Undercover Agent

DIGITIZING mission files is a tedious job, but Kaylin Thomas has made her peace with it. The access to a computer gives her the freedom to proceed with her own, personal investigation. It's not something anyone alive knows about, and she quite likes to keep it that way. The less that know, the more she can get away with without tipping someone off.

Her investigation isn't something bad. It's a quest for answers to questions she's been asking since her eighteenth birthday.

Now, with her job at a secret organization, Kaylin can find more answers than she could ever before. Her hacking skills got her in, and now they're helping her rise in the ranks.

Within ten years, she's gone from a low level 1 agent, to a well respected level 5. Her supervising officer being someone close to the big boss might've helped her a bit with that.

It still feels surreal to Kaylin. Her life has always been a roller-coaster of events. From her childhood until her adult years, there always was something to turn her normal upside down.

More recently, it is the hectic life of being an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Kaylin used to be a field agent. She was trained to be one during her time at SHIELD Academy. Her knowledge on computers and languages made her a perfect candidate for undercover operations, but her thirst for the truth made her work without a break as she tried to climb the ranks as fast as she could. A burn-out was inevitable, and Kaylin was placed back in the office.

She's not alone, though. The desk next to Kaylin belongs to one Agent Melinda May. Someone who she knows very well, as Agent May is a dear friend of Kaylin's SO.

May used to be a field agent as well, but the woman asked for a desk job after a mission gone bad. Her reputation keeps everyone on their toes. Everyone, except Kaylin.

The two of them are good friends, despite the cold front May shows everyone. Maybe because Kaylin already knew her before that disastrous mission.

Even though they are friends, Kaylin has never told May about her true reason to be at SHIELD. Not even the name that is on her birth certificate, or anything from her childhood.

Everything else, the woman knows about, but not that. It's to keep her safe, Kaylin tells herself, but she's also scared that if she does say anything, she'll be told she has to let it go.

And letting go isn't her strong suit.

Putting away some of the new mission files, Kaylin ignores how tired she is. She yawns as she walks back to her desk, putting her feet up when she sits down.

May catches her eye and shakes her head. "Long day?"

"Long life," Kaylin replies. She leans back and rests her eyes for no longer than a second before a deep voice books through the room.

"Agent Thomas, feet down," Director Nick Fury orders. His footsteps almost seem to echo through the open room as he stalks over.

"Sorry, sir," Kaylin says, taking her feet off the desk.

Fury comes to a stop next to her and crosses his arms. "I expect to see you in my office in ten minutes," he tells her, before he turns to leave.

"Certainly, sir," she promises, frowning as she watches her boss disappear through the door. Why does he need her in his office?

May clears her throat. "That can't be good," she states, raising an eyebrow as she watches the confused agent.

Kaylin sighs, and she rushes to save her work before turning her computer off. "No, it can't," she agrees. "I'm sure it's nothing major. At least, I hope so."

"Good luck," wishes May, giving her a small smile of encouragement.

"Thanks."

Kaylin makes the trek upstairs to Fury's office with a heavy stomach. Millions of things run through her mind as she trying to make sense of why she's being called up. It's already a surprise Fury is even in this particular building today.

Knocking her fits against the door, Kaylin waits to be told to come inside.

Fury's office is the penthouse of the building. The floor to ceiling windows give enough light to blind a person, and the room is empty enough to make it seem as if there is no end to it.

Fury is sitting behind his desk, his back to the window, staring Kaylin down as she walks in.

"Close the door and take a seat, Agent Thomas," he says, pointing towards the chair in front of him.

Kaylin does so, swallowing down a hint of fear. Fear for what, she doesn't know, but Director Fury is a man who knows how to make anyone feel anxious with just a glare. Maybe it's the one-eye that makes it even more difficult to relax.

"Agent Thomas," Fury begins, his eye never leaving the woman's. "Can you explain to me why you're asking for access to sealed files that are above your rank?"

Kaylin is certain she stops breathing for a second.

That's what this is about? Her trying to gain access to the SHIELD files on 1991?

She had known it wouldn't be easy. The moment Kaylin learned about SHIELD, she'd tried to hack in. It's how Phillip Coulson found her. It's how she got her job.

Knowing she has to answer, Kaylin tries to think of something to say, but her mind draws a blank.

"You're a level 5 agent, Thomas," Fury reminds her when she's been silent for too long. "You do not have the clearance to look into a level 6 file."

She knows that, truly she does, but it couldn't hurt to try. Right?

Every few months, she gives it another try. She needs those answers, yet with every pass of time, none reveal themselves.

