As promised ;)
"So, the Avengers have spent the past five years thinking that Loki impaled me with his sceptre, and seeing as my death technically brought the Avengers together, Director Fury didn't see the need to inform them of my survival a few weeks later."
Coulson once again addressed his team on the bus, en route to the main Avengers headquarters in New York. May was flying the plane but she was listening in on the comms.
"Seeing as HYDRA has been eradicated, and the business in Sokovia has been cleared up, Agent Hill and I have decided that having the Avengers as our allies will be very beneficial to future missions. We are also using this opportunity to reunite Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers."
Bucky nodded as he met the director's gaze. Coulson was the only member of the team left that addressed Bucky as Sergeant Barnes. All the rest have succumbed to the habit of calling him by his nickname.
"Agent Hill will have the Avengers in the meeting room. All of you, except for Bucky and Cecy, will go in before me and Agent Hill will introduce you all. Then I will go in and explain HYDRA's downfall, amongst other things."
Like the fact that you're still among the living, Cecy added mentally. She gave a quick glance at Bucky. He had been very quiet since they had got on the bus, and over the past few days a certain look would come over his face and it would take Cecy several times calling his name before he would answer her. Worriedly, she had confided in Fitzsimmons, and Fitz had gone to talk to him. Since then, the look didn't pass across his face as often as before, but it still worried her. She didn't know if it was PTSD or just nostalgia for his old life, but she hoped that Captain America would be able to help him, seeing as they had gone through the same experiences.
Practically.
Weeks of isolation, torture and experimentation.
She shuddered and snapped her thoughts back to the present. Coulson was just finishing as he put his hand up to his ear.
"May says we'll be landing in five," Coulson relayed to the team. "So strap in."
And let the fun begin, Cecy added again.
oOo
"So you're telling us that SHIELD has been operating, not only without our knowledge, but that we've been going on missions based on information it obtained?" Thor asked incredulously.
"Where did you think the information was coming from?" Agent Hill said with mild exasperation.
"Maybe somewhere that HYDRA spies couldn't get at so easily," Steve said quietly.
Maria chose to ignore his remark. "Long story short, they've cut off all of HYDRA's heads under a new director, and we feel that the new SHIELD and the Avengers working together would be better than do things separately. So, I've invited some of the more central members in to meet you all."
Vision came in then, followed by May, Lincoln, Hunter, Fitz and Simmons.
Steve got up, stood next to Maria Hill and shook each of the agents' hands in turn and made small talk as Hill introduced them. When he got to Jemma he saw that her hands were shaking, and her lips were clamped together. "Dr Simmons," he asked kindly, "what exactly does a bio chemist do-"
"I'm sorry," she cut him off, "but you've met DIRECTOR PEGGY CARTER in the flesh. What was that like? I mean yes the super solider serum is one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century and all that but PEGGY CARTER," she stopped to take a breath.
"She was an amazing woman, that's for sure. You're British, Dr. Simmons?"
Jemma nodded. "I grew up about half an hour away from where she was born."
Steve smiled as this small scientist, bursting with questions about Peggy, cut him off every time he tried to find out what a biochemist was, until Hill interrupted them.
"Are you all ready to meet the new director?" Hill asked.
"The suspense is practically killing me, Hill," Tony whipped sarcastically. He had started talking to Fitz and was annoyed at being cut short the opportunity to find out more about his discoveries on artificial limbs.
Hill glanced to May, who went to the door, opened it and went out into the hall. "They're ready for you now, sir."
"Thanks, May," came Coulson's voice from outside the room. Natasha stiffened in her seat, as did Steve, who was half way back to his. Clint just shook his head but the rest, who had neither super hearing nor had been close to Coulson, took no notice.
But they took notice when he came into the room.
Natasha whipped a gun from somewhere and had it aimed straight for his heart, Clint loaded his bow and Thor grabbed his hammer, making the room shake and the lights flicker. "What dark magic is this?" he roared. "You perished at the hand of Loki, son of Coul!"
"Your brother wasn't the only one who had a few tricks up his sleeve," Coulson replied calmly. "I can explain everything."
