Luminis

By: January Lily

Chapter 1: We'd Like to Thank the Academy

Phil Coulson was pissed. Lies. He was surrounded in a web of lies that had been woven around him and the one person he had thought he could trust was in on it from the very start. Agent Melinda May stood there trying to explain herself, her cryptic actions and her lies, but Coulson just wasn't having it anymore. "I gave you a second chance when I assembled…" he began.

"I assembled this team!" May interrupted with a shout.

"What?" Coulson took a step back in shock as he looked to May with a puzzled expression on his face, but May's expression remained stern.

"I evaluated what was needed. I gave the assessment to Fury and he gave you the parameters for your unit."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing...another lie he had been dropped into. He had spent hours going combing through agents for the perfect team and suddenly he was being told that it wasn't actually his team. If that wasn't bad enough, each member of his team was selected for a reason and he damn well deserved to know what May thought he had needed. Coulson took a deep breath before asking, "What was needed, May?"

May released a long sigh. For a moment she contemplated whether or not to tell him, but right now she was in a position where she needed to save face...even if it meant hurting him in the process. "Someone who could repair your body, a technician who could reprogram your brain and a specialist to help me put you down if it had to be done."

"And Alex? Why bring her into all of this?"

"You know why Alex."

"Enlighten me, especially since you're the one who requested she be added to the team."

"If anyone could keep you from embracing insanity...it would be your daughter. Even one who doesn't know that you're her father."

Alex Evans sat there nervously twisting her hands in the auditorium amidst a sea of people. After years of hard work, she was finally graduating from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Operations. There were many that had their doubts that she would ever make it this far. Everyone thought that she should drop out or at least transfer to make a better use of her natural skillset Hell, there were even moments she didn't think she could make it, but the blood, sweat, and tears must have paid off. Operations was known for having the highest percentage of dropouts, but Alex had something the dropouts didn't: a thirst to prove herself.

For a moment, she looked over her shoulder at her mother a few rows behind her who gave her a curt nod. Alex loved her mother to death, but she wanted more in life than to be a paper pusher for S.H.I.E.L.D. Then again, Alex also knew that she was the reason her mother resigned herself to that fate. Her mother, Dr. Connie Evans, had once been one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most brilliant scientists. Her mother had been responsible for inventing a specialized grenade that emits a massive energy shock wave. But when Alex had been born, her mother found a nine-to-five within S.H.I.E.L.D. so that she could devote her time to raising her little girl.

The person seated beside Alex nudged her, so she jerked to face the front again. Their row was standing to walk across the stage and shake hands with Director Fury. Honestly, graduation was more of a pomp and circumstance thing, than a necessity for the academy. A necessary evil in Alex's eyes. Dressed sharply, Alex's heels clicked as she followed behind her classmates, filing of their row before heading on stage. After her name was called, she walked out to the middle of the stage and shook Director Fury's hand. He held onto her hand a little longer than necessary before leaning close to her ear. "I see you made it," Fury whispered in her ear.

"Just barely," Alex breathed.

"That's what I was told." Fury then released her hand and nodded for her to continue.

Alex blushed in embarrassment from Fury's comment before she practically ran from the stage and back to her seat with her classmates. She wanted nothing more than to bury her head, but she noticed her mother in the corner of her eye sit up straighter, so Alex followed suit. She hadn't been a prodigy or anything at the academy. In fact, she was ranked second to last in her class. The fact that she was at graduation proved she was capable...she just didn't excel as some did.

After everyone had crossed the stage, it was time for Fury to read off the assignments. Alex held her breath and crossed her fingers that she wouldn't be shipped off to some base in the middle of nowhere with no hopes of moving up. Then again, she wasn't sure that she wanted to be assigned to a covert operation in eastern Europe right off the bat either. No, she just wanted something that had potential.

Fury read the names alphabetically. As...Adams..., Bs...Bell, Bishop..., Cs...Collins, Collins, Ds….Dent...Alex closed her eyes a few names before where her own should be called. After Fury read off where Kyle Dunne was to be placed, she held her breath. But then much to her confusion, the next name read was Katie Farris. Alex opened her eyes and looked up at Director Fury. Had he just skipped her? Had she not been assigned? She couldn't bring herself to look back at her mother. Deep inside, she wanted to cry, to break down; but she was supposed to be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She wasn't supposed to break down. She was supposed to remain strong even during the direst circumstances.

Alex rubbed at her nose as Fury continued down the list. She tried to focus on masking her emotions; but it was rather difficult when even Aiden Nelson, who was ranked below her, managed to get an assignment. Still, she tried to maintain her composure, but she could hear the whispers swirling through her class. They knew she hadn't received an assignment. They hadn't even assigned her to a job below her skill set. When Fury finished reading the names, the audience began to clap. It was then that Alex finally got the courage to look back at her mother, but her seat was empty. It appeared that even her own mother abandoned her, which just seemed to be another blow to her already terrible day.

