This one's a bit (a lot) longer than the on before. Please give me feedback.
In his car on the way to the plane, Agent Coulson further briefed Willa, which effectively caused her a headache.
"He is mind-controlling Hawkeye?"
"Yes."
"Hawkeye?"
"I'm sorry. I know you are friends."
"Is… is there a way to get him back?"
"We don't know."
The car slowed to a stop at a red light and Agent Coulson turned to look at her. "You know what you have to do if it comes down to it, don't you?"
Willa looked straight ahead at the road. "I know. I don't know if I can, but I know."
"When you convince Dr. Banner to help-"
"Wait," she interrupted. "What?"
"When-"
"I heard you. What do you mean when I convince him? Why can't you do the talking?"
"I won't be there. I'm talking to Stark."
"Wait, I'm going in alone?"
"No." He looked at her oddly, as if he thought she was being a little slow today. "You'll be going with a SHIELD strike team shadowing you."
"But I thought you were coming."
"I can't. I have to convince Stark to help."
"So I have to somehow convince the doctor, what's-his-face - "
"Banner."
"Whatever. I have to somehow convince Dr. Banner to work with SHIELD by myself?"
"Is that a problem?"
"I - uh, no, but… I mean, what do I say?"
"Just be honest. You have nothing to lie about."
"But I-I don't know how to talk to people!"
"You talk to me."
"Not well! Should I be looking at you or the road? When does looking turn into staring? How much is too much eye contact? Is-"
"Stop making me laugh! I'm trying to drive!"
"- my expression politely interested or too eager? Do I look bored or neutral?! I don't know! Stop laughing at me, Phil!"
He swerved to avoid a green truck, still chuckling.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I'll be the one laughing when you crash your beloved Lola."
"O-Only you would me nervous to meet the Hulk because you're shy."
Willa tried to scowl, she did, but whenever she is embarrassed or nervous she smiles and/or giggles involuntarily. So when their laughter finally died down, Willa asked if Thor was around.
"No. We don't know where he is."
"Loki…" she mused, slumping in her seat and looking up at the ceiling in thought. She had read up on Norse myths after the incident in New Mexico. (She had gone with Agent Coulson on that particular assignment. They wanted to see if she could lift the Hammer with her… unique abilities… She couldn't.) Most of the information had gone in one ear and out the other. She was much more interested in Greek and Roman myths (probably thanks to Rick Riordan). But Loki sounded quite familiar…
She shot up in her seat. "He's the guy who gave birth to a horse!"
"We don't know how much of that story is myth and how much is fact."
"He gave birth to a horse! That… that is wrong on so many different levels! Ew. Wrong! So many levels of wrong."
They stopped in the middle of nowhere and their stood waiting two jets, one to take Agent Coulson to New York and the other to take Willa to Asia.
"You haven't told me what to say," she reminded him.
"Are you still worried about that?"
She groaned dramatically in answer.
"Be yourself. You're very likable."
"Doubt it."
Out of one jet came a male agent with a sniper in one hand. Agent Coulson introduced him as Agent Garcia, leader of the STRIKE team accompanying her.
"Um, everyone does realize that bringing guns to a recruitment is pretty counterproductive, right?"
"It's a necessary precaution," Agent Garcia said, "Just in case things get ugly."
Willa nodded understandingly. "So everyone does realize it. As long as we're all aware it's a bad idea."
Agent Garcia scoffed. "Bad idea? The guy destroyed Harlem."
"Because people pointed guns at him. Yes, by all means, use that instance to support your argument."
Agent Coulson just shook in head. "Miss Lumaban."
"Yes?"
"Get in the jet."
She did just that, sulking a little. No one ever took her seriously when she called them out on their bull or idiocy. She pulled herself out of her funk when she realized her comeback was actually pretty smooth compared to her usual. "Yes, by all means, use that instance" was not bad at all. Of course, "example" would have been a better word than instance…
She continued replaying that little disagreement with better and better comebacks and supporting evidence as she got in a seat and buckled up, being steadily ignored by the STRIKE team around her.
They were halfway there and Willa was writing a scene in her notebook. She loves writing stories and was just getting into her stride when she was interrupted.
