Chapter Seven: Some Assembly Required
Chrissy did not have enough gladness in her heart to be
out of the heavily uncomfortable hospital gown and back in the clothes
S.H.I.E.L.D. found her in. The purple skirt suit with the gold buttons, high-heeled
black slippers, hose with the seam up the back, and grey silk blouse with the
necktie collar – it was all signature for her, even her Victory Rolls hairstyle.
She had yet to put on the slippers when she received a visit from someone,
presumably the doctor to say she was not cleared to leave. She could not have
cared less; she ever so desperately needed to get out of that hospital.
(Character Note: Chrissy's 1940s look is inspired from a video short Chrissy Bernal partook in last year with Jamiel Boling of Ieko Media. In the short, which was titled "Remembering," Bernal portrays a young World War II military nurse who visits one of the Bombers and thinks back on the memories. The look for Bernal's character in the short amazingly mimics the style of her Marvel Mayhem character - a woman out of time, much in lieu of Steve Rogers.)
“Are you supposed to be leaving?”
It was not the doctor. Chrissy turned her head from the
wall she faced to see a young woman in her mid- to late-twenties, looking quite
appealing (yet strange from Chrissy’s old world perspective) with her long
black, purple-highlighted hair and colorful makeup that, in Chrissy’s era,
would have been considered extravagant. Even her attire was considerably
questionable for Chrissy: a purple shirt that zipped down the front (the young woman
had hers zipped to mid-level for cleavage), black leggings with ripped holes,
and black above-the-knee, high-heeled boots.
(Character Note: Fittingly enough, the color purple is represented in both Chrissy and Ciciley's attires, further emphasizing their relationship as mother and daughter. Ciciley's signature Marvel Mayhem outfit is inspired on one shoot Ciciley Valdez had done years prior to the story's development.)
“No, I’m not.” Chrissy
replied in reference to the question posed by the young lady. “But I refuse to
lie in that god-awful bed while there’s
a whole new world out there for me to explore.”
The young woman sneered. “So it is true.”
“What is?”
With her arms crossed and her back leaned against the
wall, the young woman posed another question to her: “You know who I am?” The
tone of her voice was evidently harsh.
Chrissy looked up and down at her, moving only her hazel
eyes and not her head. She shook her head and said very casually, “No idea.”
She could see the young woman biting her tongue in anger
but had no clue as to what could have angered her. Was it something she said?
Was this young lady important to her in some way she was plainly unaware of?
“O.K. Lemme ask this: Do you remember giving birth to a child
in 1951…and abandoning her two years later?”
The motion in Chrissy’s hands, which was put into buttoning
the jacket of her purple suit, stopped suddenly as a tidal wave of memories
flooded her mind. Noting her pause, the young woman grew even more furious.
“How could you just leave me and Paw-Paw like you did? For
science? Because of your selfishness,
he had to raise me alone ‘til I was six and had to watch him go into the
ground! Because of you, I was in the system with no friends and no family! I
fought my own battles, taught myself to be a grown-ass woman, and learned to
trust no one but myself before they let me go when I was seventeen…seven-f**kin’-teen!”
(Character Note: Although not specified in narrative, part of the backstory of Ciciley's father was established from her character profile on the World of Disney Facebook page. It mentions of him being a "WWII veteran.")
Her tone became notably more aggressive as she shared
this personal story with Chrissy, who was in tears from it all.
“And don’t give me those crocodile tears!” The young
woman snapped. “None of that will make up for what you did to me!”
There was a long moment of silence between them that
followed, only angering the young woman much further.
“So there’s nothing to say for yourself.” The young lady
proclaimed. “Nothing to say for pussin’ out sixty-one years ago.”
Chrissy said nothing; her head hung low with her tears
dripping from her eyes. All the young woman could do in reaction to this was
scoff and make her way for the door. Just as her right hand neared the
doorknob, she felt her left arm pulled mightily as Chrissy swiftly lured her
into a tight hug. “Oh, Ciciley,” she whispered while stroking her hair and
kissing the side of her head. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m never leaving you
again.”
Ciciley found the hug to be uncomfortable. There was
still much abhorrence in her over her mother. However, within seconds, a
transition occurred through her. Her mother’s hug managed to break through
Ciciley’s façade and bring out the truthful emotion that she had been adamantly
shielding. She burst into tears, crying into her mother’s shoulder and finally returning
her embrace.
“I’ve missed you so much, Mama.”
“And I’ve missed you,
sweetheart. Just one question: if it’s really
been over sixty years…how do you still look so young?”
