Stimulation
Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
- William B. Sprague
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Chapter 2: Stimulation
I awoke to white stretching to the corners of my sight and after a few moments of allowing my vision to settle, I realized that it was a ceiling, squinting as my eyes wandered to the light. It was then that I perceived a resounding beep coming from my side. Turning, curious as to the source, I saw a heart rate monitor along with some other strange graphs.
I groaned, realizing I was in the infirmary and sat up in my bed, bringing a hand to my face, and trying to remember why I was there. I remembered arriving at the NASA laboratory with Coulson and waiting until Director Fury came. After that we proceeded to an underground testing facility and…
My eyes flew open remembering the Tesseract and the man who had stolen it, his name now burning in my mind.
“Loki.” I stated, taking my hand away from my face.
The memory of him standing before me, ready to kill me was fresh and heavy; still palpable. The spear lunging towards me, the tip aglow in blue, and the moment afterward where I had somehow survived, only to watch him escape with the cube, worthless and unable to move. Unable to stop him. Unable, even, to save myself, remembering how the director himself had carried me out of the collapsing building, saving my life, and then again as he pulled me from the crashing helicopter. Both of the other men crashing and burning along with the hunk of metal to join the long list of the dead that night.
I wondered then, why Fury had bothered saving me, why I had been important enough to save. I had been no use. I simply writhed in pain on the ground while everyone else was killed mercilessly by the man named Loki, and watching the only survivors left be taken under his control, including Clint.
He had been compromised, taken by the enemy, and such a high ranking agent in the hands of such a force could compromise all of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. Though Barton wasn't my favorite person, it couldn't be denied that he was one of the most skilled combat and strategic agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. and that could be taken advantage of.
I lowered my gaze, grasping how worthless I had been. I had been there for the entire ordeal on order of the director himself and made a fool of myself. It was then that I realized that I had never been told why the director had wanted me there in the first place, and even more puzzling than that why the gamma radiation from the Tesseract had caused me so much pain when it seemed not to affect anyone else.
The whole of the situation was a catastrophe and something had to be done about it as soon as possible. Looking around the room, I wondered how long I had been unconscious and if any progress had been made. I threw my legs over the side of the bed, tearing the wires and nodes off of my skin and headed to the door. As I reached the front of the door I realized it wasn’t opening on its own and had been locked from the outside. Wondering why the infirmary of all places would be locked, I pulled out my S.H.I.E.L.D. identification badge and scanned it to unlock the door but to my surprise it still didn’t open. I tried my badge again, seeing the screen display “Access Denied”.
“What the-?” I wondered aloud, trying to slide the door open myself but to no avail.
Frustrated I kicked it.
“Hey!” I yelled.
“Somebody want to unlock this door?”
As if on cue I heard footsteps clanking down the hall outside of the door and looked through the glass to try and see who it was and to my relief it was Coulson. I banged on the glass and waved him over pointing to the door.
“It’s locked!” I yelled, hoping he could hear through it.
He saw me, seeming to already be headed my way and casually held up his badge, unlocking the door.
“Agent Muse, Director Fury told me what happened are you alright?” he said hastily as the door slid open.
“Yeah I’m fine! What about you?!” I blurted out, looking him up and down for signs of damage.
“I was worried when the facility collapsed!”
He stared at me for a moment as if contemplating something.
“I’m fine. Everyone got out safely.”
My gaze lingered on him for a moment before lowering to the ground as I remembered all of the people that had been murdered by Loki.
“Not everyone…”
There was silence for a few moments before I spoke again.
“That man…Loki killed almost everyone in the laboratory. Director Fury and I were the only ones to make it out alive, only because he carried me out. And Clint-“
“I know.”
He cut me off.
“They’re starting a face trace right now to find those who were taken, and Loki.”
I looked up to him.
“And the Tesseract.” I inclined.
“I assumed he’d gotten away with it as I fell unconscious.”
Coulson nodded reluctantly.
“Yes, but we’re bringing in some special help for that”
“Special?” I asked, raising a brow.
Coulson’s lips pulled into a wide smile.
“They should be headed to the deck too. Come with me, I think you should meet them.” He said turning, insinuating that I follow.
“Them?” I asked stepping out into the hallway as he began walking, me following.
He looked back at me over his shoulder.
“You’ll see.”
As he faced back forward I raised a brow in confusion but nevertheless I followed, I trusted Coulson. We continued on winding through several metal hallways, our feet clanking repeatedly as I tried to take in the environment to determine where we were but to no avail.
“Coulson?” I asked, getting his attention.
“What is it agent Muse?”
“Where are we exactly? This doesn’t look like the regular base.”
“That’s because it’s not.” He stated.
“Then what is it?”
Coulson stopped, as we came to a door and turned to me, smiling.
“Helicarrier model 64.”
My eyes widened.
“We’re on a Helicarrier?!”
“That’s right. And through those doors is the main deck. I’d prepare myself if I were you.” He said pointing to the doors down the corridor.
I turned, trying to see through the glass from where we stood.
“Come on.” He said, proceeding through the doors.
I hurried after him, coming to his side as we entered the room, all at once taken aback by how large it was. A large operations room filled with agents moving and working like a mechanism, communicating through ear pieces while operating multiple holo-screens, a small area in the center, where the Director now stood, facing an enormous set of windows, revealing that we were in fact level with the sky. Coulson had spoken to me of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarriers but I had never been on one. I had never needed to be, and my very presence there excited me and made come to the realization that my scope as an agent had just expanded. As I stood in awe, Coulson continued down the steps to speak to some agents seated at computers. I slowly proceeded forward, looking around and taking everything in, making out words being said in the madness before a door off to the opposite side of the room opened as, to my surprise, Natasha entered, followed by two unfamiliar men.
She spotted me as she made her way passed the large glass table centered in the middle of the platform separated from the controls area. I met her half way, observing her casual clothing: a tan leather jacket over top a red undershirt and some black jeans with tan leather boots that matched her jacket, also noticing that she was sporting her thigh holster.
“First time flyer?” She asked facetiously as the two men began wandering around the room.
I smirked at her comment.
“When do I get my pillow fluffed and my complementary peanuts?”
Her full lips pulled into an amused smile as suddenly Deputy Director Maria Hill’s voice resonated above the murmur of the other agents.
“All engines operating. S.H.I.E.L.D. Emergency Protocol 193.6 in affect. We’re at level Sir.” She said turning to Director Fury.
Natasha turned towards them.
“On this flight you get something better than peanuts.” She commented, nodding towards the front of the room causing me to turn as well, spotting the Director stationed at the controls in the middle of the room.
“Good.” Fury responded to Hill.
“Let’s vanish.” He declared.
