Across the Universe

By the early hours of the next morning S.H.I.E.L.D. crews that had been sent to decontaminate and search the site in the mall in New Jersey had at last returned. Much to everyone’s surprise they’d come back with a rather fruitful haul. The security station had been nearly untouched therefore all the camera footage had been obtained and reviewed by the same crew for anything of note. Most of the cameras in the area of the attack had been completely destroyed but up until the moment they had gone offline had been recording onto a hard drive that was only overwritten at the end of each month. S.H.I.E.L.D. was more thankful than ever for the digital age.

Amongst the shadowy mass that Scarlett had fought in the department store something else had been spotted, even if only in a few frames. One of the younger S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the case had made the discovery and was beside herself with all the praise she was receiving on her find. There was a young girl hidden within the shadows, crouched low and rocking back and forth, at least that’s what it appeared to be by the few frames they’d managed to catch.

Those frames had then been handed over to Julianna (Jinx) who had wasted no time cleaning them up. Within that same hour she had isolated the figure of the girl in the frame and had blown up the image. There was no way to enhance the image past the quality of the video but she had been able to refine what was already there with the software provided to her by S.H.I.E.L.D. She was something of an artist at times so no one was surprised when she’d managed to provide them with a relatively clear image of the little girl’s face.

Afterward Coulson had decided it would be best if they ran the woman’s face through recognition software. Unfortunately the database was rather large and it would take some time to get a match. Even with S.H.I.E.L.D. resources and technology that was far beyond most other agencies they had to rely on ones provided to them by the United States government for this task and there was little to be done to hurry those along.

“Do you think this will work?” Natasha approached Scarlett who was watching the faces flicker by alongside the image of the girl that they’d met in Massachusetts the night before. Scarlett wanted to be there when the database was done. She knew there was something to this little girl whether or not anyone else did. If there was no record of her in the United States she’d speak with Daniel to see if he had any contacts in other organizations around the world who could help them. The monstrosity they’d fought that night may not have been of earth but Scarlett was almost completely sure that little girl was. She kept trying to recall the things the girl had said. Were there any tells in her voice? Little hints of an accent? It was hard to distinguish much of anything outside of the wailing cries. Terror sounded the same in every language.

Even the way the demon had spoken, it was like he’d been taught only very little English to begin with and what he knew, he didn’t completely understand.

“I don’t know.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and bit back the sting that ran through her shoulder and down her back. “I’ve got a feeling.”

“So now you’re going with feelings, huh?”

“My gut has kept me alive for many years. I’ve decided to stop questioning it.” Scarlett scoffed then side eyed her shorter friend. “How’s your head?”

“Vision blurs in and out but nothing debilitating. I’ve definitely had worse.” Natasha smirked and cocked an eyebrow then nodded her head. “How’s your shoulder?”

“The bandage limits my shoulder rotation a bit so I’ve had to adapt but otherwise fine.” Scarlett lied. Both women stood in silence side by side for a minute. “Do you remember that night…”

“Stabbed in the back, nearly went completely through to the other side.” Natasha nodded her head in memory. Despite the horrendous sound of the wound she couldn’t help but smile. “Was worried it struck a nerve but you checked for me and it was fine.”

“I was more worried about tetanus.”

“Yeah, well rusty nails to the hand will do that too.” Natasha nudged Scarlett just slightly. Both women stood quietly, neither elaborating on the memory they were sharing but rather enjoying it internally. They both missed those days, in a weird way. There was less to worry about when they worked alone. “Do you remember what you said when I suggested we go get medical help?”

“Yeah, I said I know a guy.”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a long time, Damien, but Johnny Walker does not count as a guy.”

“If I remember correctly neither of us felt any pain after our visit, thank you very much.”

“Only for a few hours.”

“Oh, come on, I took care of it for you!” Scarlett finally turned away from the screen to face Natasha who did the same.

“And didn’t take care of yours. I know how you operate.”

“Ah, I knew you had a point somewhere in there. Don’t worry Tasha, I’m fine.” Scarlett turned back to the screen and Natasha relaxed.

“We should grab drinks after this is over.”

“Are you asking me out? Well, Miss Romanoff I’ll have you know that I’m no longer single.”

“We can call it a ladies night. Is that right?” Natasha scowled at the sound of it. “I take that back.”

“No, I like it. We’ll redefine ladies night. Who gave that phrase such a negative connotation anyway?”

“So, you’re in?”

“I’m in.” Scarlett sighed, watching the pictures flash by. If this didn’t work it’d take considerably longer to search foreign databases. As slow as the US database was it was still one of the most advanced available. Other countries were still muddling through weaker technology and soon the investigation would be at a standstill. Bruce and Tony had redesigned the trap that they’d built but still, it was only a temporary solution, at least Scarlett thought so. It seemed as though the girl that was trapped within that creature had an impact on him. If they could reach the girl, maybe the whole thing could be stopped without any further bloodshed.

“I might have something of note.” Natasha tilted her head at the picture of the girl they’d seen. She wasn’t sure the girl could be saved. Hell, she wasn’t sure the girl was of any use at all. From what she witnessed the girl could’ve been used to lure them in. Why Scarlett had gotten so sentimental toward the girl was beyond her but she was sure she’d eventually be able to press her further about it.

