"Aren't you supposed to be in DC?" Gypsy called out from her walk-in closet. Steve was sitting in a chair comfortably in her room.
"Yes, but I made a brilliant excuse so I could leave later." Steve smiled smugly into the mirror in her closet.
"Oh yeah, what was that?" Gypsy was flinging clothes around that did not make the cut.
"Stomach ache." Steve grinned before laughing heartily. Gypsy popped up and made eye contact with Cap.
"You don't get sick. They are aware of that, ya know?" Gypsy folded her arms knowingly. Steve got up from his chair and straightened out the collar of Gypsy's deep crimson blazer.
"Gypsy I am an old man. My body isn't what it used to be." Gypsy rolled her eyes and attempted to push him away in play but he caught her hands and pulled her to his face and kissed her.
"So are we going to talk wedding dates yet?" Gypsy's shoulders slumped as she made some distance between them.
"Babe, what's the rush? I said Yes. I'm not going anywhere." She smiled innocently which to Steve looked mischievous.
"I lost years of my life Gypsy. What life I have now, I want it to be centered around you." He cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes.
"I understand but I'm just starting a career. A career that I want to very much succeed at. That being said at least for the time being I gotta be all hands on deck with S.H.I.E.L.D. You of all people know that." Steve nodded his head in defeat.
"Look at me soldier." Gypsy used her hand to lift his head.
"I wear this ring with immense pride. This means your mine and you will always answer to me. Understood?" Steve smiled more relaxed "Yes Ma'am." He saluted before kissing her again.
"Pardon me Gypsy, but you wanted me to let you know when you had less than an hour to make it into work." JARVIS's deadpan voice came through the intercom.
"Thanks JARVIS. Looks like Cinderella is ready for the ball." Gypsy was saving face and Steve could tell.
"It's fine to be nervous. Being nervous keeps you sharp." Steve handed Gypsy her keys and helmet.
"Have a good day at work." Steve hugged her one last time.
"You too. Will you be home tonight?" Gypsy looked hopeful.
"I'm not sure, but I will try my damnedest. I want to hear all about your day." Steve's boyish grin made her laugh. He walked her to the parking lot level of Avengers Tower and watched as she gracefully straddled her bike. With her helmet on she looked back to Cap and gave him a wink, "Later lover." With that all that was left was the roar of her engine and smoke billowing from the exhaust pipes.
Gypsy made great time to the office building that housed S.H.I.E.L.D. Her booties clacked as she walked across the pristine floor. When she noticed a sign directing new personnel to a separate door. As she went through a young Asian man with glasses was behind a counter with a glass barrier.
"Good morning and welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D. Please place your hand on the scanner. It will confirm your identity and give you a temporary pass."
"Morning." Gypsy matched the cheerful tone of the gentleman. As she moved her right hand she paused.
"Does it hurt?" He flashed a genuine smile at her, "Only for a few seconds." Gypsy firmly placed her hand down and felt heat envelope her hand. She winced but held firm then finally her name came up above her head. She released her hand from the scanner shaking it. "Have a nice day." The man disappeared. Gypsy assumed he must have been a hologram.
Automatic doors opened greeting her to a bustling building. She followed a line on the floor that was specialized for new employees. The door was closed and Gypsy wondered if she should knock first. She decided against it and opened the door with certainty. There were a few other people that Gypsy assumed were her graduating class. They varied in ages but they all seemed capable. As Gypsy played on her phone to pass the time a young man who looked to be in his early 20's moved next to Gypsy. He had dark hair and green eyes with a slight shadow of a beard.
"Hey name's Marty, uh I mean Martin. Crap it's Willis. That's my last name. Willis." He held out his hand awkwardly but his kind eyes made Gypsy laugh as she returned his handshake.
"Gypsy Stark. Nice to meet you Marty. FYI Gypsy's just fine." Gypsy put her phone away. "Gypsy, that name sounds familiar." Marty's eyes searched hers until the light bulb clicked.
"You're Tony Stark's daughter right?" Marty was smart enough to keep his voice low. Gypsy let out a small breath, "The one and only." She gave a small smile.
"Dude that's freaking sweet. He's the reason I wanted the robotics/weapons division. Well that and other reasons." Gypsy was about to respond but a middle aged woman walked in looking super tough. Her soft auburn hair was laced with gray streaks that were pulled into a laser precision bun. She had a modest brown suit with a white shirt tucked in her pants.
"Ladies and gentlemen welcome. My name is Danielle Hartigan and I'm your new boss. All orders that come from me come directly from Maria Hill who in case you forgot is Nick Fury's left eye. You have been gathered due to your interest of field work. If you haven't figured it out by now the people you see in this room are your new family. The success of missions hinges upon your abilities to follow orders and trust in your team. Even the Avengers had trouble getting along." Gypsy laughed in her head. That was an understatement. To this day her dad boasted that he had ways of killing Cap, although Gypsy was fairly certain he was joking.
