Secret Organizations, Rage Monsters & Magical Hammers
"It's a helicarrier." Fury explained, seeing your wide eyes staring up at the great big aircraft. "A mobile command center and forward operations platform."
"It's not gonna carry me to hell, is it?"
"Not if you keep the peace."
"Right." You nodded, unsure. "It's good, I'll give you that. Sustained and independently-powered flight judging from the turbine engines. Looks familiar now I think of it."
Fury looked at you as you approached a drop-down ramp, impressed. "I'd hope so. Part of the designs were made by your grandfather decades ago."
"What?" You turned. "That guy is full of surprises."
"We've noticed most Starks tend to be. This helicarrier is hopefully the first of many. Perhaps you could put your skills to use and provide upgrades for it."
"I'd have to check the schematics and do some white box testing for the engines and see what the electrics are compatible with. And I'll need to be on the whitelist. If you have one of those."
"Of course we do."
"Good. Is there anything else I need to know about... It?"
"We have a WEP-secured network, multicast broadcasting, and traceroute and trackback."
"That's a lot of website-based add-ons. What about defenses?"
"Retro-reflective panels and radar cloaking."
You nodded in response and entered the aircraft. You stared in awe, coming into what seemed to be a loading bay. It was filled with many goods ranging from tiny widgets and tools to enormous piping or guns. This area alone seemed bigger than the entire warehouse. You could only imagine what else could fit inside.
"Ms. Stark."
You turned to see who must have been another agent approaching. Like all the others, he was dressed like a packet of silk cut. However, he seemed more friendly than the others, wearing a smile instead of a stony look like everyone else.
"Agent Coulson." Fury introduced, motioning between the two of you.
"It's a pleasure." He said, holding out a hand.
You shook it. "Hello, agent."
As he exchanged some words with Fury afterwards, you couldn't help observing him. He looked familiar, like someone you might pass on the street, but you couldn't figure it out.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" You decided to speak up.
Coulson turned with a knowing look on his face. "Not officially."
"Not officially?"
"The Stark Expo last week. I saw you take down a Hammer drone with consummate elegance."
You smiled a little. "Tell that to the bruised ribs I ended up with."
"Coulson here recommended you to us." Fury explained. "He said you have potential."
"Well, I'm flattered." You showed off the smile on your face. "So this Triskelion. What's it like?
-
It was pretty amazing.
The Triskelion was built along the Potomac River on Theodore Roosevelt Island as an enormous complex that occupied almost all of the island. Its central structure was composed of three very tall columnar buildings supporting a shared circular top.
As you were guided through it, your face disguised as not to be recognized, you were given a brief overview of what the large building housed.
There was the main atrium as well as many operating rooms. It contained Fury's office, the chambers of the World Security Council, work spaces and labs, interrogation cells, and a landing ground outside. It was aweing and you wondered just how advanced SHIELD was based on all this alone.
You couldn't believe your grandfather helped make this possible. He was a founder of this.
"This will be your lab." Coulson explained as he and Fury took you to the end of another long hallway.
Pushing the door open, your face showed a mix of reactions, mostly intrigue and curiosity. It was a wide and open space, very ideal, filled with advanced tech lining the walls and several tables to place work or research. It was every inventor's dream.
"This is..." You could barely speak due to smiling. "Amazing."
"And it's all yours." Fury said. "This will be your place of work out of assignments or commissions. You won't be disturbed unless it's end of the world urgent."
You raised a brow. "And will there be any 'end of the world' urgencies?"
He didn't answer which was very unsettling, but you weren't surprised.
-
A few hours later, you were called up to Fury's office and were waiting patiently for him to arrive. There was a news report playing in the corner about an attack on Culver University involving the ever annoying military and some kind of creature.
"Rumors continue to swirl about a violent clash between forces of the US military and an unknown adversary on the campus of Culver University earlier today. Sophomores Jack McGhee and Jim Wilson witnessed some of the battle."
