Chapter 11

Lt. Colonel James Rhodes watched as the agents from upstairs came floating through the towers windows into the lab. Yeah okay flying in a plane, easy he could see that. Flying with the assistance of a suit he could even see that. Hell he'd done both. Flying without anything including strings attached, yeah just the thought of it gave him the willies. Being at the mercy of wind currents a little too out of control for him. He watched though as the woman, Clara floated in through the window after the SHIELD agents.

The girls came running in through the doorway shortly after she had landed again with that crazy almost Zen expression on her face. The girls began dragging the current prisoners into the same meeting room as the others. He imagined these kids were seeing more of those men then even their medical unit did.

The woman then walked over to the trio of Happy, Pepper and Stark, she was giving them instructions he was pretty sure because Stark already had a rebellious look on his face before she even got a few words out.

The boy then said something out loud and Stark was instantly distracted. Rhodey was a little concerned until he realized it wasn't trouble just that Stark was interested in the boy. He had a feeling that Tony saw the boy as a kindred spirit, of course he probably wouldn't admit that.

Rhodey watched for a few minutes, he didn't listen, just watched. The man Alex was talking to his counterpoint over the phone. He would stare at the kids computer screen for a few minutes they would have a short concise conversation and then he would speak to Ben on the other side of the phone, occasionally with a bit of information thrown in from Tony.

Clara apparently had given up on Stark and was instead talking to Happy and Pepper. Rhodey wasn't sure she'd get any help from that quarter. He moved closer to Alex as Clara went to check on the girls in the meeting room and their progress with the prisoners.

He waited till the man had closed the sat phone for a few minutes and told the kid, "Your moms on her way up with Coulson and his team. This should be interesting."

Chris merely rolled his eyes as Rhodes took the opportunity to engage Alex. "I was serious before when I asked."

Alex looked at him with some confusion. It was the first time he'd looked that way since they group had invaded the lab and basically had taken over. When the look continued for longer than half a minute he felt the need to explain.

"Who the hell are you people?" he reminded.

A bark of laughter from the other man wasn't what he was expecting, "Just a family in the wrong place at the right time."

"No, really," Rhodes said with a small scowl at the man's continued smile.

"I am being real, Clara is the stern aunt, the kids are just kids, Gabriella is the cool mom, I'm the personal assistant and Benny's the driver. Then of course there are the animals but they're medi-pet animal assistants so that's a little odd but still for the most part perfectly normal."

The fact that the kid Chris was trying and failing to keep his laughter under wraps didn't exactly help reassure Rhodey to the honesty of the other man. So he called him on it. "And the other part," the colonel asked firmly, "The part where a bunch of kids is better organized and trained, than some of SHIELD's best agents. Including at least one Avenger and their former handler?"

XXXXXXXXX

Then the doors slammed open and Gabriella and Benny come walking in first with the animals dragging unconscious agents and Coulson and his conscious men with their hands glue gooed in front of them. They are being encouraged along in front of the animals who don't have a prisoner. The kids and some of the scientists bring up the rear.

"Any problems?" Gabriella asked her family.

Chuckling Clara advised "You need to see the conference room, check out Barton. The girls gave him a makeover you have to see to believe. They may end up doing Coulson, as well."

Gabriella and Benny started walking towards the conference room, as a female voice rang out, "I am the assistant director of SHIELD, "We were conducting an operation which you interfered in and…."

Gabriella enters the room and all the kids and animals stop making any little noises, "but you broke international laws, Agent Hill. By attacking two different Ambassadors with no thought of the consequences. Nor did you take into account the children might be hurt. So hold your tongue or I will. You have seen what Clara can do with the wind, wait till you see what I can do ."

Gabriella looked over to where Kailie and Bobbie were crouched over a man who looked inches away from being made into a female. She had to do a double take, when she realized that it was Barton. Glancing at her two girls who simply shrugged their shoulders and said, "He pissed her off mom."

The animals dragged in the unconscious agents while Coulson walked in along with the other captured agents, who were being escorted by the SHIELD agents that were helping her team. Coulson and his team were forced down on the floor and told to put their hands on the floor. Jason and Russ had their glue guns firing as they past the men. Afterwards the agents were unable to move their hands or get up with their hands attached to the floor.

XXXXXXXXX

Outside the Conference Room, Rhodey, asked again, "Who are you people the animals, the wind, the kids? This is not a normal family. It's almost as if they've had military training."

Alex looked over to Rhodey speaking softly, "Well, they kind of have, not hands on training, heaven forbid. Second hand knowledge, seems to have done wonders. Then they have known the Russians and Chinese for years, so they picked up a few things from those two camps as well,"

The personal assistant gave a nostalgic smile before adding, "And that's something else I can't discuss with you. You haven't been read in on the case."

The two men watched in silent camaraderie for a few minutes as, Gabriella and Clara put their heads together conferring with each other. The next plan of attack coming into existence as they watched.

