April 12, 2012
Shield, Triskelion
It was a great day in Fury's opinion.
No, the sun wasn't shining and neither were the birds chirping. In fact, there was just a heavy rainfall two hours ago and the Manhattan traffic was always there to ruin people's morning. But it wasn't stuff like them Fury liked to have update with.
The past two years, to say the least, had been crazy: with the terrorist organization the Ten Rings wreaking havoc throughout all of Afghanistan, there was also the incident at Harlem including the green raging berserker, and that the secrets about living organisms outside of Earth was revealed after the incident at New Mexico. But there was some good outcomes with it: Stark finally had it in mind to create a metal suit and become Iron Man, there hadn't been any incident regarding Banner and he'd been helping a lot of people throughout the world, Thor was still off-world protecting all of nine realms (Fury didn't know whether that was a good thing or bad), and both Romanoff and Barton remained to be one of his top-notch agents he will always depend on. Rogers was awake, learning and adapting about the world that went on while he was still in the ice.
But they weren't the only one that evolved through the problems. S.H.I.E.L.D was an intelligence and counter-terrorism agency that maintained global security from any potential threat. They had all the best and high-quality technologies that will detect any threat they needed to eliminate. They had the best agents trained for many situations, but somehow they got to ask for help instead. No, the organization had been sloppy and assured that nothing will happen. But it was different now.
They were much stricter: composed, leveled, fast and strong. The research with the Tesseract was going according to plan and his agents remained trusted, striking after mission after mission. He even sent Romanoff on a mission in Russia a few days ago.
All and all, it was a good day.
"Sir! We got incoming!"
Son of a bitch. Fury turned to the monitoring room with Agent Hill and Coulson by his side. "Does anybody know the source?"
"No sir. This is completely foreign to us."
"Well, track the location then!"
"Tracking," an agent - Hahn, he recalled - responded. "It's in Area 51 in Nevada."
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose to stop an incoming headache to invade. He'd been hearing rumors of possible alien experimentation in one of the Air Force facility so he sent an agent to check it out, but from the gathering of his reports there wasn't really anything necessarily big to alarm S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Can someone give me the visuals?"
One of the agents began typing furiously to hack into one of the nearby cameras. Just then, one of the monitors changed to a footage they got from a nearby camera.
Simply put, Fury couldn't believe his eyes.
The footage showed a small wormhole that suddenly emerged in the atmosphere in its blue and black legion (almost like a portal) hovering over the entire facility of Area 51. It was pulsing with electricity, like it was almost alive. Sand floated off the ground like the world had fully lost gravity, the fences swinging side by side against the pressure, and the dish satellite had fallen off its strapping and smashed a few cars in the process. The wind grew harsher and darker, creating an echo of tornado.
"Nick you need to see this!" Hill exclaimed, snapping him from his surprise. Fury followed to where she was pointing at, a monitor which showed a components of the unknown anomaly.
"The monitor is detecting aluminum, carbon composites, lead, thermal glass..." she clicked her tongue in alert. "there's even some evidence of nanites in the process. Nick, these materials are..."
"From Earth," Fury finished in realization. His blood ran cold. If this wormhole was from Earth, then who in the hell could possibly create something like this? Was it Stark?
"We detected an extremely high levels of CMBR a few seconds ago. It came out of nowhere. We called you in and we hacked in a few cameras and there it was," an agent stated, her eyes fixated on the screen. "Do you think it's from Earth?"
"But there's also some elements that can't be from Earth," Coulson stated out loud. "But this... is surely advanced. Technology like this should be twenty estimates away, eight if we count Stark."
Fury had to clench his fist to keep his composure. A year with no potential threat, he thought this year would be anything but that, but it was happening again. And he was going to be reliving it again. It was the consequences of his job. To be a director of a secret military organization, he begged to know everything no matter how and no matter what, he protect his people from threats of this world. But sometimes he wondered if he knew too much, if it was best to leave the secrets of the universe untouched. It was a huge responsibility unfitting for him.
He saw civilians and a few staff from said facility step outside to check what was happening, only to be floated off the ground with their mouth open in horror and astonishment. They held to one of the light post hoping it will keep them from reaching what was above, but it immediately left its holding and flew along with them.