“And you’re waiting until now to tell me about it?”

“I said might, that’s why. I don’t really see what value it will have…”

“Spit it out.”

“That creature was reciting something near the end. I recognized little bits of it as it spoke… I couldn’t remember where at first so I checked online and sure enough, I was right.” Natasha pursed her lips in a smile. “Really messed up children’s book actually. It’s called The Little Match Girl. It’s about this poor girl who is sent to sell matches and isn’t allowed to return home until she’s sold them all. It’s freezing cold and the holidays. No one is interested in her matches and so, chilled to the bone, she strikes one to keep warm. In the fire she sees something comforting so she strikes another until they’re all gone. In the morning they find her dead body huddled with the spent matches.”

“Wow, that’s uplifting.” Scarlett scoffed but noted it in the back of her mind. What child could relate to such a harrowing tale of a little girl? A troubled one, no doubt.

“It’s beautiful really. I’d read it years ago but never would’ve remembered it off hand.”

“You and I have very different standards of beauty.”

“Don’t pretend you’re any less sick and twisted than I am.” Natasha rolled her eyes and smiled a little. “I wasn’t sure it would be of any help but since we’re all going into the field together I figured you should know.”

“I’ll let Steve know if it comes up.” Scarlett took a step closer to the screen and was just about to turn away when there was a shrill beeping.

“We found her!” Jinx jumped up from behind the computer. They’d forgotten she was still there, the woman behind the technology. “Hold on, let me get her file.” With a few swift clicks the screen changed.

“Missing Persons.” Scarlett quickly took in the information. Sure enough the picture that had been submitted to the local police department matched the sad little girl that they’d met earlier that night, only now she was worse for wear. “Caitlyn Smothers.”

“Hamburg, New Jersey… that’s not far from here.” Natasha scowled, looking over the police report. “She was in a private run facility for orphaned children. Transferred in six months back from somewhere in Fishkill.”

“Probably bounced around from home to home.” Scarlett shook her head in dismay. “Jinx call up the institution and speak to whoever’s in charge. See if we can come by to take a look at her things and ask a few questions as soon as possible.”

“Already on the lookout. It seems as though a Sister Marianne is in charge?”

“Great, a nun.” Scarlett grumbled. “My favorite.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about this stuff. From experience, maybe?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Scarlett grinned mysteriously and then walked away. “Everyone get ready to head out. We’ve wasted enough time.”

“I’m driving.” Natasha nodded as she followed behind Scarlett.

“Not arguing.” Scarlett led her out through the hallway. Jinx watched them go then picked up the phone and spoke to the nun in charge of the orphanage who agreed to meet them when they arrived in Hamburg. Then she quickly began packing up her equipment.

“Need some help?” Mickey joined her quickly. Scarlett had found her on the way through the S.H.I.E.L.D. building to the garage provided and warned her they were on their way south as soon as possible.

“Always!” Jinx nodded contently and the two continued to quietly pack their supplies. Jinx had set up in the situation room for the long haul but now that the young girl had been tracked down she’d have to relocate. With any luck another team would do that for her while she was out with Captain Rogers and Miss Damien. “Where have you been anyway? It’s boring here without you.”

“Weren’t Damien and Romanoff with you?” Mickey laughed as though it were impossible to be bored with those two around.

“They were for a time but Scarlett’s sorta scary when it’s just her.” Jinx pouted. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“You pretty much greeted her and told her she had the shadow of death on her. Can you blame her for avoiding further conversation?”

“Someone had to warn her! It was the right thing to do.”

“See, this is how you get into trouble. Did Coulson give you the new earpiece for Scarlett and Steve? He wants everything tapped from here on in and transmitted back to the building. Digital backups of everything so we won’t have any repeats of yesterday.”

“Yeah, he told me. I programmed these new ones so that they’d record a limited backup on the device for about forty minutes in case the interference of that portal keeps us from linking up with them just in case.”

“Smart thinking!” Mickey smiled brightly.

“Where were you though? You avoided the question.” Jinx helped place the last bit of technology on the cart that they’d wheel to the garage and Mickey began to pull it away.

“I was helping our Asgardian visitor get situated.” Mickey’s cheeks instantly began to burn. Jinx giggled at once, making no attempt to hide her amusement. “Oh, shut up.”

“You’re face is as red as a tomato how could I possibly shut up?”

“He’s very intimidating, that’s all.”

“If by intimidating you mean incredibly handsome with a face carved by baby angels, then sure.”

“I know that we were briefed on his existence after the incident in New Mexico on a need to know basis but even after watching the security footage he’s far different in person! Heck, I only half believed he was real until he showed up in a flash of lightning.”

“You know who he reminds me of?” Jinx tapped her fingers on the back of the cart as she made sure that nothing fell off.

“Who?”

“The lusty fish monger in our new book…” Jinx’s smile spread from ear to ear. Mickey’s face turned even redder.

“Don’t go there! We have to work with him with a straight face!”

