Wow! You guys have nearly no idea how happy I am! CHAPTER TEN! Ten beautiful chapters! I am so glad! That means the ball will really start rolling! So Irene and Coulson are together! What on freaking Earth (or Midgard) is Loki's plan if that meant having his only ally go into the arms of the enemy!? What is Loki's motives? I'm sure it's driving you all insane lol! But that's for me to know and for you to eventually find out!
Not to worry, Shizu has it all covered.
Irene and Loki would have plenty of bonding time before he decides to bump into Thanos and the Other. I'm so excited that I'm chuckling like an evil idiot. And besides, not much would get done if Irene were to stay in her manor up in Canada. So moving her to a place where there seems to be more chance for action seems much better! I mean hell, Coulson in the previous chapter said that she would be detained for as long as it is deemed necessary by S.H.E.I.L.D.
So I want to thank:
moonsword17: I am happy that you seemed thrilled by the revelation of Irene's medication or shall I say poison? Very dark isn't it? Poisoning your own child and such...isn't Mr. Hawkins a douche or what?
musicgal100189: I never saw so many 'please' in a review before! And not to worry I don't think Loki has any intentions for her death. If he wanted her dead he would had let her die ages ago or killed her with his own bare hands when he got better! And remember she was being poisoned for years, small amounts, nothing fatal, just enough to make her sick. They needed her alive, not dead!
AkeraWriterOfTheNight: Thanks for your praise! You humble me! *blushes*
Winter's Twilight: SO MANY REVIEWS! Thank you so much! I'm so happy your loving this story, you seem always so excited with each chapter you read! I love the enthusiasm! Keep it up my friend! *winks*
So without further delay enjoy this awesome chapter!
Chapter 10: The Empire State of Mind.
They drove for nearly an hour.
Not a long time in Coulson's opinion. He didn't know how many times he took a glance into the rear view mirror to watch S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new young charge, watching her stare at everything with open wonderment. Irene Hawkins was practically drinking up anything her eyes landed on, thirsty for the knowledge she'd been evidently denied. Phil found himself fighting off a smile that was trying to find its way onto his face as he watch the girl when she pressed her face against the glass. It was a rather endearing sight to see.
Montreal was a great city. One of the finest in Phil's opinion, they had great food, like those delectable steamy hot dogs he once had at this little quaint restaurant called Decarie Hot Dog.
But as good as Montreal was, and how pleasant (some) Canadians were. His heart belonged to the United States. Yup, he liked to live up to the reputation of a Patriot. He had all the vintage Captain America stuff to prove it, he'd be glad to show it to anyone. He was very prideful of his collection.
"We are almost there." Phil said.
He didn't get a response back from the silent girl.
Did she even hear me?
Probably not, he mused. They continued to drive in relative silence until they had finally reached their destination. The YUL airport. Massive and impressive in size, they went in the opposite direction in which others or 'normal' civilian people would go. Not many knew about it, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had their own little private section of the airport where they could stash their planes and use the landing strips whenever needed. A small sum of money went to the Canadian Government of course to keep their good word of silence.
Phil had made calls to Fury, reporting his find. Telling him about Irene's request for protection in exchange for information. If he remembered correctly the Director complained that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't do no "God damn babysitting services" in order to get some information.
But with careful persuasion the Agent managed to get his friend to relent.
When the SUV came to a complete stop he stepped out of the vehicle. Agent McGivers (the driver) got out as well. Making himself useful by opening the door and allowing the young woman to come out and grabbing what little possessions she had. Irene herself held fast onto her pet's leash. The small pup's tail wagging around rapidly with its excitement as it took in its new surroundings.
Phil found himself immediately drawn to her side, finally allowing a smile to form on his face when young Miss. Hawkins watched an enormous commercial aircraft, An American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER come in for landing.
She was very much like a child trapped in a young woman's body.
Gingerly the agent grasped her arm, "There is plenty of time to observe planes." He told her. "We got our own flight to catch."
Irene tilted her head towards him, her russet eyes staring up at him for a moment before nodding her head.
She gave him a 'lead-the-way' wave of her hand.
Flashing her a friendly smile he led her to an S.H.I.E.L.D. private jet, which was whirling loudly to life. Ready for flight. The hatch was open as their flight attendant greeted them, with a few soft spoken words between the newcomer and Agent McGivers, the young man handed Irene's luggage with care and finally dismissed himself after saying a short goodbye to Phil. With McGivers gone the attendant ushered them both in, with a little extra coaxing on her part to convince Irene that it was absolutely safe.
When they were finally on board Phil went to one of the many comfortable looking seats and sat down.
