Chapter Text
"The Tesseract has awakened. It is on a little world, a Human world. They would wield its power, but our ally knows its workings as they never will. He is ready to lead, and our force, our Chitauri, will follow. The world will be his, the universe will be yours. And the humans, what can they do, but burn?"
The sound of gravel crunching under leather shoes echoed through the air as the man in the black jacket stepped calmly out of the car, surveying the farm in front of him. "So this is the Kent farm.”
He glanced down at the tablet in his hand one last time before heading for the entrance, though the door was opened by a younger man in a pair of dark blue jeans, a red flannel shirt, and a blue jacket before he could reach it. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Agent Phil Coulson. I’m from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division…. S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“I guess someone must have really wanted your organization’s initials to spell ‘Shield’,” the younger man muttered.
Agent Coulson allowed himself a slight chuckle. “Yeah. We get that a lot.”
“Do you mind if I come in? I need to talk to you about something important,” he queried, holding up the tablet in his hand.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
There was another voice from where Clark stood at the entrance to the farmhouse and he was quickly joined by an older brown-haired woman, who Coulson recognized immediately from the briefing Director Fury had given him. “Did you say you were from SHIELD?” the woman asked.
Coulson nodded. “Yes. I am sorry to barge in unannounced like this, Senator Kent. But Director Fury wouldn’t have sent me unless he was sure it was important.”
The Senator nodded, pausing for a couple of seconds to take in what the agent had said before turning to go back into the house. “Well, you had best come in then. It sounds like we have a lot to talk about. Coffee?”
“Please.”
Following the Senator and the younger man inside, Coulson took a seat at the table indicated by the older woman and looked around the farmhouse thoughtfully as the three of them waited. “So. What’s SHIELD, exactly?” Clark queried.
Coulson placed the tablet on the table in front of him, taking a couple of seconds to consider his response before he spoke again. “Like I said. The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Technically we’re part of the government, but our focus is… vastly different… to the kind of things that agencies like the NSA, CIA, and the FBI tend to investigate. Our focus is on more otherworldly threats.”
He quickly turned the tablet on and unlocked it, allowing various images to fill the screen. Quickly tapping in a sequence of numbers, three holographic displays materialized in front of them, each of them displaying information about recent superhero activity. As he passed the tablet to Clark, who took it and started intently examining the information on the screen, the kettle clicked softly. The smell of coffee soon filled the air, and Coulson had just accepted a cup from the Senator and was about to take a sip when a soft creak on the stairs made him stop. Slowly setting the cup down, his hand automatically went to his holstered weapon, though the Senator’s next words stopped him. “It’s alright, Agent Coulson. She knows about Clark.”
Though he looked unsure, the Senator’s words caused him to nod, taking his hand away from the weapon. “Yes, Senator.”
The sound of footsteps drew closer, and a sleepy-looking blonde-haired girl walked in, giving the Senator a warm smile, and shooting a confused look in Coulson’s direction before sitting down next to Clark. “Morning, Mrs. Kent.”
“Morning, Chloe. Did you sleep well?”
The girl nodded, any attempt at a verbal reply muffled by her hand as she stifled a yawn. Coulson fought the urge to smile. From what little briefing he’d been given on Clark’s friends and family (he hadn’t really been given much information, just enough to know basic descriptions and names) he knew the girl that had just joined them had to be Chloe Sullivan, the young hero’s best friend. Not phased by the lack of response, the older woman smiled. “Coffee, Chloe?”
“Yes please.”
There was a surprisingly companionable silence as the three of them drank, and after a few minutes Chloe was the first to set down her cup. Clearly more awake and alert than she had been, she looked over Clark’s shoulder at the information on the tablet. Raising an eyebrow, she turned towards Coulson and the Senator. “So… what’s going on?”
Agent Coulson glanced quickly at Martha Kent, who gave him a quick nod. “I’m Phil Coulson, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I was just talking to the Senator and Clark. There's something going on. We're not sure exactly what, but we know it's both very big, and very bad. We need all the help that we can get to stop it. Oh, and there's a Norse trickster god involved.”
Finally looking up from the tablet, Clark nodded. “I’m in.”
Coulson nodded, grabbing his jacket from where he had slung it over the back of his chair. “Good. I’ll fill you in on the rest of the plan on the jet. We need to get going right away.”
“I’m going with you.”
Coulson turned to look at the blonde girl. “No. It’s too risky.”
Chloe moved closer to him, looking him straight in the eyes. When she spoke, her voice was surprisingly calm given the situation. “Look, Agent whoever-you-are. No-one knows Clark better than me. I know his strengths and weaknesses, and I’m going to be in constant contact with him no matter whether I come with you or not. I’m going to be constantly in his ear. So since that’s the case, then the most logical thing for you to do is to take me along as well.”
Coulson shot the Senator a glance, noticing that she was barely suppressing a laugh, and sighed. “Fine. You both have ten minutes to gather anything you want to take with you. I’ll meet you by the car when you’re done.”