“Come on, long flowing blond hair, bright blue eyes, jaw that drive’s a girl mad… and you know he’s ripped. He’s a god! A real life god. Judging by those arms, what’s underneath that armor is something to be…”

“Save it for your fan fiction, okay?” The two friends joked until they reached the garage where they saw Steve, Scarlett, and Natasha all speaking in hushed voices with Phil Coulson who was briefing them on what they were to do next. Scarlett seemed to only be sort of paying attention. It was obvious, even to Mickey and Jinx, that Scarlett had a real problem taking orders from anyone. Eventually that was going to have to be addressed.

The drive to Hamburg from Downtown Manhattan was about two hours long but with the way Natasha drove it was only about ninety minutes. Steve wasn’t exactly pleased by that.

“These are for you.” Jinx swiveled her chair in the back of the van and turned to face the open doors where Scarlett and Steve now stood. Scarlett was adjusting her leather jacket to make sure that her gun fit snuggly in the new holster she’d gotten from the folks at S.H.I.E.L.D. and remained as discreet as possible. The authorities in New Jersey were very strict about concealed weapons and while Scarlett’s fancy new S.H.I.E.L.D. badge would let her get away with a number of things, she still wished to remain cautious. Old habits died hard. Besides, the thrill of breaking even a minor law was fun for her. Why was she trying to be a good guy again? Did the others have to remind themselves this frequently that doing bad things shouldn’t be considered fun? One look at Natasha told her that yes, some of them did, but as she saw Steve shifting uncomfortably without his shield in his arms, she knew that some of them most certainly didn’t.

“Sorry about the last one.” Scarlett took the earpiece that Jinx had handed to her and slipped it beneath her mass of curled hair and into place. It clicked to life and Scarlett noticed that on the screen in front of Mickey data immediately began transmitting from Scarlett, including her location and her vitals. “Fancy tech.”

“Do not break this one.” Jinx held onto Steve’s before handing it to him. He smiled sheepishly and then placed it in his ear just as Scarlett had done.

“I’ll do my best.”

“One more thing.” Natasha finally spoke, having kept quiet from the driver’s side of the van. She leaned over the side of the seat to look at them both. “Try not to draw suspicion to what we really think. Right now your story is you’re from a government organization and you suspect that Caitlyn crossed the state line so you’re hoping to get more insight into her case.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure anything we say can make the nun suspect that we’re hunting demons from another universe.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and Natasha narrowed hers playfully in response.

“You know what I meant. Oh and try not to scare the nun. I hear they’re rather god-fearing.”

“I have the utmost respect for religious authorities.” Steve nodded his head seriously. He could be intimidating to people who didn’t know that he was such a genuinely good guy. After all, muscular men over six feet tall with a serious demeanor didn’t always read as super friendly.

“I was talking to Scarlett.” Natasha retorted.

“Me? Why me?” Scarlett was only slightly offended. Mostly she enjoyed giving Natasha a hard time.

“You know why.”

“Fine, I’ll be nice I guess.” Scarlett sighed dramatically and turned away. “Let’s go Rogers.” Scarlett grabbed the file that was filled with the official police report that had been taken after Caitlyn had gone missing weeks prior. She flipped through the pages as they walked and held it wide enough for Steve to look when she noticed he was trying to read over her shoulder. “On second thought, Romanoff, what happens if I burst into flames when I step inside?” Scarlett winced when she saw that the old brick building where the orphaned children lived was attached to a rather archaic looking church.

“Then you douse yourself in holy water like the rest of us. Probably like ten thousand hail mary prayers or something.” Natasha whispered back through her earpiece and Scarlett smirked.

“I can teach you the rosary if you think it would help.” Steve joked and Scarlett looked impressed.

“No thanks, I think I’ll take my chances.” Scarlett started up the stone steps to the church and grabbed the large steel handle on the door. “Just in case, maybe you should go first.” She pushed open the door and held it open for Steve who walked past her.

“I thought I was supposed to be the gentleman.”

“Whoever started that rumor that only men can do nice things for women and have it mean something should be kicked in the shins for all eternity. I think that’s some kind of biblical punishment, right?”

“I don’t remember the kicked in the shins chapter of the bible, I’m sorry.” Steve smiled softly but then cleared his throat as they walked together between pews and toward the priest who came to meet them at the end of it. He greeted them politely and introduced himself as Father Caglietti.

“It’s a real shame about young Caitlin. I’ve only been with this particular church for a few months.” He smiled kindly and directed his gaze away from them remorsefully. “I’m afraid I hadn’t gotten the chance to get to know her very well before her disappearance.”

“But you were here when she disappeared?” Steve spoke kindly but respectfully. He was much better at dealing with these polite people than Scarlett was. At first she’d thought Natasha had been teasing her about not scaring the religious authorities but now she was taking it to heart.

“I wasn’t actually here the day they made the report no, but I was alerted that she had disappeared that night. I assure you that we’ve searched the surrounding areas to the best of our abilities and there was no sign of her.”

