A/N: Tuesday is Reading Day. I had my first Final today (which technically isn't allowed, it's against school policy) and have two more Final exams to "look forward to." So I'm posting this to procrastinate. I wrote this earlier but until today, I've been too busy studying, finishing up projects and papers, nd working to post. Darn you real life! *shakes fist*

As for this chapter, one quick thing. Yes, what Arrow says Lorelei did to him and Ward actually did happen in the episode (minus the fact Arrow wasn't there). Ward was unable to give legitimate consent meaning what she did was... That.

Chapter summary: In which Coulson says hi, the Avengers like talking, and two archers have a heart-to-heart.

Birds of a Feather

Arrow could never decide how he felt about Shadow Travel. It was useful, he could not deny that. It also felt comfortable, almost like swimming or flowing through water. But the way things outside the Shadows looked was odd and took some getting use to. It reminded him of walking along a sidewalk after a rainstorm leaving puddles of varying size and depth everywhere. In this case, the sidewalk was the darkness where the shadows, both sentient and not, could reach and Arrow could move and see through, the puddles were the splotches filled with light. Everything covered in light was invisible, while everything covered in shadows was visible.

The vigilante hovered near a particularly large puddle which looked directly into what was probably the living room in the Avengers' Tower. Who would have thought a room like this would be kept so dark? The shadows were practically everywhere except for the area close to the large, floor to ceiling windows lining the far wall overlooking a balcony and the New York City skyline.

Tony Stark had stripped himself of his armor and was currently fiddling with a computer. Strangely, the glowing device that had been at the center of his metal armor's chest plate was still in his chest Just visible beneath his shirt. The man in the blue leather suit with a star in the center of his chest had removed his mask and was leaning against the wall watching Stark at work. That must be Captain America. Falcon was removed the metal backpack where his wings were stored and talking to a woman Arrow did not recognize. She had fiery red hair and wore a black multi-purpose suit which was tight for durability and mobility, less for appearance.

A nervous looking man with brown hair was pulling on a fresh, button-up shirt and watching the computer screens Stark was working with. He looked like he actually understood what he was seeing; a scientist then. The Avengers' archer was sitting on the cushions facing the blank monitor on the far wall by the stairs leading to the loft adjusting his bow and adding personalized tips to his arrows.

Arrow settled in to watch and listen. Maybe he could get something useful.

"How much longer?" the Captain asked sounding slightly annoyed.

"This isn't easy you know," Stark said, not looking away from his work. "Have you tried hacking into SHIELD security?"

"No, but the Regent managed it pretty well."

"Yeah, and now SHIELD's pissed because their security's been breached," Stark replied.

The brunette heaved a sigh and answered more politely, "He means SHIELD security is top notch. The fact the Regent was able to hack into it as quickly and efficiently as he did is why SHIELD wants him so bad."

"Better to have someone like that as an ally than an enemy," the woman said seriously and the brunette nodded.

"After they question the shit out of him," Stark said curtly. There was a snap followed by the hum of something mechanical starting up. "Got him," he said

"Where is he?" the Captain asked, stepping forward to look over Iron Man's shoulder.

"Hold your horses, Rogers," Stark said, eyes still focused on the screen in front of him. "I gotta ring him up first."

"Ring him up?"

"He means call him," the mousy brunette scientist said calmly.

"On the big screen...now," Stark said, looking up to the large monitor on the far wall.

The screen fizzled from a blank black to a video. The person on the video seemed slightly surprised before settling to resignation. He was average looking, not particularly memorable. His hair was light and close cut. His eyes were soft and sparkled with knowledge and secrets. Crows feet stretched from the corners of his eyes revealing this man was more familiar with smiles than frowns. This would not have meant anything to Arrow, except for the small fact that he knew this man.

"Coulson," Stark said. "Back from the dead, I hear. What's it like on the other side?"

Coulson sighed before speaking, taking the time to look everyone present in the eye. "It sucked," he said simply.

"Well yeah. No alcohol," Stark said, stepping around his temporary work station so he could lean back against it and face the screen in a deceptively casual manner. "Did you really die or was that all part of Fury's plan to get us to team up?"

