Chapter Three

"All personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles…"

The announcement came over the intercom to all the SHIELD agents. As they were all rushing around getting things together and getting in vehicles, Agent Coulson and I stood there, waiting for Director Fury and Agent Hill to come down in the helicopter. Of, course as Director Fury was climbing out, since the wind was blowing, his coat bellowed out behind him.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

Not hesitating, Agent Coulson answered him, "That's the problem, sir. We don't know."

With that answer, all four of us got in the elevator to head down to the cause of all this chaos.

"Dr. Selvig read an energy surge form the Tesseract about four hours ago," I told Director Fury as we were exiting the elevator.

"NASA didn't authorize Selvig to go to test phase."

"He wasn't testing it. He wasn't even in the room," Agent Coulson answered for me. "Spontaneous event."

"It just turned itself on?" asked Agent Hill.

"I guess so," I told her, as we both trailed behind Director Fury and Agent Coulson.

"Where are the energy levels now?" Director Fury asked.

Right away, Agent Coulson answered his question. "Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered evac."

"How long to get everyone out?"

"Campus should be clear in the next half-hour."

"Do better." Agent Coulson nodded and walked off. As he walked by me, he gestured toward Director Fury and Agent Hill with his hand as if to say 'Stay with them.'

"Sir, evacuation may be futile." Agent Hill told Director Fury as we kept on walking.

"We should tell them to go back to sleep?" Director Fury questioned Agent Hill and I.

"If we can't control the Tesseract's energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance," I informed him.

"I need both if you to make sure the Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out."

"Sir, is that really a priority right now?" I asked.

Director Fury stopped walking and turned around to look at Agent Hill and I. "Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on," he paused. "Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase 2 on a truck and gone."

"Yes, sir." Agent Hill and I said at the same time, heading in a different direction. As we walked past some other agents, Agent Hill gestured to them. "With us."

All of a sudden, we felt this shaking. Both of us looked up to the ceiling, unsure of what was happening. Then it was over. We both looked at each other.

A few minutes later, we saw Agent Barton walking by with Dr. Selvig, a few guards, and a stranger. Where he came from, I have no idea. He was also wearing strange clothing too.

"In these vehicles," we heard Agent Barton say to the men.

"Who's that?" I asked Agent Barton as he was watching them get pile into a couple vehicles.

"They didn't tell me," he answered as he climbed into one of the vehicles.

"Hill! Olson!" Agent Hill and I heard over our earpieces. "Do you copy? Barton has turned."

I heard a scuffle behind us, most likely Agent Barton getting out so he could start shooting at us. Agent Hill and I rolled away, and in time too, as Agent Barton did start shooting in our direction trying to hit us.

My fingers were itching to grab my wand, but I restrained myself. After all, I can't let the enemy know that I have magic. Who knows what would happen? Instead I let Agent Hill take out her gun to fire back.

We heard the sound of tires squealing, and when we looked out, both vehicles were being driven away. Agent Hill tried to continue to fire at them, but to no luck.

They had just driven out of our sight when we heard Director Fury through our earpiece.

"They have the Tesseract! Shut them down! Remember Olsen, no magic unless absolutely necessary!"

With that, Agent Hill and I ran to the nearest vehicle and climbed in. She didn't bother buckling up her seatbelt before driving off.

We took a shortcut and drove out in front of the vehicle Agent Barton was driving. Agent Hill turned our vehicle around, driving backwards so we could fire at the others. Agent Barton rammed into the front of our vehicle with his.

I grabbed Agent Hill's gun and started firing back at Agent Barton when he started firing at us. He stuck his arm out the window, but I just shot straight through our windshield. But seeing as I don't shoot guns that much, I practically flinched every time I pulled the trigger.

In the middle of the chaos, we heard Agent Coulson through our earpiece.

"We're clear upstairs, sir. You need to go."

I ignored him, as it sounded like that message was directed towards Director Fury.

Both Agent Hill and I ducked a little bit when a bullet almost hit us. But, as we came back up, Agent Barton must have pressed on the gas pedal, as he drove to the side of us, causing us to swerve backwards and to the side. Agent Barton drove off, taking himself, Dr. Selvig, some guards and the stranger further away from us.

I started to feel something falling on my head. When I looked up to see what it was, I quickly looked back down, since debris was starting to fall.

When I noticed that bigger chunks were starting to fall, I finally turned to Agent Hill.

"You trust me, right?" I asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"I can get us out of here before we get buried alive."

"Do it."

Without asking her to stop the vehicle, I scooted over in the car and linked my arm with hers.

"Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

I didn't answer, but instead just apparated us out of there. We landed outside the entrance and watched as the SHIELD facility collapsed. Lucky for us, I didn't land in front of the vehicle entrance so we wouldn't get seen by Agent Barton or whoever the stranger is that's with them.

"Director?" We heard Agent Coulson ask over the earpiece. "Director Fury, do you copy?"

"The Tesseract is with a hostile force," we heard him answer Agent Coulson. I have men down. Hill? Olsen?"

"I got the two of us out before it collapsed. But a lot of men are still under. I don't know how many survivors," I answered for the both of us, seeing as Agent Hill was still recovering from apparating. She took it surprising well for being a no-maj.

"Sound the general call. I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase."

"Rodger that," Agent Hill and I replied. When I heard her speaking, I looked over to see her sitting against a wall still looking a little pale in the face, but not as much as when we first landed. She was recovering quickly for not having magic. Not that I know how well other no-majs have handled apparition.

I was helping Agent Hill stand up to leave when I heard Director Fury again, only this time he was talking to Coulson.

"Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven." There was a small pause. "As of right now, we are at war."

"What do we do?" Coulson asked.