Picking Up The Pieces

1. SHIELD Is Alive

   I walked around a mall in Chicago, chomping down on an apple as I lugged around my backpack. Inside was my Atlantis gear, my phone, and a few power bars. People looked at me strangely as I walked by with a giant pole in my arms, one arm being metal. Well, screw them. They didn't have to live life looking over their shoulders.

As I reached a deserted store front, I made sure no one saw me as I Apparated in. Even without my left arm, my powers were getting stronger. After my eyes adapted to the dim lighting in the store, I set the pole upright in the middle of the room, and the top began to glow. I quickly adjusted my cap to make sure my eyes were hidden. The top of the pole changed from a blue light to green, and I knew I had SHIELD's attention.

"Hello," I said calmly as the camera rolled. "This is a direct message to SHIELD. I have obviously gotten a hold of your network from the other poles I set up around here." I coughed, quickly thinking of a lie. "Recently, without any of your agents noticing, I stole one of your files. If I am not given an escort to your base, I will be uploading your files to the internet. Including a hotline to the Avengers compound."

I waved a hand, and the video ended. I sighed in relief. Hopefully the message sounded threatening enough. I left the pole up to give SHIELD my location and quickly exited the building. Sure enough, a black car with a faded SHIELD logo was waiting for me. As I walked down the mall's steps, a man came out to greet me.

"Miss," he said. "Can you please step inside the vehicle?"

"Don't mind if I do," I said cheerfully as I slid into the backseat. As another agent greeted me with a black blindfold, I nodded, not losing my smile. "Secret base, right." My world went dark, and I automatically searched for their thoughts.

Who is this kid? one agent was thinking. She had to have been threatening enough to make the boss send us.

I really hope the kid isn't in for it. The other thought. Whoever she is. And why does her metal arm seem familiar?

"It is," I said as the car began to move... up? Like, floating up. "It's based off the Winter Soldier's." I moved my metal hand around before setting it in my lap. "One of a kind." I could hear their thoughts, terrified that I could somehow read their minds, and I squirmed. I want to say it was funny, but it made me sad. As if I was my younger self again, with SHIELD agents terrified and dead.

"Sorry, but is the car floating?" I asked. It felt like we hit air turbulence.

"We're getting picked up," an agent replied. "Once we're in the jet, we can take off the blindfold." With that happy thought, I leaned back. Only a few minutes later was the blindfold taken off, and cuffs placed on my wrists.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically as they were tightened by a female agent.

"Director's orders," she said bluntly, and she lightly grabbed my shoulder and led me to a seat in a secluded area. I couldn't help but gawk at the agents passing by. For a dead organization, they sure had a lot of people in on the secret. Once we reached the cargo hold, I was sat down in a seat, and the handcuffs chained to the wall. I could stand up and sit in a comfortable position, but I couldn't move but two feet away.

"Thank you," I said, kindly now, to the agent. "Better than being blindfolded in a car, agent?"

"Agent Hallow," she said. "Anything I can do for you, miss?"

"Bella Sarr," I said, mentally wincing. "I think I will be fine for now." She nodded and turned to leave the hold. Once she was out of the room, I bent my metal hand and slid out of the cuffs. "Thank God," I sighed, rubbing my wrist. "Never again."

Almost an hour passed of me walking around impatiently. Here I was, on a SHIELD plane, possibly in reach of the memories I so desperately needed. I nearly nodded off before I felt the aircraft land, and I quickly placed the cuffs back on. I had just got back to my seat when the doors opened, and a new agent greeted me by grabbing me by the arm. Hard.

I squinted as I was moved from the dim-lit area to a bright one. Agents were bustling around, but she kept walking. I barely had time to look around. As I passed a lab, I saw two agents watch me pass by. One pointed at the metal arm and whispered to the other. I quickly zoned in on their thoughts (what people say shows up in their brains too, you know) before we turned the corner.

"Jemma," the male said. "Is that-"

"The Winter Soldier arm?" she replied. "Yes! But do you know who that is?"

I nearly tripped on a step as we made our way up the staircase. "Easy," the agent said, and I turned back to the two agents' brains.

"That's Isabel Stark, Fitz! The Avenger? Atlantis?"

"What you reckon she's doing here? You think she's in trouble?"

"From the look I just saw, I think she's right where she wants to be."

"Right here," the agent said, and we turned to a glass door lined with black, a plaque with the word DIRECTOR on the right. I turned to the agent, looking into her eyes. I could only pick up one thing in her mind. She guarded it well.

"Thanks, May," I said calmly as she opened the door. She gave me a stricken look, but I ignored her as I walked into the room. A man was standing by a window, looking at the outside. May closed the door, and he turned around. My eyes widened as I was greeted by a familiar flashback. The light brown hair, the blue eyes. The man I was supposed to kill.

"Agent Coulson," I breathed. Coulson gave me a stern look.

"Director, actually," he said, crossing his arms. "I don't know who you are, but we can start with you giving back the files you stole." Agent May pushed me forward, and I couldn't greet Coulson's eyes.

"You're supposed to be dead," I muttered. "Loki, he-"

"We can skip the chatting," Coulson snapped. "Files. Now."

"I never took any files," I told him. "It was a lie, and it worked." I lifted a cuffed hand and took off my cap. "I don't know if you remember me, but you saved my life about six years ago."

"I don't care," Coulson sighed angrily. "Who are you?" I looked up into his eyes, and I think he recognized mine.

"I was the girl sent to kill you," I started. "My name is Isabel Stark."

Shoot me down, but I won't fall.

I am

T I T A N I U M