AN: First chapter of the year! Thank you for reading.
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With the holidays out of the way, the new year's arrival has started off with a kick. The progress she's made last year had been overwhelmingly gradual. Completing her training, having been released in the same year had been exhaustingly challenging both physically and emotionally.
The woman's breath caught in her chest as she now found herself standing before the facility. Shield Headquarters, the last time she came here was to be judged before the Councilmen. It also reminded her about the day she lost her freedom back in Chicago. Only to be then labeled an out of control threat, she would spend the rest of days locked inside. And while the experience itself was very pressuring, grace couldn't have been happier with the results. Now she was back, at least the reason this time seemed more appropriate than the last. Alongside the experience and control she has, grace felt confident than she's ever been. The ghosts that often hunted her showed their disinterest and went away, no longer pestering her.
Grace ran a hand through her short length hair, catching a glimpse of the area. It never ceases to amaze her at the magnitude of which this area filled. A chill blew over her body, feeling it wash over her skin made her shrivel up inside. With the winter weather still holding up, it only seemed to get worse by the day. But now she is staring at herself in the reflection of the door, remembering why she came to New York. Here to help capture the person that's been giving her hell, grace was determined to set things straight. With Fury's help, she hopes that this whole situation will end very soon.
Entering the building, her vibrant blue eyes, traveled to the lobby. Into the distance, she could make out a form of a person. Standing near the corridors was none other than Natasha Romanoff. It's been several months since she's last seen her. Frankly speaking, Natasha looked good, in an admiring way. While no ounce of weight was gained, her hair got longer. She was noticeably stunning that grace felt compelled to compare herself.
While Romanoff had her hourglass figure, Grace sought herself as one with a triangle shape form. Her red hair only added more to her personality, whilst Grace had plain black hair that stretched to her neck.
"Powers, it's been a while." Natasha approached her, greeting her with a smile as grace's presence was expected.
Clearing her throat and feeling slightly small as the agent hovered over her. "More than a while. I'm guessing your part of the planning committee."
Nat appeared mildly amused. "Can't take all of the credit. If you must know, I will be assisting this operation so keep up."
Grace only nodded at her before the two headed back into an elevator. Leaving the lobby less crowded than it was not too long ago.
"How's freedom been treating you?" Asked Romanoff once they were inside, the doors closing in.
"I can't complain. I've had time to adjust and yeah, things are pretty good. Except for the obvious problem, of course."
"That's why we're here, to fix the obvious. Are you nervous?"
"I'm livid. It's not every day I get to play hero. What about you? I know you're probably use to it, but isn't there ever moment where you actually felt nervous?"
"We all have our moments, but in times like this, we can't afford to let our emotions get the best of us. Our doubts will only lead to the pathways of failure. But considering this is your first mission, it's understandable that you'd feel this way. Just keep a cool head and you'll do fine and remember, you won't be doing this alone."
"Right, sorry." Grace tried to smile but couldn't seem to conjure one. "Thank you."
Grace can feel Romanoff watching her without having to look back. It was true though, as she stood there in the enclosed contraption, her nervousness was a small reminder of what she used to be. A nervous wreak, incapable of facing the realities of life. Refusing to acknowledge the gift she was given seemed to have only backfired her.
Frowning, it made her shiver in response. Her eyes burning color, the advice Nat gave her wasn't enough to allow herself to relax, though she tried her best to cover it up. The horrible images of her parents dying flashed behind her lids. The times she yearned, conjuring scenarios that no longer mattered. Had she not reacted the way she did, it could've have been avoided. At least in her mind, she could have moved or somehow predict the effects it would have caused, had water not spilled onto her frail skin. They could've have lived; they could've seen her grow into the adult age. At some point, in the beginning, grace truly believed she should have died as well. Die with them as the room burned from the collision of her power. It probably would've made everyone's life easier. Not having to deal with Fury and Shield was just a bonus. These were thoughts she never bothered to share with anyone, not even Mark.
It felt like a long time has passed since they entered the elevator. Both Grace and Natasha stayed silent as they passed each level, when finally, with a sound of a ding, the doors open revealing the operation room. It was pact with agents and supervisors, with heavy monitors, they were all actively engrossed with computers that grace couldn't really tell what their purpose was.
Turning away from the staff crew, she followed Romanoff who stepped out once the doors had opened.
"There they are." The director spoke loudly. "Glad to see you made here on your own."
Immediately spotting the director, she also noticed that both Coulson and Agent Hill were present.
Grace paused to think about it but was more hung about Fury's sentence. It sounded almost insulting, like he was belittling her abilities to do the simplest of tasks. She didn't even think to question him though, her thoughts were focusing on something else. "As you can see, I made it in one piece. Now, can we get back on schedule? I feel like I've waited long enough."
"Fair enough." Fury resigned, flopping a folder down onto a nearby desk. "This is everything we've collected so far regarding the case. Agent Romanoff was kind enough to get in touch with your friend Thomas." Fury mentioned, noticing Powers eyeing Romanoff for a short second before looking back at him.
He continued, "We notified him about the potential threat that we believe will occur. We didn't want to let the perpetrator know what we know, so Thomas has agreed to stay inside the building, pretend he knows nothing."
Her eyes sunken at this revelation, her stern nose wrinkled in one corner, getting angry. She didn't dare talk, not without having the facts straight. "What about the others?"
"Don't worry, we'll set up decoys around the perimeter. Once we confirm the target, we'll have the building on lockdown. With you and Romanoff at the hilt, I want the person detained immediately."
"Is that all?"
