Firstly, I'd like to say that the response I got from you guys for last chapter (not the interlude- the chapter-aka my baby) was just...amazing. I'm speechless. All I can say is thank you. I have never felt so proud of my own writing as I did for that chapter.
Secondly, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- but it's time. I'm going to have to make you sad again. It won't be a happy chapter here. You have been warned.
Thirdly, I'd like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, followed, and/or PMed me about this story because you guys are awesome and have been wonderful- seriously, I haven't had one negative person. You've all been constructive and helpful and supportive. Big round of applause for you people.
Finally: read, review, PM me, and enjoy!
April 16th, 2012 (Arlie)
Fury jumps in after the room absorbs my tirade. I slump back against my seat and look over at Phil as Fury talks. I nod at him once, assuring him I'm OK, or, rather, will be; he looks over at Tasha and Owl, reminding me I'm not alone and that they'll be there if I need anything; I give Phil a small smile as he leaves the room to finish his duties.
"The world's filling up with people who can't be matched," Fury lectures, "That can't be controlled."
"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve asks in a swift sentence, letting Fury know exactly what he thinks of his "control."
"Your work," Thor chimes in, "with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it and his allies." The demi god advances on Fury. "It is a signal to all the realms that Earth is ready for a higher form of war."
"A higher form?" asks Steve.
"You forced our hand," Fury says calmly, trying to placate the room. "We had to come up with something-"
"A nuclear deterrent," Tony sneers, "Cuz that always calms everything right down."
"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" the Director says coolly. Tasha and I exchange a glance- that is not going to help. I stand and move next to Tasha and we shift so we're slightly back to back. Owl stands before us- we're readying for a fight.
"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep," Steve adds, but Tony jumps in.
"Wait- hold on- how is this now about me?" he questions, taking a few steps closer to the super soldier.
"I'm sorry-isn't everything?" he shoots back.
"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor adds. Great- now we've got a new form of racism. What is this? Specie-ism?
"Excuse me," Fury fires back, "Did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Tasha turns to the demigod and Fury while I keep an eye on Tony and Bruce. Banner is clearly getting upset, and I'm worried about a Hulk-appearance.
Soon, everyone is talking over everyone else and Natasha even jumps in.
"Are you all really that naive? SHIELD monitors potential threats!"
"Captain America is on threat watch?" Bruce questions.
"We all are."
"You're on that list?" Tony adds in, turning to Steve, "Are you above or below angry bees?"
"Stark, so help me god, you make one more crack," the rest of Steve's sentence is lost on me as I hear a high-pitched whirling. I turn and see the spear. I grab Tasha's arm, but it's too late- she's moved to stand beside Fury.
"Guys-" but they ignore me to continue their argument.
"You speak of control," Thor's voice is almost laughing, "Yet you court chaos!"
"His M.O., isn't it?" Bruce's voice is chill, suppressing emotion, "I mean what are we? A team? No no no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're- we're a time bomb."
"You," Fury says, stepping closer to the Doctor. "Need to step away."
"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony immediately defends Bruce, and slaps his hand onto Steve's shoulder. I have enough time to think that 1- some steam release might actually help Bruce and 2- that hand is not going to go over well before Steve jumps in.
"You know damn well why," Steve shouts shoving Tony's hand off his shoulder. "Back off!"
"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me," Tony says, stepping up to Steve with cold assurance.
"Guys-" I insert again.
"Stay out of this, Kansas- Arlie- whoever the hell you are," Steve adds, putting a hand up between him and me. I feel infinitely worse for doing the same to Phil earlier now that it's happened to me. He turns back to Tony, "Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off and what are you?" He's leaning into Tony's face now, and I see a flash in the billionaire's eyes that let me know Steve's struck a nerve before Tony's in Steve's face too.
"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," he rattles off. In the corner of my eye, I notice Tasha shrug with a facial expression that says "Well, yeah."
"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you." I can practically see the memories of Bucky playing out behind Steve's eyes and I realize that there is no way to resolve this now. We're on track for a head-on-collision.
"I think I'd just cut the wire," Tony says, and I realize that everyone else has stopped their bickering long enough to focus solely on Iron Man and the super soldier.
"Always a way out," Steve says with a smirk and derision. "You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."
"A hero?" he says "Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers," Tony accuses, and I know he's hitting Steve where it hurts- he's always wondered why Erksine would pick him to be Captain America, even though the man himself had tried to explain it to him. It would probably always be a doubt, hanging in the back of his head. "Everything special about you came out of a bottle."
