Chapter 11 – The World's Finest

Soladat soared through the night sky, clad in her uniform. With the wind blowing against her face, she had her hair tied back and was keeping a close eye out for something important. Eventually, she found it. Folding her wings back, Soladat dived down towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, which was currently ocean-bound. Moments before hitting the surface, she unfolded her wings and landed softly, just a few feet outside of a door. She folded her wings back all the way and touched a panel next to the door, which slid open, and closed the moment she passed through.

Navigating her way to the bridge, she found Fury standing at the main helm as usual, surrounded by all those computer monitors. How he was able to keep track of all of them so easily was a total mystery. As soon as she entered the room, he turned to see her enter.

"I came as soon as you called." Soladat said. "What's the situation?"

"We've entered a level seven crisis, Agent Wrekk." Fury said. "Until phase two is ready, we're gathering the necessary response team."

"The Avengers Initiative?" Soladat said, wide eyed. Fury nodded. "I thought that idea was scrapped?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Archangel." Fury responded. "I've already sent Agent Coulson to relay the situation to Stark and Lewis. Hopefully they'll actually have the balls to help us here."

He then handed Soladat a file, which she took. "I'll be going after Rogers, and I need you to accompany Romanoff to Calcutta to locate Banner."

Soladat blinked. "Banner?"

Fury quickly explained. "We need him for his scientific expertise, not his condition. Romanoff is already en route via quinjet. I assume you can find your own way?"

Soladat smirked. "Don't I always?"

As she turned and left, Fury muttered under his breath. "That's what I was afraid she'd say…"

ooooo

In the kitchen of their laboratory, Darcy danced to the music of her iPod as she was making breakfast. She was currently clad in a pink sleeveless top, night shorts, and slippers, with her hair tied back in a ponytail. While Dr. Selvig was off doing personal business for S.H.I.E.L.D., Darcy and Jane were left to finish the research by themselves. It had been a difficult year without Erik, considering he was the most experienced astrophysicist. Fortunately, with the new S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment and Darcy's special talents, their work was going along smoothly, albeit slowly.

"Oh, you're a real tuff cookie with a long history, for breaking little hearts like the one in me!" Darcy sang while stirring the eggs and beating the spoon against the countertop like a drum. "That's okay, let's see how you do it. Put up your duce, and let's get down to it!"

Jane suddenly strode into the room, looking very anxious. "Hey, Darcy I need…"

She stopped when she saw what Darcy was doing, and rose an eyebrow. "Darcy?"

"Hit me with your best shot!" Darcy sang, completely oblivious to the other person in the room. "Why don't you hit me with your best shot!"

"Darcy?"

"Hit me with your best shot!"

"Darcy…" Jane started to look irritated.

"Fire away-hay!"

Jane marched up to Darcy, took out one of the earphones, and screamed right into Darcy's ear. "DARCY!"

Darcy screamed and jumped back, dropping the spoon. She leaned against the counter, breathing heavily. She glared at Jane. "Jane, what the hell?

Jane just rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't know you were doing something so important."

"I was!" Darcy argued. "I was making breakfast."

"Sure." Jane said, and walked towards the kitchen table. Darcy turned off her iPod and walked over to her.

"So did you need something, or what?"

Jane looked back. "As a matter of fact, I did. Something is seriously wrong here, Darcy. We haven't seen or heard from Erik in over a month! He usually calls us every few days. I feel like something bad has happened."

Darcy just shrugged. "He's working with a secret government organization, Jane. You sorta have to expect something like that."

But Jane just shook her head. "No, this is different Darcy. I just know something is up."

"I'm sure he's fine, Jane." Darcy assured. "Sides, if he does get into any deep shit, I'll be there to help, right?"

Jane just rolled her eyes. Hearing a beep coming from the kitchen, Darcy went back over to the counter where she opened a waffle maker, and placed the last waffle on a plate that was currently stacked with them. Picking up the plate, she walzed back over to Jane, presenting the dish.

"If it'll make you feel any better, I whipped up some waffles."

Jane just smiled and shook her head. "That's very nice of you, Darcy, but I'll pass."