"Come join me, I have much to debrief you on before we reach Headquarters." He pointed at the seat across from him.
Irene's cheeks flushed. Shuffling forward slowly before taking the offered seat, having to give the attendant the leash for the dog so that it could be placed somewhere safe for the rest of the flight along with her other things.
Phil waited until she settled, telling her quietly that she had to buckle herself in before takeoff, and once he had to help her he finally addressed her. "Do you know where we are going, Miss. Hawkins?"
She shook her head at him.
Poor girl. He couldn't help but wonder how the girl could live with herself being stuck in a fancy house for all those years.
"Well, I am taking you to our base of operations in New York." He paused briefly and raised both his brows at her. "You do know about New York right?"
She looked offended that he would even ask that.
"Just asking." Phil replied nonchalantly.
The flight attendant closed the hatch and shut it tightly. The preparations for the flight underway. Grasping a radio the attendant pressed a button. Her voice echoed out in the small plane, it was annoying that they still do this whole 'in-case-of-emergency' protocol speech. But Irene seemed to be paying attention anyways. Until a 'ping' went off and the voice of the Captain rang out.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. My name is Captain Sanders, I am your pilot today. On behalf of myself and the entire crew, welcome aboard S.H.I.E.L.D. airlines flight 00451, none stop service from Montreal to New York City. Our flight time would be an hour and thirty minutes. We will be flying at an altitude of 4500ft at the ground speed of 604mph. At this time please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Also make sure your seatbelt is correctly fastened. Also, we advise you that as of this moment, any electronic equipment must be turned off. Thank you."
With another 'ping' the broadcast came to an end.
Sitting back in a relaxed manner he saw Irene didn't seem that much at peace as she worriedly glanced about.
He watched her nearly jump out of the seat when the plane jerked forward, moving into motion. The flight attendant started to preach about the emergency exits and what to do if they were to crash, it seemed to make the young woman nervous.
But never had he ever seen someone so freaked out by flying in an airplane like Irene Hawkins before.
First she seemed alright. Then she started to get pale when the plane shook too often. Then she started to break out into cold sweet. And when they finally reached the runway she seemed to calm down just a little until the plane jerked, Phil was curtained if she didn't have her seatbelt fastened she would had been thrown out of her chair when the powerful engines fired up. He couldn't help himself, he tried, and he really did. But the laughter escaped him before he could stop himself.
Loud and boisterous.
He had to wipe the tears away from his eyes as the plane started to slowly make it's ascend from the ground.
How long has it been since Phil Coulson laughed that much?
A long time. He contemplated. Since my days as a fresh recruit.
Once he settled down, he cleared his throat and fixed his tie subconsciously. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." He said sheepishly. Irene's brows were furrowed together, her pale cheeks were dusted with a dark red tint. She seemed thoroughly self-conscious. But once the plane reached the necessary altitude in the sky she seemed to calm down, sitting herself up straight.
"Best reaction to a take-off I've ever seen." He continued.
Irene's eyes narrowed into daggers. I never flew in a hunk of metal before! I don't like heights! She signed angrily.
"You're scared of heights?" Phil's brows raised.
Her anger quickly turned to embarrassment. When I was young I was curious to see that if I climbed a really tall tree when it was cloudy, there'd be a possibility I could find giants living in the sky.
"Like Jack and the beanstalk?" He summarized. He briefly thanked the flight attendant when she brought them both a glass of ice water. Grasping his, he hastily took a sip.
She nodded her head. Yes, I was maybe around…ten years old. I read the story and I thought if I could go up to the castle in the sky where the giants live I could find the golden harp that could play me lullabies at night for me to sleep. She could hardly look him in the eye as she confessed a small portion of her childhood. But before long I reached the top of the tree, of course I was nowhere near the clouds. And I found myself stuck! Looking down was a horrible thing to do! That was when I realized how scary being so high up was. I was stuck in the tree for hours! I was lucky that my Doctor came in that day or else I probably wouldn't have gotten down anytime soon.
Her little tale amazed him. It wasn't often in those days when ten year olds would still believe in such things as fairy tales. Irene looked to be in her early twenties, so being born in the 1990s kids hardly even believed in Santa Claus.
Then again she never really had peers her age telling her that there was no such things. Must have learned the hard way. He reminded himself.
"So you suffer acrophobia." He stated. Irene gave him a rather confused look, "An extreme or irrational fear of heights." He clarified for her.
Her face lit up with sudden understanding.
He decided to bring up something that was bothering him for a while. "So…" He started, "What happened between you and your father that would result in domestic violence?"
