A/N READ THIS: Important information regarding the story is contained in this author's note, so read on to discover what it is.
I haven't written any Fanfiction or attempted writing in any capacity for over a year for personal reasons, so this is my big return. It's a little rusty and nothing too daring, but it's just to get me back in the swing of things.
A few notes about this story:
It is complete and so will be updated regularly
It is semi-canon (i.e. it follows the vague storyline, but since I don't just want you to be reading the movie, I have changed/added scenes. One example is in this very chapter where they are all meeting at the bridge. It will not follow the script of the movie and is somewhat different.)
There is another character of my own creation (whom I promise is not a Mary-Sue)
I am aware that sometimes X-Men and Avengers exist in the same universe; however that is not the case here. Avengers only. (Although I do love X-Men)
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's not mine.
"Sir…are you sure about her?" Agent Hill asked, not looking at the man she was addressing.
Nick Fury sighed deeply with all the nuances of a man at war with himself, "I don't think anyone can ever be completely sure about her. But then again…we're bringing Banner in, aren't we?" He laughed humourlessly and Agent Hill grimaced. Fury turned towards the Agent standing beside him, no longer wishing to see the roiling turbulence of ocean in front of them. She turned to face him as well just as he said, "But I can't help but feel a little more relaxed that we'll have someone like her around…someone who can do what she does best. I've never met or heard of anyone with this particular skill set. Part of me wonders if I've made a mistake in inviting her here…but the rest of me knows that she will come in handy. And who knows? Maybe that's what will make all the difference," he turned to head back inside.
"The difference, sir?" Agent Hill murmured as she fell in behind the brooding man.
"The fate of the world, Agent, may very well rest on the shoulders of the group that we are currently calling in from all corners of the world. She might be the key to it all," he replied, before turning off into one of the many doors along the hallway, leaving Agent Hill alone.
"The key…" she mused as she kept walking towards the bridge.
A day later, Captain Steve Rogers, Agent Natasha Romanoff, Dr Bruce Banner, Tony Stark and Thor had been gathered onto the ship – now turned helicarrier – but had not yet had the chance to meet as a group. That particular opportunity had arisen not long after Bruce and Steve had arrived.
"Dr Banner, we will show you to your work area right after you meet the team," Agent Hill told the timid-looking man.
"Team? What exactly am I here for? I was told that I wouldn't be doing any fighting. I was told that the Other Guy wasn't needed," Dr Banner said warily, slowing his pace.
Agent Hill opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted as Director Fury walked up behind them, "We need your expertise in a matter of great urgency. You read the information packet, yes?" Dr Banner nodded slowly, "Good. Then you know what the Tesseract is. We need you to find it."
"And…then I go?" the smaller man prompted.
"Then you are free to do as you please," Director Fury nodded in acquiescence.
Bruce considered this for a moment, nodded in confirmation, and the three of them started walking again. Once they reached the bridge, Bruce looked around to see Steve and Natasha seated at the large table to the left. He turned back to Agent Hill, "I don't understand. I've already met them. Shouldn't I just get to work?"
"Stark and Thor should be here as well. Never in the places you want them to be, are they," the Director grumbled and Bruce gave him a wry smile.
"I'm not sure Tony Stark's reputation is much oriented around following orders at the best of times. His reputation certainly seems to be preceding him."
"Very astute. Dr Banner, I presume," came a voice from behind them, and they all turned to see Tony Stark strutting towards the table. When he was close enough, he threw out his hand in the direction of Bruce, who hesitantly took it in his. Stark grasped the man's hand and shook firmly once before clapping the man on the back and then moving right past him to take his place at the table, "Oooh, swivel chairs. Fancy."
"Nice of you to join us. Finally," Steve shot at him snippily.
"I certainly thought so. It's not every day you're in the presence of Tony Stark himself," Tony smirked, as he examined the upholstery on the armrest of his chair, "Now how about we get down to – what is this, suede? I like it – anyway, how about we get down to business, hm?"
"We're still waiting on Thor," Natasha reminded him, though her interest in the goings on appeared to be declining rapidly.
"Oh that lummox wouldn't know what we were talking about anyway. Didn't seem like the brightest spark when I ran into him last. I suppose you can all see the irony there," Stark grinned.
As Steve was about to answer – his eyes narrowed at the arrogant Stark – the group suddenly heard heavy footsteps that seemed to be getting louder.
"Why must Loki be locked up like a common criminal? He is my brother and should not come to harm! This is outrageous!" Thor boomed as he rounded the corner, his eyes flashing with untold anger.
