Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Marvel Mayhem - Chapter Five (w/ Commentary Notes from the Author, Sean Livingston)

Chapter Five: The Truth That Lies

(Authorial Note: On FanFiction.net, I included a disclaimer warning readers of spoilers to Captain America: The Winter Soldier featured in this chapter. If you have not yet seen the film over a year after its release, then brace yourself for major revelations!)

            Nick Fury was dead.

            Sitting in the waiting room, Sean did his best to cope with the reality of that fact. He felt angry, but not with himself. What angered him was being forced to take on a bogus assignment while a man he had respected and looked up to all his life needed help that he could not provide. If there was anyone to blame for Fury’s death, it was Natasha Romanoff. She was the one who brought him along for the assignment, in addition to almost getting him killed.

            In his desolation, he remembered a phone call that he received shortly before he went on his botched mission. The ID of the caller was anonymous, so he had chosen to ignore it. It suddenly occurred to him that the caller might have been Fury, reaching to him on an unlisted number, so as not to attract attention from his assailants.

            He was trying to reach out to me for help, and I ignored it for a stupid sham of a mission! If I’d just answered that call, I would’ve…Dammit!

(Narrative Note: This call happened simultaneously with the moment of Captain America: The Winter Soldier in which Fury survived his on-road attack and went to Steve Rogers/Captain America's apartment in hiding. In being unable to reach Sean, he could only rely on Rogers for help.)

            His level of frustration had increased from these thoughts. It did not help put him at ease to see Romanoff pass by the waiting room in his line of sight. Immediately, he got up and chased her down the nearby hallway. “Natasha!” He called, prompting her to stop and face him. He did his best to control his anger as he addressed her: “We shouldn’t have been on that assignment. We could’ve saved Fury, if we hadn’t been out chasing lunatics like Saccheri.”

            “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Who’s Saccheri?”

            Her response surprised him. He could see the confusion on her face but could not determine if it was real or not. Either way, it only frustrated him even more. “Don’t play me right now – not after what’s happened tonight.”

            “I honestly have no clue what you’re talking about. I was never on any assignment with you tonight – the last one I had was with Rogers on the Lemurian Star. If you don’t believe me, talk to him – he’ll confirm it.”

(Marvel Note: The Lemurian Star is a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship designed to launch targeting satellites for Project Insight. In the first act of The Winter Soldier, Captain America and Black Widow were dispatched to the ship in order to rescue the crew - one of whom was Agent Jasper Sitwell - that had been held hostage from a band of pirates led by Georges Batroc. As it turned out later after the mission, the pirates were hired by Nick Fury to provide cover for Widow, who was in actuality sent to the Lemurian Star to retrieve data that would later help in stopping HYDRA's plot to strike at potential threats.)

            She briskly turned and walked away, leaving Sean with feelings of perplexity that replaced anger. He was still frustrated, only now it was fueled by the mystery of recent experiences. Who was I with that night if it wasn’t actually Natasha?

            He barely noticed Elendriel walk into the area, passing right by Romanoff in her hurry. Karter was carried in her arms; he had been left in her care by Ciciley shortly after deciding to take the mysterious child in. “I just heard the news about Fury,” Elendriel said as she approached her half-brother. “Is it true?”

            He confirmed with a dejected nod. “It is.”

            Elendriel was speechless for the first time since Sean had known her. It took her at least three minutes to respond with another question: “How’s Moms taking it?”

            “She’s not taking it well at all.”

            “I’d imagine. Finding out that her mother is still alive and the man she loved has died all in one night – it’s got to be the worst time of her life.”

            “Moms and Fury were never in love.”

            “Um…yeah…they were, bro. They could never get enough of each other – you saw the way he looked at her during Project Geo, after she got all young and stuff.”

(Narrative Note: A past romance between Nick Fury and Ciciley Livingston was teased in The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2 and has become a major development in their character relationship ever since, with more exploration planned for Marvel Evolution, the 2016 sequel to Marvel Mayhem.)

            “O.K. I wanna talk about something else now.”

            Elendriel chuckled at his avoidance of the topic. “Alright. What else you want to talk about?”

            His eyes centered on Karter, who was practically asleep in Elendriel’s arms. “How ‘bout him? Why was a baby kept in Saccheri’s secret room?”

