Sorry for the wait. I'll try to have chapter 10 up within the next 2 weeks.
Chapter 9: Orientation:
Location Classified
July 18th, 2012
12:00 P.M. Time Zone Classified
Wally couldn't help but be impressed as Agents Barton and Romanov escorted him through the corridors of The Hub, which he was told was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secondary base of operations. Despite his better judgment, he couldn't help but stare with awestruck joy at everything he saw, from the medical facilities to the research labs. Since nobody had paid any notice of him (in part due to his companions' reputations being the topic of every whispered conversation he overheard), he figured it was safe to assume that his astonished behavior was typical of most recruits on their first day. If this is only their back-up base, he thought as he and his escorts arrived at an interview room deep in the heart of the base's labyrinthine network of tunnels, I can't wait to see the main HQ.
His musings ended as he walked into the room to find Director Fury and Commander Hill seated around a small, circular table. To Fury's left was a woman he'd never seen before. She was wearing glasses and looked to be somewhere between Black Canary's age and his mother's. Her brown hair was died a dull red at the tips. As Barton and Romanov (they had insisted he never refer to them by their first names when on duty) took their seats, the woman stood up and shook his hand.
"Agent Victoria Hand," she introduced herself. "I oversee all operations run out of The Hub."
"Wally West," the speedster reciprocated the introduction before they sat down. As Wally glanced nervously towards Fury to inquire how much Agent Hand knew, the director spoke.
"Agent Hand has been briefed on everything regarding your situation, and has been sworn to secrecy," Fury began. "Because of the technology and research involved in getting you home, we've decided to create a top-secret division of S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with inter-dimensional incidents and visitors like you."
"What about keeping him a secret from the Council?" Romanov spoke up. "Surely somebody involved with the project would spill the beans if the council were do a progress review."
"Which is why only a select few will be asked to join this unit," Fury replied as he passed out manila folders to everyone. "The group will consist of the scientists involved with the P.E.G.A.S.U.S. project, Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers, and the six of us. Stark and Banner will assist Dr. Selvig and the research team with construction of the O.R.P.H.E.U.S. project."
"O.R.P.H.E.U.S. Project?" Barton interrupted curiously.
"We're Trying to send a guy presumed dead in his own universe back to the land of the living," Fury answered, growing irritated at the constant interruptions.
Pretty fitting name, Wally thought to himself. Kind of reminds me of Cadmus. Thinking about home made his heart ache more, but he took a deep breath and returned his thoughts to the conversation at hand.
"Agent Hand will supervise the division," Fury continued. "Everybody involved in the O.R.P.H.E.U.S. Project will report directly to her and no one else. Hand will answer to Commander Hill and she to me. And you, Agent West, will serve as an accuracy consultant to the research team while serving as a forensic analyst for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the meantime."
"Accuracy consultant?" Wally inquired, unsure of what the director meant.
"When we test our probe we need to make sure it goes to the right universe," the one-eyed man answered.
"That makes sense," the newly-recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. agent replied as he leaned back in his chair. "So what will this new division be called?'
"The Alternate Reality Monitoring and Operation Response Program," Agent Hand spoke up. "A.R.M.O.R. for short."
I've not much of a Marvel Comics buff, so I know that A.R.M.O.R. isn't like this in the comics. But since it's confirmed to exist in the MCU but not really elaborated on, I felt I could safely re-purpose it to suit this story without contradicting the MCU so far.