entranceway | [video]

[Above her clearance level. Of course it was. Above all of them, she was certain. She knew Clint was unaware - he'd taken the loss as badly as she had. Steve would have never kept something like this a secret and Tony... She wasn't sure Tony could keep a secret for longer than five minutes unless you gagged him.

Her fingers curled tight against her arms until her knuckles were white and there was a tight knot in her stomach as she struggled to regain her composure.

It was ironic, really, how much she hated being lied to, considering who and what she was.

She pushes that away for now, turning back to him, meeting his gaze and if there's the faintest hint of bitterness in the curve of her lips when they quirk upwards, it's not there intentionally for him, just the last bit of strain remaining as she tries to remake her careful mask.]

Well in that case, maybe I should just apologize for the mess we made instead. Sorry, Sir. At least you're not required to deal with the paperwork on this one?

[ Seeing her like this is tough when he's so used to her keeping it together. He can't imagine how Barton's going to react and out of the two of them, he would expect her to be more together. As it stands, he knows that now they'll have to tell him now. He can't ask her to keep this from him.

He appreciates the change in topic, because he could use a moment to breath, himself. ]

As long as we're alive, there's still a SHIELD. You're always welcome on my team.

[ Maybe they hadn't needed her skill set or Barton's, but much as he loves his current team, not working with his friends at all had left a hole. Now that SHIELD is all but gone, he wants to offer a home to anyone loyal, especially his friends. ]

We're trying to catch the dangerous individuals and artifacts that escaped when the Fridge was broken into.

The Fridge?

[This is news to her, but then again she'd been deeply caught up in red tape in the direct aftermath of the attack on the Triskelion and then dragged here, so apparently she's missed something important.]

Hydra hit the Fridge? [Thaaaat... was really bad and a consequence they hadn't planned for.] Well. Isn't that pleasant. Apparently my vacation will be shorter than anticipated when I get back.

[Still, her gaze flicked to him, quick and intent. And far more cautious than normal as she searches his face.]

And I think the government might have a few objections to that, Coulson. They're not really happy with us right now. Me in particular. [A pause as she debates whether or not to voice the next question or not. She does anyway.] You have a team?

[ He nods, focusing on the fact that he's doing the right thing and not on the fact that he's technically operating illegally. ]

I have a team, but I don't think the government will be bothering us. I'm technically dead and all of our records have been erased thanks to one of my agents. As long as we keep ourselves under the radar, we should be fine for a little while. We have a base and everything.

[ And plans. Phil has plans. SHIELD or no SHIELD, they're going to do the right thing and they're going to get those dangerous criminals back behind bars. ]

We have a place for you if you want it.

Under the radar.

[She gives a little laugh at that and tilts her head back, staring up at a blue cloudless sky.]

I think it's a little too late for that, Coulson. Where I'm concerned, at least. It's going to take me a while to get off the radar. If I even can.

[In her own way, she's still mourning the loss of her identity, the life she'd created for herself. She didn't regret her actions, but that didn't mean she couldn't miss what giving up everything had cost her. Yes, she'd started from scratch before, but it wasn't something she particularly enjoyed.]

All your records might have been erased, but it's a little late for mine. It's all out there, Phil. Everything in my file. Every act and every secret SHIELD had on me. It's made me a very unpopular person. You should be fine for a while. You're smart, you're good at staying three steps ahead of everyone else, when your head's clear. My presence there wouldn't help you at all.

[She flashes him a wry smile then, tinged with a cynical knowledge as she motioned to their surroundings.] Besides, we have other things to worry about first.

Edited 2014-05-01 03:35 (UTC)

[ Phil would make it work for Natasha. He'd find a way to have her with them if she wanted it, but he lets the topic drop for now. There really are more pressing matters at hand.

The SHIELD leak is a problem, but he knows Fury and there's no way that everything was even in the system. That man's secrets have secrets. If the truth about TAHITI hadn't leaked, there's no telling what else was still hidden.

Of course, that brings up the question of why Natasha's files weren't buried deeper. He's going to look into that when he gets the chance. For now, they have Wonderland to contend with. ]

How long have you been stuck here, anyway? And who else is here? I've had enough surprises for one day.