“I’m sure you did everything you could, father.” Scarlett tried her best to sound official but also remorseful. She thought she was doing okay, she’d have to ask Steve how well she’d played the role after they were done. It’d been awhile since Scarlett had had to pretend to be anything but herself. She used to pretend all the time for her job, but now her job was different so there had been little need to practice any acting skills. Besides, there was very little kindness in the roles she’d always excelled at playing.

“I wish I could say I did.” Averting his eyes still Father Caglietti sighed with a heavy heart. “Caitlyn was a troubled young girl. I’m afraid I did very little to help her. She wouldn’t even look me in the eyes. I think she was frightened by me. Poor girl…” He shook his head in dismay. “You’ll have to speak with Sister Marianne if you want to know more. She has the name of her social worker and had built a rapport with the young woman. Well, as much as one could.”

“We were told that Sister Marianne would be willing to speak with us. Can we trouble you to find her?” Steve kept up his charming demeanor and the father nodded his head.

“Yes of course. Please, follow me.” He led them through a side door in the cathedral. There were several doors on either side then a hallway that looked as though it had been built onto the church years after its original construction to connect the two buildings. “Sister Marianne? These two agents are here to speak with you about Caitlyn.”

“Oh, yes, yes! Just one moment.” A short, heavy set woman rose to her feet out of her chair with respect. “If you’ll just give me one moment.”

“Yes, of course. We’ll be right out here in the hall.” Steve guided Scarlett back into the hallway. The priest excused himself, rubbing his hand over his balding head and then walked back toward the church.

“This place feels… lonely.” Scarlett sighed, walking to the opposite side of the hallway where she could see out the window into the short span of property behind the building. There was a small, ancient looking playground and faded grass. There were several groups of small children playing together and a few teens huddled in a group near the fence. Several nuns were with them keeping an eye on them. It all seemed very sad to Scarlett.

“This touch a nerve?” Steve whispered, standing next to her.

“What?” Scarlett didn’t realize she’d felt bad for the children without parents until he’d said something. It must have been written all over her demeanor. That was a very bad habit she would have to quickly break.

“Were you an orphan?”

“What?” She reiterated. “Me? No, no. God, no. It’s just sad is all. Why does everyone think that today?” Scarlett shrugged and looked out at the children. “I know sometimes it’s unavoidable to leave a child parentless but so much of it is carelessness or selfishness. It’s a real shame.”

“Finally, something we agree on.” Steve grinned but couldn’t continue the conversation when Sister Marianne came out of her tiny office, looking disheveled. Her face was red and she was out of breath as though she’d done some heavy lifting recently. A few curls of dark brown hair were sticking out of her white cotton cap. She barely reached five feet in height but she had an air about her. Scarlett could tell just by looking at the woman that she had dedicated her life to these children in every way possible. She wore the weight of the world on her shoulders but seemed proud to bear such a burden.

“Sorry about the mess, please come in.” Sister Marianne nodded toward her office and now they could see why she looked so out of breath. There were piles upon piles of paperwork and mess strewn about her office. It seemed that being a nun didn’t necessarily mean one was a cleanly and orderly person.

“Thank you for seeing us.” Scarlett nodded.

“Where did you say you were from again?”

“We didn’t.” Steve cleared his throat.

“We’re with S.H.I.E.L.D. We have reason to believe that Caitlyn has crossed state lines into New York and now we’re handling her case. This is Agent Rogers and I’m Agent Damien.” Scarlett held out her badge for just long enough to receive a nod of approval from Sister Marianne.

“Yes, of course. Sorry for not trusting you immediately but ever since she went missing we have been taking extra precautions about whose been allowed to see the children.” Sister Marianne looked concerned.

“Do you have reason to believe that someone took her? It says in the police report that she went missing from one of her classes.” Steve tapped the folder Scarlett had handed him. She was leaning against the door while Steve sat in the chair that barely fit in Sister Marianne’s cluttered office.

“Well, it’s complicated.” Marianne fingered the rosary she wore at her hip and shook her head in remorse while saying a quiet prayer under her breath.

“How so?” Steve asked and the nun hesitated and shook her head again. She was nervous, like she’d done something wrong. Scarlett had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t anything that the woman had done but rather what she hadn’t done. Sometimes inaction was as much at fault as action could be.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“I understand how hard this has to be for you.” Scarlett stepped into the room and crouched in front of the shorter woman who had taken a seat behind her desk so she could be eye to eye with her. “Tell us a bit about Caitlyn first. Maybe that will help you explain.”

“Yes.” Sister Marianne seemed to observe Scarlett for a moment then smiled kindly at her. There was some kind of approval in her brown eyes and Scarlett wondered what the hell that could mean. Then her thoughts spiraled off on a tangent about whether it was appropriate to think the word hell while she was in a religious structure. “That’s a good idea. I know it sounds cliché when you’re talking about these kinds of kids but the best word for Caitlyn was troubled. She had a very tough childhood and being bounced around from home to home takes its toll on even the strongest kid.”

“I can only imagine.” Scarlett hoped to urge her onward. If she could get the nun to be comfortable speaking about something, even unrelated to their case, then maybe she’d be more willing to speak about what made her uncomfortable.

