Truth Be Told

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"Where am I?"

Marcus sat up. Heard as his bones creaked. Asphalt dusted off him. He looked down at his hands. At least he tried to. It was dark. Too dark to see anything. He felt the earth around him. It was hard. Wet. Broken. His back felt sore. He must've fallen. Most definitely the cause of the destroyed path underneath his body. He felt for his sword. The Sword of Light. When he couldn't find it on his person, he closed his eyes and called for it. When nothing happened, he frowned. Marc found his feet and stood, hunching forward when the large gash across his abdomen stung. He felt numb. He was scared. For the first time in a long time, the great Sentinel was afraid.

Marcus couldn't remember what happened. Last thing he saw was Asgard. Last thing he heard was the overwhelming sound of thousands of Outriders screaming as they met their end. By his hand. Marc had beat them all. They were planning on invading his home. Marc had asked Odin if he could have the first bout. Odin said yes. Thor wanted to accompany the Sentinel, but Marc refused. Loki had to hold Thor back while Marc soared into the heavens. Once he was over Asgard, he saw them. The Outriders. Creatures of chaos. The Titan's army.

The Sentinel fought, and he fought well. With his Sword of Light, he overwhelmed the horde and as it turned out, took him down along with them. The Sentinel was struck down. He fell. He was lost to Asgard. Heimdall couldn't see him. Odin couldn't sense him. The Sentinel, as they knew it, was gone.

Once Marc's senses returned, he noticed how cold it was. Snowflakes began falling. When they made contact with his warm skin, they melted. He reached up with one hand and focused. A dim silver hue powered from his palm, offering him a slight blaze of light so he could see. He manifested a shard of the power, and used it to illuminate his way. Marc started walking. Limping.

"Midgard?"

A store front gave it away. He stopped moving and gawked at the warehouse for human automobiles. How did he land so far from home? Seconds after he uttered Midgard, his shard of light shattered, almost blinding him. Marc grunted, and stumbled a few steps back. He knelt to the ground, and grabbed his head. This couldn't be happening. Midgard wasn't kind to his anatomy. The realm weakened him. Rendered him powerless. It wouldn't offer him a safe haven. He had to get back. He had to find a way off of Earth. He needed Heimdall. He needed his friend.

"Heimdall!" Marc roared, throwing his head back and screaming at the stars. His body shook as he cried. He wasn't ready to leave his home again. "Heimdall, can you hear me?! Please!"

"Can you hear me?"

Ana blinked back into reality.

Her head snapped up to meet the FBI agent's gaze. He gave her a quizzical stare. She didn't know how long she was unresponsive. She didn't even know what time it was. The ticking clock on the wall behind the agent read noon. Ana pursed her lips. She felt the handcuffs on her wrist and placed her closed hands on the table between herself and the agent. His eyes flickered down to the cuffs, and he swallowed thickly. Woo knew she could easily snap them off. But he didn't think she would considering there was an army of FBI agents outside the interrogation room.

"You're on TV, you know?" Woo mentioned as he fiddled with a silver pen. "Helicopters were on the seen. Local news got an exclusive."

Ana leaned forward, and shot him a false grin. "Did they capture my good side?"

Woo sighed. She wouldn't take it seriously. "Michaels, you're in deep water. Stark won't be able to talk your way out of jail time. Not this time at least."

"Woo, let the others go." Ana demanded. "Hank and Hope shouldn't have to be punished for something they didn't do."

"They're in violation of the Accords." Woo stated. "That means they should be brought to justice."

Ana sat back. This wasn't going anywhere. "I want a lawyer."

"You don't need a lawyer. It's already taken care of." Woo responded. Ana's eyes lit up with a touch of hope. Woo opened up the manila folder in front of him and picked up the single piece of paper. His eyes flickered up to hers, and with a sigh, he read, "Thaddeus Ross wants you transported to the Raft effective immediately. There, you-"

Ana stood up abruptly, metal chair scraping against the concrete floor with a screech that made Woo cringe. "No! No way. I am not being sent to the Raft!" She exclaimed, tapping the table with her fist. "Do you have any idea what he'll do to me? He despises me. Thinks I'm some kinda bomb. He'll make sure I'll never see the light of day."

