Marvel Mayhem

Epilogue: Aftermath

              Three days passed since the Super Skrull's chaos over Hell's Kitchen. Much like the Chitauri invasion of 2012, the city managed to get through the shock rather easily. The Avengers once again proved why the world needed them in times of disastrous scenarios like this. The media praised their efforts in defeating the Super Skrull, specifically those of Thor, whose lightning attack to the creature replayed over airwaves at least a dozen times. It overshadowed other news reports, including one of Hell's Kitchen's biggest proprietor, Wilson Fisk, and his promise to help rebuild the neighborhood in light of the Skrull's havoc.  

              And then there was the corresponding news that also gained worldwide recognition the following morning – the one in which Hydra was exposed of their operation within S.H.I.E.L.D. It came as a terrifying shock to everyone, except for those who knew of it beforehand like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Ciciley and Elendriel Livingston, Genevieve, Mindy, and Natalie.  

              Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff's names were connected to the devastation that occurred in Washington, D.C. with the three Helicarriers of "Project Insight" trained on potential threats to Hydra's cause – including Stark and Banner themselves. After the Helicarriers were reprogrammed to fire on each other, one was downed into the Triskelion with only one casualty: former Secretary of Defense and Hydra's top undercover agent, Alexander Pierce.  

              Between the Hydra situation and the small invasion they averted, there was definitely much needed time off at Avengers Tower. Most everyone had been recuperating from exhaustion or heavy battle wounds. However, one suffered more internal scars from battle: Ciciley. She mourned the loss of her mother and remained in deep thought over the current whereabouts and condition of her son. The others made sure to give her space until she was ready to open back up. No one figured that possibility to occur any moment soon. She stood quietly near the large window overlooking the majesty of New York's skyline from the penthouse section. This went on for two days straight.  

              After the second day, Genevieve made the bold decision of going to her and making an attempt in comfort. "Hey, Cici," she warily approached. "I'm sure you already realize this, but...I know exactly what you're going through. There's nothing more painful than the loss of a mother. But I promise you that when we find Sean, all that pain will—"  

              "Shut...the hell...up." Ciciley cruelly demanded. It was the first words she spoke in days. "You weren't there. You didn't see what we saw. That wasn't Sean."  

              "I know, I know. Elle told me that he'd...changed...somehow. It sounds a lot like reincarnation, and I know that I can help figure out—"  

              "You can't help. No one can help. Hydra screwed over S.H.I.E.L.D., taking away any resources we could ever use. They're either limited or revoked."  

              "Well, you still have the Avengers."  

              Ciciley scoffed. "What difference does that make? Honestly, they're not the solution, they're just the problem. All you so-called 'super heroes' are just super nuisances."  

              "You don't mean that, Ciciley."  

              "Oh, no?" Ciciley finally turned from the New York skyline view and fixated her tired, dark-circled ice blue eyes on Genevieve, burning a hole into her with a glare that was beyond threatening. "If you hadn't come here, to this world, would any of what happened not have happened? Would the lives of those people in Hell's Kitchen not have been affected? Would I still have my mother and my son standing here with me now? You're not the superhero you pretend to be. You're just as much a monster as that thing we fought that night. It was your butt that the Skrulls took a chunk out of to create it. And Yve Ette was only here in the first place because of you."