Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, alerts and just reading this story! I can't believe how much and how fast this story is getting views compared to my other stories I've written! That just shows me how great and popular of a movie The Avengers really was!
So I might have made something confusing in my summary. As mentioned by First Lady Lestat, what I mean by OCXAvengers, is that Bella is included with the Avengers. I wasn't planning on having this be a romantic story, but it might as time goes on...? I'm not sure. Feel free to share your thoughts!
Thanks again!
-yesiamweird
"Congratulations to all of our graduates. Now get out there and live your dreams!"
Bella lightly tossed her plain black cap from her raised hands while her graduate peers began to chuck their vibrantly decorated hats way above the height of her cap. She was one of the few that refused to decorate and put time into making a fancy topper for her cap, after all she had no time when studying for her finals to even work on such a meaningless task.
She walked down the aisle while her peers and classmate laughed, hugged and cheered for their victory ignoring the young amber-haired woman as she silently fled the scene.
Heading towards the parking lot silently humming the graduation march in her head, Bella removed the black gown from her shoulders revealing a simple short black dress.
She had no one there to celebrate. Friends and classmates, yes, but family, no.
"Miss Marcone?" A voice from behind the new graduate made her jump almost ten feet in the air. She turned around slowly wondering who on Earth would be interested in a nobody like her.
The man walking towards Bella was very peculiar. He wore all black, from trench coat to boots, and the most interesting figure on his façade had been the black eye path on his left eye. A massive scar hidden behind it.
"Hello there, Isabella Marcone." He smiled walking closer to the stand-stilled woman. "My name is Nick Fury."
She nodded eyeing him carefully. "Hi…Mr. Fury." She held her manicured hand out towards his chest.
He ignored her hand while his frown faded into a slight smile. "Congratulations on your accomplishments."
She lowered her hand, "Well thanks."
"I'm sorry to be so vague but I'm on a tight schedule." He lifted his head, a very bald head, to the sky. "I'm with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division-"
"Well that's a mouthful…" She muttered looking to the sky to try to figure out what he had been intently staring at. "What did I do? Study a little too hard? The government's after me-?"
"Actually, I'm offering you a position."
Bella lowered her eyes raising an eyebrow. "A position? You mean a job?"
"Correct."
She examined his attire once again not sure if he had been completely serious. She had nothing under her belt other than her degrees. Why in the world would he have targeted her?
He smiled revealing his white teeth noticing her confused look. "Your…father…recommended you."
"Whoah, whoah whoah…if this is a job underneath my father, you can just-"
"It's not…he only gave us a letter of recommendation." He lifted his hand up to his good eye looking at what seemed to be a wrist-watch on his arm. "Well, Miss Marcone. I'll give you a day to think about it." He reached into his pants pocket pulling out a small white envelope towards the female. "Let us know if you would like the position…"
Fury turned and started to walk away as Bella traced the words SHIELD vibrantly encoded on the piece of paper. "Mr. Fury!" She called out looking out to the man. He stopped and turned his head. "Is it worth it?"
He only nodded, "Oh yes, but only if you're strong enough."
Back in the lab, Bella tapped mindlessly away at the virtual computer screen located right next to the golden scepter taken captive by the SHIELD agents. Trying to ignore the regretful sensation impending from the gold stick, Bella attempted to pick apart the various files of the Tesseract.
But she found herself looking back at the baton, contemplating the thought of snapping the it in half on her knee only wishing with succeeding in its destruction their problems might go away. Instead a chuckle pulled her from her vision.
"So what, Nick hires 15 year olds now?"
"Close...26, but it was a good try." Bella responded emotionlessly.
"So you do Shakespeare in the park as well? Along with those two Asgardians?" Stark smiled looking at the Agent. "More importantly, why are you working for SHIELD and not me?"
She turned her focus back to the virtual screen monitor. "It wasn't a rehearsed spiel, if that's what you are getting at." She tried to ignore the man but the fact that he walked into her personal space irked her to no end. He obviously had no personal boundaries growing up.
"No but you sure did make it convincing. What, a minor in theatre?" He put and accent on the last word.
"Try an undergrad double major of Psychology and Environmental Science plus a minor in Chemistry and a few classes on Criminal Justice." She paused and then smiled, "And then a Master's degree in Ancient Environmental Artifact Sciences." She huffed walking over to the monitor opposite of Banner. "All completed within in five years." She finished.
"Hm. Wow…so a master's degree in…Archeology, correct?" Stark smiled, "You know that's a dead field nowadays. How on Earth did you manage to pursue that?" He looked to the scepter.
"Does it matter? I landed a job right after I finished. Literally, right after I walked across the stage Fury was waiting there with a position for me." She looked up noticing Bruce through the monitor watching her intently.
Stark huffed, "Wow, in a perfect world-"
"Not a perfect world. This world is not perfect…Loki made that very clear."
Smirking Stark walked back to Banner's side staring at the Agent through the clear monitor. "Who was he? Your boyfriend? Lover?"
"Try best friend." Her voice now becoming stern, "Liz didn't even have a chance against him… Now, if your done insulting me, Mr. Stark let's try to figure out the power source of his scepter or the location of the cube."
"Ahem." Banner cleared his throat pulling the two out from their fight. "Some interesting news came up. The Gamma rays are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract but by the looks of it it's going to take weeks to process."
"If we bypass their main frame," Stark dug through his jean pocket revealing a silver bag. "It should, cut that time in half." He opened the bag and took a handful of what seemed to be chocolate.
Bruce chuckled. "And all I packed was a toothbrush." While Bella moved from the monitor across from the Doctor back to the one closer next to Loki's scepter.
Stark laughed. "You know, you should come by Stark Towers sometime. The top ten floors are R&D, you'd love it. It's like candy land."
