Revamped!

[Emily's story has reached 700 reviews and I have been waiting for that day since I finished the story last July. Thank you all so freaking much. I spent lots of time reading some old chapters from Emily and Britney's stories and not only did the nostalgia hit me, but my writing was so good. Like, damn fetus me and her A+ literature]. [2020: Nostalgia hits me again. I'm revamping this chapter on the third anniversary since the story ended and seventh since it was published. Wow. Time goes by quickly].


Chapter 92: Forgiveness First

James's Condominium - Upper East Side - 8:31 AM

After hacking into SHIELD's database and broadcasting it to James's television, the footage from SHIELD's Supreme Courthouse is live for them to see. Their goal was to watch Iqadi's court hearing but to their surprise, it was already over. Those kinds of court orders and questionings were supposed to go on for twelve-to-fifteen hours a day and last for weeks, and there Iqadi was leaving the courthouse when it's barely been an hour.

"How?" Daniel questions. "I swear it just started."

They switch the viewing camera to a hallway in the courthouse where they see the judicial staff clearing out. Then, they switch it to an outdoor street camera where they see Iqadi walk free. The camera zooms in on her and the group can feel Iqadi's fierceness from James's couch and are left stunned. Her eyes are red-rimmed and determined, popping out from her puffy cheeks.

"She's innocent?" James questions. "And she proved it in under an hour?"

"Goals," Angela mutters, sipping her tea.

"Even in misery, fashion is important," Emily points out. "Man, I wish I could see that outfit in person."

"I wish we could be there in person but not because we're 'conflicts of interest.'"

Angela rolls her eyes at her words, continuing to sip her tea. SHIELD should've known that they would find a way to watch it, even if it was from their homes. Maybe that's a part of the reason why they didn't get an invite, and some of them were still physically healing from what happened with Iqadi's contingency plans.

"SHIELD would have grilled her for those plans, especially since the ones we've seen had so many complex principles to them," Xavier states. "Science is amazing."

Daniel looks at him strangely. "You never paid attention to science."

Xavier shrugs. "Still. They would have still questioned her and have her claim she was lying."

"Oh, please, Iqadi didn't lie to us," Angela argues. "Those plans weren't our business. She just wasn't completely honest. There's a difference."

Emily laughs a little. "That's funny, coming from you. You were the one who almost decapitated Iqadi."

Angela glares at her. It was mostly her overwhelmed emotions and Xavier needing a bullet taken out of him that chopped off Iqadi's head.

They look back at the television screen and see the Council members leaving the courthouse in their orderly fashion. Everyone freezes at the sight of the Council since they have never seen them outside of a hologram before. This still isn't seeing them in person but they look more human on a television screen compared to a holographic image.

"Oh, my god…" James mutters. "They're real people. We should've been there to protect Iqadi from them."

Merida rolls her eyes. "You're not a condom. She doesn't need your protection."

"You shut up about protection!" James yells at her. "You had to take a nap for your plan! I was burnt alive!"

Merida gives him a look. "Shut up. Quit being so passive-aggressive."

"I'd rather be passive-aggressive than aggressive."

"As if you could be aggressive."

Angela and Xavier continue watching the Council leave the SHIELD Supreme Courthouse as Merida and James argue about literally nothing. The Council gets in their ominous vehicles and drive the other way from wherever Iqadi is heading.

"They seemed happy, right?" Angela asks him.

"If they show their joy with frowns then yes," Xavier responds.

"That seems worse than a debriefing," Emily comments with a smirk.

Merida looks at Apollo. "I still don't get how you woke me up."

Apollo shrugs. "Strange things have triggered memories. Mostly just snippets of events and feelings but those alone are hard to hold on to and understand."

Merida shakes her head in confusion. "That doesn't answer my question!"

Apollo stares at her, not wanting to answer that question. For some reason, he didn't feel right or comfortable about bringing Sigyn up especially after all this.