"You were stabbed," the archer said slowly. "Loki let everyone under his command know that the moment it happened."

Coulson pressed his lips together and appeared to be considering his words carefully. "Is this line secure?" he asked at last. Stark lifted an eyebrow, taking the question as an insult. He opened his mouth to snark a reply when Coulson cut him off. "I'm not joking Stark. This is something even Fury was unaware of until recently. We don't know who to trust right now. Is this line secure?"

The Captain stepped forward, worry etched on his face as he glanced at the confidant technological genius next to him. "Is it?" he asked.

Stark considered a moment before saying loudly, "JARVIS, inform me of any attempts to break into this communication. Stop them if you can. If you can't, cut us off."

"Understood, sir," a mechanical disembodied voice said.

Arrow blinked in surprise and searched for the owner of the voice. The scenario reminded him a lot of his first introduction to Noa. Perhaps this was an, maybe not equivalent but alternate version of something along the lines of Noa. Will wonders never cease?

"It is now," Stark said.

Coulson nodded on the screen. He looked around the room he sat in on his end, probably to make sure he was alone before speaking. "I did die," he said. "Fury had the medics do what they could, but..." He shook his head. "At least he stayed with me till the end." He heaved a sigh. "Someone, or something else decided I could be used for some sort of experiment. I don't know who and neither does Fury. It was done without his knowledge or consent, not that he would have given it even if he'd known," he added darkly. "They brought me back to life. That's...all I can say for sure right now."

"So you essentially pulled a Lazarus," Stark said incredulously.

"Essentially, yes," Coulson replied.

"Huh."

The following silence hung heavy before it was broken by the Captain. "I still have your cards," he said softly. "I cleaned them up and had them framed, if you want them."

Coulson smiled although it was tinged with sadness Arrow was not sure he understood. "Keep them. I'll come get them when I can."

"You can count on it."

"Steve," Coulson said, catching the Captain's attention, "thanks."

"Don't mention it," Steve replied with a friendly smile.

Coulson sat back from the screen and stared at Stark curiously. "Well, while this is nice, I don't think this was why you called me," he said, raising both eyebrows in interest.

"No," the woman said, stepping forward finally. "Someone hacked into SHIELD's systems-"

"I heard," Coulson said, cutting her off. "I should have expected that from him, but I didn't think he was that good." He shrugged. "He didn't take anything or see anything particularly sensitive."

"You knew the Regent hacked SHIELD's databases?" the brunette asked. "Does Fury know?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Coulson said. "I told him. I figured that's how you found out I'm alive."

"It was," Steve answered.

"Okay," Falcon said. "That answers a couple questions, but not others."

"Such as?"

"Who is he? What does he want? What's he doing here? And what does Doctor Strange have to do with this?"

Coulson's blinked, leaning forward in interest. "Doctor Strange is involved?"

Falcon nodded. "He showed up when the Regent attacked Doctor Doom."

"Yeah. He used a dragon, by the way," Stark said. "A dragon. Where's Thor anyway? Isn't this more up his fantastical alley?"

"The dragon is new," Coulson said. "But the Regent is a mage so I'm not surprised Doctor Strange is involved."

"He said the Regent was from another dimension," Steve said. "Did he means Asgard or one of the other Nine Realms?"

Coulson was already shaking his head. "I doubt it," he said. "Sif had never heard of his type of magic before."

"Sif?"

"Friend of Thor," the agent said. "She and the Regent helped us with our case. A fugitive of Asgard named Lorelei was brainwashing men and forcing them to fight for her." His eyes darkened hatefully. "She got her claws in one of my team as well as one of the Regent's."

"Who?" Stark asked. "The archer or the Middle Eastern dude?"

"The archer," Coulson replied, casting a sidelong glance at the Avenger's archer.

"You gotta love the bow an arrow thing goin' on," Stark said. "I hear the girls find them sexy."

"Loki's male," the Captain said with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know," the woman said thoughtfully. "He can PMS better than several women I know."