"Excuse me, Miss Lumaban."
She looked up, hiding irritation at being interrupted and surprise at being addressed at all. Standing there was a woman with a slight unibrow, waiting to be acknowledged.
"Yes?"
"Some of the other agents and I were wondering if you've read Dr. Banner's file."
Really? This is what she was interrupting her for? She is going to forget her next sentence for this?
"Yes, I have read the file. It's a part of my job, you see."
"So you know about Dr. Banner's… situation?"
Yes, I can read English, thanks, she mentally snarked but aloud said, "Yes, I am aware."
"... You do not seem nervous."
"I'm not."
"Miss Lumaban," she said gently. "I realize you are confident in your abilities, but surely you are aware of the danger you'll be in?"
Willa leaned back in her seat, abandoning her notebook for the time being. "They haven't told you what I can do, have they?"
"It's classified. We were told you have some unnatural talents."
She smirked. "You don't know the half of it, Ms. Agent. Don't worry. I'll be fine."
She didn't look abated in the slightest. Willa waited for her to either return to her seat or demand answers, but she didn't. She just continued to look worried. Willa took pity on her. She looked so concerned about letting a child into the line of fire. She was probably a mom or something.
"Hand me that penny there on the ground, please."
The agent, confused, did so and Willa held it between her thumb and index finger and crushed it completely flat. All the murmured conversations going on ceased, everyone giving Willa their full attention.
"That's not all," Willa said, not looking away from the ruined penny. "You can shoot me with that gun you have on your hip, and it will result in nothing but a crushed bullet. I'll be fine, Ms. Agent."
Willa didn't look away from the penny as the agent's footsteps signalled she had gone or as the conversations picked up again. Eventually she tossed it away and looked back at her notebook, but she couldn't write now. She was too distracted.
She was of the opinion her powers were absolutely amazing. It's too bad they were killing her.
Willa played on her phone as she waited - or rather, she tapped furiously on her screen, trying to get cell service through pure force of stubbornness.
"They are approaching," a voice in her ear said.
The little girl Agent Garcia paid to get Dr. Banner dashed in and scampered out through the window. Willa slipped her phone in her back pocket as the man of the hour ran in.
"Shoulda gotten paid up front, Banner," he muttered to himself.
Willa thought he certainly didn't look like someone hiding a giant alter ego, but then again she didn't really have a point of reference. To her, he seemed old - older than her father.
"Something tells me you don't do it for the money," she said, making him jump and spin around to face her. "Sorry, if I startled you." She put her hands in her front pockets, at a loss what to do with them without her phone. "I just couldn't deny myself a dramatic entrance. I felt like Batman."
"Do all agencies employ so many little girls or just your's?"
She kept herself from taking offence at being referred to as a "little girl" and instead answered the question: "I imagine so. We're easy to underestimate. I couldn't say for sure, though. I only ever have to deal with this one."
"You brought me to the edge of the city, smart. I, uh… assume the whole place is surrounded?"
Willa grinned awkwardly, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Caught us. For the record, though, I'd like to say I told them that surrounding someone we're trying to get on our side is counterproductive, but did they listen to me? Of course not, I'm just a kid! Nevermind the fact I could kill them nearly effortlessly. They only remember that when it's inconvenient for me."
"Kill them?"
Willa tilted her head to the side. "Well, I could, but I have morals so I won't." Willa laughed at Dr. Banner's incredulous expression. "Did you really think you were the only one to attempt and fail to recreate to super-soldier serum?"
For several long moments, Dr. Banner did nothing but stare at her, stunned.
"... Do you turn into a large alter ego, too?"
"Nah." She grinned. "I break things looking just like this - which some say is even scarier."
"Do you have complete control?"
"Fortunately."
"So they succeeded?" he asked, amazed.
"I'm not exactly what he was shooting for, I'd wager, but I get the job done."
He looked at her in silent question, but she didn't answer. He changed the subject, wisely. "Ah, are you here to kill me? Because that's not gonna work out for everyone."
"As interesting as a brawl with the Hulk would be, I'm actually here for SHIELD," she said.
