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“You know, Fury, that this would have been a lot easier if you’d called me in sooner,” said Keira Layton as she looking at the glowing cube. “Only an imbecile would bring this thing out into the open.” She quirked a smile when she saw the annoyed expression on the S.H.I.E.L.D. director’s face.
Nick Fury only replied, “Selvig said that he could handle it.”
“And how did that turn out?” she countered sarcastically, glaring at him from the side. She had heard about what happened a month ago. “You had the god of mischief try to use it to take over Earth.” She turned her attention back to the object and looked at it a bit more closely. “And with Erik being controlled by Loki, neither one had any idea what this thing can truly do.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “And you do,” he said evenly.
She shrugged and responded, “Not actually. All I really know is that this thing is alive.” Seeing Fury’s confused look, she continued, “I can sense it.”
“Your telepathy,” he said. The director knew of her mutant abilities, which was why he kept contacting her.
But it was not her telepathy that was telling her this – that ability was minor. It was a combination of her empathy and her chronokinesis that was showing her the truth. “No, it’s not my telepathy,” she replied, looking back at Fury with cool eyes. “My empathic and time senses did. Besides, I’ve seen it before.”
Fury looked at her cautiously. He never really approved of time travel – which Keira tended to do from time to time. But she never went anywhere unless there was a purpose to it. But sensing it in an object? “What do you mean?” he asked.
“I mean that this thing is timeless,” she replied. “I’ve seen drawings and descriptions of it before during some archaeological trips in Siberia. According to the writings, it can alter time.”
“Alter?”
“Change reality. If the person was powerful enough, he or she can make the world – or the universe for that matter – however they want. The ancients never told who made them. Maybe they didn’t know. But they did know what they can do.” She knew that she had shocked him, but there was no other way to explain it.
“They? How many more are there?”
“Who knows. But you have no idea what you have. If Loki truly had understood it, he would have created a big mess. To what purpose, that’s anyone’s guess.”
“Thor might know,” said Fury as he thought about what she had told him.
“Ask him. Loki only scrapped the top of the fire. Everything could’ve been a lot worse. But the fact of the matter is is that this cube needs to be hidden,” she said as she walked over to a computer. “We don’t need Loki or anyone else for that matter to steal it.”
“We’ll do that,” he said as he continued to look at the cube. “Have you thought about my offer?”
“Which one? You’ve made several.”
“About joining the Avenger Initiative,” he clarified.
She shook her head. “Not really interested. I don’t mind working with people, I just don’t want the commitment. And I don’t want to see Stark,” she said. And she really did not want to see Tony Stark.
“You still mad at him?” asked Fury, chuckling at the comment.
“You would be too if he pulled something like that on you!” yelled Keira. “I’m just not interested in seeing him just yet.”
The director could only shake his head. “Will you still help out from time to time?” he asked.
“Of course! You know I can’t say no to you,” she said. “Besides, you always need another person to keep you on your toes.” Her eyes went to the door.
Fury turned to see Clint Barton standing there. “Agent Hill needs to see you,” he said. “Miss Layton, nice to see you.”
“You too, Hawk,” she said. “You better get going, Fury. Who knows what Hill wants.” She turned back to the computer.
“Just don’t blow anything up.”
“You just ain’t no fun,” she playfully complained.
Fury just shook his head. He never knew what to do with her.