"Sanchez, call NASA see if they've been tinkering with Stark technologies," Fury ordered to his agent, barely giving the agent a glance who scrambled off his seat and out this room.
"And call Stark!"
When Fury looked back, Hill was looking at him with disapproval. He ignored it.
Just then, everything had stopped. The wormhole vanished into thin air, the sky was back in its blue sunny day, and everything dropped like flies. The whirlpool had vanished along with it. Fury considered thinking it was all imaginary if it wasn't for the damage it caused. All fences were down along with the satellite, there were civilians outside that got stuck during the whole charade and could now be severely injured, and things that never appeared before in their database were debris from within the wormhole.
Everything went deadly silent, the sound of jaw dropping to the floor and the continuously blare of the alarm was heard. Fury clenched his fist.
"Get all agents down in Nevada stat!"
He was gonna get to the bottom of this.
Coulson knew long before that there were things that couldn't be explained.
He was always a man of his believes; a man who believed that the universe was a vast place containing limitless knowledge and no man will ever get it right. So, why not defend the littlest bit? He got a job in S.H.I.E.L.D to defend his home, his world, from threats he could handle. He got into the ranks because he was fast, passionate, and strong. He wasn't easy to manipulate, and he never gave up to protect what he believed was right.
In 1995, he encountered the first unknown. When a group of Skrulls have invaded Earth and Nick Fury lost an eye because of it. He was shown powers beyond great capabilities, something he had seen in comic books. And in 2011, a lost hammer struck Earth and declared Norse Mythologies to be real. He thought this year would be normal, but apparently it was not.
"Monitor all surroundings, leave no stones untouched! Avery, you're on West! Chamberlain, on North! Robbins, you're on East! And Bond, you're on South!" he was barking orders left and right, making sure the mission would prevail. Fury believed Coulson can handle supernatural and when a wormhole had opened up on Earth... it had to be called for something. Coulson wasn't going to let his superior down.
They got to Nevada secured and determined. There were a few agents shaken during the debrief, but Coulson hoped it wouldn't let them down. They had immediately set up camp and called ambulance for the civilians who got in the middle of the anomaly. As far as they knew, they didn't have any severe injuries but it wasn't what caused them concern, it was the inside. They didn't know whether the wormhole changed any of them or caused them harm, they didn't know whether the wormhole was harmful or will cause molecular changes of cells. All Coulson had to do was hope that it wouldn't. The United States Air Force Facility was almost in pieces; the satellite had completely fallen off and censored them from any happenings outside the world, materials from said wormhole rained down hell in pieces and crashed on the facility, and one of their technologies detected a wide mount of radiation that had his stomach churning.
"Anything?" Coulson asked to the scientists after they finished analyzing the victims of the anomaly. Ms. Evelyn Tan, one of the world-renowned scientist of radiation, looked up to hold the man's gaze and handed him the tablet. He looked down, processing the words and analysis typed down.
"I detected a small amount of CMBR," the scientist paused and corrected herself. "CMBR, that's-"
"Cosmic Background Radiation, leftover radiation from the Big Bang."
"Yeah, uh-" the scientist cleared her throat, appearing to be a bit flustered. "it seems to only be a very small amount of radiation in there. There's nothing to worry about but I'd suggest some health checkups."
He and the scientist walked around the base, his eyes verifying various staff and technologies S.H.I.E.L.D had gave them permission to bring. He saw a few staff in hazmat suit carrying the debris that fell from the wormhole, a few agents sitting in their desks to monitor any suspicious activities, and a few agents ready to interrogate those who saw the wormhole closing in.
"What about those things that fell from the wormhole?" he motioned to the metals that were currently being checked by the scientists. Tan followed his gaze.
"To go through the portal, it must be a colossal amount."
Coulson thanked her for her work before dismissing her. He ran a hand to his face. When he asked one of the scientists if they found the source of the wormhole they said it was gone, erased to existence, which means that it must be another alien from another planet who did this. Stark refused to answer their calls, Coulson considered going there himself. With the S.H.I.E.L.D agents active on their missions, only a few agents had to go. Only a few scientists even answered to their call to go to Nevada immediately.