            “Your guess is as good as mine. But I can tell you this: in the time I’ve been with him, he’s been the cutest little fella I’ve ever met and not in the least bit ‘weird’ or ‘alien.’”

            “Good. The last thing we need now is weirdness.”

            Elendriel’s body stiffened as she caught sight of someone behind him. “She’s coming.”

            It did not take much of a guess for Sean to realize the “she” Elendriel referred to was Ciciley. Sure enough, he turned to see their young mother approach. Her eyes were deep red from crying and her body was quivering more than before. Elendriel immediately comforted her with a hug, being careful not to mush the sleeping Karter between them.

            “I’m so sorry, Mama.” She sympathetically told her. “Is there anything you need?”

            Ciciley took a deep, shaky breath. “All I need now is for the both of you to go home and get some rest. It’s been a long night for you two, and you deserve to sleep the day in.”

(Character Note: In The Marvelous World, while it was unclear where Ciciley and Elendriel lived prior to the events of Project Geo, Sean had lived in Anaheim, California. In Marvel Mayhem, it's revealed that he currently resides in New York City, a reverse action from his Muppetverse counterpart, Sean Thomas.)

            “What about Grandmamma?” Sean questioned.

            His question tensed Ciciley even more. “Let me deal with her. From what you’ve already told her a while ago, I think now’s the time for me to ask those questions I have.”

            She left her children’s side and headed down the hallway leading back to Chrissy’s room. Watching her leave with such intensity in her demeanor, Sean felt as if old times had returned, and he saw that fierceness that had been absent in his mother in recent years. It took finding the mother she believed was deceased to bring that old attitude back. Sean could not determine if it was good or bad with the events that transpired.

            “So, bro, you need a ride?” Elendriel offered.

            “Thanks, sis. But I don’t plan on going home just yet. I’ve got some things to figure out.”

            “About Fury’s assassination?”

            Speaking with the same intensity that his mother expressed earlier, he told Elendriel, “That’s just one piece of the puzzle.”

------------------

            The Triskelion was just as majestic on the outside as it was on the inside. The view of Washington, D.C. from the windows within the topmost floors of the building was breathtaking. Unfortunately for Sean, he had other things on his mind rather than the décor and view. Leaning against the cold steel wall with his arms crossed, he stood in the hallway of the forty-eighth floor and waited for a particular person of interest to cross by. Many people did in the past hours he patiently waited, including Brock Rumlow.

(Marvel Note: Brock Rumlow, also known as "Crossbones," was first introduced in Captain America #359, released in October 1989. In the comics, he is an agent of the Red Skull, having carried out the assassination of Captain America following the Civil War. He is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the S.T.R.I.K.E. team leader in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, until he is one of many agents ousted as a HYDRA sleeper agent, connecting him back to his comic book roots, as HYDRA was founded by the Red Skull. In the film, he wears equipment under his bulletproof vest that is meant to reference his Crossbones attire in the comics. He'll be one of the antagonists of Captain America: Civil War in 2016.)

            Rumlow passed through with a member of his S.T.R.I.K.E. team. To Sean, they both appeared quite uneasy, as if they were on a mission right at that moment. As soon as he was right in Livingston’s line of sight, he glanced at him and nodded while saying, “How’s it goin’, sir?”

            Sean acknowledged Rumlow’s greeting with a nod, having not much to say to the special agent. However, just as the two men approached the elevator on the far right end of the corridor, Sean spoke out: “Hey, Rumlow. The Lemurian Star mission – you and the team were with Cap and Romanoff on that, right?”

            “Yes, sir, we were.” Rumlow answered while waiting for the elevator to arrive. “Is there something wrong?”

            Sean shook his head. “Just needed the confirmation. Thanks.”

            The elevator door opened for the two men, and they both boarded with one other occupant: Steve Rogers. Sean caught of glimpse of the legendary World War II hero as his iconic shield, attached to his back, faced his way. When the elevator doors closed, sealing Rogers inside with the two S.T.R.I.K.E. members, Sean could have sworn the stiffness in the bodies of Rumlow and his partner increased.

            What mission are those guys on that have them so keyed up?

(Marvel Note: This scene sets up the brutal elevator confrontation between Captain America and the S.T.R.I.K.E. team as seen in The Winter Soldier. In fact, this is one of a couple of instances in which Cap appears physically in the story, as much of the paralleling plot to the film takes him away from the action in Marvel Mayhem.)

