Chapter 48: Signal
The whole of San Juan EPD and police force has been mobilized and the hunt for HYDRA began.
Citizens were quickly evacuated first to prevent any accidents.
It didnât take long to find where HYDRA was hiding and a fight between the two forces began.
While the EPD and police confronted them in the front, Agents May and Bobbi snuck in from behind and incapacitated more HYDRA agents from the back.
Trip took position on a nearby roof and held a sniper rifle loaded with Icer bullets.
Icers were a non-lethal means of SHIELD to incapacitate enemies without killing them.
In another area underground, Whitehall received news of their base being attacked but ignored it.
As long as he gets to that temple, everything else doesnât matter!
âDig faster!â
âThis is the highest output we can do. Any more and we risk structural integ-â
âJust do it!â
âY-yes, herr Whitehall!â
The HYDRA agent nodded and quickly entered a few things on the tablet he was holding. The next moment, the machine currently digging a hole in the ground using a powerful laser started to buzz louder and everyone in the room could feel the heat as well.
Cal and Raina were also among the people in the room as Raina held the Diviner in her hands.
Cal turned to the agent controlling the device and asked.
âHow much more?â
âJust a bit more. 3% remaining.â
âGood to know.â
He grinned and suddenly kicked the agent to the laser, instantly killing him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Whitehall frowned and turned to him while the other HYDRA agents turned their weapons to him and Raina.
âWhatâs the meaning of this?â
âThe meaning is that you have served your purpose. And now itâs time for my revenge!â
Cal grinned and let loose.
He was a normal human but because of his feeling of powerlessness back when his wife was taken from him and tortured, he developed a drug that helped enhanced his strength.
It wasnât perfect, however. As his mood became very unstable and volatile, causing him to become a madman that rampages when heâs moody.
The HYDRA agents shot at him but he quickly dodged and began throwing people around.
At this moment, SHIELD arrived and witnessed the current fight.
Cal paused when he saw a familiar woman on SHIELDâs side.
âDaisy!â
Fitz turned to Skye.
âUhh, Skye? That guyâs calling you Daisy or something? Do you know him?â
âMe? I donât know him.â
Skye shook her head.
Still, there was this uncomfortable feeling at the back of her mind that this man was familiarâ¦
âUhh guys. Isnât thatâ¦â
Jemma pointed at Rainaâs hands and everyone saw another Diviner!
Seeing that, Skye shook off that uncomfortable feeling and hurriedly pointed her gun at Raina and the others.
âNobody move! You! Put the Obelisk down!â
Raina merely smiled.
âWhat if I donât want to?â
*Bang*
A gunshot was heard and Raina looked down at her own chest.
Blue veins appeared on her body as she fell down unconsciously.
An icer had hit her!
Everyone turned to look at the shooter.
â...What? She asked!?â
Fitz shrugged.
Anyway, itâs not like she died. Might as well shoot her and be done with it.
Skye and the rest looked at each other speechlessly and quickly began to fire on the others as well.
Cal and the remaining HYDRA agents quickly ducked for cover while Whitehall merely grabbed one of the agents and placed him in front of himself as a shield while backing away.
Cal also took this chance to flee into the tunnels in the underground city.
Skye turned to Fitz and Simmons.
âSecure the Obelisk. Me and Mack will chase him inside.â
âOh hell naw.â
Mack sighed as he really didnât want to enter some unknown alien city underground.
However, he also knew he didnât have much of a choice so he followed Skye down.
What they didnât know wasâ¦Benjamin had long grabbed Cal and threw him into a portal then did the same to Whitehall. Tossing the two into a closed room somewhere.
Cal looked around warily.
âWhat is this!? Are you with SHIELD!?â
âNope. Iâm with the EPD. As for what this isâ¦well, letâs just say itâs your chance for revenge.â
Benjamin smiled and tossed Whitehall at Calâs feet.
âThis man was responsible for dissecting your wife all those years ago as well experimenting on many others. If you ask anyone, theyâd say he deserves to die. But I think you and I know that death is too easy for someone like him. What do you say?â
The room wasnât completely empty as there were many torture materials on top of a table.
Benjamin also handed Cal a pill.
It was a Medium Recovery Pill.
âI know youâre a doctor so you can definitely make sure that he stays barely alive but just in case. As long as he has a sliver of breath left, feed him this and he should be good to go again.â
âW-why are you doing this!?â
Whitehallâs face paled.
Benjamin looked down at him and sneered.
âWhy? Discovery requires experimentation. Wasnât that what you used to say?â
Whitehallâs face was as white as a sheet.
He knew he was done for.
Benjamin shook his head and turned around as he was about to leave.
At this moment, Whitehallâs crazed voice shouted from behind him.
âNo! You canât do this! HYDRA will find me! Mark my words! Madame Hydra will come for you!â
Benjamin paused.
âMadame Hydra? Do you mean Ophelia?â
âT-thatâs right! Sheâs the new head of HYDRA now! She wonât rest until youâre all dead!â
Benjamin chuckled at that.
âLook at you. Werenât you trying to usurp her throne? Who do you think told me about you?â
â...Noâ¦she wouldnât!â
âHYDRA? Heh. HYDRAâs nothing anymore. Your Madame Hydra was already someone from our side, to begin with. Sheâs slowly reforming your little group into a bunch of volunteers. This is how you beat HYDRA. You donât cut off their heads.â
Having said that, Benjamin no longer cared about him anymore and turned to Cal.
âTake your revenge. Iâll come back later and help you deal with your mood swings. If you want to remain as your daughterâs father, then you need to straighten yourself. Do you understand?â
â...Can you really help me?â
âOf course. Itâs just a simple thing.â
Cal fell silent for a moment.
He knew that he had long turned into a monster due to taking an imperfect drug to strengthen himself.