Darcy frowned. "Seriously? Not one?"

Jane shook her head again. "No thanks."

"Come on, just one waffle!"

Jane frowned. "I don't want any waffles."

"How can you not want any waffles?" Darcy asked incredulously. "Everyone likes waffles."

"I'm not saying I hate waffles," Jane said. "I just don't want any right now."

But Darcy just pushed the plate closer to her face, and Jane reared her head back, looking annoyed.

Darcy just gave her an innocent smile. "Come on, just a bite?"

"No." Jane snapped. "Now get it out of my face."

"It's not in your face, it's in my hand." Darcy corrected.

"Get what's in your hand out of my face!"

Darcy pulled the plate back. "Seriously? Not one?"

"For the last time no!"

"You won't be sorry."

"Darcy!"

"Jaaaane!"

Jane was about ready to throttle her friend, when the phone suddenly started ringing. Silently thanking god, Jane got up from her seat, moved past Darcy and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Seriously, just have one waffle!" Darcy urged.

"Stop it!" Jane snapped, and then turned away and spoke back into the phone. "Hello, this is Jane Foster. To who am I speaking with?"

"Ms. Foster," A familiar voice responded. "This is Agent Coulson."

Jane blinked, then frowned. "What do you want?"

"I need to speak with Ms. Lewis." Coulson said. "It's urgent."

Jane turned towards Darcy, who was currently stuffing her face with waffles. She looked up as Jane held out the phone. "It's for you."

Raising an eyebrow, Darcy put down her fork and took the phone from Jane. She spoke, still having waffle bits stuffed in her mouth. "Yullo?"

"Ms. Lewis, this is Agent Coulson." Darcy instantly swallowed her food, and regained her composure.

"Oh, hey. Haven't heard from you in a while." Darcy said. "How is Erik doing?"

She heard Coulson sigh on the other end. "He's been better."

Darcy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Ms. Lewis, we're facing a potential global crisis." Coulson said. "The Avengers Initiative is being called into effect. We need you to report in."

Darcy went wide-eyed. "Sounds big… What kind of crisis are we talking about?"

Coulson was silent for a few moments, but he eventually spoke. "Ms. Lewis, are you familiar with a man called Loki?"

Darcy immediately stood up, and Jane blinked. Her goofiness thrown aside, Darcy looked dead serious. "Tell me everything."

ooooo

In Calcutta, India, Soladat stood atop her perch, her hood over her head as she aimed her rifle at the small house she and Romanoff set up shop in. Currently, Romanoff was waiting inside for Banner, who was hopefully being led here by their paid decoy. After waiting a few minutes, Soladat saw Banner, whom she recognized after briefly seeing him in New York one year ago, being rushed inside by a little girl.

She picked up her walkie-talkie. "That target has been spotted."

"Copy that." Romanoff responded.

She saw Banner and the girl enter the house, and then the girl exited through a back window. That was when Natasha emerged from a back room and started conversing with Banner. Soladat of course couldn't make out what was being said, but she had her gun raised just in case. She started to grow bored as their conversation dragged on, and it seemed as though Banner was cooperating.

Suddenly, Banner shouted something and slammed his hands down on a table. Natasha sprang up from her seat and pointed her pistol at Banner, and Soladat repositioned her sniper, aimed directly for Banner's head.

She waited a few moments, and saw Banner and Natasha exchange a few words, before calming down. Natasha lowered her pistol, and took out her walkie-talkie and called Soladat.

"Stand down. We're good here."

Soladat lowered her rifle, and then flew down towards the house. She entered through the back door, and Banner turned to look at her. He blinked, and then looked back and Natasha.

"Just you and me?"

Natasha just smirked, while Soladat just rolled her eyes.

ooooo

Fury was in a dark room, surrounded by numerous monitors. The World Security Council just couldn't give him a break. He wasn't in the mood for any more of their lectures.

"This is out of line, Director. You're dealing with forces you can't control." The Caucasian man in the center screen said.

"You ever been in a war, councilman?" Fury asked. "In a firefight? Did you feel an overabundance of control?"

The councilman blinked. "Are you saying that this Asgard has declared war on our planet?"