--------------------
“Some of it’s still work-in-progress – just some gray
areas that need handling, nothing major. But I had it all tailored to the
benefit of each member of the team – sleeping quarters on each floor, a lab for
us to do our collaborating, and even vibranium walls in case something happens
that causes you to break out, like burning your hand on the Bunsen burner – do
you still even use Bunsen burners?”
(Authorial Note: The "Bunsen burner" reference is a subtle nod to Bunsen Honeydew, the well-known Muppet inventor and creator of the iconic Sphere seen throughout the World of Disney series. Honeydew was in fact named after the Bunsen burner.)
Since their journey up from the lobby, Tony Stark had not
once taken a breather while voicing the lengthy appraisal of his work on Stark
Tower’s “Avengers Renovation,” as he called it. Much of it was still under
construction as Stark gave Banner the tour, which was obvious as they walked through
the hallway leading into the suite levels, housed within the upper floors, and
passed multiple construction workers. Stark and Banner both wore bright yellow
hardhats and orange safety vests on their way through, making them almost
indistinguishable from the workers.
(Narrative Note: The construction of Avengers Tower was inserted in the story after I had seen a behind the scenes image from Avengers: Age of Ultron of Robert Downey, Jr. with a set designer, wearing the same yellow hardhat and orange safety vest that his comic book alter ego wears in this scene.)
“I appreciate the notion of being somewhere that
accommodates myself and maybe even my better half, Tony.” Bruce said. “But
how’ll you manage to convince everyone else to stay, you know? I mean, Rogers,
Natasha, and Barton are always with S.H.I.E.L.D., which is their home, and Thor’s off in Asgard. We’re not exactly The Brady Bunch.”
“I’ve always thought of us like The Partridge Family personally.” Stark jested. “I admit there’s some
assembly required in my plans, but once everyone else has gotten a glimpse of
the finished product, I’m sure they’ll agree to stay.”
The two men arrived in the first floor suite, which still
had the scars from the events of the Battle of New York two years ago. Banner’s
attention to detail went particularly to the “Loki-sized” dent in the floor
that he grinned at. “I see that things here haven’t changed since I last stomped foot.”
“Nope.” Stark acknowledged. “Kept everything as a memento
while the rest of everything is being renovated.”
(Marvel Note: One unspecified room in the Tower can be seen in the after-credits scene of Iron Man 3. This room was reserved for the lengthy recount of the film's events that Stark shared with Banner, causing the latter to lose attention and drift to sleep.)
Bruce chuckled. “That was a fun day.”
“For some, not most.”
Noticing the somber way in which Stark made that remark,
the grin on Banner’s face fell upon realization of what he had said. “Oh, Tony,
I’m sorry. I forgot about your…”
Stark brushed off his friend’s concern. “It’s O.K.”
“Do you still suffer from the PTSD?”
(Marvel Note: Stark's psychological trauma from the events of the Battle of New York was a focal point in Iron Man 3. He suffered recurring nightmares of the Chitauri invasion, including the wormhole he traveled through to dispose of the nuclear missile that threatened the city. This trauma has continued through the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.)
“Not as frequently as the last year. I’m getting by each
day. Baby steps. In the meantime, I can only drown it all out with a glass of
bourbon. Want one?”
Bruce waved in refusal. “No, thanks. Alcohol’s not good
for my condition.”
“I may have some soothing spring water that might—”
As he approached the bar, Stark was immediately caught
off guard by the unexpected emergence of a young woman with bob cut-styled
raven hair wearing blue jeans, black knee-high boots, and navy blue top. Rising
from behind the counter, she poured herself a glass of wine; but, at a closer
glance, Stark noticed how it had transformed into grape juice when it hit the
glass.
“Who the hell are you?” Stark questioned.
The woman took a swig of the juice, which made her belch
afterward. “Oof! Does that answer your question?”
Stark briskly moved away from the bar. “Lost your one
chance at an explanation, sweetheart – calling security.”
The woman laughed. “Iron Man calling security? Now there’s something hard to swallow. You
got suits to take me down, Tony, and don’t give me that excuse that you
destroyed them all. We both know you still have one or two around somewhere.”
(Marvel Note: To spend more time with Pepper Potts, Stark initiated a "Clean Slate Protocol," which self-destructed all the suits he created for his "Iron Legion." This led into a retirement from being Iron Man that was only temporary while he assisted S.H.I.E.L.D. in developing technology that included three specialized Helicarriers for Project Insight. The two suits that are referred in this scene are the Marks XLIII and XLIV armors, which make up the "Hulkbuster" suit that Stark and Banner designed in the event that the Hulk lost control.)
