Revamped!

[Spoilers, but I can't help myself because I'm excited, this 0-8-4 will change the story].


Chapter 63: A Hidden Relic Part One

Above the Norwegian Sea - 18:45 PM

After the team picked up Merida in San Francisco, the quinjet soared across the sky to head to the coordinates of the unknown 0-8-4. They filled Merida in on what the SHIELD gave them as information for this mission which was only the set of coordinates. She seems irritated by the lack of information, as if SHIELD's wasting her time again.

"That's it?" Merida questions. "We're supposed to find something in the Norwegian Sea? What the hell are we even looking for? Anything could be down there."

"It's an 0-8-4," Daniel tells her although she already knew that. "We don't even know what we're looking for."

Xavier clears his throat. "Here's the plan: not all of us can go down since we're not a hundred percent sure on the conditions underneath the surface so we all won't be properly equipped. Some of us need to stay up here in case anyone else wants it. There's also the possibility that threats are the 0-8-4."

"Who's going down?" Daniel asks.

"Emily and James."

The team looks at them both. Emily and James laugh, having to hold on to each other for support until they see that Xavier is serious about sending them down there.

"It's probably because we're his least favourites," Emily whispers to James. "Did he forget he was training me an hour ago?"

"It's because you have armour capable of naval actions and he can shrink," Xavier explains. "We also need to keep eyes up here."

"Don't lie, we know you hate us."

"It's like he doesn't see the leg brace," James mutters.

"If worse comes to worse I'll dive in," Angela pipes in.

At least they'll have an extraction plan. Emily and James look at the other two team members since they know that Xavier would dive in eventually. Daniel immediately shakes his head at the idea of jumping into the ocean with a 0-8-4 in it. Merida does as well but for different reasons. Like Xavier, Emily and James may be her least favourites.

"Please, don't die," Xavier begs Emily and James as if dying situations are inevitable for the duo.

James fakes a gasp. "You care for us?"

"It's actually a lot of paperwork to fill out."

In all honesty, the two of them aren't offended. They wouldn't want to do the paperwork if he died. Xavier smiles as they suit up for the mission and James walks around a bit on his leg, happy he'll be swimming. Once they're ready, Angela opens the hangar door and they dive right into the sea. When Emily and James hit the water, they test their communication systems and when they're successful, they start swimming down to find the 0-8-4.

Angela takes a breath and holds her joined hands up to her chest. "I get why we sent them but if you think about it, we're sending someone with a screwed-up knee and another with a screwed-up viewpoint on combat."

Xavier nods, knowing the choice he made. "I kind of regret this."

"I kind of regret showing up for this," Merida says. "Should've left me in California."

Angela looks and sees Merida sitting dead in on the pilot's seat with her feet up on the co-pilot's sea. She's wearing her sunglasses and blocking out the sun from her face. Angela takes a step closer as she inspects Merida.

"Are you hungover?" Angela asks her.

"Maybe," Merida replies.

Xavier facepalms and Angela frowns. Daniel, being the only semi-supportive one on the quinjet, gets the first aid kid to give her some painkillers for her possible migraine. Merida pops one and sips some water to help it down.

"What the hell were you doing in San Francisco?" Angela asks like a mother who's angry at her child for sneaking out past curfew.

"I finished early and got a few drinks," Merida replies honestly. "It's completely normal in San Francisco to get drunk before noon." She isn't sure that's true but Angela and Xavier seem to believe it.

"Can't you have fun soberly?"

Merida laughs a little. "Says the always-sober one."

"I can't get drunk!"

-o-

Below the Norwegian Sea - 19:03 PM

James and Emily keep swimming deeper. Given that it's a 0-8-4, they have no idea what they're supposed to be looking for but Emily's armor is constantly scanning the area for anything that's supposedly unusual.

"I have a confession to make and I think this is the bad time to do it," James says to Emily.

"What?" Emily asks.

"Underwater combat isn't my forte."

"Combat isn't my forte." Emily pauses. "Wasn't underwater combat your field test?"

"Yes."

They're silent as they think through those statements and swim down even lower.

"Bad plan, Xavier!" James yells into his com for the others to hear. "Should've sent Barton."

Xavier: Merida has a hangover.

"Nice!" Emily exclaims, not even considering the unethical approach to showing up to work in that state.

"You go, Merida!" James cheers.

Merida: For once, I don't hate them.

Angela: Stop siding with her!

-o-

Above the Norwegian Sea - 19:07 PM

As the others wait for some indication of a 0-8-4 from Emily and James, their aerial scans start beeping. Angela looks at them before looking out her window to see what's there. Xavier, Daniel, and Merida stand behind her and see the same thing: jets from other government agencies here to see the 0-8-4.

FBI: SHIELD, this is the FBI jet on your left -

CIA: SHIELD, this is the CIA jet on your right -

NASA: SHIELD, this is the NASA jet approaching you from behind -

FBI, CIA, NASA: Do you copy?

The quinjet is silent as the other agencies wait for a response. Xavier turns on his heel and sees all the jets surrounding them. Lucky for them, they can deal with all of them at once.

"I'll deal with the CIA," Xavier says. He points at Daniel. "NASA." He points at Angela. "FBI." He points at Merida. "Emily and James."

They nod and run to their different sections, each of them putting on their own headsets, reconfiguring their communication connections.

"This is SHIELD," Angela, Xavier, and Daniel all say at once to their respective assigned agencies. "We copy."

"Stark, Pym," Merida says into hers. "Just letting you know that we have company up here so don't fuck this up."

Merida grins to herself. A part of her wants to ask Angela to trade because she wants to ask the FBI about Special Agent Blake Wilde as a distraction.

-o-

Below the Norwegian Sea - 19:10 PM

"Copy that," James says to Merida in his earpiece. "Tell them I say hi."

Emily continues to scan the area as she and James continue swimming deeper. SHIELD provided them with a vague set of coordinates and Emily searches for a specific area to pinpoint one to make this mission easier. It's obvious SHIELD would want something more valuable than discarded boots.

Then, her suit picks up on something in a second. Emily looks at it and sees her readings flashing like a Christmas tree.

"James," Emily says, pointing south-east from where they currently there. "The readings are covering my view but they're exploding from that area. What's there?"

James looks where she's pointing. He shrinks and swims closer to it. Once he approaches their potential 0-8-4, he glows. Aside from still lacking in underwater combat despite his passed field test, that moment did teach him that he's possible of bioluminescence. He beams brighter than the lights on Emily's suit.

"Rock formations that look like the wall of the Grand Canyon," James replies as he grows back to his normal size and touches it with his hands, turning off his bioluminescence. He knocks on it and shockingly hears an echo. "I think it's hollow. It sounds like drywall."

"Me too," Emily says, dismissing the readings. She looks up at the rock formation. "It seems stable and rigid. We could probably make a hole and if there seems to be a different part of the ocean in it, we've found our 0-8-4."

Jarvis: Miss. Stark, you might want to look at this.

"Do you have any hint as to what the object may be before we get closer?" Emily asks her AI.

Jarvis: I can't get a reading on a specific object from here but I can tell you its origin.

"Where?"

James looks at Emily in anticipation. He can't hear Jarvis or see Emily's face directly, but her silence has gone on for way too long.

"Where is it from?" James asks.

"It's Asgardian," Emily replies.