Sophia Holmes and the Invasion of Earth (Avengers Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Nine

After getting quickly patched up, I follow everyone back down to the briefing room. Turns out that while we were dealing with the Hulk and Barton, Loki managed to get away which isn't entirely suprising. Apparently we're quite a few agents down, including a good friend of Stark and Rodgers, Agent Coulson.

As I sit down, I gaze around at the dazed looks on everyone's faces. None of us have emerged unscathed.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket," Fury says, tossing a pack of Captain America trading cards on the table. "Guess he never did get you to sign them." As Rodgers picks them up, I notice the blood stains on the card and get flashbacks to seeing the stained paving stones around the entrance to St Bart's. "We're dead in the air up here," Fury continues. "Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming." He takes a moment and sighs, taking us all in. "Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier." I narrow my eyes, intrigued. "There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could." As he takes a breath, I look around the table, watching everyone take this is. "Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes." Stark shakes his head, gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear any more. "Well, it's an old fashioned notion."

We disperse and I follow Nat out.

"I'm going to check on Barton, you coming?" she asks and I nod.

"Yeah, I might be able to help with the mind control thing," I reply, following her back up to the medic bay with a small limp.

As we walk into the bay, I notice Barton has been strapped down to a bed. I don't need to imagine the mental pain he must be in right now, especially since his exposure to the manipulation curse was a lot longer than mine. They must be worried he'll relapse or that there's some dangerous side effect they couldn't pick up on me.

"Clint, you're gonna be alright," Nat says reassuringly.

"You know that?" he demands. "Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out."

"We don't have that long, it's gonna take time," Nat says softly.

"You don't understand," he says. "Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"

"You know that I do," Nat says and I recognise the all too familiar look of someone who has come from a dark place.

"Why am I back?" he asks, changing the subject. "How did you get him out?"

"Cognitive recalibration," I say, speaking up before putting it simply. "She hit you really hard in the head. Worked for me, I deduced it would work the same for you."

"Thanks," he replies, eyebrow raised. "Who are you anyway? Bit young for a fully qualified S.H.I.E.L.D agent aren't you?"

"This is Sophia Holmes, Mycroft Holmes' neice," Nat says and I get the uncomfortable feeling that I've been on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar for a while.

"Ah, of course!" he says. "The consulting detective. Nice to meet you at last."

"You too," I reply with a smile. "But remind me when this is all over to erase my name from their database."

"Hey, you never know - you might want to join us after all this is over," Nat says. "You've got quite a lot of skill for an amateur, you'll make a good agent." I smile but can't help but remember the first case we did with John where he called us amateurs and dad reeled off a list of deductions about him. Then I remember him standing at the top of Bart's and saying that was all things he'd researched and the smile fades fromy lips.

"Tasha, how many agents?" Barton asks quietly as Nat unfastens his restraints.

"Don't," Nat warns. "Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."

"Loki, he got away?" he asks.

"Yeah," Nat replies. "I don't suppose you know where?"

"I didn't need to know," he sighs. "I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today."

I close my eyes in disbelief. Of course he is, take out the main opposition and deplete their resources and numbers and then make your move.

"We gotta stop him," Nat says.

"Yeah?" Barton replies. "Who's we?"

"I don't know," she admits. "Whoever's left."

"Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose," Barton says with a weak smile.

Nat returns it and sits down beside Barton. "Now you sound like you."

"But you don't," Barton replies. "You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"

I look back at Nat, having not witnessed the change. "He didn't, I just..." she pauses, sounding hesitant and uncertain for once.

"Natasha," Barton urges.

"I've been compromised," she says before repeating her words from our discussion with Loki earlier. "I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."

"I'll leave you to it," I say softly and she nods.

I need to warn the others about the imminent attack and judging by Stark's reaction at the debriefing, he had a close relationship with Coulson. He would have gone back to where it happened, he and I are very much like each other like that.