Chapter 8
So anyone watch Agents of SHIELD? Hope so, cause some of those characters and events might come up. And of course, Coulson lives! ;) And switching around the events of Harry Potter a bit... Gotta have some plot twists, right?
It was rather awkward, as the most famous superheroes of the world stood astonished as their transportation burned. It was about an hour after the original fiasco of Iron Man falling from the sky. They had managed to redirect an alternate route around their car, because most of them were quite convinced it would blow soon, when the flames reached the gas tank. Any second now, they kept saying.
Tony's t-shirt, strong hands, and sweaty brow were covered in grease as he desperately worked on the suit with the few tools he had. He just had everything out in the street, with gold and red and silver metal pieces scattered around him. Bruce was trying to help as well, as they both searched for what caused the failure.
Natasha, Steve, Thor, and Clint were discussing options. They weren't exactly the kind of group that could just hail a cab. Police had already showed up and left, after the Avengers explained their situation. All that was left was to call Fury.
Steve was voted to do the honors, and he vocally dialed into his earpiece. But nobody answered.
Elsewhere...
The black, sleek Acura silently pulled up to what looked like an abandoned warehouse with fading letters that were barely legible. They were on the outskirts of the city, and little traffic, if any, passed by.
Agent Katheryn Hill got out of the car and walked around to open Harry's door. He shuffled out, with Katheryn's hand on his shoulder. She led him inside, and the young wizard gasped. It was beyond modern. Glass doors, titanium walls...
The door slammed behind them and Harry heard several locks lock automatically. And out of the shadows, came a short man in a blacker than black business suit.
"I'm Agent Coulson, Mr. Potter. Hope I didn't scare you too much back there. I honestly just wanted you to get into the car fast. Agent Hill, an 890."
A chill shivered down Harry's spine, as he recognized the voice from the telephone booth.
"Yes, sir."
Agent Hill exited into one of the glass doors, yet as soon as it closed, you could not longer see her.
"Who are you?" Harry put up his guard and hid his initial fear.
"I already told you. Someone who has enough power to make your life hell in a matter of seconds. But if you want me to be clear, I am part of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Strategic Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," the Agent motioned to a small table with two chairs, suggesting Harry sit. Which he did. "What does that mean to you, Harry?"
"That you're some fancy agency that I honestly don't trust."
"I've heard worse."
"But what do you mean, you can make my life hell in a matter of seconds? My life is already bloody hell, thank you very much."
"I have a super-secret-boy-band. And they aren't afraid to do what I tell them to do."
"Why do you want me?"
"It's my turn for questions. What do you know of the Battle of New York?"
"You mean that alien attack in New York City, in America? I know a little."
"Does the name 'Loki' mean anything to you?"
"Wasn't he the maniac who was in charge of it all?"
"Yes. I like to call him a bastard, but that works too."
"Right..."
"What do you know of Bellatrix Lestrange?"
"Never heard of her."
"Then you've obviously been out of the loop for awhile. She's a murderer, who like to play with her victims before she makes the fatal strike. And she's on the loose," Coulson pulled out a New York Times from his back pocket from the date of a month ago and smoothed it down before Harry on the table. The headlines screamed, "BELLATRIX LESTRANGE ON THE LOOSE!" A subtitle proclaimed, "LOCK YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS!"
"Why should I care about this ... person?"
Twirling a pen in his hand, Agent Coulson stood and began to pace back and forth in the small room. "Listen, Harry. You're in danger. This murderer and god both have business they wish to settle with you. We're the good guys. We want to help you."
"Help me?! You just forced me into a dark car and now we're in some secret building no one knows about. You could be kidnappers for all I know. I could get up and fight you right now!"
"We could either be the Allies or the Axis Powers. It's your decision. My super-secret-boy-band could either protect you, or become your worse nightmare."
"How could you help me?" Harry still had his guard up, and his hand hovered at the pocket that contained his wand.
"You don't have a plan, Mr. Potter. You don't have any food, clothes, and I bet you're hungry." Just the very thought of food caused Harry's stomach to grumble.
"You have absolutely nothing. If you settle an alliance with us, I can promise you many things. Among that list is your safety."
"You're my only choice at the moment except going on my own. If you're the only options in alliances for me, why be so quick about it?"
"We're not you're only options in alliances. We're just the first ones to make an offer."
Abruptly, Agent K. Hill walked out from the glass door with a quick gait. Harry had the sickening gut feeling that she had heard their entire conversation. She whispered something in Coulson's ear that Harry couldn't make out. His knuckles began to whiten as he gripped the pen with a strong grasp.
"Have you contacted Director Fury?" he kept his voice low.
"None of the operators are answering. Lines of contact are down. We're on our own for now," she responded with a steady mutter.
"What defenses does this building have?" They were obviously excluding Harry from the conversation, but he could still hear every bit.
"Just a few guns, sir. Asides that, nothing."
"It's got us. What about the Avengers?"
"They've ... lost their transportation and the Iron Man is down. Stark is trying to fix it, and the rest of them are on their way. But their timing is questionable."
"How long?"
"Any second."
"Guns are useless on him, keep that in mind. The only chance we'll have is if they show up."
"Noted."
Coulson turned to Harry. "Will you trust me?"
Harry stared into his eyes. He didn't see any lies, just assuring truth.
"Yes."
"Then I need you to go through that door. There is a hidden trapdoor. Go down and lock yourself in. Agent Hill will cover up your tracks."
"C'mon Mr. Potter," Katherine put his hand on his shoulder and led him to where Coulson specified. Right before he was about to close and lock the trapdoor, the Agent leaned down and said, "Remember to trust us. Everything's gonna be okay."
And with that, he locked himself below ground. Agent Hill made the final adjustments, then joined Coulson in the main room.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"We make sure he doesn't find Harry."
"You know we don't stand a chance, right?"
"We always have a chance."
"How did he escape?"
"I don't want to know."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
They both loaded their guns and as they stood back-to-back, they waited. And then it came.
From the far corner of the room, a grand explosion of electric blue light made a porthole revealing the heavens. It shook the entire facility, and felt like thunder in the walls. Because of the impact of the final blow, both Agents took a step back. And then the electricity failed, and from the pitch black shadows, echoing around, with a cold hiss of a voice, they both knew only too well.
"Tell me where he is now, and maybe I'll spare you."
"How many times do you need to be told that you're gonna lose?" Coulson raised his guns.
"Yet I won't lose by the trigger of your gun, Philip Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"No probably not. But you'll fail again. You can't win the world," both Katherine and Phil had nowhere to aim. And they had no clues to where the god was.
"I don't want the world. I want revenge. Now tell me where!"
"That's not what we're hired to do."
"Is it?!"
Coulson felt Katherine fall limp behind him. He was alone, with the risk of a silent death.
"COULSON CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Steve yelled into the door.
"We're too late..."
"DON'T SAY THAT!"
It took the super-soldier only one try and he had successfully elbowed the door down. It was empty. With the Captain in the lead, Natasha, Thor, Clint, and Bruce ran through the first room. Cap shattered the door with his shield after it wouldn't unlock.
"Oh-no," Natasha gasped.
There had obviously been a struggle. It looked like some form of trapdoor had been blown open with a bomb. Blood was splattered around in no particular pattern. Heavy dents marked the walls. Without anybody giving orders, they all automatically began searching for bodies. Through the next hour, they had covered every square inch of the building. But nothing was found.
Katherine Hill, Phil Coulson, and young Harry Potter were gone.