Steve nods, his jaw tightening, "Put on the suit. Let's go a few rounds," he offers.
"Guys," I try to interrupt again, but Thor laughs over me.
"You people are so petty," he's grinning and I begin to wonder if the thunder god has gone a bit insane. "And tiny," he sounds almost confused by that last one.
"Yeah," Bruce says, also getting angry, "This is a team."
"Agent Romanoff," Fury jumps in, "would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-"
But Bruce jumps in, "Where?! You rented my room."
Fury shakes his head, "The cell was just in-"
"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't. I know, I tried."
I suck in a breath. Looking at Bruce, my heart cracking a bit for the man. The entire room refocuses on him and he seems to realize he revealed something he hadn't intended to.
"I got low," he explains uncomfortably, "I didn't see any end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good," he turns to Tasha, "Until you dragged me back into this freak show, and put everyone here at risk," he's on a roll, barely pausing between words, "You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"
Both Tasha and Fury place their hands on their guns, I notice Owl inching closer to me, growling quietly in the back of his throat, looking around the room at each person, ready to jump at the throat of whoever comes near me. I lace my fingers through his collar, trying to calm myself from the tension building in the suddenly too-small room.
"Dr. Banner," Steve's voice cuts in, "Put down the scepter." I suddenly realize that Bruce had grabbed onto Loki's spear while he was talking. Judging by the look he gives it, he probably only just realized, too.
The tense atmosphere is slightly alleviated by the computer beeping. I dash over to it, Owl and Bruce following.
"Got it," Fury says, sounding relieved in his Fury-way.
"Sorry, kids," Bruce mutters, "You don't get to see my party trick after all."
"You've located the Tesseract?" questions Thor.
"I can get their faster!" Tony jumps in.
"Look, all of us," Steve begins, but Thor cuts him off.
"The Tessearct belongs on Asgard, no human is match for it!" And we're back to this again?
Tony goes to leave the room, but Steve follows him with a shout, "You're not going alone!"
"You gonna stop me?" the genius cockily asks.
"Put on the suit, let's find out," Steve returns.
"Didn't we just stop arguing?" I ask the room at large as Dr. Banner and I continue to fiddle with the computer monitors, locating the Tesseract.
"I'm not afraid to hit an old man," Tony says to Steve, as they both ignore me.
Steve's voice is harder and colder than the ice they found him in when he replies, "Put on the suit."
"Oh my god," Bruce and I say at the same time as we look at the Tesseract's location.
A huge explosion rocks the ship and I'm thrown against a wall. Owl crashes into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.
"Put on the suit," I hear Steve repeat in a significantly different tone from last time.
"Kansas?" he shouts next, and I sit up with a groan.
"I'm fine- go!"
"Hill!" I hear Fury call, and in the mess I hear him call for Tony and then Tasha.
Where is Tasha and Phil? I wonder with panic.
Owl whimpers and we both get up. I check over my dog and once I'm sure he's fine, we dash out of the hot room that was formerly Bruce's lab.
I want to find Phil and Tasha.
I hear a sound echoing up through the vents- it's a scream, but it's deeper and louder and more bestial than anything I've ever heard.
The Hulk, my mind connects and I continue to run down the halls. I walk past Agents both injured and fine and then I hear Phil's voice.
"Arlie!" he shouts and I run up to him in relief- he's fine and he's got something in his hand.
"Here," he tells me, "It's a comm, put it in- I think Tasha's with the Hulk, and Stark and Rogers are trying to fix the engines. Fury and Hill are in the main control room- don't go there, it's overrun. Get to one of the planes and evacuate. And, here," he pulls out his gun.
"Phil- you're going to need this," I say in a panic.
"I'll grab my extra, you take this, trust me. You help- I've got to go to work," He gives me a quick smile and a kiss on the forehead before dashing off. "Keep Owl with you!" he shouts over his shoulder.
I look down at my dog and pop the comm into my ear as I head down the hall.
"Hello?" I ask and I hear Tony's voice crackling over to me.
"Thank god, Segvec Gonzalez!"
"Really?" I ask, amazed, "You're trying to come up with nicknames now?"
"Call it a coping mechanism," he returns. "Help Spangles!"
"What's going on?" I shout, ducking behind a bit of debris as someone fires at me.