"I know, sir," Kaylin says, trying to buy herself time to give an answer that seems true enough. "I requested access to those files to cross-reference some intel I've been given via new mission files. I've come across a pattern, and I want to analyze it to make sure I haven't got it wrong."

"Really?" Fury questions, clearly rhetorical. "I think, Agent Thomas, that you've lied to me."

"Sir, I-"

Fury stands up to pace. "Thomas, I'm leading a spy agency," he says. "When one of my agents does something off the books, another reports it. In your case, I've tried to let it go."

"Sir?" Kaylin asks, confusion more than evident on her face.

"Have you counted how often you requested access?" Fury wonders. "I have. Nineteen-hundred-and-ninety-one times."

Ah, Kaylin thinks. It's no coincidence she's in the directors office, huh? He's let her go on for a very long time, probably to see how far she'd go. But why?

"Tell me, Agent, what is your name?" Fury asks, sitting back down in his chair.

"Kaylin Thomas," the woman answers. She straightens her back, and curses herself when she realizes she's done it.

Fury shakes his head. "Incorrect, but we'll revisit that later. What is the date of your birth?"

Frowning, Kaylin answers truthfully. She never changed that piece of information about her. "December 16th, 1973. With all due respect, sir, I don't lie about when my birthday is."

Knowing he's hit a nerve, Fury moves on with his questions. "Where did you grew up?"

Kaylin lifts her chin. "LA."

"Then why, Agent, does you file says New York?" Fury wants to know.

So that's why Fury kept asking these questions. He had been trying to find out what in her file is true and what isn't.

"That's private," Kaylin says, adding a quick "Sir" afterwards.

Fury snorts. "I'm the director of SHIELD, Agent. No information stay private for long."

Logically, Kaylin knows that her boss already has all the answers she refuses to give him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be asking these questions the way he is. Still, she's going to hold the truth close to her chest for as long as she can. She's done it for about a decade, she can do it a while longer.

"Let us circle back to my first question," Fury says, crossing his arms as he stares Kaylin down. "What is your name?"

Biting her tongue, Kaylin shakes her head. "I know you know, sir, but I can't speak it out loud."

"Why not?" Fury asks.

Just as she's ready to explain it in a way that would make sense, a knock cuts her off.

"Come in!" Fury calls, leaning back in his chair. His attention wavers, and Kaylin takes a chance to breathe.

As the door opens, it reveals an agent who looks to be in a hurry.

"Sorry, sir," they say, "but he's awake."

Fury curses and pushes himself up from his chair. He doesn't notice the confused expression on Kaylin's face, but that's alright. Kaylin knows that some information is not for her. It's the whole reason SHIELD has ranks. Information gets shared only between certain agents, but that doesn't mean some don't find out.

"Agent Thomas," Fury calls from the door. "As of right now, you're a level 7 agent. I need you to come with me."

Level 7? How is she skipping a whole rank just because someone woke up? Who is this person? Is she about to find out?

Rushing to follow her boss, Kaylin tries to push her questions to the back of her mind. If the information is available to her, she will be told. If not, she can always try her luck with hacking into the system.

The elevator is quick, and the three of them make their way down to the entrance level faster than normal. Much time to ponder her questions, Kaylin didn't have, as the moment the elevator doors open, chaos greets her.

Multiple agents are running, pushing each other aside to be quicker. Some are on the ground, and Kaylin steps away from Fury to help them up.

"What happened?" she asks one of the agents she's helping up.

They brush down their clothes as they catch their breath.

"Rogers," they say in shock, and start running again.

Before that name can register in her mind, a woman's voice shouts through the PA system.

"All agents: Code 13! I repeat, all agents: Code 13!"

Code 13? That means they have a high-profile detainee who's running.

Looking around, Kaylin sees the chaos with new eyes. The agents are all running towards the same direction, trying to catch whomever is running. It seems as if the detainee has made it outside, since some agents are getting into black, government cars.

"Thomas!" Fury calls, and Kaylin spots him walking calmly to the front door. "Get a car."

"Yes, sir!" she shouts back, racing to find an empty car.

Climbing in, Fury gets in behind her and tells her to drive. When asked where to, a voice over the car radio says they've found the runner racing through Broadway, so Kaylin sets off to Times Square, hoping to cut the runner off. She has no idea how they've gotten to Broadway so fast, but that's a question which can be answered later.

Helpfully, the agents who're active on the radio list off the runner's characteristics. It's a male between the ages of 20 and 30 with blond hair, wearing a white shirt and beige colored pants.