The camera changed from the destruction to two boys. "It was so big! It was, like, this, like, hulk!"
It cut back to the reporter and displayed some footage. "McGhee, who happens to be a reporter for the campus paper, captured this on his cell phone. Further search for the mysterious Hulk was postponed by powerful thunderstorms in the Smoky Mountain National Forest."
You tilted your head when you saw this 'Hulk'. It was big and green and seemed to have a constant expression of anger on its face. However, there was something about the eyes that still seemed somewhat human. Perhaps it wasn't a monster after all.
"Interesting, isn't it?" Fury's voice spoke up from behind.
You turned to face him. "That's one word for it, yes. Who is it?"
There was a pause in which he clearly debated on telling you what he knew, but ultimately decided against it and walked behind his desk.
"I have several matters to discuss with you. All of equal importance."
"Oh?" You nodded, motioning for him to go on.
"Think of these as your first assignments."
"Wait, already? I've been here three hours."
"Trust me on this." He waited for you to nod before continuing. "At the Expo, you saved a boy. Do you remember that?"
Your brows furrowed. "The kid in the Iron Man mask? What about him?"
"His name is Peter Parker. He lives with his aunt May and uncle Ben in a small apartment in Queens. His parents were good friends of mine before they died in a plane crash some time ago. He's a smart kid, very talented and promising, and he admires your father. I want you to keep a permanent home in New York so you can watch over him. Ben knows about this and he's more than happy to accommodate you."
You listened and thought about it in great detail. "So you want me to move to Queens and look after this Parker kid?"
"I do. He's had trouble in the past with an older boy who wasn't exactly the kindest of souls and hurt him. He needs someone to guide him and help him cope. You suit this role whether you believe it or not."
A sad frown was on your face when you realized what he meant by 'trouble' and 'hurt'. No kid should have to deal with that.
"Okay. I'll do it." You nodded again. "What else did you need me for?"
"Ah, yes. There's been calls and reports about an unidentified object landing in New Mexico about fifty miles into the desert. I would like you to analyze this and see if you can't remove it. You won't be alone, Agent Coulson will accompany you."
-
The next night you were on the road with Coulson heading to New Mexico where some atmospheric disturbances had been happening.
You had stayed up all night and most of the day creating something to help remove the unidentified object Fury had been telling you about. Apparently it was a hammer of some kind but he didn't elaborate much.
As you looked out the window, you couldn't help but smile. At night, even the deserted lands seemed beautiful.
The sky was a velvety navy shade and the stars twinkled like tiny diamonds up above. You could see sandy plains and dusty mountains silhouetted underneath these little diamonds and it seemed almost magical. For a moment, you forgot you were a teenage runaway sent on a mission by a super secret government agency. In fact, just the idea of that seemed preposterous.
Until your stomach gave a mighty rumble and you were thrown back into reality, cheeks flaming in embarrassment as you glanced at Coulson who only seemed amused by it.
"Hungry?" He joked.
You laughed a little and nodded. "That obvious, agent?"
"Well the good news is there's a gas station just a mile down the road. We can make a stop there if you can hold on that long."
"I think I can manage."
The two of you shared a smile before you looked out the window again, feeling the nagging in your stomach as it craved sustenance.
Before long, you came to a stop at the gas station. You unbuckled your belt and stepped outside the car, stretching as the night air wrapped around you.
As the car filled up, you and Coulson walked into the tiny food mart. The woman behind the counter didn't seem too interested but acknowledged your presence with a courteous smile before going back to staring at the floor. Your stomach growled and you quickly shushed it before heading over to grab something.
You picked up a pack of sour patch kids and a bottle of water before joining Coulson again. He was crouched by one of the shelves, looking torn between powdered donuts or frosted donuts.
"Hands up! Don't move!" Someone suddenly shouted.
Your heart stopped and glanced up at the mirror in the corner to see two men with guns pointed at the woman behind the counter. As they threatened her, you decided to try and distract them. However, Coulson simply grabbed your arm and shook his head, saying he had it under control. You stayed hidden and watched as he stood up.