"I'm looking at the control panel by the failed engine!" Steve says.
"He doesn't get tech!" Tony jumps in.
"Be fair," I scold, "He was good with tech when he was in the army- he's just got to catch up. Last couple years, tech has been growing exponentially rather than steadily and it's a lot to learn." I remember what Tasha taught me about guns and quickly look over the debris to shoot in the direction the bullets are coming from. I hear a thud so I advance a little farther, Owl glued to my side.
"Just help him!" Tony shouts, exasperated, "I'm busy!"
"Arlight- Steve, describe it to me. Colors, anything that looks twisted or broken- it should be noticeable. Does everything look cohesive? Are there any dents?"
He's silent for a few seconds, "No. Nothing I see is broken." Someone comes from around the corner and sees me- they go to punch me but I duck under it to hit them in the gut, long hours training taking over so it's instinctual. Owl snarls and bites down on the attacker's arm and they scream.
"Good," I reply to Steve as I roundhouse kick Owl's victim's skull, "Now are the lights that are in a row of plug-like things pulsing?" Owl drops the guy's arm, and we move farther down the hall. I notice my dog has blood on his teeth.
"Fast. More than once a second," he responds.
"Are they all flashing at the same time or do they have their own thing?"
"They're not flashing together- is that bad?"
Another three attackers come at Owl and I, but Owl goes for one's throat while I shot the second and kick the third in the gut. While he's bent down I slam the butt of the gun against his head. "No- flashing together is kind of like an alarm. Sounds like you're good, Stark," I tell the genius on the other end of the comm.
"What's our next move?" Steve asks, I turn back to look at the person I had shot- apparently a bullet to the knee isn't enough to keep him down. I really need to work on my aim.
"Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won't reengage without a jump," Tony tells us, "I'm going to have to get in there and push."
"But if that thing gets up to speed, you'll get shredded," Steve shouts as I duck under my opponent's punch. He kicks me in the gut next and Owl goes for his leg, but he knocks my dog to the side.
"That stator control unit can reverse the polarity long enough to disengage maglev and that could-" The guy takes another swing at me, but I grab his arm and twirl myself into his body so I'm close enough to elbow him in his kidney.
"Speak English!" Steve shouts. My opponent shoves me away and tries to get a kick at my spine, but I somersault farther down the hall, away from him.
"God," Tony sighs, "Have your girlfriend translate!" he shouts. I pull out of the somersault, pivot far enough to shot the guy in the stomach and watch him fall before going to check Owl. The guy collapses on the ground, just holding the bullet wound on his stomach. I try not to think about what I might have just done.
I roll my eyes and explain to Steve, "There should be a red lever that when you pull provides extra friction to the rotors so it will slow down their speed temporarily just enough that Tony can fly out before they reach full Iron Man- shredding capabilities." Owl's physically fine, but the blood on his teeth has gone a stronger shade of red- or maybe there's just more. And tatters of clothes and skin seem stuck between his teeth. I feel bile rise up in my throat but I throw my arms around my dog and bury my face in his scruff. We're going to be OK.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Iron Man comments over the comms. "Stand by the lever and wait for my word."
"Great," I tell the boys "I'll talk to you later- bit busy."
An Agent comes over the PA system, "We've got a perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Call-outs at every junction."
"The Hulk and Thor are on Research Level Four, Levels Two and Three are dark."
I continue moving, trying to follow Phil's advice and get off, but the hellicarrier is a maze and with all the destruction nothing is recognizable to me.
Another attacker comes from my left and Owl goes for their gun arm before they have a chance to shoot.
I lash out with Phil's gun and clock him across the head. I may have terrible aim with bullets- but I can always fight the way I was trained. Just as Owl and I are ready to keep pressing forward, the floor tilts and I slam into the wall, Owl's nails clicking on the floor as my dog struggles to keep his balance.
Never mind- we are so not going to be OK.
"Engine one is now in shut down. We are in uncontrolled descent," the PA system says.
Well, no shit.
"Sir, we've lost all power in engine one," someone I don't know says over the Comm.
"It's Barton," I hear Fury respond and my heart thuds. Clint's here. "He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"
"This is Agent Romanoff," I hear Tasha next. Her voice sounds shaky and I can tell she's terrified. I have never known Tasha to be terrified, and with that I feel a leaden weight drop into my stomach even as she continues "I copy."
"Stark, we're losing altitude!" Fury says next.
