Theme Prompt - Fortune

The group followed Adam into the base, the metal doors shutting behind them with a dull clang. Natasha eyed them as quick snicks told her locks were engaging in the doors. It would be difficult to get out of here if someone didn’t want them to leave. Shrugging off her paranoia, they had to trust somebody, Natasha followed after the group, shrugging her bag up higher on her shoulder. Adam led them to a large room set up with a television, couches, viewscreens that held outdoor scenes, and a computer humming away busily on a desk.

“If you would all just give me a few moments, I’ll give you a map to the facility and you can find rooms,” Adam said, bustling over to the desk and flipping through some papers. He tsked to himself as he pulled out three and held them out with an apologetic smile. “Looks like I only have three maps. But, the bedrooms are all down the same hallway, so I’m sure you all can find them. Once you’ve settled in, we’ll start the process of verifying who you are and getting the lanyards.”

Tony, Jane, and Maria each took a map and led the others through the halls to the bedrooms. Steve followed Tony into the bedroom the other man had chosen while Thor picked one at random with Jane stepping in after him. Natasha chose a bedroom at the end of the hallway, close to a series of connecting corridors. Clint chose the bedroom across from hers, one that had a large vent into the air ducts. They both were far too used to having to run and hide or find the best place to attack from to change their habits now. Maria and Coulson chose bedrooms at the other end of the hallway while Bruce just walked into an empty one.

“This is going to be strange,” Steve murmured as he dropped his duffel bag on the bed and sat down next to it. He scrubbed a hand over his face, staring down at the floor when he was done. “I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. was the best place for me, after I woke up. Now to find that its been infiltrated by Hydra and Bucky is alive? I don’t even know where to start.”

“To steal quote that I don’t remember where it’s from, we begin at the beginning and go on to the end,” Tony replied, sitting down next to Steve and draping an arm over his shoulders. He grinned his patented Stark grin, relieved when Steve managed to smile back. “Besides, we’ve dealt with our people being on the other side before. Remember Loki controlling Birdbrain and Doctor Selvig? We’ll figure it out. From what I’ve learned about Bucky Barnes, he’s not one to fight for the other side willingly.”

“I hope you’re right,” Steve muttered, shaking his head. It still hurt, losing Bucky the way he had. He’d been his best friend, his only friend really, and Bucky had pulled him out of more scrapes than Steve could count. Had saved his life more than once. While it hurt to know he’d died right in front of him, Steve could handle that hurt. There was something... clean about it. This, knowing Bucky had turned, or been turned, was like having his heart ripped out. There was nothing clean about this and the thought made Steve sick to his stomach. They sat there in silence for a time, letting the others go through whatever Adam had planned. Steve didn’t think he could move just yet and Tony was willing to give him all the time, and comfort, he needed.

-------------------------------------------------

“What is your name?” Adam asked, staring down intently at a computer screen set into the desk.

“Clint Barton,” Clint replied calmly, eyes focused straight ahead and not on the strange chair he was strapped into.

“You are stranded on a deserted island. There is a box in front of you. What’s inside it?” Adam continued, glancing up once from the screen to study Clint.

“What kind of question is that?” Clint asked, confusion and anger tinging his voice. “I’ve been through lie detector tests before. Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“As I’ve explained to you, this is a unique test,” Adam replied, weary patience in his voice. He’d gone over this twice already, once with Bruce and the other with Jane. Both had passed with flying colors and he’d given them their lanyards to wear whenever they were inside the base. “Just answer the question, first thing that comes to mind.”

“A bow,” Clint replied, scowling. A thread of unease wormed through his gut as Adam just continued to stare at the screen. What if he had given the wrong answer? Was there a wrong answer? What happened if he failed this test?

“What’s the difference between an egg and a rock?” Adam said, voice calm as he saw the slight spike in Clint’s blood pressure. “And, please, remain calm. This is just a series of questions, nothing too difficult.”

“You can eat an egg,” Clint replied, taking a deep breath and trying to squash the worry inside him. When Adam nodded, Clint let out a relieved sigh. At least there really was no wrong answer to that one.

“Why are you here?” Adam asked next, looking up to meet Clint’s. There was something hawk-like in his gaze now, though it was difficult to read in his amiable face. And now they’d finally gotten to the crux of the questions, the ones that would probably best determine whether Clint was a threat. Well, he could deal with that.

“Because S.H.I.E.L.D.’s become my home,” Clint replied honestly. “The people there are important to me and I feel like I’m finally doing some good in the world and using my skills to their fullest.”

“Thank you Agent Barton,” Adam said with a smile after studying the screen for a few moments. He walked out from behind the desk and started unstrapping Clint from the chair. “Let’s get you your lanyard. Then would you send Agent Romanoff in?”

Clint nodded, rubbing at his wrists for a few seconds as Adam bustled around the desk again and pulled out a lanyard with an ID card. The straps hadn’t hurt but Clint didn’t particularly like being tied up. After accepting the lanyard, he pulled it over his head and settled the card down on his chest. It hung about halfway down his sternum and had the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on one side. While Adam reset the chair and the testing parameters, Clint headed out the door and nodded to Natasha, waiting on the other side with the others.

“Your turn Nat,” Clint said, giving her a grin. He held up his lanyard and wasn’t surprised to see the others sigh in relief. Of course there was no way to be completely sure if someone said they weren’t Hydra, much as they might trust each other. Natasha merely looked confident, her beliefs confirmed and Clint patted her shoulder in thanks. That was the most they’d do with others around, wanting to keep their relationship professional. Their personal life was their business and no one else’s.