“I know that teenagers are often emotional and unstable but Caitlyn was exceptionally prone to emotional fits. Given her upbringing that wasn’t too much of a surprise.” Sister Marianne seemed eager to elaborate. Maybe she wanted someone, anyone, to know Caitlyn’s story. So frequently people went missing and they were forgotten about but people like Sister Marianne did their best to remember the lost souls and to hope and pray for them. “She never told me about her parents but I know from a police report that her mother was a drug addict in Northern Pennsylvania. She walked out on her father and the father was sick with cancer and died when Caitlyn was still very young.”

“So she was taken into custody after her mother couldn’t be located?” Steve leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he listened to the story.

“No. Her father’s body wasn’t found until weeks after his death. Caitlyn must have watched him die and then in fear, ran away. I like to think she went looking for her mother. What little girl wouldn’t after losing their dad?”

“So what happened to her?” Steve grimaced. It broke his heart to hear stories about children in such need. He wished he could help everyone but there was only so much he could do. Maybe they’d be able to help Caitlyn get out of whatever mess she’d gotten into with this shadow creature.

“She lived on the streets, right?” Scarlett guessed and Sister Marianne nodded.

“For years she was reported as missing and when they found her she was living on the streets in Manhattan. Social Services took her in when she was nine but even by then it was too late to help her really. We try to take care of these kids but sometimes life has already been too harsh by the time we get to them.”

“I’m sure you did everything you could to help her, sister.” Scarlett nodded her head.

“After that she was bounced around from home to home until she wound up here.”

“It says in her file that she’ll be fifteen in early January.” Steve flipped open the file again and pointed to the information that had been taken down. “How long had she been with you?”

“A few months. We’re a private facility funded by the neighborhood and the church here. We have a very close relationship with Social Services but we take in troubled kids and try to help them, to make them feel loved and to find good homes. When Cailtyn’s file came across the mother’s desk she immediately discarded it. Caitlyn was too far gone and posed a danger to the other children.”

“Danger?” Steve grimaced. That wasn’t written anywhere in the file.

“Yes, Caitlyn was very defensive and terrible with socialization. The officer who had discovered her on the street in the first place reported that Caitlyn fought him like a rabid animal. In fact, they tested her for rabies at the hospital just in case after she’d bitten an attendee. Since then she’d been transferred time and time again due to violent outbursts with other orphans.”

“That’s pretty severe.”

“Yes, but I saw her file and she melted my heart.” Sister Marianne dug through the paper on the corner of her desk with her stubby fingers and soon found a photograph. Caitlyn was sitting with her in a classroom with several papers in front of her. Sister Marianne was holding up one of those papers that had a drawing on it. “I convinced the powers that be that Caitlyn was exactly the kind of case we should be working. The Lord could heal her heavy heart and end her suffering and allow that little girl to find peace at last.”

“So you took her in. Did the other kids pick on her?” Scarlett wondered. She found the phraseology odd. It sounded to her like the orphanage was looking to put Caitlyn down like a sick animal. Surely that wasn’t how she meant it but it still rubbed Scarlett the wrong way. She did her best not to make her disgust obvious.

“No, no they didn’t. Not at first.” Sister Marianne shifted uncomfortably in her chair and stared at the picture she’d taken. “For awhile she wouldn’t even speak. It took weeks to get an audible response out of her for anything. I do arts and crafts with the children and as you can see from this picture Caitlyn is a gifted artist.” She smiled at the picture before setting it aside once again. “She found comfort in her drawings and while at first they were dark and disturbing with time she seemed to find happier subject matter. In fact, the other children were fond of her talent and asked her to draw things for them. This helped her open up. I really thought we’d had a breakthrough.”

“But then things changed.” Scarlett knew that something had to have changed, otherwise why would Caitlyn be in this situation.

“Yes. Another young girl, Sam, her necklace went missing. She swore up and down that the only one who could have taken it was Caitlyn. We found drawings that she had done depicting that same necklace. Some suspected that she was jealous of the trinket and had taken it for her own. When we confronted Caitlyn she confessed to taking it but only to look at. Then she did something very funny.” Sister Marianne grimaced. “When we asked for it back she said it disappeared. We searched her room hoping to help her find it but the thing was gone. Caitlyn was punished. Things don’t disappear, Caitlyn had taken it and hidden it.”

“Did you ever find it?” Steve wondered.

“Never. After that the children treated her differently. Other kids here, even the younger ones, reported toys missing, personal items, things they cherished, just gone into thin air! One thing led to another…”

“They blamed Caitlyn.” Scarlett knew kids could be cruel at times.

“They did even though in most cases there was no evidence that she even interacted with some of them. They all claimed that Caitlyn was a thief and soon she was alienated once again. She retreated right back into her art. It was very sad to watch. She stayed late with me and would help clean. That little girl was very troubled but she was no thief. Yes, the necklace was a mistake but I can’t imagine she would steal all those things and have nothing to show for it.”

“Do you have a list of what was taken by any chance?” Steve knew that talking to every orphan who had something taken from them by Caitlyn would take time but maybe one of them could offer some insight into the situation.

“I can get that for you, yes. We keep detailed records of everything here.” Sister Marianne was eager to please them both.

