Prologue

I wake up fine and dandy but then by the time I find it handy,
To rip my heart apart and start planning my crash landing,
I go up, up, up, up, up to the ceiling,
Then I feel my soul start leaving, like an old man's hair receding,
I'm pleading please, oh please on my knees repeatedly asking,
Why it's got to be like this, is this living free,
I don't want to be the one, be the one who has the son's blood on my hands,
-Ode to Sleep, Twenty One Pilots

A young blond haired woman just stepped out of the elevator on the main floor, a yawn escaping her lips. She walked slowly towards the front desk, ready to drop off her badge and ready to go home for the weekend. She came up to the desk with a sigh and unclasped her badge from her blouse. "Hey Mark, I'm turning in my badge for the day", the blond haired woman gave the older security guard a tired smiled as she passed him her security badge.

"Ah thank you Jenna. It's good to see you again", Mark smiled, his eyes crinkling as he did so.

"You see me nearly everyday, multiple times a day Mark", she laughed and smiled at him as she leaned on the counter.

"Haha I know Jenna. How was work today?" he asked as he scanned my badge out and typed a few things in to the computer.

"Pretty well, but tiring. I can't wait to get home so that I can pass out in my bed. How much longer do you have here?" Jenna asked as he handed her an tablet to sign. Security had always been tight at the research facility, and it was always a process getting in and out. She had to get in an hour early so that she could be at her desk 15 minutes before the work day started.

"I have three more hours before I get to go home for the week", he took the tablet without looking up from the computer screen. "Well looks like you're free to go Jenna. I'll see you again on Monday", he smiled.

"Thanks Mark. I'll see you Monday, have a great weekend", she called out as she walked towards the exit. She tightened the scarf wrapped around her neck and pulled a pair of black leather gloves before grabbing for the door to leave. The moment she stepped out in the night air, she immediately began to regret owning so many skirts and so few slacks. She began to riffle through her purse in hunt of her keys as she made her way down the steps. She had parked a couple blocks away from the facility after lunch, her usual spot having been taken by the time she got back. As she looked through her bag, she had the overwhelming sensation that she was being watched. She looked around her before she pulled out her keys and her cell phone. Her first instinct was to call the only person she had on speed dial.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri...

"Hello? This is Phil Coulson", a slightly groggy voice answered on the other line.

"Hey Phil, I just got off work. I'm being a little bit paranoid right now, but would you stay on the phone with me until I'm in my car and the doors are locked?" Jenna asked as she started walking a little bit faster, her heels clicking against the concrete. There was a slight pausing on the other side of the line and then there was some rustling and a light being switched on.

"Yah, I'll stay on the phone with you Jen. What's got you paranoid?" Phil yawned into the phone as he spoke.

"I don't know, I've felt like I've been being watched these past couple days and again right now. I just want to satisfy my own paranoia and know that if I don't make it to my car, someone will know", she laughed awkwardly. There was an uncomfortable silence on the line as she waited for Phil to respond. She brought her phone away from her ear to check to make sure she hadn't lost signal, before pressing it to her ear again. "Phil? You still there?" Jenna asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm still here. Sorry about the pause. Why didn't you tell me you felt that way? You know I would have taken it seriously, Jenna. About how long does it take for you to get home?" there was more rustling on his side of the line. She presumed he must be getting out of bed. She chuckled softly as her car came into sight.

"You would have given me an escort to and from work and then have someone patrol regularly around my apartment, Phil. I can take care of myself. Plus its just my overactive imagination at work here. I see my car right now. You'll be able to get back to sleep soon enough. Lord knows you don't get enough of it", Jenna laughed as she jangled her keys.

"Jenna..." a sigh came from Phil, "About how long does it take for you to drive home?"

"About twenty minutes, why?" she asked as she got to her car and placed her bag on the roof of her car.

"After we get off the phone, I'm going to expect you to call me back in no more than twenty-five minutes. That way I know you're locked safely away in your apartment. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to come and check up on you personally", the professional side of him was starting to seep out. Jenna couldn't help but sigh at to how he was reacting. She was beginning to regret calling him, she should have known how he would react.

"Look Phil", she balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she stuck her keys into the lock and placed her hand under the handle, "I will call you the moment I get home, but as I told you, it's most likely my paranoia and I just needed you to comfort me..." Jenna trailed off as she opened the door without turning the keys to unlock the door. That was strange, she could have sworn she locked her car up after lunch.

"Jenna? Everything okay?" Phil's worried tone seemed through the phone.

"Uhm, yah. I guess I didn't lock my car up after I got back from lunch", she mused more to herself than to Phil. It was strange, she was always so dutiful to locking it up tight.

