A New Beginning

Chapter 11- The Captain

"Loki, the Norse trickster god. Was the companion to the gods Odin and Thor, and often assisted them with schemes, but also caused them great trouble. He had the ability to shapeshift forms, including his species and gender, and also appeared as the enemy of the gods."

Noelle sighed, and slammed the book shut on the table. She had been trying to do as much research on "Loki" as possible. However, books from the library at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters and articles from the internet were only so helpful.

They all said the same thing, and nothing was consistent with her actual experience– except the fact that Loki was definitely the enemy.

Noelle was beyond frustrated at this point.

"Any luck?" Fury sat down across from her at the table in the library. Noelle didn't look up to meet his gaze. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Nothing makes sense though. Are you sure this is the same guy from Norse Mythology? Selvig said Loki was Thor's brother. Here it says nothing about that."

Fury folded his hands. "Mythology and fact are not often the same thing."

Noelle sighed. "Either way, we need help. You said the Asgardians attacked New Mexico? What about Thor?"

Fury leaned back in the metal folding chair, causing it to creak. "Intelligence confirms Thor is not a hostile, but he's worlds away. We can't depend on him, or the rest of Asgard. This is up to us."

Noelle crossed her arms, and finally, she looked him in the eye. "And what about you? When are you planning on helping?"

Fury stared at her.

"You were the second most powerful member of the Jedi Order. Don't tell me you forgot how to use the Force."

"I did what I had to do to survive, Smith," Fury said flatly. "Do–"

"So did I," she interrupted. "It's not an excuse, Fury. And you knew the Tesseract was the Space Stone. You lied about that, too."

Fury leaned forward over the table, eye-to-eye with Noelle, and raised his voice higher than typical library standards. "Do you think I would have been promoted to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. if they knew about my abilities? They would have turned me into a weapon."

Noelle gave a sarcastic laugh. "Am I a freak too, then? Is that how S.H.I.E.L.D. sees me? I'm only working with you, because I don't have a choice. You have the intelligence and the means to find Loki, after that we're done."

Fury sat back and crossed his arms. "I'm trying to make the world a better place for people like us. That's why I hid my abilities and will continue to do so."

Noelle sighed. "Better for us or for yourself? Just don't keep expecting me to save you whenever there's a problem. I don't know what game you're playing with me, but once the Tesseract is out of Loki's hands, I'm not helping you."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Fury replied, clearly exasperated. "Now back to the Tesseract and Loki. We're working on locating him. When we do, I'd like you to be the one to bring him in."

"Loki has two Infinity Stones, Fury," she answered, holding up two fingers to emphasize. "It has to be more than just me."

"I know," Fury tossed her another file over the table. "That's why there's someone I'd like you to meet."

~~~~~~~

"Captain Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, crashed somewhere near the Arctic in 1945, sacrificing himself to save the people of New York. However, his body was preserved in ice for almost seventy years."