"So Agents, introduce yourselves to one another. I of course know everything about you."
An African American woman with mocha colored skin stood up who was closest to the front of the room. Gypsy admired the young woman. Her hair was in box braids that were pulled into a neat ponytail. Her form of dress could be described as eccentric. While everyone else was more conservative she had a bright multi colored shirt that displayed and old looking cross. Silver bracelets gently clanged on her left wrist as she stood up. Her denim jacket was jet black toning down her shirt. She wore ripped up jeans with black booties. He eye makeup was more reserved. A small tail on her eye lid indicated a cat's eye. "Hello everyone, my name is Alisha Meadows. I'm a behavioral specialist of sorts. For as long as I can remember I've had psychic abilities." The room suddenly shifted on this omission. "Do not be afraid. I can't read your thoughts, it's more so that I can feel your emotions which makes me more of an empath. However, people who haven't crossed over I can see quite easily." She smiled and sat back down.
"Well that will be hard to follow up, but I'll give it the old college try." An Irish accent gave a boyish charm to the older man. He had a simple black suit with shiny black shoes. His hazel eyes seemed a little tired, but his dark hair made him look young. Gypsy guessed he was in his late 30's to early 40's.
"So my name is Liam Kelly. I'm a weapons specialist who spent 15 years with the armed forces with 10 of those years focused with the Army Ranger Wing." Liam sat back down seemingly done with his introduction. Gypsy knew from her studies that the Army Ranger Wing was Ireland's premier armed forces. If Liam spent 10 years with them and lived to tell about it, he was no one to mess with.
Next we're the twins. Two Spanish girls who looked younger than Gypsy stood up. One of them kept their head down while the other looked at the room. They had matching green dresses with dark leggings and ballet shoes.
"Hi. Our names are Louisa and Eleanor Rivera. First off yes we are the youngest ones here. We're fifteen years old." Gypsy hoped she didn't make a face. Granted they weren't that much younger than her but it seemed unethical to have these young girls working for S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Eleanor here suffers from autism and does not speak."
"That's not true. I can speak." A chipper robotic voice answered from thin air. From under the girl's dress came a small robot. It snaked around her neck and for the first time she looked up.
"This is SAN. It stands for Simulated Autonomous Noise. SAN is equipped with various languages and speaks for me by a neural link my sister and I created." Eleanor put her head back down.
"We've been wards of the state since we were nine after our parents were murdered by Hydra agents. Shortly after that S.H.I.E.L.D. found us and we've been in the Science department ever since." Louisa finished and squeezed her sister's hand as they sat back down.
Next was Marty. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Hey guys. I mean folks. Yeah, folks isn't sexist is it?" He scratched his head looking flustered. It reminded Gypsy of her uncle. She smirked as he continued.
"So yeah, the names Martin Willis aka Marty. I like Marty more than Martin. I, uh, don't know really how to say this but, honesty is the building blocks to great relationships. So here goes. I was a HYDRA Agent." He dug his hands into his dark colored jeans. Gypsy's resting smile disappeared in an instance.
"My family were long standing supporters of HYDRA. For almost six generations, they funded projects, used their political ties to rig elections. They even had a hand in the project that would later be known as The Incident. My allegiance was more to my family and less to HYDRA. Nobody likes to let their family down." Marty kept his eyes cast down, looking clearly uncomfortable and slightly ashamed.
"My defection came after a friend of mine was killed after failing to complete their mission. After that I reached out to S.H.I.E.L.D. and told them every bit of information I had. Oh fun fact there is a bounty on my head. So, yeah that's it." Marty sat back down separating himself from Gypsy while playing with his fingers. Gypsy maintained her poker face with sheer determination. She could feel the anger and rage swell in her. Alisha turned around and made eye contact with Gypsy. Upon locking eyes with her she let out a quiet breath she didn't know she had been holding. Gypsy realized everyone was looking at her and she didn't want people to know that deep inside her laid a woman who could get very angry. She took a more normalized breath before speaking.
"Hello everyone. I'm Gypsy Stark. For the longest time I didn't know why I was put on this Earth. Well that's not true. I thought my only reason for being on this planet was to protect my mother from the wrath of my stepfather. Then my world changed and I found a strength in me that I didn't know I had. I could be savior for those who were the regular Joe. My speciality in automobiles grant me the ability to make sure that if we need to get the hell out of somewhere, it will be done in a second flat. I may not have the extensive training like some of you folks here but just know that I will give everything I have to the cause." Gypsy sat back down as Hartigan cleared her throat.