[ And by surprises, he means emotional gutpunches. ]

[She gives him a look, because really, he was the one complaining about the surprises? But she crosses her arms over her chest and slips easily back to business, giving him the debrief like she has countless times after countless missions.]

Steve and I arrived right around the same time, a week ago today actually. We're also close to from the same time, although not exactly. If you haven't heard yet, apparently Wonderland likes to not only drag people in from all over multiple universes but also multiple times. Steve's last memory before waking here is the helicarriers crashing into the Triskelion. I have about a week after that.

In addition to us, his partner from the war showed up. Bucky Barnes, of the Howling Commando fame and I'm not going to go into more detail than that because you probably know more about his history than I do. It was just us for a few days and then strange things happened here in Wonderland and there was lots of singing and then the others started showing up.

Pepper Potts is here, and Tony. They're from months ago, back over Christmas during that whole mess with the AIM and the Mandarin. [She's assuming he knows about that.] We've also got Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, they arrived a little while ago, although I don't have details on when and where they're from just yet.

And... [She hesitated a moment, subtly of course, but he'd know her well enough to know that was unusual for her. Her lips pressed together a moment before she continued.] Loki is here.

[ He nods at each name, going over his conversations with everyone as their names come up. Her comment about Bucky has him smiling, although it's more about her knowing him well than about Bucky. Well, no, that's a lie. Bucky Barnes. Phil had an action figure of him as a kid. The real thing looks less constipated than the action figure version. ]

Alright, I've touched base with everyone, save for the one obvious exception. Have you assessed his risk to others here?

[ It's interesting and he makes note of the fact that he, Rogers and Natasha are from around the same time, but many of the others are from earlier--Bucky likely the earliest, but maybe he shouldn't make assumptions about Loki.

Part of him wants to ask about Barton. She hadn't named him, but it seems like half the other Avengers are here and he selfishly wants Clint to be here. ]

Not entirely.

[She admits it reluctantly because so far they haven't had a chance to do as much reconnaissance on the Asgardian as she would be comfortable with. But then again, Wonderland in itself could be a little overwhelming. They've had other things to assess.]

What I do know is that his presence here is similar to ours - he was brought too and I don't think he's very happy about it. He's trapped and still here but in the week I've been here, I haven't picked up anything overwhelmingly alarming.

[Unless him and Steve singing Disney ballads to each other counted. She really thought it should.]

He was among the first I met here, actually. Tried to pass himself off as Thomas, a normal human, but he only altered his own appearance to be less.. well. Loki. So I'm not sure what the point of that was, other than to unsettle me. He even spoke of forming alliances.

... Interesting. If he wants peace, that's what we want, too, but I can't say I trust him to not have ulterior motives.

[ He's pretty sure Loki's ulterior motives have ulterior motives, because he's seen exactly how Loki operates. If there's a chance at peace between them, he's all for it, but trust isn't happening. Those are two completely different beasts. ]

And so far he's already tried to deceive you, so that's not a point in his favor. Let's keep an eye on him and hope that he keeps his head down.

Coulson, I never trust anyone not to have ulterior motives.

[He gets a wry look for that. Not to mention that's an understatement because she rarely trusts anyone. It's not something she's hardwired for.]

And if he'd shown up as himself, I might have gutted him with a steak knife before he said anything, so it was a wise move on his part. I can respect as much. It's not like I haven't done similar things myself.

[And if anything, Natasha's all too familiar with the concept of enemies unexpectedly turning into allies when situations change. Loki had done many unforgivable acts, but she had too. Trust would be stretching things but Wonderland had just changed all the rules on them.

She just wasn't sure any of her teammates would see it from that point of view. And Coulson... well, he had his own personal reasons not to want to deal with Loki, which she understood all too well.]

[ There are things Phil considers too personal to ignore, but his own death isn't one of them. He'd put himself there and Loki would have killed anyone who had. It is what it is. Loki's not a good person, but Phil can work with him if need be. Betrayal stings a lot more than someone who's always been an enemy. ]

Fair enough. At least he's not trying to actively kill everyone.

[ He rolls his eyes. ]

Where are you sleeping?

[ Of all the strangers and familiar faces, there's no one here he trusts more than Natasha and if that's where he's sitting (and he suspects that she's of much the same mindset), then he wants to set up camp close by. ]

Yet.