She raised a hand to her cheek, her fingers running along her bruise for just a brief moment. She winced when it appeared she applied to much pressure and lowered her hand so that she could answer.
Father and I…had a disagreement of sorts. She seemed to be considering her next words carefully, he noticed. I had asked for a chance to going to the city, he didn't take kindly to the suggestion. Phil shot her a brief sympathetic glance before his professional mask came back. He just got so angry that he struck out, I barely got out of there.
"How did you manage to escape?" Phil wondered aloud. From what little information gathered on her, she was small, frail, and sickly. How someone like that managed to get from someone as big, and as healthy as Mr. Hawkins must have not been easy.
She wore the look of shame. I placed a sleeping draught in his drink.
Phil found himself sitting up, his interest piqued. "A sleeping draught?" He sounded mildly surprised, "as in you drugged your father?"
If you say it like that you make it sound much worse than it is! She snapped, looking very unhappy with herself.
"No, no, no…!" Phil said quickly, correcting himself "That's actually rather impressive."
He somewhat respected her now. For how long he'd known Mr. Hawkins before, he could vouch that the old bastard deserved it. "So what did you use?" He was genuinely curious.
Irene blinked, surprised. Valerian mostly.
"Isn't that a flower?"
An herb. She signed in a matter-of-fact way. It's a natural sedative.
"And you learned this where?"
From my books! She looked proud. Beaming happily at him.
"And the plant?"
I had a few growing in my garden. I'm sure you saw it, or some of your men did while searching my home.
After that Phil went into easy conversation with her, evaluating everything as they spoke. She was surprisingly a very bright young woman. He wondered to himself if her father by chance gave her a private tutor to teach her since she never went to neither private nor public school. She was surely intelligent if she could use simple flowers and turn it into drugs. And from her 'published' compositions under her name that was considered one of the biggest composers of modern classical music of all times, she was definitely a hidden genius.
Depending on the perspective of course.
Did she even know that her work was actually publicized? The name Irene Hawkins was rather famous in the classical world. Her arias costs thousands, but with the amount of her work submitted it could easily turn to over a million. But the amounts were just a simple guess to Phil. He wasn't really one for classical music. But he could admire the artists who create such things. And aside from her intelligence, she was also very pretty. If she lived a bit of a normal life, or in the States as an American instead of a Canadian, her father would had at least owned a shotgun to keep the young men away. Quite obvious since she had an identical twin running around.
"I think it's time for that debriefing I mentioned earlier." He started seriously.
Irene's small smile disappeared from her face as she looked at him, her expression somewhat grim as if she expected the worse.
He decided to be blunt and swift. "When we reach New York we will head directly to headquarters, no stops for anything. You will then be escorted to one of our interrogation rooms-" Her eyes widened slightly. Not from fright, she seemed rather intrigued instead and Phil found that to be an interesting reaction. "-where you will be detained and questioned. Once we receive your answers we will go over the information you provide us, and check to see if it falls into place. If the Director is happy and finds it useful, S.H.I.E.L.D. will protect you as promised. On the other hand if your information is false and you are just using us to get away from your father, then we will deport you immediately back to Canada and to your father's custody." Phil tilted his head slightly to the side, eyeing her closely. "Understood?" he asked.
Irene's eyes crinkled as a smile found its way onto her face. Of course.
Phil automatically smiled back and reached out his hand, hanging out between them for her to shake to signify they had a deal. "Then I believe we have ourselves a compromise." He told her. Her brows furrowed in confusion, looking at his hand that was still outstretched.
"You're supposed to shake it." He informed politely. "It's a way of greeting, giving congratulations, or expressing gratitude. There's many reasons to shake a hand, but for this let's just say we reached an agreement and when that happens people tend to shake hands."
Irene's mouth formed an 'o' shape as understanding and realization hit her. She swiftly clasped her hands around his and shook it rather firmly and a bit wildly. Missing the odd look the flight attendant sent her way, she peered at him bashfully and kept holding his hand waiting for some approval that she was doing it right.
He snorted, trying to hide his amusement so he wouldn't offend the girl by making her think he was making fun of her lack of social skills.
"Good for the first try." He commended. He went on fixing her hands so just it was just her right one grasping his own and briefly moved their hands up and then down before letting go. "This is the more correct way to do it."
Her cheeks turned a nice rosy color at her mistake. Huffing silently her face settled into fierce determination, and with shocking speed she grabbed his hand, shook it firmly, and let go.
Phil blinked.
She watched him intently, her lips pressed together into a thin line.
"That was…ugh…great." He supplied lamely.