"Hill," Coulson acknowledged the black-haired woman walking towards him. He respected Maria Hill. She was a composed woman, someone who makes the right decision, she was fast and preferred to stay under the shadow. No wonder Fury chose to make her his right hand.
"Coulson," the levelled woman spoke in regards.
Coulson walked outside the S.H.I.E.L.D base with Hill in tow. There, they watched as they began preparing for what would be a week or a month long investigation. Civilians have dispersed when the thrill died down, but they were still there. Journalists, reporters, and even a bunch of nosy theorists were there to investigate the wormhole that left them shaken. They couldn't really shake them off how much they wanted too, but they can at least divert the attention from S.H.I.E.L.D.
"This place always gives me the creeps," Clint Barton, level seven agent, walked towards them. Clint was a great agent; a compassionate man who always do his job right. His shoulders weren't always so stiff, choosing to use a playful demeanor to get his target to trust him.
"Want me to call your mother and cuddle you?" Hill teased with a ghost of smile on her face.
"Hill! Always there to ruin people's morning," Barton retorted.
"Gentlemen," Coulson scolded before a banter could arise. He looked at Barton. "Are they here?" there was a nod in response.
The three walked back to the headquarters and to the main entrance to welcome them. They initially requested Selvig to take a look on the whole investigation, but considering that he was busy with the research of Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, he requested the two instead. Coulson hoped there wouldn't be any unnecessary bad blood between them since the last time they saw each other, he stole their research for confidentiality.
"These badges don't even work!"
"Ma'am, I'm afraid you can't-"
"I don't care about your protocols!"
"Darcy!"
Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis stood on the entrance looking very frazzled in any second. Jane was holding Darcy with both of her arms to prevent the intern from doing anything rash on the guard, with the security guard grasping the baton ready to apprehend the woman in any minute. Coulson always knew the intern would be noisy and brave; the type of woman to stand up for herself (he respected that about her), but he hadn't really been expecting a brawl to immediately come up. He was a bit interested to watch, and for the intern to apprehend the guard almost immediately. From what he'd read about her file, she took karate and had a black belt in eight grade.
"I invited them Carl," he held his gaze narrow and cold, sizing the security guard who gulped harshly and sunk back to his seat. "Let them in."
The man had no choice but to follow, finally letting the two enter and grabbing their badges to give them new one. Darcy huffed, fixing the strap of strap of her bag. "Finally."
"Dr. Foster, Dr. Lewis, it's good to see you both again," he raised his right hand for a shake, which the older woman reluctantly took as a sign of truce.
"Oh, it's the research-stealer," the black-haired woman snarked, her red lips drawing to a big smirk and arms crossed. "What're you gonna steal from us this time?"
"Darcy!" Jane shushed and elbowed the girl, which didn't really do anything. Behind Coulson, Clint seemed to have whistled in amusement. "Phil, who did you piss off?"
Coulson ignored the teasing and the insult, looking Foster to the eye as he preferred to keep the conversation brief. "I trust you know the reason why you're both here?"
Foster looked back, determined to show that she had much authority just as he had. She was determined to prove that she was confident and sure of herself than the last time. When she got an email specifically from S.H.I.E.L.D, she was wary; she immediately knew it had something to do with the incident in Nevada. A portal opened on top of the atmosphere and vanished into thin air, the news had set the whole world into hysterics. When something like that happened, S.H.I.E.L.D was always the first one to know and the first one to find out as to why. Jane didn't know whether to accept. Darcy had been stubborn, refusing to accept the invitation especially from S.H.I.E.L.D (she wanted to look into the cool looking wormhole but she was choosing to stand her ground), but if Selvig did suggest them to his superiors then it must be important.
The last time they investigated a wormhole, a man appeared out of nowhere and claimed he was the God of Thunder. What would be the next?
Selvig trusted them to know what.
"Yes, we do."
Coulson nodded. "Your table is already set up. Agent Barton here will show you."
