Weeks passed until they were called for another SHIELD conference, and frankly Chloe was glad for it. Beca was right, Bellas practices were not as fun as she wanted them to be. She woke in the morning to the sound of her phone ringing, and quickly answered it. It wasn't as if she wanted to, but the assassin knew the consequences of not doing something as simple as answering a phone call.
"Hello?" she answered, her voice still groggy from sleep and her mind still in a haze. "Barton, it's Fury, we need you and Stark down in the conference room ASAP. So get down here." The line went dead, and Chloe knew it was better to simply get up and do what Fury wanted than to disobey, although, getting Beca out of bed could possibly turn into a problem. She quickly got out of bed, pushing the blanket to the edge of her bed. Sitting up was not as easy as the red head wanted it to be, and it definitely wasn't fun.
After a few seconds of pacing and shaking her head, Chloe managed to wake herself up. Looking at the clock, it was only 6:30 AM, and she had no idea of the amount of sleep Beca managed to get. Knowing the brunette, she probably didn't go to bed before 2 AM. Of course, Chloe knew it would be wrong to disobey Fury's orders, but before actually waking the billionaire Chloe took a look at her computer.
Beca would never let her on the laptop when she was awake, so the assassin had to resort to drastic measures. Looking at the recent save of a mix the brunette made, the last known save was at 2:30 AM the night before. If Chloe woke her it would mean she wouldn't even have four hours of sleep under her belt. With a sigh, the red head shut the lid to the laptop and looked over to the sleeping girl.
Her blanket was pooled at her feet, but Beca was curled up. Looking closely, Chloe could see the tiny shivers running through her spine. In that moment Beca looked smaller than she already was, and the red head assumed that was very hard to do. What she was about to do was not a good idea, but having four hours of sleep was ridiculous. When she was on assignment Chloe always made sure she had at least six hours of sleep per night.
Carefully, she grabbed the blanket at Beca's feet and managed to drape it over the girl, smiling as she did. Before going back to her own bed, the red head looked at Beca's face, but didn't see the peace she was expecting. The brunette's expression was contorted with pain and... was that a tear falling down her cheek?
Not even considering the possible consequences, Chloe managed to maneuver herself underneath the blanket and lie next to the girl. In this state she wasn't Rebeca Stark, eccentric billionaire with an amazing future ahead of her, and she wasn't an Avenger. This was the Beca who didn't have sarcasm and good looks to guard herself. It was as vulnerable as she could possibly be, and to see her this way would be a rare event, but Chloe appreciated the moment.
Taking a risk, Chloe wrapped her arm around Beca's middle. The brunette stirred, but she didn't wake. Instead, Beca managed to turn over in Chloe's arms and rest her head in the crook of her neck. So Beca enjoyed spooning in her sleep? That was something she'd definitely have to remember. It wasn't the time to be teasing the brunette. Chloe was good at reading people's emotions, but since she'd sat next to the billionaire in the conference it had been difficult to read her feelings. Now, watching the girl's face in an unconscious state, she could see the fragile girl Beca hid from everyone.
Underneath the sarcasm and the flirts was just a teenage girl going into her twenties, trying to take on the world. Beneath the suit she would wear, in the shadow of that legacy lived a girl who wanted to be something more. Her father wasn't even really her father, he was just Tony. He was the man standing in the way of her own greatness. Like herself, Beca was just a girl thrust into a dangerous world, and she learned to fight against it in a very different way than Chloe had.
A sigh from the brunette made her realize how tired she still was. Though, she knew there were consequences for faling back asleep, at this point Chloe didn't care. She rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, letting Beca's slow breathing fill her ears until she drifted off into slumber.
The next time she woke, it was unfortunately cold next to her. Chloe sat up, searching the room for the brunette. Beca was sitting at her desk without her headphones on, not something she frequently did. The brunette was just sitting there, looking over at her. A small smirk appeared on her lips, and hearing Beca laugh only made her sit up. "If you wanted to get into bed with me, Red, all you had to do was ask."
Chloe smiled, but it was different than how she had been smiling the night before. Beca was back to her old sarcasm and flirts, but there was something different about her. The billionaire seemed much more relaxed than she had been for the past three weeks, and the assassin was very curious to know why. Of course, she wasn't blatant about it. After many years of being an assassin Chloe knew more subtle ways to get information she wanted, one of the many perks of being Natasha Barton's daughter.
"What's got you all happy this morning?" Chloe asked, looking over at the clock. 10 A.M., oh well, Fury would deal with it. Beca was still smirking in her chair, but moved to sit next to her. "Well, I did wake up next to a beautiful red head." She couldn't help the blush on her cheeks as she looked into the brunette's dark blue eyes. Sometimes they almost looked grey, like a storm. It only added to the mystery that was Beca Stark. No one could survive the storm and come back the same, not even Chloe.
