Disclaimer: The only character I own thus far is Emma. I do not own any of the Avengers, nor any of their affiliated realms and/or characters.

This is my first Avengers fanfic...let me know what you think!

"I don't know sir," the woman replied, shaking her head, her crystalline blue eyes meeting his. There was an openness, and innocence there that made her companion want to belief that she was speaking the truth. "All I know is my name…and that's only because of this." She lifted one slight wrist, baring the thin metal band clasped there, branded with the words: Emma Laurent. "And even then, who really knows if that's actually my name." She rubbed her wrists where the sharp metal of the handcuffs cut into her skin, before folding her hands on the polished metal of the table again and lifting her gaze back to his. "I don't even know how long I was asleep for."

"Well, that's all well and good Miss Laurent," Nick Fury replied matter-of-factly, "But you see, there's no record that you even exist, so I'm having a hard time seeing how I can trust you. My agents picked you up outside an abandoned HYDRA compound, wandering around without any recollection of who you are. A compound, mind you, that had been in disrepair since after the second World War."

"Sir…I don't even who or what HYDRA is. The last thing I remembered is waking up surrounded by decades of dust and dirt and cobwebs, with about twenty agents pointing their guns at me and ordering me freeze," the woman—Emma—replied coolly. "If I knew something, I would tell you. I've nothing to hide." She bit her lower lip, but still her gaze remained open.

"And how exactly, did you get these," Fury asked skeptically, indicating to her arm and leg. "A gift from Santa Claus?"

Emma allowed a thin smile. "I was hoping you might be able to tell me."

"So what's this all about, Director Fury?" Steve Rogers asked as he, and the rest of the Avengers—Thor Odinson, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, and Natasha Romanov—followed Fury down a winding hallway, the only sound being the echo of their footfalls over the highly polished linoleum.

"Just something I wanted you all to see. We have a new recruit to SHIELD, though seeing has how this Agent's talents far outweigh that of what we need for SHIELD, I've decided our recruit would be better suited to the Avengers," Fury replied. "An interesting case really…Agent Laurent was picked up in Europe during a covert mission not long ago...suffers from an acute case of amnesia...worst I've seen, and trust me, I've seen it bad." He led them around a corner, and down yet another long expanse of corridor.

"Then what makes you think he's fit for the Avengers?" Natasha asked incredulously, her dark eyes flickering up to Director Fury.

"Trust me, Agent Romanov, Agent Laurent's more than qualified." Nick Fury stopped outside a large sliding metal door and quickly and expertly typed in an access code on the key pad mounted on the wall. "Welcome, Nick Fury." A lilting, automated voice chimed, before the doors slid open to reveal yet another hallway, this one a bit dimmer and cooler than the last.

"We've been holding Agent Laurent here at SHIELD for the past few months for debriefing and a thorough examination. So far everything's checked out," Nick continued as they made their way further down the hallway, approaching yet another large metal door at the end of the long corridor.

"A few months? And we're just now hearing about this?" Bruce Banner asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, Doctor. It was on a need to know basis, and now, you need to know," Fury replied pointedly, shooting Bruce Banner a side-long glance with his one good eye.

"Yeah, keep your pants on there Dr. Jekyll," Tony Stark remarked dryly.

"He doesn't like when you call me that," Bruce warned, an odd clip to his voice.

"Really now boys," Natasha interjected wearily, "It's a bit too early for this, don't you think?" She shot Tony a warning look.

"This Agent Laurent, he is very good at what he does?" Thor asked curiously, absently swinging his massive hammer at his side.

"Agent Laure—"

A massive explosion suddenly rocked the entire hallway, jarring the Director and the Avengers painfully and sending them crashing against the opposite wall as the wall just in front of them blew out, sending bits of plaster and metal ricocheting through the air.

"What the hell was that?" Natasha coughed as the dust settled thickly around them. She picked herself up from where she was sprawled across Steve against the far wall, swinging her legs underneath herself and rising gracefully to her feet.

"That's a damn good question," Fury replied sharply, striding to the massive hole that had been blown through the adjacent wall. The hole yawned into a large control room, filled with complicated looking machinery and systems, where various members of SHIELD were scrambling around wildly, shouting in fear and confusion.

Nick Fury grabbed one of the men scurrying about roughly by the collar, bringing his own face just inches from the man's. "What exactly is going on here?" he snapped. "I see a bunch of chicken littles, but no sky falling."

"It was her, Director. She went crazy…attacked Agent Barnes," the man sputtered.

"Someone attacked Bucky?" Steve asked quickly, stumbling through the hole, followed by the other Avengers. "Who?"

Fury released the man roughly, and marched across the room. "Open the hatch," he ordered, ignoring Steve's question for the moment.

"Sir, I don't think that's advisable," a young man, barely in his twenties, sputtered nervously. "We haven't contained—"

"I said, open the hatch," Nick Fury ordered sharply, shooting the young boy an icy glare. "Don't make me say it again."

A large door swung open to reveal a massive, rectangular room, the walls padded thickly, furnished with just a small table and chair in the far corner. Across the room, a young woman was pinned against the wall, her feet dangling inches from the floor. Bucky Barnes stood before her, his bionic arm holding her in place, his hand around her slender neck, squeezing tightly.

"Shit," Natasha hissed, starting forward to help the woman. But before she had much of a chance, the woman brought one knee up, striking Bucky in the groin, causing him to gasp sharply and release her. She dropped nimbly to the ground and swung one leg forward, swiping Bucky's feet out from under him and sending him sprawling on his back. In a flash she had one boot pressed to his throat, her gaze steely as it fixed on him.

"Agent," Fury shouted. "Stand down."

The woman's gaze flitted to Nick Fury, and then back down to Bucky, but she didn't move.

"I said. Stand. Down." Fury's voice was like stone.

After a brief moments' hesitation, the woman released Bucky and stood up, backing a few steps away, but never taking her gaze from him.

"Ladies," Nick Fury drawled. "Meet Agent Laurent."