“Is there anything else we should know?”[a name="here"][/a]

“Yes, actually… Now that you mention it...” Sister Marianne stood up and placed her hand over the crucifix around her neck. “I didn’t tell the cops this when we first reported her missing. The holy mother said it wasn’t necessary or pertinent to the case… that it was just the actions of a disturbed child.”

“But you don’t think that’s the case.” Scarlett pushed.

“I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since she went missing. Maybe it will help you, maybe it won’t. God Almighty compels me to tell you kind people all there is to this case no matter how it may make us look.” This worried both Scarlett and Steve who stood up at her guidance. “Please, follow me.” The stout woman led them down the hallway and past several staircases leading both up and down and then to a small room filled with desks, easels, and buckets of unorganized art supplies. For a moment Steve and Scarlett stood awkwardly behind the nun while she dug through her desk drawers at the front of the room.

“What do you think?” Steve whispered, leaning close in hopes of not being overheard. Scarlett shrugged her shoulder and instead observed the classroom. This place was underfunded but doing the best that it could. It was intimidating, even to an adult, how must it feel to a child? Particularly to a child that already felt lost and alone?

Moments later Sister Marianne pulled out a rumpled looking folder and set it down on her desk. Then, looking worried, she walked to the back of the room, checked the hallway to see if it was empty, and then closed the door to the classroom. What was she so worried about?

“Early in September Caitlyn’s drawings began to change.” The nun walked back to the front of the room and picked up the worn folder. “I’ve looked at these drawings time and time again and what I see frightens me.”

“What could she have drawn that would upset you so?” Steve reached for the folder but the nun pulled it out of his reach, seemingly frightened to part with it.

“The same thing that was in her drawings when she first arrived. Shadows, terrible evil looking shadows around every corner. When I asked her about the drawings she told me something that left me shaken to my core.” One by one the pictures were laid out of the folder by Sister Marianne and onto the desk in front of them. Each depicted familiar places in the orphanage but in each picture there was a dark figure in the background, standing menacingly behind what they both assumed was supposed to be Caitlyn.

“What did she tell you when you asked?” Scarlett felt a chill go down her spine. Was this shadow the same one they’d seen in Massachusetts? What her caretakers had thought was her acting out had, in fact, turned out to be something real.

“She told me that a man came to see her when she was alone. Naturally I was concerned that maybe someone was trying to hurt her! I hate to think ill of people in our neighborhood, but with such a claim I couldn’t help but wonder. She told me that he said she was very special. He promised to help her show the other children just how special she was if she helped him. This frightened me and naturally I told her that she should stay away from this man! This made her upset. He was her only friend! How could I ask her to be alone again? I comforted her while she cried and I took these pictures to the other sisters. They said she had created an imaginary friend to help cope with the loneliness. But if it was an imaginary friend why were the drawings so sinister? Why would she create a friend that would scare her?”

“Can I have a better look at those?” Scarlett asked cautiously. The nun seemed to be particularly attached to these drawings. Either that or she was frightened of them. It was difficult to tell the difference.

“Did you mention this man to the police when she went missing?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I didn’t mention the drawings but I mentioned where she said she’d spoken to him and places where I’d noticed she’d drawn him. When they asked the other children if they’d seen anything they said they didn’t notice any strangers around. The police then asked me if Caitlyn had any history of mental illness. Of course, it had crossed my mind that she could need some medical help in that area but… she was so sincere about that man. I believed her.”

“Was she acting funny before she disappeared?” Scarlett looked at the drawings and they made her heart sink. The shadow was vague in each one but she couldn’t help but think that this was the same thing that was now trying to make its way through the portal. How had it reached Caitlyn and why?

“That morning in class she’d complained of a terrible stomachache. I gave her some Tums and then she had a fit when the sound of the other children was upsetting her. That had never happened before so I sent her to the nurse. No one ever saw her again after that. I should have gone with her…” Marianne closed her eyes and held her hand over her heart out of respect. “I will tell you what I think that man was but you’ll think I’m as crazy as she is.”

“Try us.” Scarlett handed the drawings back to the nun who took them gratefully.

“That man was the devil and that little girl was possessed.” The look on her face was grave as she spoke. Steve blanched and wondered if there was any truth to it and Scarlett took it in stride. Possession was an interesting phenomenon but mostly psychological. Then again, Scarlett had seen some pretty weird things in her travels. Still.

“Can we see her room? Is it still there? Or have you moved another child in there?”

“Yes, we haven’t had the heart to clear her space yet. She shares it with three other girls her age and each one has been very respectful of her things. Despite how mean they were to Caitlyn by the end everyone was frightened when she disappeared. Several students confessed to us that they were worried she ran away because they were mean and wished they could apologize. None of these children are mean spirited, just frightened.”

“It was a little too late for that, don’t you think?” Scarlett nodded toward the yard where the children were playing.

“It’s never too late, dear.” Marianne led them out of the classroom and down the hallway and back toward the stairs they’d earlier passed. Jinx spoke in her ear.

“If you could ask the nun to scan those pictures for us and give us copies that’d be very helpful.” Scarlett nodded to Steve who gave a thumbs up.