"This unit will be called SIN. Which is short for Special Individuals Network. As more enhanced individuals come out of the woodwork, S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted a team of people who had experience with enhanced individuals either directly or indirectly. You are are one of the first units of your kind. The success of this unit will determine if more SIN units will be created. No pressure. From here you will be directed to your respective areas. Dismissed." Everyone relaxed as a handful of agents walked in the room ushering out the group. Marty attempted to talk to Gypsy but she quickly maneuvered herself to the door and walked out.
An older woman white woman began talking to her but Gypsy was barely paying attention. Her mind was reeling with the information she was given. How could S.H.I.E.L.D. let a known HYDRA conspirator into their building, even worse employ him? Gypsy wondered what would Cap do in this situation. Of all the people in the world who had a strong disdain for HYDRA it was Steve. They killed his best friend, aligned themselves with Hitler to further their own personal agendas and worst of all they stole decades of his life. His life would've been completely different. He probably would've married Peggy. Gypsy unintentionally frowned at the thought of him with her. As much as Gypsy wanted to act like she was fine with his past love the truth was she wasn't. They had something that her and Steve would most likely never share. Camaraderie. Forged from being soldiers in a war, their love grew out of bullets, pain and victories. Gypsy tried to tell herself it was the past, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was second best to her.
"Agent Stark am I boring you?" The older woman's grey eyes stared at Gypsy but she was more amused than annoyed.
"No, not at all. I'm sorry it's just so much to take in ya know." Gypsy smiled sheepishly.
"Come on, I want to show you something that will knock your socks off." Gypsy laughed because the woman reminded her of Steve and his outdated references.
"I'm sorry Ma'am what did you say your name was again?" Gypsy followed closely behind the woman who was a faster walker than she looked.
"Pearl Dixon." She smiled with a slight nod of the head.
"I'm-."
"Gypsy Stark. I was already briefed since I will be your mentor as you get settled here. You know I met your grandfather once. I was a little girl maybe ten or eleven and your father was just a little boy. I told him I wanted to be an engineer, which back then was unheard of for women." She gave Gypsy a look to suggest how horrible the time period was.
"I bet." Gypsy replied earnestly.
"But he didn't laugh or patronize me. Instead he said when I was finished with high school to apply for college and he'd help me, and sure enough he came through. I was given a grant and my concepts can be seen in automobiles today." She smiled proudly.
"Here we are." She folded her arms smugly.
Gypsy was speechless. She saw bikes, cars, and trucks of all different varieties. The smell of machines and oil were a comfort to the grease monkey. Then she saw someone familiar. The man from her exam was there working on a beast of a machine.
"Hey Mac. The truck is coming along nicely." The man rolled out from under the truck with grease smeared on his forehead. A look Gypsy often wore and Steve often teased her about.
"Hey Pearl, baby sitting?" "Worse. Training." Pearl winked at Gypsy to let her know she was just kidding.
"This young lady is Gypsy Stark. You'll be seeing her around here, that is when you're not off doing some super secret mission." Gypsy stuck out her hand. Mac's massive hand took Gypsy's with surprising grace, indicating that he knew his own strength.
"Yeah, I remember you now. Hill wasn't too thrilled to see you join. But as long as you're on our side. I'm sure she'll grow to like you. In theory."
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Something about the last name Stark tends to silently spell TROUBLE." Gypsy gestured with her hands for emphasis.
"Hey, don't get hung up on that. Here you're just a person fighting for the good of the world. Who you were and where you came from doesn't matter."
"Thanks Agent Mac." Mac chuckled heartily.
"Mac is fine Gypsy. See you around."
"See ya."
Pearl ushered Gypsy further showing her the less cool places, cafeteria, lockers and other things of that ilk.
"So any questions?" Pearl finished her tour.
"Just one. When will my team go out into the field?"
"Not for a while." Pearl smiled slightly.
"Oh, okay." Gypsy put her eyes down.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. does not make it it's business to send Agents out until the unit is capable. We don't want to recruit because we lost people."
"I understand. Is there anything else I need to do today?"
"That is all today. Get to know your teammates. They seem like a pretty eclectic group."
"To say the least." Gypsy sighed to herself.
"Do you remember how to get back to the meeting room?"
"Yes Pearl and thank you for being so patient and just awesome with me."
"Don't worry about it. We've all been where you are now." Gypsy nodded as she walked away. Upon re-entering the room some of her team was back. Martin wasn't back yet and Gypsy sighed a breath of relief. Keeping her mind up from Loki was one thing, this was entirely different. As far as Gypsy was concerned she would never let her guard down with him around. The twins were talking to Liam while Alisha looked to be drawing in a notepad. She motioned to Gypsy to sit with her. Gypsy quietly sat down and pointed to the pad.
"Doodles?"
"Yes and no. My mind tends to wander until the thoughts become clear. Does this make sense to you?" Gypsy stared at the picture closely. It looked like a bird on fire.
"No, not at all." Gypsy answered honestly. Alisha shrugged seemingly defeated.
