"This is how you dealt with the arc reactor, isn't it?" She asked.
"A couple of drops of de-aging potion and the physical damage from Afghanistan was gone." Tony nodded.
"And them?" She poke to Tony, even though she nodded in the direction of Harry's companions.
"Yes and no." Tony said. "Yes, for Peggy, Morita, Falsworth and Dum-dum. No, for Sirius and Bucky."
"Explanations can wait." Pepper huffed. "Teach me to change back into that horse."
November 2009
"I take it, your meeting with Stark didn't go well." Coulson stated.
"No." Fury glared at the wall of his office.
"I have to say, 'I told you so', Boss."
Fury just grunted.
"The idea of the Initiative is fine but the practicality of it… isn't."
"What makes you say that?" Fury turned to Coulson.
"You're looking at these people and what they can do." Coulson said. "But you're not looking at how they do it. There's not one person on your list that follows orders well. And in most cases, if they do stay on-mission, it's a damned fluke."
"You're on that list." Fury reminded the other man.
"Like I said." Coulson simply raised an eyebrow. "I do what has to be done to get the result needed, if that means going off-mission, I'll do it… without a hesitation. As someone once said to me, 'I don't care about your fucking orders, just get the job done'. I do recall that someone as being you."
"Stark isn't a team player." Fury snapped.
"No,you know that's not quite correct." Coulson said. "Stark is like you, if you want him to play, you have to give him a reason. If he doesn't trust you, he won't listen when you need him to."
"Can you get him to listen?" Fury tilted his head in curiosity.
"Maybe but not without a damned good reason."
"And the Initiative isn't a good reason?"
"As it stands, right now?" Coulson sighed. "No, it's not."
"Why?" Fury demanded.
"Because you're asking for too much and not giving anything in return." Coulson shook his head. "Stark is… He's a good man but you've given him no reason to trust you… and by extension, S.H.I.E.L.D… and every reason to not to." He sighed. "To start with, did you ask or did you try to bully him into it, like you did last time?"
Fury grunted.
"He's not S.H.I.E.L.D, and he has no intention of being S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What's wrong with being S.H.I.E.L.D?"
"Nothing." Coulson said. "If it's your choice. You haven't given him a choice, you just keep badgering him. You know as well as I, that Stark's stubborn. And he's smart. No, he's brilliant and for God's sake, it's not like you've been subtle about it. Of course, he's figured out that you want him in the Initiative, but you've not given him a reason to join. Not a single one. And Howard's attitude didn't help much, either."
"Damn it." Fury snarled.
"The Initiative is a fine idea but you've not done anything more than say what you want it to do." Coulson said. "Who's going to be the team leader? Who handles supply? Who handles the armoury? Transport? Housing? Communications? Who decides what missions the Initiative are sent on? Who do they answer to?"
"Alright, I get it." Fury grunted.
"You know the questions." Coulson said. "Now you need to work out the answers."
March 2010
"You want my opinion?" Coulson asked.
"Personal or professional?" Fury replied.
"In this case, they're the same."
"Fire away."
"It won't be good for S.H.I.E.L.D, if the Initiative is under S.H.I.E.L.D's control." Coulson stated bluntly.
"Why?" Fury snapped.
"It's only going to be a matter of time before one of the Initiative members do something that draws the… disapproval... of the public or the media. Be it a building destroyed, a life not saved or a political border crossed without permission."
"If they stay on-mission there's no reason-"
"They won't." Coulson cut in. "Staying on-mission is going to go out the window and you know it. I told you before, the people you've marked as potentials for the Initiative, they do what needs to be done. To them, the mission is all about the end result, not how they get there. If that means airing a politician's dirty laundry to the world? Too bad, so sad. They'll do it and you know it."
Fury just ground his teeth together. "How am I supposed to sell that to the World Security Council?"
"Easy. Make the Initiative an international Not-For-Profit. Startup funds come from S.H.I.E.L.D, WSC, SecDef, the Joint Chiefs, the Oval Office and Stark, to name a few. They're there for the benefit of the entire world not just the US. And most importantly, remind them because of what these people are needed to do, average military personnel aren't suitable, they don't have the training or the… think-outside-the-box attitude that's needed. But that that attitude is what is going to cause problems when they aren't needed to 'save the world'. Getting them out from under S.H.I.E.L.D, is better for S.H.I.E.L.D. We have someone to call on, in emergency but we don't have to keep the occupied between emergencies."