            The sound of heels clapping against the marbled floor directed his attention to the far left side of the corridor as Romanoff arrived, walking side-by-side with Mindy. Finally, his person of interest showed up. Her behavior was much different than it was earlier at the hospital. She was very cheerful, laughing along with Mindy as if nothing else in the world mattered to her; a very surprising attitude, considering that her boss and greatest ally had been murdered the other night.

            While Romanoff and Mindy were moving in closer to him, his right hand guardedly went in beneath his long black trench coat. Once they all made eye contact with each other, Mindy was the first to say, “Hello.” Romanoff followed with her own casual “Hello.”

            “That was some excellent work you did in recovering the hijacked ship, Natasha.”

            Mindy and Romanoff slowed in their walk down the corridor. It was evident that Natasha had been caught off guard from Livingston’s compliment, exchanging a peculiar look with Mindy before she said, “Thank you.”

            “I’m curious – where was that ship headed before it was hijacked?” Sean quickly followed.

            Romanoff hesitated almost too long with an answer. “I…I didn’t catch all the specifics on the ship but, if I had to guess, I’d say it was heading for the Atlantic Ocean.”

            “Uh-huh. And what was the name of the ship?”

            Again, she hesitated. “I’m…not entirely sure.” She and Mindy nervously looked to each other. It was obvious how guilty they were in Sean’s eyes. They could see his right hand move out from beneath his long coat, gripping something that they could barely see as it was hidden behind his right hip.

            “The name of the ship is the Lemurian Star. It was headed for the Indian Ocean – way far off from the Atlantic. Of course, you would know that, if you were debriefed before the mission…but you weren’t part of that mission, were you?”

(Factual Note: The Indian Ocean is bounded by Asia on the north, on the west by Africa, on the east by Australia, and on the south by Antarctica; whereas the Atlantic Ocean - divided by its northern and southern regions - occupies an elongated S-shaped basin extending longitudinally between Eurasia and Africa to the east, and the Americas to the west.)

            Before they knew it, he brought up a black semiautomatic pistol that was aimed directly at Romanoff’s head. Fear overtook her face as she stared down the barrel while instinctively raising her hands in the air.

            Mindy saw how the situation turned to chaos in the blink of an eye and quickly spoke in Romanoff’s defense: “Sean, please put the gun down.” Unfortunately, she suddenly found herself staring down the gun barrel, her body turning rigid in reaction.

            Not once taking his focus off the two women, Sean opened an unlocked door that he had been standing near. Prior to this confrontation, he scouted the floor for a private area to interrogate them. There was one reserved for such a purpose – a bland, four-walled room with a chrome table and two chairs sitting in the center. He ordered Mindy and Romanoff inside with just an intense stare and a gesture made from the hand he held the gun in. Mindy and Romanoff complied and entered the interrogation room with Sean following behind.

            As soon as the three of them were in, he shut the door and went right to questioning: “I want answers.” He trained his gun on Romanoff’s head again. “I want to know who you really are, because it’s obvious you’re not Natasha Romanoff. Are you some type of sleeper agent sent to infiltrate our operations? Tearing us down from the inside?”

            Mindy smirked. “Man, if you only knew,” she muttered.

            Sean brought the gun back on Mindy, whose smirk swiftly vanished. “What do you mean by that?” He moved the gun back and forth between the two women, both looking very suspicious to him. “What’re you two hiding? And you better tell me the truth or else I’m putting bullets in both your craniums!”

            Natasha let out a defeated sigh. Staring right at Sean, her face began to emit a faint golden glow. Sean’s eyes widened as he witnessed a sudden metamorphosis that she underwent. Her facial features shifted and she became slightly taller with a more robust body type. In a matter of seconds, there was a different woman standing before him bearing resemblance to Natasha Romanoff only by her long red hair and her black catsuit.

            Having watched the transformation, which put him in a state of shock, he was barely able to ask, “Who are you?”

            The young woman smiled and spoke with a voice different from Natasha’s. “You already know me.” She raised her left fist in the air and winked at him. “Stay alive, brother.”

            Sean recognized those words – they were the last ones said to him by the one woman who saved his friends, family, and the rest of the world from Doctor Facilier years ago. “Sheryl?” He lowered the gun, staring at the face of a woman he felt as if he knew for ages.

