Seventeen

The Hellicarrier was unlike anything Emily had ever explored. Everything about it was designed to be on the move all while providing housing for agents. The extensive hallways and rooms were designed in a way to fill the exterior without taking up too much space. As she walked through the hallway, fellow agents greeted her with curt nods or curious looks. She knew most of them were unaware of why they were assigned to the Hellicarrier in the first place. Only the highest ranking agents were given information as to why they had been assigned, though she didn't exactly count as high-ranked.

She let out a quiet sigh as she made her way to the holding rooms where Kirk and McCoy were being held. After talking to Director Fury for a few brief seconds, she knew where she was needed. Though she dreaded confronting Kirk head-on, especially after the last time they spoke. She wanted nothing more than to forget the fact that Kirk knew the truth behind her job.

The worst part of it was knowing that he made a valid point.

She didn't deserve a position at Starfleet Academy… not after everything she had done. The only reason the Council hadn't reacted was because that part of her past was sealed away by SHIELD. She supposed she was lucky for that; the odds of getting a job anywhere else would have been slim.

It didn't help that Kirk didn't know what it was like to live with that kind of guilt. It was the kind of guilt that slowly consumed her until there was nothing left. She'd talked to McCoy about it from time to time, knowing full-well that he'd experienced that kind of guilt himself. Being a doctor meant that he was trained to deal with situations like sudden death or the kind of trauma that came with losing a patient.

Emily tried pushing those uneasy thoughts aside as she reached McCoy's room. They were placed in separate holding rooms for safety protocols. Though she knew it was also a method used in interrogations whenever the suspect had a partner. She almost smirked when she caught McCoy's anxiety spiking through the roof.

It wasn't until punching in the code to said room that she saw him pacing back and forth as a form of distraction. She merely snorted in amusement as she crossed her arms and waited until he finally noticed her presence. It took a few seconds for him to finally notice her, and when he did he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"You are too cute when you look so anxious," she quipped after closing the distance between them. McCoy was ready to complain when she suddenly kissed him without hesitation. His reaction was what she had been waiting for; though it didn't quell the anxiety it did help him relax just a little. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this mess."

"None of this bullshit would've happened if Kirk hadn't been so damn curious," McCoy let out a sigh as she leaned into him, relishing the warmth he provided. She missed this kind of warmth. While they were able to stay in touch with each other it was nothing compared to the physical contact McCoy provided. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Imzadi," she whispered back. Her forehead leaned into his as he held her close. He'd only heard a fraction of what happened at the base thanks to word of mouth. "I just wish we were together again under better circumstances."

"You and me both, Darlin'," McCoy muttered, though his voice held no resentment within it. She couldn't hide the sheepish smile that followed when he finally kissed her back. "Your Pa told me what happened… how are you feeling?"

"Could be better all things considered," she admitted guiltily. "I feel worse for Clint; he's never going to let himself live this down." McCoy just snorted at that, though he also knew how worried she was for the archer. They had always been close, and Clint had seen her when she was at her lowest. The only consolation she had was the fact that his family was safe. She knew he wouldn't have forgiven himself if anything happened to them during this mess. "I still have to talk to Jim and figure out how to resolve that issue, though I was hoping it could wait until this mess was resolved."

She held back a sigh of relief when McCoy held her close. He could tell how stressed she was. From what happened at the base to the situation revolving around Kirk, everything was spiraling apart. She supposed she had it coming, though. She had been hoping she could tell Kirk about the agency sooner or later, but it seemed as though life always threw a monkey-wrench into her plans.

"You aren't going in there alone," he reassured her.

Emily couldn't hide the small smile that followed as she led the way out of his room and across the hall. In spite of the fact that McCoy wasn't an agent, fellow agents walking past hadn't questioned his presence. By now most senior recruits knew about McCoy and the deal he made with SHIELD. While they tried to keep their relationship professional, that didn't stop his hand from reaching for hers as they walked side-by-side.

She felt oddly at peace whenever he was nearby. She couldn't describe the emotions he brought out in her even if she wanted to. McCoy was only just beginning to understand how much he really meant to her as both a partner and her friend.

"They didn't try hurting you on your way here, did they?" she suddenly asked.