"Huh…"
"Use Stark as a prime example." Coulson said. "His Iron Man suit is brilliant and we've seen that when it comes time to suit up, he gets in and does what needs to be done… but… the collateral damage in Monaco was considerable, do S.H.I.E.L.D and the WSC really want to be responsible for that?"
Fury grimaced. "No."
"No." Coulson agreed.
Feb 2011
"What do you plan to tell Barnes?" Coulson asked.
"Nothing."
"Not a good idea, Boss. He's working with Potter and you know what he's like."
"Shit."
"And don't forget her."
"What?" Fury blinked.
"Do you want to face her, and explain why you didn't call her, immediately, when we'd found the Captain?"
"Motherfucker."
"Exactly." Coulson nodded. "Let's bring him home and lay him to rest properly. I'll get to working on funeral pla-"
A phone rang, the ringtone that was heard was that of Maria Hill, Fury's second in command. He fished the device from his pocket and lifted it to his ear. "Fury." He snapped.
Coulson could just hear Hill's voice but he was unable to make out any words, just the rapid-fire of a sit-rep.
"Tell them to hold on the ground." Fury said. "I'll call them directly, with a mission update." He didn't wait for Hill to respond, just ended the call and dropped the phone back into his pocket.
"There'll be no funeral."
"Sir, the Captain deserves-" Coulson started.
"He's alive." Fury cut in.
"What...?!" Coulson's jaw fell and his eyes widened in shock.
"He's alive." Fury repeated. "One the crew was chipping away the ice surrounding him and when his face was exposed, they saw eye movement."
"Shit…" Coulson whispered.
"They hooked him up to an EEG and he's showing much the same brain activity as someone under a general anaesthetic. The flight surgeon wants to keep him under, until we can get him into a decent medical facility."
"He's alive…" Coulson said.
"He'll be on his way to S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters in New York in a matter of minutes." Fury said.
"No." Coulson shook his head, sharply, getting himself back into focus.
"I want him to lead the Initiative." Fury started.
"Bad idea, Boss."
Fury blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"He's a loose cannon." Coulson said. "Worse than Stark or Potter."
"He's Captain America." Fury objected.
"Boss…" Coulson took a deep breath. "You know my… interest in the legend surrounding Captain America." Fury nodded. "You know how much research into his history, I've done." Fury nodded again, a little slower this time. "Then believe me, S.H.I.E.L.D does not want him leading the Initiative. You might but not S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Why…?" Fury didn't think he was going to like the answer.
"The man planned all the Howling Commandos mission and he still couldn't stay on-mission. Look what he did the first week in Europe… convinced Howard Stark and Peggy Carter to drop him behind enemy lines, after express orders to stand down from Col. Phillips. Just to find Barnes." Fury grimaced. "Out of the seventeen missions that he lead, not one stayed on-mission beyond first contact with the enemy."
"Missions rarely-"
"I am aware." Coulson nodded. "But that's usually because of the enemy, not because the team leader threw the damn mission briefing out the window, the moment he spotted the enemy. He's good but he's had no structured training and let's not forget that he's seventy years out of date as far as politics, the Geneva Convention and modern warfare and weapons are concerned."
"Shit." Fury dropped his head into his hands.
"Put him and Stark together and you know that sooner or later one of them is going to do or say something that is going to show S.H.I.E.L.D in a bad light. Keep them separate from S.H.I.E.L.D, give them a couple of our people, as liaisons and teammates, to keep them grounded and if necessary, run interference between them and the media."
"You think I should hand over the Initiative to him and Stark and let them privatise the Avengers?"
"Rogers and Stark, no. Stark and Potter, yes. Combine the Avengers and Potter's Unit under the one banner of the Initiatve and let them deal with it. Other than start-up donations, they pay, not us. In dollars and in responsibility. Keeps S.H.I.E.L.D out of the limelight and lets us get on with the job of protecting the world, behind the scenes. Think of it like… cancer treatment. They're the surgery and we're the ongoing therapy and treatments."