(Narrative Note: The moment that Agent Livingston is able to recall from Genevieve's words occurs in the final chapter to The Marvelous World, in which Sheryl and Sean - after managing to get aboard the Sphere, controlled by Doctor Facilier - are cornered by John Clayton of Tarzan. This was in fact the last time he had seen the second reincarnation of his Muppetverse counterpart before meeting the seventeenth incarnation in this scene.)

            “I go by ‘Genevieve’ now.” The young woman told him while lowering her hands. “I was reincarnated into a different body.”

            Shock and fear turned to joy and relief as it finally dawned on Livingston that one of the greatest heroes and allies that he made had returned. “Oh, my god! You’re back! You have no idea how much I’ve missed you! You left such an impact on me and everyone from the Avengers to S.H.I.E.L.D. after Project Geo!”

            Genevieve was surprised and touched by this. “Aww! Really?”

            Sean replied with a nod before bringing his focus to her disguise. “But why the undercover treatment? You’re just as much of a hero as Captain America to this agency. Why be so secretive around us?”

            “I’ve tracked a very dangerous woman named Yve Ette to this world.” Genevieve revealed. “I believe she’s using one of your threats to bring chaos to every known realm outside this one.”

            “If she’s that dangerous, then you have all the better reason to bring S.H.I.E.L.D. in on this.” Sean suggested.

            “Right now, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t as trustworthy as you’ve been led to believe that it is.” Mindy told him.

            Her keen foresight drew back suspicion in Livingston. “How are you so certain?”

            Mindy smiled, hoping he would ask a question like that. “Because I’m a reincarnation like Genevieve. We’re both Guardians of the Disneyverse.”

(Character Note: As part of her cover in the Marvel Universe, Mindy fabricated the memories of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who discovered her as she was being reborn into her reincarnated form. They were led to believe that she was an experimental super soldier - akin to Captain America - that was born in 1986, hence the "Subject M1986" moniker, and raised by S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists that hid her from the world and constantly gave her doses of the Super Soldier serum as she grew.)

            Gazing left and right between Mindy and Genevieve, it was astonishingly evident to Sean that both women used to be Sheryl. “My god! How many of you are there?”

            “Seventeen.” Genevieve casually answered. “Scattered across all space and time…and I’m the last of them.”

            Sean felt his head spinning from the mind-blowing revelations he had received in such a short time. He maintained control long enough to get some more answers from Mindy. “How is it that you know about the future of this universe if you’re the guardian of another?”

            “I’ve spent 28 years in this realm – enough time for me to visit its past, present, and future, discovering its secrets from one galaxy to the next.” Mindy said. “Your world is bigger and vaster than you know. I’ve been to places beyond Asgard and met creatures like a talking raccoon and a walking tree that can only say who he is. But the deadliest secret I know is the one that’s the biggest hazard to you.”

(Marvel Note: Mindy refers to the characters Rocket Raccoon and Groot, who are members of the intergalactic superhero team known as the "Guardians of the Galaxy," which we will see later in the story.)

            Livingston felt his body go numb. “You mean S.H.I.E.L.D.?” He saw Mindy answer with a discouraged nod. “Well, what is it?”

            “I can’t say.” Mindy remarked. “It might shatter your trust of everything and everyone you’ve ever cared about.”

            “If you know as much as you’re telling me, then you can tell me who I can or cannot trust, especially if it will save those I care about.” Sean said.

            Mindy shook her head. “Sean, the threat is so old that they might’ve already been influenced by it.” She saw the look of determination on his face. There was no convincing him. With a heavy sigh, she finally relented: “S.H.I.E.L.D. has been taken over by Hydra. Since its insurrection, Hydra agents have grown in the ranks. It’s pretty much impossible to determine who is and who isn’t one.”

            This information sickened Sean to his core. There was a massive lump in his throat that he established was his urge to vomit; but nothing came out. His legs weakened, forcing him to sit down at one of the chairs. He stared into space, lost in a trance brought on by various adverse thoughts and emotions. It was not long before he was snapped back into reality when a transmission went through his earpiece, as well as the ones Mindy and Genevieve had. It was Jasper Sitwell, informing all agents that an A.P.B. had been put on Captain America, whose arrest was warranted on suspicion in the death of Nick Fury.

            The day had officially turned into a nightmare.

(UP NEXT: The First-Ever Amalgamated Reincarnation!)

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