Jane and Darcy followed a begrudging Barton who will show them to their table, leaving the two agents to make sure everything were in perfect condition. Their eyes followed the pieces of metal that fell out of the wormhole, straying their eyes away from them before marching back to the interrogation room where the civilians were asked to sign the confidentiality forms.
"Think it's those Asgardians?" asked Hill after a moment of silence.
"The portal?" he paused, contemplating. "No, I don't think so."
"Don't they use that Rainbowfrost?"
"Bifrost and yeah, they do," he stashed both his fists hidden in his pocket, nodding to those who acknowledged him out of respect. "So it wouldn't make sense why they'd use some wormhole."
"So, what do you think it's gonna be?" Hill questioned, with a slight waver on her tone that was never usually there.
Coulson pursed his lips, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration as he stared into the distance. He always knew the universe was limitless and that they needed something to protect themselves from. A group of heroes who will defend them from unending threats; to survive, to learn, and to never give up. Coulson hoped they won't be needing them right now.
Suddenly, their ears perked up at the sound of static crackling from their radio. He whipped his radio into the air, a bit worried about the shout he was hearing from the team. It was Agent Agatha Avery, the one he assigned on West. Did she find something?
"Avery! We can't hear you properly, slow down!"
"Sir! We found something!"
Agent Avery and her team trek through West in tensed silence.
They got to Nevada in only four hours with the help of a helicopter S.H.I.E.L.D provided. They had to land a few miles away to prevent unwanted attention, and got to Area 51 through vans and cars. After getting to their hazmat gear and weapons, they got their teams and went through their tasks, searching to the fields for any sign of living and suspicious things. They've been walking through West for three hours, only finding the familiar smooth metals broken in pieces from what she could only assume was space and time.
But as time passed, her chest grew tight and heavy with every steps she took and breathe. She assumed it was because of the radiation.
Agatha was always an honorable woman; choosing not to listen to her parent's words and join the Navy, then sailing through and becoming one of the first black woman to ever become colonel. She was noble with her words, straight with her facts, and can be terrifying to deal with. Control was her strong suit. So when there was speculations that Norse Mythology were real, she wasn't convinced. She didn't see it with her own eyes. But when a wormhole had opened up from the above and metal reigned fire...
Well, she was speechless for the first time.
Agatha found herself staring into, what she could only assume was, the center. They slashed through metal after metal, and when they thought they wouldn't find anything, she found this. A crater of metals that pulsed with electrifying blue energy that seemed to fade in and out; a dangerous sight yet so incredibly beautiful it had her stunned. She wanted to touch the energy, it was so powerful and tempting, but refrained from doing so. And on top of all those metals, was a figure of a person laying idly on the top with her arms hanging down as if she was just sleeping. Avery would have identified her non-threatening if it weren't for the armory she was wearing, metal prosthetic that replaced both of her arms, and that she was on top of everything where the radiation was pulsing violently.
Avery was quick to snap herself out of it.
"Quick! Get her!" she barked to her agents who refused to move. They blinked for a few seconds before moving haphazardly to the top. Avery followed suit and cursed when she found a pole impaled to her stomach, and hoped that it didn't hit any major organs. She wondered why there was no blood. She removed her gloves much to her agent's vehement protests and checked her pulse. She was relieved to find there was one, it was weak but there was a pulse. This woman was alive.
"Yang, get Agent Coulson to the comms now!" her agent was shaking so much as she fished her radio from her pocket, and she refrained from sighing exasperatedly. This woman must have come from the portal, but that didn't answer the thousand questions that ran inside her head. Why did she have two metal arms? Why was she in that wormhole?
What they didn't know was that this was the birth of a new hero. A woman with a hard past and refined skills.
A woman consisted of a warrior.
"- We can't hear you properly! Slow down!"
Avery grabbed the comms from Yang before she could answer, a bit alarmed when the woman fluttered her eyes to her before closing, as if she was just waking up from a slumber. "Sir!"
"We found something!"
A Veronica.
Author's note: I am warning you already that this story will not start with the Avengers immediately. This story will be slow-paced starting with the OC's origin and how she got to their universe. That's just what I want to say and I will be seeing you in the next chapter!