The Sahara
After traveling for four hours on a whale's back, because they weren't staying all the time on the mouth, they finally reached the Sahara.
As soon as Tony and her got out of the water, she wanted to jump right in, it was too hot on here.
"You know desserts are hot, right ?"
"Not this much. God how can you people on the surface handle this."
"We don't actually. We feel it as much as you do."
Tony then looked around, and pointed to a building.
"We need to go there."
"Why ?"
"You need to blend in in case we need to go to an civilian area, and I specially need for people to not recognize me, so I need clothes that people don't think of Tony Stark. Not that we are gonna meet a lot of people here since no one stands this place, so is perfect."
That made sense.
"Isn't this place close to Wakanda by the way ?"
"Same continent, but I think Wakanda is not close to here. I think....I am not familiar with the geography of Africa."
Lucky for them, not only did a pilot agreed to give them a lift, but he agreed to not tell anyone that he took them.
"Never been payed on pirate treasure."
"Thanks for the ride mate."
Tony sifted just across her.
She could barely see the window, she had never been above ground, her stomach hurt.
"You Ok ?"
"I have never been so high up, or so far from home."
" Well I always got higher thant this and....At least you have a home."
"Not anymore, I betrayed everything when I saved you from the coliseum, even my own father won't accept me."
"But your royalty."
"So was your mother."
"Yeah but your father can't..I don't know."
"Father is more loyal to his country than anything. He's not a bad father by any mean he's just....well he was never the same since Mother died. Besides, Atlantis is many beautiful things, but forgiving is not. Not even the fact that I used to be engaged to Orm would do nothing."
"Wait you were engaged to Orm ?"
"None of us wanted to marry. We've been friends since we were kids, but...not once had we felt feelings like that. It was a political marriage."
"Well....now you don't have to marry a man that you don't love."
"My obligation isn't to love. Sure I'll love to find someone that I like to be with. But my people and nation have to come first. That's why I ended up betraying them. Even if it looks bad, I have to make sacrifices so they can prosper."
Tony looked down. She shook her head. What was done was done, she made a promise to her mentor and she's gonna keep it.
"And what about you, don't you have a home in the surface ?"
"Not anymore, ever since I chose to disappear after Siberia, I know I can't return, nor I want to."
"Why's that ?"
"Hm. Who would I come back to ? My best friend is paralyzed and likely hates me for it. I am in not good terms with my ex girlfriend. Vision is traumatized and I won't be able to help him. Thor and Bruce have been missing for more than a year, and I can't go back to the kid after leading him to that battle. Then there's Rogers and the others that betrayed me and...now i can see they were never nice to me. Treated me more like a banker than anything. The only one left is the one you met, Sharon, but she's facing her own issue."
"Your father died before Maria was brought back to Orvax right ?"
"Yep."
"Hhm, so we are basically the same, two Atlantean nobles without home, trying to save our people."
"Seems like my mother isn't our only connection anymore, good to have a friend, specially one that there is no need to hide what I am."
"If you trusted your friends, why not tell them ?"
"It was mom's last wish, told me to hide it the night she left, and never returned. Sharon's family and she and Aunt Peggy always knew. They helped me with Vulko after my father died and Mom...well you know."
"Hm. And this Peggy is.."
"Died a month ago. She helped me a lot during my childhood."
"No siblings ?"
"No, you ?"
"Older sister. She turned criminal and was stripped of her status and locked for life."
"Oh."
"Yep.....So, what was the deal with your ex team, why did most of them go rogue ?"
"There were this documents called the Accords, made to make sure we didn't go overboard in our fights, not entering a country without permission, you know, give us some control."
"That seems like a good idea. In Atlantis there are rules that make sure those on power are held accountable. That's why Orm needs the support of the four kingdoms to truly wage war at the surface. If he did just know, a council would find him guilty for abusing power."
"I thought they were great as well, but our great leader, Steve Rogers, couldn't handle being told no, so he reveled, and brought the rest of the crew with him. To Rogers, he always has to be the one in command, the one that has the final word over anyone."
