Serendipity's Interlude (Sequel to The Call)

Chain links

If I have to look at another medical supply chart I am going to murder my teacher

“What happens if your arm gets wet?” I pester Barnes with yet another question. He made the mistake of seeking respite from Wilson by coming to my rooms. “Does it rust?”

Instead of responding, he just gives me a look. A are you serious? look.

“Look, I’m just asking so that when I inevitably dunk you I know if I need to avoid soaking your arm,” I explain, making ripples in the pool. I’m sitting on the edge of it with just the lower half of my legs submerged. It’s been almost two weeks since I brought Grace back to the land of the living, and Fury decided that I can go without the ridiculous necklace of pain anymore.

“How considerate,” He says sarcastically, not even glancing up from his book.

I wave my hands around, shaping the water in odd ways and influencing the currents until I have made some form of elaborate backward waterfall. I’m trying to see if I can lower my hands and keep it steady. I focus my energy on the water, trying to imagine that it was made of a solid substance instead of… well, water. I rest one hand in my lap. And then the other. I’m staring very intensely at the water, and it seems stable. So I slowly… carefully… start to… close my-

An obnoxious song emanates from Barnes’ phone, breaking my concentration and causing the water to collapse into the pool again, making a small tsunami that washes over the pool deck. Barnes glares at me as I gather it all back into the pool and he answers his phone.

“Barnes,” He answers.

“Yeah,”

“Yes, sir,”

“Seriously?”

“You’re sure? She’s a little...unstable,” It makes me chuckle that he speaks of me in such a way.

“Of course not,”

“Understood,” He says, turning the phone off again. “Fury wants to see us,” Barnes beckons to me, gathering his things and getting ready to leave. I hastily shove the last of the water into the pool, leaving it to settle of its own accord, working it out with gravity.

“Why does he wants to see us?” I ask Barnes as we leave my rooms.

“You want to grab some shoes or somethin’?” He asks instead of answering my question.

“Not at all,” I reply, locking the door. “Why does he want to see us?” I ask again. Barnes rolls his eyes. “Whyyyy?” I ask again, fully intending on annoying him into answering.

“He didn’t say, just that he wanted us to come to his office,” Barnes shrugs.

“Does he ask such things often?”

“Sometimes, I mean, sure, but not to you,” He replies.

“And you think that is odd?”

“A little bit, but it’s not my place to question him,”

“Why not?”

“Because… he’s my boss?”

“Your leader should be transparent, and you should not feel afraid of trying to understand their methods,” I say as if it were obvious. Human leadership chains are odd things.

“That’s not exactly how Fury works, Madeline,” He scoffs.

“Then why do you not simply choose a new leader?” I ask. This is so strange. If a leader is not leading well enough, you choose a new one.