Author's Note: Florence and the Machine inspired. I actually put somma the lyrics on this chappie. Workin' on a new fic now. Blurb. Not even gonna talk about it. That'd just jinx it. Besides, not publishing it until I have most of it written. That'd save me a lotta grief. Keep on reviewing. Love y'all! ~Jazzy
Chapter 8: No Light, No Light
Her thoughts were filled with escape. But she knew she couldn't risk it here. Not on the Helicarrier, not with the Captain, not with her current track record. She couldn't just disappear in plain sight. Her hands were chaffing a bit under the cold metal cuffs. They brought back memories of a darker time... a time she couldn't think about.
Ilia knew where she was being taken. One of the interrogation rooms to have a 'discussion' with Fury. He'd want answers, revelations, he'd want her side of the story. But he wouldn't care about the details. He would just need enough to write a report about it. So he could guiltlessly sign her execution bill. She shuddered.
No, this was a conversation she just couldn't have tonight. The resolution of this conflict was that she'd die. Stop it, she reprimanded herself. You might get off easily. But even she knew the odds for that. Steve gestured for her to follow him into a room. Pale grey walls surrounded her. He sat her down gently in a chair, recuffing her hands to the arms. Even showing courtesy to a prisoner… the Captain truly was outdated. Any normal Agent would roughly tie her up, possibly shove her into a few walls on the way there.
Oh, Fury was smart. Soften her up with Captain America. Get her to feel guilty. Remorseful.
And in this chair, with these cuffs, she couldn't reach her gifts now. Two of the omnipresent guards left the room, leaving her and Steve. "I-Ilia…" He stammered. "What happened to you? Where did you go?" He was so sincere, so naïve, so caring. But Ilia wouldn't talk. She couldn't. She'd wait for Fury.
"I'd rather not talk about it." She said quietly, looking at her exposed arms. She knew that no matter what good intentions Steve had, if she told him the truth of her story, he'd leave. They all would, if they knew what she had become.
The door opened and Fury stepped in. The Cap gave him a respectful nod. Fury whispered an order in his ear, and Steve walked towards her. With an apologetic look, he took hold of her head, by the cheeks. She felt his gaze on her. "Ilia, just look at me…"
She moved her eyes up to his.
"No, she's clean," he said, releasing her. "Just normal. No Tesseract blue," Steve confirmed with Fury.
"I knew it," Fury muttered.
"I don't understand," the soldier said. "Loki hypnotizes all his workers…"
Fury gave a small chuckle. "Our 'friend' here is incapable of being controlled. At least, by Loki and his scepter. A design flaw her creators didn't intend. Steve, you can go." He nodded at the soldier. The Cap obediently walked outside, talking to himself.
Fury's mood changed to an almost angered seriousness. "I hope you're happy with yourself."
"For what?" she spat.
"Let's think about that for a second. Perhaps… for leaving us? For helping the enemy? For standing around as Coulson died…"
"What do you want me to say?!" Ilia snarled. "That I'm guilty? That am responsible for the death of hundreds? That I'm sorry?"
Fury paused. "I want the truth. Not your edited version of it."
"You can't always get what you want, Fury. You should know that." She smirked. She felt the brutal sting of his hand as he slapped her on the face. Shock registered on her face for only a moment.
"This is no time for jokes." He growled. "Because of you, one of my Agents is dead. My best Agent, actually. My team is in shambles. I have the Council breathing down my neck. You were supposed to be an asset to the team, not another weight dragging us down." He turned his back to her, unable to look at her any longer.
"You should have assumed you were getting damaged goods when you found me… no one goes through that and makes it out perfect," Ilia said bitterly. "You wanted me to play both sides, be a double agent. Well guess what, Fury? Your plan worked."
"You were supposed to answer to us!" He shouted.
"Sorry," she said, without meaning it a single bit. But she was. Just a little. Coulson was dead, because she didn't move. She could have stopped Loki. She bit her lip, still feeling the sting on her cheek.
"I'm giving you one last chance."
That stopped her dead in her tracks. "What do you mean?" She asked, barely louder than a sigh.
"I need someone out there on our side. You have to clean up the mess you've made. And that means playing for our side only. I need a soldie-"
"You know I am no solider, Fury. What is this really about?"
He turned his head, looking at her grimly. "We need you to kill Loki."
She could hear all of her breaths. Her heartbeat. Kill him? "Kill him and the Council may just let you live…" He said, walking out of the room.
Less than ten minutes later, a soldier walked into the room and uncuffed her. "You're expected in the debriefing room. Now." He left after that, not speaking another word. Ilia rubbed her wrists ruefully. She stepped outside of the room, starting to navigate through the maze of the Helicarrier. Why had Loki teleported her here? Certainly he knew that Fury would take action against her. Maybe he even knew that she'd be assigned to kill him…
Ilia pushed open the doors to the Conference Room. She saw a disheartening sight. 4 of the 6 Avengers. She knew that Thor was gone, but where was Hulk? She straightened her posture and strode in. With a flash of fear, she noticed Clint sitting in the room.
And he noticed her too. "Agent Barton," she gave a grim little smile. "Good to see you're back."
"At least I did it under his control… you're just naturally a traitor!" He jumped up, only to be restrained by Black Widow.
"Hush Clint, you've been through a lot. You need to calm down…" she glared at Ilia.
"Fury pardoned you?" Captain America asked, standing up from his chair.
"For now," Ilia stared down at her hands.
"Where were you anyway?" Tony Stark questioned, resting one hand on the large window that overlooked the skies.
"Many places."
"New York, I think." Clint smirked. Before Ilia could tell him off, he spoke. "No, Agent, it was just a guess. I got freed before you left. But what better place to stay than the city that never sleeps?"
"And in my tower too…" Tony cursed. So they had figured it out… Interesting. Tony's eyes widened. "Wait… Pepper's in the tower." He strode over to Ilia. She took a few steps back. "Did you see her? I swear, if you did anything to her…" His hand was pressed around her throat.
She had returned to find a team that was desperate. They were bonded closer, not ripped farther apart. And their desperation only made them more dangerous. They knew what she was…
"I-I… sh-she's fine-" Ilia choked. "I s-s-swe-"
"Tony!" Steve ran over to Iron Man, pulling his hand away from Ilia. "Stop this madness. Now. We have to work together if we want to have any chance at defeating Loki."
Ilia breathed deeply, resting against the wall, trying to get as much air as she could. But Captain America was right… if they kept on fighting against one another, they'd only end up losing. And losing was something she couldn't afford to do.