Fury shook his head. "Not Asgard. Just Loki. As far as we know, Asgard is still on good terms with us."

"How can you be so sure?" The British councilwoman piped in. "He can't be working alone, and the Asgardians can't be that tolerant of us after we killed their prince."

"What Ms. Lewis did was unintentional, and she even settled a dispute between the Asgards and another race that, if they hadn't been dealt with, would have besieged our planet." Fury argued. "But we can't rely on their help here. It's up to us."

"Which is why you should be focusing on phase two." Another councilman on the left said. "It was designed specifically for…"

"Phase two isn't ready yet." Fury interrupted. "But our enemy is. We need a response team."

"The Avengers Initiative was shut down." The head councilman said.

"This isn't about the Avengers." Fury said.

"We've gone over the list." The councilman said. "We're running the world's greatest covert security network and you're gonna leave the fate of human race to a handful of freaks."

Fury glared. "I'm not leaving anything to anyone. We need a response team. These people may be isolated, unbalanced even, but I believe with the right push they can be exactly what we need."

The British councilwoman raised an eyebrow. "You believe?"

"This war isn't won by sentiment, director." Another councilman said.

"No," Fury corrected. "It's won by soldiers."

With that, Fury cut the call, and the screens went dark. He turned around, and saw Xegh Hikesh standing in the doorway, his arms crossed.

"How long have you been standing there?" Fury asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Long enough." Hikesh said and then unfolded his arms. "What if they are right? How can you be sure that this plan of yours will succeed? I have studied the dossiers on each and every one of these… Avengers. There is no guarantee that they will cooperate."

Fury breathed. "We'll just have to hope and pray that they will."

ooooo

Carrie sat back in the quinjet, which was flying her and Agent Coulson to New York to inform Tony Stark of the crisis. Carrie had been told of the entire dilemma by Coulson, and found herself completely dumbstruck. Apparantly, an extraterrestrial being that was worshipped as a god by the ancient Norwegian cultures had stolen something of vital importance, and was using it to threaten the planet. If Momma were still around, she would interpret this entire ordeal as being orchestrated by the Devil, and then start recounting a phrase from the Bible.

Carrie breathed in. Momma…

Shaking her head, Carrie focused back on the main issue. S.H.I.E.L.D. had listed Carrie as a potential recruit for this Avengers Initiative, where people like her were gathered to deal with threats. Unfortunately, Carrie had no experience in that area, and didn't really like the idea of becoming a super hero or using her powers again. Still, Coulson had brought her along so she could meet other potential recruits.

Carrie shifted around in her seat, folding her arms. She had changed a lot since Agents Sitwell and Tremel rescued her from Chamberlain three years ago. Her hair was no cut shoulder-length, and she had recently started paying more attention to her appearance. She wasn't going to let herself go like she did while living with momma. Her wardrobe had also changed. She was currently wearing jeans and a white long-sleaved shirt with gray stripes. There was a brown leather jacket covering it up, and a yellow scarf wrapped around her neck, courtesy of Agent Tremel, the woman who Carrie had come to consider her closest friend.

While en route to Stark Tower, Carrie read a dossier on Stark that was given to her by Coulson. As he read, Carrie grew more and more fascinated with Stark. He was obviously a genius, having created his Mark I suit and arc reactor in a cave with equipment barely any better than what could be found in a high school shop room. However, the man also seemed to have a ridiculous amount of personality flaws, and a tendency to get drunk while wearing the suit.

Arriving in New York, Agent Coulson and Carrie made their way to Stark Tower. Coulson flashing his badge at the security checkpoints got them in Stark's personal elevator to the top floor, and as they rode to the top, Coulson called him with his cellphone. After several failed attempts and some clever hacking on Coulson's part, he finally picked up.

"Stark, we need to talk."

"You have reached the life-model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message." The voice of the man Carrie assumed was Tony Stark responded.

"This is urgent." Coulson said with a frown.

"Then leave it urgently."

At that point, the elevator doors opened, and Coulson and Carrie stepped out into what looked like a mix between a bar and a living room. Stark and a red-haired woman seated at a small table with champagne. Stark stood up.

