Author's Note: I might just publish what happened in the missing time with Knox and Aella as a one-shot later. I don't know. I like their interaction, but I want to move along with the story… so yeah. Don't worry- she'll be back. Anyway. Sorry for the wait: I had WAY too much schoolwork. It shouldn't be legal. I dressed up with a few friends for Halloween. We were the Avengers! And I was Loki. XD So that was fun. But I'm still busy. But here's the next chapter anyway. Please review! ~Jazzy
P.S. Oh right- here's your picture of Lupe! Tis but a simple computer drawing, but I like it. (tiny pic at the dotcomslash 219dpol . jpg) )
Chapter 10: Let's Get Down to Business
At S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters...
Knox left the strange girl and immediately got Fury. As he approached the office, he knocked politely on the door. "Director Fury?"
"What is it, Knox?"
"Someone's at the front door… she claims to be your daughter…?" The door opened, revealing a shocked looking Fury. "Do you even have a daughter, sir?"
Fury gave a grim nod. "I do."
"You never told me, I mean your fil-"
"-You're not the only one with family secrets, William," Fury said with a smirk. He closed the door behind him and started walking towards the front door. The young woman waved quickly as they approached.
"Dad! It's about time you got here! These idiots didn't even know who I was-!" She gave a glare to Knox, who restrained from making an impolite face in return.
"Agent Knox, this is my daughter, Aella Fury, or as she's known Aella Roberts…" Knox cautiously offered a hand for her to shake. Aella gave an unconvincing half smile and shook. "Now why are you here, A?"
"There's a problem. Mom's been trying to contact you but…" she bit her lip. "Another reporter's getting nosey again, and I think he might be more than just a reporter…" Fury sighed and massaged his temples.
"I'll dispatch Forth or one of the other Agents you're familiar with…" he mused quietly. "I'll be home late tonight." He quickly gave her a peck on the cheek. He turned suddenly to Knox. "Actually, Agent Knox, could you go with Aella? I just remembered Forth is working with Tryst and Lupe… I'll give you the files. It's a simple interrogation procedure…" Fury walked with Knox back to his office, where he gave him a rather thin folder.
"I'm trusting you with an awful lot, William," Fury said, sitting back down in his desk chair. His single eye stared straight into Knox's eyes. "My family is deep undercover, for their own protection. I can't let anything happen to them."
"I understand sir…" Will said respectfully. He exited the room and started flipping through the files, until one caught his eye.
Aella Fury, AKA Aella Roberts. Aged residing in New York City, New York. Address: CLASSIFIED. Education: NYU fine arts degree. Current Employment: freelance artist, studio address: CLASSIFIED. Family: Willa Fury (mother), Nicolas Fury (father), Jayson Fury (brother).
"What you looking at?" Knox looked up rapidly from his reading to be staring straight into Aella's inquisitive brown eyes.
"Nothing." He stated.
"Mhm, sure. Look, if you're going to be helping me, you've got to know a few ground rules first."
"And those are?" Will raised an eyebrow. Aella laughed a little in anticipation.
"First off, I don't do "Agent" name crap. First names only."
"That's highly unpro-"
"Do I look like I care?" She had a point. She really didn't look like she cared if he had any objectives. "So what's your real name, Agent Knox?"
"Will… William Phil Knox Coulson," he admitted finally. Her eyes widened.
"You're Coulson's kid? No way! My dad told me all about him-!"
"Moving on, rule two?"
She sighed a little, only to have it replaced with a smirk. She pulled a few locks of hair out of her face, and raised one eyebrow. "I get a gun if we're in danger."
"Do you have a license?" Knox asked automatically, feeling the cold weight of his own weapon against his clothes. She shook her head no. "Then no gun for you. If we really are in danger, you're only going to get yourself hurt or injured by shooting yourself in the foot. Then I have to pick you up and carry you out of a potentially deadly situation, which just might kill us both. Understand? No gun."
"Yeesh, you're depressing."
"I'm realistic. Now let's go take care of this thing."
"But I still have some ru-" A single look silenced her. "Fine. I'll tell you the rest in the car."
6.
Bane woke up at 7 am sharp. He woke up in a bed that was not his own. He woke up in S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, only reminding him that Yvonne was gone. He couldn't go back to their house, not when she wasn't there. So the Agents had requested he stay there for a few days as they sorted it out. He shut off the small alarm and stretched. He grabbed the small stack of clothes that were left out for him: a simple green shirt and black sweatpants. Oh right… they were training today.
