SHIELD Archives, 0600 hours
The old file cabinets creaked as Miri Merdan maneuvered her way through SHIELD'S blueprint archives, glaring at the cabinets as she went. Each one seemed heavier than the last, and it seemed like many had rusted shut. Rubbing the residual sleep out her eyes, she squinted at the faded print and cursed to herself. "Somebody's going to get their ass handed to them when I find whoever 'organized' these damn cabinets."
Is that a seven or a one? A small puff of dust floated up into Miri's eyes when she examined the contents of file HSLS.161. You better be it. Come on, please be it… the dust down here is killing me.
The contents proved to be satisfactory, the room full of old SHIELD files finally giving her what she wanted. The blueprints, communications system, and engine room schematics for one Lemurian Star were lying neatly clipped together. She tucked the envelope under her arm and closed the cabinet.
As Miri exited the bowels of the pits, she watched the other SHIELD employees who had gotten a full night of rest begin to switch with the night shift. Bright shafts of light shone through the upper level windows, illuminating the swirling eddies of dust that were everywhere inside the Triskelion. The strong smell of coffee and bagels wafted through the air, and her stomach rumbled. Even super secret spy teams had to eat, right now Miri's stomach was begging for something to eat. Maybe a blueberry bagel, toasted with cream cheese. Or. Or honey schmear. Miri said a quick prayer to the bagel gods in hopes that she'd be able to eat before noon but before she could finish her internal monologue, a small agent in all black approached her with a frown.
Miri groaned, knowing that the grim expression on Beardsley's face couldn't mean good news for her bagel dreams. Or any of her dreams in general.
"Is this about the recon team?" Even this early and while still half asleep Miri still managed to command enough authority to make the burly younger man straighten before replying.
"No ma'am. It's the quinjet- she's been scheduled for an internal workup," Beardsley offered, falling in step with Miri as she continued towards the cubicle where the rest of her day waited.
"And there's not another one available?" Opening her tablet, Miri pulled up the request she'd put in as soon as the mission had been assigned. In large yellow lettering at the top it read "ON HOLD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE".
"Shit." She glanced at Beardsley. "Does Bernerd know this op comes from Fury?"
He shook his head. "I don't think Bernerd cares. He kinda does whatever he wants, seeing as he's the head of Quinjet Operations. And he sent me a message saying that since it's checkup season we'll have to wait until they've finished."
"Goddamn Bernerd and his goddamn workups. Goddamn crewmen exist to ruin my goddamn mornings," Miri muttered, ignoring the side-eye from Beardsley at all the cursing. "Alright, I'll call him and sort this shit out." Beardsley handed her a small piece of paper.
"What's this?"
"Bernerd's extension, ma'am."
Miri laughed. "Sometimes I wonder if you can read my mind." She turned off the Pad and glanced at the blonde agent. "Hey Beardsley?"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Pretty please with a cherry on top, will you get me a bagel. From Stan's?"
Beardsley squinted at her. "Only because I know what you'll do to me if you go hungry."
"I'll transfer you to QO. Let Bernerd be your boss for a while and you'll realize what a blessing I truly am." These last few words were delivered to Beardsley with her arms outstretched and a grin on her face.
"Woah woah woah, there's no need for that. I already said yes." Beardsley laughed. "I'll come by later with an update on the recon report-"
Miri interrupted him" "-and my bagel."
Beardsley sighed. "Yes, and the bagel."
"Perfect. You know where to find me." Miri smiled, and turned away before heading to her cubicle and picking up a coffee on her way.
She sighed as she reached the small cubicle that was her office space, and set down the Lemurian Star file on the crowded desk. The prospect of calling Bernerd, not to mention listening to him bitch about the short turnaround time that he was bound to have problem with was not improving her mood. Sitting down and squinting at the piece of paper Beardsley had handed her, Miri dialed the number. Someone should give Bernerd a bagel. But like a shitty bagel. He doesn't deserve Stan's.
On a normal day, she could bear Bernerd. But today wasn't any ordinary day. Today she had the lives of over 50 of SHIELD employees in her hands. She had a French pirate halfway across the ocean demanding a ransom, and she had both her boss and her boss's boss breathing down her neck about all of it. No, something about today was different, and Miri could feel it.
A/N: Hello friends :) This is Miri. It's a short intro chapter because she's an OC and so we don't know who she is. Even I'm still figuring out who she is. Anyway. I saw Endgame and I cried (and I won't say why) BUT it inspired me to start writing again. So here's the first chapter of a fic that has an outline and not much else. I'm a go with the flow kinda gal and I'll go where the story takes me.