"And what, they attacked civilians because of their rebelión."
"Not exactly, Rogers' old friend Barnes appeared, he.... was brainwashed by Hydra to commit many crimes so people wanted to bring him in, Roger couldn't have that, so he attacked every one that came in his way, including me."
"And what made you snap on Siberia, that made you decide that you were done with the asshole ?"
Tony looked down at that, she might have over stepped.
"Sorry, you don't have to tell me."
"Nah, it's ok, in the bunker I found that, Rogers' friend was the killer of my father, as well as the one that made my mother so weak that Orvax found her. I was aware that Barnes was brainwashed, but Rogers, he knew, for 2 years he hid that from me. So after he beated me down, I decided that enough is enough."
Mera couldn't believe someone was that, disgusting, how could he hide the fate of the parents from their son, and the beat him up because he was mad.
"If it serves for anything, I think you did the right thing, asshole doesn't deserve you."
He smiled at her.
"Thanks Mera."
She smiled back.
"You welcome."
Meanwhile on the Pacific Ocean.
"Your highness." Captain Murk, Orm's trusted commander, said. "The trackers puts Princess Mera here. On the Deserter Kingdom."
Orm looked at the map and nodded calmly.
Nerus on the other hand, was anything but calm.
"You said she was dead !" There was relief on his voice. He already lost most of his family, Mera was all that remained.
"Apparently not."
"And does your bother still live as well ?"
"Not for long. Captain Murk. Assemble a strike force immediately. Kill the two of them at sight !"
"NO !" Nerus yelled. "Mera is to be arrested, and safely returned to me !"
"She betrayed the Throne !"
"SHE'S THE DAUGHTER OF XEBEL, MY DAUGHTER......If ANY harm comes to her. Our alliance is over. And you can say goodbye to your precious war."
Orm looked like he wanted to argue more, but Vulko stopped him.
"Your Majesty. We are about to reach the waters of the Fisherman Kingdom. Securing the alliance of the other two kingdoms, should be a top priority."
Orm looked at him, and nodded slowly.
"My visor is correct, as usual. Arrest them, and bring both Mera and Tony back here, alive. And the Princess of Xebel most not be harmed."
Nerus nodded in approval, but with hesitation.
With how far Orm is willing to go...he is having doubts on following the young King on this.
But if kept un checked, how far is he willing to go ?
Mera's bracelet started beeping.
"Were' here."
"Hey is there anything nearby ?"
"Nothing but desert for thousands of miles mate."
"Nothing but desert."
"He's wrong."
She opened the door and jumped.
"MERA WAIT !" But it was too late. She jumped.
"What, she didn't have a parachute."
Tony looked at the pilot.
"Red heads, gotta love them."
Tony jumped after her.
"WOOOHOO !"
The two crashed into the sand, rolling down safely threw the dunes.
"Man, I didn't know you were crazy, also you got sand all over your face."
Mera spitted the sand. "Aha ! This way !" And walked with the little dignity she had left after her jump.
Tony and Mera had walked for miles in the desert, nothing. Tony was already getting tired.
"Are you sure we are in the right place ?"
"Yes, this is where the deserter kingdom lived before the ocean dried up, killing them."
"Oh that's comforting."
"We are getting close now."
"Close to what..look around Coral, we are lost."
"Coral ?"
"Ah I have tendency of calling people nickname. With that hair of yours, it reminded me of a coral. Though gotta admit...you give red heads a new definition."
"Hah...anyway, you are the ones that called this wasteland at home."
"This isn't my home ! The surface is a much better place...sometimes...Ok Orm is right about one thing. There are dickheads running around and making things worst. But there are many wonderful things as well."
"If you are trying to tell me not to judge a place before i know it, I remind you you did that with Atlantis as well."
"Hm....point taken."
"Let's just keep looking."
"Ok then. So we need to find dead bodies, nice, let's look for a..."
A sand hole swallowed Tony.
"You founded it, great."
Mera jumped in.
Somehow the tunnel ended up throwing them into slide, that almost made them fall to a cliff.
"Look at this, this is bad ass, not as much as that slide though."