Woo stood with his hands up. He gave Ana the impression that he was trying to calm her down. He was wary of an incident. Her jaw clicked and she backed up. Her handcuffs were still intact. She didn't want to scare Woo. "If you decide to storm out of here, there will be people coming after you." Woo warned her. She would have to go on the run. Again.

"Which is why she's coming with me."

Ana looked at the man that walked into the room suddenly. Nick Fury stood tall, eye on Woo as he extended his hand out that held a note. Ana visibly relaxed. She knew she could count on Fury. He always appeared at the right time. Kind of like a guardian angel. Woo glanced in between the two, before talking to his superior through his earpiece.

"Sir? Is he allowed to be in here?" Woo asked, and waited. When there was no response, he turned to face the two-way mirror for any indication of what to do next. "Hello? Anyone in there? What's going on?" He called out.

Nick stepped forward, causing Woo's attention to snap back to him. "I'll tell you what's going on. Your coworkers are currently chasing after a loose pair of Pyms. They broke out a few minutes ago. You'd know that if it wasn't for the radio scrambler I have in my pocket." He patted down on his leather coat, and grinned. "Woo, this is your chance to do something right."

"You're not my director anymore. You can't make me do anything." Woo remarked. Ana would've believed him if it weren't for the sweat dripping down his face.

Fury had that effect on people.

He gave Woo the note. Woo snatched it from his grip and opened it up. "What is this?" He asked. Ana couldn't see anything written on the paper. It was blank.

Nick shrugged. "A distraction."

Before Woo could do anything about it, Nick shot Woo with a sleeping dart from his wrist. Woo's body fell to the floor, and Ana chuckled when the agent began snoring. She looked up at Fury, and threw the cuffs off. Nick offered his hand for her to take and without hesitation, she took it, and he led her out of the room and guided her through the back doors to the exit behind the station. "I told Hank I had you." He said, "Told him to go on and save his wife. Hope said to tell you thanks for all the help."

Ana nodded. At least they were still on track. "How'd you know we were in here?"

Nick swiped a card that unlocked the exit, "Saw the news. I thought I taught you better." He chuckled.

Ana scoffed as they approached a black SUV. She got into the passenger seat while Nick took control behind the wheel. "We were caught off guard. Before we knew it, agents were on our ass. I wasn't sure the best way out was to punch anything in sight." She said as Nick drove away from the station. Ana looked back at it through the side mirrors and frowned.

"Should we expect company?" She asked.

Nick shook his head. "Not for a few hours. But by then, Maria would've cleared your name."

Ana glanced at the back seats and saw that Fury had secured her belongings that were taken from her upon arrest. "Thanks for the assist. For a second there I really thought I'd be locked up in the Raft." She mumbled.

"Well, I know how much you don't like the ocean." Nick smiled at her slightly, "Putting you in a prison underwater wouldn't end well for anybody."

Ana laughed softly. "Thunderbolt must be red with rage."

"It's a good look on him." Nick replied.

Ana settled into her seat, placing a hand over the forearm that was bandaged. She could see a blotch of red seep into the hoodie's sleeve. She ignored it, and looked at Fury. He was quiet all of a sudden. She recalled the moments were his behaviour told her he was holding back on something.

Ana folded her arms over her chest. Now was the perfect time to call him up on it. "Fury, what's wrong? You've been acting weird ever since Queens and it's starting to freak me out a little. Is it bad news or something? Is it Clint? Is he okay?" Ana's hand gripped the armrest on the door, and Fury thought he heard it creak. He glanced at her for a second. He knew he had to tell her. No more secrets.

"Clint is fine." Nick assured. "His family are all fine. And technically, it ain't bad news. Just... news. The kind I've known about for a long, long time." Ana noticed how Fury's hands gripped the wheel tighter. He was nervous. It was odd seeing Nick nervous. "Ana, you've gotta understand why I've kept it hidden up until now. This is going to be hard to hear, and maybe you might think this is all some kind of sick joke, but it's not. It's serious. I've kept a lot of secrets in my time and usually they don't eat away at me, but this one, this one has been hard to keep quiet. Especially now that he's gone off the grid."

