Here's some more. Apologies to those who wanted Thor around for things. he gets thrown out of the ship and wouldn't be able to help in this instance. Pairing is still undecided though. Toss up between him and Tony for the moment. And I got the idea for this scene from Steins;Gate if anyone's wondering.
BIG trigger warnings! Reoccurring death, suicidal thoughts and actions, and PTSD.
Loki went up to 2. Why is he interested in me? That doesn't make any sense. We never met from his point of view and everyone on this ship either hates him or is scared of him. How am I supposed to take this? I stopped outside of the meeting room, inhaling deeply and trying to push the thoughts aside. Getting agitated now over this would only draw attention, which was the last thing I needed right now. Slightly calmer, I stepped into the room and tried to let the tension roll out of my body as I placed down my tray of desserts and drinks.
"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner commented once the feed went black as Steve frowned.
"Loki's going to drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"
"He has an army called the Chitauri," Thor explained. "They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."
"An army? From outer space?" Steve questioned, muttering his thanks when I gave him a new drink and nodding politely at Thor when I gave him a lemonade; his number ticking up just like before. Though it's at 12 now. Forgot how friendly he is.
"So, he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for."
"Selvig?" Thor questioned, perking up at the familiar name.
"He's an astrophysicist."
"He's a friend."
"Loki has him under some kind of spell along with one of ours." Natasha jumped in too as I passed her a glass of wine, earning a nod of thanks from her as well.
"I want to know why Loki let us take him," Steve pressed. "He's not leading an army from here."
It's actually almost too easy for him to get these guys infighting, I noted as they already started to bicker about Loki. He could honestly have done it without being here I think. God, how I wish he wasn't here. I stepped off to the side and tucked my hands behind my back in the loose, familiar military "at ease" position. I was waiting for orders, after all, until Tony showed up anyway.
"Iridium," Banner chimed in just as said man joined us with Coulson. "What did they need the Iridium for?"
"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony replied before I offered him a malt Scotch. "Oh, thank god. You're a lifesaver, uh… Thompson."
That's even further away from my name than last time. "Sterling," I corrected, doing my best not to roll my eyes as his number also ticked up to 5.
It didn't take long for him to go back to goofing around, making fun of Fury and rattling on about what Loki would be trying to acquire. Agent Hill, someone who didn't like him from the start, was obviously rather fed up with him.
"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" She huffed as Tony raised a brow at the challenge.
"Last night. The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"
I lifted a hand, drawing his attention and curiosity.
"Seriously?"
"Yes, sir. It's my job to understand the files and have them easily accessed and organized for later presentation… sort of." I am an agent at the end of the day.
Tony suddenly pointed at me and turned to Coulson. "Can I have her?"
Coulson smiled easily as I sighed heavily, already knowing what he was going to say. "Of course. Anything you need."
"Joy," I muttered, earning a smirk from Tony before Steve brought us back to the main issue.
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"
"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier," Banner informed him as Tony hummed.
"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."
"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet."
"Finally, someone who speaks English."
"Is that what just happened?" Steve asked, rather lost as the two shook hands in respect.
"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster," Tony said, getting a half smile from Banner as he looked sheepishly at the ground.
"Thanks."
Fury stepped back in then, seeing how everyone was getting along. "Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him."
"I would start with that stick of his," Steve offered. "It may be magical but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."
"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."
"Monkeys? I do not understand," Thor said as Steve perked up.
"I do! I understood that reference."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Shall we play, doctor?"
"This way, sir," Banner agreed and they started to head out.
I gave Coulson one last pleading look but he nodded for me to go with them and I sighed, trailing after the two before Tony stopped and pointed at the table.
"Don't forget the baked goods, Thompson."
"It's Sterling," I corrected again as I begrudgingly went back and picked up the tray.
"Chop, chop! We've got work to do."
"Yes, sir."