Suddenly the front of the ship, visible through the large windows, seemed to start disappearing as an Agent Hill announced: “Engaging retro-reflection panels.”
I stared wide eyed at the phenomenon as Natasha smirked at me, seeming to find my amazement funny. The Director turned around, walking towards the table that Natasha and I stood by as a voice confirmed that the retro-reflection panels were engaged over the intercom and the taller of the two men that had entered with Natasha paused in front of Fury, handing him a dollar. Without explanation the Director simply took it and continued on his way, allowing the unknown blonde to look around with as much amazement as myself. Director Fury stopped in front of Natasha and me, nodding to her as she walked away and looked down to me.
“Glad to see that you’re conscious. You gave us quite a scare.”
“How long was I out?”
“Somewhere around 10 hours.”
I groaned, rolling my eyes slightly at my utter lack of usefulness my gaze falling to the ground in disappointment. I looked back up to him, finding my next words a bit hard to force out to the director.
“Thank you…for…saving my life.”
He simply nodded and then walked passed me to one of the men Natasha had walked in with as I turned to watch him.
“Dr. Banner, thank you for joining us.” He began holding out his hand to shake.
The name seemed somehow familiar to me, taking my mind a moment to process before it hit me all at once.
“Dr. Bruce banner?!” I blurted out, unintentionally interrupting their conversation.
They both turned to look at me and I slapped my hand over my mouth realizing how idiotic I sounded.
“I’m so sorry!” I began.
“I didn’t recognize you!”
He smiled dejectedly and lowered his gaze.
“I see…”
I realized how I had come off and stepped forward, apologizing.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean, I have only ever seen videos and photos of you so when you entered the room it wasn’t an immediate
realization.”
He looked up to me as I came to a stop in front of him.
“It is an honor to meet one of the greatest minds in the world. I’m sorry I was so rude.”
I felt awkwardly out of place now, on a Helicarrier for my first time, amongst such high ranking agents and Dr. Banner. Uncomfortably trying to speak formally with and internal fuse sparking was something in which I lacked practice and it showed as the understanding of Coulson’s earlier statement about special help washed over me.
“Well it’s an upgrade from the usual Aaah’s and Oh no’s I suppose.” He said almost as if to himself, smiling.
He held out his hand to me, insinuating I shake it and I hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was appropriate for an agent of my status to do so.
“Thank you.” He replied as I shook his hand.
Letting go, he observed his hands as if in some confusion.
“Quite a handshake for a…” He paused a moment looking at me and contemplating.
“Young…woman.”
It was evident that he had considered calling me a child. I considered that it was a good thing he changed his mind.
“Agent Muse, Dr. Banner will be helping us in locating the Tesseract.”
“Where are you with that?” The Dr. asked.
Director Fury pointed to Coulson, giving him the cue to explain.
“We’re scanning every wireless device in the world. Cell phones, laptops…if it’s connected to a satellite its eyes and ears for us.” He said folding his
arms as I walked over to look at some of the screens to see the progress they’d made.
Natasha crouched down on the platform next to an agent’s computer and slid her finger over a display of Clint.
“That’s still not going to find them in time.”
“How many spectrometers do you have access to?” the Dr. asked.
“How many are there?” Fury responded.
“Call every lab you know.” Banner began, taking his suit jacket off and rolling up his sleeves.
“Tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I’ll work out a tracking algorithm, basic cluster recognition. At least we can rule out a few places.”
“What’s your plan of action when you find it? I mean it’s safe to say it won’t be easy getting it back.” I interrupted, turning to Director Fury.
“That’s when our other associate steps in.” I heard Coulson’s voice behind me and turned to see him coming to a stop next to me, followed by the tall blonde man that had come with Natasha.
“Agent Muse.” Coulson began, smiling and turning slightly towards the man.
“Meet Captain Rogers.”
I stared at Coulson for a moment, brows furrowed in confusion before looking back at the blonde man, observing that his eyes were an astounding shade of blue.
“Captain?” I questioned, still befuddled.
“Captain of wha-“ and in mid-sentence the connection between the last name and the title hit me, my words flowing directly from confusion into awe.
“wha…wha…” I droned on like a fool as my eyes widened, staring at this man.
I looked back over to Coulson to confirm that what I was thinking was correct, he simply smiled and nodded before I immediately turned my attention back to the blonde man, seeing him hold out his hand to shake.
“Pleasure.”
I stared at his hand for a moment in shock, feeling far more unworthy than I had been with Dr. Banner’s. My fuse was no longer sparking, it had officially been blown.
“You’re captain America…” I stated as if he hadn’t already know, my hand mechanically lifting to his and shaking it slowly. Suddenly realizing how much of a child I must have seemed like I regained myself, resuming my formal demeanor.
“I’ve heard so many stories about you.” I said as we both released each other’s hands.
He smiled somewhat reluctantly, his gaze falling for just a moment and glancing over at Coulson before looking back to me.
“I never knew there were so many.” He replied.
“I never imagined I’d meet you in person. I mean we were all informed when they found you in the ice along with the-…” I trailed of, coming back to the reality of the situation and why we were all there.
“The Tesseract?” He asked, finishing my sentence.
I nodded.
“Captain Rogers has the most experience with the Tesseract, so when we find it he will be leading the response team in retrieving it from Loki.” The Director cut in.
“Response team?” I asked turning to Director Fury.
“Yes. We’ve called in some special help from people like Dr. Banner and Captain Rogers.”
“Speaking of which, where is our other associate agent Coulson?”
“Mr. Stark was given several files to catch him up on the situation, so unfortunately he won’t be joining us until a bit later.”
“It’s not that unfortunate.” Natasha commented from the side.
I looked around at all of them, surprised.
“Stark? As in Tony Stark? As in Iron Man Stark?” I asked, turning back to Coulson.
“As in pain in the ass Stark.” Natasha added.
“We’re hoping that because of the work Mr. Stark’s father, Howard Stark, did with the Tesseract that he’ll be able to help us better understand, and retrieve it.”
Overcome with the idea of such large figures all interacting together for the same purpose; figures like Captain America: a legend, Bruce Banner: One of the most brilliant minds in the world, and Tony Stark: A genius Billionaire a.k.a. Iron man, and the top S.H.I.E.L.D. agents available. It was exciting to think about alone and then I realized, we would all be working together, suddenly thrilled.
“Is Mr. Stark aware that we are on a time clock?” Director Fury asked.
“He’s fully informed of the situation. Whether or not he decided to take it seriously enough is another matter.”
“Speaking of time clocks” Dr. Banner interjected “How long am I staying?”
“One we have our hands on the Tesseract, you’re in the wind.” Fury stated.
“From that point on our response team will handle the rest.”