"Who else is here?" One of the men asked the woman. "Who owns the car outside?"
"I do." Coulson spoke up. "But it's really more like a lease."
The second man turned abruptly and pointed his shotgun at him. "Toss the keys over here. Come on."
He did as asked and the robber caught them, stuffing them in his pockets. Then they turned back to the woman who had her hands raised and was crying.
"Empty the cash register." The first one ordered, taking out a bag. "Start filling this bag with cigarettes."
"Excuse me." Coulson said, getting their attention again. "I also have this gun. You'll probably be needing that."
"Put it down!" They both yelled. "Put it down right now!"
"Okay, don't want any trouble." He said, raising his hands in surrender.
"Toss the piece over here then."
"I prefer not to throw it and risk the gun accidentally going off. Maybe I could slide it over?"
They shared a look, confused. "Yes. Slide it over to my feet. Don't try anything funny."
"Okay. I'm just gonna move over to this aisle. I'm gonna slide it over to you."
He slowly moved past you, still hidden, and into the next aisle as he said. You were just as confused as the robbers, wondering what he was planning to do.
He did as he said would and slid the gun over. However, as one of the men knelt down to pick it up, Coulson suddenly grabbed a bag of flour and tossed it at the second man, causing it to explode in his face and stun him. He then ran forward and used one of the shelves for a boost, jumping up and kicking the shotgun out of the first man's hands. He grabbed that next and pivoted, hitting both of them in the face and knocking them out cold with ease.
You stared, your jaw dropping in pure amazement, and slowly stood up. The woman behind the counter was just as stunned and you walked over, awkwardly placing your items on the counter.
"That was so cool." You said. "Can you be my new bestie?"
Coulson gave you a smile before turning to the other woman and putting down both the powdered and frosted donut packets. "Sorry for the mess. I couldn't decide."
He handed the money over but she only stared, afraid to speak and struggling to process what she'd just witnessed.
"Keep the change." He told her, picking up the items.
"Wait." She finally managed to say. "What should I tell the police?"
"Tell them those Tae-Bo tapes really paid off."
-
The next day, you arrived at the site. It was incredible how many people were already there.
A parking lot had been made, most of the cars pickup trucks or RVs, and dozens of men, women, and children alike were gathered around a huge crater in the earth. They had picnic blankets, coolers, tents, and even a barbecue set up. All for this hammer that supposedly couldn't be moved. From the looks of things, they'd even tried chaining it to one of the pickups but it was too heavy even for that and tore off the end of the truck.
"Is this it?" You asked, squinting past the sun to get a good look.
"This is it." Coulson confirmed, taking out his phone and dialing a number. He waited a few seconds for the person to answer. "Sir. We've found it."
Like magic, SHIELD trucks arrived over the course of a couple hours and quickly dispersed the gathered crowds. They set up a small compound around the hammer, many of the agents trying to lift it as they worked. You hadn't yet and were very desperate to do so but waited until it was all set up and you could do your thing.
You called in some help to lift the different parts of your invention over to the hammer but made sure to get rid of them so you could set it up without interference. It was a fairly simple design, a claw that used the weight of the object it was lifting to apply the right pressure and strength when lifting.
You set the clamps up, straightened the limbs of the support, and then moved the claw in place, the three steel arms positioned above the handle of the hammer. And, naturally, you couldn't resist trying yourself first.
You put a hand around it and lifted.
For just a split second, you could have sworn it budged from the rock it was stuck in. But it ultimately stayed in place. The reports weren't lying when they said it was like trying to lift the world itself. You hoped your little machine would work.
And so you stepped back, taking a breath before activating it. Many lingering agents turned to watch as it gave out a mechanical whir and the claw attached itself to the handle. You waited anxiously, praying it would work, but quickly found yourself losing hope when the entire thing began creaking. The ground beneath the clamps cracked and shattered under the pressure and just a second later sparks were sent flying as the claw completely snapped off from the rest of the machine, causing it all to fall.
