Shades

“Their numbers are growing,” Eden informed them wearily.
“That isn’t possible,” Jane insisted. “The cloud stabilized, there hasn’t been any sign of activity—”
“Maybe the cloud stabilizing means that transport to and from this world has, too. Natasha and Barton said that Coulson’s niece suspected the stabilization wasn’t a good thing at all.,” Fury stated.
Coulson had called the Director in on essence of emergency after Denny had been life-flighted back to Avenger’s tower. Though her wounds were not deep enough to cause worry for her life, they required intensive cleaning and sterilization. She had bandages in so many awkward places that she couldn’t properly turn her head. She had resigned herself to staring at the ceiling. The others moved around her fitfully, full of nerves and anxious questions.
“Then they set a trap,” Thor stated. “They knew that we would follow Jane’s device to a new location if there was a flare of energy, and they used that to lure us away from Eden.”
“A fake portal,” Eden reiterated, stating it for herself. She shook her head. “I’ve never known Shades to be this organized. And the fact they keep multiplying isn’t the only problem now.”
“What could possibly be worse?” Tony dared to ask.
“They’re going to make a new race of humans,” Eden said for the umpteenth time. No one but Coulson seemed to be retaining that piece of vital information, and he wasn’t here to back her up. Without him, none of the Avengers were going to take her seriously. “Humans that are easier to infect.”
Tony looked concerned, but at least he didn’t seem to openly take this information for lunacy. Bruce also looked pensive, considering her words. Natasha’s brows rose but she said nothing. Steve, however, was much more vocal.
“All we have is her word,” Steve said to his companions, with a notable touch of hostility. “And even if she’s telling the truth, we have nothing more to go on. How? Where? She’s given us information we can’t work with.”
“Maybe she has,” Bruce mused, rubbing his chin half in thought and half as a nervous gesture. “Dr. Hagen worked at a small genetics facility before coming to work for SHIELD.”
Steve looked liked he’d missed the point.
“If Hagen is a Shade, like Eden has also suggested, his Shade may be acting as a double agent. Getting them the connections they need to make suitable human hosts.”
“Which is extremely likely at this point,” Clint said as he entered the room. “I just got word from Coulson. He went to do a ‘routine’ check on SOMU, and can’t contact Hagen. The other members are MIA as well.”
Steve sighed.
“Wow,” Eden said, putting on an air of amazement. “It’s almost like I knew what I was talking about!”
“Well, tell him to try Hagen’s old workplace,” Tony said to Clint.
“Already done. But I told him not to go alone.”
“Did he?” Eden asked, and felt a knot of anxiety twist her stomach three times over. Clint shrugged.
Natasha sensed Eden’s worry and stepped up for emotional support— or control. “Don’t worry about it. Coulson knows they’re dangerous. He won’t put himself in harms way.”
Eden blinked at her. “You’re talking about a man who confronted Loki, a murderous god who has thus far proved virtually impossible to kill, with a piece of equipment he didn’t even know how to operate.”
“Thank you,” Tony said to her. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to be the one to bring that up.”
“How did you know about that?” Steve asked Denny, who pointed at Tony.
“I read his mind.”
“Still, it won’t do you any good to worry,” Natasha said with the faintest sigh. “Coulson’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
Eden shifted. “I appreciate that, and I understand, but that isn’t going to stop me from stewing over his fate. I’m not going to be able to rest easy until I see him, safe, with my own two eyes.”
“Well then, how about you rest your two eyes while we take this discussion elsewhere,” Tony suggested, circling both pointer fingers towards the exit.