Stark stopped just as he neared the exit, turning to the
woman with a look of astonishment. “How do you know about that? I hadn’t told
anyone else but…” He then sharply looked to Banner. “Have you been telling
everybody about my personal story about the insane, fire-breathing army of
Extremists…and PTSD?”
Banner shook his head negatively. “No, I didn’t…”
Choosing to ignore the topic, he looked to the woman and asked, “Who are you?”
“Oh, Bruce. Bruce Banner.” The woman uttered with a
smile. “The last time I was in this marvelous
world, I helped S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers stop a madman from taking control
of it all with a giant sphere – and you
also tried to kick my ass.”
Stark and Banner were able to recollect on the events
that the young woman cited and both realized who she actually was. “Sheryl?”
“I go by ‘Jacqueline’ now.” She said, subsequent to
taking another swig of her grape juice.
(Plot Hole Note: If Stark and Banner were unable to guess out her identity, Jacqueline would've had to be more specific, since there were many involved that assisted in the battle against Doctor Facilier and his army, and the Hulk attacked both Sheryl and Mindy, engaging in a brutal fistfight with the latter.)
“Wait. You can’t
possibly be her.” Stark stated. “Last time I checked, she was a tall, forty-something blonde.”
As he addressed the impossibility, Stark caught someone
walking out from the adjacent room at the corner of his eye. He turned his head
in the direction that the other
intruder entered from and was stunned to see Sheryl herself there, wearing a
white bathrobe that had the Stark Industries logo labeled on it and a towel
around her head – her long, wet blond hair wrapped within it. From her drenched
state, Stark and Banner did not have to guess that she had just finished taking
a shower.
“Did someone mention me?” She asked on her way in.
Jacqueline unflappably pointed to Stark and Banner as she
left the bar. “They did.” She moved to a section of the suite that featured a
large and wide flat-screen television mounted on the wall and a beige leather
couch right across from it. By literally the snap of her fingers, the TV
switched on, a newscast being the first image to come up on the screen.
Meanwhile, Banner expressed his delight in seeing Sheryl
there in person. “Real glad you’re back.”
“It’s good to be
back, even though it feels unprecedented.” Sheryl said.
“What do you mean?” Stark queried.
Sheryl frowned. “Well, according to Jacqueline, I’m
supposed to die soon.”
“How soon?”
Banner asked.
Sheryl shrugged. “There’s this woman who used to be one
of us – an reincarnation – who was possessed by the spirit of a wicked
sorceress…she’s the one who’s supposed to end me. That’s all we know.”
From this explanation, Tony’s “Sherlock” mode kicked in,
and he made a swift deduction: “So you two came to the tower as a safe house
from whomever or whatever it is that’s going to kill you.”
(Pop Culture Note: Tony's "Sherlock" mode is a direct reference to Robert Downey, Jr.'s turn as the famous super sleuth in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films.)
“Pretty much, yeah.” Sheryl confirmed. “It was
Jacqueline’s idea. She sees your world as a safe haven.”
Bruce chuckled. “That’s a pretty strong viewpoint,
considering all of the dangers within our world. Why else do you think I’ve had
so much trouble keeping my other half from exploding so often?”
Sheryl smirked at his statement. “I can dish out whatever
this place throws at me – including you,
Bruce. But what Jacqueline has been trying to protect me from seems much more
dangerous. It’s even got her spooked,
and she’s one of the toughest of us all.”
(Narrative Note: For Sheryl and Jacqueline, the events of Marvel Mayhem take place following their confrontation with Dawn in the finale of Tales of the Disneyverse. Realizing how much more dangerous Dawn is in the body of Yvette, the two seek haven in the Marvel Universe after the division of JeniLynn back into the seventeen reincarnations of Sean Thomas.)
“Doesn’t seem that way right now – watching my TV and drinking my scotch that she somehow managed to turn into grape juice like
Christ himself.” Stark noted while approaching Jacqueline and the couch. He was
ready to tell her not to spill any juice on a five-thousand-dollar piece of
furniture until his eyes were directed to the TV, which had shown footage from
a news report on Captain America.
The footage involved Cap jumping out the window of the
Triskelion in Washington, D.C., followed by a violent battle between Rogers and
a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet that attempted to shoot him and his motorcycle down
before he craftily disabled it. Banner and Sheryl also watched the footage with
dropped jaws. It was not enough that the footage was shocking but the headline
for the news report had read, “Captain America – Homeland Fugitive?”
“Got to be some type of aggressive S.H.I.E.L.D. training
regimen, right?” Banner wondered aloud.
(UP NEXT: The Secret Invasion Begins!)
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