Metallic Lights {Metallic Charms Book #3}

Chapter 11: Stumped

Chapter 11: Stumped

//10 Months After Noel’s Disappearance//

~~~~~~~~~~~{Starlie’s Point of View}~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten months ago I never would have envisioned myself here where I am today. I woke up at half past six in the morning, got up and showered like I always did, but it felt different. Because it was different. I was on the S.H.I.E.L.D Hellicarrier, in my new room that had specifically given to me by Director Nick Fury himself.

On the wall next to my door was the certificate that declared that I was a certified, legal agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I’d passed the field examination two months ago and had been working with Natasha and Clint ever since. It was a strange feeling being part of a team again, being with grouped up with the two people I’d tried to kill in Budapest with Hector almost four years ago now.

It was like I’d done a complete three-sixty. I was now teamed up with Hawkeye and Black Widow –and I even had my own alias now.

Iolar. It had taken me a while to get used to it, but I’d grown to like it. Apparently, Iolar was Irish for eagle.

After my shower I blow dried my hair and pulled it up into a neat pony tail before finding my S.H.I.E.L.D uniform and pulling it on. I sighed; I really didn’t like this uniform. It was so tight and revealing, but despite my protests, Fury wouldn’t let me wear anything else while on duty.

A loud, single knock rapped at my door and I groaned.

“Quit it, Hawk, I’ll be out in a minute!” I called. Every morning since I’d moved in on the hellicarrier, Clint had dropped by at 7.02am once a day, every day just to knock on my door to make sure I was awake.

I waited until I heard his footsteps walking away before emerging from my room and getting to one of the labs. On my way, I dropped by one of the kitchens to grab a coffee, I was going to need it if I was going to be analysing data all over again like yesterday.

When I got to the lab we’d been assigned to, Natasha and Clint were already in there, they were analysing images that had been sent to us by other agencies and ones that we had taken ourselves.

On our last few missions we’d found red flags with black skull in the middle of a circle with eight legs attached to it like an octopus. It had looked oddly familiar, and after some digging, we’d figured out that it was the old Hydra flag from back in World War 2. Some of them even looked that old, others were newer, as if they’d just been made.

“Anything?” I asked, setting my coffee on the table before taking my seat.

“Nothing new.” Clint sighed. “I’m thinking we should get Steve in here.”

“You know why we can’t do that.” Natasha replied immediately.

“He’ll go AWOL.” I agreed. “We don’t know if he’s ready to face any new threats, same with the rest of the Avengers.”

Clint groaned. “I hate that we’re doing this on our own.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Natasha shrugged. “It’s not like we can help it. But we can do it, Fury wouldn’t have brought us back in if he thought otherwise.”

“Definitely wouldn’t have brought me in either.” I agreed.

The room fell silent for a moment, it was awkward, but I didn’t think either of us knew why that was. Maybe they knew something I didn’t. Maybe I was replacing someone...

Of course!

Fury was going to place Noel in the same team as her brother, instead, she’d run off with Enchantress at the first sign of trouble and he’d opted for me instead.

I sighed and skulled the last of my coffee, it was scolding hot and it burned the back of my throat, but I had to do something to keep my mind off of Her.

I could feel my blood boiling in anger. What she had done to Br- my dad was unforgivable. He was blaming himself more than anything, and he couldn’t exactly explain why, but I knew he beat himself up because he had helped her out medically so often and then she’d just left. Dad thought it was because she was depressed, which would be a medical disorder, even if it was of the mental kind. He was a doctor, and he wanted to help people, and he thought he hadn’t helped her.

“I’ll be back, I’m getting some breakfast.” I told them, the anger was getting too much. I needed to get out for a minute. “You guys want anything?”

“White chocolate and raspberry muffin, please.” Natasha replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. And before I left the lab, I found myself staring at that red flag again asking myself that vital question we’d been asking ourselves for months:

Why was Hydra back?

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Author's Note: Hey guys! The first of three uploads over the next few days, the next upload will be in a minute, its already done :)

So, what did you think? Starlie is a replacement, poor thing. And more Hydra stuff -what the hell is going on?! How the hell is Steve going to deal with this?

If Clint, Tash and Starlie all break the news to everyone how do you think they'll do it? and when?

Next chapter is another Noel one and it should be up within 10 minutes :)

Until then! Comment, vote, like!

*huggles* arielleblack