Hello world! I have not been on FF for months. And suddenly i appear once again. LOL. Weeellll, I am back! With some ideas that have been lodged in the folder at the bottom of the drawer that is my mind. This is a new fic and i hope you folks like this!

Ches :)

Note: Sam, Bucky and Loki have joined the Avengers so this is post CATWS but it may not be TTDW compliant.

I DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR THE AVENGERS.

Chapter 1

After the damned New York incident and the one with Fury in Washington, things have been a bit rough for SHIELD. Or what's left of it. Our current base is unknown to the Avengers but it's soon to be known. Or at least that's what I overheard May discussing with Coulson. It seems they're being rounded up again which means another person or force is trying to take over the world. Hooray. It's definitely not Loki this time, for some reason Odin decided to punish him by making him join the band of heroes. Way to go almighty ruler of Asgard. Jeez, what does it take to get people to think straight these days.

From what May has told me, a random mutant has been manifesting a sort of power that allows him to manipulate any force or person he chooses. He goes by the name Slash. Have never heard of him though.

The Avengers were at Stark's tower. Or the newly named Avengers Tower. May had gone down to inform them of the looming enemy. I had tagged along as a guard, being SHIELD's top agent at that time. But honestly, I hadn't been assigned to come along, I came of my own accord. We were welcomed warmly by JARVIS, Tony's A.I. and we rode up to the top deck where we were told that the band of heroes were.

Despite May's clear instructions to wait downstairs, I had to know the official cause of gathering the greats. I snuck up with her and hid in the shadows of the room as she greeted the Avengers. Hiding was easy but staying hidden was the task at hand. As May was about to start discussing with the heroes, she paused and looked around before finally staring directly at me. "Ches, out of the shadows. You know I'm the only person that can spot you when you hide. You were supposed to stay downstairs." She huffed and looked accusingly at the shadows in the corner of the room.

"Um, Agent May? I don't mean to be rude but there's no one there." Captain Rogers had to pipe up. May crossed her arms and held her ground before I released a sigh of exasperation. I stepped out of the shadows and frowned. "Don't you know how not to ruin my fun?" I pouted at May. She rolled her eyes and was about to get back to work when Clint spoke. "Who's this?" I stood firmly and looked over at May. She sighed and shook he head. "You are so going to pay for wasting their time Agent Ches." May glared at me before turning to look back at the Avengers. "Everyone, this is Agent Ches. She's currently our most skilled agent apart from Clint and Natasha and she's part mutant." May introduced me with a wave. "Real name's Catherine. And no I'm not a mutant May, please get your facts right. I was experimented on by Hydra when I was younger and I escaped about a year after the incident. SHIELD found me and took me into their academy before well, before the Washington incident happened." I inclined my head to Cap.

I saw Cap look back and suddenly someone stood up. He had a mop of brown hair that was tied back into a small bun at the back of his head and he had the iciest blue eyes I had ever seen. He also had an arm made entirely of gleaming metal. "Bucky was from, ahem, Hydra as well." Cap said, looking back at forth between me and said Bucky. I nodded a greeting and he looked at me suspiciously. "What if she's been spying for Hydra?" Natasha voice out, casting me a glance akin to the way Bucky was eyeing me. "Hydra stole all my memories. They tried to turn me into a weapon. They took everything from me and left me with my name. That was it. I can't remember who my parents are, whether I had siblings? Whether I loved anyone. They stripped me of my life and I am going to make them pay for it, oh don't you worry about that." I hissed angrily.

Natasha's eyes widened before she nodded. "If we could get back to the plan..." May offered, trying to get everyone back on topic when Bruce decided to go all "Dr Banner" on me. "How'd you hide in the shadows?" He asked. I looked over at May for approval and she waved me off. I smiled and closed my eyes before I allowed myself to relax. When I opened my eyes, I found nine very shocked Avengers looking at me. I let a smirk slip on my face and from the corner of my eyes I saw May give way to an amused smile. "Your... your hands and eyes..." Bruce trailed off. "Hydra experiment remember? There's a reason why they call me Ches. It's short for Cheshire Cat. I can disappear just fine and the claws and eyes actually developed over time." I explained, reverting back to my usual self. Bruce was nodding, his glasses balanced in the bridge of his nose precariously as he inspected me. Tony seemed impressed and even Loki seemed to have taken interest.

"And now if you will, I think May needs to talk to you guys." I chuckled and resumed my position by the elevator, keeping guard. May gave me a glance of approval before continuing her discussion with the heroes. Every once in a while I caught Bucky glancing my way and I had to stop myself from frowning in confusion.

Eventually they finished their discussion. Apparently Slash, the new villain, had the ability to manipulate people's minds. He had taken control of some of the world's known heroes and villains. Venom, Sabertooth, the Human Torch, Scarlet Witch and more. It was quite the army.

May was about to take her leave when Cap stopped her. "Leave the girl. I think she'd make a valuable addition to the team." He said. May frowned for a bit before sighing. "I'm afraid I don't have the power to make this decision Captain Rogers." She replied. Cap arched an eyebrow. "Then who does?" He asked. He seemed persistent enough.

"Who's in charge?" May choked out. Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. The Avengers had no clue about Agent Phil Coulson being alive. And Fury had wanted it that way. There was no way we could do that now. It could jeopardise everything.

"Unless you're hiding something from us, Agent May, I'd like to know who to go to about this inquiry since Fury, has stepped down." Cap repeated. May casted a glance back at me and spoke.

"The person in charge is..." She trailed off. Everyone seemed to stop everything to hear her answer. Time itself seemed to cease.

"Phil Coulson."