Bane took the glass of water sitting on a small table nearby and took a small sip before downing the pill placed next to it. Already he felt his hands starting to shake. Deep breaths. He took the pillow from his bed and sat down on top of it, practicing his meditation. His hope was that one day he wouldn't need the medication, that he could simply control his curse by simple patterns of breathing.
After a few minutes of sitting still, he stood up and relaxed. His hands were steadier and he could already feel the familiar sensation of nothingness swirling upon him. He then noticed the small tray on his dresser, containing breakfast. Two slices of toast, a glass of orange juice, and an apple. He ate the two pieces of toast rather quickly, skipped the juice, and took the apple to go.
Making sure he had his cellphone in his pocket, Bane walked outside the door and found his way to the exit hallway. An agent accompanied him to the car, and started the engine. Bane took his seat near the window in the back. When he was younger he always had wanted to sit in the front, but that was a lost battle nowadays. He didn't even know how to drive. However, he was 16 years old, and it was something he wanted to learn. He'd have to ask Yv-
Oh… right…
The car eventually came to a stop in front of the hotel where they had left Tryst and Lupe. The hotel's door was thrown open to reveal a beaming Tryst. The agent greeted them and opened the door to the car, letting them both enter.
"Hello friend Bane!" Tryst proclaimed. "I hope you found your sleep most enjoyable last night!" She reluctantly took the middle seat, as Lupe closed the car door. She wore grey sweatpants and a simple red tee shirt with no writing on it. She had a large smile on her face and obviously had to be a morning person.
Lupe on the other hand… circles rimmed his lower eyes and he stared out the car window drearily. He had on black sweatpants and a blue shirt with a faded red-and-blue superman logo on it. It had to be one of his clothes from home.
Tryst didn't notice her cousin's lack of enthusiasm and started to talk with the both of them, even if neither of them replied. She was completely unfazed when Lupe ignored her questions, instead changing the subject and talking to Bane. Both Bane and Lupe seemed relieved to finally arrive at Stark Tower.
3.
Amelia Rogers was never late. In fact, she was the shining imagine of punctuality. It probably had something to do with her father, who never missed an appointment. He always showed up 10 minutes early to anything. When she was little, Amelia asked him why.
"Because once I missed a very important date," he had said with a sad smile.
So Amelia stood awkwardly alone on the 87th floor of Stark Tower, 10 minutes earlier then she was supposed to be there. The whole floor had been outfitted as a giant gym, with a boxing ring, weight center, swimming pool, and even a small 1/8 mile running track. A decently sized area was covered in foam matting, but had no objects around it. With a smile, Amelia finally noticed a punching bag in the corner of the boxing section.
Finally, something she knew she could do. She grabbed a hand wrap and covered her hands tightly before testing the bag with a heavy punch. The bag swayed but did not come undone. It would have to do. She set into the rhythm of the punches quickly enough, working on a beat inside her head.
Then the elevator door opened with a surprisingly loud "DING."
The bag went flying as Amy threw a punch in surprise.
"Daaaang. I'm not going to surprise you…" Everest Barton said with a smirk and an impressed look. Anubis was right behind him, holding a small athletic bag.
"I didn't know if they'd have bows," she shrugged, setting the bag down. And finally Neo emerged from the elevator as well. He casually walked over to the nearest bench and sat down, pulling out a tablet device.
"Yo, Geek Charming, I don't think this is techy class. We're here to punch things and stuff," Everest said, plucking the device from Neo's hands.
"Hey!" Neo protested. "Give it back!"
Everest stuck out his tongue. The elevator door opened again and Bane, Tryst, and Lupe all walked out. Bane looked as emotionless as ever. Tryst was bubbly and chatting, holding Mjolnir in one hand. Lupe stood behind her, stifling a yawn.
"Isn't there supposed to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent here?" Amelia asked, stepping away from the fallen punching bag. I'll just get that later… she thought with a grimace.
"Yeah, Agent Hobbes is in the car. He said he'll be out in a sec or two. He had to get something," Bane explained, stepping away from the others, choosing to isolate himself a little more.