Arrow shifted, debating whether or not to step out of the Shadows and ask Coulson how Ward was doing. While he did not know the man well, they had worked together under Lorelei's control. They both had to live with the memory of their free will being subverted without their consent. He could not help but wonder how the other man was handling all this.

"Sif, the Regent, and his group helped us capture Lorelei and get our people back," Coulson continued after a moment.

"How many does he have on his team?" Steve asked. "The Regent I mean."

"Four, not including himself," Coulson replied. "Mai his Sorceress, Shaadi his Advisor, Green Lantern, and Arrow."

"What kind of names are those?" Stark asked.

"Ones we chose for ourselves," Arrow said, deciding to hell with it. Kaiba told him to contact the Avengers' archer and that's exactly what he was doing, in his own way. Kaiba never did tell him how to contact the other man after all.

The Avengers whirled around, the woman drawing a handgun and aiming at his head just as fast as their archer drew and knocked an arrow on his bowstring and added his threat to the woman's. The Captain drew no weapon but Arrow doubted he really needed one considering the muscles he had. Stark just watched him in mixed fascination and annoyance. The skittish brunette scientist jumped but appeared more curious than anything else. Arrow deliberately kept his hands in full view of everyone in the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Intruder alert!" the disembodied voice said over the loud speakers.

"Yeah," Stark grumbled. "No shit Sherlock."

"Coulson," Arrow called. "Good to see you."

"Likewise," Coulson acknowledged with a smile. His smile softened to one of concern. "How are you doing?"

Arrow took a moment to actually think about that question. "As well as I can be," he answered. "How's Ward?"

"Um..." the scientist mumbled.

"Coping," Coulson replied. "He's a trooper, but it's bothering him."

"You should let the Regent talk to him," Arrow suggested. "He has...personal experience with this sort of thing."

Coulson's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "That explains his rather vindictive punishment."

"Um, hello," Stark said, waving. "We're still here."

Arrow ignored them and rolled his shoulders self-consciously. "That was my punishment actually, but he allowed it. I think if he'd cast the Penalty himself it would've been much worse. He has a vindictive streak the size of Texas."

"I'm not surprised," the agent said.

"Can someone fill us in?" the Avengers' archer asked rhetorically.

"Of course," Coulson said. "Where are my manners? Barton, Avengers, meet Arrow. Arrow, I believe you already know the Avengers."

"I met Stark and saw the patriot and Falcon from a distance," he said. "But I don't know the others."

"Good," the woman said.

"I'm Bruce," the skittish scientist said, extending a hand shyly. The woman stared at him incredulously.

"Nice to meet you Bruce," Arrow said, taking care to move slowly and predictably as he reached out and shook Bruce's hand. He noticed the woman lower her gun slowly, followed closely by the archer.

"How did you get past my security?" Stark demanded.

"Magic," Arrow said simply.

"Yeah, I got that," Stark snarked. "Be more specific."

"Can't," Arrow said. "That would take time which is something we seem to be running short on."

"Why?" the archer, Barton Coulson had said his name was, asked suspiciously.

Arrow turned his hooded forest green gaze to the the other archer's deep blue. "Several reasons. The most important of which is, as I think Coulson is aware, we're looking for someone. Two people actually. They fell here a day or so ago and its important that we find them."

"Why?" the woman demanded.

"One of them is the Regent's brother," Coulson said.

The woman nodded. "And the other?"

"Ah..." How should he describe Helios? "I'm not sure if his people exist here, but he's an ally of ours. He and the Regent's brother were together when they fell."

"What's his name?"

"Helios."

"Greek mythology!" Stark crowed. "Fabulous. The next thing you know, we'll have Egyptians running all over the place." He rubbed his hands over his face to ward away a headache. "Alright. So, I have to ask," Stark said, removing his hands and leaning on the table in a casual manner, "'Regent?' Really?"

Arrow could not stop the faintest snickered. "That's what I thought when I first met him," he said. "But it makes sense once you're in the know."

"Oh, and are we 'in the know?'" Stark asked, air quotes and all.

"Not without his permission, no," Arrow said.

"Aw, come on."

Arrow chuckled. "Sorry Flash," he said.