“Once we sniff him out for ya, he won’t just quietly hand it over quietly.” Banner replied incredulously, as if it was all somewhat ridiculous.
“We’re aware of that. We already have a plan of action.”
“Which is what?” I asked.
Director Fury looked over to me.
“That is not to be disclosed at this point in time.”
My brows furrowed in confused frustration, folding my arms across my chest.
“I think we’re entitled to know what exactly we’re going to be doing a little ahead of time.” I stated.
His one eye focused on me for a moment as he slowly turned his body towards me.
“We? Agent muse, you will not be participating in the retrieval of the Tesseract.”
My eyes widened as he said this: shocked.
“What?!”
“It was made clear in the underground facility that contact with the Tesseract is hazardous to your health.”
“Hazardous?! Look at me I’m fine!” I protested.
“Dr. Selvig mentioned low levels of gamma radiation were being emitted from the Tesseract in the chamber when you experienced pain, we can’t risk your safety by putting you in contact with it again.”
“My Safety?! Are you even hearing yourself right now?!”
I was insulted and had lost complete composure, disregarding the fact that I was yelling at the director; my superior, only focused on my anger.
“That’s the whole point of being an agent isn’t it?! S.H.I.E.L.D.’s function is to protect the world and that means facing threats, that means facing danger constantly and I know that! Every agent knows that! I mean it’s not like everybody else isn’t risking their lives! It’s not safe for anyone but we’re doing it anyway because it has to be done!” I spat as he kept his one eye on me, still and calm.
I scoffed, laughing slightly at the ridiculousness of it.
“It’s obviously not a matter of safety or else we’d be screwed!”
“Agent Muse…” I heard Coulson from my side.
“This is because I’m young isn’t it?! You think I’m somehow less capable than everyone else?!”
“No. That’s not it. Agent Muse, the accident the other day damaged your internal organs, almost permanently. We don’t know why but you seem to be extremely sensitive to the energy that is emitted from it. Our doctors have stated that it’s not advisable for you to be in its proximity, so we’ve prohibited you from participating in the response team.”
My eyes widened a bit, finding it shocking to hear but also insignificant in the circumstance and staying anchored in my argument.
“Are you serious?! I don’t care about my organs when the whole world is at stake. You expect me to sit out while everyone else risks their lives?! How is that fair?!”
“It’s not about what’s fair. It’s about the fact that we’re protecting you from harm.”
I growled loudly and threw my hands up to my head.
“That’s what I’m saying! Why are you protecting me when everyone else is going to be in just as much potential harm as I am?! It just doesn’t make sense! Admit it Fury! It’s because you think I can’t handle myself! You think I’m weak because I’m young!”
“Agent Muse.” He stated, trying to get a word in but I wouldn’t let him.
“Well you’re wrong! I can handle myself! I am strong enough! And I’m going to help whether you like it or not! I don’t care if I get hurt!”
“I am not asking if you care about your safety or not. I am telling you that you’re not going to be an active part of this response team. That’s an order.” Fury demanded.
“It’s my life Fury! You can’t tell me what’s best for me or not! Some murdering psychopath is in possession of one of the most powerful objects in the entire world and I’m going to do whatever I can to stop him just like everyone else!”
“Agent Romanoff please escort Dr. Banner out of this environment please.” Fury ordered, keeping his eyes on me.
She began walking over, but Dr. Banner stopped her.
“I’m fine.” He stated awkwardly putting a reassuring hand up causing her to pause mid-path while I continued.
“The more people working towards the same goal the better chances of accomplishment, and the quicker it gets done! I can help!”
“AGENT MUSE!” He rose his voice.
I stopped.
“You can’t help. You can’t withstand it. You are weak and you need to realize that. You were compromised in that chamber, reduced to a pathetic bundle on the ground, you couldn’t even stand!”
I opened my mouth to protest but he wouldn’t let me, leaning in more and more as he continued.
“And you would have died there if I hadn’t carried you out and what’s worse is you accepted it. You wanted me to leave you there to die! You’re reckless agent Muse! Reckless and stubborn! And I don’t need reckless agents jeopardizing the mission! I also don’t need an agent who will make it five seconds on the field before collapsing and endangering others! You are NOT going to be a part of this response team and if I hear one more complaint about it out of you I’ll put you in lockdown!”
He glared at me with his one eye and took a deep breath in through his nose. I glared right back at him, right into the single dark orb in silence. He had just called me weak, useless and inefficient and though it angered me, I knew it was true. I hated it, I hated with everything inside of me, but it was true.
Whatever it was about the gamma radiation that the Tesseract gave off, or why ever it affected only me, was beyond my understanding but there was nothing I could do about it. And it was that weakness that forced me into the sidelines, into the desolate sense of worthlessness and weakness that sent an angry chill through my body. Some of the world’s largest, greatest figures were going to work together, a remarkable group of people who were going to find the Tesseract and defeat Loki and I couldn’t do a damned thing to help. I wanted to scream, to throw my fist into his face but I knew better. Fury would have no problems with throwing me into a lockdown cell for as long as he saw fit. I kept my mouth shut and glared at him, sending daggers at him through my gaze.
He pulled back out of my face, standing straight again, the others silent, looking between him and me.
“Now you can either keep going and I have security escort you to lockdown or you can shut up and get off of this deck.”
I glared at him, clenching my fists and digging my nails into the skin in the palm of my hand, willing myself not to open my mouth, not to throw back a retort. Instead I scoffed, whipping myself towards the door and storming out of the room.
(3rd POV)
As agent Muse left the room, Director Fury turned, headed back to the center of the room as if nothing had happened. Banner and Steve awkwardly avoiding eye contact with anyone, having felt out of place during the argument.
“Agent Romanoff, show Dr. Banner to his laboratory please.”
She kept her gaze on the floor for a moment, biting her lip and ruminating on the situation that just happened before swiftly turning on her heel towards a set of doors, walking rigidly and with purpose.
“You’re gonna love it Doc, we got all the toys.”
As she passed Dr. Banner turned, a reluctance in his demeanor before shaking off the seriousness of the situation and following her.
“Really? Do you have the commodore 64?” He asked as he caught up to her.
Natasha slowed her pace a bit, stumped on his comment.
“I’m not sure…” she drawled.
“Oh, you’re very young.” Dr. Banner laughed.
Agent Coulson took a step forward ready to go after agent Muse.
“Agent Coulson.” Director Fury called, his back facing him.
“Don’t forget your assignment.”
Agent Coulson paused, looking from his superior to the doors across the room where Agent Muse left, his gaze dropping to the ground briefly before turning and descending the steps to help with the face trace leaving Steve Rogers standing on the black platform alone. He watched Phil Coulson descend the steps, having noticed his expression after Director Fury’s comment. His gaze traveled to the director before falling to the ground in thought and turned his head towards the doors where Agent Muse had exited.