Her face brightened considerably from his words. Her smile was much more radiant now, she had a look of pure happiness. Just by how silly she looked one would guess she received the best gift in the world. Phil found it mystifying in some sense or another. His earlier conclusion that she was a child trapped in a woman's body seemed very accurate. She stared openly at little everyday things, didn't know certain customs, she seemed ignorant of them all.
How could it be that Mr. Hawkins hid such a nice girl?
Phil, as aloof and Inscrutable he may be, he was still very human at heart. He couldn't foresee anyone locking away such a delightful and sweet girl. He knew from her files (yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. kept files of people who seemed note-worthy, Irene mostly due to her connections to Mr. Hawkins himself), was that she was sick and kept in a "safe" environment. Safe wouldn't be the right word, since that bruise on her face proved it. He suddenly hoped that she was telling him the truth, it would be a shame if she had to be sent back to that. But no matter the outcome his work for S.H.I.E.L.D. would always be his priority.
Even if he did somewhat like her.
\oooo/
Irene seemed to handle the landing much better than the take-off. Landing in Newark was smooth, and the weather was nice according to the captain. The sun was nearly set on the horizon as Phil and Irene gathered all her things and climbed down the steps of the ramp. The girl seemed too relieved to be back on the ground.
Having Irene's pet, Shepard, retrieved Phil steered the young woman to another awaiting SUV. The S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem standing out proudly on the vehicle's glossy black surface.
Opening the backseat door Phil offered a helping hand, a small smile on his face "Ladies first."
Irene turned a bit flustered at first before taking his offered hand and slid herself into the back seat after her dog jumped in. Closing the door, Phil walked around the back and slid in through the other side. Getting comfortable he placed his seatbelt on.
"Good evening, Agent Coulson." Their driver greeted.
"Agent Sitwell." Phil's brows shot up "What an unexpected surprise."
He hadn't expected to see Agent Sitwell here, and on an escort mission no less.
"When was the last time I saw you?" Sitwell glanced into the review mirror to look at him. His eyes sparking gleefully "Wasn't it July 2nd?"
Phil scoffed, nearly rolling his eyes "Blonsky?" he asked. He settled himself in, not paying much attention to Irene's blank stare. She was lost on the conversation. Which was good. She really didn't need to know about that little incident anyways.
"Blonsky." Sitwell confirmed. He set the car into drive and pressed down on the gas pedal, the car jerked into motion as they started to drive away to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
The agent in the passenger seat remained silent. Phil didn't really pay much attention to him, he was probably just some form of protection. Not for him or Sitwell, but for Irene most likely. "So what brings you, Sitwell?" He questioned, while muttering that they last saw each other on the 3rd after asking Stark to aid them with a problem involving General Ross. Stark got the job done luckily enough.
"I've heard you were in town, wanted to see it for myself." Every now and then Sitwell would take his brown eyes off the road to look at him. "I also heard you had company who was not an Agent. When I was told who I just had to see for myself! So I volunteered."
Phil narrowed his eyes, "Who gave you that information?" He trusted Sitwell, he had level six clearance after all but the fact that he had Irene with him wasn't well known information yet.
"The Director," Sitwell replied casually.
Phil exhaled slowly and relaxed.
"So…" Sitwell started slowly, a few beats of silence passed between them all. "Why is she here?"
Phil gave a nonchalant shrug, he would find out later anyways. But since there was an agent there with an uncertain level clearance he simply said. "New Mexico."
A look of understanding came upon Sitwell's face "I see."
Phil shifted a little so he could address their young charge. "How are you feeling Irene?" he asked. Realizing that he had forgotten briefly that she was sick, or if she even had her medicine on her. He felt a bit inconsiderate on her behalf. It slightly worried him, "Tired? Nauseous? Hungry?" he pressed.
Her face softened, a smile forming on her lips as her eyes comforted him. Those russet orbs sparkled back with gratefulness for his concern.
I will be okay, I have my medicine if you're worried about that. She signed.
"Do you have to take it sometime soon?" He felt a bit reassured that he didn't have to rush her to a clinic anytime soon.
Tomorrow evening at the latest.
"She's mute?" Sitwell interrupted.
Phil's eyes widened at he shot his fellow Agent a warning glance, the 'shut-up-Sitwell' stare that he perfected during their many collaborations together in S.H.I.E.L.D. and wisely so did the Agent shut up.
"Sorry…" Sitwell grumbled.
Irene didn't seem to mind at all. Sure she seemed a bit flustered but she didn't let Sitwell's bluntness effect her, even if it was rude. She reached around Shepard (who sat between the two of them) and held his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to tell him she was fine. The small moment was over when she retracted her hand so it settled in her lap.