He realized what he said almost as soon as he said it and strangely did not regret the comparison. Stark apparently had Kaiba's love for technology and Flash's overly eager, hip, and overexcited nature. It was refreshing when the guy was not keeping him from getting the heck out of an unwelcome situation.

"Flash?" Stark asked. "I take that as a compliment."

"Go ahead. He's a good friend of mine."

"Flash is a name?" Barton asked incredulously. "What kind of name is that?"

Arrow shrugged. "He's fast, very fast. He has the power of superspeed. The name was his idea and it fits him in practically every respect."

"Huh."

"Have you had any luck finding them?" Coulson asked suddenly.

Arrow's humor drained. "Not yet," he asmitted. "The Regent's sure they're in New York, but something's making it difficult to track them."

Coulson hummed. "I take it he's out looking for him now." The vigilante nodded and he continued. "If you aren't with him then I'm assuming you're here for something else."

"I'm here to talk to you actually," Arrow said, turning to Barton. He blinked when he finally got a good, long look at the other man and coughed a laugh. "Well, actually, I think you probably overheard quite a bit last night at the bar."

Barton stiffened when Arrow reached up and pulled his hood back just enough for Barton to see his masked face. Then he lowered his bow completely so the knocked arrow pointed directly at the ground.

"You!" he gasped. The wheels started visibly turning in his head. "The woman I heard in the back, was she the Sorceress?"

"She is, yes," Arrow replied. "And now that we recognize each other, I think you and I should talk."

"Why?"

"My Regent suggested the idea," the vigilante admitted. "On the understanding you treat me like an ally and not criminal, I'm willing to exchange information."

"Cool!" Stark said loudly, startling the mousy scientist next to him. "I love information. Helps me stay on top of the competition."

Arrow hesitated. He felt distinctly uncomfortable with discussing mindcontrol with a group of people he hardly knew. He was willing to bet Barton felt the same if the subtle hint Coulson gave was anything to go by. But there was no problem with giving some common knowledge information as a sign of goodwill. You never know, maybe he could get the Avengers on his side if not simply more friendly towards his position.

"We're fighting an enemy capable of crossing realities," he said plainly. "He's behind the attempted murder of the Regent, the King, and several innocent bystanders including the Regent's brother. That's why we're here."

"To catch him," Steve said, eyes narrowed in both sympathy and calculation, a true soldier.

But Arrow shook his head. "If we catch him while here, the better, but that's not why we're here. All we want is the Regent's brother and Helios back. Once we have them, we'll leave."

"Travel through realities?" Bruce asked curiously. "Not dimensions?"

"Realities," Arrow confirmed with a nod. "Ours is similar to this one but different."

"How so?" Bruce asked, crossing his arms over his chest and rubbing his chin with one hand thoughtfully.

"Well for one, you're missing at least two buildings from the New York skyline," Arrow said, glancing out the window of the tower sitting room. "If I was looking at a photograph of the city from the water and had no idea where I was, and say the Empire State and the Chrysler buildings weren't visible, I wouldn't know I was in New York City at all."

"What buildings?" the woman asked cautiously interested.

Arrow kept looking out the windows curiously and answered, "The World Trade Center Towers." He pointed vaguely towards to edge of the cityscape. "They should be at the far end of the island in the Financial District, if I remember correctly. I'm from the west coast not the east so I usually don't care about New York, not my jurisdiction. But I remember those two buildings. I do watch movies after all."

"The Twin Towers?" Coulson asked.

Something in his voice caught Arrow's attention and he turned back to the screen. Coulson's eyes were haunted as were almost everyone's in the room.

"What?" the vigilante asked hesitantly, unnerved by the unexpected reactions.

No one spoke until the woman shook her head so her shoulder length red hair flipped over her shoulder. "They were destroyed in a terrorist attack thirteen years ago," she said bluntly.

Arrow blinked, eyes wide in shock. He quickly looked back out the window staring at the cityscape hoping to see the towers. He knew deep down, as did the rest of his group he realized now, that the absence of those buildings was probably a bad thing, but it never occurred to him that it was such a bad thing. Terrorists in New York...

Superman would have a few words about that.

"Superman?"

Shit. Oh well. It was common knowledge after all.