"For now? Yes. And Powers, try not to use your abilities in public. If things go south, I don't want you caught in the crossfires, I can only protect you for so long from the public. Stay hidden, keep up and no sparky sparks unless absolutely necessary."
Coulson stepped forward, "If you follow me Grace, I can get you suited. Romanoff has yet to equip herself." Looking at Natasha, "Disguise yourself; gather what you need and nothing you can't carry."
Everyone who was in on the mission had left and went on to make their own preparations. Grace however remained in her spot and took the folder that was placed by Fury. Opening it, she saw the pictures of every building that was hit. Each one had differentiable detriment on them, caused by the fire. Grace felt a pang of disgust seeping through her stomach. How can anyone possibly find joy in endangering the lives of the innocent? Grace didn't understand, not one bit. The most upsetting thing about it was the fact that the same occurrence will happen again in just a matter of hours.
And Tom; the idiot had agreed to Fury's plan. What was he thinking? Grace was sure his absence wouldn't compromise the mission. Besides, the person in question, from what she's read, was only interested in setting the place apart. No intentional person was ever targeted so it wasn't necessary to bring anyone in harm's way. Tom was only endangering himself with his own recklessness.
"Grace? Are you coming?" Asked Coulson from behind.
She didn't respond immediately. Instead she turned away from her previous spot and merely began to follow Coulson.
It took them almost six minutes to travel the distance to the right side of the area of the humongous building. They walked several pathways and crossed through different corridors. Passing many Shield agents along the way. Grace could recognize some of their faces from her previous experiences. Those who did know her waved, nodded or simply welcomed her back. To her surprise, some familiar faces had been lucky enough to be promoted from their previous ranks. Those she couldn't identify had unexpectedly gazed at her and moved on.
They were both particularly quiet, both were aware of the differences between professionalism and sidesplitting.
Once they did finally reach the designated area, they were given access to the room. Grace could barely hold her excitement as she caught sight of her uniform.
Light armored high collared shirt with slick plates that formed over her upper body, hugging her small frame. With matching pants, there were slim metal thigh guards that was made for protection. Her curiosity grew once she observed the gloves, they were fingerless but had microfiber rubber instilled to better maneuver her abilities. The boots reached right under her knees.
The outfit was all tight bound which gave her flexibility access. The coloring was coated in black with moderately blue streaks the covered the sides of her suit.
"Woah..." She slipped out.
Coulson chuckled at her reaction. "What do you think?"
Flabbergasted, it took seconds to come up with a response that didn't make her sound like a fool. "I-I like it. Are you sure you didn't confuse it with someone else's uniform?"
He hummed in respond. "Now that you mention it..."
She elbowed him in a playful manner. Coulson watched as Grace got closer to the new outfit, no doubt she was trying to figure out where to begin on getting it to fit.
Grace pulled out the gloves that were displayed, she was curious as to how these little gadgets worked. Looking back at the uniform, she doubted she'd fit. Not that she was calling herself fat, but the outfit had appeared to be rather tight. Tight in fact she was sure it would suffocate her to death. She wondered if this was specifically made for her or was generally standard uniform.
There was a silence that rang across the room. That is until Grace thought it would be a good idea to stretch out the fabric. It made sort of a rubber-ish noise that made her laugh silently.
"Cough- You have fifteen minutes to get ready." He commanded.
Placing the glove down, her apologetic tone became known. "Right sorry."
Her back turned away from him, she heard a rustle of noises. Knowing he had left the room; she felt her nerves spiraling at the course of today's task. Unaccustomed, and somewhat inexperienced, Grace was unsure of the performance that was expected of her.
Fury's mention of discretion had made it seem almost unattainable, considering the circumstances and the target itself. Grace has come to know the woman as the intruder. And undergoing against the 'intruder' firsthand would be unavoidable to the upcoming destruction that awaited her, and the people involve.
Nervous as she was, it hadn't escape her to note that she has yet to prepare herself. Raising her chin, gazing at the coordinated attire, she placed an imaginary clock inside her subconscious. Through compulsion, the countdown admitted itself by dint of franticness. Wanting to distract oneself, she culled from nerve-wracking thoughts and proceeded to take apart the display.
She would have to prepare herself until the minutes draw near. Heavily sighing with anticipation, she clumsily tackles the difficult task of squeezing into the tight contraption that is her gear.
888
The silent hissing noise coming from the revolving door had called forth the attention of those who entered. Though one didn't have to stare long for the appearance was nothing but a woman. The identity of woman was unknown at the moment.
Though no one paid any attention either as each person within the lobby had their own minds wrapped into their own worlds. Men resting on the accommodating cushions that were placed within the room had all but newspapers in their hands.
A few maintenance employees were currently working on fixing the elevator doors that had suddenly ceased to stop working. A few people stood on the side of lobby, engaging in an active conversation, paying no one to mind. It was also worth noting that two doormen had decided to take shelter on the end of each side of the doors.
Each person in the room held no significance to the pers who had just entered, as they were not important. The receptionist however was a different story. There in the middle of the lobby sat a different kind of woman. The administrative support was the key to getting in touch with man upstairs. The boss, whose current presence was one of great difficulty to spot as the man constantly avoided staying here for more than a few weeks. Always moving around, it became annoying to the woman's master.
It mattered no longer as it was convenient that he'd be here today. Setting her sights on the receptionist, the woman sitting behind the desk was currently answering a telephone call.
With a package at hand, the young lady began walking towards the desk. Ignoring everyone around, it didn't take long to reach the front.
The receptionist, still on the phone could be heard. Talks of nightly outgoings came up as well as words like dates, outfits and settings.
Once she closed near the chatty woman, she calmly, but aggressively spoke. "Package."