I stood near the door, arms folded over my chest and staring out the windows idly as Banner scanned Loki's scepter. Once again, I wasn't sure why Tony dragged me along for this. I knew the theory that Selvig was proposing based on his reports of the Tesseract and I knew what it was going to be used for, but that wasn't what they were really trying to figure out anyway. They want to know how they can use it, just like Shield. The only real difference is they're just curious and Shield is looking at how it can be weaponized. I drummed my fingers on my arm, frowning slightly. If I just threw it out of the airship, how much trouble would that get me into?
"The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract, but it's going to take weeks to process," Banner announced from where he was scanning the scepter as Tony worked with his own holographic controls nearby.
"If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops."
"All I packed was a toothbrush," Banner joked, making Tony smile before he took a bite of one of my brownies.
His eyes widened and he turned to me, lifting it. "You make this?"
I nodded, glancing at him. "Yes."
"Wow. Since when do agents bake?"
"We can do as we please once we're off duty. I have access to the kitchens as a direct subordinate of Agent Coulson and when I get stressed, I bake," I replied as he hummed, taking another brownie.
"You cook too?"
"I can do basic cooking, a bit of bartending, coffee and tea. I mostly bake, though nothing fancy."
"Nothing fancy?" He scoffed, holding out a cookie to Banner as he grabbed another for himself. "You try these?"
Banner hesitated but took the offered one, trying it and looking a bit surprised too. "It's good."
"Course it's good. Secret Agent Thompson made it," Tony scoffed as I sighed.
"My name is Aiden Sterling."
He pointed a screwdriver-looking device at me, ignoring my correction. "Listen. You need someplace to go when you get sick of this place? Come to New York. I could do with a new secretary, Thompson."
"I'm not a secretary," I grumbled, frowning at him. "And you can't even remember my name."
He ignored me and turned to Banner. "Speaking of, you should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R&D. You'd love it. It's Candy Land."
"Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I kind of broke Harlem."
"Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension. No surprises," Tony said, only to jab him with the device in his hand, shocking Banner a bit.
"Ow!"
Steve then made his timely appearance and shouted at him. "Hey! Are you nuts!"
Oh, here we go. I could really do without living through this again. I sighed lightly and rubbed my forehead to try and abate my growing headache.
"Is everything a joke to you?" Steve argued as I debated the pros and cons of trying to stop the argument from continuing.
"Funny things are," Tony quipped.
"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny. No offense, doctor."
"No, it's alright. I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things," Banner replied, looking a bit uneasy.
He was fine with Tony's joke but not Steve escalating things, nor Tony adding to it.
"You're tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut."
Steve turned to me then. "Why didn't you stop him?"
"Because I don't see a threat," I answered firmly, surprising him.
"What?"
"Hey, don't pick on her," Tony argued, drawing his attention. "You got a problem, then deal with me."
"The only problem here is the one you're not focusing on," Steve countered, though his number ticked down to -1 anyway.
"You think I'm not focusing?" Tony challenged. "Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us? I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."
"You think Fury's hiding something?" Steve asked then, hesitantly glancing at me.
"He's a spy. Captain, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony gestured to Banner. "It's bugging him too. Isn't it?"
"Uh… I just want to finish my work here and…" Banner tried but Steve looked hesitant now too.
"Doctor?"
Banner gave in easily. " 'A warm light for all mankind,' Loki's jab at Fury about the cube."
"I heard it."
"Well, I think that was meant for you," he said, gesturing to Tony and taking the second offered cookie. "Even if Barton didn't post that all over the news."
"The Stark Tower? That big, ugly—" Steve cut himself short at Tony's look. "—building in New York?"
"It's powered by Stark Reactors, self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?"
"That's just the prototype," Tony added. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now."
"So, why didn't Shield bring him in on the Tesseract project? I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?"
"You got any thoughts on this, Thompson, or are you just silently taking it all in to report back to the big boss later?" Tony questioned me as I shot him a look.
"Sorry, I thought I was just a secretary," I quipped, earning a raised brow.
"What sort of secretary can hack past my firewalls, bake pastries like a God, and go silently unnoticed for this long with enough brains to read and comprehend thermonuclear astrophysics?"
