A New Beginning

Chapter 12- Helicarrier

Aesthetic/collage of  "The Ghost" I made quite awhile back. 

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When Noelle met Agent Coulson in the underground parking lot of S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, he was with the literal last person she had expected to see again anytime soon.

Steve Rogers.

She opened her mouth to ask, but Coulson cut her off.

"Smith, good to see you. Fury probably already told you to meet me here for further instructions. So while we're heading to home base, I'll explain more to you and Captain Rogers on the way." He gestured for them to get into the black car.

"What are you doing here?" Noelle whispered to Steve as they got in. "Did they tell you I was gonna be here too?"

"I don't know," said Steve. "Fury just said something to me about bringing in Loki, and he's got a few more people coming in to help. He didn't tell me you'd be here though."

Noelle nodded. It was reassuring at least to know she wasn't the only person Fury kept secrets from. She was confused though, because Fury had told her she would be the one to bring in Loki.

They drove about half an hour outside the city until they reached a remote area with a singular jet waiting for them. Well, it looked more like some kind of private military jet. Coulson said it was called a "Quinjet" when she asked.

"Get yourselves comfortable," he said. "It's at least a two-hour ride from here."

Noelle took a seat in the back, not bothering to strap herself in. There were a total of twelve seats on the Quinjet, six on each side. She could also see closets on the side walls for storage. It was quite spacious.

"So who else are you calling in?" she heard Steve say to Coulson.

"Ah, yes. That reminds me." Coulson handed Steve some kind of iPad thing, but it was far more technologically advanced. "Dr. Bruce Banner is being recruited to track the gamma radiation the Cube is giving off, and we have a few others."

Noelle had been sitting across from Steve, but she stood up to peer out the front window of the Quinjet only to see they were flying over the ocean. She shuddered a little. Ironically, flying over the sea made her queasy, even though she had flown through space on a daily basis for some years.

Trying to forget it, she switched sides and sat down next to Steve to see what he was looking at on the tablet.

There was footage of a huge green monster ripping apart tanks. On the top left corner was pictured a meek-looking professor with glasses under the name "Dr. Bruce Banner." Noelle frowned, then the realization dawned on her as her eyes scanned the profile information on him.

"So Dr. Banner is that thing?"

Steve nodded. "Looks that way."

Coulson came over to them.

"So this Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?" Steve asked him.

"A lot of people were," Coulson answered. "You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might unlock the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula."

"And I'm guessing something went wrong with his tests, and now he's that green thing?" Noelle asked, looking up at him.

Coulson nodded. "The experiment went horribly wrong. The U.S. Government has been looking for him for several years. When he's not that thing though, guy's like a Steven Hawking."

Steve shot him an incredibly confused look, until Noelle and Coulson realized he had absolutely no clue who Steven Hawking was.

"He's like a... smart person," Coulson clarified. He took a step back and smiled a little bit, holding his hands in front of himself nervously. "I've gotta say. It's an honor to meet you– officially."