Ana's brows furrowed, and she watched the road. "Nick, what is it? And what do you mean by he?"

"Ana, your father is alive."

Ana turned to look at Nick slowly.

She heard him right. She knew that much. His words echoed in her mind. But... what was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to think? She couldn't get a word out. Not even a single thought settled at the front of mind. It was all a flurry of disbelief, shock, and mystification. She had stopped breathing. Stopped blinking. Nick even waved a hand in front of her eyes, thinking that he actually broke her brain in two. When her throat ran dry and her chest felt hollow, Ana was forced to resume reality, and she swallowed the lump in her throat, eyebrows furrowing with utter confusion.

"Wh- What?" She managed to utter.

Ana pinned Nick down with a pained expression. Her eyes became glossy and red. She started fiddling with her fingers, impatiently waiting for his response. Nick settled his hands on the steering wheel and stared at the road ahead of him, unable to look her in the eye. He figured this was it. This was the moment where Ana would lose all the trust she had for him. Nick always tried his best to make sure she was looked after at S.H.I.E.L.D. and abroad. Whatever she needed, whenever she needed it. After all, when he realised who she was, he had to take care of her for Marcus — since the Sentinel was incapable of doing it on his own.

"What do you mean my father is alive, Nick?" Ana asked, this time firmly.

"I mean he never died from a bullet to the head. The bullet hit him, sure, but it didn't kill him. It did some damage, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Marc's not from here, he's different — just like you are. Marcus had escaped before the building that your mother was in burned down completely. But he did so by paying a price. His memory isn't like it used to be. He doesn't remember ever meeting Lillian or having you. In fact, his whole brain was pretty much mush when I found him. And since I just started out, I wasn't sure on who to trust. I took a look at him at one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s facilities, and realised he wasn't human. This wasn't something I knew everyone would be excited about, so we kept it to ourselves. In fact, the whole operation was highly classified. Only a handful of people knew the truth about Marcus, including Coulson."

"Fury..." Ana placed her head in her hands, sliding her palms down her face anxiously. She was shaking and decided to clasp her hands on her lap. "Why didn't you say something sooner? Like when I was working for you? Helping you? Telling you all about my foster family? Asking you to look into my real parents? When I trusted you?"

Fury looked to her for a short second. "Marcus wasn't-"

"I'm asking you!" Ana exclaimed, slamming her fist on the dashboard in front of her. As expected, it moulded from the force. Nick didn't say anything and decided to let her take it out on him. "Not Marcus. Why did you decide not to tell me all those years I was with you and S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why did you bother saying you would help me find out who I was when you already knew?" She questioned him.

"I didn't want to introduce you to someone who had no clue who you were." Nick said. "Who had no idea he had a daughter. I knew he wouldn't appreciate how strong you are. Because he wouldn't know where you got it from. He wouldn't know where you got your looks from, or if you were more like him or your mother. I couldn't put you through that. I still don't. But things have changed. You know about the man your father used to be. Marc's been getting a few headaches, and since that never happens to him, he called me a few days ago asking for help. He's been blacking out. His powers are uncontrollable. To put it simply, Marc is losing his shit."

"Where has he been all these years?" Ana asked quietly. "What's he been up to?"

"After Marcus healed, he asked me for purpose." Nick began, taking a turn that would get them to the highway. "He wanted to know what I did for a living. I told him I helped keep the world a safe place. Then he asked me what world he was on. That one threw me off. I told him he was on a world full of fragile human beings who enjoyed staying in the dark about people like him without realising it. I could tell he was a man who wanted peace. But he also wanted something to dedicate himself to."

Ana scoffed lightly. "So, you turned him into a weapon?"

"Why would you say that?" Nick asked.

Ana looked out the window. "Come on, Nick, if you see anything that can cross the borderline of human capabilities to superhuman abilities, you sign them up to the cause. Just like the time you recruited me when you found out I could lift a car without much effort."

"Security cameras caught you having a meltdown and of course it caught my attention." Nick remarked. "Your powers were manifesting earlier than expected."

"I wouldn't say I had a meltdown. My boyfriend left without much of an explanation and I got a little upset." Ana muttered, remembering the day she was supposed to meet Danny. He didn't show. She was hurt by it. She punched a hole in a car. You know how it is.