(Agent Muse POV)
I darted through the hallways, my fists still clenched as my teeth grinded against each other. I was furious. It wasn’t Fury’s decision whether risked my life or not, it was my life and I didn’t care if he was my superior.
It was the point of being an agent to face danger, to sacrifice our safety for the greater good. It’s what Fury always said, so it didn’t make sense for him to exclude me from that platform. I was an agent too and though I was a low level I was still capable and it angered me that he didn’t treat me like it.
It was taunting to think that I would have worked with them, that they would be fighting without me as I sat on the side. I was robbed of fighting next to Captain America, the man Phil had told me so many stories about, robbed of working with Dr. Banner and Tony Stark, two of the greatest minds in the world, robbed of helping bring down one of the world’s biggest threats. I was fully capable of helping yet Fury strongly believed otherwise.
He had called me weak and useless to my face and in front of Dr. Banner and Captain Rogers. From what he had said they most likely all believed that I was weak now, an ineffective child. It was embarrassing for them to have heard what he said, for them to think of me as weak. And it wasn’t just them. Loki, the man who had attacked the facility and stolen the Tesseract, the madman from another world who murdered so many, he thought I was weak too. The sick look on his face, that taunting smirk, mocking me and my strength. And in truth it was accurate at the time for him to view me that way, I’d have thought the same of someone who presented themselves as I did upon a first encounter. I could barely stand, worthless and fragile and he…he was obviously powerful.
Eric Selvig had mentioned in the facility that he was the brother of Thor, the supposed god figure who had come to Earth in the previous year, and Loki himself had mentioned that he was from Asgard, the supposed land of the gods that Thor was from, and if those things were true that meant Loki was indeed a god. I stopped then at a sudden thought. I wondered what it mean to be a god…I wondered if gods bleed, if gods felt pain, or if they were invincible. Suddenly the situation seemed far more serious than I had originally realized. Not only did this man have possession of the Tesseract, as well as a weapon that appeared to have the capacity to control minds, but he was a god, and what that meant was uncertain.
Clearly he was strong, his abilities were beyond that of a normal human. His skill in battle was extraordinary and his ferocity was explosive. He was indeed very powerful, and a very serious threat but that did not discourage me. He needed to be stopped. He was a madman who claimed to desire control over the world, over the human population, declaring his intentions as good natured.
I thinned my eyes, remembering what he had said in the facility. That he was going to free us from freedom. It was ludicrous; mad. He looked down on us, deluded in believing that he had the divine right to enforce his beliefs onto us. It was tyranny he aspired to. Demented and psychotic tyranny over humans with the belief that he was above us. He had compared us to ants, used the analogy that he was the proverbial boot and that he had the power to step on us but he was wrong.
The arrogance of it infuriated me, the misguided confidence in his divinity. It meant nothing to me. His motives were insane and he needed to be stopped. That was all there was to it. Regardless of whether or not he bleed or whether he was invincible or if he felt pain, he needed to be brought to justice.
It was the simple fact that I wouldn’t be a part in bringing him to justice that enraged me. It wasn’t fair for me to sit out of the danger while everyone else would be fighting and potentially dying. I deserved to go into the field as well. I had been there when he arrived, I watched him kill countless people and could do nothing. The least I deserved was a chance to redeem myself, to prove that I wasn’t weak, to prove Fury and everyone else wrong, to prove Loki wrong.
His name and face had solidified in my mind as the enemy. His towering form, the flagrant air of power about him, the insanity in his eyes, they were all aspects of the image manifesting in my mind. An image of a person that hate now swarmed around. He had called me weak and tried to kill me along with the countless others he had slain in that lab, as if I was an insignificant being compared to him. His arrogance was unbelievable, convinced that he was more powerful because he was a god and I was human.
If it hadn’t been for the pain that the Tesseract caused me, I would have taken him down. I would have kept him from getting away and prevented this whole situation. I growled in frustration as I winded through the halls aimlessly. It didn’t make sense why I was so sensitive to the Tesseract’s energy and nobody else was. It was because of that weakness that Loki had been allowed to get away, if I had just been stronger I could have stopped him then, even if I couldn’t have defeated him I could have at least stalled him long enough to have kept him from getting away and because of me the whole world was now in danger.
The Tesseract was powerful, no doubt. It had opened up a portal to another part of the universe in front of my eyes. I knew very little about it which made me curious as to why S.H.I.E.L.D. was using it, and what they were using it for. Being as powerful as it was I couldn’t imagine it having any potential for good. It seemed to me that the potential of something that powerful could only lead to destruction. The thing was a source of great misfortune, not only for me, but for the world and I found myself beginning to hate it, wishing that it had never existed. The whole situation had been caused by its existence and I couldn’t do a thing to change it.
Fists clenched I stopped in the middle of the hallway. Everyone else on the carrier was busy doing something to make themselves useful and there I was, alone and useless. I clenched my fists tighter, my nails digging into the leather of my gloves. In a sudden burst of anger I turned swiftly and punched the metal wall, feeling my knuckles sting the moment after as I brought them back to my side, ignoring the pain. Every muscle in my body felt uncontrollable energy wanting to escape, feeling like I would explode if it wasn’t released. I grit my teeth, reluctantly resigning to let out my aggression with some exercise and made my way towards the training room.
Entering I walked past the individual training rooms to my usual spot. As I entered the small area the lights came on and I proceeded to the control panel, holding my badge up to it. As it scanned my badge and processed the information I turned to the side, replacing my badge into my jacket and reaching behind me as an automated female voice spoke and the program loaded.
“Agent Muse. Level 4. Loading training program.”
Gripping hold of the rod in the back loop of my belt on each side, I pressed the button in the middle with my thumb, causing it to release into two blades as I pulled from either side.
“Program loaded.” The voice spoke again.
I flicked my wrists, the blades extending due to the release trigger inside the hilts—a design of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s technicians-- and set my gaze forward on the holograms before me. A buzzer sounded, counting down to the start of the course and I got into a stance, lowering myself slightly and holding my blades to my sides. The final buzzer sounded, followed by a ring, giving me the signal to begin and I shot forward in an instant, slicing through the first hologram and spinning to take out the next. The anger that I’d held inside was releasing in bursts as I darted at each hologram figure and sliced through it with ease.