"I hardly went unnoticed if Coulson is in charge of me," I countered with a huff.
Tony rolled his eyes and headed over, pointing the device he'd prodded Banner with at me, though I just eyed it indifferently. "You're just the person to give us intel though."
"Tony," Steve said, still eyeing me hesitantly.
"No. No, because see, what's the worst they can do? Fire her? I've already offered her a place working for me and since I've taken notice of her, they can't get rid of her unless they want to lose me. Besides, her talent's being wasted here making coffee and cakes. Why wouldn't she want to join our team?"
"Maybe because your ego is bigger than the skyscraper you built?" I challenged. "Or maybe the fact that you're talking about me like I'm not in the room."
"Well, even if you won't tell us anything my decryption programmer will finish breaking into all of Shield's secure files in a minute."
Steve turned to him in shock. "I'm sorry, what did you say…?"
"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, we'll know every dirty secret Shield has ever tried to hide." Tony held out the plate of pastries. "Brownie?"
"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?" Steve scoffed.
"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not possible. Them bypassing Thompson there is proof."
I rolled my eyes. "Again, I've not been bypassed. Coulson's just become more protective since I got shot on my last big mission. And if you're going to find out anyway, why are you harassing me to tell you? Seems like no matter what, you get what you want and I'm either out of a job or I'm a less appealing asset to you. So, take a wild guess which option I'm going to pick, Stark."
Tony frowned at me and Steve did much the same before he headed toward the door.
"Just find the cube."
Once he stepped out, I pushed off the wall with a sigh, heading for the door as well until Tony stopped me.
"What? You're leaving?"
"Given you brought me in here to do nothing but try to drag information out of me? Yeah, I kind of feel like I should," I snapped, frowning over at him as he ran a hand through his hair.
"That's not what—" He groaned, throwing his hands up as his number dropped from 13 down to 4. "Fine! You know what? Fine. Go cater to Director Pirate. See if I care."
I shook my head and went for the door, pausing as I touched the handle before tipping my head back with a heavy sigh. I'm going to probably hate myself for this later. I turned, moving up to the briefcase that Tony's hologram controls were and typing a few lines of code before he noticed me.
"Hey! What are you—"
I finished and sent them through, giving Tony a drab look. "You won't like what you find," I said simply, turning back toward the door and leaving as Jarvis pinged to let him know he now had access to Shield's files on the Tesseract. "If I get fired for that, Stark, I'm putting laxatives in the next brownie I give you," I muttered under my breath as I left the hall to go find Coulson.
I hadn't been able to sleep that night. I knew what was coming first thing in the morning and unfortunately had been dismissed by Coulson and barred from the kitchens. He feared I would put everyone in a food coma if he let me be and ordered me to get some rest. If anyone had noticed that I'd allowed Tony access to the files on the Tesseract too, no one said anything. So, I had simply gotten up ridiculously early in the morning and went to work out my frustrations in the gym facilities onboard. All I could think of was what was coming up with Loki and how the hell I was going to try and deal with it. It was when the engine was finally blown up that things truly settled in.
Ping!
New Save Point Added
That's it? No mission? I wondered briefly, cursing under my breath as I hurried out of the locker rooms struggling to pull on a button-up over my sports bra as I dodged agents running through the hall. I need to get back to my room or head to the bridge to get a comm—Those plans were ruined as Coulson suddenly rounded the corner and spotted me.
"Sterling! With me!" He shouted and I was quick to nod, changing direction to hurry after him.
"What's the plan?" I asked as we rushed through the halls. "I don't have a comm so I don't know the situation."
"We have an engine down that Stark is going to deal with. I don't doubt we will have a breach soon if it's Agent Barton who fired the shot and—" He paused with a groan, having heard more through his comm. "Agent Romanoff is somehow dealing with Dr. Banner who's less than pleased at the moment."
"Thor won't sit still either, I assume," I muttered. "He should head straight for his brother unless he gets distracted by something."