Reaching Times Square within ten minutes of departure, Kaylin steers into the small path other agents have created and parks the car. Fury steps out, so Kaylin does, too, and she helps the other keeping bystanders at bay.

"At ease, soldier," she hears her boss say. "Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it's best to break it to you slowly."

Turning her head to get a look at the situation, Kaylin narrows her eyes at the blond runner. He looks familiar, but she can't place the face. What was his name again?

The runner turns to look at Fury, and his furrowed brows make him look somewhat adorable.

"Break what?"he questions, and Kaylin would very much like an answer to that question, too.

"You've been asleep, Cap," Fury tells the man. "For almost seventy years."

Kaylin feels like her eyes are going to fall out of their sockets. She recognizes that face. It was a well-known photograph on her childhood home's wall.

Captain America.

Steve Rogers.

Having him standing right there. Seeing him with her own eyes. Kaylin thinks she's dreaming.

As a child, she was told all about Steve Rogers. Between her father's boss and her godmother, there was never a gathering where there wasn't a story about the great Captain America being told.

She used to be so annoyed every time he was brought up.

Kaylin watches the very much living legend look at her boss with confusion. There is a hint of relieve, too, for some reason, but then the reality seems to dawn upon him. Rogers' eyes turn down, and his shoulder sag as he accepts the answer he's been given.

"You gonna be OK?" Fury wonders.

Rogers nods. "Yeah," he says. "I just... I had a date."

Kaylin gasps when she hears it. She knows that story. Her godmother always cries when she tells it, and then her husband has to comfort her for about an hour before she's ready to talk about Rogers again.

Fury directs the man to their car and Kaylin takes the wheel. She drives back to the SHIELD New York headquarters without saying a word, letting the two in the back speak between themselves.

Her mind is racing, trying to figure out how Rogers is alive. Howard Stark has spent every spare hour looking for the man, yet he could never find him, and here is SHIELD. The very organization Stark was a founder of, by the way.

How?

When they arrive back at SHIELD, Kaylin stays behind her boss. She's very aware their interrogation from before isn't finished, yet with Rogers now standing alive and well before them, there's no telling what the plan is.

"Agent Thomas," Fury says, snapping Kaylin out of her head, "can you show the Captain where he can freshen up and get some rest?"

Kaylin nods and points to a stairwell off to the right. "We have to take that one, Cap," she says.

The two of then break off from the group, but Fury calling out makes her stop for a few seconds.

"Don't forget to come to my office after, Agent Thomas. We weren't finished."

"Yes, sir," she tells him, and starts walking again. Rogers not far behind.

Kaylin chose the stairwell instead of the elevator because it's not as frequently used. Most agents want to be somewhere fast, and without much exercise, because their mission will probably be a long and difficult one. Walking won't get them there in time.

The silence is way too loud for Kaylin, so she starts talking. Her voice echoes as she speaks, so she tries to keep it a bit down.

"So, you were frozen?" she wonders, not knowing what else to ask. He looks exactly like he did in the pictures, and his last memory is of promising Peggy Carter a date. The only logical explanation is that he was frozen. In time or in ice or both.

"So it seems," Rogers replies. He is looking at his feet while they walk, and his mind is probably going a mile a minute trying to catch up with what he's and heard seen today.

"Was it cold?"

Rogers' head snaps up and he frowns at her. "I have no memory of that," he tells her, a little amused.

"Cool, cool," she nods, after which she almost stumbles up the stairs. "Oh, my- I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that I just-"

Rogers starts laughing. "It's OK," he assures her as he reaches out to steady her. "It's funny, and I needed the laugh, so thank you."

Kaylin breathes as she tries to get her brain to understand that it's no big deal that Captain America is holding onto her. He's steadying her because she almost fell, but still. His hands are on her arm and lower back!

Despite being a lesbian, she can appreciate the man's attractiveness.

God, if she could tell her girlfriend about this.

Looking away to hide her red cheeks, Kaylin leads the way through the stairwell door and onto the floor which holds many small apartments.

Apartments is a big word, as these rooms only hold a bed and a bathroom, but it's something for the agents that need it.

Or Steve Rogers.

"Here's the room," Kaylin says, coming to a halt in front of one of the rooms she knows is empty, opening the door. "There's a gym in the basement, if you want to use it. Third door on your left if you take the stairs all the way down. The cafeteria is one floor up. You can't miss it because it's literally the only room up there."

Rogers nods as he steps into the room. He turns to face her when she's done talking. "Thanks...?" he travels off.

