"Brand new, Is that person in the mirror looking back at you, It's true, But you can't see it 'cause you're stuck on what you've been through You got that white knuckle, red faced, Kung fu grip on all your chains, But that's not who are, I'm here to let you know, You gotta let it go, You were made for something more, So come on and let it go, Oh oh oh..." Gotta Let It Go, MercyMe


Chapter Two

Blearily I opened my eyes. I was back in my bed. Or at least I thought I was back in my bed. That was the impression I got as I slowly rose. But as the blue haze surrounding my vision cleared, I noticed I was somewhere else. A room surrounded by thick steel walls. There were no windows peering out to the streets of New York City. Just a big empty room with a soft comfy bed to lay on. I didn't even question why I was here. All I did was straighten up to see what was going on.

Cameras were placed along the corner of the walls. For a moment I wondered why the hell anyone would need cameras in their own home. Than I slowly began to realize that this was not my apartment. That sudden realization only just dawned on me. And the more I thought about it, the angrier and more resentful I got.

"Where the hell am I?" I shouted to anyone who might be watching. The fact that someone was watching my every move should have crept me out. Strangely though I was actually comforted by it. Maybe someone would actually tell me what was going on here.

"You're on board the Hellicarrier." A new voice spoke up, causing me to jump. The Hellicarrier? My eyes widened in disbelief at the familiar name. According to the Marvel comics the Hellicarrier was run by SHIELD's very own Director Nick Fury. And as I turned my head slightly I noticed the intimidating figure standing in the room with his arms folded. "I'd like to know how you got on board this ship. It's impossible for anyone without an aircraft to get here," he added once the door slammed shut behind him.

Should I pull off a Scottie from Star Trek? Or should I keep my trap shut? Something told me Director Fury wouldn't take me seriously if I randomly shouted, "I like this ship!" So instead I straightened up and locked gazes with him, trying not to cave in.

"My name is Emma Karson, sir," I explained warily. I hoped that sounded formal enough without making him suspicious. "And I honestly can't explain how I ended up here. One minute I was in my apartment reading the news, and the next, I woke up here." I added the last part with a shrug, suddenly realizing how lame that sounded.

Director Fury just furrowed an eyebrow as he thought what I said through. For the most part I was surprisingly calm, despite waking up in a completely different room. Why wasn't I panicking? Last time that had happened I nearly had a panic attack. It's not a story I'd like to share. Needless to say I lost a good friend that following morning. "So you're telling me that you have no idea how you ended up here?" he finally asked. Shook my head no.

"Look, all I know is you're not even supposed to exist. The Avengers DVD was supposed to come out, I guess yesterday, and it wasn't even on the shelves," I said in a hurried voice. "This is all just a bad dream and I'll wake up soon." I'm still hoping on that theory. After all I've had stranger dreams.

"Do you really believe that?" This time he looked angry. And from what I've gathered from the Iron Man films, Fury was not the best person to piss off. I shrank back as he unfolded his arms and glared back at me with his one eye. "And what exactly do you know about the Avengers?"

"I know it took them a long time to make a good team," I replied with another shrug. "That they all have their differences, but that's what makes them an awesome team." I wasn't even sure what all I should tell him. I mean, if there was even the smallest chance that this wasn't a dream, than I didn't want a bullet in my heart.

If what I said surprised him he didn't show it. Instead he just left the room, looking more annoyed than anything else. And I was left on my own with the door locked. There was no way in hell he'd let some random kid wander around the Hellicarrier. So I guess I was stuck here until he discussed things with his fellow agents.

Running a hand through my hair, I kept wondering what was going on. My mind kept wanting to tell me this was a dream. But the room itself felt real. Director Fury himself had looked real. And that blue haze clouding my vision earlier had me wondering as well. Where exactly did that come from? Than another, more pressing thought had suddenly occurred to me.

What if I was somehow in the Avengers movie? The idea sounded ridiculous. But I've seen stranger things happen in my life. With everything that was happening it all suddenly made sense. Maybe that was why there was no record of my existence. And that explained why my friends and coworkers didn't recognize me.

That was when the tears started forming. My life was a living lie. Well, maybe that sounded a bit melodramatic. But I couldn't help myself. The life I once lived was gone, and so were all the friends I made and lost, along with all the mistakes I've made. For once I wished this would all somehow end.

. . .

Hours seemed to drag on. I wasn't sure if hours or days had passed. No one seemed to care that I was slowly going mad being stuck in the room with nothing to do. So I resorted to singing to myself or thinking of all the movies I had watched when Fury wasn't interrogating me. After a while I got bored of that and began pacing. This was one of those moments when I wish I had my iPhone with me. At least I had plenty of music stored on it. But I'm sure SHIELD would've confiscated it if they saw me with it.

Now I leaned against the wall, observing the cameras that were watching me. Didn't SHIELD have anything better to do than watch me? Like making sure Loki didn't take the Tesseract from them? Speaking of which, I'm not even sure if that's happened yet. Obviously the Avengers haven't been formed. And it was at that moment the door slid open. I think the agent stepping in nearly regretted his actions when I gaped at him.