From then on they continued in silence.
\oooo/
Irene couldn't take her eyes off the view. Everything she was seeing, experiencing for the first time, was very overwhelming. Sitwell had driven them from Newark airport and they were passing through something Agent Coulson called the 'Lincoln tunnel' that would take them to central Manhattan. And when they had passed through the tunnel she was instantly dazzled by the many city lights.
So many tall buildings! So many people! Her mind screamed.
She felt so small in such a large city. It certainly had a different impression than the City of Montreal, if she were to walk around she would most likely get lost.
Glancing down she pressed some of the random buttons near the window until finally she found one that would lower the sheet of class that separated her from the outside word. The New York breeze ruffled her hair but she just smiled. Leaning over she stuck out her head so she could look up at the tall skyscrapers that dominated each city block.
"Hey, don't do that it's not safe." Coulson scolded.
Irene felt his hand on her shoulder as he gently pulled her back. She pouted at him, and he chuckled. His blue eyes shining with amusement. "How about some music Sitwell?"
"Music?" Sitwell fumbled with some random buttons until noise blasted from the surrounding speakers. Irene flinched by how loud it was.
"Yeah, yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca,
Right next to DeNiro, But I'll be hood forever. I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here,
I can make it anywhere, yeah they love me everywhere. I use to cop in Harlem,
All of my dominicanos right up there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonalds…"
Irene blanched.
What kind of music is this!? Her mind screeched. Never in her life had she heard this kind of music! What was a DeNiro? What was a McDonalds? Irene's question of thought halted when they drove by a place that had the symbol of a large 'M' on it that had the title of 'McDonalds'. Many people were walking in and out of that place, some with bags of what seemed like food. So it was a type of restaurant…
That answers that question…
She perked up when she heard a woman singing on the radio and listened carefully.
"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do.
Now you're in New York, these streets will make you feel brand new, these lights will inspire you.
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York!"
She liked that part…it seemed to fit this city perfectly and learned from Phil that this song was called Empire State of Mind. By the time the song ended they pulled over into a stop. She looked around and spotted two street signs. Fifty-Ninth Street and Madison Ave.
Coulson crawled out of the car along with Sitwell and the other Agent. The Agent whose name she didn't know opened her door for her and helped her out, grapping her things while Irene snatched Shepard's leash tightly. The young pup whined at its new surroundings, Irene patted his head comfortingly before leading him towards Coulson and Sitwell.
Coulson, surprisingly the gentleman, offered her his arm. "Let's go shall we?" He said lightly.
Irene looped her arm through his, she looked much shorter next to the tall S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He led her towards a small little shop. When they entered she glanced around curiously. Noting the line of chairs and many bottles of what looked light shampoo and conditioner. She realized that this must be a modern Barber Shop where men like her father went to get his hair cut.
She sent a 'why-are-we-here?' deadpan stare.
Agent Coulson, Sitwell, and whoever else was with them didn't seemed phased at all.
Two men from the back came out. A slightly older man who seemed to be balding, and an African American who both offered them smiles.
"Coulson! Sitwell! Nice to see you!" The balding man greeted happily.
"Hello." The African American man said next, nodding his head politely.
"Hello Sam," Coulson replied, and then nodded back to the second man "Slim."
The balding man, Sam, walked forward. Quickly shaking hands with Coulson "It's a pleasure to see you again." He turned his attention to Irene. "Who's this pretty little jewel?"
Irene blushed at the compliment.
"This is a new 'friend' so we need to go down to 'that place' and see the Director." Coulson replied casually.
Sam rubbed his chin, his head nodding a few times and hummed. "I see, I see…." His lips pulled back to flash bright straight white teeth. "Take a seat then!" He gestured to one of the many seats in his shop.
One by one they took a seat. Coulson showed her to one of the many seats and sat her down. Telling her that she should stay put and not move until he gave the okay. It was a little awkward since Shepard had to be placed in her lap but she didn't complain when she wrapped her arms around the small animal. She was glad he wasn't fully grown just yet. So when Coulson sat down he gave a thumbs up to Sam.
"Alright Slim, press the button!" Sam ordered.
Slim did as he was told, pressing a button that Irene didn't even notice at first.
At first nothing happened. Until the chair jerked and started to go into the ground. Irene held fast to Shepard, startled. They went into the ground in some sort of tube. She was alone, not being able to see the other Agents and it made her nervous as she traveled further down into the Earth. It didn't last long when she descended down into a dark scarcely lit room. She looked around. Seeing shadows of people next to her. She realized that it was Coulson and Sitwell.
When the chair settled she waited until Coulson gave the okay.