"He's apparently helping with Dr. Banner at the moment. Our job is to secure the detention facility and access the armory."
I winced, silently wondering if I could convince him otherwise. I have to try. "Any chance of us not doing that?"
The look he sent me felt like someone had dropped a rock in my gut and a shimmer above his head drew my gaze to it in disbelief.
49
Wha—It went down… I hastily spoke up again, not wanting this to continue. "All I mean, sir, is that we aren't exactly capable of defending the facility by ourselves. Loki isn't going to sit around waiting for rescue either. I doubt any weapon would be able to make a dent in a supposed trickster God."
"Sterling," he said, voice serious as his eyes stayed sharp.
"We've got a perimeter breach! Hostiles are in Shield gear. Hold onto every junction—" An announcement over the intercom rattled off as we stepped into the armory.
"Our job is to do our absolute best to minimize civilian casualties. The first step to that, at this moment, is making sure Loki stays put through any means necessary. Is that clear?"
I swallowed thickly, knowing what was coming and just wishing he would make this easy by not going there at all. But I tried a-and now I know that won't work. I still have a chance. I have other options.
"Yes, sir," I muttered as he turned toward the weapons lined up for us.
"Take a weapon," he commanded, and I eyed what was available before choosing what I would need.
A pistol was almost useless last time but it's my best weapon option for long-range. I grabbed a blade as well, strapping it to my thigh and sliding a smaller one into my bra. Wasn't the most comfortable but I'd rather be overprepared in this moment than under. I can do this. I can do this. I just need to keep Coulson alive, I repeated to myself as we left and headed to the detention area where Loki had already escaped.
"Be ready, Sterling," Coulson warned under his breath, nodding to the guard we were coming up on. "Take the guard out."
I did, easily, my mind focused only on what I needed to do to keep Coulson safe.
"Move away, please," Coulson demanded calmly and Loki took a small step back as he lifted the gun. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you want to find out?"
Coulson charged the weapon and I moved in an instant. I was behind Coulson, pistol aimed just below Loki's chin as I whipped out the blade I had and shoved the scepter upward with all my might. It scraped over my shoulder, drawing blood, and easily slicing through the meat like butter but it wasn't deadly. More importantly, the weapon hadn't touched Coulson. Loki eyed me, not moving with my gun nearly pressing against his throat as I breathed heavily. I did it. I saved him. I prevented him from dying and I just need to get him out of here.
"No!" Thor bellowed then, making me whip around only for Loki to be in front of Coulson now; scepter pierced through his chest.
"No," I breathed, watching as the weapon was jerked free and not caring that the Loki I'd faced vanished. "No, Phil!"
I rushed to his side, dropping my gun without a care because it didn't matter if I died now. I was trying to save him. Saving Coulson was the whole point of this life, this reset. I had trained so hard to make sure I could prevent this and… and I failed. No. No, I-I didn't fail. I didn't. I can go back, can't I? I can reset things?
Ping!
Player reset can only be completed upon death.
I stared at the system screen in devastation. But surely I can restart failed missions.
Ping!
Player reset can only be completed upon death.
No mission currently available.
No… No, that can't be. The screen faded away as someone knelt down in front of me with a hum, drawing my broken gaze to Loki as he eyed me.
"You're a curious one," he mused, bringing the scepter right up to my throat, though I didn't budge an inch. "We met in the hall, didn't we? So much hatred in those eyes even then, but we haven't met, have we? I would certainly remember someone who despised me this much."
It doesn't matter. None of this matters. Coulson is dead again. He's dead. I failed. I-I need to—
Loki clicked his tongue in annoyance, having gotten no reaction out of me with my mind spinning the way it was. "Shame. I've broken her, it seems. It's alright. I'll allow you to join him. It's the least I could do."
"No!" Thor shouted, unable to bang on the glass with how it was already cracked and the containment swinging dangerously over the open hole in the ship. "Loki!"
"I can be a benevolent God," Loki murmured, lifting his scepter and easily sliding it between my ribs.
