3.A new mission?
“You ignored direct orders and acted without thinking about the consequences!” Secretary Pierce shouted. We were all gathered in the lobby, alongside Loki who was about to be brought back to Asgard.
“I am sorry Mr. Secretary but without my actions, that portal would still be open wide welcoming the army from space.” I said looking him in the eyes. He wasn’t going to win this one.
“You are an agent, not a soldier. You are not qualified for battle-”
“Is that so? What am I qualified for? Stealth missions? Lab work? Doing unnecessary shit while my fiancé and my colleagues are buried under a S.H.I.E.L.D base just because you failed to mention that we are using the cube to make weapons ??!!!” I shouted, taking a few steps towards him. Everyone was watching me with wide eyes, not having a clue about what was happening.
“Rumlow, escort Agent Harrison back to the Triskelion immediately. She will be responding in front of the council for her actions.”, he simply said, making me laugh.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you? You know, you might be doing a good job as the Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D. , but you failed miserably at being a grandfather. Mom would be disgusted right now, just like I am.” I told him, trying to hold back my tears. Without saying anything he just gestured for Rumlow to step forward. He did as told, grabbing both my arms, dragging me with him towards the entrance.
“Try and stay put Amelia, don’t make this worse for yourself.” Rumlow said in a low voice as we exited the building.
“You used to be my friend.” I told him letting my tears fall.
“I am, that’s why I’m asking you to behave.” ,he told me as he got in the car. “If you keep your mouth shut and admit that you made a mistake, the worst that could happen is a few months of standby. Before you know it you’ll be back with us.”
“The council has made a decision, director.” Malick councilman stated as we stood in front of the hologram’s back at the Triskelion in D.C.
Director Fury insisted on being here to convince the council to let me go back to New York.
“I recognize that the council has made a decision. But giving it’s a stupid ass decision I am going to ignore it.” He started raising his voice a little.
The council has decided to put me back on level 3, behind a desk, doing basic research. My ranks as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent grew through the years, becoming a level 6 agent, going on missions with STRIKE. “Agent Harrison has done nothing but help us. Her ignoring my orders led to closing the portal.”
“We had everything under control, director.” Yen spoke up.
“Under control? Sending a nuke towards Manhattan is what you call having the situation under control? Thousands of people would have died, but for you, those people would have been just casualties, am I wrong?” Fury stepped closer to the man, venom filling his voice.
“What do you suggest, director? Tell me, where are the Avengers now?” Malick asked, looking at Fury.
“I’m not currently tracking their whereabouts. I’d say they've earned a leave of absence just like Agent Harrison.” ,he responded, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“And the Tesseract?” Hawley councilwoman asked.
“The Tesseract is where it belongs.” I finally spoke up, making them look at me. "Out of your reach."
“That’s not your call to make, Agent.” Rockwell said.
“She didn’t make it.” Fury responded looking at me with a smile. “She just didn’t argue with the God who did.”
“So you let him take it, along with the war criminal Loki, who should be answering for his crimes ?” Rockwell asked again, turning his gaze towards Fury.
“Oh I think he will be.” I said more to myself, thinking about what Thor has told me about his brother facing Asgardian justice.
“I don’t think you understand what you did, letting the Avengers loose on this world. They are dangerous.”
“They surely are.” I said, smiling up at Fury.
“And the whole world knows it, every world knows it.” Fury continued looking directly into the council woman's eyes.
“Was that the point of all of this ?” Rockwell asked, frowning. “A statement?”
“A promise.” Fury said, pushing a button, making the holograms disappear.
“My grandfather is going to kill me.” I said laughing a little.
“Let me handle him. You are coming back to New York with me, I need you at the base.” He said, smiling at me. I just nodded, thanking him before making my way towards the door. “Amelia, I am truly sorry about him….” ,he said, stopping me in my tracks.
“I know you are.” I replied leaving the room, making my way towards the elevators.
What a day...what a week. I can’t believe we made it out alive...some of us at least.
After everything that happened all I need now is a hot shower and a good night's sleep. I stepped into the elevator as it arrived, being greeted by Agent Jasper Sitwell, who was carrying some files under his arms.
“Agent Harrison, good to have you back. How long are you staying?” ,he asked, looking at me.