Whipping around the training area and swinging my blades my frustration grew. I was an able fighter, just as much as any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but I was excluded from the response team. I got down low, ducking under a hologram’s attack and slicing through its mid-section. The Tesseract caused me pain and made me weak, and that weakness was why I was excluded and why Loki had gotten away. It was inexcusable! I stood up, spinning and taking out two approaching figures. I was weak, and somewhere inside of myself I knew that. I knew that I wasn’t as strong as I wanted to be; as I needed to be. I leapt into the air, flipping over one of them and cutting through its back as I landed. I needed to change all of that. I needed to become stronger. I needed to prove that I was stronger. The final hologram charged at me and I stood, glaring at the ground in frustration as I gripped my blades tightly. I needed to prove to Fury that I was stronger, to the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who doubted me, and…
The hologram figure pulled back its fist for an attack…
That mocking smirk of his as he looked down on me flashed in my mind and I grit my teeth, whipping my head up to the hologram and slicing through it swiftly with full force. The holographic bodies disappeared and my gaze returned to the ground, anger filling my body as the voice announced that the program had ended. I needed to prove my strength not only to Director Fury and the agents, but I needed to prove it to Loki as well.
His image in my mind was so vivid—oddly vivid—for I had only been in his presence for a few minutes, only faced him for mere seconds and yet his visage was etched into my mind like an ancient stone artifact. I began to feel nauseous standing there, as the thoughts progressed, becoming a kaleidoscope of his face. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my mind and expel such thoughts to no avail, as if they were invading my mind.
“Training awfully hard for someone who’s supposed to be sitting out.”
I looked up, surprised and not fully recognizing the voice as I turned to see Steve Rogers standing at the door to the training room. Captain America had just watched me fight and I hadn’t even noticed him in my frame of mind. He looked like he’d just caught a child stealing out of a cookie jar. I stared for a moment, appalled at why he was there before the only sensible reason became apparent, sighing and retracting my blades.
“I’m blowing off steam. Why? Did Fury send you down here Captain?” I asked as I connected the two rods, replacing them to my back and walked back to the control panel, beginning to ready my next course.
There was silence for a brief moment before he replied.
“No…” he said, stepping into the room and slowly walking over to me.
“That’s not why I’m here.”
I turned towards him slightly, encouraging him to explain as I stopped setting up my program.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
I raised my brows, surprised by his statement, having no idea why Captain America would want to talk to me.
“About what?” I asked confused.
“About earlier.”
My eyes widened slightly, realizing he was referring to the argument I had with director Fury and turned back towards the control panel, embarrassed.
“Listen, I know you think it’s not fair…”
I mentally rolled my eyes waiting for him to try and justify the situation.
“And you’re right, it’s not.”
I looked over to him, surprised by his words as he stopped a few feet away from me.
“It’s not fair to be left out, knowing that everyone else is working their hardest while you watch. All because of something that you can’t control.”
I turned fully towards him, listening attentively.
“I know what that feels like.” He said as his blue eyes focused on the floor.
“Back in my day the whole world was at war, and all I wanted to do was help, help protect people but I couldn’t.”
His eyes were focused to the lower right;an indication of emotional memory recall.
“I watched my friends…almost everyone I knew go off to serve while I tried desperately to join them…”
He raised his eyes to the ceiling, scanning it, almost as if searching for answers to a silent question.
“But I didn’t fit the qualifications.”
He dropped his head back down, pursing his lips reluctantly.
“I was just a weak little guy from Brooklyn.”
“And then you got the super soldier serum.” I added, looking back to the control panel.
I could see him look at me out of the corner my eye, hearing his clothing rustle with the movement.
“I’ve heard the stories. I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t.”
I vividly remembered Coulson giving me history lessons on Captain America over and over again.
“Then you were able to fight, you didn’t have to sit out anymore.”
I looked straight down at the ground.
“I understand what you’re saying Captain, and I appreciate it…but I don’t have that option.”
There was silence for a few moments and I kept my eyes on the floor, avoiding contact with his.
“It wasn’t just before the serum…” he added, trailing off.
I turned to him, confused.
“What do you mean?”
“After I received the serum…immediately after in fact, Dr. Erskine was…murdered. There was no way to replicate it and so I was the only super soldier.” He kept his eyes on the floor.
“They kept me off the field so they’d have access to my blood in hopes of recreating Erskine’s serum. Even then I wasn’t allowed to fight. I finally had the ability to do something but I was still forced to sit out and watch my friends and allies die.” The look in his eyes was distant as he continued to speak.
“I was just a...” He stopped for a moment as if struggling to find the correct word.
“Mascot. A dancing monkey on behalf of good ol’ America. They had me selling war bonds and that whole time I just kept thinking that the only thing I wanted to do was fight, to get out into the field and help my comrades, face the enemy head on and put an end to the war.” He said, looking up to the ceiling again.
“But as I made my way across the country I realized that I was helping the people who couldn’t fight. I was giving them hope and getting them to help in whatever way they could. By buying the bonds, they provided ammo for the men who could fight, the men who were on the frontlines. I was doing something important and so were they.” He smiled to himself briefly.
“Even if I wasn’t out there myself, wielding a gun, I was helping people in a different way. I was giving them a bigger part, even if everyone thought I was a joke.”
“I never knew that….” I stated, keeping my eyes on the ground.
“Coulson told me the stories about how you fought in the war and about who you were and I knew that you had endured a lot but I never would have guessed.” I looked up to him then.
“I mean, I can’t imagine going through what you have. To wake up after seventy years frozen in ice…” I trailed off, realizing that there was a line there that shouldn’t have been crossed.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up…”
“No, it’s not that.”
I looked up to him, seeing his eyes on the ceiling again as he leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets.
“Y’know when I woke up here and was told what happened I was shocked.”
“Obviously.” I replied, shrugging slightly.
"I mean I was in a completely new era. A new generation, New culture, new technology,…" His eyes wandered around the room.
"And new people." His eyes re-centered to the wall parallel to him.
"At first it didn't seem possible, like it was a misunderstanding, or a sick joke, or even a dream. But as the days went by I started to realize more things. Besides my surroundings, everything, the whole world had changed. I felt out dated. Expired even. And learning how to use all this new technology and getting used to it all was quite a struggle for me. Everything I knew about it had disappeared, including the people. All I wanted to do was serve my country, and live the normal life of a war hero. But what happened is far from that. Why am I even telling you all of this? I'm sorry. I guess it’s stupid." He laughed at the end, as if at his own ridiculousness.
“No it’s not.” I stated as he looked over to me.
I walked over to the space on the wall beside him, placing my hands behind my back and leaning against the wall next to him.
“It’s natural to be shocked in a situation like that. Anyone in your position would have felt the same. It was like you were sent to an entirely different planet. Sure there are things that are the same but they are all dramatically different. You shouldn’t feel ashamed or outdated or expired. You were a hero in your time and that is one thing that hasn’t changed and you shouldn’t forget that. You are a good man. You didn’t ask for any of this and it’s horrific that it happened to you, to be thrown into this. I know I can’t say that I understand it well enough to talk but I can empathize.”