"He is a danger to us all. He is not being harmed and nor will he be. But he will also not be released from his cell. I understand that you are angry, but he has killed people, and we will not let him run around continuing to do so unobstructed," Fury replied.
Thor visibly bristled and tightened his grip on Mjolnir, but moved over to the table, choosing to stand rather than sit. Bruce also moved over to the table, taking a seat next to Natasha, fidgeting absent-mindedly with a loose thread on the sleeve of his shirt and his eyes flicking between the assembled guests. Conversation, led mostly by Tony, with Bruce interjecting occasionally, went steadily along the lines of tracking the Tesseract down and the ways in which it could possibly be done. Just as the conversation was turning to Loki, Steve suddenly perked up a bit more in his seat and said, "Who is that?"
Tony gave Steve a look that said I-don't-like-to-be-interrupted, but then turned his head in the direction that everyone else had turned. He wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to be looking, but then a thin girl with jet-black hair stepped out of the shadows. She had pale, gaunt-looking skin and her eyes had rings of darkness underneath them, suggesting either sickness or a lack of sleep. The features of her face all seemed to clash, making it look as though they had all been selected from an array of people and then combined. Her mouth was ever-so-slightly curled downwards, her small nose wrinkling into a scowl and she appeared to be no older than 18. Her eyes were large, almost too large, and unblinking as they slid from one end of the table to the other, starting with Director Fury and ending with Bruce, whom she peered at for the longest. A look of intense pain flashed across her pale features and then she suddenly stole away down the corridor.
After a beat, Tony cleared his throat and looked at Fury before saying, "Um…what the hell was that?"
"She…doesn't have a name. Or if she does, she won't tell us what it is," the Director informed them all.
"To be fair, sir, she hasn't spoken to anyone since she arrived," Agent Coulson said with an amused grin.
"Well…yes, as Agent Coulson said, she hasn't told us anything. Nevertheless, we felt that she could be a useful asset to this team," Fury continued.
"What exactly does she do?" Natasha asked, her steely gaze turning upon Fury.
"She has telekinetic abilities," Fury answered calmly.
Everyone at the table sat up a little straighter at this, all except Bruce, who looked deep in thought.
"Telekinetic?" Thor repeated, "Stop treating us as though we were children and just tell us what it is that you speak of!"
"She can do things that have never been recorded or seen anywhere else. She can control things if she wishes, inanimate and animate, she can become intangible at will, she can read minds –"
"Woah, woah, woah, my brain is not for public consumption, thank you very much, Patches," Stark interjected, throwing up a hand. Fury frowned at the nickname.
"We…believe that she can only read minds when in physical contact with the person," Fury informed him.
"'Believe'? Now that's just not good enough. You don't even know the kid's name! And, and she is just a kid! What, are you gonna send her out with us? Come on man, even I'm not that much of a dick," Tony finished his mini-rant as Steve murmured 'That's debatable'.
"She might be tougher than she looks," Natasha shot at Tony, obviously hinting that people often make the same mistake about her.
"I think we're done here. Dr Banner, I'll show you to your workspace," Fury said, then turned and started down the corridor, leaving Bruce to catch up to him.
"Hey, um…you said she has telekinetic abilities," Bruce stated once he had caught up with Director Fury, and Fury nodded, so he continued, "But that's not all, is it."
It was more of a statement than a question, but Fury was still reluctant to give him an explanation, "Why do you say that, Doctor?"
"When she looked at all of us…and she seemed to…to linger on me, and then she looked…in pain. She looked at me like she knew what I was feeling. Like she knew exactly what I was feeling," Bruce murmured, almost to himself.
"We know very little of what the full extent of her powers are. They may be exactly as I described them earlier – she hasn't confirmed with us – but I think that there is quite a bit about her that we don't know, and maybe could never hope to know. We're actually quite surprised that she even accepted our invitation to come here. It's strange though…yesterday she didn't look half as sickly as she does today. She has shown evidence of empathic abilities, so maybe that's just because tensions are high. We thought it might come in handy if –"
"If the Other Guy wants to join the party. I get it. You think you can use her as some kind of band-aid for him? You think, what…she's got this ability that we don't even know that much about…don't know anything about…and you'll put her in with a Hulk? Look, I-I'm all for helping you find the Tesseract, but I don't have any plans to lose my cool here, and even if I do…I don't want her anywhere near me," Bruce implored of the man standing before him. He hadn't even realised that they'd come to a halt in the middle of the corridor, "Do you understand me?"
"Perfectly," Fury bowed his head in a gesture of agreement.