"You always lock up you're car though", the tone of his voice had gone strangely serious.

"I must have forgotten, today has been a long day, I'm just goanna get in and head home", she shrugged as she tugged her keys out of the lock.

"Jenna...I don't want you to get in to that car. Close the door and walk as quickly back to your work as you can. I want you to go in there and sit at the security desk until I get there. I'm picking you up and having someone sweep over your car. I've never known you to not lock that car up, I'm not taking chances with you. If someone asks, tell them someone slashed your tires and you're waiting for a ride. Stay on the phone with me until you get inside", Phil spoke as he grabbed the clothes he had been wearing earlier that night.

The seriousness of situation was beginning to sink in as she quickly shut her door and threw her keys into her purse before grabbing it and walking briskly towards the research facility. Her heels clicking on the ground as she kept a brisk pace. She could feel eyes on her again, she looked around briefly before she sped up her pace, nearly jogging now. As she climbed the steps she grabbed the swipe badge from her pocket, prepared to head straight in. A loud sound came from somewhere down the street causing her to let out a small squeak. "Jenna?" Phil's voice came through the phone. He was currently tugging on his shoes with the phone on speaker.

"I'm fine, there was a loud noise that caught me off guard. I'm about to get inside the facility now", Jenna said breathlessly. She swiped her badge over the scanner and when the light flashed green, she pulled the door open quickly and walked through the door in a rush. She could see Mark over at the desk, she hoped she just looked cold. "I'm inside, the door closed behind me Phil. I'll see you soon, right?" she asked nervously as she smiled and waved at Mark.

"I should be there in 15 minutes. If something happens before I get there call me Jenna. I don't care if you're being paranoid or not, call me if something happens that sets you off", Phil spoke urgently. "I'll see you soon Jenna."

"Of course. Phil I...I'll see you soon, thank you", with that she hung up the phone and kept it in her hand as she made her way over to Marks desk. She gave him an awkward smile as she got closer. "Hey Mark, long time no see", she winked at him. The man behind the desk chuckled at her slightly.

"I know. What brought you back here so quickly, you haven't even been gone ten minutes? Forget something?" he asked with a smirk.

"I got to my car to find my tires slashed. I called my friend and am waiting for him to pick me up now. I thought it would be better to wait in here for him than out there", Jenna shrugged. She kept her hand to her chest, the phone clutched tightly. Mark nodded and motioned to the spare chair behind the security desk. She was slow to sit down and shifted nervously in the chair.

"Cold?" Mark asked with a raised eyebrow. All she could do was nod in response as she watched him walk towards the coffeemaker. "It's not the best coffee in the world, but it should help warm you up while you wait for your ride", Mark smiled at her as he pour some of the black liquid into a Styrofoam cup. The next couple of seconds felt like slow motion to the blond haired woman. A shot rang out, the front glass shattered and Mark was on the ground. A broken coffee pot laid beside him and both the blackish brown liquid and red blood flowed on the ground. Jenna quickly crawled under the desk dialed Phil again.

"Jenna? Everything okay, I'm ten minutes away?" his voice came out worried, but she didn't risk answering. She placed the phone under the desk as she heard boots approaching. She could hear someone running down the hall.

"Hey! What was that noise Mark? It sounded like a gun shot", and then another loud shot rang through the air and a body dropped to the ground. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from shrieking, she could feel tears threatening to spill over.

Phil. Please get here quick.

The next moment her leg was being grabbed and she was screaming bloody murder as she clawed at the ground. Then her world went black.

Phil had his gun out before he even got out of his car. He was shaking and had been since he had heard the line go silent. Agents would be swarming the scene in a matter of minutes and he could only pray to whatever god existed that they weren't to late. He ran up the stairs to the entrance, to find the glass pane shattered. He held up the gun as he stepped through where the glass had been and cleared his surroundings before pressing forward. The shattered glass crunching beneath his boots.

He made his way over to the two men that were bleeding out on the floor, a quick check showed they were both dead. He moved on to the desk where he saw a red handbag peeking out from underneath. He was relieved to not see her body there, but also even more terrified. One of her black heels laid a couple feet from her purse, along with the hair clip he remembered buying her a couple weeks ago. He picked up the clip and ran his thumb over the jewels and swirls in it. He stuffed it in his pocket as agents began to swarm in. He put his gun back in it's holster and moved to the side as he saw Fury walk up to him.

"Coulson, I thought I told you to lay low for a while, not end up calling me to a crime scene", Fury nearly barked at the smaller man.