"Security breach!" He then noticed Carrie. "And no children allowed!"

Carrie frowned.

The woman stood up, smiling warmly. "Phil, come in. And who's this?"

"Phil?" Tony said, confused. "Umm, his first name is agent."

Coulson gave the woman a smile. "This is Carrie, our newest initiate. But we can't stay long."

The woman redirected her smile to Carrie, shaking her hand. "Hello, Carrie, I'm Pepper. Please, come in, we're celebrating."

Tony strode up, giving a tight smile. "Which is why they can't stay."

Unmoved, Coulson held out the file that he had been carrying. "We need you to look this over."

Stark gave him a look and made no move to take the file.

"I don't like to be handed things." He stated a matter of fact.

"That's alright, cause I love to be handed things. So, let's trade." Pepper cut in, handing her champagne glass to Coulson and taking the file, and then handing the file to Tony while snatching his glass. Tony gave her a look that said what the hell?

Carrie held in a laugh, impressed with how good this woman was at handling Stark.

"You know, my consulting hours are between eight and five every Thursday…" Stark began, still trying to get out of doing any work with the file.

Carrie spoke for the first time. "This isn't a consultation."

"Is this about the Avengers?" Pepper asked. Coulson gave her a look, to which she quickly added, "Which I know nothing about."

Stark walked towards a computer terminal that was made of the most advanced tech Carrie ever saw. He hooked the file up to the machine. "I thought I didn't even qualify. Apparently I'm volatile; self-obsessed; don't play well with others…"

Pepper looked back and her and Coulson, smirking. "That I did know."

"This isn't about personality profiles anymore." Coulson said.

"Whatever. Miss Potts, got a minute?" Stark called. Pepper gave Carrie and Coulson the one-moment sign and walked over to Stark. The two argued silently for a few moments, until Stark sent the contents of the file onto holographic computer screens. Carrie saw videos of the other initiates in action, as well as some footage of herself in Chamberlain. Her eyes widened. She didn't realize they had footage of her. She shrunk back when Stark and Pepper looked back at her surprised.

Pepper and Tony continued to argue, until Pepper left Stark and walked back up to Coulson and Carrie, smiling.

"So any chance you're driving by LaGuardia?"

"We can drop you." Coulson said, returning the smile. As they left the room, Pepper and Coulson chatting like old friends, Carrie turned to see Stark examining a holographic model of some kind of three-dimensional cube.

ooooo

Elsewhere, in the deepest bowels of eternity, a blonde woman clad in a dark purple long-sleaved unitard and cape sat on a rocky platform in a realm filled with fire and brimstone. Beneath her, demonic creatures prowled about, growling, snarling and cackling. Before her was kneeling down before an imposing figure. It looked like a man, except his skin was read and his face was long like a horse's. His hair was black and greasy and spiked, and his eyes were an inhuman orange. He had jagged teeth, and claws where his fingernails should have been. His body concealed in a black robe, he addressed the woman before him with a low, inhuman voice.

"Things are going just as I had predicted, Claire Voyant. The time has come for us to act."

Her head lowered, Voyant spoke back. "What must I do?"

"You must go to the mortal plain and seek out the ones called the Avengers. I don't want their souls. Not yet. For now I want you to observe them, study them, but do not eclipse their movements…" The creature's eyes narrowed into slits. "or I shall eclipse yours."

Closing her eyes for a few moments, Claire nodded. "As you command, Lord Mephisto."

Mephisto smiled, and it was a truly frightening sight to behold. "Good. Now leave me, my Angel of Death. You shall depart with my highest faith endowed upon you."

Claire stood up, and faced her master. "I will leave at once, my lord."

She turned away from him, her cape flowing slightly, and marched away. Mephisto smiled as he watched his most trusted servant vanish among the flames.

And that was chapter eleven. Now the reason I didn't show the scene with Fury meeting Captain America is because that scene was unchanged in this universe. And yes, Mephisto is in this. For those of you who don't know him, he's the Marvel Universe's version of the Devil. Next chapter, the characters all finally come together. Review pleaz.