"Thanks, but I'll pass." he smiled. "The last time I was in New York, I kind of broke… Harlem."
Acknowledging the embarrassed look on Bruce's face, Bella opened her mouth to scold Stark until he took the opportunity to speak first. "Well if you visit I promise a stress-free environment. No surprises." And without another warning, he shocked Banner with a wand, turning around quickly ready to retaliate and witness the reaction of the Doctor.
Bruce yelped for a split-second and then looked to Stark skeptical of his actions.
"Hey!" a familiar voice hollered from the door. Bella and the other two looked up at the Captain walking into the center of the room. "Are you nuts?" he muttered to Tony crossing his arms.
"Jury's out!" Ignoring Roger's disapproval, Stark continued to look back at Bruce. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"
Finally annoyed with his poking around, Bella shook her head, "Is everything a joke to you?"
"Funny things are." He pointed the shocker wand in her face causing the woman to grit her teeth and duck just before he shocked her as well.
"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny." Steve added to Bella's statement and then glanced to Bruce, "No offence, doc."
Banner only smiled, "No, it's alright," He paused looking to Bella, "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle… pointy things. No need to worry."
"You're tip-toeing, big man." Stark took another handful of his snack popping one in his mouth. "You need to strut."
"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark." Rogers frowned deepened.
Stark only smiled as he finished chewing. "You think I'm not? Why now did Fury call us in? Why not before? What is it he's not telling us? I can't do the equation until I have all the variables."
"For once, Mr. Stark…" Bella rolled her eyes not believing the words about to come out from her lips, "I agree with you."
"You think Fury's hiding something?" The Captain's stern face grew looking to the SHIELD agent and then to the billionaire.
"Fury's a spy, the spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony threw in another handful of snacks into his mouth. Whatever he was eating, he seemed to enjoy his snack. "If its bugging sweet cakes over there then we know we have a problem, right?"
Bella only nodded while Stark and Rogers looked to Banner on her right. "What 'bout you big man?" Tony smiled.
"Ahhhh, I just want to finish my work here, and-"
"Doctor?" The well-built blonde questioned with negativity.
As the three gentlemen continued to bicker like ladies, Bella huffed looking down at the monitor near the Scepter once more. The levels of gamma rays admitting from it were beginning to concern her as she did her best to try to hide her anxiety by quietly adjusting the radiation levels on the pad.
Luckily, Bella's few years working under SHIELD gave her the ability to clear her mind around the destruction and chaos around her while she focused on a task. She was doing a good job of it too until a spark from the center of the blue globe in the scepter caught her eye stunning her motionlessly.
"-Agent Marcone?"
Bella continued to stare at the light while she ignored the voice calling out from behind her.
"Bella?" A fragile hand clutched her wrist pulling her away from her position.
"Wha-?" She gasped looking at Bruce on in front of her. "Oh sorry- Huh?"
"We were wondering why SHIELD decided not to invite me to the Tesseract party." Stark smirked. "What are they doing in the energy business in the first place exactly?"
Shaking her head Bella raised her eyebrows. "I'm n-not sure. I wasn't even invited on your superhero party. I'm only a field archeologist; obviously, I'm of no need to SHIELD's best kept secrets…" She replied coolly.
"Hm, well I'll look into all of that once my decryption program finishes breaking in to all of SHIELD's secure files."
Both Roger's and Bella dropped their jaws looking to the man behind the iron. "I'm sorry," The blonde man stuttered. "Did you just say-"
"Yes, JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few minutes I'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide." The man smirked. "Blueberry?" He held the silver bag out to The Captain revealing to the woman his snack.
"Chocolate covered blueberries?" She thought in her head repulsed by the idea of such a thing.
"And yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around." Steve glared disciplining Stark.
"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome."
Taking a sigh in the middle of the thick moment, Bella looked to the two fighting and stubborn men. "I think Loki is trying to wind us up from the inside. Obviously…it's working."
Roger's nodded softly to the woman, "Exactly. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders…We should follow them."
"Yea, following is not really my style."
Bella rolled her eyes walking away from the bickering men towards Bruce. He gave her the same annoyed look.
"And you're all about style, aren't you?" Rogers spoke grinding his white teeth.
"Of all the people in this room which one is A. wearing a spangled outfit and B. Not of use?"
"Steve…" Banner's soft voice spoke from Bella's side. "Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?"
Catching a glance from the Captain, Bella frowned. "Agent Marcone?"
She sighed looking down at the black leather boots she wore tucked into her pants. Out of all of the things she hated, being put on the spot was one that she hated the most.
"Sorry…" She looked up at the superhero… catch phrased, the world's first superhero. "Before Loki's attack, my friend had told me she was thinking SHIELD was up to something. Even though Fury is my employer, there's definitely something he's not telling us…" She pointed her thumb casually at the two men, "I'm with them."
She could hear a slight growl coming from the man put on the spot in the middle of the room. "Just find the cube." And with that he stormed out of the lab.
As the door to the lab closed, Stark pointed a finger towards the door. "That's the guy my dad never shut up about? I'm wondering if you all should have kept him on ice, sweet cakes."
She rolled her eyes while taking a deep breath. As she exhaled, a stray strand of her amber hair flew up and then floated back down gracefully. "It's Bella." She took a few steps towards the door when a snicker made her stop.
"Running off to tattle-tale?"
She turned around folding her arms underneath her average-sized B cup breasts. "I'm on your side; don't kick me when I'm down." She looked out of the corner of her eye watching Roger's walk off through the window. "I just have a feeling Roger's is about to be on our side as well." And with that she exited the room without another word.
On a side note, I went to MovieStop and they told me and my fiancee that the movie is supposed to come out on September 25! Buttttttt, with the money they are making from the theaters it'll probably be later...cross our fingers!