"I'm more pissed off with the way Kirk has been handling this mess than the way they treated us," he rolled his eyes in exasperation. Emily almost smirked in amusement. She knew Maria wouldn't have used excessive force like others. The brunette knew McCoy thanks to the fact that they'd grown up together, and it was thanks to that knowledge that she didn't lay a finger on Kirk. "No, they didn't hurt us… I would've raised hell if they had."

'I'm sure you would've found some way of taking Maria down with all that training you've had,' she snorted with laughter. McCoy just threw her an incredulous look as she reached Kirk's room. 'It isn't as if she doesn't know how to kill a man twenty different ways.'

He hadn't realized until then that she was trying to distract him. To his genuine surprise and relief, it seemed to be working. McCoy shook his head in disbelief as the doors to Kirk's room slid open, revealing a smaller space compared to his own room. Like McCoy's room there were no windows to look out of, giving Kirk little indication that they were in the air. Emily was even more surprised to find that Kirk looked perfectly relaxed while sitting on the bench… actually he looked more bored than anything else.

Kirk looked at the pair warily, not missing the fact that McCoy hadn't left Emily's side to join him. The room suddenly felt a lot smaller compared to what he was used to when he realized just how close they were. Or that McCoy was willing to jump to Emily's defense, in spite of what he discovered on her profile.

It was clear he had been hoping McCoy would join him in his quest to alert the Academy of her presence with SHIELD. Emily silently thanked her lucky stars that McCoy was far more accepting of her position than most people would have been. She knew if they hadn't grown up together the circumstances would've been different.

"How the hell are you so calm after what they've done?" Kirk demanded once he recovered from his initial surprise.

"Maybe because unlike you I knew what to expect out of this mess," McCoy retorted without missing a beat. Emily's brows furrowed together as Kirk glared at them, though his expression wavered slightly as realization seemed to dawn on him. "We wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't let your curiosity get the better of you."

"Look, neither of you should have been dragged into this mess in the first place," Emily let out a sigh of frustration while ignoring the way Kirk was looking at her. "I had my reasons not to tell you about the agency or my role within it."

Kirk just narrowed his eyes in annoyance. If he did read through her profile, then he was likely aware of what happened in the past. Her shoulders sank with guilt at the thought of sharing that part of her past with McCoy. She knew she would have to tell him sooner or later, but she dreaded the day that happened.

"You know she tried killing herself, right?" Kirk finally deadpanned.

Emily stiffened when she realized too late what Kirk said. Her heart sank when she picked up on the conflicting storm of emotions surging through McCoy in that moment. He'd only known a fraction of what she went through during their time apart. When she finally talked to him after his father's funeral, she explained to him that she hadn't wanted treatment. Even then she didn't know the full extent of what she put herself through.

Instinctively she took hold of his hand, working out a way to explain the situation before escalated into something none of them wanted to deal with. She understood why Kirk reacted the way he had. After everything he went through, loyalty was everything to him. When he found out that she was working for an agency that was potentially spying on Starfleet, his reaction made sense.

She was ready to say something else when the door suddenly slid open. Coulson peered inside in time to see how tense Kirk and McCoy were. His brow rose with suspicion before he finally glanced at Emily. She swallowed hard, knowing that the only reason he intervened was because there had been progress in finding the Tesseract.

"You're needed on the bridge," he explained after clearing his throat. Her brows furrowed together at the thought of being seen now. She shared an uneasy look with McCoy; she knew he deserved an explanation after that revelation. "Captain America and Romanoff returned from their mission in Germany… their on the Hellicarrier, along with Loki and his brother."

"Any status reports on Barton's whereabouts?" she asked warily.

She wasn't about to go into detail over what they had been talking about earlier. For now she wanted to focus her attention on this mess. She hoped that once Clint was back on their side she could forget Director Fury's idea of letting her join the team. Though she had a feeling that wasn't what the boss intended for her. She'd always known going into this that there would be risks.

"I'm afraid not," Coulson replied, suddenly looking slightly guilty at the mention of Clint. "There were reports that an archer was seen in Stuttgart during Loki's attack, so I can only assume that was him buying Loki time."

