Valerie McKenna sat in the booth of a diner, sipping one of the cheapest coffees she could find as she looked up to the news. It was a live broadcast of General Talbot going on and on about wanting to crush SHIELD that he believes is still out there. She's heard whispers herself but so far nothing has come up from her resources, then again, she wasn't a specialist. She dropped her gaze to her book before a shadow plopped down in front of her. Valerie looked up before she straightened up at the man's presence.
"Hi" he smiled, "Mind if I sit here?"
"Agent Coulson" Valerie let out.
"Director now, but it's okay" Coulson folded his fingers together, "How are you?"
"Uh, I'm- I'm good, sir" Valerie stammered, "And what about you?"
"Busy" Coulson answered, "It's funny how you say that you're doing well when you haven't really found a stable job since SHIELD fell"
Valerie dropped her eyes down, "I'll admit that it was a struggle but I believe I am getting there"
"Tell me" Coulson said, "The McKenna family has been in SHIELD for years, why not ask your brother or father to help you out"
Valerie let out a laugh before she cleared her throat, "Forgive me but asking him, both of them, for help is almost as bad as working for Hydra"
"I know what you mean" Coulson smiled.
Coulson perked up and waved down a waitress and started to ask for a cup of coffee. Valerie straightened up before looking around but seeing no one in sight. Coulson has been making a lot of noise in the SHIELD world and not just because he came back from the dead. He cleared his throat before scooting closer in the booth as if he was going to tell her a secret.
"Are you looking for my brother?" Valerie asked, "Because I haven't seen him for a while now"
Coulson answered, "I know where your brother is and quite frankly, I don't care. You are the person I was looking for so you are the one I need to talk to"
Valerie blinked, "Me? You wanted to talk to me?"
"Correct" Coulson said, "I have a job for you"
Valerie's eyes narrowed, "What kind of job?"
This was very peculiar for her. Normally, everyone who approached her would always ask about her father or any one of her brothers, the living one or the dedeased. Never has anyone ever tried to search for her.
"We have a man in custody" Coulson said, "He was a Hydra agent and won't release any information. We've tried not giving him what he wanted and giving it to him but nothing happens. To be honest, my strengths don't lie in interrogations but you excelled in it. Even Nick Fury has mentioned your name once or twice"
"Oh, wow! I'm flattered by the compliment, I really am" Valerie said, "But who am I supposed to interrogate?"
"Grant Ward"
Valerie thought for a moment, "Should that name ring a bell?"
"Only if you were your brother" Coulson said, "He was in Daniel's graduation class back at the academy"
Valerie slowly nodded, "So you want to play the pity card"
"Well, in short, yeah" Coulson said, "But you'll be weeding out the information from him"
Valerie deeply inhaled as she thought about the information. She does remembering hearing a Grant Ward but doesn't remember really why.
"And what information would that be, sir?" Valerie asked.
"Everything you possibly can" Coulson said, "Get him to trust you and make him believe he's not being interrogated"
"Are you sure that's wise?" Valerie asked, "I mean, wasn't Agent Garrett close to him? Wouldn't he have a card up his sleeve?"
"With me and my team, yes because he knows us" Coulson said, "But I don't think you would be affected"
"That's a pretty big IF" Valerie said.
"It's the only one I've got" Coulson responded, "So what do you say? You want to be an agent of SHIELD once more?"
Valerie smiled as she sat straighter in the booth.
"Sir, it would be my absolute pleasure" Valerie beamed.
"Good, I was hoping you would say that" Coulson nodded.
"When do we start?"
"Right after I finish eating, of course" Coulson said, "I'm starving"
Valerie looked around, "So it's true? SHIELD is trying to pick itself up after everything that's happened?"
Coulson sidenodded, "We're trying but we're selectively picking our people now more than ever"
"Then why me?" Valerie asked.
"Your loyalty, of course" Coulson said, "There was a camera feed where you were about to be captured… I was very impressed, not a lot of people would do something like that"
Valerie looked down, ashamed, "I didn't want to die at the hands of the enemy nor turn myself into one"
Coulson was referring to the day Hydra invaded her facility. She had nowhere to go and when they cornered her, they told her to swear loyalty to Hydra. Valerie had a gun, instead of turning it on them, she turned it to herself and said she'd rather die. Two seconds later, a squad of last standing SHIELD agents had busted in and started to take the traitors out. To this day, she was relieved she didn't immediately pull the trigger.
"Well, it got you into a new SHIELD" Coulson said, "Congratulations, your father and brother would be proud"
Valerie blushed, "I didn't do it for them… plus my old man wouldn't want to know that his "tough" daughter had just tried to put a bullet through her head"
"You never told him that?" Coulson seemed interested.
"You've heard about what happened to my brother"
"Everyone has"
"Right" Valerie nodded, "Dad doesn't like that kind of attention, especially after all he's done for SHIELD… to have his eldest son…"
Valerie blinked back the tears as she remembered hearing how her brother had commited suicide. Everyone in the agency was shocked to hear that, considering how her father was just almost as well known as Fury. Dad never talked about it, Jacob chose to use this as a platform to make himself into a better man, and everyone silently waited and watched Valerie. It was the kind of scrutiny that she didn't need and all of a sudden was reminded of.
"Would I be safe going back into the field?" Valerie asked, "After what I planned on doing?"
Coulson thought for a moment before he said, "Probably not, but you shouldn't care what people think about you. You choose your own path, no matter where it leads. Your brother took his life under unknown circumstances but that doesn't define you"
Valerie brought her coffee to her lips, "I wish that was the pep talk I got in the first place"
"With all due respect, your father was a pretty tough guy" Coulson said, "When I was assigned with him on a job, I couldn't wait until I got out of it"
Valerie chuckled, "Sounds like him, was even like that during the holidays"
"He had a soft spot for his kids though"
Valerie made a face, "Really?"
"Didn't really show it in a fatherly way but the advice I was given was to not talk about you guys unless I wanted to get punched in the mouth" Coulson remembered.
Valerie was impressed as she rubbed her mouth together and nodded, not knowing that side of him at all. Coulson's phone beeped as he took it out and checked it before waving for the check. He then turned to her and noticed that her coffee was already finished.
"We have 25 minutes to get to your apartment and pack up everything you own" Coulson informed her.
"Why's that?"
"Because, I want to introduce you to the team immediately and get you started on your job" Coulson said, "Plus Lola is all filled up"
Valerie watched as Coulson got up and fixed his jacket, "Whose Lola?"
"The best damn creation Stark's ever made" Coulson said as Valerie got up and followed him out the door.