"Gentlemen." Fury bellowed, hands behind his back and pacing the floor of the conference room. "I have been asked to speak with you about an urgent matter regarding our future here at S.H.E.I.L.D" The men and women that listened all did so carefully in black suits and black ties and ear pieces inserted. They watched, each and every one of them as Fury spoke. "Now we all know of the Avengers initiative, as we have had multiple briefing on the subject, but a matter has come to my attention that I have been asked to share here with you today." He paused watching over the agents populating the room.
There came a silence that was rare of the Director. "For a long time, I have worked under the orders of our Head Quarters. For a long time I have obeyed those orders with satisfaction and undeniable loyalty and for a long time I have invested in this division's future, but I am afraid today I find that I see no future." If this were a board room of any other kind Fury knew these men would speak among themselves, gasp and that he would have to silence them, but not these agents. "Our eggs were all placed in one basket and that basket was the Avengers Initiative. Yes. This is still up and in operation but we don't have much left to work with. The men we rely on are unreliable and though they are not our enemies they are not our allies. Not like the men and women inside this board room." Fury jammed his finger down on a desk a few times to make his point clear. He continued to pace the room with his hands behind his back. "Our Head Quarters have given us a new task. That task is to create a new team. A team that originates under the protocol of S.H.E.I.L.D. and I want each and every one of you to begin recruitment affective immediately. I want to see the next up and coming Agents ready to fight on our side. You are dismissed." He said with a brief nod before exiting the room.
Drips splashed down, somewhere in the room. He'd focus if he could but he'd taken a rough beating and the pain in his head was too much. He blinked his eyes open after listening to the drips for a while longer but they made him realize just how dry his mouth was. He looked to his wrist cuffed to the metal of the chair he'd been bound too. With his free hand he pulled at it endlessly trying to find a weak spot, something to help him out, but It didn't look good. The tried to look around but the light hurt his eyes. So they were still outside? It seemed as though they had build something around him. Yes, now he could see scaffold and sheets and someone watching him from high above in the corner. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he wondered what would become of him now. He already knew deep down he would be taken to some classified prison cell or something similar. Everything had gone too far. His mind was racing with the thoughts of spending forever locked up when a man in a black suit stepped in, brushing himself down.
"I guess we have some talking to do, Huh?" The suited man asked with what seemed like a sympathetic smile as he pulled up a chair. The prisoner nodded, well, as much as a man can with a head injury. "And I can't say I'm sorry about that-"he said, pointing at the wound just below the prisoner's temple before he continued. "-You just murdered a few friends of mine. It doesn't exactly put you in a good position." They looked at each other in silence for a while before someone broke the silence. It was the man in the suit. "My name is Coulson. I work for S.H.E.I.L.D. I'm also going to assume that you can tell me anything you like now because your company thinks you lying dead back there in the explosion debris. Well, that's if there are any of them left to think that." That made the man's head snap up, now fully alert.
"They think I'm dead?" He asked with a cracked voice. Coulson nodded in reply but it took a long while before the prisoner began to speak again. "Okay I'll talk, but making me think that the company's gone won't make me spill anything on them, I know that strategy." He tried to argue but Coulson only laughed.
"You won't need to. We have a team up there right now cleaning up, but okay. If that makes you feel better, Deal." The Agent offered leaning back in his chair. "Why don't we start with you?"
The prisoner looked up and then returned his gaze to the cuffs around his wrist, the one that wasn't broken. He didn't really have anything to lose.
"Dalton." He introduced himself. "I could give you a load of numbers after that, but they wouldn't mean anything to you." He shook his head, licking at his dry and chapped lips."
"I know a number that will count." Coulson offered, holding out a bottle of water to man's uncuffed and broken hand. "How old are you." Dalton Shakily took the offer of water, wondering what the Agents game plan was, he took the bottle, unscrewing it with his teeth and drinking it greedily, despite the fact it was hurting what with a broken wrist supporting it, but he needed it. He panted out his breaths once the whole bottle was drained looking over to the agent. "Twenty One." He breathed with a heaving chest.
"Twenty one?" Coulson nodded. "That's impressive considering you've just taken out a few of my men and managed to get an explosive on a secure non exsplosive site." He half smiled. "One more thing... They hired you, didn't they, these people. What was your role in all this?" The man slunk back into his seat looking annoyed with himself. He didn't have to tell. "It's your only way out of here kid." The agent nudged.
"Mercenary." He finally looked up properly. Black hair mixing with the dried blood and dirt staining his head.
"That's the magic word." Coulson smiled pressing his finger to his ear. "Yeah I got a lead –Mercenary... -21...-I've only seen a little bit but I'm waging that he could rival Wade Wilson, I'm telling you he's a candidate. – Do I have the go ahead? –Yes sir." He removed his hand from his ear and straightened his tie, placing a small fob just out of reach of the man. "You have two options, Dalton. Option A, You go to a confined facility for the rest of your days and hope you die quickly to ease the boredom or Option B." He pushed the fob towards the cuffed man. "You join my new team. We give you a new start, wipe the slate clean." Coulson looked to the Fob. "That unlocks those restraints but I'm just warning you I have my best marksman above us with a very good tranquilizer."