Of course Loki would take advantage of his skill set, she thought bitterly. Clint was a master marksman. He took pride in what he was capable of, even though he was trained by someone known as Trickshot. He eventually took on the codename of Hawkeye while at the Circus of Crime, but he retained that name after he joined SHIELD. Emily had a feeling that Clint was going to live with the regret of hurting innocent people when this was over.

She almost smirked when McCoy fell in beside her, having already been filled in on what happened at the compound. Coulson didn't seem to take offense to the doctor's presence, though that didn't stop him from eyeing Kirk suspiciously. It wasn't until feeling McCoy's hand reach for hers that she gave it a light squeeze.

She wanted to make things right between them. She wanted to make it so that there were no secrets between them, but there was no telling the damage that could cause. The fact that McCoy supported her even after what Kirk said left her feeling guiltier than ever, because she knew he deserved better.

'You've gotta stop thinking that,' McCoy suddenly reminded her through their telepathic bond. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise when he gave her a knowing look. 'I'd be an idiot if I didn't know the damage our time apart likely caused you. I'm an even bigger idiot for ignoring it for this long.'

Emily held back a sigh when she realized what he was implying. She knew Coulson likely told him everything. When she first implied that she simply gave up the day they met up at the cafe, she never fully explained the situation. Now it was clear Coulson told him more than she anticipated. Unease crawled through her at the thought, especially knowing what that must have put him through.

'I think it's safe to say we're both at fault for what happened between us,' she said thoughtfully. 'I know we have to talk about it sooner or later, but now obviously isn't the right time.'

'I know,' McCoy replied after mulling over his response. She could tell this was eating away at him, and she couldn't help but wish Kirk had kept his big mouth shut. Neither of them needed the distraction right now. 'I love you, Em.'

'I love you too, Leonard,' she replied without missing a beat.

She added the last part with a kiss on his cheek, ignoring the incredulous look Kirk was giving them as she walked past him. She doubted Kirk would understand why she chose the agency over Starfleet. Unless his mother explained to him what she went through during their time on the Kelvin, he would never understand. The only reason she enlisted in the first place was because Fury had assigned her to it. Now the only incentive she had to go back was thanks to McCoy, and even that might not be a possibility.

She tried pushing those thoughts aside as she reached the table where Natasha and Steve were already waiting. Bruce sat on one side of the table, alone from the rest of the group while Steve left a gap between himself and Natasha. Emily eyed the trio curiously before she took her seat between them, all while keeping a close eye on Kirk and McCoy.

Not a word was said about the two Starfleet Cadets that were dragged into this mess. She found it odd that Fury had given them clearance. The only reason McCoy would have been allowed was because of the agreement he signed. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of what would happen if either of them were hurt.

"I'm surprised Fury let them go," Natasha whispered in Russian.

"Something tells me that was not his intention," Emily whispered back. In spite of the situation, she couldn't help but smirk at the irony of it all. "My guess is that if Kirk did try to share this information with the Council, they would find it hard to believe."

Natasha gave her a thoughtful look before eyeing the pair of Cadets warily. She knew how close Emily and McCoy were. Well, she knew enough to know that they had grown up together. All the while Steve was watching the pair as well. The Super Soldier had read about McCoy's extensive history, along with his father's role in the agency. So he wasn't entirely surprised to find the doctor so comfortable in such a situation. What did surprise him though was the fact that McCoy stood not far from where Emily was sitting, keeping a trained eye on the scene the whole time.

A viewing screen was set in the center of the table. Security footage was currently being recorded while Fury tried to intimidate Loki. Though Emily suspected Loki was more amused with his current prison than nervous. She swallowed hard, ignoring the fear stabbing her in the chest as she wondered why he made his capture so easy.

"Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steal trap! You get how that works?" He tapped his finger on the screen, "Ant," he began, pointing towards Loki, "Boot."

Emily snorted as she recalled what Loki said at the compound. She knew Fury was pissed after what happened back there. Losing the Tesseract was bad enough, but to lose some of the best scientists and agents was like a kick in the teeth. Loki merely smirked while looking as though nothing had gone wrong. Emily glanced over her shoulder warily, not missing the fact that McCoy hadn't taken his eyes off the screen. Kirk on the other hand looked as though he didn't want to be there… not that she couldn't blame him for feeling that way.