Once she was allowed she settled Shepard on the ground. "Enjoy the ride?" Irene shrugged a little, it was alright. Not her most favorite way of getting somewhere, but better than flying any day.
Isn't there other ways to get down here?
The corner of Coulson's lips twitched, "Possibly, but I can't really tell you."
Of course he can't, secret agent….right. She knew that. She blushed a little for not realizing that. She nervously ran her hands along her dress to smooth down the wrinkles that formed from today's travels. Then her mind brought up Loki, she wondered where he was. If he was safe? She bit her lip with worry as she continued to think about the Asgardian.
"We have to take you to questioning now…" Coulson's voice cut through her thoughts like a butter knife.
She bowed her head with submission as Coulson rested his hand on her shoulder. Steering her to God knows where. And for the first time since leaving Canada, she was genuinely scared. Without thinking her hand grasped the golden pendent that Loki had given her. She prayed that he would come for her soon. That the information he gave her would help her. She couldn't even imagine what punishment her father would give her if she were to fail and be deported. She didn't bother exploring her surroundings since they walked in what she thought was a never ending labyrinth. Now and then they would pass an Agent that didn't pay too much attention to them. And finally Irene found herself in a room, there was a table in the middle of the room and on the opposite side, a stainless steel bench bolted to the floor. The other two chairs were on the opposite side of the table, Irene guessed it was for her interrogators. Presumably, what she thought was the suspect's bench was bolted to the floor to prevent movement away from the camera's view (which was mounted in plain sight in the upper corner of the room). As for the stainless steel finish, perhaps it is easy to clean up after an intense interrogation…
Maybe reading all those mystery novels was a bad idea…She thought frightfully.
The room was just nothing but grey. Grey walls, grey floors, grey everything. It was just so cold in here, it made her shiver as Coulson guided her to the bolted seat. His hand brushing against hers' as he took the leash. "I'm afraid Shepard can't stay with you, he'll have to be placed elsewhere during the interview." He informed her. Irene's heart sank, sadly she took her seat.
Sitwell waited for Coulson by the door and decided to speak. "We'll leave you in here for now, until your interrogator arrives." He had the slight look of pity on his face. "So until then." With that Sitwell left. And with one last look from Coulson he disappeared to. The door slamming shut behind them that echoed around the room as if it was the final time it would open.
Loki… Irene held her golden pendant tightly.
So she waited.
She waited, and waited some more. She looked at her reflection in the only mirror in the room. The girl she saw looked back at her in sorrow. And for what felt like years, the handle of the only door there twisted. And in came a man who suddenly made the room seem much smaller. An air of importance seem to ooze out of this man in waves. Something in Irene screamed that he wasn't 'just an agent' in S.H.I.E.L.D.
No, he is something else…Her mind whispered.
He was very tall, coming from African American descent. He was bald as well, wearing a long black coat over a black undershirt. What had intrigued Irene the most was the eye patch over his left eye. She shuttered when she thought about the possibilities of how that could have happened. But she didn't have much time to dwell on that when he claimed the seat directly across from her.
"Do you know who I am?"
Was that a trick question?
The questioned startled her. She looked him over, and shook her head. She had absolutely no idea who this guy was. The man tossed a file on the desk before clasping his hands together. His expression was serious.
"I am Director Fury of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." At the lost look on Irene's face he simply added. "Or S.H.I.E.L.D. as you know us by."
Timidly she signed. That's quite the mouthful…
She could have sworn she saw amusement in his lone eye for one single moment. "You're not the only one who thought so."
"But, what my organization calls itself isn't what we are here to discuss." Opening the file, Fury scanned over some few papers. He read over it quickly "Your name is Irene Hawkins, is that correct?"
She was sure he already knew who she was and simply played along by nodding.
"Says here you're the daughter of Gregory Hawkins and Aelwen Darrow, that you have a twin sister named Liera."
Well…yes, though I'm afraid that aside from Father I don't really know much of my mother and sister…
Fury continued to shuffle though the papers, Irene realizing that it was the file about her.
"It's not every day we find ourselves housing runaway relatives of someone with high political status." He continued disinterestedly, "And to ask us for protection…" He was suddenly scowling at her as he slammed shut her file with a loud 'bang!' she winced and shied away. "I hope you know how serious this is Miss. Hawkins. WE are an intelligence agency not some freaking babysitting service for rich folk! The fact that I even considered this at all is insane, and that I should probably kick my own ass for agreeing in the first place! So depending on the answer you give me will either save your ass, or get you skinned just so we're clear."
Irene gulped, positive that she turned three shades paler.