I felt my gaze gravitating towards the ceiling, observing the laser light panels that formed the holograms as I pressed my fingers against the wall behind my back, pushing myself forwards a bit before letting myself fall back against the wall every few seconds.
“You might think people will look down on you for living in the past but you’re literally from the past so there is no shame in admitting those things. I’m sure there are a myriad of things that you miss. Old telephones, old cars, old music, family, friends…I can’t imagine how lonely that must be…” I looked down to the floor contemplating such desolation.
“And don’t feel stupid because you don’t understand certain things yet or there’s things you haven’t gotten used to. I have a lot to learn myself.”
He laughed a bit.
“I’m sure you could teach me a few things.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. I haven’t been at it for much longer than you.” I stated matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean?”
I sighed, looking forward at the opposite wall, and hanging my head to the side. It was always a bother explaining.
“A few months ago, I woke up with psychogenic amnesia; complete loss of identity. I had no idea who I was or where I was or anything really. Apparently the one thing I could do was fight, so SH.I.E.L.D. took me in, became my family, and ever since I’ve been an agent. Coulson offered to be my mentor and showed me everything I know, which is still pretty limited.”
“I had no idea.” He said shocked.
“How could you? You’re Captain America and I’m a level 4 agent.” I replied turning my head to look at him.
“So you have no idea who you were at all? Your family? Your name? nothing?” he asked.
“No. S.H.I.E.L.D. found nothing so I gave up caring. I didn’t really want to know to be honest. When S.H.I.E.L.D. took me in I was happy and I was afraid if they did find anything I would have to leave so in a way I’m glad they didn’t. S.H.I.E.L.D. is my only family now.”
“But you don’t even know your own name…” he said somewhat sadly.
“I don’t need one. I have my code name and that’s it. That’s all any agent needs on the field. S.H.I.E.L.D. is my life, my only life, so I don’t need any other identity. Names are just labels to differentiate one person from another, a title for your existence. “ I smiled, satisfied with my response.
He was silent for a bit so I looked at him, seeing that he was starting at me.
“What?”
“It just…seems like you don’t have an identity of your own. All you have is a code name, as if the only thing you are is an agent.”
“I am. My name is my identity, it defines me. I am an agent and I just want to focus on now and being this me. Everyone has just always referred to me as “agent Muse” and I’m fine with it. To me it’s who I always have been. That way I have no limits, it’s a clean and weightless name, nothing in my past to weigh me down.”
I looked over to him, nodding my head in his direction.
“It’s just like you’re Steve Rogers. That’s the title for your existence that people relate to the title of Captain America so people know who you are, have been, and will be. It’s a title that you’ve built the meaning of yourself, so people know who you are and what you do, just as it is with anyone else. I’m just still building what my name means, and who I am.”
I turned my head forwards, looking down again.
“But apparently that person is still weak…too weak to do anything important. I’m just a laughingstock to everyone. A disgrace.”
He looked over to me.
“That’s not true. You’re right. You are who you make yourself out to be. Whether you’re weak or strong right now or not, you’re a good person and that makes you someone of worth. You’re still molding yourself into who you want to be and that person may just be the strongest person you’ll ever know.”
He pushed himself off of the wall and faced me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I briefly looked down to it somewhat uncomfortably before turning back to him.
“My point is, agent Muse, is that it’s not always about fighting. It’s not always about being weak or strong. It’s about having the right heart and the will act. And you have that heart. You proved that out there.” He nodded his head in the direction of the door.
“So even if you’re not on the battle field, even if you’re not face to face with the enemy, you can still do you share to help. Just like everyone else on this…” he paused for a moment, at a loss for the word he was looking for, his eyes scanning the room briefly.
“Ship. They’re all working their hardest to try and find the enemy. It’s not an insignificant part. Without them we’d be ill informed and go into battle without knowing what we were up against. It’s just as important.”
He kneeled down in front of me so that he was closer to my height, his hand remaining in its place on my shoulder.
“Maybe there is a reason for this and you just don’t know it yet. Even though you can’t fight, maybe you have a bigger purpose too. You’re not a disgrace, you’re the real thing, and one day you’ll have the chance to prove yourself.”
“How did you?” I asked.
“What?”
“How did you prove yourself? How did you stop being a dancing monkey to everyone, stop being a joke?”
He stared at me a moment before answering, his gaze dropping briefly.
“Some…squads were captured by the enemy, and my best friend was one of them. Everyone told me there was no hope, that they were already dead but I took matters into my own hands and managed to get everyone out safely.”
He looked back up to me.
“I did what I could, and that’s what you have to do.”
He stood back up, placing his opposite hand on my other shoulder.
”Don’t let what you can’t do right now affect what you can do. Just do whatever you can to do your part in all of this and in the end you’ll come out much stronger than before.” He stated smiling.
I stared at him for a moment, my gaze dropping briefly before I looked back up to him.
“Thank you Captain.”
“Call me Steve. We’re friends now after all.”
“What?” I asked, somewhat shocked.
“Of course. I have to say, when I first saw you I didn’t quite know what to think of you being so young and with such an unusual appearance but I’ve been taking surprises pretty well lately. And after seeing you fight, and having this talk I can see that you’re much more mature than one might think and I enjoyed talking with you. I think you might have helped me in a way that I really needed.” He smiled, taking his hands away from me.
I arced a brow, befuddled.
“Really?”
“Really. Just knowing that I’m not the only one feeling a little lost in all of this is comforting, and you’re not alone either.” He smiled, patting me one last time on the shoulder and turning towards the door.
I watched him for a few seconds before he stopped a few feet away, turning around again.
“One more thing before I go…” he began holding up a finger.
“What?” I asked.
“What do you think of just “Muse”? Agent Muse seems so formal.”
I stared at him for a moment before responding with a shrug.
“It’s fine with me.”
He smiled.
“Alright then, I’ll see you later Muse.”
I smiled to myself for a moment as he walked away, taking in the fact that I had just had a conversation with Captain America himself. However my smile began to fade as I remembered why he had wanted to talk to me to begin with. Steve had a point but it didn’t change anything. The facts were I couldn’t help with the response team and there was nothing I could do about it. Everyone including Steve himself was going to go into battle against the enemy, against Loki…
I glared at the wall, the thought of him angering me in an instant. His image was so vivid in my mind, his mocking smirk and his power. The fact that I wasn’t allowed to fight him made me hate him even more and it fueled my anger.