"Sorry sir, but it was an emergency. Genevieve Reed called me early, claimed to feel like someone was watching her. I stayed on the phone with her until she got to her car, where she found out the door was unlocked. I instructed her to return back here until I was able to get here and retrieve her and also have a couple agents sweep her car. When I was about ten minutes away, I received another phone call from her. However she didn't respond, I heard gun fired and then her screaming. After that the line went silent. After that I put in for emergency backup, and continued on my way here. This is how I found the scene Director", Phil spoke professionally. Fury was looking around the scene as he spoke, he couldn't see how this would call for the interference of S.H.I.E.L.D. And who was this Genevieve Reed? And why did she call Coulson?

"Well the agents will look over the crime scene and hand it over to the locals, this isn't an affair for us Coulson. I don't even know why you called us and not the locals in on this", Fury stuck his hands in his pockets and stared the shorter man down. He didn't even seem phased by the stare.

"Jenna works here as one of the lead researchers on some project involving genetic modification. She is highly important and I promised her that I would protect her if anything were to happen, sir", Phil could feel his heart begin to race. He was going to get her back, with or without the Director's help. Fury raised an eyebrow when he heard the name Jenna fall from Coulson's mouth. Curiouser and curiouser.

"Jenna? Seems like you're on pretty familiar grounds with this woman. How would you know the project she's working on Coulson?" Fury's voice began to get sterner. Phil became rigid when he noticed the slip of the tongue.

"She told me about the job offer, I convinced her to take it. That's why I promised her I would protect her. I'm the reason she's in danger sir", Phil spoke stiffly. Fury grunted at his answer, not satisfied by it at all.

"Well this is in the hands of the locals now, we'll follow them on it. But leave the investigation to them Coulson. Let them do their jobs, and let my agents get back to doing theirs", Fury said before turning around quickly and walking away.

He paced his apartment living room back and forth, he had been doing so for thirty minutes now. It had been over 24 hours and still no word from the local Leos about Jenna. He was getting angrier and angrier as the seconds ticked by, with no word from anyone. He grabbed a book from the near by coffee table and threw it against the wall and cussed under his breath. His eyes landed on the news paper that had been hiding underneath the book. The pictures of the Avengers were on the front page and it caused him to leap into action.

Within three hours he was pulling up to the newly remodeled Avenger's building in New York. He was pretty sure Stark and everyone else still thought he was dead. Fury wanted to wait for things to calm down before telling them all that he survived. He parked his car and grabbed the packet that was in the passenger seat before climbing out and making his way into the building. Stark would either be pissed or happy to seem him, he didn't have time to deal with either version of him. With each second that ticked by, the better chance Jenna had at being killed. He took a deep breath as he pulled out a flash drive that would allow him to override the access to the elevator and J.A.R.V.I.S.

He pushed it into the keypad by the elevator and started downloading the files. Within a minute he knew Stark's location and the elevator was opening to him. "Hello J.A.R.V.I.S. Can you inform Stark of my arrival, I am sure he would like to through a welcome party", Phil spoke as he stepped into the elevator.

"Of course Agent Coulson. I will let him know. He should be at the elevator waiting for you by the time you arrive there, which should be in 59 seconds now", the AI spoke from the ceiling. Phil began to count the seconds and the moment he got to 59 the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal Tony in one of his suites, his palm open and aimed at him.

"Get off the elevator slowly and I wont blast you for impersonating a dead friend", Tony spoke with venom in his voice.

"Good to see you again too, Stark. Here I have a file for you, I don't care if you like to be handed things or not", Phil stepped passed the man in the suit while holding out the packet. Tony snatched the packet and the helmet rose to reveal his face.

"You died. How are you here?" Tony was now poking Phil in the side to see if he was real or just a figment of his imagination.

"It's a long story that we don't have time for. Someone I know is in danger and S.H.I.E.L.D. is leaving it to the locals to find her. I want the Avengers' help finding her before she gets killed. Quit poking me", Phil spoke while swatting Tony's hand away.

"A woman? You have a woman? I must have drank myself into an alternate universe. Hmm...she's pretty, a tiny little thing, the perfect height for you actually. Has a PhD in genetic and DNA stuff. Hmm...seems to me like any other scientist, except this one's got a pretty face. What's so special about her?" Tony asked flipping through the pages in the packet.

"She's my little sister."

Author's note: Okay I apologize that it's so long. I promise that the other chapters wont be so long, it's just that I had a specific way I wanted to end this chapter and how I wanted to start the next one and I refused to make it seemed anymore rushed than it was. As always if you have any comments, tips, critiques, or song suggestions please leave a review!