I choked as blood pooled in my mouth but as the scepter was pulled from my chest, a manic smile began to grow on my face, confusing him. A garbled laugh escaped me as I pressed a shaking hand to the wound, looking up at Loki as he frowned lightly.
"You're… laughing. Why are you laughing?"
"I-I…" My smile grew as my vision became ever darker. "I g-get to t-t-try again."
I sucked in a sharp gasp, a hand on my chest as I leaned heavily against the locker in front of me. Alarms blared in the Helicarrier as people stomped past outside and a sound cut through all of it, drawing my eyes to the system box that appeared on my left.
Ping!
Aiden Sterling died
from blood loss after being
stabbed by Loki's scepter.
Dead End
A smile crept across my face as a mad chuckle escaped me. I get to try again. I hurried out of the room, pulling on my shirt and seeing Coulson round the corner again. Hope swelled in my chest—I get to try again—and everything he said went in one ear and out the other. I knew where we were going, what I needed to bring, and all I needed to do was try again. I'll try something different this time. If blocking him won't work, then I'll be more direct. We reached the containment area and I knocked out the guard as Coulson instructed, following closely behind him as he approached Loki again.
"Move away, please," Coulson demanded calmly and Loki took a small step back as he lifted the gun. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you want to find out?"
The gun whirred but I moved faster, lifting my pistol and firing a shot at the Loki across the way. Coulson looked at me stunned, mouth opening to question my actions but the Loki faded and I whipped around again to fire a shot at the approaching Loki from behind but he was faster. My gun went off but he'd already stabbed me with the scepter. Blood trickled from my lips as my bullet missed and I snarled in frustration as the scepter was jerked out of me and then swung across Coulson's chest.
I was back in the locker room, gasping for air again and I ground my teeth and slammed a fist into the lockers.
Ping!
Aiden Sterling died
from blood loss after being
stabbed by Loki's scepter.
Dead End
Again. I have to try again.
"Move away, please," Coulson requested again, everything in between my leaving the lockers and getting to the containment area a blur. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does. Do you want to find out?"
I grabbed him this time, shoving him away as Loki appeared and his scepter pushed through my back. I don't care, I mentally choked out, gaze flicking to Coulson as I reached up and held tight to the scepter in my chest.
"G-Go!" I snapped, desperately wishing he would leave while I kept Loki here.
I didn't care if I died, as long as he lived. He was loyal to a fault though. He would never run while his subordinate was in danger, while they were dying. E-Even if he did… it would just reset me, wouldn't it? It wouldn't matter. We both have to get out of here alive. My grip loosened as Loki killed Coulson with a small blade instead, jerking the scepter from my body once I'd fallen to the ground again.
A gasp of breath.
Ping!
Aiden Sterling died
from blood loss after being
stabbed by Loki's scepter.
Dead End
Again.
I tried blocking again, stabbing Loki as he bared his teeth at me. It wasn't a fake one this time but the scepter dug deep into my shoulder. He jerked back, swinging the scepter again, and settling it between my ribs once more.
Ping!
Aiden Sterling died
from blood loss after being
stabbed by Loki's scepter.
Dead End
Again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Nothing was working. Any attack I made was countered or led to our death. His death, my death. I couldn't win. I couldn't fight Loki. I couldn't even talk to him. There wasn't enough time. It was seconds between our showing up and Coulson dying and everything I tried to do wasn't working. Stabbing, shooting, begging, pushing, sobbing. I was running out of ideas. I was desperately doing anything I could to try and stop it regardless of my life. I could die a million times if it meant one of those times might save him. Maybe I had. It was all just a fog of pain at this point.
I'd lived this time, staring at Coulson as I weakly pressed my hands to his injury. My shoulder was bleeding but I didn't care. I hardly felt it anymore and he was speaking. He was talking to Loki before he would fire off the gun and knock the false God into another room. It didn't matter though. He was dying again.
His eyes turned to me, gaze concerned as I managed to hear what he was saying. "Are you… okay?"