When they got to the dormitories on the second floor, Marianne knocked on the last door on the right. A little girl with short curly brown hair opened it and smiled at first then she looked frightened upon noticing Steve and Scarlett.

“Carla, I’m going to need you to go play for a little bit, alright?”

“But it’s cold out there.” The little girl spoke sheepishly.

“Hey.” Scarlett smiled at the little girl who recoiled again but then gave her a weak response in greeting. “You can stay. Were you friends with Caitlyn?”

“No.” Carla hesitated. “She didn’t like me. She didn’t like anyone.”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. I mean, maybe she was just having a hard time adjusting.” Carla nodded fervently as if Scarlett had hit the nail on the head. “Did you talk to her the morning she disappeared?”

“No, I went straight to breakfast when the bell rang.”

“Not even for a second? Not even to say something you might regret? It’s hard to get ready in the same room for the day and not say anything.” The little girl didn’t respond instead she averted her eyes and looked toward the untouched bottom bunk of the beds across the room. She was feeling guilty, Scarlett could tell. “It’s alright. You had no idea what was going to happen, Carla. You know, I once got so mad at my little sister when she borrowed my sweater that I told her I hoped she would die.”

“Really?” Carla’s eyes widened.

“Yeah and then later she fell out of a tree and broke her arm because she was acting dumb with the other kids and well, I felt like maybe I had wished it upon her even if it was on accident.” Scarlett smiled consolingly. “Whatever happened to Caitlyn isn’t your fault.” Carla didn’t respond but she was looking exceptionally guilty.

“Come on, Carla. These nice people have to go through Caitlyn’s things, let’s give them some privacy.” Sister Marianne smiled sympathetically at Scarlett.

“I called her a weirdo.” Carla winced. “And a thief. My bracelet that one of the boys made for me went missing. I knew she took it. She liked Jacob and I knew she was jealous. But I never wanted anything bad to happen to her!”

“Carla!” Sister Marianne gasped and then gave her a scolding look.

“No, no it’s okay. Thanks for telling me that, Carla. Go play.” Scarlett patted the little girl on the shoulder and she then retreated from the room, scolded by Sister Marianne all the way. The nun then shouted back to them.

“I’ll be in my office when you’re finished!”

Steve and Scarlett were left alone in the surprisingly clean dorm room. Scarlett walked over to what was clearly Caitlyn’s bed and began digging around through what remained. There was very little that wasn’t packed up in a little box that had been shoved under the bed. Steve had immediately grabbed the box and placed it on the bed then began rummaging through it.

“So, you had a little sister?” Steve began one the silence went on for too long.

“No.” Scarlett laughed, waving it off. At first she’d been confused as to what Steve was talking about. “I made it up.”

“Right.” Steve scoffed and shook his head. “It was a good story though.”

“I don’t have a sister.” Scarlett clarified, then began pulling up the mattress to check underneath it but there was nothing there of note. “No siblings, actually. I was an only child.” Scarlett didn’t pay any mind to Steve’s rummaging.

“Well, it really was a good story. You’re pretty good with kids.” He smiled kindly. Scarlett practically snorted in amusement and had to clear her throat to keep from laughing. She heard Natasha laughing freely through her earpiece. “What’s so funny about that? You are! Those kids in the building a few weeks back… now this little girl. You’re a natural.”

“Stop it. Being a good liar and being good with kids are two very different things.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and then pushed the bed away from the backboard and began to search the drawers that remained.

“I still don’t get why that’s so funny. Do you not want children? Have you never pictured a family before?”

“Not a chance. I am clearly not mothering material. Give it some time, Steve, you’ll see that soon enough.”

“Well, if your boyfriend keeps behaving the way he does I can see why you’d think that.” Steve rolled his eyes then set aside the box that had very little of note in it. There were a few drawings there but they were of happier things like flowers and characters from cartoons that Caitlyn obviously related to.

“Hey.” Scarlett made the weakest of attempts to defend Tony and Steve held up both hands defensively. He wouldn’t say anything more out of respect but was glad he could still joke with her about it if nothing else. Things were becoming less awkward between them, thankfully. They were quiet as they continued to search for a few minutes before Jinx spoke to them over their earpieces.

“I read her cards while she wasn’t paying attention to me earlier in the situation room. She really is good with kids. Actually, if I read them right, there will be many children in her future.” Jinx spoke and Natasha actually had to move away from the communication system to hide her laughter.

“What did I tell you about fortune telling?” Scarlett stopped her search and held her hand over her face in embarrassment.

“No, no it’s not funny! Why is everyone laughing? I’m serious. She’s very fertile.”

“Oh, come on, not in front of Steve.” Scarlett gestured to him and he looked around him confused. Why wouldn’t that be okay to say in front of him? “Enough.”

“Fine, but you’re going to be an excellent mother… to many, many children.”

“The day I’m barefoot and pregnant is the day I buy your next car, okay?” Scarlett rolled her eyes and continued her search. “Natasha, stop laughing.”

“It’s funny!”

“It’s not that funny. You’re being dramatic.”

“But she’s so serious!”

