No one in this time knows I exist. How could they? I was warned by Nick Fury's son, Andrew, that even though my father would still be alive, he wouldn't know of me. He warned me I would have to prove who I was to them. To all of them. Perhaps having the shield will be some form of proof. I hope, for my sake that it is good enough. Facing these people would terrifying enough. But I reminded myself to be brave. To stand tall and not be afraid. It still doesn't cure the nervous trembling of my hands as I open the apartment building door. Brooklyn Estates. Number 307. I recite the number over again in my head. My heart pounds as I approach the front desk. I had never met the man. Considering I was still in my mother's stomach when he died. I don't know anything about him, other than that he was a former Avenger. We share the same DNA and last name. But besides that, I hardly know him. How was I going to prove to him that I was truly his daughter? Beyond a shadow of a doubt? I pondered this thought often before I made the journey to the past. But so far I have come up with no ideas. Perhaps it will just hit me once in standing in front of him. Otherwise, I'm SOL.

To my relief, there was no one behind the tiny desk, and the no one to answer the ringing phone that was becoming annoying each new ring. I had hoped there would be no one there, making it easier to sneak up to the apartment. How I was going to break in, I didn't know yet. I rushed to the elevator and quickly mashed the button. As I wait, I stare in the mirror at the end of the hall. Red hair. Blue eye. I know where I got the blue eyes from, but as for the red hair, I still don't know. Every time I asked my mother about it, she simply told me it must have skipped a generation. I had let it get too long, and longed to chop it off, but I decided against it at my younger sister's request. She loves to braid it for me at night. She and I share the same mother, but not father. After my father died, it took time for my mother to get over it. But finally remarried and had my sister when I was around five. Two years later they had my sister. I was so excited. So thrilled. I had never had a sister and to no longer be alone was wonderful. I regretted it though when she learned to walk. She had to touch everything that belonged to me. I would yell at her and make her cry, but despite the past, I love her dearly. Now she's ten and much easier to get along with. I miss her now, as I'm standing in a completely different place and time.

I suddenly hear footsteps as the desk clerk returns. With my quick thinking, I find the stairs and tread as lightly as I can to the base. I make my way stealthily, making sure to now make too much noise. What good would it be to get caught now? After making it this far? I reach the first level, then the second. I make it to the third. My breathing is normal. I never get out of breath. I had always been athletic and strong. Just like my father. She said I remind her of him constantly. I hate to be that kind of burden to her. But now that she has someone else, I don't worry about it as much. My sister however, can't keep up. She is slower and more prone to having to stop to take a break. I go through the third floor door and scan the hallway. I want to make sure no one sees me here. When the coast is clear, I sprint down the hall. I count the apartments. 301. 302. 303. I finally reach 307. Of course the door is locked.

Here it is. My mother's apartment. She had always told me she worked as a nurse. I couldn't believe it when Shield told me she worked for them. She had lied to me. I wonder what else I will find in this apartment. Right now, if Andrews's calculations are correct, she should be out for lunch with her friends right now. It was a Sunday. The only day of the week she had off. I still put my ear to the door, to listen for any signs of life beyond the door. I don't hear anything, and I am running out of time. I need to open the door without causing damage and fast. I reach into my pocket and find a hair pin. This will have to do. I take a deep breath, trying to relieve my nervousness, as I slide the pin into the keyhole. This isn't the first lock I have picked. I am rather good at it actually. I used to sneak into the high school at night with my friends. It was a small town and a small school, but we figured there wasn't much better to do. So we broke in. We never stole or damaged anything, we just used it as our hangout. There was no movie theater or bowling alley in town and the closest one was forty minutes away. None of us had a car, so we just walked to the school. I can remember just once, Jamie brought beer.

I wiggle the pin, urging it to work before someone finds me. I look down the hall, but there still is no one to be seen. I work for what seems like fifteen minutes before I finally hear the calming click of the lock. I almost laugh, surprised but relieved that it worked. I quickly open the door and slide into the apartment, shutting the door behind me. The living room is dark, except for the light trying to shine through the closed blinds. I use my cell phone as a light, not wanting to disturb anything. I remember my mother's old desk. She had bought it at a yard sale before she even met my father. It was where she kept everything important. If her pass was here, it would be in the desk. I shine the light around the apartment. On the beige couch, wooden side table with a small lamp. Across to the kitchen which was open. Everything was so clean and untouched. Almost as if she was never there. So different compared to now. She must have gave up cleaning after I turned two. I found it strange there were no pictures on the walls. No trinkets. Just neat furniture. I finally see it. The desk. The same one I sat at to do homework when I was younger. There is a small laptop sitting on it. Some papers. I search the drawers but only find more paper. Where was she hiding it? Was she really this secretive?

I close the drawer in defeat, beginning to panic as I wonder what to do now. I had been sure it would have been in the desk. I knew my mother. She was a creature of habit. Where was her pass? I stoup down to the ground looking underneath it. There was nothing. I look at my phone. 3:45. She would be back at four. I didn't have much time. Out of desperation I search the kitchen drawers. Nothing. I go back over to the desk. The desk chair was tucked neatly underneath. I pull it out, sit down and tears begin to seep from my eyes. I have failed. Everything was riding on me finding the pass. Ill have to leave soon. I begin to feel angry. Angry at myself for being stupid. Angry that I had gotten this far to only have the door slammed in my face. Angry at the stupid desk for not containing what I so desperately need. I slam my fist down onto the desk, hard. I barley hear the click of something underneath the desk where my legs are. I jump from the chair and I couldn't believe that my mother's pass for Shield headquarters was right there. Tucked in a hidden compartment under the desk. I wipe the tears away and grab the pass, stuffing it into my back pocket and covering it with the back of my shirt. As I begin to feel joy, I slowly push the chair back. I sprint to the door and open it, checking the hall. I lock it from the inside and close it. With the pass safely put away, I run back down the hall and down the stairs. The woman at the desk is still there. But I simply keep my head down as I walk past her. I open the door, and just as I begin to step through, my mother, her younger self, faces me as she enters the lobby. Her blonde hair pulled back and out of the way. She looked the same, but different. She doesn't know who I am though, and keeps walking past me and waves at the woman behind the desk. I stand still, I'm shock that I had just seen her. I begin to smile, to see her so young and happy. Free. I had only ever known her sadness. Her loss of my father. To see her like this was…weird. Remembering why I was there, I check to make sure the pass is still safe, and leave the apartment building into the streets, blending into the hundreds of other faces.