"Was it Fury?" Banner asked. Out of all the Avengers except for Wanda, Sam and Rhodes, his immediate reaction hadn't been panic. Granted, he had a lot of practice suppressing panic, but he looked at Coulson calmly, with no worry in his eyes, only curiosity.
Coulson nodded and smiled. "Good to see you again, Dr. Banner."
"Same to you," he replied just as calmly, "Congratulations are in order, I believe, on your promotion."
Coulson opened his mouth to reply but Clint cut him off. "Never mind that, I'd like to know how he's still walking around when he died before the battle of New York! And don't you dare say that you didn't," he said suddenly to Coulson. "I saw the body. So did Nat and Steve. You were in a body bag, Coulson!"
"I did die," Coulson admitted. "I was dead a few weeks. However, Director Fury decided that I still had more to give to SHIELD, so he brought me back, and since the fall of HYDRA, myself and my team have salvaged what we could of SHIELD and tried to build it back up. That, and trying to get rid of HYDRA, of course."
"But how did he resurrect you, son of Coul?" Thor asked.
Coulson grimanced. "You're not going to like his methods," he said to the God of Thunder.
"Try him," Tony tested.
"Alien technology."
"Define alien technology," said Tony.
"Define alien," Bruce suggested.
"Do you remember the invasion of Frost Giants on Earth a couple centuries ago?"
Thor nodded, "Asgard drove them away."
"One of them was captured," Coulson said, "and through his DNA..."
Thor looked as though he was going to be sick, which was difficult, seeing as he was a God and he couldn't really get sick at all.
"I'm not going to into the details," Coulson said firmly. "Suffice to say it wasn't the most pleasant experience in the world, and any ill effects I may have been suffering from have been cured."
There was an outburst at that, but Coulson held up both hands for silence.
"We have three reasons for informing you of our existence, the first is that we wanting to inform you of the complete eradication of HYDRA-"
"You're sure you cut off all the heads?" Wilson spoke up.
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place," Steve recited.
"Trust me, the entire body has been burned," Coulson said with determination, as he shared a glance with May.
Suddenly, Coulson caught sight of Natasha's face. Out of all the Avengers, she was the one he regretted leaving the most. "How are you, Nat?" he asked softly.
"Why?" Only those that knew Natasha very well would know how upset she was in that word. Her eyes held no emotion, as did none of her face, but her body was as tense as a spring, ready for a fight or flight response. "Why did you tell us you were alive now? Why bother if you haven't all this time?"
"You don't think I've wanted to?" he asked incredulously. "But with trying to fight HYDRA, plus some other, possibly world ending events, we couldn't just land in here and tell you all that the basis of the formation of the original Avengers was a lie, could I? Now everything, at least, is stable, and I figured some of you might need time to absorb this." His eyes flicked towards Natasha momentarily and she glared at him. "This brings me on to my second reason, which is that we wanted to formally ask if the Avengers could be our allies, so that if other possible world ending events occur, we would be stronger together."
"Why would you even ask that, Coulson?" Tony asked incredulously. "Of course we would!"
Steve cleared his throat. "You're certain that HYDRA is gone, Director Coulson?"
"I believe that we have worked to the best of our ability to make that statement true, Captain Rogers."
Steve's eyes narrowed but he said nothing.
"Before you decide," Coulson said quickly as Tony and Natasha were staring daggers at Steve, as if daring him to further question Coulson's capabilities, "We have the third reason."
"Which is?"
Coulson nodded to Fitz, who went out of the room. "We have been looking for a missing person recently, and it's someone that we think Captain Rogers knows of," Coulson explained. Steve looked at him in confusion.
"I'm only out of the ice five years. You know that, Coulson."
"Trust me, you'll know this guy," Coulson said with a well concealed smile as Fitz came back in, followed by Bucky and Cecy, who slipped in behind them. Steve went white.
Bucky met his gaze. "You've got a new uniform? I hate it."
Aaaand boom goes the dynamite.
Hope you guys enjoyed, review for a faster update! ;)