They exchanged glances, the so-called assistant hadn't fully acknowledged her until she finished her chat. Even then she had refused to hang up, only to laugh at the person who was on the other line.
Still standing, the woman repeated herself sternly. "Package."
With an exasperated breath, the woman conceded annoyingly. "I'll call you later. No- I have to deal with this." Lowering the phone, the sounding clicks had indicated she was done. "What can I do for you... Mam."
For the third time, it was echoed. "Package."
Exposing the small box to the receptionist, her eyes settled upon the bundle with interest. "What is it?"
"Package."
Rolling her eyes, the lady asked. "I know, but what is it? What am I supposed to do with it?"
"Deliver it to Mr. Hughes." Commanding in a plain tone.
Shaking her head, the once gossipy woman declined. "I'm sorry Miss but I can't accept that without a security check."
What followed next was the overcoming realization that was inevitable from the very beginning.
From around the corner, agents rushed and swarmed the area, armed and ready. The decoys break free from their disguises, joining alongside their colleagues.
"Freeze!"
"Hands where we can see them!"
"Don't move!"
"No sudden movements!"
The suspect's eyes turned to them as they shouted assertively, commanding her to cease all action. Turning back to the receptionist, she found herself faced with the barrel of a gun.
"You heard them." Romanoff spoke in a soft stern voice.
Pure instinct kicks in. Wren knocks the gun out of her hand. A shot rang out, but wren was unfazed by the sound, instead she grabs Romanoff by the arm and flips her over the desk. Head locked from behind, the agent quickly headbutts Wren from the rear end.
Composed from her ventures, wren attempts to use Romanoff as a shield. Instead, Natasha exerts her dexterous skills by perfectly executing a back kick to wren's stomach, pushing both apart.
Part of the group lowered their weapons and advanced an attack against Wren.
Natasha was stunned at the scene. She's fought against countless of enemies sure, but this somehow felt different. The attack today was 'too' calculated, in her opinion. And the way Wren presented herself made Nat's stomach twist, leaving her with a distasteful sensation.
One of them charges at her, but Wren promptly knees him in the groin, letting him fall onto the floor. Coming from behind, another armored agent runs in with his fists clenched together. With breeze, Wren grabs hold of his right arm and twists causing him to groan in pain. A third agent went to ahead, performing a series of kicks, aiming towards her chest. Wren hastily blocks each kick, then proceeds to pummel her straight to the jaw repeatedly. The other agents join in to help but were all unsuccessful.
Romanoff was getting annoyed and steps forward. Gripping her fists, she runs towards Wren and swings her arms. Wren simply weaves her body left and right as she avoids each swing. Running with enough force, Romanoff dashed at her, flipping her to the ground. As confident as she was, Wren inhumanly cartwheels away. But not before Wren manages to kick the agent in the side of her head.
Natasha falls on her knees and avoids the kicks that were being given by the collected woman. At the same time, the disguised agents try to get in a few attacks. Their attempts appeared futile as Wren merely flicks them away like they were small insects. Recovering quickly, Romanoff swept her leg, causing an imbalance against Wren. As the opportunity presents itself, Nat kicks her in the face.
Wren wasn't going to give up so easily, her master had made it clear to her about the mission; it wasn't in her nature to disobey her. Getting up she runs and shoves Nat away and launched a hard kick. It seems to fail as Romanoff had predicted her move, grabbing her leg she jabs her in the face. Wren rapidly counters the attack with a second kick that had enough force to take the air out her.
As Romanoff tries to recover, she soon finds wren's fist connecting with her head. Her arms amplified, Wren bashes Nat that it causes a trickle of blood to run down to the side of her cheek. Her vision hazy, she shifts around and uppercuts the enemy. However, luck seemed to be on Wren's side as she dodges each punch that flew towards her.
A final attack was made and with enough strength, the merciless woman runs up to Nat. Grabbing her shoulders, wren spirals up into the air, only to then come crashing down on to the agent's abdomen. Upon impact, Romanoff could feel her ribs breaking. And as a result, Romanoff was left immobilized.
No one expected a highly skilled agent to go down this way. Some of the agents were left in awe and horror as they saw their leader fall. Then again, this enemy was no common threat.
A smattering number of agents felt the need to finish her work as they pulled multiple assaults. Though Wren immediately steps away and ducks the encounters. Sprinting through agents, she rams each person that gets in her way. She sends a few agents flying, causing them to slam against objects.
The sight alone made the mission look like a failure. For the first time someone has bested the director as none of the agents could take down the woman, not even Romanoff. And this annoyed Natasha, to know she couldn't continue. She had hoped to end this quickly and take the rest of the day off but it would appear that today was not day.
Gritting her teeth, Nat held her earpiece and spoke with irritation. "Powers, you're up."
888
Given the command, Grace ran into the building.
Remember, Fury said no powers unless it's necessary.
Upon entering the building, Grace watched in surprise to see the agents struggling. It angered her even more when she came face to face with the woman that kidnapped Mark.
Those who were injured stood down. While others launched themselves at the Wren. The woman held no sign of remorse for her actions as she grabs one them, snapping their leg, they cry out in pain.
"Let them go!" Grace ordered to the dulled woman.
The woman didn't reply. Wren eventually did let go and then proceeded to stare into her eyes.
"Where's Mark?" She shouted.
Again, she didn't respond but kept staring her. Grace suddenly felt uncomfortable as Wren's expression remained neutral and dull.
Enough time has been wasted. Irritated with her lack of respond, Grace runs head for the woman. Avoiding the agents, as to not hurt them, she jabs Wren in the cheek.