He had killed a lot of peopleâ¦which he was not proud of by any means.
But it was necessary.
He needed strength if he wants to protect his family.
He learned that the hard way when Whitehall took his wife and dissected her alive!
But he also knewâ¦the current him had no right to be someoneâs father.
His hands were too stained with blood.
Plus, there were these unpredictable mood swings.
Just a small matter can potentially trigger him and go on another rampage. He canât have that if he wants to be around his daughter.
All he wanted was what was best for her.
â...I understand. But let me savor this moment firstâ¦â
Cal glared at the pale Whitehall on the ground.
He still needed to be a monster one last timeâ¦
âNoâ¦donât come near meâ¦NOOO!!!!â
Benjamin sighed and left the place as he returned to where Skye and the others were.
By the time he returned, he found that Skye had unknowingly already entered the temple and the Diviner she was carrying in her bag flew onto the pedestal and opened itself, revealing the crystals inside it.
Seeing as the room was closing up, Mack tried to go in and get Skye out but Benjamin stopped him just in time.
Benjamin sighed in relief.
In the TV series, Trip did the same and did something rash by destroying the crystals which then exploded and lodged themselves into his body, killing him.
If Mack were to do the sameâ¦then heâd also die as he didnât have Inhuman genes.
âBen! What are you doing!? We need to get Skye out of there now! Use that portal thingy of yours!â
Benjamin knew it was already late and the Terrigenisis had already started.
âSheâs fine. Whatâs happening is whatâs meant to happen. Sheâs now undergoing Terrigenisis.â
âTerri-what now?â
âTerrigenisis. Itâs a process by which a person with latent Inhuman genes turns into an Inhuman. Itâs basically like a mutant.â
âSoâ¦sheâs going to have powers now?â
âYeah. Considering your line of work, sheâd be a huge help in the future.â
Mack sighed but still felt worried for Skye.
Who knew what sort of changes she will experience?
Suddenly the whole surrounding shook as if an earthquake happened and they were at the epicenter of it.
The next moment, the room opened up once again and they found Skye still looking completely normal.
âIâ¦feel strangeâ¦â
âItâs normal to feel strange. You are now an Inhuman and changes are expected to happen in your body.â
âYeah butâ¦it feels weirdâ¦everything feels weirdâ¦like Iâm not in my own body anymoreâ¦â
Benjamin smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
âGive it some time. You need to rest first. After that, Iâll teach you how to control your powers.â
Skye nodded.
Inwardly, she felt relieved that Ben was here.
Having suddenly gained powersâ¦she didnât know what sheâd do if there was no one to guide her.
Sheâll probably have to struggle a lot and fumble on her own powers.
What if she loses control? What if she hurts someone?
These kinds of questions naturally rose into her mind.
But with Benjamin here, someone who also has powers and knowledge of Inhumans, she felt reassured and that she can control this new power of hers.
Although she still doesnât know what it was.
At the same time, in a certain place.
A man without eyes turned to the woman beside him.
âWhat is it, Jiaying?â
â...Another one was born. Thereâs a new Inhuman out there.â
Jiayingâs tone was grave as she held onto an object that glowed red slightly.
If Skye and the others were here, theyâd know that this object was also another Diviner!
Jiaying turned to the eyeless man.
âGordon. We need to find this new Inhuman before he, or she, destroys everything that weâve built here!â
â...I understand.â
Gordon nodded and the next moment, he disappeared into thin air.
Jiaying sighed and looked out the window and muttered.
âCalâ¦is this youâ¦? Did you findâ¦our Daisyâ¦?â
At the same time, in an unknown galaxy.
A humanoid figure with blue skin was looking at a holographic screen with a grave expression.
âAn ancient signalâ¦? Noâ¦the Diviner? This canât beâ¦but then that meansâ¦â
The blue-skinned manâs expression turned graver by the second as he quickly manipulated the screen to intercept the signal and prevent it from reaching anyone else.
He then picked up a truncheon and got into a spaceship.
âI need to find them before the Kree Empire notices their existenceâ¦otherwiseâ¦â
He sighed and resolved himself.
He inputted the coordinates based on the signal and began his journey.
Destination: Earth.
Moments later, in Asgard.
A woman in armor could be seen standing beside a man in golden armor at the edge of the Rainbow Bridge.
Seeing a frown on the manâs face, the woman asked.
âHeimdall. What is it that you see?â
â...Kree, Lady Sif. A Kree spaceship is currently headed for Midgard.â
Lady Sif frowned as well.
âAccording to the agreement between the Kree Empire and Odin, no Kree shall ever step foot on Midgard ever again! Prepare the Bifrost! I shall deal with this kretin myself!â
âDonât you wish to inform Thor?â
Lady Sif rolled her eyes.
âThor is busy showing his mortal girlfriend around Asgard. Leave him be.â
She spoke with a tone that seemed salty.
Although she approves of Jane, she still didnât like Thor parading around with a mortal in their realm.
Plusâ¦
Lady Sif sighed and shook her head.
She couldnât wait to find that Kree bastard and turn him into her punching bag to release some stress!
Heimdall chuckled and stabbed his sword into the slot on the ground.
With a turn, the whole room turned and a ray of rainbow light shot out into the vast cosmos, traveling all the way into one small blue planet called Earth.
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AN: Now I know I forgot to update yesterday and usually I would post double chapters but...the next chapter is the only advanced chap I have left and I need to edit it some more as well. All I can say is that it won't be the same as the plot in the series anymore and would now lead to a whole new bigger arc.
I've been dealing with a lot of work stress these few weeks since deadlines are coming up so I didn't have much time to write advanced chapters. But I'll still try and see if I can write a chapter every 2-3 days.
Once things calm down at work, I may be able to write some more.
Till then, enjoy.