Okay, I'm a huge fan of the comics. And every one of my friends knew how much I loved Hawkeye and the Black Widow. Those two are like the perfect team. And to see agent Clint Barton walking in on me was nothing more than the biggest surprise of my life. For a moment I was at a loss for words. He just eyed me warily before I sat down, still refusing to look away for fear he might use me as his next target.

"So, you think we're all fictional characters." He chose to speak first, breaking the uneasy silence that filled the room.

First impressions are always important. I took that into consideration as I thought over what to say. If I said yes than he might believe me. Or he'd think I was completely insane and throw me in jail for the rest of my life. Than I realized that this was probably just his way of passing the time. Find out more information on the crazy girl who might be suffering from dementia. So I decided to play along with his charade.

"Well, it's more like a series of movies," I explained warily. Obviously I wasn't at the point where he gets brainwashed by Loki and turns on SHIELD. For a moment I was tempted to warn him about that. I'm sure those actions would cause more than just regret in the future. But something kept me from doing so. "So are you here to amuse yourself or to actually gain information?" This time it was my turn to ask the question. And for a brief second Clint actually looked surprised.

"More or less," he replied. He grabbed the chair that Fury normally sat in and leaned back. For the first time I noticed that he wasn't anything like Director Fury. And I was grateful for that, even though he was probably trying to find out more information. "So who has their own movies?"

Again I thought over how to answer that. Truthfully I was always thought he and Widow deserved their own movie. The pasts they had were full of tragedies that aren't really looked over in the films. Of course not too many people are aware of them in the movies, so I couldn't really blame them for that.

"Well, Tony Stark has two movies out... Thor Odinson and Captain America have their own movies too," I explained. "And Bruce Banners," I added after almost forgetting the Hulk. I didn't want an angry Hulk smashing me to pieces. "And than there's the Avengers movie. I'm not even sure how long it's been, but it was supposed to come out the day I woke up here." It was the day my life became a living hell.

"So you know what happens in this movie?"

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought this over. If I told him what happened than events would obviously turn out differently. Something told me I wasn't meant to interfere with any of these upcoming events. So instead I tried to keep my answer as blunt as possible. "The Tesseract... I'm guessing that you still have it."

That seemed to catch his attention. He suddenly leaned forward, looking more like the intimidating archer who could easily kill me without his arrows. "What do you know about it?" The question made my skin crawl with unease.

What do I know? That some crazy demigod known as Loki would step through your world, try turning you along with Dr. Selvig to the dark side, resulting in a war against the 'mighty' Chitauri and the Avengers forming into the ultimate team? Boy that was a mouthful, if I had said it loud. Thankfully I kept my trap shut and only stared back, trying desperately to think over an answer.

"I think you should keep an eye on it," I murmured thoughtfully. "I mean, if SHIELD is trying to find a better source of energy, than it could be lethal in the wrong hands."

"And just who would try to take it?" Again with the endless bomb of questions. I was getting tired of this, dealing with interrogation after interrogation. Bad enough Fury had to drill me with the questions, don't need them from one of my favorite characters.

"I can't answer that just yet." I really hoped I didn't look suspicious. 'Cause really, Clint could easily kill me if he wanted to. I'm sure Fury wouldn't mind it either, and they'd both have no regrets.

And we left it at that. I was left being stuck in the room once again, swearing under my breath a few times in the process. At this point even if they did remember me my friends would never believe me.

. . .

"Agent Barton, I'm sending you along with Coulson to keep an eye on the Tesseract."

"What about the girl?"

"She's a security risk. Last I checked there are no files on an 'Emma Karson'. She isn't telling the truth, whoever she is."

"You can't just keep her locked up in there, she hasn't done anything wrong."

"Until I know for sure what is going on here, she stays locked up."

"Understood, sir."

. . .

"The Tesseract has awakened. It is on a little world. A human world. That they would wield it's power, but our ally knows its workings as they never will."

My heart was racing. Beads of sweat ran down my face. For a moment I wondered what had happened. Than I noticed my vision was blurred again with that same blue haze. The Tesseract has awakened. Those words, those chilling words from the beginning of the movie played over and over again in my head. And all I could think of was that somehow, the Tesseract had brought me to this world. More than that, some part of the Tesseract was inside me. Or at least that was what I thought.

But the more I thought about it, the more exhausted I got. I didn't have much time to think over what had happened as my head hit the pillow once again (now I know why Fury never had the bed removed). I really hope this wasn't going to be a reoccurring incident.


AN: Couldn't resist updating early ;) So I was mildly surprised by all the positive responses I've gotten, and a big thank you to them! Really appreciate 'em :) I think you can tell at this point that Hawkeye and Black Widow are my favorite characters XD (Also, if you haven't noticed I use lyrics at the beginning of each chapter. Mostly to set up the mood ;))