"Listen, Beca, Fury called at six this morning and said we had to go in," the billionaire only laughed, looking over at the clock and shaking her head. "I don't see why you didn't wake me up, aren't you supposed to be the person making sure I follow the rules?" Chloe shrugged, smiling slightly. "Well, if I woke you up it would've meant you only had four hours of sleep, and considering the fact that Fury's obviously got something planned for us I figured you'd need more than that."
"You might want to get changed," Beca noted, pointing at the pajama shorts and tank top Chloe was wearing. "Because I don't think you want to be later than we already are." Chloe nodded, immediately peeling off her tank top and changing into a suit much like her mother's. She put a button up blouse and jeans over it, just in case she needed a cover for later.
Looking over her shoulder at Beca, she could see the brunette had turned to face the wall. "Come on, Beca, it's not like you haven't seen it before." She smirked, adoring the way she could make Beca blush. The billionaire turned, rolling her eyes and opening the door for her. "Going to SHIELD, Jarvis, I'll be back soon enough."
The technological butler didn't answer, but as they walked down the hallways Beca grabbed her keycard for the elevator. "What do you think they want?" Beca asked, only after the elevator doors had closed, of course. Chloe only shrugged her shoulders, looking over at the brunette. "Probably found that artifact they were looking for."
She listened to the brunette's sigh, but decided it was best not to have all the details for the moment. "Listen, Beca, the faster we get through the meeting the faster we'll get the artifact. So, keep the sarcasm to a minimum?" Beca laughed, and they met each other's gaze. "How can I say no to you?" It was meant to be a joke, but Chloe saw the true meaning beneath her words, and it was sweet.
Walking into the conference room was like walking into a freezer. They were greeted with cold glares, and the sad part about the entire thing, everyone immediately assumed it was Beca's fault for their tardiness. "You do realize we've been waiting for four hours?" It was Aubrey who spoke, and though Chloe was surprised by her tone, it was obvious Beca wasn't. "That's funny, Aubrey, it's like you expect me to care."
Fury cleared her throat, and they sat down. Chloe was very close to Beca, not only to make sure the brunette didn't say any sarcastic remarks to slow them down, but to also make sure she was all right. Not that Beca would admit it, but the comments about being like her father must have hurt. Chloe hadn't thought about it too often, but the times she was compared to her mother and father she wished she wasn't. She was Chloe Barton, not Natasha or Clint, and no one was going to change that for her. "Now that we're all here," Fury's glare at Beca gave Chloe half a mind to go up to the African American woman and slap her, but of course it wouldn't be in the best interest of the team.
"We've finally found the artifact, but it's across the ocean in the middle east. There's already a helicopter waiting for you. It's an hour drive from here to get to it, and I suggest you leave now. Stark, I expect you'll be taking a suit and meeting the helicopter in the air?" Chloe looked over to Beca to see the brunette nod. "It'll take less time that way, and I have a feeling no one here wants to be stuck in an hour long car drive with me."
Looking out at the rest of the table, the only person who seemed willing to object was Benji. Though, she hadn't seen him too much in the weeks they'd been at Barden, the boy seemed nice. If his temper was anything like Bruce's, then Chloe knew she would have to be careful around him. No one truly knew how Bruce was able to have a child, seeing as the gamma exposure should have made him infertile, but no one really wanted to ask questions about it. She was glad enough to have Benji on the team.
"There is something else you should know," Fury said, stopping everyone from standing to go. "Unlike most of your parents," a specific stare was sent Beca's way. "The world doesn't know who you are, and we'd like to keep it that way. Having the media and villains out of your personal life can be a very good thing. So, in the field try not to reveal your names to the public. We can assign you names-"
"Yeah, that's not going to work for me," Chloe looked at Beca, expecting that type of response. Fury only crossed her arms, and the red head could see that the woman had already decided it would be best not to argue with the daughter of Tony Stark. "Then, pray tell, what would you like to be called?"
Beca met Chloe's eyes, and a smile tugged the billionaire's lips, but her gaze quickly returned to Fury. "Titanium." Chloe couldn't help but smile, but hoped it wasn't blatantly obvious to everyone at the table. Apparently she'd made more of an impression on the brunette than she'd thought. Fury nodded, "Very well, but the rest of you will have assigned names. Dismissed." Before Beca had a chance to really leave for her lab, Chloe pulled her to the corner of the room.
"You're sure you're going to be all right meeting us in the air?" Chloe asked, obviously concerned for the shorter girl's safety. "Relax, Red, I've flown in a suit before. I'll see you up there." Chloe left, looking back one last time to see the smiling brunette. Beca gave her a nod, and that was what she needed to leave the room.
