Monday Morning Meeting
May walked into the oversized office for her surprise Monday morning meeting. After scanning the area and realizing that nobody was with her, she walked over the windows. The view was amazing on such a beautiful day. She heard him come in so when he spoke she wasn't surprised.
"Not used to seeing the sky since you locked yourself up in the basement?" He said as he came to stand next to her.
"I usually skip lunch so I get off early enough to see the sky." May replied easily.
He nodded and walked over to his desk. "Thank you for joining me, Agent May."
May turned and walked to his desk. "It's not every day you get called into the Director's office." She stood with her hands behind her back. "I didn't do something wrong, did I?"
Fury smirked. "Other than retiring and rotting away in an office, no, you have not done anything wrong." He looked her up and down. "You still stand like a soldier. It doesn't really fit with your business attire."
"Old habits."
"Of course." Fury indicated to one of the chairs across from him. "Have a seat."
May hesitated before sitting down. "What did you want to see me about?"
Fury shrugged. "I just wanted to catch up." May tilted her head to the side. "I noticed you are still flying, recreationally of course."
May sat straight. "It clears my head."
Fury nodded. "I bet. It would be hard for an ace pilot to just stop." He relaxed in his chair. "You vacationed in China as well. How was that?"
"Fine."
"You were training."
May didn't bother to ask how he knew that. "It's a good stress reliever."
"Especially for someone who is an expert in martial arts. How many black belts do you have now?"
"Enough." May replied, her voice strained. "What are you getting at?"
"I have a mission."
"No"
"You don't want to know what it is?"
"No"
"Well that's too bad." May raised an eyebrow. "There's no one else I trust with this."
"There's always someone else." May replied quickly.
"Not this time. Now shut up and listen." Fury snapped.
May glared at him and stood up. "I'm not going back in the field."
"Not right away, but eventually you will." He stared at her calmly. "You're not even slightly interested?"
"No." She said forcefully.
"Sit down, Agent May." When she didn't move he added, "That's an order."
"Then I quit."
Fury laughed. "That's not going to happen. I let you have your time in administration and now it's time to get back to your real job. Stop being dramatic." He pushed a file toward her. "Open it."
"That's Level 10." May said without reaching for the file. "I work in a Level 3 office."
"I'm aware." It was his turn to glare. "From here on out you are whatever damn level I say you are." Annoyance was clear in his voice. "Read" he instructed.
May sighed. "Why are you pushing this, Sir?
Fury leaned back and rested his chin on his hands. "Open it."
May sat down and grabbed the file. She opened it and read the first few lines. She quickly slammed the file shut and stood up. "What the hell is this?"
"Keep reading." Fury stayed calm.
"No, what the hell is this? There shouldn't be more to read. "He's dead."
Fury stood and faced the window. He knew May well enough to know that she would accept the mission and follow his orders eventually. First, she needed to understand what was going on. "Take the file. Read it and complete the report at the end."
"You're not going to explain this?" She held the file up in her hand.
He turned around. "I could, but you won't hear any of it." If May didn't have a million thoughts running through her head she would have responded. Fury rested his hands on his desk and leaned forward catching her eyes with his one. "You are the only one who can do this, the only one who can make this work." May's eyes shifted from his eye to the file in her hand. "Come back on Friday and we will talk. Until then, build me the perfect team."
May nodded slowly and turned to leave. She knew she wouldn't get any more information until Friday. She knew he was right; she wouldn't be able to process anything at the moment. Before walking out of the office she asked, "Can I see him?"
"Not yet."