“Not too long, I am heading back to New York with director Fury tomorrow morning.” I replied not wanting to make small talk.
“The council decided to let you go back?” He asked, making me frown.
“How do you know about this?” I asked, turning my head so now I was facing him.
“Secretary Pierce has told me. He said we are putting you back on level 3, office work, tracking and locating. ”,he simply said, a faint arrogant smile playing on his lips.
“Well don’t get too excited Jasper, you are not going to see that any time soon.” I said, pushing a button, making the doors to the elevator open. All I want is to be left alone, is it too much to ask?
I finally closed my bedroom door letting out a sigh. It was exactly as I left it just before I rushed to New York.
I decided to take a shower so I made my way into the bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror that stood above the sink. I was a mess. My blond hair was greasy and dirty, pulled back into a loose ponytail, my once brown eyes were now red, and puffy. I had a red scar creasing my right cheek, a few cuts on my lower lip, and small scratches on my chin. My makeup was long gone, I managed to take it off before meeting the council, along with my dirty uniform. I pulled my black tank top over my head. I had bruises all over my left side, some on my abdomen, and a few small scratches on my arms. It’s not that bad. I took a final look at myself in the mirror before stepping closer to the shower, adjusting the water to my liking, letting it run for a few seconds. I moved my hands to my pants, slowly removing them, shortly followed by my underwear. Now completely naked I stepped into the shower letting out a satisfied gasp as I felt the hot water make contact with my skin. I lifted my head a little, letting the water fall on my face, feeling my body relax. I never knew a shower could be this satisfying.
The next morning came quicker than I expected, and before I knew it, we landed in New York.
“I never asked, what did my grandfather say?” I broke the silence that settled between me and the director in the car.
“What could he say? He said he’d take care of the council as long as I promised him I’d take care of you.” ,he replied smiling. ”He is not a bad man Amelia, he loves you very much, he is just bad at showing it.”
“Well as long as he leaves me alone, I’m ok with it.” I told him, turning my head towards the window. ”Will you stay here?”
“I’m headed back to D.C in a week. We are moving on to a new project. Project Insight.”
“Oh, sound’s classified.” I said sarcastically.
“Amelia, some projects are classified for Agents at your level.” ,he said, making me nod, and drop the subject. S.H.I.E.L.D. just like any other division, had it’s clearance levels.
I was a level 5 and 6 combined. Somewhat in the middle. Level 5 agent’s were usually scientists and mechanics, that’s where Pierce wanted to keep me. Fury on the other hand had other plans for me, so he put me into training for level 6. These agents mainly did espionage and combat. I enjoyed it, I even worked with STRIKE for almost a year. The only downside was the lack of information we were getting. I didn’t have access to too much data regarding the mission I was sent on. They only told me who or what I was after.
Clint, Tom, and Nat were always kind enough to share some details with me behind the director's back, but never enough to satisfy my curiosity.
Clint and Tom were level 7 agents, they got the full material regarding our missions and were briefed on other classified projects, like Project Insight.
Natasha on the other hand was a level 10, getting every information her heart desired. She and Coulson were the director’s best Agents, or as he liked to call them “ his good eye”.
Feeling the car stop pulled me out of my thoughts. We arrived at the facility stepping inside, me following the director to his office.
“So, what do you want to do? Join the lab or would you like to go out on the field?” ,he asked as we entered.
“Do you have something for me, Nick?” I asked, taking a seat in front of his desk.
“We have a nuclear engineer in Iran, we have to get him out and move him to the Triskelion. You have to go undercover for this.” ,he said, pushing some papers towards me. ”Agent Davis and Tyson are going to join you.”
“Iran? Sounds good to me, when are we leaving?” I asked, shrugging. Going back to work is what I need to forget.
“Right now if possible. Agent Davis is waiting for you on the jet, Tyson will meet you in Iran, they will fill you in as soon as you get there.” ,he said, making me not.
I got up from my seat walking towards the door, making my way towards the hangar.
Something about this “Project Insight” thing of his was a little stinky to me. Why would he need a nuclear engineer for it? And why from Iran? S.H.I.E.L.D has a large number of engineers yet he wants this guy….
“Amelia, darling, how have you been? I heard you helped save our asses from those ugly aliens the evil God brought.” Mike asked as I approached the jet that was assigned to us.
