The Slide Projector in the Triskelion clicked showing the next slide of the crime scene, the SHIELD trainees didn't flinch at the sight of the decapitated undercover agents and Major Danvers made the sign for the lights to come up. She had made the point as clear as she could, now it was up to everybody from the trainees to seasoned agents like herself and Nick Furry to come up with a solution.
"You're dismissed." she told the trainee agents, "If any of you have any ideas about how to address this problem come and see me in my office." she instructed as the trainees left for lunch. Secretly she knew most would crash and burn after a few months and the rest would become threats to her position. Now was the time to crush their ambition but leave creativity intact so that they would come up with the ideas that would keep SHIELD running in the future.
As Major Danvers slunk back to her office two of the ambitious trainees were sitting in the cafeteria discussing the problem she had set them.
"So that's my idea Vic." the first a red haired well built man told the young woman who was busy doodling on a napkin, "What do you think?"
"What I wasn't listening." Vic replied blowing a strand of dyed red hair out of her hair, the few coloured strands contrasting with the natural dark majority.
"What's that?" Eric asked. "Some kind of logo." Vic nodded and made the finishing touches to the logo, "Look's like a Hammer." Eric analyzed, "What does's it mean?"
"Nothing when I was little I made a pretend SHIELD department the Hazardous And Meta related Military Emergency Response Unit." she told him, "That was the logo, I gave up the idea but I kept drawing the logo when I'm thinking."
"You know that the Acronym spells HAMMER." Eric announced, "Very clever."
"Thank you and no I won't go out with you, but you can buy me coffee from the vending machine down the hall." Vic told him blushing as she wrapped up the remains of the burrito in the napkin.
"Cool sounds like a date." Eric answered swinging off the bench.
Up in her office Major Danvers' eyes narrowed, "There's some talent I'm going to crush." she murmured as she turned to intercept the agents as they headed to the Triskelion's one coffee machine of any use.
"So I heard that you decided not to go for the Antman project?" Vic asked.
"Can you imagine me as Antman? No just think about it Eric O'Grady the Amazing Antman." he told her, "Sounds stupid."
"Not as bad as Victoria Hand Agent of Shield." Vic joked, "Cool there's usually a line at the machine." she added as they approached the vending machine, not a single member of SHIELD apart from them in the area."
"What kind of coffee do you like?" Eric asked.
"As dark as possible with no sugar." Major Danvers said coming up behind him, "O'Grady beat it I need to speak to Private Hand alone."
"See you later Vic." Eric called as Major Danvers ushered her into an empty laboratory and locked the door behind her.
"The napkin I want to see it." Danvers ordered. Victoria handed her the napkin wearily and watched as she ripped it into tiny pieces. "SHIELD doesn't need liberal thinkers like you Ms. Hand." Danvers spat, "Your smart but ultimately you're still a rookie and will never get to a position of power. As far as I can see you're a screw up and will be leaving in a matter of weeks."
"But Major Danvers I always wanted to be a SHIELD agent." Victoria replied, "My test scores are exemplary, my physical record is spotless I even have an idea about how to get better informants."
"Really?" Danvers asked, "Well tell me what they are and I'll tell you if it's any use to SHIELD."
"Well maybe we should stop sending in SHIELD Agents and create a team similar to the Avengers but out of less honourable people with ties to the under-world. Not only will they fit in with the criminals more easily but they will also have an easier time defending themselves when they are discovered." Vic explained.
"Ms Hand that idea is risky and risks are something SHIELD can't afford at the moment. What with the Liberators, the Red Skull and the recent vampire attack I need to get the Triskelion secure and SHIELD under control before I start something like that." Danvers explained.
"But it's a good idea." Victoria answered.
"I don't have enough money or personnel to commit to this scheme." Danvers told her taking a sip out of her coffee.
"But I could run it Major Danvers it wouldn't be that hard." Victoria responded.
"I said no and that's final." Danvers snapped, "For your insolence you can clear up processing, I hear a mutant prisoner named Mortimer Toynbee caused a mess there." she added cruelly.
Half an hour later and Victoria was still struggling with the mess left behind in processing. If that wasn't bad enough Danvers had directed several of the trainees she knew to walk past and watch as she cleaned the room. Their taunts and jibes were worse then the acid that the prisoner had left behind, the latter just kept eating the mop the taunts ate her self esteem, she wondered what Eric would think if he could see her now. Angrily she slammed the mop down and kicked one of the bolted chairs the blow causing her foot to ache.
"Not your best move Victoria." she told herself.
