Shadows and Secrets (A MCU FanFic)

Prologue: Unrest

Fury's POV

trigger warning: mild language that may be offensive or upsetting to some readers

    There were all types of dangerous.

    There was the type that thrived in secrets, the type that had plans and lies built up as a safeguard against the world. They were spiders, and once you were in their web, you never got out. They were the type you could never trust. Strangely enough, the spider in his team, Romanoff, was the one he trusted the most. Barton was also this type, though less dangerous than Romanoff, in Fury's opinion.

    There was the soldier type, the type that still believed in honor. They did what they thought was right without a thought to the consequences. They took orders well until it messed with their conscience and morals. This was Rodgers and Wilson.

    Then there were wild cards, who were varied and harder to predict than soldiers, though easier than spiders. They were flashy and drew attention, a bad thing for an undercover co-ops team. Stark was the definition of flashy. He drew attention to the team, which had its pros and cons, but the boy drove Fury crazy. He was an important addition to the team though, Stark was a genius, and not to mention he needed the funding. Without Stark's paycheck, the Avengers would have to make a lot of changes to their amount of property destruction. Banner was a wildcard too. His fighting style was definitely not subtle.

    Then the sorting got harder. There was Barnes, who could have fitted in any of the three categories. He certainly knew the life of secrets and lies, but he had a surprisingly large conscience and knew how to take orders, even if he was one of the hardest to order. He was a wildcard too, and he attracted too many eyes when fighting directly. He knew how to avoid attention though, to take down a target silently and without being seen.

    And the last one. Davis was the hardest to sort, and possibly the most powerful. Barton had struck gold when he brought her to the team. Fury had a pretty good lock on what motivated her; though she kept her cards close to her chest, she had never been trained as a spy. She was a mutant, with an ability to manipulate shadows. Umbrakinesis. She was a fucking Mary Sue, with her power away. Fury suspected he didn't know half of what she could do. But she was smart, able, and loyal, which made her a good addition to the team.

    The Avengers, Fury's dream since Danvers, had come together. It had needed some work, but the team was operational.

    Things weren't all that and a bag of chips, though.

    The civilians were wary after Romanoff released Hydra and Shield files to the public. That mission had been a near disaster. Luckily, Davis manadeged to locate Rodgers and Barnes on the last helicarrier. She snuck the chip in while Rodgers sidetracked Barnes. She somehow even managed to recruit Barnes. Their friendship baffled Fury, but was a welcomed thing. He could not afford inter-team fighting.

    Hopefully the unrest will die down soon, Fury thought. He could not shake the feeling that everything was slowly falling apart. After the reveal of Hydra, Fury could not afford another hit.