Intimidating didn't seem to be the right word for Director Nick Fury, he was downright terrifying! Odd considering she never feared Loki, but feared this man instead. Taking deep and even breaths she tried soothing her jumbled nerves to the best of her ability. She reminded herself that she wasn't in real trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D. and that she would be fine. She was confident that she would survive this little ordeal. All she needed to do was remember what Loki told her.
With false mask of self-confidence she decided to steer the conversation. Shall we start then Director?
"Yes, let's start." He agreed.
He started off first. "There was an enigmatic anomaly in Southern Quebec that occurred a while ago near your home. It was similar to an incident down in New Mexico that caused an entire town to be leveled in just a day, as you know we sent a team to investigate."
Agent Coulson. Irene replied.
"Yes, the sight was very close to your home. He took it upon himself to reach out to your father before stepping foot on your land. If he were to do so without permission it would had let to diplomatic incident. Something we wish to avoid. You being here at all risks things, but we might give it an exception." Fury leaned forward, his chin resting on top of his hands. "So, tell me since according to Agent Coulson you lied during your first questioning. Why?"
Irene wisely decided to stick to what she told Coulson. That she feared her Father's presence and refused to reveal anything when he was in the room. And then she went on explaining what happened with her father, and her 'fated' run in with Coulson in a diner and the deal she struck with him.
"That explains the ugly spot on your face." Irene guessed he was talking about her bruised cheek.
Yes.
"So, why don't you tell us the truth? From the beginning, we'll go from there to see if what you gave us is useful or not. Remember if you're telling the truth, we will keep you under our protective custody. And I am pretty damn sure I don't need to repeat about what would happen if you lied to us." He gave her his full undivided attention.
Irene took a deep breath and spoke about how all things started.
I tend to take long walks along my land. It was a habit I developed as a form of exercise, usually with Shepard. It was a sunny day, there wasn't even a cloud in sight until a sudden storm came along while I was at the farthest reach of my property. And then…there was a bright stream of light that crashed down from the sky. It was colorful, like a rainbow of sorts. Irene was lying now, knowing this isn't how exactly she stumbled upon Loki at all. It was in fact Loki's tale she was telling. What he told her to tell them. Without thinking I went to go inspect what happened. And what I found was…well…extraordinary.
Fury seemed much more interested. "Go on." He acknowledged.
I found a symbol, scorched into the ground. Do you have something I can draw with? She asked suddenly.
Fury's brows shot up. Reaching into his coat he pulled out a pen. And got an extra blank paper from the file and slid it towards her. Thanking him with a smile she focused on the plain sheet and uncapped the pen before setting to work. She sketched quickly, not really having time to elaborate detail.
"This is the runic symbol of the Bifrost." Loki's voice echoed to her. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has seen it before, if you were so show them this. Your story would seem truthful, and they would be obliged to believe what you say. It gives you a better chance."
Finally deeming her drawing satisfying enough she passed it over to the Director who took it and looked it over.
If he was surprised he hid it well.
He placed the paper down gently, she wasn't sure if it was just her hearing but his voice may have gotten a little softer. "What else could you tell me?"
Irene indulged him and continued the story. It wasn't just the only thing I found. Well…not really a thing, more like a 'someone' I didn't really get much of a look but I saw someone going into the woods. And this person seemed….different. I'm not sure how, but it was a male, this person looked like they came right out of a fairy tale book. Cape and everything.
She told Fury where he could find the 'Bifrost' sight. And pleaded inside that they would believe her story.
"If that would be all, I'll take my leave for now and go over everything. Until then I will send some agents to escort you to an isolated holding cell." Fury got up from his seat, gathering the files. And took his leave, but before he fully went out the door he paused and peered over his shoulder.
"Oh, and Miss. Hawkins." He called.
Irene's russet eyes looked up at him.
"Welcome to New York."
With that he left her all by herself, with only the four grey walls, the chairs, and the table for a companion in muted silence.
\oooo/
Fury closed the door behind him firmly, and strode to another door and went in. There he found Coulson, who seemed to be staring out the one way mirror at the young Irene Hawkins. He had her files, and drawing, safely tucked under his arm. Joining his Right hand man he looked out towards the young woman who was sadly staring down at the table.
"So what do you think?" Fury asked.
"About what, sir?" Phil turned to him slightly.
"Do you think she's telling the truth?"
Phil seemed to consider it before his lips turned up into a small smile. "I think so."
"We got to find out what to do with her."
"Director?"
Fury frowned. "She can't really stay here at headquarters, this isn't a place for girl like her."