A few minutes later, the graduates were asked to face those seated behind them as Director Fury presented them. Unlike high school graduation, there were no camera flashes. Some of these people would be sent out on high-risk missions and if a photo of them in this capacity fell into the wrong hands, the effect could be detrimental. As Alex stood there, she looked over to the spot where her mother had been seated again, but this time, the seat wasn't empty. It wasn't her mother seated there but a woman with brown hair, dressed in a black S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.

The woman made eye contact with her and then nodded. Alex looked away in confusion but then looked again. The woman nodded again. A nod? Was it one of those nods? The woman then looked to the side exit of the auditorium before looking back to Alex. In her confusion, Alex pointed to herself and the woman nodded again. The woman then stood up and slipped out the door before the graduates began to file out of the auditorium. Instead of following her fellow graduates down the center aisle, Alex took the opportunity to escape out the side door.

Slowly, she closed the door behind her and looked for the woman. She scanned twice before finding the woman down the hallway to the left...in the dim hallway. Of course. They always go down the creepy-ass hallways. This was a classic horror movie no-no, but hoping that she had learned a thing or two at the academy, Alex walked down the hallway toward the woman. Once the mystery woman knew Alex was following her, she started to walk again. Chasing a woman into an even darker hallway...yeah, of course, that was going to bode well for her; but Alex did it anyway. Although the more Alex thought about it, following a stranger seemed far more enjoyable than spending time being the butt of everyone's jokes in the graduation reception.

After several more twists and turns, the woman finally came to a stop and allowed Alex to catch up with her. Alex was about to say something when suddenly the woman pinned her against the wall. "Are you Alexandra Evans?" the woman questioned.

"Last time I checked," Alex retorted. The woman slowly released Alex and then pulled something out of her pocket. Without asking for permission, she slammed Alex's thumb onto what was later revealed to be a thumbprint scanner. Alex tilted her head to see her name and picture show up on the little screen. She then looked to the woman before saying, "Told you."

"You can never be too safe." The woman then shoved the scanner back in her pocket before extending her hand. "I'm Agent Maria Hill and I'm here to give you your assignment."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are," Alex responded sarcastically, extending her hand. She then shook her head and bitterly spat, "I wasn't assigned."

"Your assignment is of a confidential nature at this time, which is why it wasn't read aloud. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me so that you can be briefed, Agent Evans."

Alex looked to Agent Hill with a puzzled expression. What in the hell was going on? First, she thought she hadn't received an assignment and now she was being told she had a confidential one? Who in the hell, in their right mind, would give her this kind of assignment? Alex fumbled for any words to say when another figure suddenly moved in the shadows. They moved into the light and revealed themselves to be Director Fury. "I'd go if I were you...unless you'd prefer to be the one bringing us coffee every morning."

"Would that include coffee for Steve Rogers?" Alex asked curiously. Even she wasn't immune to Steve Rogers and his charm.

With an incredulous expression, Fury shook his head and said, "It's not that glamorous."

"Of course not sir." Alex pulled her hair behind her ear. Her cheeks were tinged pink from a blush that crept onto her cheeks, but the idea of bringing Steve Rogers coffee didn't seem all that bad if she got to see him up close and personal. Alex started to blush all over again.

"If you're done fangirling over Rogers, let's get back to your actual mission." Fury glared at her and Alex immediately nodded her head and shook off any other notions she had of Rogers. "Well?"

"Yes sir, but…" Alex's mind was reeling as she was trying to process it all. So she spit out the first thing that came to mind. "My mother and I were supposed to get lunch." After she said it, Alex looked almost shocked and appalled at herself. That was the first thing she said? That? Alex smacked her forehead. "Oh my god," she muttered under her breath in embarrassment. "Did I just tell the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. I can't because of my mommy?"

"Dr. Connie Evans has been briefed on your status," Agent Hill responded with her hands behind her back before she smiled. "She also wishes you luck." Agent Hill then swiftly turned on her heel and headed down another hallway.

Alex mouthed the word oh and nodded her head, still trying to process.

"Well, are you gonna go or do I have to reassign your ass?" Fury questioned, narrowing his one good eye at Alex.

"I-I should probably go, shouldn't I?"

"You're supposed to be a genius, you tell me."

Alex nodded her head before taking off in a sprint after Agent Hill. "Wait for me!" she shouted down the hallway. She stopped for a moment to rip off her heels and then continued running again.

Fury stood there for a moment shaking his head before he muttered to himself, "May better be right about this." Fury then turned and sunk back into the shadows. The sound of his footsteps thudded for a few moments until there was no more sound and only an empty hallway.

Author's note: And we have here another plot bunny! Haha! First, I would like to thank Quinn a.k.a Jabberwocking on here for taking the time to support this little endeavor and then beta-ing it and then taking the time to talk through everything with me. This wouldn't be here without them. So, thanks, friend! I'm also gonna shamelessly plug their Avengers/Captain America story "Mirror Mirror." Go read it, folks!

Oh, and thanks for taking the time to read mine. :)