Serpent - An Avengers Fan Fiction

Chapter Thirteen - Tony

Tony examined the woman within the cell with calculating eyes. She still wore the green gown from the night before, though it was a deal shorter than when she first donned the dress. Her hair was a little messy too - not quite bed hair, but almost touching those borders. Her eyes were dry now, but it was obvious to him that she had been crying.

What he couldn't get over was how much she looked like Natasha. He guessed it was a false likeness because - as a man who had spent a lot of time around women - he could tell that her hair was not naturally red, like her sister's. Everyone else seemed fooled by that though. 

He looked around at them all, standing at various points around the cell. Agent Barton stood opposite from him, through two walls of glass. He was the closest to Erina, with Natasha standing at his shoulder. Thor stood on a slightly higher platform beside Director Fury. The god looked well. He had told Tony earlier that he had visited his lady friend, Jane, before joining up with them which was why he had taken so long. 

Director Fury stood between Thor and the control panels, though Tony knew it was unlikely that he would actually use them to drop the cell. Steve stood on Thor's other side in a soldier's stance that Tony could not help but find amusing.

As for Bruce, he stood firmly apart from everyone else, leaning against the railings with his back to Erina and staring at his shoes, arms crossed. Tony made a mental note to ask him what was up when they got a moment alone.

"Your name is Erina Romanoff?" Fury was saying.

Tony decided to stop watching everyone else and pay attention to what was being said.

"It is."

"Agent Romanoff, can you confirm that this is your sister?" Fury asked Natasha.

"I can, Director. This is my sister, exactly as I remember her save for her hair."

"Her hair?"

"It's dyed," Tony explained.

Natasha glanced at him then nodded to Fury. "He is correct. My sister's natural hair colour is a darker brown."

Fury didn't seem to find hair colour important and he waved the matter away. "But can she be trusted."

"Yes, Director. I would trust her with my life."

Beside Fury, Thor shifted his position, as though unhappy with Natasha's answer. Tony flickered his gaze between them. Natasha had clearly confided in Thor, but Tony had no idea what she had said to the god. He hated being kept in the dark.

Fury continued to ask Erina questions to determine for himself whether or not she could be trusted. Agent Peterson, who stood to Tony's right, listened carefully to every answer she gave, searching for any sign that she may be feeding them a false profile. Apparently, Peterson was better than any polygraph test that S.H.I.E.L.D. could create. So far it seemed that Erina was telling no lies. She had received her training from a similar group to the one Natasha had received instruction from many years ago. She had even been trained as an assassin but had removed herself from the field before actually carrying out any of her hits. From there she had travelled in search of her sister until finally being able to track her down through S.H.I.E.L.D.

Peterson and Fury believed every word, though something she said didn't seem to sit right with Tony. Erina told them that she had travelled through various countries on her search for Natasha and even listed a few, but she made no mention of her time in England. She also left out the part about Bruce. 

"Director Fury I would like to offer my services to S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to help bring Sethos down."

That brought Tony's mind back to the room. What did she just say?

"Did I hear you correctly, Miss Romanoff?" Fury asked, surprised by what she had said.

"Yes, Director Fury. I would like to assist in the move against Sethos." 

Fury looked to Thor. "You've been watching her movements for three months. Would Miss Romanoff bring anything to the team?"

"Yes. Agent Romanoff has an amazing set of skills. But there are some things that she cannot do that her sister can." Thor answered without hesitation. It seemed that he was very much on Erina's side. 

But why? Tony found himself thinking.

Fury turned to his left and asked the same question of Steve.

The super soldier considered for a moment. "I think I'd like to see this skill set for myself. I trust Thor's judgment, but all the same. I believe we should test her. Then there's the question of whether we can trust her."

Fury seemed pleased with his answer and faced Agent Barton. 

Clint answered without Fury having to ask. "I believe Erina would be a valuable assest to the team, sir. Turning her away would be a big mistake. I once told you that we should accept Agent Romanoff into S.H.I.E.L.D. and we have only benefitted from that arrangement. I think we should take Erina on."

"I don't think I need to ask you, Agent Romanoff," Fury said shortly, moving on to Tony. "What do you have to say, Stark?"

"I agree with Super Soldier Steve. We should test her." Tony smiled. "I would volunteer, in fact. To be honest, I think we should let her on the team."

Fury nodded. "Dr Banner?"

Bruce looked up, a little startled, as though he hadn't been listening at all. "Sir?"

"I would hear your thoughts on the matter? Should we let Miss Romanoff on the team?"

"Absolutely not!" Bruce said firmly. Then he quietened, as though embarrassed at what he'd said.

"No?" Tony asked. "I'd have thought you would have wanted Erina on the team. Given your history. Think of it as an opportunity to spend time with an old friend."

"Tony, don't-" Bruce began.

"Excuse me? Given their history? Old friends?" Fury stepped forward. "I was not informed of this."

"You don't need to be. You want my opinion? Well here it is. Based on my experience this woman has a great deal of skill in deceiving people. Yeah, she may be an asset to the team but I promise you that I will never work with her." Bruce said, then turned on his heel and marched from the room.

Erina stared after him, a look of deep sadness in her eyes. Everyone else seemed surpised apart from Barton, whose expression betrayed that he was privy to some knowlede that Tony was not. It seemed that everyone knew something about Natasha's sister, but no one knew everything. Tony doubted that even if they all shared what they knew about her, they would still not be able to fathom the enigma that Erina was becoming. That annoyed Tony for some reason. He wanted to know what was going on.

Fury recovered first from Bruce's outburst. "I agree with Rogers and Stark. We need to see Erina's skillset with our own eyes before we decide."

Tony frowned at him. Fury seemed to have completely ignored what Bruce had said.

"Might I suggest that we start by testing her in hand to hand combat?" Agent Peterson put forward. 

Fury considered this and then shook his head. "It's a good idea, but I think we need to get an idea of her idividual skills first; gun work, stealth, deception...she'll need a physical examination too. We'll leave the hand to hand for last."

"I volunteer to go against Miss Romanoff, sir," Steve said dutifully.

"Thank you, Rogers, but I've already decided who Miss Romanoff will fight." Fury explained, and he turned to look at Natasha. "They've had similar training. They will be a perfect match. She will face our own agent Romanoff."