Revamped!

[As of now, I'm back but that won't be a promise for frequent updates. I'll be publishing loads of new stories.

This arc has been changed so many times, like at least a thousand times. However, I'm satisfied with how it is now.

Also, coming back with the big hundredth chapter was planned and perfectly timed in terms of plot and date because HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THIS STORY!]


Chapter 100: All Together Part One

Upper East Side, New York - 11:08 AM

Angela stands in the farmer's market one morning, hovering over a basket of freshly picked lemons on display, figuring out which ones are the best to take. She looks forwards and hopes that James is picking the good vegetables, wishing that he knows how to do so or else she'll have to re-pick them. Before she takes her lemons and heads over to him, she hears her phone ringing in her purse. Angela reaches inside and sees that it's Xavier so she picks it up.

"How are you?" Angela asks as she holds the phone to her ear with her shoulder to allow her to bag up some lemons.

Xavier: Let's see, I'm not sleeping, eating, and barely shaving, but other than that, I'm amazing.

Angela sighs. She feels bad for Xavier taking some time off of work because of all that happened in Hel between him and Sigyn along with the ambiguity of her status. He just wants to be with the woman he loves after not seeing her for seven years and he finally got that chance even under circumstances that weren't in his favour. Angela was grateful that she was here on a date with her boyfriend who, when she looks over at him, doesn't know how to pick out a good broccoli.

Xavier: I'm so bored here and I can't do anything without thinking of her. I should just go into work and help Merida with whatever she's doing. At least that'll put my mind somewhere else.

"No. There's a difference between liking to work and using work to avoid your problems. What I'm trying to say is that if something did happen to Sigyn, it was because of her actions in response to whatever happened in Asgard. We've seen how Apollo is and we don't know anything that's happened to them for the past seven years. You, Xavier, can't protect everyone all the time. You need to worry about yourself at the moment."

She hears Xavier take a long exhale on the other side of the line.

Xavier: How do you always know what to say to me?

Angela smirks. "I'm your twin. I'm the female version of you. And Merida is training rookies today so I'd advise staying home and as far from SHIELD as possible."

Xavier: That is why you're my #1.

Angela laughs to herself. "No way. I'm at least #3 on your list. I'm just happy you love someone so much so don't let all this ruin it."

Xavier: I'll let you get back to James so he doesn't pick anything spoiled.

Angela smiles as she hangs up and puts her phone away. She picks out some good lemons and starts to head over to James who, for once, has picked out a decently good broccoli.

"So, babe, I've been thinking…" James starts.

Angela perks up a little as she leans into him. "About us?"

"Actually, I think I want to resign from SHIELD."

"Wait, what?"

-o-

SHIELD Training Facility - 11:10 AM

Nobody now wants to die more than Merida does. Getting stuck on rookie training was worse than cleaning up the bathrooms in their dormitories. These agents were snarky and rude and despite a clogged toilet also being overflowed with crap; at least it didn't have an unbearable attitude.

The only thing that's keeping Merida from killing every one of these rookies slowly and painfully isn't her job or being locked up for multiple murders, but because Iqadi is also here just to observe. (Merida would still try to murder everyone here but Iqadi would be the only one able to stop her from doing so.)

"Agent Barton!" A rookie calls as he flails his arm in the air as if he's an elementary school student.

"What?" Merida questions, already irritated to her personal and already low limit.

"Are you so uptight because you haven't gotten laid recently?"

All the rookies laugh and Merida rolls her eyes in pure annoyance, even Iqadi finds it funny but wears a smile to keep her calm composure. In response to all their heckling, Merida pulls out the guns from her holster and forces them to run their laps. As they run, Merida fires them at the rookies to get them to go faster (they were only icers so they all just had to try their best not to get sedated mid-run).

"Why can't Dr. Banner train us?" A different rookie asks innocently.

They all collectively agree on that point although they know Daniel isn't an Operations graduate.

"We had to read his doctoral research papers and he seems to know his shit on everything."

Merida rolls her eyes again as she fires once more in that direction.

Iqadi walks up to her. "Have you read Daniel's work?"

"Please…" Merida mutters. She leans in close to Iqadi so the rookies won't hear her. "I fell asleep on the title page."

Merida looks up and sees the rookies jogging instead of running. Irritated with about everything at this point, Merida closes her eyes and uses her icers to shoot about three rookies randomly. As they fall over temporarily unconscious, other rookies trip over starting a domino effect while the surviving ones sprint away at top speed. Iqadi is horrified by what she just witnessed, especially Merida is laughing.

"You just shot them!" Iqadi exclaims.

"I know," Merida replies.

"And you laughed at it."

"I know."

"What if your superiors found out?"

Merida reloads her icers. "Then, I'll shoot them too."

"Merida..."

"What? We got that in the Academy."

-o-

Merida's Apartment - 12:02 PM

"I'm trying to do what is right!" Sigyn yells at him. "You would understand if you thought about this for once!"

The winds pick up and Sigyn tries to control them with her magic. They end up making a cyclone of power around her feet and she's the centre. Her eyes start glowing an illuminating shade of green, almost as if they make up who she is and the magic she possesses. Apollo feels himself needing to hold himself back from her, gripping his axe in case he desperately needs to use it.

"I have, Sigyn!" Apollo yells back. "We do have an escape!"

"There is none!" Her hair starts to fly all around her, picking up her spell as it grows. "You don't run from the people who need you. You fight for them. You fight beside them no matter the cost or the risk. I assume that you're an expert on sacrifices if your definition of the word consists of saving yourself while the rest of the world gets eaten alive."

Apollo shoots up awake. Everything around him is blurry while his heart races and cold sweat beads onto his face. He falls out of whatever he was lying on and grips his chest as he tenses on the floor. He has no idea where he is. Where is he? Why was he on Midgard? What happened on Asgard? Why can't he understand whatever Sigyn seems to be doing in his dreams and flashbacks?

Apollo lies on the cold floor for a second before realizing that he's in Merida's apartment and he was sleeping on her couch.

He stands up and looks at the empty apartment. It takes him a second to cool down from that vivid dream he had and he puts no thought towards it. Since he heard of what happened with Xavier in Hel and who she is to him, he doesn't want to think about her.

Apollo puts a hand to his head and feels a sheet of paper secured there with a chewed piece of gum. That has Merida written all over it and so does the sheet of paper.

"Everyone is off except me because my superiors hate me. Iqadi might be joining me but come to SHIELD since I have no food in my cupboards."

-o-

Location Unknown, Time Unknown

She walks the dry earth and dust blows her way, staining the tight black corset of her short dress. Her fingers lace with delicate magic as she tries to put an uncontrollable event accessible to her fingertips. She takes a few more steps, scanning the ground below her and stops when she sees a crack just at the toes of her heeled boots.

Sigyn pauses for a second, feeling her chest get heavier the more she needs to breathe. Her fingers are shaking causing wisps of her magic to flicker. Sigyn takes a deep breath and she circles her hands above her head, lighting them up for the appearance of the Serpent Crown to sit right on her golden hair.

The ground immediately trembles and Sigyn loses her footing, quickly regaining balance as she holds the crown firmly on her head. She slowly gets on her knees, tracing the growing crack with her fingertips.

"Come on out, monster…" Sigyn whispers to the ground below her. "Come out, come out wherever you are…"


[This is when the action begins.

Also, just an FYI, I have published a new Clintasha novella called Our Extraction Plan. Go check it out if you like since it's completed and has been for a while now].