"Where is Barton now?"
Natasha asked, deeply concerned for his safety. Barton was her friend and comrade, and he held a special place in her heart.
Barton had helped her a great deal when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. What she felt for him was no longer as simple as friendship; it ran even deeper than family ties. If she could help it, she wanted no one close to her to face danger.
Coulson sighed. "We don't know."
"That Asgardian bewitched him with magic. We've lost contact with him."
Natasha's heart sank. "He's still alive, right?"
"He should be. Loki still needs him."
Coulson had his sources. The organizations working against S.H.I.E.L.D. had all been making small moves lately, and he suspected Barton was involved. But they moved too quickly. By the time his informants got a lead, they had already pulled out, giving Nick Fury quite a headache.
"We can discuss the details when you get back. But before you return, you need to go talk to the big guy."
The big guy. Hearing that, Natasha realized S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to launch the Avengers Initiative. She had read the proposal back then and had even contributed quite a few suggestions.
But the higher-ups had considered the plan too absurd and the potential Avengers too difficult to control, so it had been put on hold.
As a result, Natasha, who had been posing as Tony Stark's assistant, had dropped her cover and been recalled.
"Coulson, you know Stark's trust in me is just as pitifully low as his combat ability."
She was teasing, of course. Without his armor, Tony Stark wouldn't last three moves against her before she put him on the floor.
Coulson knew that, naturally. Besides, asking Natasha to persuade Stark wasn't particularly realistic. After learning Black Widow's identity, he had