"Huh, might work."
"Put the right people with them and it should." Coulson agreed.
"Who are you thinking of? Rumlow? Sitwell?"
"No, they wouldn't take time to teach him, to catch him up on the last seventy years. I was thinking more like Barton and Romanov. They already know the Unit, have been training with them for years now. Keeping them on-mission is nigh on impossible. Just look at Budapest. I told him no bow and what does he take?"
"The bow." Fury grunted in understanding.
"The bow." Coulson nodded. "And let's not mention the mission that got us Romanov."
"Ugh."
"Plus Potter's science people have stabilised Banner's serum, no more uncontrolled green rage monster, Banner knows exactly what he's doing when he goes green."
"Add him to the Avengers?" Fury wasn't sure that was a good idea.
"And S.H.I.E.L.D isn't the one carrying their flag, Stark is." Coulson reminded the other man. "Where is the Captain, right now? What's his status?"
"Still unconscious and partially frozen, on the tarmac waiting to take off for New York." Fury replied.
"If you can get the WSC to approve the Initiative being outsourced to Stark and Potter, to be combined with The Unit, before that plane lands, I'll talk to Stark and have him meet the plane or redirect it wherever it needs to go." Coulson gave Fury a bland look. "But now, there's a deadline, the Council have to sign-off on this before that plane lands the Captain under S.H.I.E.L.D control."
"Agreed." Fury nodded sharply. "We'd still have access to the Initiative, via Barton and Romanov, but no responsibility for any damage done."
"We'd still have contact, access might be a little forward." Coulson suggested. "We won't be able to order them around, but we will be able to reach them in a national, international or interplanetary emergencies."
"But we also won't have repair their fuckups." Fury nodded. "Let's do it."
"Barton and Romanov?" Coulson asked.
"And you." Fury said. "See if you can talk Stark into you or Carter being the Avengers international liaison." He slid three resignation forms across the desk.
"How long would it take the plane to reache London? That's the point we have to have this finalised."
"Four hours." Fury replied.
"Time for me to find Barton and Romanov and for us to fil out those resignations and get them back on your desk, while you talk to the council." Coulson stood. "As soon as I've dropped my forms off, I'll call Stark and bring him up to date." Coulson scooped up the forms and stood.
"Good. Move." Fury ordered.
Coulson entered the firing range.
"Barton. Romanov. My office." He ordered, letting them hear the elation and excitement in his voice.
Both froze and slowly turned to face him.
"Sir?" Barton asked.
"Now, agents." He turned on his heel and strode away, he knew that it would take only seconds before they were stowing their weapons and following him.
By the time he entered his office, two minutes later, both were only feet behind him.
"Close the door, Barton." He ordered.
"Yes, sir." Clint jumped into action, it was rare that Coulson's door ever closed.
"We have a chance to do something bigger than S.H.I.E.L.D, agents." He started. "But this is voluntary, no orders." He dropped a trio of resignation forms on the desk and saw the surprise and alarm fill both agents faces. "The Avengers Initiative is being... outsourced."
"They'd bring too much scrutiny to S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha said as Coulson started to fill out a form.
"Exactly." Coulson nodded.
"Why now?"
"Now, we have a deadline." Coulson said. "Three hours and fifty-five minutes." He signed the form.
"Three hours and fifty-five minutes?" Clint asked. "What happens then?" He accepted the pen from Coulson and began writing.
"I can't tell you, yet. Not while you're S.H.I.E.L.D agents. But it's big."
"Bigger than S.H.I.E.L.D?" Natasha pulled a form towards her but hesitated to take the second pen Coulson held out.
"Yes. It will be the making of the Initiative." Coulson said. "I'm going and I want the pair of you with me."
"What does Fury say?" Natasha asked.
"He gave me the forms." Was all Coulson said.
"Right." Natasha looked at Clint and the pair nodded and as one, signed the forms.
"Excellent." Coulson accepted the completed forms. "Pack your gear, you get to take three weapons from the armoury, any three. Meet me out front, we'll take Lola."
Clint inhaled sharply. "You're going to let us in Lola?"
"Yes." Coulson nodded. "You have ten minutes."