“Hey, yeah, I just helped Selvig close the portal, no big deal.” I shrugged, moving closer to him.
“Humble as always. How are you holding up?” ,he asked, looking into my eyes.
“I’m fine, what’s the mission? The director told me you would fill me in. ”I said changing the subject while making my way onto the jet.
“Amelia, I’m serious. I know it must be hard and -”
“Please Agent, give me the information I asked for, and let’s prepare for take-off.” I cut him off taking my place on the co-pilot’s seat.
I heard him let out a sigh before moving forward taking his seat next to me.
“This is the engineer.” ,he said, pulling up a photo on the board computer. ”His name is Armeen Hamid. He claimed to have information on a possible threat that affects the success of Project Insight. S.H.I.E.L.D wants him in Odessa in the next 48 hours.
“No pressure...What is this new project anyway?” I asked, strapping myself in.
“That’s above your paygrade Amelia.” ,he replied, starting up the jet. “This is Agent Davis from aircraft 1607, I’m asking for a take of authorization.”
“Agent Davis, this is base, authorization granted, prepare for take-off .” ,the voice came from the board speaker.
After that, we took off. It was a pretty decent flight until Mike decided to push the Tom subject further.
“Did Pierce know about you joining the battle of New York?” ,he asked, breaking the silence.
“No Mike, he didn’t. I was supposed to help Dr. Banner and Mr.Stark locate the cube, then stay on board with the director and Agent Hill while the Avengers retrieve it. But things don’t always go as planned, right?", I said, turning my head towards him. "And before you ask, yes I’m ok. We knew the risks of losing each other the moment we decided to start a relationship. This is the job right? We risk our lives every day to try and save others.”
“You should let yourself grieve and heal Amelia.” ,he told me, giving me a soft smile. Before I could have snapped back, a loud beeping noise that came from the board caught our attention.
“Alright...this is the part where you jump out.” ,he told me, putting the jet on autopilot.
I nodded walking towards the back, grabbing a parachute strapping it to my upper body. He walked closely behind handing me an earpiece.
“Secure channel 6.” ,he said, testing the device.
“6 secured.” I said, confirming the transmission.
“Alright, Tyson is already waiting for you, at your landing point. He is going to provide you with a car and the coordinates to Hamid’s location. Remember Amelia, no improvisation, you do what he tells you. The mission is simple. Extract him and report back to base. If anything goes wrong, you save your ass and get out of there” ,he explained moving his hands towards the straps of my parachute, making sure they are secured.
“Wish me luck.” I told him as I pushed the button that opened the back door of the jet. With a final look, I walked towards the edge and jumped.
I fucking hate heights. I let my body fall, slowly calculating the distance between my body and the ground waiting for the right moment to pull the string. At around 3000ft I opened my parachute, landing shortly after, detaching the straps from my body.
“Agent Harrison, it’s a pleasure to see you.” Agent Tyson said, greeting me. He was standing beside a black SUV, keys in his hands.
“Feeling is mutual, Tyson.” I told him, walking closer, taking the keys.
“Alright, I am going to drive you to the destination, where Hamid is waiting for you in a hotel, you have some clothes in the backseat so you can change. We are going to escort him to a safe location where Davis is waiting with the Jet. From there we fly to Ukraine to the base , and take him to Odessa. Another team will take him from there.”
“Clothes?” I asked, confused.
“He is being watched, this is why we need to get him out. You will be going in as a ...well…”
“A hooker? Really?” I asked as I pulled out the clothes, or lack thereof, from the bag that was laying on the backseat. ”You have to be kidding me!”
“Only way to get in. Don’t worry he is waiting for you.” Tyson reassured me by giving me a slight smile.
“I fucking hate you guys.” I told him, getting into the car. He followed right after me, getting into the driver's seat, starting the engine.
“So how-”
“If you are going to ask me how I am, I’m putting a bullet in your head.” I told him, shooting him a warning glare.
He giggled, turning his head towards me for a second.
“I was going to ask how it feels to be a hero? I heard you pulled quite a move back in New York.”
“I’m not a hero, I did what I signed up to do.” I replied.
“Come on, take the compliment blondie, don’t be so bitter.”
“Just drive Tyson.”