"All things come to light sooner or later."
"Indeed they do." A comfortable silence fell between them until Alisha spoke again.
"Give him a chance Gypsy."
"Excuse me?" She looked puzzled.
"Marty. Give him a chance. I can feel your apprehension towards him but everyone deserves the chance to prove themselves. Some people can change. Just ask your father." Gypsy sighed yet again. Of course Alisha would also knew who she was. Most people knew who she was. Gypsy hated to admit it, but her father had a hell of a reputation until fate changed his life for the better. He became a better man, for himself, for Pepper and Gypsy too.
"I'll try Alisha but it's difficult. Once I get a thought in my head it's hard to change my view."
"I understand. Baby steps as they say." Alisha gave a toothy smile which Gypsy returned in kind. On cue Hartigan and Marty walked in. Marty sat behind the ladies.
"Okay people. This will conclude your first day. From this point forward it's full speed ahead. I expect great things from this group. Dismissed." Gypsy grabbed her bag and made her way to the parking lot. Marty caught up with her.
"Gypsy a word." She tried not to show her reluctance. She placed the key in the ignition but didn't turn it on. Marty looked Gypsy in the face and she saw guilt.
"I think I need to clear the air." He rushed out his sentence.
"It's fine, you don't have to explain anything to me. We all have skeletons, thank you for being honest about yours." Gypsy maneuvered herself onto the bike. Marty stood in front of it.
"I'm not stupid. I know you don't like me because of my family ties but I swear the only thing I want to do is save the world." Gypsy didn't reply, she placed the helmet on her head and put the visor down. Marty backed out of the way and Gypsy drove off, not bothering to look back. Back home Gypsy finally relaxed. She looked for her family but it was surprisingly empty. She went to the fridge and saw a note with her father's handwriting. It read 'We'll be back, just went to get some food. Bruce ate all the chicken.' Then Bruce's handwriting popped in. 'P.S. I did not eat all the chicken.' 'P.S.S. Yes, he did.' Gypsy giggled as she poured herself some juice and continued to her room.
She started to take off her clothes but as she did, she felt uneasy as if someone was watching. She went into the bathroom and proceeded to undress. The feeling wasn't there anymore. Gypsy surmised that the day had been a lot and what she was feeling was nothing more than nerves. She switched on the warm water letting the humidity relax her. Finally she went into the shower and relished in the feeling. She started to wash her hair and body until the water switched to being ice cold. Out of instinct she jumped back and felt something hard behind her. She quickly turned around but again there was nothing there. She did however see a single red tulip on the bathroom sink.
"Cap." Knowing Cap was there instantly made her feel at ease. The water had returned to normal. She quickly finished washing and threw on her bathroom robe. Steve had turned on the TV in her room to watch the nightly news.
"Hello Agent Stark." Steve hugged her and kissed her quickly on the lips.
"That sounds so good coming for your mouth." Gypsy kissed him again her tongue invading his mouth. Cap sat back down pulling Gypsy close to him.
"So tell me. How was your day?" Gypsy replayed her day to him while he listened intently.
"Babe, how am I supposed to work with this guy? He helped the enemy."
"Same way I work with your father. I go to my happy place and remember he's your father." Gypsy pinched his side.
"Ow." Steve rubbed his side while laughing.
"I'm being serious. I don't know if I can stay impartial to his past." She frowned.
"Gypsy, you are a woman of integrity and wit. It's not right for you to judge him on his past. Regardless of how his journey started it's the choices we make that shape our future. Things like this take time. Besides you don't have to be BFF's you just have to work together. People do that every day."
"You're right. I'll put more of an effort tomorrow."
"Good girl." Normally she would say something cheeky but the self doubt she was feeling earlier at work was making her needy.
"I better get decent before my father thinks you deflowered me. AGAIN." Steve turned his back as she went to her drawer and put on her relaxing clothes. Once she was done Steve opened his eyes. He noticed that Gypsy was holding her hairbrush presumably to brush her hair. Steve quickly snatched it. Gypsy rolled her eyes and sat in front of her vanity mirror. Steve stood over her and began to gently brush her hair. In recent times she had noticed that Steve loved to touch her hair. While she was used to doing everything herself, moments like this were her favorite. She was almost falling asleep until JARVIS's voice informed them that the rest of the group was back in the house. She groaned as Steve took her ponytail holder and fastened her hair in it. She let Steve pull her up as they went to see everyone who no doubt had a million questions to ask her. None of which she felt like answering, but you can't deny an Avenger.
Author's note
Happy New Year everyone. I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. Apologies on this taking so long. I am a firm believer that I would rather take my time and give you good chapters versus putting something out quickly that I myself am not satisfied with. My story is for you guys and gals and what you all to get the best experience reading. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this one and see you in the next chappie.
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