Rose caught up to Skye in the basement, nodding to let the brunette know she wasn't there to stop her. Skye checked the box, noticing the Obelisk was gone, along with Raina.
"Great," muttered Rose, as she found harnesses to lower themselves into the tunnels after Raina.
Quietly, the girls followed behind Raina, who was being led by Mack. Relieved, they get him to turn, only to see his eyes fully blackened by something.
"We gotta go, Skye, we have to finish this," says Rose, pulling the girl with her, looking at the lightened area in front of them. Slowly, they step in to see Raina holding the Obelisk.
"I knew you two would come," she calls from across the room.
"Someone has to stop you," responds Skye, circling closer with her gun.
"Our whole lives, all three of us, have been leading us to this moment," continues Raina, moving to stay opposite of Skye. She knew Rose wouldn't stop her until the last possible moment, so she paid no mind to the blonde.
"You're going to give us the Obelisk, and then we're leaving," replies Rose, "There are too many lives at stake."
"Everyone's got it all wrong," continues Raina, turning towards Rose, "Whitehall thought you were a fluke, you know that? He didn't understand the true potential that lies inside of you, but I do. This doesn't destroy, it gives, you know that Rose. Now we all get to find out what we become."
The Obelisk began to glow, causing the agents to tell Raina to stop, but she lets the device go, letting it land on the podium in the center of the room. Slowly, the room begins to close them in.
"Now's your chance to leave," calls Raina to the girls, "but I'm sure you're both the tiniest bit curious as to what might happen."
As she finished speaking, Trip ran into the room as the last stone panel moved into place, causing the room to be fully sealed.
"What are you doing here?" asked Skye, running over to Trip.
"I came to get you two," he responds, acting like it was the obvious answer. Rose rushes over, pulling him into a hug. She had a feeling this wouldn't end well for the man, but she hoped her feeling was wrong. He chuckled but gave the blonde a quick squeeze, before pulling away, "It's all cool, Rosie, we're going to save the world."
The Obelisk opened, causing them all to turn their attention to it. From inside, blue crystals began to emerge, growing towards the ceiling at a rapid rate.
"How do we stop it?" whispered Trip.
"We can't," responded Rose, grabbing Skye's hand into her own.
The crystals begin to light up, almost like they were heating up in temperature, before releasing a burst of gas on the four inside the room. When nothing else happened, Rose relaxed, releasing her grip on Skye's hand. Then, they noticed Raina was beginning to turn to stone across from them, then Skye herself. Rose felt her feet stiffen to the ground too, looking in horror over towards Trip. Panicking, he kicked the Obelisk from the podium, causing a second wave of gas to be released. His actions did nothing though, as he looked around the room to see the three girls covered completely in rock.
"No!" he yelled, looking between Rose and Skye. If he made it out alive, Bucky and Coulson were going to take turns killing him for letting the girls get hurt like this. But then, he looked down to see a piece of crystal buried in his chest, feeling himself turn to stone as well.
Slowly, Skye and Raina began to break free from their stone cages, but Rose was still inside. At the sight around her, Skye broke free from her stone completely, a surge of energy causing the temple to begin to collapse, Trip's stone figure following suit. Skye turned to Rose, seeing rocks landing perfectly around her, almost in protection of the girl who was still encased.
---
Skye was placed in quarantine as soon as they returned to base. Rose was still in the stone, allowing Gemma to carefully examine her on-site once the rocks were removed from around her.
"They shouldn't have been down there," says Skye, looking over at Coulson and Bucky through the glass of her containment space.
"They went down to help you, and to stop Hydra from creating a catastrophic event," reminds Coulson, "both of which were stopped."
"Were they really?" questioned Skye, tears falling down her face, "Trip is dust, and Rose is stuck in a rock, how is that helpful?"
"The Obelisk triggered a massive earthquake, if he didn't stop it, the quake would have been ten times worse," reassured Coulson, "And we don't know the story of Rose yet, there's no need to assume the worst."
With that, Bucky stormed out of the room, unable to continue thinking of the hypotheticals. It was easier to just assume she was dead, and if good news came so be it. He found his feet dragging him to the training room, then his metal arm taping up with flesh one. He felt himself punching the bag in front of him, landing blow after blow on it. He didn't know how long he was in the gym, but it felt like hours until the bag finally snapped from the chain in front of him. And then, he broke down.
---
Rose's brain felt like it was on fire, along with every other cell in her body. She was fighting, but she was struggling. She remembered where she was, and what happened. She could hear Gemma giving orders to the other scientists, but she couldn't call out for help. At some point, the blinding light that had been in Rose's head since she had been stuck was softened in a corner by a figure. A redhead, with a flowing cape behind her.
"Hello child," a soothing voice called out. Rose noted a hint of an accent, but couldn't place it.
"Where am I?" Rose asked, calling to the figure as it drew closer.
"You're safe, but you need to let go," the figure responded. Rose noticed that it was a woman in front of her, but the blinding light made it hard to make out her face beyond the glowing red eyes.
"What will happen if I stop fighting?" questioned Rose, unsure she wanted to listen.
"You will reach your full potential, child," the woman responded, "there's a girl, very young now, down the road she will need your help. You must guide her on the right path, but you need to let go first."
With that, the voice and the woman vanished, and Rose obeyed her wishes. Taking a breath, she gave into the fire and let it consume her. Within a few minutes, Rose felt a breeze on her fingers, then her arms, her legs, then her face. Piece by piece the rock around her broke free until she was completely released from the capsule around her.
"Gemma," she called out, gaining the girl's attention as she fell to the ground passing out.
YOU ARE READING
Becoming Legion
Science Fiction~Book Two in the Ms. America Series~ Rose had been lost. Since coming off the ice, her mind became a confusing place to be. With the help of her friends, Rose had been able to rebuild her memories. But now, she faced evils that would threaten her mi...
