discontinued? 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 ↬ 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺

chapter thirty
' the broken bonds of peace. '

     "HEY FITZ-SIMMONS? YOU GUYS NEED TO HOLD DOWN THE FORT HERE." I popped my head into the lab. "Phil, Steve, May, Wanda, and Vision are coming with me to get Daisy and recover the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier."

      Twenty minutes ago, only a day after our standoff at Afterlife, Jiaying and her misguided Inhuman army hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prized-and only-aircraft carrier. Who knew the kind of destruction they had caused? And even worse; it was all my fault.

     If I hadn't aggravated Jiaying, we wouldn't be in this mess. If I hadn't suggested negotiations to try and stop my dream from coming true, my dad wouldn't be... I shook my head. You need to focus, Madi. Now is not a good time to cry. You'll have time after justice is served.

    "What?" Jemma's head shot up from her most recent project, startled by my sudden appearance. Her eyes softened when she realized it was me. "Are you-"

    Meanwhile, Fitz simply looked at me sadly. That was much worse.

       "Yes. I appreciate the concern but we need to move, agents." I hurried out of view, taking a shaky breath. I've never spoken to them like that. I guess more than one thing has changed since Jiaying-

     I didn't realize that I had run into Steve until it was too late. Thanks to his reflexes, he was able to steady me and keep himself from falling over.

"I'm sorry, Steve." I apologized quickly. "I wasn't paying attention-"

    I felt his hand on my shoulder and looked up. "Madi...I never got to talk to you about what happened. I'm sorry, I-"

        "It's fine, Steve. There's nothing you could have done." I paused, debating whether or not I should say what I was thinking. Ah, screw it. Maybe he'll understand. "But I could've done something."

      Instead of busting out a grand speech, he quietly reached out and pulled me into a tight hug. "Don't do that to yourself, Kid. I know what it's like. But it's healthy to grieve. You need to allow yourself to feel before you can move on."

      "I don't think I can, Steve. I need to make this right first." Turning quickly, I made my way back to Phil's office. "Please tell Wanda and Vision to get ready."

    He looked like he wanted to protest, but he simply nodded. "I'll let them know."

           I offered him a small smile before continuing on to Coulson's office. As soon as I get this done, I'll stop. I'll take a break, I'll let myself cry, and I'll grieve properly. But not yet. I have to do this first. For me...and for Dad.