Mr. Jones

[Kyra Xyrespace]

"Uhhhm... mind lowering the arrows... and gun... and hammer... and hand blaster?"

The Avengers, having been called upon by Fury to deal with the Serpent Society who had been rampaging in New York, were now looking at a normal looking human (though they weren't fooled considering this was the age of mutants) who was holding his arms up in what was supposed to be the universal sign for "I come in peace." He had appeared out of the sky, literally, and slammed a fist into Anaconda, knocking her out instantly. He then proceeded to help the team effortlessly in stopping the society. The Avengers had waited until S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up to take the group away before rounding on the glass-using boy. It made them suspicious of the boy (he looked to be only 19) mainly because he didn't look very well built. It was what led them to their current situation.

"Who are you?" Captain America, leader of the Avengers, asked as he stood before his teammates, always ready to take the first hit.

"Hi. My name's Alfred F. Jones," Alfred said with a sheepish smile.

"We're serious kid-"

"I'm not a kid! I'm...." Alfred trailed off as he looked thoughtful. "Well... I mean I think I'm not a kid."

"What do you mean by think?" Black Widow questioned, never taking her gaze off the enemy.

"Well... I kind of don't remember anything except my name. I mean, I can remember certain things, but not things that pertain to me specifically," Alfred answered. "It's kind of a bother, dude."

Black Widow blinked, mainly because she had been referred to as a dude. The corners of Hawkeye's lips curved up a little, but he didn't take his eyes off of Alfred. Something about the answer made him uneasy. A glance at his teammates revealed that they felt the same way.

"So... uhm... would you mind not aiming those at me?" Alfred asked, still looking sheepish in the face of the Avengers.

"And how exactly are we to trust you?" Iron Man asked.

"Well... I was kind of hoping you'd help me," Alfred responded. "I mean, I don't know where I'm really at, except that I'm in some sort of city-"

"New York," Iron Man answered.

"-Thanks. Anyways, I really don't remember much of my life, and I was hoping you could help me discover it. Sort of a trade."

"A trade?" Hawkeye asked.

"Yeah. I help you with the bad guy stuff, and you help me figure out information on myself!" Alfred proposed, looking hopeful.

"Are you kidding me?" Iron Man questioned.

"You can't seriously think we're going to do that," Black Widow responded.

Captain America scrutinized the boy, whose shoulders deflated a little at the rejection. Part of the Captain was trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. Something nagged at the back of the man’s mind, trying to get him to figure out why the boy was so familiar. Could it be Alfred had one of those faces? While it wasn't the Avengers job to go out and help amnesia victims, this one was a special case.

"We'll bring you back to the Hellicarrier," Captain America responded, surprising his teammates and Alfred.

"Really?!" Alfred asked happily.

"Seriously?!" his team responded with.

The Captain nodded.

"Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database will have something on Mr. Jones here. And in the meantime, we'll have gained a new member," Captain reasoned.

"Fury's going to kill you," Iron Man responded.

The Captain honestly didn't need one of his teammate's snide remarks, so he turned and addressed the suited man.

"I will handle Fury," Captain responded.

He turned back and found a blur advancing on him. Before he could register what had happened, he found himself caught in a bear-hug by Alfred, who was crushing his bones.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you dude!" Alfred said happily, practically lifting the leader off the ground.

The five Avengers that stood behind the Captain were surprised.

"This son of Jones is strong," Thor remarked. "I wish to test him in a battle of strengths!"

"Hm... a little training exercise, perhaps?" Iron Man asked, keeping an eye on Alfred who had yet to release their leader.

The team agreed, hoping that Fury would allow them the chance.

---------

"What is a civilian doing on my Hellicarrier?" Fury demanded in anger as he glared at the Avengers and Alfred.
Captain America, having stepped forward since arriving in Fury's office, stood unafraid of the Director.

"Sir, his name is Alfred Jones, and he helped us with the Serpent Society. He was hoping we would be able to help him recover his past in exchange for him being on the team," he explained.

Fury narrowed his eye, showing his displeasure with the situation.

"And why would I grant this, soldier?"

"What if I show you how good I am?" Alfred spoke up. "Then would you help me?"

Fury sent him a look, which made Alfred jump and hide behind Thor. However, the Director was mulling over the idea and he seemed to like it, considering he nodded a moment later.

"Fine. All of you, report to the sparring room. He'll take each of the Avengers one-on-one," Fury said with a small smirk that probably didn’t belong there.

Alfred nodded eagerly, keeping his mouth shut though, so as to not ear the wrath of Fury. The team left the office silently, immediately heading for the sparring room. Only the Captain seemed to be a little unsure of the idea. No one knew how much Alfred to handle, and he didn't want to break the man. However, Alfred seemed sure of himself, even making jokes with Hawkeye and Thor (the latter who seemed to be a little more open to the civilian). It made the Captain wonder what Alfred was capable of.