It was during one of the few breaks that I get when I first saw the Tesseract.
I hadn't heard or known much about it previous to the day when I received a yellow manila folder in the mail from a visitor explaining that I was being reassigned from S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters to a new location called Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S.
At home (and home is Rochester, New York), I was in the middle of a phone call with my older sister, Katie.
It had been a long week, and I had just woken up from a surprisingly good sleep. I rolled over to look at the glaringly red numbers of my alarm clock, and smiled with satisfaction: 3 more hours of precious sleep. But just as I settled it for the long haul, my phone began to buzz.
Rubbing my forehead, I rolled over onto my side and groped on the wooden side table, nearly knocking off my clock in the process. I felt the smooth screen of my phone, and pressed the green call button.
"Hello?" I mumbled sleepily, refusing to open my eyes.
"Good morning, Elle," Katie responded, her voice dripping with disapproval. "Did I wake you?"
Here we go.
"Yes," I answered honestly with a sigh, curling my comforter around my body tighter.
"Good. You know, you really have an obscure sleep schedule," she noted. "You literally sleep all day on the weekends. It's already 1 p.m."
"Sorry I'm not sorry," I replied dryly, tired of hearing her nagging about my body's internal clock. "What do you want? I still have least 3 more hours of sleep."
"Calling to see if you have any free time next week to see your niece." I opened my eyes then, feeling guilty at her words. "Megan wants to see you, and Rupert thought it would be nice to invite you on a family outing," she continued lightly.
Megan was my seven year old niece. After graduating from college with a degree in English Literature, Katie wasted no time finding a husband and getting pregnant with her first child.
Shit.
"Unless you're too busy working at the FBI," she snapped. "What do you they make you do there 24/7? You are literally typing on a computer, I don't see why you don't have time for your own family!"
"It's not my fault, Katie," I sighed. "My work schedule isn't made up, and...well, the government needs me."
Chances of her ever knowing that I don't work at the FBI are zero.
"Elliot Pedagia, you're going to let your own niece grow up without you? She's already 7! She'll be ten before you know it, then 16, then 21..."
"Katie, I don't need this lecture from you," I moaned, rolling onto my back and staring at the ceiling in the dark. "I'm sorry I'm busy, but if I ever, ever get any free time, I'll come visit."
"The weekends are free time," she shot back. "Instead you're sleeping all the time..." I tuned her out when I picked up the sound of my doorbell ringing.
No one ever visits my house. It had better be something important.
As Katie continued her rant, I threw back the sheets and stood up, stretching my back. In the darkness, I groped for my plush purple robe that was hanging inside of my closet, and put it on, listening to her babbling.
"Katie, you don't get that I work for a government organization," I tried, walking down the stairs. "I don't have a say in that." This had better be damn important, I thought again, rubbing sleep from my eyes. I crossed my living room over to the window and leaned on the gray couch to push aside the drapes. My eyes swept the street to see if there was a van outside, but I saw nothing. Leaning a little bit further, I peered onto the deck of my house. A man dressed in black pants and a black shirt was standing there, bouncing on his heels, waiting. He adjusted the black baseball cap on his head.
Could be work, I surmised, hopping off the couch. Regardless, I opened a large, jeweled treasure chest that rested on my wooden desk. Next to it was my computer. Inside were some pens and stamps that I kept handy when I needed to send letters. There was also handy item inside. Feeling along the side of the velvet lining, I pressed a switch that opened the top to reveal my handgun resting at the bottom. I checked to see that it was loaded, and then I made my way over to the door.
Clearing my throat, I turned the knob and opened it, greeting my visitor with a fake smile. The hand with my gun was hidden behind the door. "Hi. Can I help you?"
"You have been reassigned," my visitor said, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Beginning next week you will be stationed at Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S."
It's work. "Katie, I gotta go," I mumbled hastily, ending the call before I could hear her protestations. I dropped the phone into my pocket. "What is this?"
His eyes danced as he handed me a yellow manila folder, sealed with the emblem of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Read this information. You will report to headquarters at 0500 and then transported to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S." With a tip of his hat, he turned on his heel, and walked down the stairs, crossed my lawn, and then climbed into a black SUV that was stationed further down the road. I frowned and closed the door, opening the folder with my finger.
I raised my eyes to the coffee machine resting on the counter of my kitchen. Looks like I'll be up late tonight.