Unresponsive to the attack Wren approaches with speed, striving for an elbow strike. Grace quickly notices and moves her head out of the way. Her right hand landed on wren's chin causing her to take a few paces back.
Grace was both scared and thrilled at her maneuver. But it wasn't over as Wren rushes forth, a double-legged kick caught Grace off guard as she feels her body impact against a nearby wall.
Half dazed, grace could see Wren walking away. Gathering herself, she blinked a few times to see that Wren was attempting to leave with the explosives. Dead set on setting them off, Grace urgently rises from the floor and heads straight towards her.
She couldn't give up now. Her pulse began to beat faster as she chases right after, gripping her hands tightly. But before Grace could attack, Wren instantly turns around. A fist came flying towards, but with her quick thinking, grace grabs her and throws wren over her shoulder. Deadpan by her moves, Wren lands perfectly onto the floor, then charges for a heavy blow. Grace tries to avoid her attack but fails. Standing calmly, Wren rushes once again. However, Grace vigorously delivers a right hook with all her strength.
Wren uses her forearms to block the assault and counter attacks. Grace ducks under, she then manages to run and kick her behind, sending Wren flying down. Instantly she gets up from the floor. Packing her left arm, she flung it at grace. Who then avoided the repeated attack.
At this point, Grace knew this woman would never tire out. Wren's emotionless and calm demeanor never seemed to empty. It was almost as if she wasn't human, but did it matter? Least not in the moment it didn't, she was here to stop the bomb and gosh darn it she was going to.
As Grace and Wren continued to fight through the empty halls of the building. A small voice appeared, it was Fury, who was talking inside her earpiece.
"Powers can you read me?"
Dodging wren's kick, she responds. "Yes."
"Remember what I told you about discretion?" He said calmly.
"Yes." Grace replied, on edge of losing her nerve.
"Forget about it. Do what you need to do." He instructed.
Various blows and kicks were exchanged against each other. A kick to Grace thigh, she grunted and responded. "What about the others?"
"They've safely retreated. Now quit chatting and get to work."
"You're the one who talked to me first!" Grace yelled out as she strikes back at Wren.
"Why don't both of you shut up!" Shouted a third voice that could only belong to Agent Hill.
Rolling her eyes, Grace instantly charged her arms and let out a beam of light. The woman only watched; it was clear to her that this was unexpected as Wren began to pause for a few seconds. It was like she was contemplating or re-calculating on what to do next.
Wren wasted no time as she took on a fighting stance. Waiting for Grace to make the first move.
Without hesitation, Grace fired from her palms towards the woman. Though Wren quickly evaded her attack and rushed forward, going straight to the face.
Grace briskly used her hands as a shield, blocking her swing. With the given opportunity, Grace reluctantly began to charge her hands. Electrocuting Wren on the spot, she didn't yell or scream, she didn't even react.
Instead she twisted her wrist, making Grace let go. Wren then went on to kick her, resulting Grace to fall backwards and then followed up with a punch across her face.
Grace impulsively re-collects herself and grabs wren's arm, she elbowed her and gets a hold of her temple. Before Wren could counter, Grace angrily sends a massive jolt straight through her head.
Once grace stopped, Grace stepped back. She gasped, her eyes widened, horrified at the sight.
Wren pulled back, her head twitching like she was breaking down. The side of her head was completely burnt, covered with dark ash. There was also a gaping hole in her temple. No human could have possibly survived that. It was alarming to see just how composed she really was.
Wren was idle as the prolong silence filled the room. Gradually, Wren slowly began peeling off pieces of her skin.
Grace flinched in disgust but couldn't keep her eyes away. She wanted to gag as a wave of nausea hit her. It reminded her of the movie 'Poltergeist', specifically the scene where the man was inspecting his reflection and only to then begin peeling chunks of his own flesh.
The woman continued to dig inside her thick silicone skin. Bit by bit, it all continued to fall as she clawed away every scrap on her face. Once she finished, she hulled off her hair piece. Until finally, she looked up to face her.
Pieces of her exterior were still intact, but her eyeballs were extended outwards. Her exposed teeth bare as her exoskeleton head flicked ever so often.
There was a dark shift in the room as Wren began digging in her pocket. Wren's mission was a bust. Her sensory systems had been heavily damaged. In a matter of minutes, Wren's interlacements would ultimately fail, causing a major malfunction in her cranium. Parts of the muscles were also burnt to harmful degrees that it left her paralyzed. Her master would no doubt be upset. Not for wren's safety, her master could care less, but the explosives, those are what her master values more.
And with the little time she had left, Wren was going to make sure she finished the job. After all, it was in her nature.
"What are you doing?!" Grace exclaimed, knowing very well the answer to her question.
Before Grace had a chance to do anything. Wren instantaneously pulled out the detonator and pressed down.
And just like that, the bombs had been set off.
A flash of light submerged itself throughout the whole room with everyone in it. A semtex of reactions ignites a blast wave that physically impacted the entire area.
888
The director's figure appeared and stared at the holographic monitors. "What the hell just happened?" Fury asked.
"The bombs were set off, obviously." Agent Hill answered.
Coulson and other spectators were looking at the reports. The one thing they wanted to avoid was public awareness. From the looks of it, it had failed. There was an outburst of people in panic, the streets filled with terrorized screams. Yet, there was still no sign of Powers.
"Coulson scan the area, keep a lookout for Powers or any unknowns." Fury ordered and watched the screens.
The other agents begin to work as Coulson brought out streams of information. Thankfully the ground squad were, for the most part, unharmed. Injured, yes, but alive. Agent Romanoff was quickly taken for medical attention and was more annoyed than ever.