With that Rhodey says non-threateningly, "You do know that I have Top Secret clearance. I could get you pulled off of this case."

Alex laughed, "The only person who can pull me off this case is the red head who just walked in with Coulson in cuffs. You wanna go up against her? Braver men have tried and all of them have regretted it, but please be my guest and try."

"Then again she just might fire me tomorrow for messing up her schedule with the kids. So you know, you might get your wish anyway, Colonel." With that said the colonel watched as Alex threw his hands up in the air, with a rueful smile and walked away from Rhodey.

Walking over to check on the kid Chris, who was still working on his laptop with Jarvis who was actually up and talking to Tony and the kid now. The two women talked to Chris to see where everyone was and to see who was left to take down.

Gradually the kids start coming up to the two women who were talking and discussing the next round. Someone was going to have to go all the way down to the basement and the main floor to make sure everything and everyone was safe and secure.

Benjamin agrees to take the security room, he gathers up two of the pink ribbon-adorned SHIELD operatives, Warg, Zef, and Thalia, and Yodie and Irina. The agents were trying subtly to indicate the children shouldn't be included in the endeavor despite the help the kids had been in the lab.

Ben had the two small children cover their ears. He then boldly said, "You've seen my boss, yeah she knows what these kids can do and she has also let me know what would happen to me if anything happens to them. It wouldn't be pleasant."

He then knelt down and pulled the kids hands away from their ears and told them what he wanted them to do. The two cuties both had blood thirsty grins on their faces before he was finished.

XXXXXXXXX

The muttered updates between the woman and her eight remaining agents was silenced by the sounds of soft sobbing cries. "Mommy! Mommy! Where are you mommy?!" The door to the security room had a Code Adam sticker on it to indicate this was a safe place to look for help.

Before long a tear stained little face, pushed the door open and peeked inside talking to herself as if reciting something she had learned by rote. "Don't talk to strange men. Find the sticker. Ask for help. Don't talk to strangers."

The child with the tear stained face, still reciting came walking into the security office. Her hair almost a white blond was a riot of tangled curls. A pink dress with lace, a white sweater, lace socks and black patent leather shoes completed her appearance. She looked around the security office, saw the men in what looked like police uniforms but without badges. The little ones sweet voiced refrain increased in urgency when one of the riot-geared agents moved towards her. "Don't talk to strange men. Talk to the nice lady."

The little girl scuttled around the male agents to get to the red haired lady. She didn't seem to notice how the men looked askance at the red head being referred to as a nice lady. With pleading and tearful eyes the little blond, went to the young woman and said, "I can't find my mommy. Will you help me, pretty lady? Please."

Natasha Romanoff reaches down to pick up the little blond girl and when she had her seated securely on her hip. The little girl wrapped her arms more securely around the assassins neck and suddenly Natasha felt a pinprick in her neck and she fell forward.

As Benjamin and Yodie entered the room, they took down the rest of Natasha's team. Meanwhile a large tiger responded to the sound of a small breathless voice coming from beneath the former Russian operative. "Warg, Help! Pretty lady is very heavy. Warg, help."

The tiger moved toward the fallen redhead to find the little blond doing her best to wiggle herself out from under the redhead secret agent. With infinite care and gentleness, the huge tiger grabbed the collar of the young blond pulled and lifted. Warg then turned to face Irena's older brother Yodie, still holding the young blond by the scruff of the neck.

Irena looked around the room before scowling and crossing her arms with an angry little pout. All of this while still hanging from Warg's mouth. Seeing this and with the be-ribboned SHIELD agents taking care of the prisoners, Benjamin walked over to talk to the young girl to try and stave off a pout or a full on temper tantrum.

When Benjamin knelt and asked Irena, "What's wrong little bit?"

The precocious five-year old, responded rather petulantly, "You guys got all of those and I just got the one,,, I want more."

Looking down at who he was pretty sure was the premiere assassin of SHIELD, otherwise known as the Black Widow, and with the awareness that said assassin had just been taken down by a five year old girl…well. "Irena, I know this woman, trust me I think we can give you a few extra points for her." Benjamin said, trying very hard to wrap his head around the entire situation. He really was beginning to wonder why Gabriella needed him and Alex.

"Really?!" said the little one suspiciously as she dangled from the tigers mouth. Still with her arms crossed and a scowl on her pretty face, she smiled finally at the ex-Moussad agent finally and said, "Okay but I still want more.'

"Let's go Warg. We need to catch up to Yodie and try to find more people to poke."

Benjamin wasn't sure but he swore he saw the tiger roll his eyes and go to catch up to the boy riding on his wolf's back out the door. Benjamin started laughing at this scenario and the two kids and animals. As the children left his walkie started chattering about the other teams progress at taking down SHIELD agents and a very pregnant woman in the elevator.