"One of the members of my team," Arrow said absently.

"The Regent's team?" the woman asked.

Arrow snorted. "No," he said quickly. "Osiris, no. He hates Superman with a vengeance. I don't blame him. The guy's a boy scout."

"Osiris?" Bruce murmured curiously.

"Hey Cap!" Stark called. "I found you friend. May you two can get together and compare badges."

Steve gave Stark an annoyed glance that almost reminded Arrow of the ones Batman often threw Superman and bit back a grin.

"Barton," he said gaining the other archer's attention, "if you could."

"He doesn't leave the room," the still as yet unnamed woman said curtly.

Arrow nodded. "The balcony then," he said indicating the one behind him, "in full view and within easy reach while still maintaining a sense of privacy."

The woman turned to Barton who nodded after a moment. "Fine by me," he said. He glanced back at Coulson and saluted before followed the vigilante outside. "Alright," he said once the door had closed behind them, "what do you want?"

"Well, almost everything I was probably only supposed to tell you I told everyone else," Arrow said, walking over to the railing and looking out. "I'll likely get an earful about that but not much else." He placed both palms on the metal before turning around and leaning against it, crossing his ankles and arms across his chest casually. "How 'bout we talk about the person who took over your mind."

"How 'bout we not," Barton said shortly, blue eyes narrowed.

Arrow nodded. "Fine." He waited several moments to allow both of them to gather their thoughts before speaking. "She took advantage of me," he said, finding the words hard to come by. "Ward more than me," he admitted, "but I was still involved." He tilted his head to the side and considered his next words. "I guess what I'm trying to say is she raped us on top of forcing us to fight for her and betray our friends. I think I should have killed her and a part of me wishes my Regent hadn't shown any mercy. I wish he'd just let our magic deal with her in its own way." He heaved a sigh and dropped his gaze to his booted feet. "But then I remember if I had allowed that, I would have been no better than her."

Barton shifted. "Coulson said her punishment was 'vindictive,'" he said slowly. "What did he mean by that?"

Arrow hummed thoughtfully. "L-" He stopped before he said her name. He was not ready for that yet. "She used her looks to distract and lure her prey in and her words to enslave their mind. Stronger minds required her physical touch as well, but the result is the same," he said. "I took those away from her, permanently."

"How?"

"Our power is sentient," Arrow said. "I'm not really sure how to explain it other than that it simply is. It follows rules just like everything else. The catch is, if something or someone breaks those rules, a penalty is exacted one way or another. Normally the Regent decides the penalty, but in this case, I did." He met Barton's eyes evenly and said, "I stripped her of her looks and her voice. She looks like a mummified zombie and croaks like a goat. Well she would if that collar wasn't there silencing her." He shook his head. "It's actually one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen," he added softly.

The wind howled around them as it rushed between the buildings of the city.

"Do you regret it?" Barton asked.

"No."

"Do you still wish you'd killed her?"

"Yes."

A horn honked below.

"But at the same time, I think this penalty is worse."

Barton hummed. "He took over my mind, forced me to betray my beliefs, had me kill people, people I knew and worked with and people I didn't, and used me to allow an army of insect aliens to invade Earth."

Arrow let out a low whistle. "Well..."

"He's still alive."

"Yeah."

"His mind had been compromised at the time too," Barton admitted. "Not as much as mine, but at least partially." He fingered his belt. "We found out later."

"Doesn't matter much, does it?"

Barton shook his head. "Not really, no." He shifted. "You said the Regent had personal experience with," he waved his hand and said eloquently, "this."

"He's been mindfucked more than you or me," Arrow said. "Long story short, three times that I know of, though I'm pretty sure more than that. He doesn't like talking about it."

"I don't blame 'im."

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Arrow looked over his shoulder curiously, forehead creased. "That...wasn't there a minute ago," he said.

"No it wasn't."

Arrow turned to see Barton racing back inside and saying something to his companions that the vigilante couldn't hear through the glass. He turned back to the storm clouds to the northeast, hoping to Obelisk it was not what he thought it was. The last thing he needed was a furious Set.

"Please be Thor," he breathed.