Phil waited for Grace to appear in the dusty encompassing fire after a few minutes, not too long ago did he sent a scout team to locate the woman. There was a cause for concern as Grace failed to answer the call.
A slim pint of nervosity coated his forehead but hid it under his work. The enemy clearly had been underestimated in this situation. In a sense, Coulson should have expected the worse instead of going in blind. No one in shield liked unanswered questions, especially Fury. Belatedly, Phil realized that the enemies' intelligence was something not to be lounged at, not with enough information that is.
"Visuals on Powers confirmed Sir!" Exclaimed an agent.
Fury observed but Coulson walked to the man's station. Phil had gone over the surveillance and with enough patience the scans finally confirmed Grace still alive.
But she didn't come out alone.
Walking out of the building, Grace resurfaced and by the looks of it, was carrying a body. Unmoving, Coulson thought for a second that it was one of the squad members who didn't make it. As he inspected further, he realized that it a completely different person. Grace dragged the still form, it soon occurred to him that the individual in question was burnt to a crisp. Why Grace decided to bring it along, Phil was unsure.
Fury nodded and viewed the screen. "Send some boys to retrieve Powers and have an autopsy performed on our little friend here. Something tells me were going to need it."
888
Once grace was found she was immediately taken, as well as Wren, back to headquarters. Besides a few bruises, Grace was unharmed. Truthfully, Grace was mostly disappointed she didn't get the answers she was looking for. But she mostly worried for her friend tom, she wondered if he had escaped the fiasco. She hoped that was the case, there was enough panic in the streets and therefore not much was needed to make them go ballistic all over again.
Silently, Grace was currently riding inside a Chevy. Wren's body had been taken elsewhere, it was unknown to her and frankly she didn't care. What she cared now was how they were going to find Mark. The only person who knew wasn't even a person at all, with Wren's body destroyed there was no way to find out about Mark or anyone responsible for the bombings.
Fury had a few of his handlers watch over her as they quietly drove onto the streets. Without so much of a word, Grace looked down at her palms. They were covered in dusty debris, Grace distinctly remembered Fury's words about nonpublic manifests. To her, it seemed like a rather impractical request. And she was right, the effect it had on the public had been chaotic at best. She looked steadily and unwilling to show any emotion, not until she knows what Fury intends to do now that's she's been exposed.
Grace worried he'd go back on his word about helping her, seeing her as lost cause. To be abandoned by the only people capable of helping her track down Mark. She wasn't sure what she would do in that situation. Given the lack of resources and intelligence, she'd be like a dog trying to catch its own tail.
Her thoughts pulled to a halt, noticing that they've stopped in front of the shield building. She drifted from her seat and was escorted inside. Agent Hill brought four officers to take her along. Grace knew there was no reason to be nervous, but out of habit, she had tendencies to lean on the negatives than the positives.
Reaching the area, there were only nine or ten shield officers standing by. Grace could spot both Fury and Coulson talking in hush tones. Most likely discussing about what has transpired inside the building. Once grace made her presence known, they both became silent.
After a few seconds, Fury was the first to speak up. "You did good Powers."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "I did?"
"We're you expecting something else?"
Grace scrunched her face, unsure how to respond. "But... the bomb went off."
"So?"
Letting out a frustrating sigh. "So, I thought you'd be angry. Remember? You said not to let the place blow up and look, the place blew up. And don't get me started on that... thing!" She pointed outside the room. "I don't know what that was about. But I'll tell ya'- it wasn't pretty."
His curved into a smile and folded his arms. "These things tend to happen- couldn't be helped really." He shrugged. "Tell me more about... that thing you encountered."
Clearing her throat, she rubbed her shoulders. "You saw the body I dragged out?" Fury nodded and Grace proceeded. "Well that was the woman who took Mark and punched me in the face." She let out a huff. "It's safe to say she's no longer with us. And normally I would feel bad, the thing is, she's not even a person. But a robot! A crazy face peeling robot! I thought maybe you guys could figure out a way to find Mark."
Silence followed, it wasn't tense or agitating in the least. It was a matter of how to approach the matter. It was plain to see that the so-called 'robot' wasn't the mastermind behind the bombings. But an accessory to it. For now, they would have to wait and see of the team could salvage the pieces left from the woman's frame. If they were lucky enough, maybe they could figure out who was in charge.
Fury looked to Coulson, the two shared a glance and without a word they both nodded in agreement. "We have a team whose working on our friend now. We'll have to wait a couple of hours before we can continue any further."
Grace looked relaxed, feeling a glint of hope, she was practically shaking in excitement. Her thoughts however went onto a different matter. "How's Romanoff? I saw what happened."
"She's a tough a nut to crack. She'll be just fine. Granted she's upset, but it's not what you think. She hates not knowing, being caught off guard made her feel sour. So, don't take personal if she starts snapping."
Grace shifted slightly. "And what about Tom?"
"He's alive and well. He also sends his greetings; Romanoff was kind enough to give him your number so you should expect a call from him sometime this week."
A sigh of relief, Grace smiled. "Thank you."
Her mind set with ease at the idea of reconnecting with her friend. And just knowing that the mission was somewhat successful, it meant Grace was one step closer to finding Mark.
888
A few hours later Grace found herself laughing along with her friend Tom. It felt great to finally see him. Following the mayhem that had ensued, Tom was safely taken back to shield. He's been there for nearly an hour until Agent Hill showed up, explaining the situation. His face saddened with despondency when he heard that the explosives went off. He was thankful that no one got hurt, still it didn't take away the feeling that banged in his head.