"Yeah, I noticed," Tony replies.
"Well, I sure hadn't," I said sarcastically, "Is that why the floor is suddenly tilted?! I had no idea!"
Phil gets annoyed because Clint and I get heavily sarcastic when stressed- but, damn, do I feel better. I mean- no situation is too bad if you manage to be facetious.
Another person comes at me and I toss them over my shoulder when they over extend themselves with the punch. Owl's on them as soon as they hit the ground and they don't get back up.
I feel slightly nauseated that my sweet, adorable dog can do something like that, "остановить, Owl. Come on, boy- we've got to keep moving." (stop)
I turn the corner and see Phil, slumped against the wall and bleeding from his chest. It's the biggest injury I've ever seen in my life and it's on Phil's body and immediately I'm terrified. The cool mask I've been struggling with since I found out about my brother is ripped away completely and permanently and all I can do is kneel beside Phil and try to fight the tears.
"Phil- oh my god, Phil- listen, it's gonna be ok. I'll find something to fix you- I'll fix it, I promise. Oh god, Phil."
"It's alright, Arlie-"
I cut him off with a scream rivaling a Banshee's, "NO! It's NOT alright! You're bleeding and Clint's gone and Tasha's terrified and Norse legends are coming to life and we are so far from alright we're going to have to redefine what "we're screwed" means!"
"Arlie," he puts a hand to my cheek and forces me to look at his face rather than the gaping, bleeding hole in his chest. I faintly hear Tony and Steve over the comm, but I can't really focus on anything beyond Phil at this moment. "Listen to me, it will be alright. And I will tell you right now why. Yes, I'm bleeding, but you're safe, and Clint may be gone, but Natasha will get him back because she's scared and that means she's more dangerous than she's ever been. Yes, Norse legends are real, and that means we've got Thor fighting with us.
"I just shot Loki out through the wall and told him we'll win. Do you want to know why?"
I've stopped trying to hold back the tears now and manage to hiccup out "Conviction."
"That's right. Good girl." And, as always, when Phil calls me that it's not patronizing or demeaning, but loving and the nicest compliment he can ever give me. "I'm so proud of you and your brother. The both of you. Best thing I've ever done."
Well, damn- turns out there was a nicer compliment.
"Don't die. Please. Don't die," I'm quite aware I'm getting hysterical and if that isn't humiliating, but this is Phil and I can embarrass myself all I want in front of him and he'll still act like I hung the moon.
"Shhh, Arlie, you've got to calm down," and then he says the one thing guaranteed to pull me together and get shit done, "Clint needs you."
"Ok, Phil."
"Good girl." And then he was gone.
Fury comes around the corner a few seconds after I realize that Phil Coulson is no more and stands a few steps back. I can hear it when the breath gets caught in the Director's throat and I've never fully realized before now that, yes, Nick Fury is human. I pull myself together properly and don't bother to wipe the tears off my face- it won't do any good with Phil's blood covering my hands. I share a look with the Director of SHIELD and it's the first moment in our entire acquaintance that we respect and face each other as equals. Then I'm gone- taking off down the hallway because Clint needs me.
"Agent Coulson is down," Fury's voice comes over the comms as I look for Tasha.
"A medical team is on its way to your location."
"They're here.
"They called it."
I find Tasha in an empty hall, sitting up against the wall with her face like a blank page of paper.
"Tasha?" I call and she turns to me. She scans me, checking for injuries and her eyes get stuck on my hands.
"I knocked him out. Clint. I managed to knock him out. You said that might bring him back?"
"I-I don't know," I whisper. She stands slowly, stiffly, and makes her way to me.
"Arlie- you're smart. Smarter than you believe. It'll work. He'll be back."
I nod at her, tears still coming down my face.
"I'm going to wait for him to wake up, check that he's all good, and then I'll call you. Go to the main control room- I'll comm Hill when he's awake."
I nod again and start walking, Owl butts his head against me and woofs softly. I look down at him.
Phil had helped me pick out Owl- he had been with me that day. He had helped train Owl to protect me and when the woman at the shelter asked if we were his kids, he'd said "yup."
He sounded so proud in that one little word.
Phil's gone. He won't come over on Sundays any more, he won't check in with me while Clint's on a mission so he can make sure I'm OK and that I know Clint is too. He won't get any more Captain America cards.
I won't make him any more red velvet cake.
God- how are we going to tell Clint?
Phil's gone.
