Chapter Five.
The room erupted.
"Space? Fury, I am not going into space. There is no way on-"
"Sir, I really must protest. Surely a city such as Asgard cannot be breached-"
"Thor, you said that this was a simple mission?"
"Jane, my Jane. I don't believe I ever said the word simple, I merely-"
"Fury, you gonna send Mr. Green & Nasty up there to bust open the golden doors or something?"
"He doesn't mean any of you, he means me."
Her voice was quiet and the statement simple, yet cut through the noise like a knife. Fury swivelled his chair slightly to gaze upon the girl out of his one good eye. He nodded to her and she stared back at him, unwavering, eyes narrowed.
"This is your play, Fury?" Stark cut into the conversation, mocking.
"You want to send a kid?" Rogers added, incredulously. "Untested, untrained?"
"One. Not a child, thanks all the same." Bobbi stood up, casting a glance at the Captain as she did so and gesturing to the more adult aspects of herself. Barton had to stifle a chuckle as the other man flushed slightly, regarding her in the form-fitting S.H.I.E.L.D. suit as he most likely hadn't even registered beforehand.
"Two. If you're looking for someone trained in breaking and entering, well-"
She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "If any of you in this building have been inside the strong room of the Moscow Kremlin and back out again without an armed escort either side then by all means, I have something to learn here." The room fell silent and Bobbi crossed her arms, glancing at each face in turn as if in askance. Rogers looked away and Barton felt sure he'd just realised her for what she was.
"Well, I have." Stated a quiet voice from the doorway. Heads turned towards it. There stood a petite red head with almond shaped eyes, deceptively demure in jeans and hooded shirt. "Should I begin lessons now or later?" She followed up, head dropped to one side, voice playful but unmistakeably edged with steel.
"Tasha." Barton leapt to his feet and pulled the chair next to him aside for her. Bobbi glanced at him, then at the newcomer, unsure on the development.
"Clint." The red-head smiled up at him warmly and took a seat, not before laying a hand lightly on his wrist. The two exchanged a look which held a world's worth of unspoken words.
"Clearly my presence is unrequired." Bobbi laughed, breaking the silence. She turned to the director. "And with that, may I gladly take your leave?" She tipped a non-existent hat in Fury's direction. "Don't worry about showing me out, I memorised it all on the way in." She winked at him slyly, span on her heel and found herself facing Barton's chest. The thought flashed across her mind, unbidden, that his reflexes really were extremely fast.
"Why don't you hear it out, sweetheart." He said calmly, looking down at her. It wasn't phrased as a question.
"Are you going to stop me if I don't?" She bit back at him, her blue eyes burning up into his as she spoke, chin set determinedly.
Barton opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a low laugh from behind him. "Kitten's got claws, Clint." The redhead – Tasha, was it? – said with amusement colouring her voice. Bobbi rolled her eyes and straightened her back, taking a half step back to distance herself from Barton.
"Either you need me or you don't. Stop playing games. I have a life to lead and, as far as I can see, it doesn't interfere with yours." Bobbi addressed them all, including the dark-haired female doctor who looked non-plussed at the whole situation as she clutched her electronic device in one hand and the arm of the enormous blond man at her side with the other.
Barton stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Bobbi once more. "Sir?" he looked to Fury at the head of the table.
"Let her go, Agent Barton." Fury said wearily.
The younger man glanced at the director, then stepped aside. "Yes, sir." If he cared at all that Bobbi didn't give him a second glance as she brushed past him and out the door, his face didn't show it. The door swung shut with a thud that sounded loud in the quiet room.
"Uh, just two things on this one, to get my head straight." Stark leaned forward across the table as he spoke, breaking the silence. "First, are we really breaking into Asgard?" This he addressed to the large man to his right whose armour glinted under the unforgivingly bright lighting.
"Yes." He answered. "Ideally."
"Right, just so we're all clear." The businessman answered. He sat back comfortably in his chair and swivelled it slightly back and forth, tapping the pencil he'd found idly on the arm.
"And the second?" The Captain asked.
"Hmm?" Stark barely looked up.
"The second thing;" the blond answered impatiently. "You said you wanted to clear up two things, you only mentioned one?"
"Oh, yeah." Tony paused for what he considered appropriate dramatic timing. "Well I just wondered if Fury was really going to let the world's best thief walk right out of here on her own?" It was a small but assured victory to see the brief yet intense flash of panic wash over the director's face before he tapped several no doubt urgent commands into his personal smartphone.
