lot easier for her.
"Now, is that bravery or just some good dose of stupidity?"
"You have a high opinion of your fighting skills, young girl."
Ward was watching the whole scene with horror. This masquerad was cruel and useless to him. It was just an act of unnecessary brutality. He understood the need to show what became of those daring to confront her. But there they had to choose between death by her hand, or denying what they were fighting for, their freedom.
He could see how the girl was psychotic, full of rage of anger hardly contained in her small body. She was a constant threat to anyone in her vicinity, friend or foe. Nobody ever knew what she was thinking, how she would react.
She threw him her overcoat. He took the opportunity to look into her eyes. He saw determination but also regrets. One thing he wasn't prepared to see.
At her signal, they both rushed into combat. Her sword hissed when it came in contact with the air. Torunn was dancing around the man, her armor never enabling her to do whatever she wanted with her body. It was a dance of death, they could all see it, but they were hypnotized by it.
The soldier tried his hardest, he never touched her. It was at that exact moment that they all realized he hadn't have any chances. Ever. She was good. Really good. And she knew it. He was going to die.
He was now turning his back to her, trying to gain his breath back. It was the end. They all knew it now. They both dreaded the blood. The death. The scream of pain and fright that was coming.
He screamed. She stayed cold. The blade slashed into the flesh of his neck. There were blood. They all looked away. Even her.
"Now. Who wants to gain his freedom?"
There wasn't the previous arrogance in her words. Nobody stepped forward. The one who was ready to challenge her only a while ago went with the group. She nodded.
"Good."
And stepped inside of the building again. Ward and the others followed her. He wanted to talk with her. About what they were planning. He needed to talk with her. Because after what he had seen, he knew their lifes were in danger.
Sif sighed. The plane was so different than Asgard's aircrafts. Everything was different there. On Midgard, the best places in society weren't occupied by warriors. The wealthier weren't fighters, killers… They were doctors, lawyers. It was good in a way. Women were in more equal with men.
She looked around her. She wasn't comfortable with staying for some time there… She felt like she was intruding. What had she done to end up there?
Oh wait… She had fallen in love with her best friend, gotten drunk, slept with him and finished pregnant. And she had had that marvelous idea of letting the girl alone, as if she had never existed. So now, she was there, on Midgard, chasing after her own daughter, who had turned into a power-angry murderer. Welcome to her life!
"Sif?"
She turned her head. May was arriving. The two women were quite alike, and liked each other well. Two warriors, broken up by life.
"Yeah?"
"You said, last time we saw each other, you knew about Kree?"
Sif nodded. Why was the fighter concerned with Kree problems?
"I've seen them. What do you want to know?"
"Do you know their language? I mean, can you translate it?"
May was conscious this was one of their last chances. She needed to understand what was happening to Coulson, but also to Skye. She needed to know if it was going to end well or not. She was afraid. That was one thing she wouldn't admit at all, never. But to herself, she could say it. She was afraid of the future. Between the hunt for Ward and the two Asgardians, that side-effect of the GH-325 and all… She was going to die out of stress. So now, she prayed for Sif to have the answers to her questions.
"I… I don't know a lot of words…"
"I'm afraid that… Skye and Coulson have problems. They are carving Kree language, or writing it."
"When did it started?"
"They… they were both injected with a serum called GH-325. To save them from death."
"Where did it come from?"
"From an alien body. Kree."
Sif looked at her. That was it. Kree had genetic particularities that pushed them to constantly try to continue the species, even if they couldn't procreate. She was afraid of what it meant for the two members of the team.
"Torunn."
The girl turned around to face Ward. He was standing there, looking at her. He had finally taking the decision to come talk to her. His hope was her sparing Skye and the team during the battle coming. He hoped the little bit of humanity he thought he had seen was enough for her to grant them life.
"Yes, Grant?"
"I want to ask you something."
"Ask."
He took a deep breath.
"Well… I'm asking you to spare the girl I love. I know you are preparing an attack on SHIELD but please, please spare her. She's innocent. She's just a sweet girl."
"You are asking me to spare one of those who put you in a jail?"
"Yes. I know it seems crazy but…"
She rolled her eyes.
"And you have other persons you want me to spare? Because, make a list!"
She was clearly annoyed. What was he thinking? Was he really hoping she was going to be ok with that? He was either delusional or completely stupid.
"Actually I have one. All those on the Bus. All my team."
"So, you are basically asking me not to kill those I want to kill?"
She was starting to feel a bit of anger coming. She didn't understand why he was asking her that. Wasn't he suppose towant revenge? Some kind of payback for his months in prison? Wasn't he suppose to hate them? And now he came, with some kind of list of persons she was not suppose to kill, with among them, exactly those she was targeting!
"And you really thought I was going to say yes? Honestly?"
He looked at her. There went his hope. Nobody on his old team would be spared. Not even Skye. And if the girl was really sadistic, she would ask him to kill one of them himself. He walked away without another word.
Torunn didn't understand why, but she could feel he loved the girl. She decided to spare her. But only her. And she would find a pretext to keep her alive, as a war prisoner maybe. Or a source of information. She would let all the soldiers know they couldn't touch a hair of that girl's head. But the others… She couldn't do a thing.
After passing the message to the whole army, she decided it was time for a little battle speech. She had never done one but heard a lot of them. Now, it was her army. Her time.
"Soldiers!"
They all looked at Torunn. She was standing there, her helmet at her side, shield and sword ready for battle. Her voice was commanding, and they knew she meant something. Battle was coming.
"Our next target is the agency that is threatening us! The agency that jailed you, Grant Ward. The agency that chased your parents, Hella! They are the only obstacle between us and this world. This realm will be ours soon enough… When we would have taken S.H.I.E.L.D. down. Then, and only then, this world will hail its true Queen!"
As hypnotized by the way she talked, they all acclaimed her. She had that crazy smile that made Ward shudder. Hella was smirking too. This was her masterpiece. The sweet girl she had met on Asgard was now nothing more than an monster, a psychotic tyran. She was her little doll, shaped by Hella's will.
"Good. Now, soldiers. Take arms. And have no mercy. Let the War rage on!"
Don't hesitate to leave reviews, it always make my day!
Let me know what you think of Torunn, Hella and Ward, of Sif and the little bit of May we see.
Until next time!
The Queen of Heart