After a while he grew tiresome as he was left in the dark. Tom kept his distance from everyone, afraid to get himself in to heaps of trouble. Lingering with the rest of the agents, he kept quiet until he fully understood the circumstances. It was there that he waited until he was encountered by Grace.
Pleasantly surprised to find her here, they both couldn't wait to embrace one another. Grace was just as worried as he was, her shaky breath when she spoke. They haven't spoken since the summer and he wasn't able to since he too was caught up with his own work. From the looks of it, so was she. It felt weird to see her in a roughed-up state, emitting the scent of combat. Her face was covered in small bruises and was shrouded in dust, her uniform had tears. Nonetheless, he was more than happy to see her.
Their friendship rekindled, the two went back and forth as they updated amongst each other. For Tom, the year has been busy. Having to deal with the burdens of being in charge, he'd go on to reconstruct what little was left of his friend's structures. Stressful it was, tom also had to use the power of persuasion and his marketing skills to keep certain clients from pulling out of deals. All believing the same fate awaited them if they stuck around. The media only worsen things as they spewed rumors of the company, mentions of curses and being jinxed were brought up. Tom could only take so much, not a moment to himself had made him irritable to the smallest things and he hated it. Had he known that the job would require excessive amounts of time - or explosions -Tom would have picked something less hectic, like catering.
Grace on the other hand has had a quiet year. With only her hobbies to keep her busy, she hasn't had much to do. Working wasn't much of an option, she's considered it, yes. But without attracting much attention or questions, her physical attribute often made people feel awkward and uncomfortable. The ones who knew about her 'condition' barley mentioned it. Knowing it made her self-conscious, they knew better to than to bring up pass scars. Thankfully, Mark had left her with her own personal account, an account that allowed her to live comfortably. Grace wasn't much of a spender and she didn't really need much considering her necessities involved abnormal provision rather than what average human consumed. Still, her days were spent in private, isolation made her weary that she'd find excuses to go out. Which is why she often found herself roaming around in the community center. Recently she's come to know a few people that she enjoyed spending time, at first, they seemed kind of distant, but polite. Yet, grace frequently caught them staring at her eyes. A sense of embarrassment would then fill her stomach when her eyes flickered away to avoid eye contact.
Despite all the attention, grace was satisfied with her life. At this moment, she was more than glad to hear tom's voice and listen to him ramble on.
"It was crazy, I tell you. The whole board thought there was an actual curse going around." Tom playfully told grace. "Some of the employees were started bringing good luck charms to 'cleanse' the so-called 'bad energy'. You should have seen it."
Grace laughed. "And what did you tell them?'
He lightly scowled and ran a hand through his fluffy hair. "What do you think I did? I'm the boss, I told them to quit this voodoo crap and get back to work. It was ridiculous! But I get it, they were scared. They thought they were going to be next. They were right of course... I mean look at what happened. The building is done, ruined and now I have no choice but to shut down production until the city thinks it's safe - delay contracts, lay off people, involve the damn authorities. I might even get arrested for it." Letting out a heavy sigh.
"Why on earth would they do that?" Asking angrily, she tightened her hands.
"I'm the leader remember. They'll see me as liability, a scapegoat. They're throwing words like embezzlement, conspiracy, insurance fraud." Tom shook his head. "It's gone as far as accusing me of having something to do with Mark's disappearance."
"No. I won't let them do that to you." Grace snapped and frowned. Realizing her loud tone, she lowered her voice. "I'll talk to Fury. Maybe he can do something about it."
Tom tilted his head at her. "No offense, but isn't this the same guy who outed Mark? You said it yourself, Mark doesn't trust these people and you know what, I can see why. There's something odd about these people. I get the whole super spy secrecy but what's the point of being discreet if you're going around sending in a whole swat to bring in one person? It's ludicrous! In fact, forget about asking for help, I rather take my chances in court."
Grace took a step forward, her nose flared in anger but maintained her composure. "I don't expect you to understand. What I do expect is you accepting the facts. And the fact is, we still don't know who's responsible for these attacks. What we do know is that Mark is still alive."
Tom became pale at the mere mention of his friend's survival. He gazed his eyes around to see if anyone was tuning in their conversation. "Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?"
Grace nodded her head in confidence, her voice was shaken. "I'm positive. Fury and another agents believe that the attacks were sent as warnings."
"Warnings for what?" He slides in.
Shaking her head in aggravation, grace gripped her hands. "Fury thinks Mark's been taken as a prisoner. What they want from him – don't know. But I'm hell as sure know that the person who took him was the same person who attacked us that day. And she isn't even a person, she a bleeping robot." Grace hissed at the end.
Tom couldn't help but scoff at the idea about a killer robot. Folding his arms, he rolled his eyes. "Grace, please. I know what I said about the men in black, but don't you think your overdoing it just a tiny bit?"
Grace's face appeared pained as if her friend's skepticism had hurt her. "Fine, don't believe me, I don't care. The point is we have the 'person' in custody, but I don't think it'll be enough."
"What makes you think that?" Tom questioned and began rubbing his chin.
"The body was completely destroyed -don't give me that look- and when I mean destroyed, I mean just that. It'll take a miracle to even get glimpse of what we're dealing with. It also doesn't help that Fury basically kept me in the dark this entire time." Grace whispered harshly, her eyes glowing in irritation.
Tom didn't know what to think. Knowing grace, she was telling the truth. Which brought him no comfort when he realized the type of the people Grace was dealing with. When she first told him how she came into contact, tom did his best to stay calm. The fact that they had to use Mark as leverage to get her to cooperate, it became known that they'd use any means necessary to get what they want, even if costed the sanity of his friend. Tom was disturbed to hear such things and while she shared the same thought, grace believed she had benefited more than anyone else.