No. No, I wasn't okay. Everything I had worked for was lying right here in front of me bleeding out and I'd tried again and again to save him and it wasn't working.
"Y-You're being… too hard on yourself, Sterling," he lightly scolded as I finally got my voice to work.
"I-I'm… I'm trying. Again a-and again," I croaked, shaking. "I-I'm trying t-to save you."
He sighed lightly. "You can't save me, A-Aiden."
"I can!" I pressed, urging him to understand and hearing people approaching. "I-If I can just find the right way—"
He eyed me for a moment, trying to figure things out before Fury stepped up and I backed away. I need to try again. I turned away from them and picked up my abandoned pistol, walking out through the halls. Agents were still running around trying to deal with the damage that had been done but they didn't even register to me. I have to try again. I bumped shoulders with someone, stumbling but still walking until they doubled back and grabbed my arm.
"Hey," Tony said, drawing my dead eyes toward him and his battered Iron Man suit as he looked me over. "Thompson, you're bleeding."
I didn't care. I had to reset things and try again. The system hadn't created a new save point yet but if I let things get too far, I wouldn't be able to go back. I have to try again. I pulled away from Tony and walked off, returning to my private quarters and turning my gaze to the pistol in my hand.
Something was wrong. Coulson could tell the moment he looked at her. Her eyes were dead, broken in a way he'd never seen before. He doubted that it had to do with the fact that he was dying. Or, well, that wasn't the full reason anyway. He was fine with dying. He didn't want to but… it was for a good cause. The Avengers wouldn't be able to pull themselves together without something to push them. His death would do that. His death would bring them together because they all knew him, liked him, and deep down he knew they would put their differences aside in order to avenge his death. Living would be preferable, of course, but he could do this for them. He'd known he probably wouldn't make it out of the containment area alive but if there was anything Coulson was known for, it was his loyalty.
Which was why he felt bad for dragging Aiden into this. He wondered if he should have left her in the hall instead of bringing her with him. She was hurt—the shoulder wound looked deep—but worst of all were her eyes. It was like there was nothing worth meaning anymore. Her life didn't matter, her death didn't matter, Loki, Thor, the incoming alien invasion. None of that mattered except him. It was… frightening, somehow. Coulson wasn't sure how exactly but he had a bad feeling. He had a terrible feeling that she was going to do something stupid.
"Are you… okay?"
It was a stupid question. Of course, she wasn't. He was dying and she hadn't been able to do anything. Not that anyone could have done something but this was different. Aiden wasn't the type of person to give up. It was a trait he appreciated because when it came to missions or stubborn coding, she would push through to the end even if it frustrated her. The trait was a double-edged sword though. It meant she would do anything to accomplish her goal and would push herself to her limits to get it. It was why he'd been concerned when he brought her onto the team and saw how she acted with training. She was preparing for something.
For this? He wondered but that wouldn't make sense. She hadn't known this was going to happen. No one did… and yet, he felt like it wasn't a surprise. The pain in his chest was familiar somehow. The words falling from his lips echoing in his head like he'd said them before.
"M-Me? Coulson… Phil, I-I'm hardly… God, this is all my fault."
"Y-You're too hard on yourself, Sterling."
"No… No, you don't understand. I… I could have stopped this. If I had just—"
"I-I'm… I'm trying. Again a-and again. I-I'm trying t-to save you."
She just stared at him now though, saying nothing. So, why was it that he felt so concerned?
"A-Aiden," he muttered, drawing her eyes to him as his brows furrowed in concern. "W-What are you… What are you going to do?"
Her gaze was sad—solemn—but there was such determination deep within them that it worried him. She was fighting for something, for him, and something told him she would die trying. Weakly, he reached out, grabbing her wrist because he'd seen gazes like hers before. He'd worked for Shield a long time and with that experience came the knowledge that not everyone could handle things that occurred there. People died, were tortured, had seen friends and family die. Aiden had been someone he wondered about but she'd proven herself capable… or so he thought.