“Here we go again,” Natasha muttered to herself as she walked inside and closed the door behind her. A quiet babble of questions was cut off as she did so, the other Avengers peppering Clint with questions about the chair. Natasha braced herself as she settled into the chair, keeping a calm and pleasant face while Adam secured the straps and feeds.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Agent Romanoff,” Adam said while he worked. “Just like before, this won’t take too long. Just a few questions and then we can get you your lanyard.”

Natasha nodded and sighed, pulling at the straps around her wrists automatically before turning her attention to Adam. He had settled behind the desk again, tapping at a few things on the touch screen. Once he was sure that everything was reset and running properly, he turned the sheet of questions back to the first page and took a deep breath. Natasha let her mind wander as she had the first time, for once not wanting to have the temptation of lying.

“What is your name?” Adam asked, calm voice breaking the silence easily.

“Natasha Romanoff,” Natasha replied distantly. Her eyes were focused on the wall just to Adam’s left. This name had been hers for so long that it would register as true. It was true, really, perhaps moreso than her birth name. Natasha Romanoff was who she had made herself into and who she wanted to be.

“You are stranded on a deserted island. There is a box in front of you. What’s inside it?” Adam continued.

“A satellite phone so I can get off the island,” Natasha replied immediately.

“Very good,” Adam nodded, flipping the page to go on to more questions. “What’s the difference between an egg and a rock?”

“An egg is laid by a chicken and a rock is not,” Natasha replied, rolling her eyes at the question. That was one she hadn’t had before.

“Why are you here?” Adam finished, looking up from his screen to study Natasha.

“Because I have no where else to go,” Natasha replied simply, meeting Adam’s eyes calmly. Adam smiled widely and picked up another lanyard from the drawer. He walked around the desk to start unstrapping her from the chair.

“It’s nice to see you pass again, Agent Romanoff,” Adam said as he finished and shook her hand. “Here is your lanyard. Please send in Agent Hill next.”

“It’s nice to pass again,” Natasha replied, a genuine smile crossing her face. She liked Adam, liked that he was genuine and bubbly and a generally happy person. She didn’t meet many of those in her profession and even less that she actually liked. After putting the lanyard on, she walked outside and gestured for Maria to head on inside.

The process last almost half a day, each person giving their own answers to the questions and passing the test. Adam was relieved after each person passed, thankful that no Hydra agents had managed to infiltrate this secret base. Fury had had it commissioned not that long ago and Adam had been here on his own since then. It was good that it was still safe. Everyone met in the large central room again, Tony walking in last with Adam and still adjusting his lanyard. It felt strange for the genius to have anything around his neck; he usually avoided things like that. Even the ties he wore only stayed proper for a short time before Tony ended up loosening them.

“Good, we’re all clean,” Coulson said, nodding in satisfaction from the desk he was standing at, studying a map of S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. Maria was next to him, writing down notes in a notebook as they discussed possible strategies. “The first thing I think we need to do is take back headquarters. If we can get Pierce and his hound...”

“His name is Bucky,” Steve cut in hotly, glaring at Coulson. “Not hound or Hydra or assassin. His name is Bucky and he’s my friend.”

“We can’t consider him a friend right now, I’m sorry,” Coulson replied apologetically, shaking his head. “From Maria’s description of him, I think he’s the assassin they call the Winter Soldier. Natasha and Clint know who I’m talking about. If this is the same man, thinking of him as a friend is liable to get all of us killed.”

“The Winter Soldier doesn’t exist,” Clint scoffed, laughing. “He’s just a fairy tale. Something they tell newbie spies and assassins like ghost stories around a campfire.”

“The Winter Soldier is a ghost,” Natasha agreed, though she looked uncomfortable. “But he is very much real. He’s the best and he’s never been caught. I... trained with him years ago. I was never able to beat him when we sparred. I’m came close but he always managed to get the upper hand.”

Absolute silence greeted Natasha’s words, Clint’s mouth dropping open in surprise. When he and Natasha sparred, they were about evenly matched so he won about half the time. But he knew exactly how good Natasha was, how many tricks she had up her sleeves. Knowing there was someone out there she couldn’t beat was terrifying. Steve’s face was full of conflicting emotions, pride and sorrow and determination and guilt. Tony was standing next to him with a hand on his shoulder, worry on his face as he studied Steve. None of this was easy for any of them but it had to be so much harder for Steve.

“It doesn’t change anything, though, whether he’s been caught or not,” Coulson said quietly, finally breaking the silence. “He needs to be stopped just as much as Pierce. Steve, maybe you and Tony could go after him while Maria and I take on Pierce. The others will provide a distraction, rescuing any S.H.I.E.L.D. agents held hostage in the building. We can blindfold them and bring them here, test them in the chair. Any Hydra agents we find can then be interrogated.”

“Simple but effective,” Natasha said, nodding. “I like it. When do we start?”

“As soon as we know where Pierce is,” Coulson replied, looking up as a beep sounded from Maria’s pocket. “Maria managed to plant a tracker on his car. Sounds like he just decided to go somewhere. All right people, suit up. We’re taking S.H.I.E.L.D. back. Let’s just hope we have the good fortune to keep it this time.”