At first, it had been involuntary. During the first few weeks, Grace wanted nothing more than to leave and run away. Resisting at every turn, but she had to admit it, Fury was right about her. She lacked control, a social nightmare and a self-conscious woman, she hadn't been able to fully understand the potential of her abilities. After a while, it became normal for her. Learning from them, she slowly started understanding the motives behind shield. Grace might not have agreed with everything, but she's come to an understanding.
"So… now what?" Was all Tom could say at that moment. He'd been surprised enough to know not to further upset her.
With one glance, grace stared into him as if the answer had been obvious. "We wait." She sighed and looked behind her. Her face flushed when she caught Phil watching them. Grace wasn't sure how much he's heard, though it was safe to say he heard towards the end of their conversation.
Phil's expressionless face stayed neutral, making it near impossible to tell what he was thinking. Grace briefly looks away and turns her attention back to Tom. Tom could see the uneasiness grace felt when she turned her over to the man. There was a hint of familiarity between the two. Both of their bodies relaxed as they looked into each other. It was the same way grace would behave around him or anyone close to her, which subsequently led Tom into believing that they were friends.
Coulson was the first to speak up. "They found something."
Tom and grace's eyes widened and stood in silence. Grace didn't want to get her hopes up nor did she feel standing there waiting for the answers to unfold. With urgency, she asked. "What did you find?"
Coulson gathered his thoughts and nodded, following the report he had written himself. He recalled every little detail he could remember. "You were smart to have dragged 'it' out. Without it, we'd be back to square one. But that's beside the point, what really matters is that we were able to tap into its memory core frames." Phil could see the confusion spreading across Mr. Heughs face. "Most of it's memory had been destroyed or wiped so whoever is charge made sure to wipe every memory after every session. So not much could be found, just broken footage."
Grace let out a heavy sigh while Tom stood there, dumbfounded at what he was hearing. Coulson could immediately sense her frustration, but before she could express her anger, he proceeded. "After analyzing the remains, we discovered a tracing beacon. Agent Hill was able to ascertain the remains and after a while she was able to find the source of where this thing has been over the last few days. Unfortunately, we were immediately detected once we got a lock on the signal so while we can't exactly know where they are. We have a vague idea on where they're hiding."
Tom grinned, impressed that they had manage to accomplish what grace believed to be as an impossibility. Even so, Tom was hesitant about his opinions, frankly, he didn't want to get involve with shield. His inner thoughts told him that these were the type of people that would rid themselves from you once you lived out your usefulness. Though he was too grateful to say anything so instead he became silent. Grace absorbed the information Phil had shared. She's doubted them before but in the end, they had proven her wrong. She wasn't surprised about that, but her stomach's fluttering had said so otherwise. This was the talk grace has been waiting for since joining shield and now grace can finally put an end to those endless worrying thoughts that had plagued her mind over the past year.
"Wh-Where are they?" Grace drew out the question, clutching her hands together. While to waited patiently.
"It's pinned somewhere in Greenland, where specifically, not sure at this moment. Fury thinks we should postpone any type of scouting missions and wait for the other person to make a move." Phil quietly stated, knowing this would upset her.
He was right of course. Grace looked at him with a dark glare. How was this up for questioning? The answer was plain and simple. Go to Greenland and find Mark. How could Fury think this is the best approach? It wasn't, she was so close, close to finding Mark, close to finding who was responsible, close to ending this case. All roads leading up to her destination had been ultimately blocked by the director. It was frustrating to have to deal with these man's rules, especially in a time like this.
"We don't have time to wait!" She hissed loudly, but not enough to draw attention. "Every minute we spend here is another minute wasted. We know where they are so why can't we go there? You guys have the technology, why not use it? Mark's life is constant danger every passing moment, but I guess Fury could care less about what happens, right?" Grace said roughly with her fists clutched, fuming over the direction of the mission.
"I understand how you're feeling right now. But you must understand the thing about protocol, we can't just rush the place and expect not to bring unwanted attention. It takes time and effort; besides we can't go there without braking jurisdiction rules. Our job is to help, yes, but under the guise of regulations that were set by the Council. We don't have enough information to make it top priority. I'm sorry grace but Fury's right." Phil spoke with honesty, trying to calm down the upset woman.
Tom stood behind her, listening in on the discussion. His eyes stared down to the floor, refusing to show his any sort of emotion. In all honesty, he was upset to hear that they weren't willing to help any further. What angered him the most was when Coulson said it wasn't a 'top priority', as if Mark's life was lesser than others. If Shield wasn't going to help, then Tom was going to take matters into his own hands.
Turning her face away, she looked at Tom, who raised a brow at her. It was than that she fully understood his meaning. Giving him a smile, grace didn't bother to respond to Phil. Instead, she walked out of the room with Tom trailing behind.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Asked Grace.
Tom's face beamed at the idea. "Absolutely my bright crazy friend. Problem now is, how are we going to find him? Did you hear what he said? Greenland. Where do we even start?"
She sighed, running a hand through her hair, pacing briskly. "I need that tracking device… If I can get a hold of it, maybe I can find someone who'll have a better time finding him."
Tom watched her closely, clearly wanting to know more about her master plan. "Do you know anyone with that kind of talent?"
"Just one, maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Hey, I'm thinking as we go along." She retorted.
Tom examines the halls, feeling lost, he asks. "Right… You don't happen to know your way from here and, back right?"
"Eh… sort of…" There was doubt in her tone, which brought him no confidence.
"What do you mean?" He questioned her, just wondering how she survived on her own.