Now, she looked so broken. It was as if her entire world was ending because he was dying and he couldn't have that. He just wasn't sure anything he said would break through to her. It worried him as to what she was going to do next. She wouldn't be the first agent to do something stupid because someone close to them died. His grip tightened slightly. He didn't have much energy left and he could hear people heading their way.
"A-Aiden. Aiden, listen to me," he urged, hoping she was listening but unable to tell with her empty gaze. "You have… so much potential."
"You've got potential. D-Don't waste it. You are so much better… than some secretary."
"Don't… Don't do anything reckless," he muttered. "I-I'm dying but… but there's more to life than just me. There are other people—" He choked, tasting iron on his tongue. "D-Don't die just because of me."
Finally, her mouth opened to speak but the words that came from her mouth did little to reassure him.
"I h-have to try again."
Coulson wasn't sure what that meant but she pulled away and left as Fury hurried in. He knelt in front of Coulson as the agent's gaze drifted to Aiden walking out, taking his chin in hand.
"Just stay awake. Eyes on me," he ordered but Coulson knew he didn't have much time left.
Already, he felt cold.
"No. I'm clocking out here."
"Not an option."
"Take care of Sterling," he muttered. "Something is… Something is wrong. S-She's going to do something stupid."
Fury frowned lightly, looking at the doorway she'd left from and reaching up to his comm. "I need eyes on Agent Sterling. Possible Code Black."
"She… She's good, you know," Coulson breathed, lungs hitching. "One of the best and… it's okay. This was never going to work… if they didn't have something… to…"
He wasn't able to finish. Everything had gone numb and dark and finally, he was able to rest. Fury stepped away as the medics moved in and after a moment, one shook their head and he took a steadying breath as he reached up to his comm once more.
"Agent Coulson is down."
"A medic team is on the way to your location."
"They're here. They called it," he announced, stepping out of the room and into the hall, searching. "Do we have eyes on Agent Sterling?"
Tony's voice came over the comms then. "I just bumped into her in the hall. Why?"
"Which hall?" Fury demanded, picking up speed.
"Uh, somewhere near the labs. She was injured. I assumed she was heading towards the medical bay."
"Was she armed?"
"What?"
Fury struggled not to raise his voice as he hurried toward the private rooms in the hopes he wouldn't be too late. "Was she armed?"
"I… I don't know. I think she might've had something in her hand. Fury, what's going on?"
Fury cursed, near sprinting now and rounding the corner where her room should be. "Code Black! Agent Coulson is down and she just left with a weapon! Agent Sterling is—"
He heard a gunshot just as he reached her door and his breath left him in one fell swoop; hand on her doorknob tightening before he pushed it open. The comm chatter was loud in his ears but he wasn't listening as he stared at the scene in front of him.
Agent Coulson had always been a good man and every agent he took in proved themselves to be invaluable but sometimes… sometimes things fell through the cracks.
Slowly, Fury reached up to his comms, silencing everyone on the other end. "Agent Sterling is down."
Tony walked through the halls, heading for the nearest place to get his suit off. Agents were scattered around, still trying to get things settled after the sudden ambush. That's why he wasn't surprised to have one bump roughly into his shoulder only to pause. He recognized them and he'd seen red. They were hurt.
"Hey," he called out, grabbing them by the arm and stopping them.
It was Agent Thompson—No, Sterling—Coulson's assistant. Her shoulder was bleeding rather heavily and he was honestly surprised she was even on her feet with how pale she looked.
"Thompson, you're bleeding," he informed her, wondering if she was in shock.
It didn't even look like she registered what he said. Her eyes were dead, cold, and… sad. He frowned lightly, not liking the expression on her face but also knowing it wasn't really his business. Still, she is better than most agents. Not everyone would betray Shield by giving us access to files. She pulled away from him though and he started to turn back around when something stopped him. He wasn't sure what it was. Something just nagged at his brain, telling him to stop her; that he was missing something. He glanced at her back as she walked further away, brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what was bothering him and Fury spoke over the comms.
"Agent Coulson is down."
