The mists flowed around her. Again. This was getting old. Emory had a feeling that whoever had helped her in Russia was also behind these dreams. She called out, "Hello?"
In an instant the light turned a green hue, surrounding her in emerald tinted swirls. Emory… A voice whispered at the edge of her hearing, so familiar and yet so strange. Her eyebrows creased together into a frown as she sank deep into thought.
Whose voice was that?
Emory, you haven't forgotten me so soon have you? Forgotten all that we had, all that we still have? Her eyes shot back up, widening in shock and fear. No, it couldn't be. She closed her eyes and sank to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she wept in grief and pain again.
He's dead, and there is no bringing him back. He's dead, and I don't want him back! This is all a cruel trick. This is a lie! The voice answered, Is it?
She hadn't realized she had shouted that last bit out. It made no difference. Someone was trying to get under her skin, trying to get a rise from her. They were digging up the bittersweet pain that came with him. That's all there was to it. She turned away, trying to force herself awake.
Someone grabbed her arm and spun her around again. She found herself gazing into emerald green eyes, full of anger and pleading, surrounded by unkempt black curls falling over a pale, sculpted face. "Emory, please. This isn't a trick, I promise. Look at me!"
And she did. She looked over and over at the face she had committed to memory, but she still didn't quite believe. She almost didn't want to believe, not and let all that pain back in. She reached up a hesitant hand, which he clasped with his own, bringing it up to his chest. A beating heart pounded underneath her palm.
She whispered, "But you're dead….he told me, he wouldn't lie to me. He promised! You're dead, and this is a dream!" She spun away as she shouted her grief, her rage, her bitterness, which then turned into quiet sobs, her shoulders heaving, not a sound coming out. Two hands rested on her shoulders, stilling her tears. "He was wrong, Emory. He was wrong, and I am alive. And I want you back! You are mine..."
She looked at his face again, a little thinner and more haggard, but still his. She shook her head, anger replacing grief. "No, no I am not! I am not a possession. I am not a toy to play with and then throw away, over and over."
She pulled free from his grasp, spinning back to face him. "Go back to whatever hell you crawled out of, because you are not welcome here!" She took a ragged breath in, trying to calm the storm within. "Let me out. I need to leave."
He drew himself up, towering over the smaller woman. "I think not," he answered in a crisp tone. "If you will not come willingly, I will take you by force."
She smiled up at him, but it was not a pleasant smile. "Let me out, or you will never see your daughter. I keep her hidden from your eyes, and you know it."
His face darkened in fury. This woman would defy him? In the same moment, the anger melted away. She was his match, that was certain. "Very well. But I warn you. I will find you. Both of you."
He faded into the mists, and Emory sat up, awake. The cargo bay of the quinjet was empty except for her. This was the best opportunity she would get to escape. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the shadows and disappeared.
The transmission had come through. The mission had gone to shit, but they had all gotten out in one piece. They had captured the leader and brought him in for questioning. Emory was fine. For the most part. Tony stared at the screen, thinking. Before long, he made his decision.
"Jarvis, find me everything on Nightshade. Bust through every wall, burn down every defense, tear SHIELD apart if you have to, but I want every shred of data that has to do with it."
"As you wish sir." The AI got to work in the background. Tony pushed away from his workspace to pace back and forth. She had been living in his tower for months, months! He didn't have a problem with powered individuals, per se. What he did have a problem with was being lied to.
He had asked her if she knew what Nightshade was, and she had lied to his face smooth as you please. Not a flicker to show him her dishonesty. She was a SHIELD agent, but still. He thought that their friendship merited a modicum of honesty.
His thoughts turned to Kyle. It was ridiculous to think he didn't know about her extracurriculars. "Jarvis, give me video feed on the Black suite please."
A small square popped up in the corner of the large screen, playing right in front of where Tony stood. After taking a moment to study the feed, he swore and ran for the door.
The suite was empty. No Kyle, no Cara, no cats. It was if they had never been there. "Jarvis, scan the feeds for the whole tower. Where did they go?"
After a moment, Jarvis responded, "It appears that they disappeared into thin air sir." Tony stopped short at that. "What?"
Back in front of his main screen, Jarvis played back the surveillance cameras to an hour prior. On the screen, Emory stepped from the shadows into the room. Kyle jumped from the bed alert, took one look at her, and began shoving belongings into duffel bags.
She stopped him with a wave of her hand, three bags popping into existence on the bed. After a moment of shock, Kyle strode from the room to retrieve Cara while Emory put the cats into their carrier. Within five minutes, the room was bare. It looked like they had never been there.