Nick sighed heavily. He heard that story lots of times. "Anyway, I didn't turn him into a weapon. Instead, I helped him realise who he could become. A guard between good and bad. A Sentinel. Marc had chosen his own codename, saying it just came to him."

Ana placed a hand on her jaw. "What was his usual MO? Beating down killer robots? Lifting an airplane before it could crash?" She asked sarcastically.

Nick shook his head. He could see the resemblance. "Marc enjoyed simple espionage and tactical assignments because it meant he didn't have to use his abilities. He said he couldn't figure them out, so he trained like any other agent. It was touch-and-go for a long while, until something huge went down in the nineties."

"What happened?" Ana questioned.

"Earth had a visitor from outer space. Can't say much else." Nick responded vaguely. His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror where he saw his duffle bag. The pager was in there. He made sure it was on him at all times.

Ana's eyes closed as she hit the base of her head against the headrest, completely done with tolerating Nick's constant lying and his skill of keeping secrets from those closest to him. Without looking at him, Ana demanded, "Stop the car."

"Why?"

"Because I need to hit something." Ana said lowly.

The car came to a screeching halt. Ana's belt was pried off and she exited the car in a flash. She could feel it. The anger and frustration rise within her. She needed to let it all out. Her fingers raked through her short hair and she tried the whole breathing exercise. It wouldn't work. Ana glanced at a collection of randomly placed boulders and found her mark. Nick watched from the car as Ana threw her fist into a boulder, and widened his eye when it splintered to pieces. He was expecting blood to come rushing out of a wound on her hand, and frowned when there weren't any signs of injury. Her skin must've become thicker and durable, as well as her bones. He compared Ana's abilities to Marc's, noting how similar they were, meaning Ana was getting stronger.

Fury stepped out of the car when Ana looked up at the sky, hands on her waist as she bit her trembling lip. She inhaled and exhaled, aiming to get rid of the growing pit of anxiety in her stomach. The corners of her eyes were damp and she reached up to touch the closed eyelids with her fingertips.

"Ana-"

Ana spun and yelled. "I- I can't believe you! I can't believe you lied to me all these years!" Ana shrunk away from his hold. Nick hung his head. "I looked up to you, Nick. I- I trusted you! I was so glad you gave me purpose when you recruited me into S.H.I.E.L.D. because it felt as if I finally found something I could belong to. I was so thankful for you. I saw you as family." She sobbed, constantly wiping the water from her cheeks.

Nick opened his hands out in front of him. "That is why it was so hard for me to keep it from you. I couldn't disappoint you by introducing you to the shell of the man who used to be your father. I just couldn't." He argued.

"You've disappointed me either way." Ana whispered. "Tell me. Tell me where he is and I'll go see him myself."

"Ana..."

"Fury, tell me." Ana commanded.

Nick released a shaky breath. This was harder than he imagined. "Marc's hiding in Bagalia. He's in a safe house in the city." He revealed.

Ana took the information and left. She brushed past him, wiping away the water from her cheeks and sniffled. Her short hair whipped behind her as she stalked back to the car with her fists balled at her sides. Nick turned and watched as she retrieved her bag and swung it over her shoulder. He jogged towards her, only for Ana to shoot him a look to keep his distance.

"Well? What are you going to do? Walk all the way to Bagalia?" Nick asked her with a scoff.

"I'll go to an airport and fly there." Ana remarked, walking down the road they just drove by. She had seen a sign that pointed to a nearby air terminal.

"You can't just go on your own. The city's a mess. It's filled with all types of criminals. They run the whole damn place!" Nick's voice made Ana jump. His eye reflected how sorry he was, and when he went to reach out for her, take her back to the car, Ana stepped back.

"I can handle myself quite well. And don't try to have me followed. You should stop spying on me too." Ana demanded, storming away from Fury and the car.

"I was only trying to keep you safe! Ana!" Nick called. He placed his hands on his head, watching as she just kept walking. Ana's eyes stared straight ahead. Her lips were trembling. As were her hands. She didn't look back.

"Goodbye, Fury."

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