Chapter One: Just another day at the Office

"But Coulson, pleeaaaseee…" Skye begged, pouting at the older Agent.

"Absolutely not Skye, it's too dangerous," he replied, crossing his arms. "Besides, we need you on the Bus, to keep an eye on things from a distance and warn us of any new developments."

"Everyone else gets to go though! It's not fair. I'm a certified S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, so I should be out there with you, fighting to save our planet!" She presented him with her best puppy-dog eyes, hoping that they would change his mind.

"Look, you can either take my advice as a friend, or I can order you to stay here, as a senior Agent" Coulson stated. His tone was blunt, but his eyes softened and a sad smile played on his lips. He reached towards her and affectionately patted her on the arm. "I know you want to help out Skye, but, in all honesty, we have no idea what's going to come through that portal. All we know is it connects to the outer reaches of space, the dwelling place of "The Chitauri", an alien race that promised to follow Thor's brother, if he was able to use them to conquer Earth. What we don't know, is what they look like, how many of them there are and what they can do. Loki's conveniently been unconscious since Thor broke the dark spell controlling him."

Skye said nothing, but continued to pout at Coulson, silently begging him to allow her to tag along to the battle. He had become a father figure to her in the previous months, and she knew he cared a great deal for her too and, as neither of them had had a bond akin to this before, they both valued it highly. However, this only made it less likely for him to change his mind, and obliged her with a staring contest to see who would back down. After several minutes, he looked down, eyes watering, and ran a hand through his hair.

"No means no Agent Skye, I'm ordering you to stay here," looking up, Skye could see the pain in his eyes; he hated having to order her to do something. Sighing, she nodded her head and turned to leave.

"Wait, Skye, one more thing," she turned to face him and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Fetch Fitzsimmons from the lab. They'll keep you company at the command centre, and you can hopefully keep each other from worrying too much. If Fitz refuses to stay on the Bus, I think Gemma said she'd make him a sandwich to convince him,"

"Okay boss, I'll go fetch them. Just don't die okay? Or get yourself seriously injured or anything; I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"I'll try my best. The same goes for you Skye, which is why I want you nowhere near the portal when it opens,"

Skye stepped forward and embraced the father of their ragtag little family, praying that she would see him again before the day was through.

Coulson stepped out of the Bus, and the ramp closed behind him. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialled a secure number known to very few people, and waited patiently for his call to be answered.

"I'm on my way now Sir. Agents Skye, Fitz and Simmons are on-board the Bus, and will provide us with info from the satellite feed," he stated when he heard a voice at the other end of the call.

"No, I'm sure they'll stay there and keep us updated,"

Orders were issued to him, he sighed, and the corners of his mouth drooped.

"They won't find the "Cargo" Sir, they've got no idea he's in the Holding Cell and have no reason to be in that section of the bus. I'll see you shortly."

Agent Phil Coulson ended the call, pocketed his phone, climbed into a standard S.H.I.E.L.D. Jeep and headed towards New York City, towards Stark Tower, and towards the opening portal from which the alien Chitauri would invade. Just another day at the office. The thought of fighting off alien invaders, however, did not frighten him, not with The Avengers leading the defence. A God, a genius scientist turned green-rage monster, two master assassins, a genetically enhanced super soldier he had idolised throughout his youth and finally a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist contained in a suit of very powerful armour, backed up by a small army of highly trained soldiers? Today would be a good day to be a hero.

But it would not be a good day for Skye, were she to discover the precious "Cargo" stowed away on the Bus…