Children of a Lesser God

Jetta was about to ask what was going on, but Fury turned and resumed walking again before she could open her mouth. She let loose a frustrated sigh and reluctantly started following him, falling into stride with the blond; sensing her presence, the blond acknowledged her with a nod of his head but otherwise said nothing. Jetta ignored his gesture, albeit inwardly she was glad that the male wasn’t going to force her into a conversation against her will.

As much as Jetta hated to admit it, Natasha was correct; the red-and-blonde haired female had been expecting to be strapped to a gurney and attacked with needles as soon as she entered this place. Instead, she was being passed by normal people that weren’t even giving her a second glance. To say the least, Jetta was fascinated. She was a “miracle” of modern science, but people here were ignoring her and instead going on with their normal business.

She wondered if any of them knew what she was, but she shook that thought off almost immediately. She couldn’t shake the feeling that SHIELD knew more about her then she imagined. This wasn’t necessarily surprising, since the female knew next to nothing about her past or why she was created. The only thing she was positive of was that she spent most of her life locked up in a lab until one scientist with a heart had kidnapped her and took her under his care.

Jetta didn’t realize how caught up in her own thoughts she was until the SHIELD director ushered her and the other male into an empty room and motioned to two chairs set in front of a large desk; Fury quietly shut the door behind the pair before stepping around the desk and taking a seat.

“Sit down, both of you,” he commented.
Jetta and the blond gazed at each other for a second before taking a seat in the chairs. As soon as they were seated, Fury wasted no time.

“Ms. Monroe, as you may or may not be aware, SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. It is a top secret-”
“I know. Barton and Romanoff told me.”
Fury looked irritated at Jetta’s interruption, but nonetheless continued. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I assume that they never told you that you’ve been on SHIELD’s radar for quite some time at this point.”
Jetta was taken aback by Fury’s statement. “They definitely left that part out. Although, why would your agency possibly be interested in me? I can’t see myself making a very good spy.”

“They never mentioned that part simply because they weren’t aware that we were searching for you. And, SHIELD isn’t interested in you for espionage purposes, Ms. Monroe. Rather, we’re highly interested in you for the Avengers Initiative.”
“The Avengers what?”

“Some time ago, there was an idea to create a group of remarkable people. The hope was that these people would become something more when we needed them to; that they would rise up and fight the battles that we never could. The idea, which became known as the Avengers Initiative, was eventually dropped. After all, how could a group of normal humans possibly create and maintain a group of powerful superheroes?”

Nick Fury paused for several seconds to allow what he was telling Jetta to sink in before continuing his explanation.

“Although last year, an immediate threat required us to reinstate the Avengers Initiative; a hostile by the name of Loki arrived on Earth with the intention of leading an army of extraterrestrial beings known as the Chitauri to take over our planet. He also managed to enslave Agent Barton and several other SHIELD agents under his control. Unprepared for such a threat, SHIELD had no choice but to gather up the members of the Avengers Initiative.”

“We managed to capture Loki in Germany with the help of Mr. Stark and the Captain,” the Director paused so he could motion to the blond, “but being captured was part of Loki’s plan, as he had his enslaved SHIELD agents attack our base of operations. In the middle of all of the chaos, Loki was able to escape and made his way here to New York so he could summon the Chitauri to attack.”

“After a long, difficult battle, the Avengers were able to defeat the Chitauri and capture Loki. After Loki was sent to his home realm of Asgard, the Avengers separated and went their separate ways.”

“That is a fascinating story, but it doesn’t tell me why I’m here.”
“Ms. Monroe, you were supposed to be on the team when they battled the Chitauri in New York; you were to be partnered with the Captain to assist him with capturing Loki in Stuttgart. Needless to say, we were unable to pinpoint your exact whereabouts in time.”

“That still doesn’t tell me why I’m here now.”
“Ms. Monroe, you are here now because a new threat has recently been brought to SHIELD’s attention. We are not quite sure the exact scope of this threat yet, but I feel that it is large enough to require the reinstatement of the Avengers Initiative. Naturally, Ms. Monroe, you will be expected to join the Avengers team.”

Jetta turned her attention from Fury as the blond man spoke up; she was beginning to think that he was a mute.
“Sir, in all respect, is adding another member to the team a good idea?”
Fury also turned his attention to the male so he could address him. “Why wouldn’t it be, Captain?”
“There was a substantial amount of drama the last time the team was gathered with everyone’s personalities being so different, sir. Don’t you think that adding a new member to the team will simply cause more drama?”
“I understand your concerns, Captain, but I assure you that Ms. Monroe will make a worthwhile addition to your team. She is incredibly gifted and is more deeply connected to you then you may think.”