"That slide was horrible. But yeah....this is King Atlan's forge. Where the trident was made. The legends are true."
"They aren't legends anymore."
Mera looked up, and saw it.
The mold of the trident.
"Vulko was right."
Tony looked around.
"Wow, what is that...giant lizard thing drawn into the walls."
"Hum. That must be the monster that followed King Atlan."
"Wow that's...that's huge."
"Yep, only the one true King can talk and get his aid."
"Hm....Look, it looks like you place the map there."
Mera rushed and placed the map and.......nothing.
"Huh."
"Of course nothing, it's being sitting here collecting dust before the Sahara was a dessert."
That's it.
"You're right."
"Huh ?"
She smiled at him.
"We need water to make it work, and you are the closest source."
So Mera grabbed some of his sweat, and placed it on the map.
King Atlan appeared.
"In this Trident, lies the location of the trident. As in the hands of the worst people it can bring calamity to the world, only the one true king, can wield it, and control the seven seas. Journey toward this land, find the third piece, and go to the forbidden sea, where the trident waits for the king."
So the map was divided in 3, great.
"We can't let Orm find this." She destroyed the first part.
"WAIT, shouldn't we have written it first."
"I memorized it, didn't you."
"Of course."
"What did it say."
"Something something trident."
The mechanism move, revealing their next location.
They grabbed hands without noticing,
Both of them blushed at that.
Tony grabbed the second map.
"I know where we need to go."
United States, location classified.
Sharon parked her car outside a local restaurant, and walked with Yelena to a table.
They sat down, ordered some drinks and a meal, and waited.
"So who exactly we are gonna meet ? "
"An old friend of Tony and I."
"And considering our status as fugitives. You from the government and I from the Red Room, are you sure we can trust them ?"
"He's trusty. Hell to most of the world he's actually dead."
"What the..."
"Long story."
"Well if you say so. Besides Dreikov did the same thing...Oh." Yelena clapped once the meal arrived.
"I can't believe he's still alive. Romanoff and Barton barley made it out of Budapest, and they don't stop talking about that."
"Yeah well now you know, Natalia isn't the smartest person around. If she didn't even check the body."
"Trust me I know that, with her stunt at the info dump. Trust me the person we are gonna meet isn't a fan of Romanoff at all."
"Good..it's not that i hate her. Just...I thought she actually cared for me. But she leaves and never tries to find if I am alive. From Alexei and Melina, I expected that. From her..."
"Hey, after she fucked up with the info dump, she gave the senate the little friend and let my cousin deal with the mess. She always did that to him, to everyone apparently."
"You really do love your cousin."
"Well one of the few family I have left. He was my best friend growing up. As most of my family didn't approve of me following our Aunt's footsteps. He didn't mind and well we spent so much time together. Hell i came out as a lesbian to him before my parents."
"So you truly have a family...nice."
"Family means everything to us Ms. Belova." A new voice said. "And trust me that I have no love for a person that almost broke it."
(*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB9vcpBX5rQ I'm sorry, I couldn't resist adding this music here !*)
A man came to the table and sat down besides Sharon.
"Yelena, meet Phil Coulson, the new Director of SHIELD."
Phil took off his sunglasses and smiled.
"Never knew Natasha had a sister. If she had told us, we would have searched."
"It's not like she cared."
"True. I see now that I should have done more to town down her selfishness and ego. But she'll soon be unable to keep running. Now we need to act. We got an invasion from underwater coming, and we need to dismantle the Red Room once and for all. Now if you would buckle up."
"Buckle up..GAH !"
Suddenly the table started going down a tunnel.
"Wow, this is so cool." Yelena laughed.
"Dam it Phil. Impressive."
"I got some very impressive scientists and engineers on my team." He smirked. "We do the best that we can."
They soon ended up on the new SHIELD headquaters, where a group of men and women waited for them.
"Everyone, this is my team. Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Alphonso Mackenzie. Now let's get to work."
Everyone nodded and walked forward.
"Hang in there Tony. We are doing everything we can from here." Sharon mumbled before joining the others.