"SHIELD. How did they find me?"
"I don't know exactly. I'm just the messenger you see. I'm not even an agent. I'm retired for, ah, personal reasons. But apparently they've been keeping a few less pleasant people off your back."
"Why?"
"Director Nick Fury seems to like you. Not trust you - he wouldn't trust a helpless baby - but he likes you."
"Uh-huh, why?"
"Uh… I dunno he's weird. I mean, I like you, of course, but he's never met you." She shifted from foot to foot again. Awkward, she thought, I've made things awkward yet again.
Dr. Banner looked distinctly amused. "Who are you, anyway?"
"Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself: my name is Willa." She extended a hand, taking a step forward.
He paused a moment, and she felt him surveying her. Her posture was open, hand outstretched, and expression friendly - or at least that's what she was going for. With her luck, she was coming across as demented.
He closed the remaining gap and shook her hand. "Willa… no last name?"
"No last name," she agreed then shook her head. "Nevermind, Agent Garcia's going to give you my file anyway so there's no point in pretending to be interesting. It's Willa Paris Lumaban."
"And if I refuse to come in?"
"Um… I'll get in trouble because persuading you is literally my one job."
Dr. Banner frowned. "What kind of trouble?"
"Fury will give me an annoyed, superior look and be like, 'Miss Lumaban, I understand you failed to collect Dr. Banner. Care to explain how that happened?' And I'll be like, 'I'm shy and you made me talk to a stranger. How was I supposed to persuade him anyway? No one ever taught me that. I just protect things and occasionally smash them beyond all recognition. Socializing was not in the job description.' He'll huff and puff in annoyance, not pay me, and then send Natasha and she'll persuade you. Probably in a very flirty manner. But either way, you'll be convinced."
He laughed but then suddenly turned serious. "And if the Other Guy says no?"
"You've gone a long time without an accident. I'm sure you can make it a little longer."
"I don't always get what I want." His expression momentarily morphed into something unbearably sad and her heart went out to him.
"Should the Other Guy make an appearance… Well, there's a very good reason I'm preferred over master assassins."
Again, he looked at her questioningly. Again, she didn't answer.
"What do you need my help for?"
"We are facing a worldwide threat."
"Well, those I do my best to avoid."
"Hold on a sec…" Willa got her phone out and showed him the picture. "This is called the Tesseract. It can theoretically destroy Earth as we know it."
He peered at it. "What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it?"
Willa laughed. When Dr. Banner looked at her oddly she explained, "It's just that I said something really similar when Mr. Agent Coulson told me. Anyway, he actually wants you to find it. Apparently, it gives off a small bit of gamma radiation - not enough for our brainiacs to trace - but maybe you can?"
"So Fury isn't after the monster?"
"Not that anyone's told me."
"And they tell you everything?"
"Well, no. But if they were going to put you in a cage, they certainly wouldn't send me to fetch you. They are well aware I'd throw a Hulk-sized fit if they did anything too… immoral."
"STOP LYING TO ME!" he thundered, face twisted in rage.
She jumped sky high and barely kept herself from reflexively flinging him into the wall. Instead she innocently put her hands in surrender.
It looked like she put herself at his mercy - she didn't. Invisible, invincible shields covered every inch of her skin, protecting her perfectly from anything, including an angry Hulk.
"I'm not lying," she said as evenly as she could with a racing heart. "I'm dead serious."
When she took in his expression again it was completely devoid of any anger, only an expression she couldn't identify.
"I'm sorry," he said, raising his own hands. "That was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do."
They both let their hands fall, and Willa let out a sigh. She smiled in relief. "Maybe, in another life you could've been a spy for SHIELD. That was some stellar acting."
"Sorry."
Willa shrugged. She didn't really hold grudges. "No problem. I wouldn't trust me either. Did I pass your little test?"
"You really aren't lying, are you?"
She shook her head.
"But are they?"
"Talk to Fury yourself. We need you to come in."
Suddenly a gunshot pierced the air and blood was soaking through Dr. Banner's shirt and Willa's shield's rose protecting the doctor protectively - but a second too late.