Pt2
Phil Coulson heard a knock at his office door. There weren't exactly many people who knew of this place or that it was his office, and Fury, the only one likely to come in without an appointment, which he didn't have at the moment, most certainly did not knock. Hadn't knocked since he got promoted for the "Handling Carol Danvers plus Skrulls" business. Not that Coulson minded. He preferred his feet on solid, earth, material as much as possible.
He opened the door, knowing any dangerous hostiles wouldn't have gotten this far. Fury wasn't looking forward to having him get life-threatening injuries again. He was met with a face that seemed familiar, he was sure he was important but wasn't sure where he had met here. Flaming red air but a distinct lack of freckles on her smooth yet tanned creamy skin, she was still, however, distinctly lacking the SHIELD Agent uniform or even a suit for the matter, nor did she look old enough to be an agent with high enough clearance for this area. "Who are you, Agent?"
"Not an Agent, Phil. I'm surprised you don't remember me. But then again, you were nearly dead last time we met."
"You're the one that healed me from Loki's staff."
"Not Loki. Thanos. You noticed, didn't you?"
"Mind control, of course. Come in, saving my life, I can at least let you into my office." He snapped his fingers, and the automatic system they had borrowed (ahem, read: stolen) from Stark's AI system so that it hid all his highly classified files and left only the inconspicuous.
"I'm surprised you haven't rushed to Fury yet, the kind of information I just gave you away for free. He was just trying to get me onto this helicarrier a few minutes ago."
"Fury tries to get everyone he wants to interrogate onto his helicarrier. What kind of information do you hold that he wants so badly?"
"Oh, just the fact that Barton is convinced I'm Loki 2.0. That and I taught Stark how to fly without his suit. Granted, it only lasts a week but still."
"Could I at least have your name?"
"Well, my name's Rose. I wasn't stupid enough to tell more to the Avengers or Fury, but the last name I grew up using is Potter."
"Oh, Rose Potter, why are you telling me this?"
A smirk was on her face. "Because, Handler Agent Coulson, I need your assistance, and you are going to provide it."
Phil got his serious face on. "What exactly do you want, why me, how are you going to do it, and why now?"
"Because Phil, you owe me a favor. And because I asked nicely, every single bug in this room is getting turned off, including the very well hidden one under the lampshade."
"Look," Phil started.
She snapped her fingers. "Wh, whatever, I wanted to see how cooperative you were and how far I'd need to go. The bugs were off as soon as you opened the door. I don't know if Fury's been told I can get from Avengers Tower out here in five minutes, but if he hasn't been informed, I won't be telling him."
"We're over Egypt right now. And I still don't understand what you want, why me, and how you're going to get me to do it."
"Phil, you're not as dumb as the rest. But no, I'm not the type that will gloat before the plan is irreversible, even for those who regularly deal in the impossible. Now, Phil, you owe me a life debt, and I'm here to make sure I don't have to collect."
"Look, Potter, I don't know if you've been told, but debt gets ignored every day in this line of work."
"Look, Coulson, I don't know if you've been told, but I didn't save your life with ordinary human medicine. Let's just leave it at the fact that I have special talents, when Fury gets back he'll undoubtedly brief you. But the fact is, my special talents are special in such a way they're a lot like the magic of fairy tales. I saved your life, I can just as easily take it away with nothing more than the will to do so. But if you pay up your debt, I won't. Three people know you didn't die when you got poked with the glowstick of destiny, and three people versus several dozen, including people like Stark who swear you're dead, will not even be enough for Fury to get approval to track me down on murder charges, much less charge me in a court of law. I can and may kill you right here, right now. I have no qualms about doing so if you don't follow what I tell you to do. You're creative and competent. You don't need babysitting, but I will know if you disobey."
"You're blackmailing and threatening me into betraying SHIELD."
She clapped her hands. "Bravo, you've caught on."
He was getting ready to press the emergency panic button on the underside of his desk when suddenly, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't feel, he couldn't see, he couldn't do anything, And yet he could feel his heartbeat running as normal The he was thrust back into his body from that terrifying nothingness. He was catching his breath yet felt it was unnecessary.
"Alright, I'll bite. Let's switch to more carrot, less stick. I don't doubt Fury managed to film Stark doing the impossible by now and it should be arriving on your computer any second now." The computer on Phil's desk dinged right on cue. He connected to the video call and was about to make the small inconspicuous signs that he was compromised, but found himself unable to. His camera was blocked and he was only able to watch.
Fury's face appeared on the screen. "Coulson, we have a major update. Two hours ago, Rogers brought a person into Stark Tower. As of now, the person, identifying only as Rose, is our top potential superhuman threat. Barton called her Loki 2.0 and I can't find it in myself to disagree. Flame red hair, lightly tanned light skin, no freckles, light British accent, green eyes. Verified abilities include but are expected to not be limited to unlimited unaided flight, ability to share that with others, self-identified telekinetic. Sympathizes with Loki, claims he was mind-controlled like Barton and not exercising his full abilities. Has a massive grudge with Thor and Odin, as well as a demanding view of all Asgard. Confirm alliance or close relationship with Wakandan Royalty, most likely Princess Shuri. Confirmed alliance close enough for the ability to get a large amount of Wakandan vibranium. Confirmed alliance with a Flerken named Goose, whose file needs an update. Confirmed sidekick with identical power of unaided flight, everything else unconfirmed. Sidekick identifies as Hermione Granger, files match up to British civilian records. Telekinetic identifying as Rose also has an unconfirmed friendship with both Rogers and Stark. Self-confirmed unemployed yet does not look or act poorly. Suspected old-money family. What do we have on a subspecies of Black Panther called Nundu?"