Chloe walked beside Aubrey to the black car, but decided it would be best to sit next to Benji for the hour long ride. Conversation wasn't happening for the first half hour of the drive, just silent staring and assessment of each other. It was Benji who spoke first, which was surprising, considering he seemed to be the quietest of the team.
"So what got you guys into the Avenger Initiative?" it was good that the boy was making conversation. He seemed like the one least likely to start a conversation, and to see him fairly comfortable made Chloe smile. "Well," Jesse said, shrugging his shoulders. He was wearing the red, white, and blue uniform that his father used to wear, only this variation had been specifically designed for Jesse. "My dad said it would be good for me to meet all of you, and to do something good for the country rather than just volunteering at animal shelters."
Benji nodded, looking over at Chloe. She thought for a moment before answering. "Mom figured it was better for me to be on a team than to work independently, especially since Dad died." The rest of the team nodded, and Aubrey even reached over and put a hand on her knee. "My father agreed. Instead of traveling to other realms he decided it was best for me to stay here and protect human life."
All eyes were on Benji, and it was obvious the guy was nervous. He scratched the back of his neck and focused his eyes on the floor for a minute or two before looking back up at the group. "Well, my dad figured that I should use our shared anger management issues for good." That definitely got a laugh from everyone in the car, and conversation seemed to continue with smiles and laughter until they reached the helicopter.
Stacie was already there waiting for them, holding a silver briefcase in her hands. As they walked out of the car, all in uniform. Benji wearing a button up shirt and stretch pants, Aubrey wearing some form of Asgardian amor, and Chloe in the uniform she'd dressed in earlier, they walked over to Stacie who opened the brief case. "These are ear pieces, you need to keep them in for every mission. Beca already has hers tapped into the suit, so she doesn't need one. Put it in, and they're already connected, if you just talk Beca should be able to hear you."
Everyone put the ear pieces into their ears before boarding the helicopter, and waited until after they were in the air to try and talk to Beca. "Beca, can you hear us?" Jesse asked, looking around the room at the glances he was receiving. "Loud and clear, Captain. Hey, do you mind opening the door, I'd like to actually sit down as we travel across an ocean."
Chloe watched Jesse roll his eyes and walk over to a lever. He held on to ropes on the side of the plane before pulling the lever, his grip tightening on the ropes as not to fall out. To say everyone was impressed when Beca walked in with her suit was an understatement, they were downright shocked.
They hadn't realize how intelligent Beca actually was, and the fact that she had build that suit herself was amazing. It was similar to her father's Iron Man suit, but very different. The suit wasn't quite as masculine as his, but the artillery was much better according to Beca, as were the flight controls as they watched her land gracefully into the back of the helicopter. The paint was, of course, red and gold, it seemed to be a theme. As the back door of the helicopter closed, Beca took off the helmet she wore. Of course, the suit made her taller than she normally would be, so she was slightly taller than everyone other than Benji and Aubrey.
"Glad to see you guys missed me so much," she said, taking a seat next to Chloe and smiling at her. "Of course we missed you, Titanium." The pet name was definitely going to grow on her, especially with the fact that Beca had especially picked that name. There was a reason behind it, and Chloe knew that reason, but there was no reason for everyone else to know, not just yet. "Do you guys even have your code names yet?"
It was Beca who asked the question, and every other team member shook their heads. The brunette sighed, shaking her head and leaning back against the wall of the helicopter. "No codenames? I guess I'll just have to make some." She smirked, shrugging her shoulders while still in the suit. It was surprisingly agile to daily movements, and Chloe couldn't help but notice the craftsman ship in it.
"Jesse you're Captain, Benji you're Hulk 2.0, Aubrey you're just Aubrey, You don't get a cool name. Chloe, you're Scarlet." Beca sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry they're not creative, but I didn't exactly get a lot of time to come up with them."
"You really think you're hilarious," Jesse sighed, leaning back in his seat with a dejected look on his face. It was obvious he was hoping for a new name, but didn't get what he wished for. He was under his father's shadow of captain and leader, much like Beca. "It's like SHIELD is trying to recreate the Avengers with us." "That's because they are," Beca replied, earning a look from everyone. It wasn't the usual glare she received, but a look of understanding. They were all just there to replace their parents in a time of crisis, and no one but Beca had actually thought about it until then.
Hours and hours had gone by until they received word from their driver, who was surprisingly Stacie and another member of SHIELD. "All right, Avengers, we're going to need you on the ground. Titanium, first you're going to have to go out the back and make sure things are okay for us to land? You ready?"
Beca laughed, smiling and tilting her head as she stood up. "Finally, we get to the fun part." She put the helmet over her head again and looked at Chloe. "See you down there, Red." Jesse walked over and opened the back door again. After breaking into a running start, Beca jumped into the open air over the desert.