"A medic team is on the way to your location," someone said but his next words made Tony's heart drop.
"They're here. They called it."
Sterling rounded the corner ahead of him, disappearing from view and he wondered if she knew. He started walking after her, that feeling of unease egging him on as Fury continued.
"Do we have eyes on Agent Sterling?"
"I do," he answered, glancing around briefly. "We're in a hall just past the labs. She's injured but… does she know?"
"She was here when it happened. Stark, is she armed?"
Dread suddenly filled Tony as he understood what was being asked. Any other day he might have been confused. Of course, an agent would be armed but the question set off warning bells in his head and he picked up his pace to catch up with Sterling.
"She is. She has a gun," he replied to Fury on the way, turning a corner and watching her enter a room.
"Code Black! Stark, you need to stop her! She's going to—"
"I know!" He bit out, grabbing the door and jerking it open; lunging for the pistol Sterling had raised up toward her temple. "Aiden!"
She didn't even flinch when he grabbed her wrist, twisting it enough to make her drop the gun and pinning her to the wall in case she had anything else on her. Fury was calling over the comms, trying to get confirmation on how things were and he quickly answered.
"I got her. She's fine," he said shortly, turning off the comms. "Jarvis, weapons search."
"There is a small blade in Agent Sterling's bra and another on her right thigh, sir."
Tony eyed Sterling cautiously as he removed the strapped-on dagger—tossing it over to join the abandoned pistol on the ground—before holding out a hand. "You going to hand it over or shall I?"
She gave up the last blade easily, dropping it in his hand before it joined the other weapons. He didn't like this at all. She looked like a corpse; a living, breathing corpse. She'd given up. Completely and utterly abandoned all hope and the look in her eyes… It made him angry.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He bit out, wanting some sort of reaction from her; some sign that there was still life in her.
She didn't answer though, didn't even blink as she just stared calmly back at him.
"Answer me!" He shouted, grabbing her by her shirt and pressing her against the wall. "What the hell were you thinking! You seriously think he would have wanted this!"
"He's dead," she muttered, voice quiet as he grit his teeth in frustration.
"That doesn't mean you do this. That doesn't mean you ruin everything he did for you—tarnish it—by doing this!"
She blinked slowly, almost looking right through him and not registering what he said. "I need to try again."
"What?" Tony questioned, confused as the sound of rushing footsteps approached.
Her gaze drifted back to the gun on the floor. "I need to reset. I failed again so…"
The door opened and Fury stepped in, looking down when his foot lightly kicked one of the weapons on the ground before gazing solemnly at the agent Tony was still holding. Tony let her go, giving her a look as he stepped back for one of the agents to approach her.
"Agent Sterling," Fury said, drawing her eyes toward him. "You're being placed under watch for the next twenty-four hours to be evaluated by our medical staff and… and determine whether or not you will be allowed back on active duty for the foreseeable future."
The agent moved behind her, lightly taking her wrists and handcuffing them behind her back; careful of her injured shoulder, though she didn't resist. Once she was escorted out, Fury let out a heavy sigh, bringing a hand to his head and rubbing at his eyes before looking at Tony.
"Thank you," he muttered as Tony glanced at where she'd gone.
"Yeah… Yeah, she's… she's a good agent."
Fury nodded solemnly. "Coulson always picked the best."
They were quiet for a moment before Tony managed to speak up again.
"Will she be…"
"I don't know," Fury admitted. "Early on, Coulson had his concerns. She was stubborn, adamant about ensuring her successes even at the cost of herself." He glanced at Tony as they stepped out of the room. "Sound familiar?"
Tony scowled at him as he continued.
"She's capable of moving past it," he said but there was a hint of unease in his voice. "But it's up to her in the end. If she doesn't want to, then…"
Tony frowned, not wanting to think of that happening. "She's got a place at my office if needed," he offered, glancing at Fury as the man raised a brow in surprise. "Quiet, less… agent. I could do with a new secretary."
Fury sighed. "I'll keep that in mind."