The Seventh Avenger

An Old Fashioned Notion

A while later, I was sitting at the glass table in the briefing room with Tony and Steve. Everyone on board had a look as if they were in a daze, numb shock shown on their faces.

"These were in Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them."

Fury threw Coulson's Captain America trading cards onto the table in Steve's direction. Steve picked them up, and it was then I realised they were stained in his blood. I choked back a sob and Tony looked towards me. He saw my expression and got up to give my shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

He took the seat next to me.

"We're dead in the air up here." Nick addressed us. "Our communications, the location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming." He pauses for a moment, turning to look out of the helicarrier window. "Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. Ther was an idea, Stark and Cassidy know this, called the Avengers Innitiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes."

Tony stood then, and walked away, obviously not wanting to hear it anymore. I stood as well, following after Tony.As we walked away, I heard Fury say "Well, it's an old fashioned notion."

~

Tony was in the helicarrier detention section, staring down into the empty cell container. We both stood leaning on the barrier, neither of us saying a word.

A short while later, Steve walked in, standing between Tony and I.

"It was my fault. I was there I should have done something... done anything..."

"Cass, none of this was your fault. This is all down to your father." Tony interjected.

"Who wouldn't have been able to get out if I had just killed him! I had the opportunity to do it, and I just froze up!"

I dissolved into hysteric sobs, and Tony caught me as I collapsed forwards, shushing me and gently rubbing my back as I cried. God, I hated crying. It was a sigh of weakness, and I am not weak. I stopped crying fast, rubbing angrily at my tears."I'm sorry, I'm not normally like this. I'm not weak."

"We know, Cassidy. And we'd never think that about you. He was your father."

We stood in silence once more, before Steve broke it."Was he married?"

"No. There was a cellist though." I answered.

"I'm sorry, He seemed like a good man" Steve consoled.

"He was an idiot."

"How dare you? How was he an idiot? For believing?" I said, enraged at Tony's words.

"No. For taking on Loki alone. He should have waited. He should have..."

"Sometimes there isn't a way out Tony." Steve said.

Tony walked a few steps away. "Right. And how did that work for him?"

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"

Tony turns around sharply, outrage on his face. "WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife!" I walked over to the place that Coulson lost his life. I crouched down next to the wall, and gently touched my hand to the area stained with the remains of Phil's blood.

"Neither am I!" Steve argued back. "He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."