"It's an impressive cage… not built, I think, for me," he mused, walking backwards.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

Emily winced at that. She'd helped design the trap along with several other scientists and engineers to keep people like the Hulk from unleashing further attacks. The same device had been designed for someone like her. As someone with telekinesis and other abilities, Director Fury was always looking for contingency plans in case something went horribly wrong. It was always meant as an insurance agency. If worse came to worse, she could seal herself into the chamber and pray that she didn't lose control.

"Oh, I've heard."

Loki glanced at the camera placed in the room, and Emily just crossed her arms when she realized he was playing them all like fools.

Indeed, everyone was watching.

With Emily sitting between Natasha and Steve, she couldn't shake off the sense of unease. There was just something about the way Loki spoke so smoothly that she didn't like. His confidence at the fact that he was captured only left her feeling more suspicious.

"A mindless beast, makes play he's still a man," Loki continued as her eyes narrowed with fury.

Bruce shifted uneasily in his seat when Loki called him out. He was uncomfortable with the fact that Loki had made a jab at the Hulk. Not that Emily couldn't blame him. She didn't have anything against the Hulk, but there were others who questioned whether it was safe having the man around because of his 'conditions'. She couldn't help but feel a stab of pity for the doctor, knowing full-well that he hadn't asked to be treated that way.

"How desperate are you?" he went on in a mocking tone, "You call on such lost creatures to protect you."

You would be surprised to find what we are capable of, she reminded herself silently.

"How desperate am I?" Fury narrowed his eye, "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooh," Loki tsked his tongue as if he found the whole thing amusing, "It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is."

Emily shared a knowing look with Natasha at Loki's taunt about real power. If there was one thing she had learned from the incident in New Mexico, it was Loki's need to prove himself and show who was best at everything. After doing her own research she learned that Loki had been hellbent on ousting his brother. She could tell that this was just another ploy on Loki's part, another scheme to get the better of Thor.

Fury merely glared at him. It was clear he had enough with the man. He turned around and walked back towards the bridge, ending the interrogation that seemed to spark a fire in the room so easily.

"Yeah, well, you let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something."

The image on the table began to fade with that said and done.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce asked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

"He's going to drag this out," Steve began after the screen went dark. Emily followed his gaze as Thor stood on the far side of the room, having watched the video feed while the others sat together. Thor stood out like a sore thumb on the bridge. He certainly looked human, but it was clear there were slight differences. She watched Kirk and McCoy's reaction in amusement. McCoy was surprisingly indifferent to it, having seen far stranger things thanks to her. Kirk on the other hand just stared at Thor for a few seconds before trying to shake off his growing unease. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army called the Chitauri, that none of Asgard nor any world know," Thor explained, turning to face the table. Agent Hill had joined them only a couple of minutes ago, shooting Kirk a glare while passing him and McCoy, "He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. Return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army, from outer space?" Steve asked, looking back at McCoy and Kirk anxiously.

Since both men were enlisted in Starfleet, she could understand why Steve referred to them in his confusion and worry.

"There's nothing about them in the Starfleet database," Emily added after running her own search. Steve looked at her in surprise, "Only enemies they've listed as of yet are the Klingons, Romulans, Orion pirates and etc."

Which wasn't much of a help as far as she was concerned.

"So, he's building another portal," Bruce guessed when he realized what Thor was implying, "That's what he needed Selvig for."

"Selvig?" Thor frowned, turning to look at Bruce.

"He's an astrophysicist," Bruce explained.

"He's a friend."

Emily hadn't missed the silent exchange made between Kirk and McCoy. Kirk wasn't used to seeing her like this. She'd worked with SHIELD for years and had gotten used to the risks that were always in place. Fortunately, McCoy had a little understanding of what they were putting themselves through.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell, along with one of our own," Natasha added, sharing a knowing look with Emily as she grimaced visibly.

"I wanna know why he let us take him," Steve said after standing up. "He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki," Bruce shook his head, "That guy's a bag full of cats, you can smell crazy on him."