Phil tried to speak but couldn't, he knew that small things in how he phrased things or how he talked could tell Fury, even without visual signals, that he was compromised, as well as being threatened legitimately. But his mouth was unable to produce sound. He wasn't that surprised. He was surprised, however, when he heard his voice, his vocal mannerisms, even his way of speaking come out of Rose Potter's mouth. "We have Nundu under the mythology category, Wakanda, with suspected but unconfirmed poison breath. I have a small file under a woman matching the description. I sat at a neighboring table at an ice cream shop two years ago, companion, Hermione Granger, matched all the records. Name Rose Potter, pet tabby cat identified as Goose, companion Hermione Granger had a similar cat addressed as Crookshanks or Crooks. At the time was a suspected minor telekinetic, levitated ice cream spoon within a distance of two inches former body, for a distance of ten inches. Possibly attended Xavier's institute. No information on her companion other than civilian British government records."
"Good, I made a file for her, add all that to it. Also mentioned is a half-sister suspected to also have superhuman abilities, confirmed to have met and been in Thor's vicinity, life was threatened during one or more encounters with Thor, according to the subject. Any information not in my records?"
"Negative, Director Fury."
Fury was about to sign off, when he spoke up again, "Coulson. Why are the bugs dead in your office?"
"Pardon?"
"I want the bugs in your room reinstalled in the next five minutes, and check for the source of a possible EMP."
"Understood Director. Over and out."
Nick Fury hung up, and only then did Phil's voice return. "What do you want?" he asked. He knew that at least he had to find out. If she was able to infiltrate and assume his identity that easily, going so far as to fool the director, he needed to know more. She was not at the top of their possible superhuman hostiles list for nothing, it seemed. If he could find how to fool her, he would add long-distance, cross-continent, cross-planet, really, instantaneous or near-instantaneous teleportation to the list as well.
"Good, we're getting somewhere. You want information and for me to leave. I want your obedience. That we can agree on, right?"
"Right," Phil answered, a bit suspicious.
"And you don't want to double-cross SHIELD while I don't want you to double-cross me. Do you understand that part?"
Phil nodded.
"Good. Well, the way I see it, you don't have a choice. I've already outlined what I could do to you, but that might have been the wrong way to go, I'll admit. So let me show you what I can do for you if you don't struggle or try to double-cross me. You've seen what I gave Stark. That was 5% of what I could give."
"I don't need superhuman powers. I am perfectly content staying as I am."
"Well, no bulletproof skin for you then. You haven't even asked me what Stark could do with that 5% except for flight."
"Well, what kind of superhuman ability do you think is worth betraying SHIELD?"
"Other than unaided flight and bulletproof and largely knife-resistant skin at only 5%? At 10%, vocal imitation, at 20 shapeshifting, within some limits. At 25, oh, just instantaneous intergalactic teleportation with unlimited passengers, living or nonliving, at 30, limited illusion creation, nonliving matter conjuration at 40, and telekinetic control of anything with the matter at 50%."
"And above 50?"
"Greedy, aren't you Philip? You don't need to know, because until I can trust you with my life, you're not getting that much. This is my power, and I can just not give you any. Stark has 5% because I was asked a favor. The best thing about this power is that any vows are sworn on it, once you have it, are binding, break the vow, no more power. Of course, it's slightly worse for people who were born with this power, it's like part of us is missing, it's kind of like living without vision for you, but it will still hurt, and it will be very bad the longer you have it. So I will warn you, vows sworn on the power are unbreakable for all intent and purposes, and any power lots to the vow will go to the person you swore it to. One last thing, at the level I will be giving you, you get power honed by decades of work, so all that matters is intent, so much so that it becomes semi-sentient, just enough to protect you if you are unconscious. Even your precious Asgardians don't have that much. This is an astronomical amount of power, and that's my bargain. I'll give you thirty seconds the easy way before we go back to the life debt you owe me."
The options raced through Phil''s brain. If he accepted, on one hand, he would effectively be betraying SHIELD and everything it stood for. On the other hand, this was the organization whose superiors would have nuked Manhattan if not for Stark. But then again, Fury was in charge, and Fury had been by his side, they had saved each other's lives more times than he could count, and it had been that way for several decades since training. SHIELD was the organization he had pledged his loyalty to, SHIELD was the one that had put together the avengers, and kept the world safe. But then again, if he took this deal, he could try to renegotiate, and maybe tell Fury. he could do a lot with these abilities. Because as much as Phil prided himself on being content and satisfied with his lot in life, he was only human. And even though his motives were purer than that of an average human, having such abilities could open doors for SHIELD they had never even known existed. He would have to, at least in the beginning, spin a story for the Director as for how he came by these abilities, but though the Director would know it was not the truth, Fury would also trust him to tell him when he could.
So Phil sighed, albeit reluctantly, agreed. There were worse things to betray one's employer, country, and (possibly) morals for.