Kyle and Emory stood across from each other, Cara between them, staring at one another. An entire conversation seemed to pass between them. Based on what Tony had already seen, he assumed one did. After a long moment of the staring, they stepped into the shadows, disappearing. They were gone.
Tony sighed, slumping back into his chair. What the hell was going on here? There was no point waking the others yet. Plenty of time for that when Clint and Natasha arrived. The billionaire figured that Emory had slipped from the quinjet without either of them noticing. Word of her disappearance could wait a few more hours.
"I didn't figure we needed to watch her every second on the quinjet! Where the hell was she gonna go?" Tony jerked awake as the argument grew louder.
Wiping a hand over his face, he looked around. Sunlight streamed through the window, lighting up the room. He must have fallen asleep waiting for the two spies to return from Russia.
"You saw what she did in Russia! Of course we should have kept eyes on her." Looked like the spy pals were back then. "You told me it was fine to sleep, you had this. And now she's gone!"
They entered the room, glaring at each other. Well, time to get the party started. "Yeah, she's been gone for hours. Came and took hubs and the kid with her. And the mongrels." He flicked a switch and the video feed played back for them to watch. "Figured you would notice when you got here."
Clint stared at the screen in shock, taking in the power his friend held. "She lied to us...all of us."
Tony closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah she did." Leaning back in his chair, he opened them to stare at the ceiling. "Jarvis, any luck on the Nightshade files?"
"No sir, they do not exist."
"They don't exist because we don't keep them on a mainframe. They stay with me, along with other very sensitive files." Tony turned to the door, taking in the new arrival.
"I figured you would make your way here before too long," he said, too tired for his normal amount of snark.
Fury gave a thin smile and handed him a USB drive. "Project Nightshade."
"You mean Emory," Clint said, the accusation clear. The Director turned to him and nodded. "Yes, I mean Agent Black. She is an asset in more ways than one."
Tony plugged the drive in. The screen lit up with several files, redacted documents, and a photograph of a woman in blackout gear. It was obvious she manipulated a battlefield around her with magic.
Fury's voice rang out. "This is Nightshade. She came onto our radar about two years ago, a little over a month after the London incident. Once aware of our presence, she became an operative of SHIELD. She fronted as a normal agent while also taking on special missions more suited to her….particular skill set."
The three Avengers stared at the screen, taking in the the picture and documents. "Well, I hate to say I told you so…" Natasha's faced twisted in a wry grin. So far as secrets went, she could forgive this one. That didn't stop the spy from enjoying being right.
Clint grimaced. "So this is Emory. Our Emory?" He leaned forward on the table, propping himself up on his arms. "I thought Nightshade was a weapon, or a project, when it's been her all along."
A pained expression crossed the director's face. This was going to hurt the Avengers' relationship with Emory. "Yes, it is. Nightshade was the name she took once she became an operative, and it fits well. Emory Black is an alias. Her name is Emory, but she never gave a last name, and as far as I know she doesn't have one. She's….well, she's not from Earth."
"Well then where the hell is she from?" Tony had stalked his way to the window, leaning his head against the glass to view the skyline. His tense body reflected how everyone else in the room felt. Betrayed, lost, angry. Confused. He turned back to Fury. "How did you know to come here? Who briefed you on Russia?"
The taller man crossed his arms in front of him, at ease in the line of questioning. "Emory did. As soon as she moved locations." He sighed. "She wanted me to pass on a message: 'I'm sorry. I can't explain everything right now, because the chase is not over. Russia was a distraction, and we have to hide. I can't come back until it's safe. I'm sorry.' Cryptic, I know, but that's all I got before she did her disappearing act."
He glanced at the two spies. "I have no idea if or when she will return, but I can't imagine it will be soon. So for now, life goes on. Agent Romanoff, I need you to go to DC and pick up Captain Rogers. I have a mission for you."
Whew, ok. I know, I know. Two chapters in one day. And I made a crap ton of juice and I watched Iron Man 3 for fun (and/or research). I've been productive. This is ****IMPORTANT**** so if you don't read my Author's Notes (shame on you), going forward is going to confuse the piss out of you. I am going to say that this chapter took place in April 2014 in the MCU, which means that the mission Fury just sent Cap and Nat on? Oh yeah, cue CA: Winter Soldier.
NOW. We are gonna do a time jump. Say, next chapter will occur some time before Avengers: AOU. I think. If not, I'll warn you before the actual chapter. So, yeah, Em won't be there for the fall of SHIELD or the Ultron BS that Tony starts. I haven't worked all the kinks out yet, but we are moving forward into old content so hopefully it works out soon. Let's say that this chapter wraps up "Part One" of this story.