It took a good minute for you to process that the hammer had destroyed your invention. Hours of working without a single break had amounted to nothing. You cursed extremely loudly.
"Screw you!" You shouted at the hammer before kicking the broken machine. You winced as pain shot through your foot and pointed at it as you hopped around. "And screw you too!"
-
In just twenty-four hours, your faith had been shaken considerably. You remained in New Mexico even after your invention failed, hoping to find a different way to lift the damned hammer. But the reason your faith was shaken?
You had seen things unexplainable and incomprehensible in nature.
Shortly after SHIELD captured and later released a man named Donald who broke into the compound to try and lift the hammer, the small town nearby was attacked by something very huge and very dangerous named the Destroyer. It was a seemingly indestructible automaton.
It dispersed most of the SHIELD team who were there to witness its arrival but you were one of the few who managed to follow it into town. There, three people dressed like they belonged at a renaissance fair attacked it. It managed to defeat them and the same man who SHIELD caught before offered himself to it.
You thought he was dead after it smacked him away, but the hammer, the curious and unmovable thing that had puzzled everyone, flew right into his hands and he seemed to regain some sort of power. His shirt and pants were replaced by armor and a billowing red cape. He managed to get rid of it with ease after that.
You had just witnessed all of this and couldn't stop blinking repeatedly as it sunk in. How was it possible? How could one man do all that? And how could he lift the hammer so easily? And why did the hammer seem to conduct lightning? Was the guy some kind of Thor wannabe from Norse mythology? He seemed to fit the description. But surely that wasn't possible.
"Excuse me!" Coulson called, you and him walking forward.
You had to stop short and take a sharp intake of breath at being so close to this 'Donald'.
He was hot.
Like the hottest being you had ever seen. You probably would have swooned or fainted if you didn't have self control.
"I don't think you've been completely honest with me." Coulson was telling him.
"Know this, Son of Coul. You and I, we fight for the same cause, the protection of this world." He said. "From this day forward, you can count me as your ally, if you return the items you have taken from Jane."
A brunette came forward. "Stolen."
"Borrowed." Coulson retorted. "Of course you can have your equipment back. You're gonna need it to continue your research."
She seemed happy with that and the Thor guy you were still drooling over looked down at her. "Would you like to see the bridge we spoke of?"
"Uh... Sure." She nodded.
He grinned and pulled her close, causing her to laugh.
"Wait, I need to debrief you." Coulson said, only to be ignored as they suddenly shot into the air.
"I don't think he cares." You finally spoke up, staring at the sky. "I can't believe he can lift that thing."
"It's pretty cool, right?" Another dark-haired woman with glasses said.
"It destroyed my invention."
"Still pretty cool."
Still looking up, you scoffed. "I can't argue with that."
-
It had been a year and a half since Thor visited earth. You had been at work as a SHIELD engineer and inventor and it was honestly the best thing to happen to you.
You had the alias of Ellen Campbell, as well as a new bank, ID, and social security number. You frequently changed your look to blend in and travelled between states quite a bit for when different bases needed you. You had an apartment in Queens now as well. After keeping your distance when watching over Peter, you had been instructed to become more involved in his life which you were happy to do so.
You were at the SHIELD facility now after receiving an urgent call from Fury. You found yourself again becoming awestruck by what he had to show you.
Helicarriers and quinjets seemed unimportant when compared to things such as norse gods and superheroes. You were staring at the thawed body of Captain America. Everyone thought he'd gone missing and died during WW2 but apparently he was just frozen under ice after a plane crash. It was... Amazing.
"My dad won't like him." You commented, still smiling as you and Fury watched over him.
"Why's that?" Fury asked.
"Because Captain Rogers got to know my grandfather more than he ever did. Howard mentioned him a lot apparently. I would recommend keeping them apart unless absolutely necessary."
He nodded. "Advice noted."
"Coulson will be happy, though. My favorite agent gets to meet his hero. I hope I'm there."