"I don't know I thought it was funny." a man passing the window told her. He was wearing purple armor and had a pair of goggles over his eyes. Every part of his being accept his head, that could carry a weapon had either a knife or a firearm attached to it. "You need a hand?" he asked.
"Why do you care?" Victoria snapped angrily
"Because I don't like good looking janitor girls suffering because of the mess I'm partially responsible for." the man explained, "Name's Paladin, SHIELD sends me to pick up undesirables and get them through processing." he explained, "Unfortunately the little toad I was arresting got nervous and threw up before trying to escape." he added sounding sympathetic.
"Well if it's your fault…" Victoria answered handing him the melting mop, "You can at least lend a hand."
"Of course anything for a pretty lady, what's your name by the way?" he asked.
"Victoria," she replied, "and I'm not a janitor I'm a trainee of SHIELD."
"Ah so your one of Danvers' 'I'm feeling threatened so I need to crush this person's will' victims." Paladin summarized, "Don't let that fool you she can be a nice person at times." he paused, "I mean I've never seen it but you can't go through your entire life as a grouch. What landed you down here?" he asked, "A new weapon system, a revolutionary engine design or just complaints about the lack of good coffee in this dump."
"Have you tried the machine on sub-level 1?" Victoria asked, "That tastes pretty good."
"Forgive me for saying this but American Coffee is absolute bull shit." Paladin told her, "I only drink the French stuff, I suppose it's what I'm used to. Anyway we're getting distracted, try putting some bleach on the acid and tell me how you got down here." he asked as Victoria followed his instructions and watched the acid and bleach combine to form water and a thin layer of salt.
"You know those dead agents." Victoria said, "Major Danvers wanted a solution to the under-cover agents being recognized so I suggested using free lance criminals to gather recon for SHIELD."
"Sounds like a good idea." a voice said from the darkest corner of the room. The figure stepped into the light to reveal a black skinned man with an eye-patch fiddling with a cigar.
"Cornel Furry" Paladin exclaimed, "I thought that you were out in the field."
"Nah just sneaking around here, I don't really want to see the director at the moment." he told them lighting the cigar.
"Umm sir you can't light that in here." Victoria told him timidly.
"I don't listen to the orders I don't like." Fury told her, "You shouldn't either, if you can find the right people you may have a wining solution maybe even sought out a few people's lives. Tell you what their scrapping project Thunderbolt at the moment because it's not making any headway what if I gave you that space and part of their budget to run your experiment."
Victoria looked stunned Danvers may be the law around here but Fury was ten times more influential and judgemental. If he liked one of your ideas or even acknowledged it you were lucky. Project Thunderbolt had a relatively small budget but Victoria was certain she could manage the money; the name was a mockery to the project that had until recently been trying to harness bio-electricity to create a new powered armor system. The scientist in command had achieved nothing and there were more then rumours that he was being fired.
"Okay I'll do it" she told Fury.
"Say it like you mean it." Fury ordered her.
"I'll do it and make Danvers feel absolutely stupid that she said no to my idea." Victoria yelled.
"That's more like it." Fury told her, "Now once your finished up here head to project Thunderbolt, by the time you arrive their it will be yours. You going to help her or just sit down here and rot?" he asked Paladin.
"Just because I'm a bounty hunter doesn't mean you can push me around, SHIELD may sign my pay-checks but I do as I please." Paladin answered.
"Your one of the best marksmen in the world and this project may help you get closer to the more 'flighty' targets." Fury complimented, "Unless of course you've lost the edge since we last met."
"Just because you and Danvers chose Hawkeye over me for the Ultimate's does not mean I lost me edge." Paladin replied angrily, "Barton cheated anyway I saw the footage."
"Is that a yes because you fit the profile of the kind of people I'm looking for." Victoria asked
"Why not cute SHIELD Agents always seem to win me over some how." Paladin answered, "By the way do you have a boyfriend."
Victoria moaned, Paladin was a bit of a perv just like Eric, she seemed to attract men like him. That said while Eric had a cute naïve nature she was sure Paladin had plenty of experience in the areas he was talking about. And for a crazy moment she digged it, whether it was the excitement of having a good idea or just fumes from the acid and bleach she though he was good looking. Quickly she shook her head to remove the images quite aware that her hair was flying around all over the place.
"If you two are completely finished making eyes at each other." Fury said, "I'm going to leave I have a Major to placate, don't know how I'll do it but I will. Oh and I suppose I don't tell you two to tread carefully with the people your dealing with." he added as he walked out the door chuckling to himself.