[She amends his statement lightly, giving him a bemused smirk despite the seriousness of the topic. Then again, she's always had a strange sense of humor.]

Steve and I have rooms up on the seventh floor. I can show you, if you'd like? That's part of the whole... magic deal, by the way, if you haven't been informed yet.

Three square meals and a bed? It's just like prison.

[ He smiles and starts to head towards the mansion again. If they're rooming near each other, that only makes it easier to keep an eye on both of them. They should stick together as much as they can here until they learn more.

Holding the door open for her, he glances inside, still wary of what could be hiding out of sight. ]

If prison had magical rooms and closets you can wish anything from?

[Her tone is dryly amused as she walks with him, hiding a smile when he opens the door for her and slips inside to the foyer, looking completely at ease. She's stopped treating every hallway as a potential threat for the moment, letting some of her hyper-vigilance fade, although she was anything but unwary. Anyone - or anything - that thought her apparent complacency was an advantage to be pressed was someone she wanted to meet. If only to assess what threats they might actually have here.]

Also I should probably warn you about the mirrors, if you haven't heard already.

I read what was in the pamphlets, but it was pretty vague and ominous and when I first woke up, there was a message writing itself on one of them. Have you heard more?

[ Not that he offers what that message was, because it can mean a lot of different things and he's not sure what yet. Maybe it was about his death or maybe it was about TAHITI, but it could have been about something else entirely or a baseless scare tactic. He's not making assumptions until he knows more. ]

A message? [That catches her attention and she flashes him a quick searching look.] What did it say?

And no, not a lot. I haven't seen anything from it, to be honest. I wasn't sure what to think. I just know they're supposed to be a reflection, a backwards reflection of sorts, of what we are. The Queen of Hearts rules that side of the mirrors and I'm not sure what she's after, but I've been told both sides have been pitted against each other in the past. Apparently there was a giant chess game at one time. It sounded as if it got pretty vicious.

[ It's hard to picture a vicious chess game, but he nods anyway. This place seems strange enough that he could believe it capable of quite a lot. ]

It just said they know and now I know what it feels like to be the cute blond girl in a horror movie. I hope I'll never know that joy again.

How cryptic of it.

[Worrisome, because that could mean any number of things. They who? And know what exactly? Although his following comment gets a snicker from her, amusement flashing across her face for a moment as they moved upwards.]

I don't know, I'm sure you could probably pull of damsel in distress with a little effort, Sir. You definitely need to trade in the Dolce for American Eagle, however.

Why not go the whole nine yards and put me in a dress?

[ He chuckles, already running through the checklist of things that their new living spaces are going to have to meet beyond just proximity to each other. They need to be safe and secure and they need to have access to all of their people. They need to be ready. ]

You know if we've all arrived here so close together, that means more people from our world might be on their way.

Careful, Sir. [Her lips are curving into a mischievous smirk.] That could be arranged.

[She nods in agreement, serious again.] Yes, Steve and I have been thinking that. We might have the whole gang together soon if this keeps up. [She still couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a terrible one.]

[ As much as he wants to see Barton now, he's not so sure that this place is really all that safe and because of that, he's not so sure how he feels about his likely arrival, not to mention the fact that throwing Banner into anything involves throwing the Hulk into it, too. It could be... messy. Luckily, it doesn't matter what he thinks, because he has no control over whether it happens or not. ]

It might not just be the other Avengers, too. Pepper and I aren't the only non-Avengers from our world here. We could wind up with other agents, scientists, civilians, even HYDRA agents.

[ Or his team. He tries to picture Skye here or May. ]

Just what we need. Especially since I'm still not sure who was who, other than Pierce. Rumlow and Rollins. Sitwell.

[She adds that last one carefully, because she's not sure how much he's heard and Coulson and Sitwell had worked together quite a bit.]

[ He looks sick for a moment, because that can't be right. Jasper's worked with him for years. He has to catch his breath before he can even say anything. ]

Sitwell was HYDRA? Are you sure?

Yes. [She looks regretful to be the one to tell him.] He was the one we got the information from. He was easier for us to get to than Pierce. He... didn't make it out of DC. I'm sorry.

[She left off the part about kicking him off a roof. And how he actually died.]

Re: [Action]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject