The Valkyrie

Introduction

          It was like a nightmare. The whole city was destroyed. All the buildings were rubble; Cars were buried, flipped over, and some were even on fire. But worst of all were the people. Most were probably killed from the falling buildings or flying objects, if not, dying painfully. And right in the middle of it all, untouched, was Charlie Beckett.

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          Charlie woke up in a cold sweat. She was trembling and tears were falling down her cheeks. She let out a shaky breath and sat up on her small, twin bed. She was in a plain, white room with only a bookshelf, desk, and the bed she was sitting on inside. "Just another day in the crazy house." Charlie rubbed her eyes as she stood up and grabbed a book from the shelf. She sat at her desk to read "The Hobbit" for the 4th time. On the desk was only a lamp and two framed pictures, one with a little girl smiling alongside her mother and father, the other with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent at a karaoke booth with her team.
She barely got past "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit," when there were two loud knocks at the heavy door. "You got a visitor," the guard yelled. Charlie sat in surprise. She hadn't had a visitor since the first week she was thrown into The Fridge. She was shown slightly better treatment since she was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who didn't necessarily hurt anyone on purpose, but it was still lonely. Not to mention the food wasn't that great either. The door opened with a loud moan and the visitor walked in. He turned to the guard, "You can close the door. I'll be fine." The guard was hesitant but when Phil Coulson gave him a pointed look, he said, "You got 10 minutes," and closed the door.
"Pretty paranoid, aren't they?" He said with a small smile. "Can't blame them." She closed the book and laid it on the desk. "Good choice." Coulson pointed to the book as he stepped forward. "I usually say that this would be the one thing I would bring with me to a deserted island." Charlie cocked her eyebrow. "Okay I usually say a satellite phone but when I want to be fun I say The Hobbit." Charlie let out a small laugh but soon the smile fell off her face. She looked up at Phil grimly and asked, "Why are you here?" Coulson nodded as he knew she would ask this. He sat on her bed and looked around at the gloomy room. "You are a respected S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Even after the agency fell you continued to help protect people from things they couldn't understand." He paused as he searched Charlie's face for any type of acknowledgement, but she was only staring at the empty wall blankly. "It is not your fault what happened to you or..." he sucked in a sharp breath as he saw a tear fall down her cheek, "...what happened afterward."
Charlie quickly wiped the tear away and look down at her lap, trying to not look at Coulson or the pictures on her desk. "I know. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm dangerous." She finally lifted her head and Coulson's heart dropped as he saw the pain that filled her eyes. "I don't know how to control it. If I don't control it, I end up creating destruction. And in here, in this box," Charlie gestured toward the room, "I know it's not exactly cozy but at least I can't hurt anyone."
"But what about you?" Charlie was caught off guard by Coulson's words. "I'm fine," she said half-heartedly. He shook his head, "No you're not." Charlie let out an exasperated sigh. "What else do you suggest?" Coulson gave her a knowing look. "No." She stood up and started pacing the room. "Charlie-" "No, Coulson!" "You were already a skilled agent before but now," He smiled, "You could be a hero." Charlie laughed, "You've got to be kidding. After what just happened in Seattle?" "You had just gotten hit by the terrigen mist. Of course you couldn't control it then. But now you can train, you can learn how to use it."
"And where do you think I would be able to do any of that without risking other peoples' lives?" For the first time during his visit, Coulson flashed a genuine smile. "I know a place."