The Captain’s expression turned puzzled, which was an emotion that Jetta had been all too familiar with for the majority of the day. After several seconds, she turned her attention from the blond back to Fury.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to join a top secret organization’s group of superheroes that battled a race of extraterrestrial creatures last year? What are you going to do next, erase all traces of my identity and change my name to Agent J?”

The Captain’s expression became even more puzzled. “What are you talking about, ma’am?”
Like Natasha before him, Fury was completely unfazed by Jetta’s sarcasm. “We are by no means the Men in Black, Ms. Monroe.”
“The Men in Black?”
Jetta’s ignored the Captain’s question, instead addressing Fury again. “What if I don’t want to join this team of superheroes? What if I don’t want to help battle this threat? Because believe it or not, I did have a life before the whole Jo’burg fiasco.”
“Ms. Monroe, despite what you may believe, living out on the streets of Los Angeles hardly constitutes a life.”

Fury paused after that comment, and Jetta shifted uncomfortably under the Director’s gaze; she turned away from him to gaze at the Captain, only to find that the blond was watching her as well. She shifted again before returning her attention back to Fury.

“Ms. Monroe, may I remind you that SHIELD saved your life; we easily could have left you to die in that genetic research lab. Therefore, joining the Avengers team is not a request. Rather, it is an order that you would do well to follow.”

Sensing that this was a situation that she wasn’t going to get herself out of, Jetta gazed from Fury to the Captain and back again before letting loose an infuriated sigh. “Whatever.”
“When Dr. Banner arrives here at SHIELD Central in the upcoming days, he will perform a physical on you to make sure that you are healthy. Following that, you will begin training with Agent Romanoff. I promise you, you will not be sent on any missions until you are fully prepared.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Jetta commented dryly. “Wait, don’t tell me. You’re going to keep me locked up in a crate until you require my assistance.”
The red-and-blonde haired female heard the Captain let loose a gasp, but she ignored it; she didn’t need the blond’s pity.

“I promise you that that this is not true, Ms. Monroe. You will be staying in Stark Tower temporarily with the rest of the Avengers until it comes time for us to move operations to the Helicarrier. Naturally, you will be sharing a floor with Agent Romanoff. You,” the Director paused to turn his attention to the Captain, “will be staying with Agent Barton.”
The Captain mumbled something under his breath along the lines of “Thank God it’s not Stark”, although Jetta wasn’t quite able to make out what he said exactly.

“Now if you two would excuse me, there are some important matters that I need to attend to. Captain, if you could, please escort Ms. Monroe out. Agent Coulson will arrive shortly to escort you to Stark Tower, Ms. Monroe.”
“Yes, sir.” The Captain pushed himself out of his chair and turned his attention to Jetta, motioning for her to follow him. “Ma’am.”

Jetta rolled her eyes slightly, but nonetheless herself out of her chair and followed the blond out of the office; the pair walked back to the lobby in silence. Jetta didn’t know about the Captain, but she was seething about her new predicament. If she knew that being rescued would lead to something like this, she may not have minded being left in that isolation tank.

Once the pair was in the lobby, the Captain turned his attention to Jetta. “Mind telling me what that was about just now?”
“What are you talking about?” Jetta growled back and tried to step past the male, but The Captain used his massive build to block her.
“You know exactly what the hell I’m talking about. SHIELD saved your life, so the least you could do is show them a little respect.”
Jetta rolled her eyes at his comment. “Oh, please. Like Fury blurted out, I grew up on the streets of LA. Wanna know what I learned, Captain? That respect is something you earn, not something you give out freely. Besides, we both know damn well that neither of us are happy about me joining your so-called team.”

“I may not be thrilled about it, no. But, that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to try and make the best out of it. Look, ma’am, I don’t know what happened to you before coming here, nor am I going to push you to tell me. Believe it or not, we all have some kind of past. You may not be happy about this, but the only thing Fury, and I as well for that matter, are doing is giving you a chance. Despite what you may think, we only want to help you.”

“What makes you think I want help? Thank you, Captain, but I think I’m far beyond saving at this point.”
Jetta’s comment caused the Captain’s face to soften slightly. “There was only one person that I met that was even close to being beyond saving, ma’am, and he certainly was not you.” Like his expression, the male’s voice was gentler, causing the red-and-blond haired female to roll her eyes.
“Whatever you want to believe. If it helps you sleep at night, then hey. Kudos to you. But, I can’t even save myself, Captain. So, what makes you think you can save me?”

The Captain pushed a large hand through his blonde hair and let loose an irritated chuckle.
“You obviously don’t care about a single word I’m saying, so I don’t even know why I’m trying. I so strongly wanted to believe that you were worth the chance that Fury was giving you. But, whatever. If you’re not willing to try, then I’m not going to make an attempt.”

With that, the male turned on his heel and walked away without another word, leaving Jetta alone in the lobby.