"What I want to know" Everest drawled, still holding Neo's tablet ransom, "Is how Mr. Magic is supposed to learn his skills? Last time I checked, normal humans aren't magical." Lupe sighed, rolling his eyes a little.
"I don't know." He shrugged.
"Enough chatting, let's just start working out or something," Anubis suggested, sensing the same as Amy- that another fight would be inevitable. Anubis threw Lupe a knowing glance.
"In that case… An, you're with me. We haven't spared in a while," Everest gave a laugh. He tossed the tablet into the air. Neo lunged for it, but he fell short.
"No!" He said futilely. But before the tablet could hit the ground, it stopped. Everyone's eyes were trained on the tablet. Amelia cautiously changed her gaze to Lupe.
Lupe stood awkwardly, half crouching down, one pale arm extended. His hand was open-palmed, his fingers splayed towards the direction of the device. Amy swore she saw Lupe's typically green eyes flash red for the briefest of moments. Lupe was breathing heavily.
"Neo… go get your device before I lose concentration and this falls…" Lupe said quietly. Neo obeyed, grabbing the device from midair. Lupe collapsed with a sigh of relief.
"T-thanks," Neo said with a confused smile. He turned the device over a few times, checking it for scratches.
"Show off," Everest muttered.
7.
Anubis entered the boxing ring, without the gloves. Everest did the same. "Same rules as usual?" She asked him. He nodded.
"Go!" He said with a devious grin.
Anubis circled him slowly, before snaking out a quick kick to knock her brother off his feet. Everest jumped up, dodging it easily. He lunged forward and attempted a side jab. Anubis noticed it and stepped out of the way before retaliating with a swift punch. Everest caught it in one hand, containing the force to a small area.
"You pack quite a punch there, sis," Everest noticed, still holding her fist. Anubis grunted, freeing the hand. She bent down to the ground and kicked the feet out from under him.
"You got distracted, Ev. You losing your touch?" she taunted.
"Never!" He replied. He took a few steps back and in the blink of an eye, he had jumped over Anubis, and was standing behind her. By the time she had successfully done a 180, she received a hard punch to the gut. With a shock, she stumbled backwards. The breath was knocked out of her and her eyes swirled. She felt this intense power rising in her.
She didn't notice what she was doing, and her vision went black as she fell to the ground. When she stood up, and her vision finally returned, Everest lay crumbled against the closest wall. The strings of the boxing ring were broken. A path of destruction led from where he had stood moments ago, to the shattered wall closest to them. Everest moaned in pain.
"W-what happened?" Anubis asked, fear apparent in her voice. Amelia turned towards her, her eyes wide with shock.
"When he punched you," she started to explain. "Your eyes glowed bright blue. Not just the normal- the entire eye. And… then your hands turned blue as well… And… you… you … blasted him into the wall with beams of blue light."
In Italy…
They arrived at the airport, barely in time to make their flight.
"And now to brave the ticket counters," Bruce sighed, carrying his small suitcase of luggage. Yvonne only gave him a knowing smile and stood in the line. Luckily, the line was long but fast moving, and they arrived rather quickly at the counter.
"Reservation for Yvonne Rupert," Yvonne said smoothly, giving the name of one of her many aliases. The woman nodded, typing a few words in her computer. Two tickets printed out on the side, and the woman handed them to her.
"Are those carry-on or check-in bags?" She asked.
"They're both carry-on," Yvonne said firmly. Checking them in would only take up more time, and delay them once they got to America. S.H.I.E.L.D. was probably already hot on her trails searching for her. By the time the lengthy flight was over, they'd most likely be waiting at the airport.
"Then have a nice flight!"
Yvonne wheeled her bag to the security line, and Bruce followed her cautiously. There were so many people here. His small town only had a few thousand, and he saw maybe only one or two walking around a day. Here he was surrounded.
"Deep breaths," he muttered to himself. Yvonne turned.
"What did you say, Bruce?"
"Oh, nothing," Bruce lied. They both entered the security line. Yvonne had an annoyed look on her face as the TSA agents insisted on patting her down. However, Bruce managed to escape with his dignity intact.
He stopped after passing through security, a thought dawning on his face. He placed a hand on Yvonne's shoulder. "Wait… you had reserved two tickets? How did you know I would come along?" Bruce asked.
"Let's just say I had faith you would make the right decision," she said with a smile, and they walked up to their gate.