Revamped!

[So I accidentally erased my outline for this chapter because I'm an idiot with technology so I winged this entire chapter.

Also, I may or may not have finished typing this arc… I did and started the next one. I felt motivated to do it and I've been listening to a cool song on loop. Also, school is depressing me so I came here for joy which I got]. [2020: Some things never change].


Chapter 85: The Contingency Plan Part Five

Stark Towers - 21:12 PM

The five who remain decide to take a step back for a moment and try to piece together what's happening. In agreement, they decided to put the information they just learned about Iqadi's plans on the back burner of their minds and just focus on what they could do now. For starters, they examine Xavier's gun and the bullets that came with it.

"It's stronger than the material of our bulletproof vests," James comments.

"And they're SHIELD issued," Angela states. That observation is odd to her.

"Just like Merida's earpiece was," Iqadi adds, remembering that piece of information before she crushed it. "The guns had palm-print sensors. Once it locked onto you or Xavier, since you two have identical palms prints, it would overpower your own neural paths and control it. As per recent events, it would fixate on the one with a similar palm."

"That's it!" Emily exclaims. "Aside from that build being fascinating, SHIELD is against us."

Angela, Daniel, and James all laugh to themselves, thinking about how ridiculous that is. They think that Emily may just be making a joke to lighten the situation up, but Emily's face is a rock along with Apollo an Iqadi's. Of course, the ones who went to SHIELD Academy have their bias that SHIELD would never go against them.

"We have to stop believing in the Council and SHIELD," Emily continues. "Just because they're superior to us doesn't mean they're on our side."

"Emily, are you drunk?" Angela asks. "Why would SHIELD go against us?"

"Why haven't they tried to contact us to see if we're still alive?" Emily asks instead.

Angela opens her mouth to answer before realizing that she has no response. Frankly, neither do James or Daniel.

"I've been searching at SHIELD for my plans," Iqadi admits.

"And if SHIELD trusted us, then we wouldn't have to wear these parole bracelets," Apollo adds.

Apollo, Iqadi, and Emily show their bracelets that Emily deactivates. The SHIELD supporters are speechless, assuming the bracelets were a formality. To think that SHIELD has known them since they were children and yet, to get access or trust from them, they had to become agents and receive a clearance level or wear a parole bracelet.

But they know SHIELD wouldn't be compromised. It's probably a small group or one person.

"Hey," Emily says, nudging Daniel. "When was the last time I told you I love you?"

"Let me think…" He responds.

"If you have to think, then it hasn't been recent." She kisses his cheek. "I love you."

Before Daniel could say those same words back, a light-filled portal opens above their heads. They all look up and see Apollo's axe fly out and land on the floor. As if it was second nature, Apollo instantly goes for it. The moment his hands clench on the handle, his axe takes control and flies back through the portal, taking Apollo with it.

The portal closes and now five became four. The fact that they decreased in a matter of seconds shows how quick this can all happen.

"How was that supposed to 'kill' him?" Angela asks.

Iqadi sighs. "That was just one to get him out of the way. I told you he cherishes that weapon since and since it's no longer in his control, he would want to regain that dominance so he'll never let go. If he does, who knows where he'd be."

"Holy shit, you're smart," James comments. Iqadi doesn't thank him since she didn't want to be deemed as smart for this.

"Wait, Iqadi…" Daniel says, thinking back to an event that happened a long time ago. "Did one of your plans for me involve a virus that would separate me from my hulk?"

"Yes," she replies. "When I heard all about that, I knew my plans were gone."

To her surprise, Daniel smiles a little. He seems overjoyed which Iqadi doesn't seem to understand. Why would he be happy over something that almost killed him?

Daniel's smile is still strong. "After I was exposed to that, not only did I almost die but that was the moment when I finally accepted having my Hulk in me and realized how much I needed it. Thank you."

Iqadi doesn't know what to say. Never in her life did she think that one of her friends would ever thank her for a plan that was intended to kill them. Iqadi stands up and hugs Daniel. She just needed to feel that warmth that came with the slightest sign of forgiveness from her friends, even if it was just Daniel.

"If you don't mind my asking, how did you get your Hulk back inside?" Iqadi asks him.

"Nuclear fission. Reinfected me and my hulk with the virus since we would both need hosts to sustain ourselves."

Iqadi parts from him and is stunned. "That is remarkable."

James leans in closer to Emily and whispers, "if Daniel made contingency plans for us then we'd be doomed."

"Oh, for sure," Emily whispers back.

A sudden beeping noise fills the room. All their eyes turn to Emily's suits that were rewired to monitor Xavier and Merida. It would only make noise if something was wrong. They run over. James and Daniel check Xavier and Angela and Iqadi for Merida while Emily looks on her suit.

"He's stable," Daniel says about Xavier.

"So is she," Angela says about Merida.

"Then, what the hell was this?!" James yells.

Then, it dawns on Iqadi. "Emily, back away now!"

Emily instantly gets up from the floor and they start dispersing. The suit disconnects from Xavier and Merida, as if it started becoming sentient. Its arm reaches forwards and grabs Emily's wrist, suddenly building around it. The suit starts forming on her entire arm and then wraps over her shoulder. Emily screams as she tries to resist her overpowering suit.

Angela runs behind and jumps on the suit's back, trying to pry it off. James starts shooting his bioelectricity blasts. Iqadi whips pieces of vibranium. Daniel grabs Emily's hand to yank her back. All of which fail. The suit throws Angela to the floor and she slides across. Once it's wrapped around Emily's chest, the arc reactor lights up and fires right at James, Iqadi, and Daniel, knocking them over. Before any of them could get up, Emily's suit finishes assembling on her over her protesting screams and flies off.

"I didn't tell her that I loved her back," Daniel mutters regrettably.

James pats his shoulder. "She knows."

"It's one thing to know and it's another to hear it again."

James nods in agreement. "I love you, Angela."

"Shut up for a moment," Angela says with her head somewhere else. She looks at Iqadi. "Where is Emily headed?"

"I honestly have no idea," Iqadi replies. "But it's Emily. You could drop her in the middle of nowhere with nothing and she will still be able to fly out in a stylish contraption."

"But doesn't that mean that whoever is doing this knows that we're here?" Daniel questions.

"Possibly. Where could we go now?"

"Not to mention that we have Merida and Xavier with us," Angela says.

"So, what do we do?" James asks. "Xavier isn't here to give orders so I'm looking at you."

Angela looks up at sees three pairs of eyes looking at her, waiting for orders. She isn't even sure what Xavier would do. "...I have no idea, but none of us get to fall when everyone we love is depending on us to get through this."

Iqadi takes a breath. "None of you were supposed to know that I was coming but then SHIELD Island came. You all came to the prison to save me and I was planning to do the same here by finding my plans. And now, I'm failing."

"We're all on the same boat," Daniel says.

"In that case, we will all be at the bottom of the ocean."

"At least some of us are already there."