Coulson returned before lunch the next day. The Avengers decided not to tell Eden and let her sleep, which she had done fitfully but dutifully since the excitement of the precious day. Coulson had gone to Hagen’s last workplace, Everlast Genetics, but was denied entry by the security staff. He would have pressed on, and found another way in, but something in him advised him to wait for a more opportune time.
“You went by yourself?” Clint asked after Coulson shared his lack of findings.
“Don’t tell your niece that,” Tony advised.
“Don’t tell her anything,” Coulson said.
“She already knows about SOMU’s situation,” Natasha said
“And apparently she can read minds,” Steve informed Coulson. It was obvious that the Captain was weary of Eden more than anything, even more than the Shades. “She admitted to that last night.”
Coulson crossed his arms and Tony tapped his teeth.
“We need a recon team put together, ASAP,” Coulson advised. “I can work with Fury on that. Don’t tell Denny I stopped by, if you can. I think I’m gong to try to get SOMU back in our sights before pressing her for help.”
“If they are Shades, we could ask her to use them for practice,” Natasha interposed.
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea. If they die it’s not a huge loss, right?” Tony shrugged.
“Unless they have information that would be useful to us,” Steve countered hotly.
“Well if they won’t tell us anything it won’t matter if they die,” Tony amended. “Don’t get so uptight.”
Steve shot out of his chair, retort in hand, when Loki— of all people— offered a suggestion.
“I didn’t see Eden’s…flame in action, but just from hearing Agents Romanoff and Barton’s description of it, I wonder if it is something close to magic. If that’s the case, I would like to volunteer my efforts to assist her training. Since she’s complained that she’s not had reason to practice, I don’t see the harm in trying to push her along.”
There was a long silence.
“Are you out of your mind?” Steve asked the god, who raised a brow at the question. “Do you really think we’d let you in a room alone with her, much less train her for anything?”
Thor grabbed his brother’s arm. “Why didn’t you mention this to me earlier?”
“I can honestly say that it just occurred to me,” Loki said with some self-motivated surprise. He turned back to Fury. “All I’m suggesting is that you let me try to make progress with her. I don’t think that’s such a bad offer, is it?”
“I can think of a million reasons why we shouldn’t make any bargain with you,” Natasha pointedly returned.
“If we said yes, what would you expect in return?” Fury entertained. Coulson and the other Avengers were jolted to attention by sheer surprise at the query.
Loki shrugged, pretending he hadn’t thought about it. “Oh, say, a few extend freedoms here and there. Freedoms I’d be perfectly fine in relinquishing if I can’t help her learn.”
“Or if you fail to meet our behavioral expectations?”
Loki nodded in a circle. “Of course. Although I thought that was already the terms of my imprisonment here.”
“I’m sure you understand why I feel the need to make sure you understand that rule still applies,” Fury stated with unapologetic dryness.
“Fury, You’re not really going to agree to this, are you?” Steve questioned, perplexed. He was nearly stepping on Fury’s toes.
“I have to agree with Cap on this,” Tony added. “Eden’s powerful and stubborn but she’s still a kid…without supervision we don’t know what exactly Loki is going to be ‘teaching’ her.”
“I’ll agree to having one of your Avengers or SHIELD’s agents watch our lessons, if that would put you at ease, Stark,” Loki smiled wily.
“They’re both wild cards,” Steve pressed. “You can’t expect to put them together and have anything good come of it.”
“Things out there are getting worse by the minute, Captain. We need to know whether or not we can rely on Eden’s power.”
“She’s dangerous!” Steve accused.
“SHIELD employs dangerous people on a regular basis,” Coulson pointed out. He felt terrible to argue with the Captain. But Denny was family, and she was now an essential SHIELD asset against this new supernatural enemy. It was pertinent that he at least agree to, if not understand, that the Avengers and his niece work together.
“Captain, your concerns are valid, but we need her at close reach now more than we thought,” Fury said. “She’s the only weapon we have against these things, whatever they are.”
“And so far all she’s done for us is cause a lot of carnage and bad press,” the Caption exclaimed. “Not to mention she herself has said that confessed she isn’t 100 percent sure she can stop these things.”
“We’re going to have to work with it. She’s all we have. We’re all riding on blind faith here.”

Notes