"Oh, Agent Kaylin Thomas," she introduces herself, bowing jokingly. "At your service."

"No need to bow," Rogers laughs. "I'm Steve Rogers, but I'm guessing you already knew that."

"I did," she confesses. "If you need me for anything, I'll be at my desk, which is two floors up. If I'm not there, my colleague Agent May will be there. Her desk is next to mine and I've yet to see her actually leave it for something other than a toilet break."

Rogers smiles at her. "Thank you, Agent Thomas." He steps back further and closes his door, effectively telling her that he needs his time and space.

Letting her shoulders drop, Kaylin steels herself for the continuation of her meeting with Fury.

-

Fury is staring her down again, and Kaylin is trying her best not to shift in her seat. She's a goddamn SHIELD agent. She can do better than this. Has done better than this.

"I need you to explain to me why you can't tell me your name," Fury says.

Kaylin closes her eyes for a minute. She takes a deep breath, and leans forward.

"Sir," she begins, "if I were to tell you, will you put it in my file?"

Fury frowns. "Why are you being so paranoid?"

"Look at our job," Kaylin answers, throwing her hands out to point around. "All we do is stick our nose into places that we probably shouldn't, yet we call it protection. There are others out there who do the exact same, yet call it something else. I've never used my real name while trying to get information, because I know it will get me in trouble. Me, and those closest to me. I've had it happen before, and I can't have it happen again."

"What do you mean?" her boss wants to know.

Kaylin sighs deeply. She knows she has no ground to stand upon. Fury already knows the truth, just not the reason behind her actions.

"Kaylin," he says, making her look up because of the use of her first name. Fury only does that to certain people, and she never thought she was one of them. Is she now? "I'm not asking to punish you, I'm asking because I'm concerned. Coulson took a risk with you, and I've come to see it was a good one. You're one of my top agents, and I want you to be comfortable being yourself."

Kaylin blushes at the compliment. She swallows her anxiety and gives in to telling the truth.

"Sir, I know you're planning on activating the Avengers Initiative somewhere in the coming years," she says. "It's obvious with how last April went, and now with Rogers miraculously being alive. I've seen the reports on those you want to include; I've digitized them. However, there's one name on there that wouldn't hesitate to hack into SHIELD to get as much knowledge as he can. If my name is on there, he'll find me, and I've done my very best to keep him from finding me."

"Why?" Fury wonders.

Kaylin chuckles. "Because the last time we spoke, we said things neither of us should've. He knows what my life's mission is, and he hates me for it. If he finds out I haven't given up..."

It was her father's funeral, the last time they spoke, and both were very drunk. It was only about a year after her father's boss died, and neither of them really had the time to mourn. They were young and stupid, and Kaylin changed everything about herself to try and forget her past.

Her once fiery red hair is now a dyed dark brown, and her once blue eyes are now hidden behind green contacts. She hides her freckles with make-up, and she never wears the clothes she used to love.

If anyone from her past were to see her now, they shouldn't recognize her.

Fury looks at her with a level of concern only her father ever showed her. "Aren't you working yourself into a burn-out, going on the way you are?"

Kaylin shrugs. "If I have to to get answers, it's worth it," she confesses. "Sir, I've got this desk job because of a burn-out, and honestly? It has given me more freedom to work on it. I know there's more to the story, and I know a clue is hidden in those files. Howard Stark was the founder of SHIELD, and despite him saying he was going on a vacation, I know he was running. Running from what? I don't know, but they found him before he could reach his plane. That night was no accident, I just need to prove it."

Fury contemplates her words. She watches him frown to himself, before he seems to get to a conclusion.

"I won't put your name on record, and I won't use it when we're in company, but aren't you tired of hiding?" he asks.

Kaylin smiles sadly. "Sir, I'm dead on my feet."

He smiles back. "I'll gladly be the first to call you by your birth name, but only if you allow me to. As for how to proceed after this... I'll put you on Avengers duty."

"Sir?" Kaylin questions confused.

Fury opens a drawer beneath his desk and pulls out a file. He hands it over to her. "From today, you're a level 7 agent, tasked to keep an eye on the Avengers," he instructs her. "You are to keep them in line and report to me, and only me, about what they're up to. Agent Romanov has put together this file, and she's the only other agent who I've tasked with keeping an eye on everyone. You, however, have to keep an eye on even her. Do you understand me?"

Kaylin hugs the file to her chest and nods. "I do, sir," she says. "And you've got my permission to use my name when there's no one else to hear it."

"Good," Fury smiles. "Then, do we have a deal, Agent Jarvis?"

"We have a deal."