Scarlett ignored the comment that came back from the Black Widow when she found something stuck between the headboard and the wall. “Hold on, there’s something here.”

“What is it?” Steve helped her move the backboard away from the wall and several papers fell to the ground.

“More drawings.” Scarlett picked up the pieces of paper and cycled through them. There was no doubt of what had happened to Caitlyn now. While the details were still iffy, they knew that the shadow that had been haunting her was very much the creature they’d encountered the night before. The pictures in front of them showed a portal, blue in color and lightning coming out of it just like the ones they’d experienced. Through the portals were beautiful flowers, a castle, something out of a fairy tale. With Caitlyn inside the portal was the dark man and he was holding a crown out to her in offering. He had no face, no features, but in each picture Caitlyn was smiling.

She’d hidden them because they’d made her happy. Something about that made Scarlett angry. This creature was using her.

“We’ve got to go. They don’t know anything here and we’ve gotten everything we need for now.” Scarlett stood up and Steve began to carefully place the furniture back where it had been before they’d conducted their search. “Hey, Rogers, in that box were there any books?”

“Yeah, a couple. Why?” Steve pulled the box back out from under the bed and showed it to Scarlett who dug through it only for a second. Lying just underneath an old jacket was the book she was looking for. The Little Match Girl. Picking it up, Scarlett handed it to him. “Keep this.”

“What is it? What did you find?” Natasha was suddenly concerned.

“Caitlyn’s friends with our creature. She ran away with him.” Scarlett shoved the pictures underneath her jacket and then nodded to Steve. “Let’s go speak to Sister whatever-her-name-is and ask for copies of those pictures she’s kept hidden then get out of here. I don’t want to say the rest here but I have a theory. Tasha? I found the book.”

“I’m so lost.” Steve grumbled. “I get it, she had the shadow friend but how could she communicate with something that isn’t even of this world? How did it find her? Why? What does this book mean?”

“I said I’d tell you when we’re out of here. Too many ears around here.” Scarlett nodded toward the window where they could see several kids, including Carla, looking toward the window and trying to spy on what they were doing.

“You’re right, let’s go.” Steve guided Scarlett out of the dormitory and they found Sister Marianne just where she promised she’d be. Reluctantly she made copies of the pictures she’d kept hidden and then bid them farewell.

They returned to the van that was waiting for them and Scarlett showed them all the drawings they’d recovered.

“It looks like the tall man.” Jinx scowled unhappily and shook off the feeling it gave her.

“You’ve spent way too much time online reading creepy pastas.” Mickey rolled her eyes.

“What is creepy pasta?” Steve made a face at Natasha who shrugged her shoulders.

“Whatever that thing is he’s using this little girl to cross over.” Scarlett tapped the pictures, forcing them to focus.

“I agree.” Mickey nodded thoughtfully. “She’s probably a mutant and has no idea.” Scarlett and Steve immediately looked toward Mickey in confusion.

“There are people born in this world with naturally altered DNA… lots of them, you’d be surprised. There’s a special school up north run by Professor Xavier and he specializes in teaching these children to use their gifts and control them. Haven’t you ever heard of the X-Men?” Mickey thought for sure that they all had to have known something about mutants to some extent.

“I guess I knew about them but I never really thought much into the idea of it.” Natasha grimaced. Scarlett was becoming overwhelmed. So there were other universes, aliens, mutants. What else would she find out working for S.H.I.E.L.D.? What else was a big cover up?

“Even people like Scarlett and Natasha are considered mutants. Jinx is a mutant.” Mickey patted her friend on the head and Jinx nodded. “Basically it’s just people with extraordinary abilities and that’s what we’re all about here at S.H.I.E.L.D. I’ve worked with a few of them before… nothing big of course. I’m a glorified paper pusher most days, this is the most action I’ve seen in years. But… maybe Professor Xavier could shed some light on what’s happened here with Caitlyn. Maybe he’d even known about her.”

“How could he possibly know anything about her?” Scarlett scowled. This was all very confusing, but she was willing to accept the possibility that evolution had allowed the DNA of humans to mutate past the point of what they considered normal to allow a select few people to possess supernatural abilities. If that was the case, was there any credibility to Jinx’s fortunes? Scarlett was still voting no.

“He’s a telepath. Trust me, once you see him in action it’s hard to ignore the truth.” Mickey smiled, feeling, for once, like a real part of a team. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been something she was born and raised to be a part of and yet she had always felt of place. Now she was finally contributing in a big way.

“Let’s talk to Coulson and see what strings he can pull for us.” Natasha climbed back into the driver’s seat and Scarlett got in the passenger’s seat.

“So you’re a mutant, huh?” Scarlett teased. “Should’ve known.”

“So are you. Also apparently the mothering type. So what are you going to name your first baby? Tony Jr.?”

“Scarlett Jr. thank you very much.” The two women continued to taunt each other back and forth while the engine turned over and they started on their way back to Manhattan.

“So…” Steve leaned forward again in the back of the van with his elbows on his knees and looked thoughtfully to Jinx and Mickey. “Why is that pasta creepy?” The next ninety minutes would pass and Steve would still have no answer to his question but many more questions that would remain unanswered instead.