Suddenly my head began to hurt, a similar sensation to what I had felt in the underground chamber. I grabbed my head, feeling slightly dizzy and reaching out to steady myself against the wall, in the next instant falling to my knees and collapsing against it.
“Ugh!” I let out a groan as I came in contact with the hard metallic wall.
As I laid there, my vision blurring slightly. Trying to sit up, I heard quickly approaching footsteps. In a moment Steve was at the door, his image obscure as he came over to me.
“Muse! Are you alright? What happened?”
I waved him off.
“I’m fine. Just…my head…” I said as he sat me up against the wall.
“Should I call for someone?”
“No. I’m really fine, I just need to…”
I pushed myself up, using the wall as support as I got on my feet, stumbling slightly. Steve grabbed ahold of me, holding me up.
“I think you should lay down. I’ll find you a room.”
“No…it’s alright.” I protested trying to push myself away from him.
“I’m not taking no for an answer.” He stated, grabbing hold of my shoulder and walking with me slowly as my vision faded in and out.
Down the hall from the training rooms were the boarding rooms. Steve helped me along until he found an empty one and helped me inside to the bed. As he let go of me I put a hand to my head gripping the sheets.
“You should lay down for now. You don’t look too good.”
In too much pain for words, I did what he said, beginning to sweat from the stress on my body.
“I’ll be back to check on you later.” He said, standing by the door and hesitating for a moment before exiting, the door sliding closed behind him.
The pain was insufferable. It felt like my head was going to explode. I rolled onto my side and gripped the pillow tightly, as light from the moon lit up my room. It only seemed to disturb my mind more so I turned the other way and faced my wall slowly falling to sleep.
(3rd POV)
Steve headed back down to the main deck, worried about the young girl. Considering her physical state he was glad that she wasn’t going to fight. As he entered the large room agent Romanoff turned to him and walked over.
“Captain Rogers, we were wondering where you went.”
“Muse seemed upset so I talked to her. She’s resting now.” He replied, walking up to meet her.
She stared at him for a moment.
“You mean agent Muse?”
“Yeah.” He replied simply, somewhat confused why she asked.
She lowered he gaze for a moment as if considering something.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You should call her by her professional name: Agent Muse.” She said, turning.
“But she is a person. If you call her that she has no identity, she’s just an agent.”
Natasha turned back to him, her eyes flickering with hesitation before she spoke.
“That’s the point Captain Rogers.” She responded, turning and walking away, leaving Steve standing there in silence.
(Agent Muse POV)
The pain was excruciating causing me to writhe where I laid, half asleep. It was too much to take and I sat up opening my eyes as I brought a hand to my head, freezing the instant I did. I was no longer in my room on the Helicarrier.
Machines and men surrounded me, some military, some what appeared to be scientists. I stared for a moment before looking around to see stone walls and arches under a low ceiling, resembling some sort of underground railway. I stood up, feeling the dampness of the ground as I pushed myself to my feet and snuck behind one of the pillars. Peeking out from behind it I was able to scope out the area, trying to figure out where I was and how I had gotten there when suddenly two military men ran directly behind me out of an arched passage and into the area passed me. I froze, wondering why they hadn’t reacted to me. There was no way they couldn’t have seen me.
Slowly I took a step from behind the pillar, stepping out into the walkway in between the men and machines, waiting for someone to notice me and attack, on my guard, but no one did. I cautiously walked up next to a scientist and watched him build some unknown structure.
“Hey.” I said, receiving no response.
“Hey! Where am I?” I tried again, no response.
I went to tap him, finding that my hand went right through him. I pulled back shocked. Staring at him for a moment I realized that no one could see me. I looked around again, even more confused than before when suddenly a blue glow caught my eye directly down the walkway seeing an area enclosed with plastic tarps, with many busy men inside it. And there, within that small room, was the Tesseract. My eyes widened at the sight of it as I saw a man walk over to the side of it, realizing that it was Dr. Selvig. Suddenly something obscured my view, a man stood in front of it, holding up a tablet and in the next moment I realized who it was.
“Clint…” I said aloud.
I began walking forwards, towards him when something brushed passed me and as I looked up to see what it was I froze, watching the figure proceed forward without a second glance my way, his black coat hovering at the tips with each step. It was Loki.
Eyes wide I watched him proceed forward towards the others, beginning to understand where I was yet utterly confused as to how. He stopped in front of the tarp area and began talking to Clint and Dr. Selvig. I cautiously approached, placing one foot in front of the other slowly as I came up behind them, stopping just a few feet behind Loki.
“This is wonderful!” The Dr. exclaimed, walking to the front of the Tesseract to speak to Loki.
“The Tesseract has shown me so much. It’s more than knowledge it’s truth.”
As he spoke I observed how unhealthy he looked. The fierce blue of his eyes was visible even from my distance as I approached and he appeared to be in disarray.
“I know…” Loki responded, trailing off for a moment.
“It uh, I touches everyone differently.” He said, then turning to face Clint.
“What did it show you agent Barton?”
“My next target.” He replied simply.
Dr. Selvig chuckled a bit.
“Stick in the mud. He’s got no soul. No wonder you chose this—this tomb to work in.” He said motioning to the environment.
“Well the Radisson doesn’t have 3 levels of lead line flooring between S.H.I.E.L.D. and that cube” Clint retorted as Dr. Selvig nodded in reluctant agreement before turning back to work on the cube.
“I see why Fury chose you to guard it” Loki said, turning and falling in step with Clint who began walking towards me, down the aisle.
I stepped out of the way quickly as they passed me, watching them walk side by side for a moment as I stood, trying to understand the situation.
The last thing I remembered was being in the Helicarrier and talking to Steve, when he brought me to a room to rest. I looked down at my hands opening and closing them once and looking over at the two men who walked the main aisle. It was far too real to be a dream, but the explanation as to why no one could see or hear me was unknown. Nonetheless I jogged after the two of them, trying to focus on what I could do to take advantage of the situation.
“You’re gonna have to contend with him sir. As long as he’s in the air, I can’t pin him down. And he’ll be putting together a team.” Clint said.
“Are they a threat?”
“To each other more than likely, but if Fury can get them on track, and he might, they can throw some noise our way.”
“You admire Fury.” Loki stated as they turned, straying from the center pathway and off to the side passed the pillars.
“He’s got a clear line of sight.”
“Is that why you failed to kill him?” Loki asked angrily, proceeding passed Clint as he stopped next to a table with some equipment on it.
“It might be. I was disoriented. And I’m not at my best with a gun.” He replied.
I came beside Clint, keeping a safe distance as I watched Loki walk into a passageway and stop, turning around to face him.
“I want to know everything you can tell me about this team of his.” He said holding up a finger.