-o-

The Peninsula Suite - 11:33 PM

Iqadi unties her hair and changes into her bathrobe to be more comfortable. She rinses her face with cold water and dabs it dry with a towel. Despite her getting her way after the court hearing (which she assumes since nobody stopped her on her way out), she still feels exhausted. It was probably because of her confessions about her paranoia and miscarriage. All of those pent-up emotions finally poured out like her tears and a part of her feels relieved that she finally got that, and everything else out in the open.

Iqadi hears a knock coming from her door. Her gut thinks that it's SHIELD sending her a follow-up subpoena or something related to that, but when she opens the door, she's faced with her friends who all wear the same stone-cold expressions as the Council did.

"We forgive you," Xavier says first.

Iqadi opens the door wider and gets a good look at all of them, unsure of what she heard. She heard his words but their faces don't match.

"You're going to forgive me?" Iqadi questions.

"Well, why wouldn't we forgive you?" Xavier asks.

"Because of what I did."

"You're right," Angela says. "You betrayed our trust, our friendship -"

"- everything we've ever stood for," James adds.

"You also almost killed us -" Daniel says.

"- and sent us to our deaths," Emily cuts off.

"Then, why are you all forgiving me?" Iqadi asks them again.

Apollo smiles a little. "Do you think that we care about you so little that betraying us like that would make a difference?"

"Any hero who could take down the team needs to be on it," Merida says genuinely. "Thankfully, you already are and you don't need a stupid document titled Project: New Generation to say whether you're on it or not."

"You've truly outdone us," Xavier tells her. "You make us better heroes."

Her friends are now smiling at her. Iqadi feels tears of joy form in her eyes and she lets them flow freely. This is the energy she needed.

-o-

Later in the day, Iqadi exits her hotel room and goes for a walk around the city for some fresh air. She enters a park and feels the breeze go against her. Iqadi could use her powers to switch the currents or go the other way, but she liked the feeling of having something to fight against. She looks up and sees Apollo sitting on a park bench. Their eyes meet and she takes a seat next to him.

"What brings you here?" Iqadi asks him.

"Searching for memories," Apollo responds blandly.

Iqadi nods. She was aware of Apollo's amnesia when she first got rescued from SHIELD island and took it the same way the others did since they had no idea what or how to deal with it except let nature takes its course. The others informed her of how he would occasionally get some memories back but they're not sure if they're legit memories or some fabricated ones and frankly, neither does he.

"You're a prince," Iqadi says, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Do you have such a contingency plan like this?"

"Not that I recall but I would assume so," Apollo responds. "Nothing like yours, I believe."

Iqadi nods. "Good. Just be warned that it will cost you more than just guilt."

Apollo looks at her worriedly. "What did you lose?"

Iqadi sighs. "I assume that they didn't tell you but I had a miscarriage."

Apollo is stunned. "Iqadi, I am so sorry."

"It's fine now. I think I'm fine now. Take my advice: pain and passion are intertwined. If you're ordered to do something you're strongly against, try your absolute best to find alternatives or a way out, even if all the odds are against you. Just be aware that all your choices have a cost. The reason I'm telling you this is because maybe you forgot everything for a reason and the memories you're getting are ones that are trying to tell you something about what you're are missing."

Apollo nods. He isn't sure why Iqadi's words bite deep into him, but they do. The whole mystery behind his forgotten memories of the past seven years and more bothers him and he doesn't know why since he doesn't know what he doesn't know. He opens his mouth and - released a guttural scream and slams his fist into the wall, then he falls against it, pressing his forehead against the plaster. When his breathing becomes manageable he turns around, suddenly wanting to cry - from anger, desperation, vengeance.

His mother's soothing figure approaches him and he instantly calms down.

"Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that it was scary?" Apollo asks her.

Jane smiles a little. "Basically, my entire pregnancy with you."

Apollo stands up, his eyes never leaving her. "You can't fathom how happy I am to see you -"

Apollo keeps silent. He has nothing to say.


[When I foreshadow everywhere. That conversation in the middle-ish was derived from Doctor Who].