"Sir, yes, sir." The pair snapped into action, nearly sprinting out of his office.
Coulson sighed. He didn't know whether to be sad that his time at S.H.I.E.L.D was over, or excited at what was to come.
He picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number.
"Good morning, Agent Coulson." The polished voice of Stark's computer greeted him.
"Good morning, JARVIS, I need to speak to Tony." Coulson deliberately said 'Tony', as opposed to 'Stark'.
"He's in his lab, agent, is it important?"
"Very much so."
"The Avengers Initiative?"
"In a way, yes." Coulson replied. "Fury's fronting the Council right now, to get them to outsource the Initiative to Stark. Not SI, but Tony, personally."
"One moment, Agent Coulson." The line went silent for a few seconds.
"JARVIS said Fury's giving me the Avengers." Tony didn't bother with a greeting. "What did you do?"
"Where are you?"
"The Mansion." It wasn't often that Tony was in New York and Coulson was relieved that the genius was so close, it cut down the travelling time, considerably.
"I'm bringing Barton and Romanov. We'll be there inside half and hour." He paused. "The three of us have signed our S.H.I.E.L.D resignations."
Tony drew in a sharp breath. "And the Initiative is being outsourced to me."
"Yes."
"You'd sign on with me?"
"Yes. There's also one more thing but I can't tell you until I'm out of S.H.I.E.L.D's buildings."
"Big?"
"Very."
"See you in twenty-five, Agent Agent." Tony disconnected the call.
The three newly unemployed, former S.H.I.E.L.D agents, followed a funny little robot into Stark's office.
"Mister Stark." Coulson said.
"Agent Agent, Birdy, Kitty." Stark was scribbling away furiously on a virtual whiteboard. "What's this all about?"
"No idea." Clint huffed and flopped into a chair.
"You don't know?" Tony looked way from the glowing screen.
"Neither of them know anything, beyond being told the Initiative was being outsourced to you and that Fury personally gave me resignation forms for the three of us." Coulson said and suddenly had Tony's full attention.
"You said this was big." Tony said. "How big?"
"Six foot two, two-hundred-forty pounds." Coulson said.
"Excuse me?" Tony frowned.
"As we speak Captain Steve Rogers is on route to London or New York, both have the same initial flightplan." Coulson paused and took a deep breath. "He's alive." Tony dropped his stylus while Natasha froze and Clint sat up sharply. "It appears that thanks to Erskin's serum, the ice has acted like a type of cryofreeze and kept him in suspended animation. He looks exactly as he did when he boarded the plane." He let his awe show. "He hasn't aged a day, he still looks to be in his mid-twenties."
"Holy shit…" Clint said.
"What he said." Tony nodded.
"Peggy and Bucky need to be told." Coulson said.
"Holy shit…" Clint said, again.
"Agreed." Natasha nodded.
"That's my job." Coulson said. "But I need to know… Would it be better to send him to the island or to bring here?"
"The island." Tony said, instantly.
Coulson's phone rang and the tone told him it was Fury. He quickly answered it. "Coulson."
"Cheese, it's done." Fury said. "The Initiative is Stark and Potter's. There's a courier on the way with SecDef's approval and some checks, one from the President, one from the Joint Chiefs, one from S.H.I.E.L.D and one from the WSC. And release papers for you three, Rogers and Barnes. The plane is seconded to take its load wherever the Avengers' director says, it's due to land in London in three hours, five minutes unless it's sent elsewhere. Keep in contact." The line went dead.
Coulson sighed in relief. "It's done. The Initiative is yours, papers and checks on the way via courier. Rogers' plane lands in London in just over three hours, diverting it to Glasgow will take five miuntes. What do you want us to do?"
"We're packed and ready to go." Clint said. "But I'd appreciate the chance to tell my wife that I quit S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony threw three folders on the desk. "Agent Agent… No, not Agent Agent, anymore, you're Coulson now." He mused. "Coulson, you're Director, Peggy will be International Liaison, I can't put her as Director. You know damn well she's going to take one look at Rogers and decide that she's waited long enough for him."
"Ten bucks says she doesn't give him more than an hour before informing him they're getting married." Clint said.