"I don't care how you speak," Thor stepped forward, suddenly turning defensive, "Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days," Emily deadpanned, the bitterness in her voice taking everyone by surprise.

"Well, he's adopted," Thor put in quietly after realizing the extensive damage his brother caused.

"I think it's about the mechanics," Bruce said after mulling it over, "Iridium, what did they need the Iridium for?" he asked, turning to the table in the hopes that someone would have an answer.

Emily had a vague idea, though, she was hoping she was wrong. If he needed Iridium, then she knew it was needed for the portal Loki was building.

"It's a stabilizing agent." All eyes turned towards Tony when he finally graced them with his presence, along with Coulson. Emily almost smirked when she caught the look Tony was giving her. It had been years since they saw each other, "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."

Emily rose an eyebrow as Coulson walked down to the main part of the bridge while Tony made his way to where Fury normally stood.

"No hard feelings Point Break, you've got a mean swing," he patted Thor on the shoulder while shooting McCoy and Kirk curious looks. The stunned look on Kirk's face was priceless, while McCoy just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants…" That only confirmed what Emily had thought. She rose an eyebrow as Tony reached the computers and eyed the area curiously, "Uh… raise the ship's mass."

"Does he take anything seriously?" Natasha whispered to Emily as the two women sat together.

"Not usually," Emily whispered back.

"That man is playing Galaga!" Emily almost smirked once again at Tony's coyness when he pointed towards another agent playing a game. "Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He paused before turning around, holding a hand to one eye, "How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns," Maria answered for him.

"Sounds exhausting." By now, Emily was struggling not to laugh her ass off at Tony's less-than-professional stance at handling the situation. This was just too good of an opportunity for him to pass. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily." Emily frowned at the mention of Clint. The fact that he was taken in the first place made her feel even more uneasy. "Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube… actually I'm kind of surprised he didn't try taking Coulson considering how high her energy readings are."

Emily stiffened when Tony brought that uncomfortable topic up. She had been surprised at the time. But as she looked back at it, she knew that Loki had other motives for ignoring her presence entirely. She doubted he would make the same mistake twice after realizing what she was capable of.

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill asked, crossing her arms as she looked at Tony pensively.

"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes," Tony began, eyeing everyone as if he expected them to know what he was talking about. Only a few people in the room looked as if they understood. Surprisingly, Kirk's eyes lit up with interest at the mention of Selvig's notes, "the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

No, he wasn't. Though, Emily wasn't bothered into explaining that she'd brushed up on her reading the other night. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do when she recovered from getting shot at. Then she grimaced when she realized that Selvig could have easily suggested using her as a power-source. She was suddenly grateful that he hadn't, because she knew full-well the energy she gave off could just as easily power the cube.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve asked after resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Bruce replied.

"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect," Tony put in.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

The whole thing was made even more hilarious when Bruce understood what Tony was talking about. Even Kirk was lost at that point as he tried understanding what both scientists were saying.

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Emily rolled her eyes as Tony pointed towards Bruce.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked under his breath as he joined Emily.

"Apparently," she muttered back.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner," Tony said after reaching Bruce and shaking his hand, "You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Bruce glanced nervously at the others, and Emily couldn't necessarily blame him for that.

"Thanks… I think," he said uneasily.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube," Fury reminded Tony, "I was hoping you might join him."

"Let's start with that stick of his," Steve put in, "It may not be magical, but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

Emily couldn't help but agree with Steve on that notion. She'd been reading up on Hydra's weapons, and it did resemble a Hydra weapon far too well. The thing about weapons that came from space were that they happened to be dangerous, untested, and truthfully, downright stupid for a human to understand and use.

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube," Fury informed him, "And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

Thor frowned in confusion, all the while Kirk's grin just widened while McCoy rolled his eyes once more at Fury's reference.

"I do!" Steve had the audacity to exclaim, "I understood that reference!"

"You are such a dork, Steve," Emily shook her head in amusement as Steve just flushed in embarrassment.

"Shall we, doctor?"

Tony gestured to Bruce after rolling his eyes at Steve's enthusiasm. Bruce simply led the way after shaking his head in disbelief.