“I would test their mettle…” He trailed off looking down the passageway as if in deep thought
“I am weary of scuttling in shadow.” His gaze fell of the ground as he paced, looking around in disgust.
“I mean to rule this world…” He said turning fully towards the entrance of the passageway and looking up before facing us again.
“Not burrow in it.”
“It’s a risk.” Clint informed him.
Loki smirked, seemingly pleased by the idea.
“Oh, yes.” He nodded.
“If you’re set on making yourself known, it could be useful.”
“Tell me what you need.” Loki said walking back out of the passageway and stopping in front of Clint who then turned to the table of equipment beside him and opened a case.
Reaching in he took out his bow, pulling the bowstring back to release its full form.
“I’m gonna need a distraction. And an eyeball.” He replied.
“Where?” Loki asked as they began to walk back towards the area where Dr. Selvig worked.
“The Tesseract showed me that the iridium the doctor needs is in Stuttgart Germany. A research facility called Schafer, it’s the only one that has the amount we need and it’s heavily guarded. I’ll need men.”
I took note of this, listening intently.
“And the distraction?” Loki asked smiling as if excited.
“The labs are only accessible to a handful of authorized personnel. It just so happens that Dr. Heinrich Schafer, one of said authorized personnel will be giving a speech at the Kõnigstrasse Hall gala tomorrow night.”
He came to a stop in front of a table right next to the Tesseract area and picked up a holo screen, taping an image of a man’s face and bringing it up before showing Loki.
Loki simply smirked as he observed the man’s picture.
Clint nodded.
“I’ll load the men.”
With this he began walking away. I looked from him to Loki, feeling the gravity of the situation before looking over to the Tesseract. If I could just take it and somehow find my way back to headquarters not only would the crisis be averted but I would prove to everyone that I was capable. I slowly walked over to it, fazing through the plastic tarp like a ghost and wondering if I would even be able to physically touch it in the state that I was in. I proceeded over to it, reaching my hand out to grab it, suddenly feeling excruciating pain and falling to my knees as it began pulsating lightly and glowing.
Dr. Selvig and Loki quickly turned to it, seeing the reaction as I too looked up to it in confusion. Clint, who was only a few feet away turned back and came up next to Loki.
“What’s happening?” Loki demanded.
“I thought you said there would be no interference.” Clint added.
“There shouldn’t be!” Dr. Selvig replied, stepping back.
“There are three layers of lead line floor between us and the surface. Not even cosmic rays should be able to pierce through that kind of buffer!” he continued as I staggered to my feet, backing away when suddenly the glowing stopped.
“It’s stopped all of a sudden…” Dr. Selvig stated.
“Could it have been a spontaneous occurrence?” Clint asked.
“No.” Dr. Selvig said, shaking his head and waving off the idea as if it was a physical object.
“No spontaneous occurrence could have had a reaction like that. It had to have been caused by interaction with some sort of catalyst.”
“Like what?” Clint asked.
“I don’t know.”
Suddenly everything froze before me. The doctor stopped speaking, still in his placement as well as Clint and Loki slowly turned his head towards me, his eyes locking with mine. I winced slightly, a bit alarmed and looked behind me to see what he was looking at seeing nothing but pillars and brick. I turned back to him as he tilted his head slightly as if in confusion his eyes still locked on me.
“You…” he said.
My eyes widened realizing that this was directed towards me, and that he could see me. I began backing up, seeing him turn towards me and take a step forward in front of a frozen Clint and suddenly he was gone as I processed that I was looking at a dark room. I stared for a moment, feeling the pillow pressed against my body, my hands curled around it and I sat up, releasing it and staring at the ground. Eyes wide I contemplated the reality of what I had just seen. It had all seemed so real but it couldn’t have been. I looked at my hands, trying to distinguish the reality of them when I saw an enormous burn through my glove. My eyes widened as I recalled reaching out to the Tesseract and the energy burst that had flared out towards me. I looked up to the wall, bringing my injured hand to my chest.
It was real.
It seemed impossible but the burn was undeniable proof that I had somehow been in the enemy’s hideout. I had seen Dr. Selvig and Clint and I had seen Loki. From the heavy machinery and man power I could conclude that Loki’s plans were serious. But more importantly I had been only inches away from the Tesseract, the object that everyone on the main deck was trying so hard to find, and somehow, I had. I looked down to my hand once more to make sure the burn was still there and I wasn’t imagining things to see that it was.
I stood up, looking to the door. I needed to act, but the question was how. I could tell everyone but they would think I was insane or…
I looked back down to the burn.
I could take matters into my own hands.
I thought about what Steve had said when I asked him how he had proved himself, how he had shown everyone that he was not a joke. He had gone against the odds, he had broken the rules and done what he thought best—done what only he could.
I weighed the options and facts, mulling them over well. I could go after them myself and take a Quinjet, but my experience with flying one was limited. Coulson had only shown me the basics, things that every agent needed to know in case of emergency, and in my mind the situation was an emergency. I was capable of sneaking down to the launch bay and taking a small, independent Quinjet and if I went after them myself and got the Tesseract back, I would prove to them all that I was strong. In a moment I had decided and flown out the door headed down to the launch bay.
(3rd POV)
Loki stared at the spot where the strange young agent from the previous night had just stood before suddenly disappearing, shocked and questioning what he had seen.
“Sir?” Clint spoke up.
Loki turned to him briefly, before glancing over at the spot where she had been once more.
“Is everything alright?” Dr. Selvig asked.
Loki stared for a moment longer, then glanced at the Tesseract before turning and walking away, smirking to himself.
“Yes. It is.”
(Agent Muse POV)
It was late afternoon and there were no incoming landings so most of the men were attending to storage and safety maintenance. I snuck across the bay and over to a single passenger jet, knowing that what I was doing was both insane and against the rules, but in my mind, rules meant nothing when the world was at stake. Rules meant nothing in war.
I climbed into the jet, immediately putting it into stealth mode as it started and looking around for any witnesses. As the jet faded out of sight due to the cloaking technology, I started it up, the engine only making a low hum with the stealth mode setting on. I set the necessary controls before inhaling deeply and taking off down the runway, only a swift gust of air as proof of my departure. My heart rate was high as I looked back at the Helicarrier fading into the distance. There was no turning back.
I situated myself, taking in a breath and calming myself when suddenly I realized I had no idea where I was going. I had no clue Loki’s hideout was. I had only seen it from the inside and seeing only the color of the stone and knowing that it was underground was not much of a lead when he could be anywhere in the world. At this realization I stared out the window in shock for a moment before looking down to the GPS system. I quickly set the location that I had managed to remember from Clint and set my gaze forward. I didn’t know where his base was, but I knew where he was going to be.