"No, but I am sure we can keep a better eye on her if we keep her close." Of course the life in S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't a walk in the park. Everyone saw some freaky shit one way or another. Especially the field agents. Maybe a filing clerk or those who worked a desk job could be safe. But the girl before him, what could she really be cut out for?
A frail girl paler than death, with thin willowy arms and legs. Her chestnut locks falling down her back freely, and her russet eyes sparkled with what gave the impression of unhappiness to be locked up alone in a dark room. To Nick, she was just an innocent civilian. Most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents were once military, or had an understanding of the outside world. Irene Hawkins had been isolated, Phil had told him she was the true musical genius. And he had listened to her music, and it did wonders to the soul. The fate her father condemned her to was cruel, unjustified, and just plain wrong. He doubted that Miss. Hawkins was aware of her Father's horrible secret. But it was none of his business, he was the executive Director. Now in charge of the outcome of Irene's fate. Would he let her stay, safe under the protection of his agency? Or will he doom her and return her back to her father? Fury had met Mr. Hawkins under unfortunate circumstances, none were pleasant. It was hard to imagine her being related to the Governor General of Canada.
"For now, let's keep her here and check out everything she told us." Fury decided "If she did see someone, we may have another Alien on our hands. Or it could just be Thor."
"Should I inform Jane Foster?"
"No, we will keep it to ourselves for now."
"And Irene?"
"Place her in the holding cell, the good one. We don't need her getting sick, she could have her things except the dog. Take to some doggie daycare or something until we get her situated." Fury left Phil to complete his duties. He pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the time. In just one week things just seemed to be getting better. The world security council had been riding his ass since the discovery of the Tesseract. He was bound to head up to New Mexico to go see how Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S was doing and meet up with Selvig who he recently recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. and having the Doctor's help would serve them greatly. It surprised him at first when the man agreed to take a look at the Tesseract in the first place after waltzing into his life and stealing most of Foster's research but he wasn't going to complain. He was going to meet up with Agent Barton, since he reassigned the man there himself. Having Irene Hawkins onboard to be something he didn't really expect, had had to trust Coulson for now and give orders from afar. And he could overlook the studies on the Destroyer, among other things. But he would return as quickly as possible before the revival of the super Soldier.
"So many God damn things to do, so little damn time." Fury grumbled in annoyance.
So instead of enjoying a good rest like everyone else on the damn East Coast. Fury readied himself for a nice night of travel.
HA! Another chapter completed! You know I was done with this for like two days but unfortunately I couldn't upload the new chapter because for some reason I couldn't connect to the server for my account so I was like "fuck, double fuck, triple fuck!" and so on so forth. Sorry for the language but that's how I literally felt! Because I wanted to reach out to my readers with this awesome new chapter!
But sorry folks no Loki in this one!
And I even introduced Nick Fury! I was going to introduce him in the next chapter but I decided that I would keep writing! Now I wanted more time with Irene and Phil, get some more relationships to happen. Cause it's important that these two friend each other before the start of the Avengers! Phil's death would affect her much better if she knew him on a personal level! Fury on the other hand doesn't seem to happy for her to be there! But since this is 'Fury's big week' he's got the world security council riding his ass, babysitting Stark, and the Banner incident, and the search of Cap along with the discovery of Aliens (Thor). As he so elegantly put it "So many God damn things to do, so little damn time" and speaking of time I had essays crashing into me like a wrecking ball left and right which was horrible!
So I decided to call this chapter Empire State of Mind, ironically when I was writing this the song came on. And when I personally had my own experience in New York City (visiting the Avenger's S.T.A.T.I.O.N. at Discovery Times) the song came on and it perfectly fitted the City of New York. It left an impression on me, so why not Irene? And Montreal is my home city, I love it though I spent most of my years within the United States so I'm what you call an "Americanized Canadian" but the quaint little Hot Dog place Phil mentioned (Decarie) was a place I went to often and still do! They have the best steam hot dogs in the city!
And of course there is Agent Sitwell and Blonsky: If you don't know who they are, I suggest watching the marvel one-shot "The Consultant" where they get Stark to bother Ross, and watch the Hulk. Blonsky is the Abomination, and Sitwell you can see in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and other movies such as Thor, Avengers, Item 47, Winter Soldier. He's not hard to miss!
I think I covered just about everything! Cause I'm trying to stick to the time line though I think I might have to stretch it to accommodate the story so Loki and Irene could form a good relationship. And it gives plenty of time for Irene to develop relationships to others like Phil (maybe Fury), and other people but she won't just go and 'automatically' friend the Avengers. Doesn't work that way lol. So Thank you all for reading!
Love, Review, favorite, go eat a chimichanga with Deadpool!
-Shizu