Fury walked over to Barton's room and knocked. "Barton, you awake?"

"Yessir." Clint mumbled. He was now.

Fury walked in and sat down. "Can you walk yet?"

Barton nodded. "Where am I walking to?"

"I just saw that doctor. She's not cooperating." He sighed. "Coulson and Romanoff will be here in 2 hours. Do you think you can convince her to talk before they get here? It would be a whole lot easier for her that way."

"I can try, but I don't think she'll trust me anymore." Said Barton, attempting to get out of the bed without his gown falling open in front of Fury.

"Tell her that I said my offer is real. She tells the truth, she can stay."

Clint nodded again. "Can I get some clothes first, sir?"

As it turned out, walking wasn't the best idea, so a nurse sat him in a wheelchair. At least he had on sweatpants and a t-shirt now. The guards knocked on the door of the room that they were holding Dr. Schering in.

They opened the door and the nurse pushed Clint in. He looked a Marta sitting in the chair, appearing cleaned up and stronger, but very pissed. "Hey. You alright?" he asked.

She just looked at the floor. Barton folded his hands on his lap and waited. She gave in first. "Did you get that wound taken care of?"

He nodded. "Almost good as new." He smiled. "Marta, let me explain."

"No. I don't want to hear it." she spat

"Look. We don't have a whole lot time for this Marta. We need to talk. And you need talk."

"So that's why you're here? That goon sent you in to interrogate me?"

"We're not the bad guys."

"Well then who the hell are you?"

"That's kind of a long story. And I can't tell you all of it right now. But what I can tell you is that SHEILD is a security organization that monitors and protects against threats."

"SHEILD? Is that a real name or made up?"

"Yeah, I know, it's a stupid name. Anyway, Director Fury was telling the truth. Byer's people won't stop looking for you. And I can't protect you anymore. So, please, Marta, tell Fury what he wants to know?"

"That's his name? Fury?" she shook her head. "I still don't understand what he thinks it is I know."

"Yes you do."

She popped her head up to look at him. "How do I know he'll believe me?"

"He'll know the truth when he hears it, Marta."

She looked down again. "He won't."

"Just try. Try to give us chance?"

"What's happens to me if he doesn't?"

Barton shook his head. "Then he'll turn to over to the CIA. And they have as much reason to want you silent as Byer did."

"Did? What do you mean did?"

Clint pursed his lips. "Byer is dead."

Marta closed her eyes and looked up. "What's that mean for Outcome?"

"Outcome is dead too. And I think you deserve to stay off that list, Marta."

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Ok, I'll try. I'll tell that man what I know."

"Good." Barton smiled. "Guards!" he yelled.

They opened the door in a hurry. "Ask the Director to come in, please?"

"Right away, sir."

Clint clumsily rolled his wheelchair closer to Marta. "You're with friends here. I promise." He whispered. Marta wiped a tear from her eye.

Fury walked in a minute later. He leaned against a wall and folded his arms. "Where did you get the formula Dr. Schering?"

"I found it." she whispered.

"Found it? Found it where?" snapped Fury.

Barton raised his eyebrows. Uh, oh.

"Can I start from the beginning?" she asked meekly.

"That's usually a good place, yes." Said Fury.

"When I was a graduate student at Oxford, my mother died. I went back to London to take care of her things. My mother's family was German. They came to England during the war. I didn't know a lot about them." She faltered at the thought of her mother.

"It's ok, go on." Said Clint.

Fury was silent.

"There was trunk full of papers and journals. I read through them and realized they must have belonged to her mother. They were scientific notes that must have belonged to my grandfather. They were separated by the war. She got out to London, but he didn't. He got caught in Germany."

Marta started shaking. "You're not going to believe me." She whispered again.

"Try me, doctor?" replied Fury.

"I didn't even know that kind of research was going in during the 30's. His work was amazing. His understanding of cellular biology was way ahead of his time."

Barton rolled forward again, not wanting to miss what she was saying in halting breaths.

She continued, "There was a journal. He kept a journal of his research and in that journal was theory of how to alter the mitochondrial functions of a cell."

She stopped talking and bent over, hugging her knees.

"Marta." Whispered Barton. "Keep going."

"I-I used that as a starting point for my doctoral research. And he was right! He was right! I don't know how, but my grandfather was right!" she rushed out.

"What was your grandfather's name, Dr.?" asked Fury in the freakn' lowest scariest voice Clint had ever heard.

Marta looked at Fury. "Abraham Erskine." She whispered.

Fury let out a sigh and almost a smile. "Good girl." He said.

End of Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry this update took so long. The story can end here, or I can keep it going. Let me know what you think in a review.

I've been working hard on some original fiction. Check me out on under VAStories on FictionPress. I REALLY NEED BETA'S THERE!