Clearing her throat, she shrugged. "I wasn't exactly allowed to roam around the place. And forget about privacy, every time I turned my head, they were always there. It really got under my skin, had sneak out just to have a moment for myself."
Tom walked for a moment; his eyes flared in outrage. He was angry, knowing his friend had been treated like she was a dangerous animal. "I'm sorry." Was all he could say, knowing it was meaningless.
Changing the topic, Tom spoke in nosiness. "First things first, we need to find that little bug, I guess then… we can worry about the rest."
"Worry about what?" Spoke another voice.
Both halted and froze right on the spot. Having enough courage, grace turned around to face Agent Hill. Her arms were crossed together while her foot tapped the floor lightly, waiting for a response. Grace found it amusing, similar to how a mother would act if they caught their children doing something they weren't supposed to. "Agent Hill, Hi! How's Romanoff? I hope she's doing well. I- "
She interrupted, the agent's eyes never leaving her sight. "Cut the crap Powers, I heard everything."
A lump ran down her throat. She shook her head in denial. Her voice pitched higher than it was before. "Heard what? Me and tom here were only discussing the amazing fact that- um… ba-baby octopuses are peas-sized when they are born… Neat ain't it?"
They're definitely up to something. The agent's eyes glared at the man standing next to grace, who was now nodding profusely, trying to look convincing as possible. "I'm giving you one chance to explain yourself Powers. Otherwise, I'll be forced to inform the director that I've caught two idiots conspiring to steal from something that clearly doesn't belong to them." Taking one step closer to them, she grilled. "Well?"
Tom might of towered over the agent by a few centimeters but at this moment, he's never felt any smaller. Her heated glare was enough to burn a hole through his skull. While Tom fought with his inner thoughts, grace appeared cool and collected.
Rather than lying, grace decided it was better to have her as a friend than enemy. The agent's skills were one that grace couldn't compete with. It was precisely that reason alone why she was one of Fury's most trusted associates.
Grace sighed in defeat. "Coulson told me what Fury plans on doing with the whole situation. And I have to say, I. Don't. Like. It." She frowns and raised her chin in defiance. "I want that tracer -No wait- I need that tracer. Screw protocols, I'm not a fully-fledged agent, just a freelancer. So those rules don't apply to me." Staring at her directly, she lulls briefly. "I'm going to find him with or without you. But I can't do it without the trace. So please, let me do the work. Let me be the one that finds him. I'll even take the fall; should I fail."
Agent Hill wanted to believe her, except she couldn't. The problem with grace was that her actions were sorely based on emotion rather than logic. In a real-life situation, grace couldn't afford to act recklessly without causing extensive amount of damage. Which didn't convince Hill at all. Grace's training meant nothing if she couldn't use it, if Hill were honest, she'd say to further the training sessions and construct mental stability within the fragile mind.
It was enough reason to decline and apprehend the woman. Maria paused, piecing every pro and con there was. On one hand, Grace had increasingly improved the necessary applications there was to being an agent. Trained by Romanoff herself, there was no doubt that Grace was ready for the field. Having witnessed it back at the Elektor Med's office, it certainly showed her capable of holding her ground. On the other hand, the only weakness that seemed to constantly hold her back was her own existence. It was fairly common amongst people to project their emotions rather than using a reasoning sense to achieve the goal. Agent Hill knew better than to trust her with sensitive information such as this.
Then again, Maria was no stranger to hypocrisy, having broken a few rules herself, it was an unofficial part of an unknown road to becoming a better agent, if she were to say so.
Peering over Grace, the agent pulled out a small plastic sealed bag, in it was the trace. Showing it to her face, Hill confided in her. "Take it."
Taking the bag from her, grace's face turned from determined to complete dumbfounded. "I-I um, thank you." Surprised, grace took a step backwards.
Hill simply nodded and looked away. With a sigh, she began walking away from the two. Before she could leave their sight, she looked back over her shoulder. "You have what you need. And now, I'm going to pretend I've never spoken to you about this. So, if I were you two, I'd get a move on. It's only a matter of time before they figure out who took what." Hill finished, walking out of view.
Grace gleamed back at Tom, who too was out of words. Curiously, Tom approached his friend, taking the bag she held. Closely studying it, he noticed the tracer had been carefully taken apart. With a few bolts taking out it, there was nothing left but a few chips and wires. How grace was going to find Mark with this, that was a question Tom couldn't solve. While Tom didn't doubt her determination, he did however doubt her technological skills. Pretty sure that she doesn't know the first thing about beacon technology.
Even he was willing to admit that he didn't fully understand, and he was supposed to be the genius. But this was a different kind of territory that he had stumbled in. Unknown to the kinds of technology they provided, tom never felt so blind. It was fair though, as his line of work often confused others as well. Working for the sole propose of providing the world with sustainable medical supplies and engineering, he and mark spend years making sure their products provided beneficial help to those who needed it. But this… this was beyond his expertise.
"What's the plan now?" Tom whispered, worried that they were being watched.
"We have what we need, all that's left now is to find said guy -eh- I'm still working on the rest. For now, we should get out of here. Like Hill said, it's only a matter of time before they figure out who took the trace." Grace proceeded to walk through the hallway, acting casually.
"Right, I think I can help with that. I can call Rufus to come get us." Tom smiled as he took out his phone.
Raising an eyebrow at him, grace asked. "Rufus? Who's Rufus?"
"Oh, he's my new driver. I met him a couple of weeks ago. Don't worry, he's real friendly." Tom assured her with a smile.
888
"Huh?" Gruffer the elderly man.
"I said, can you take us back to the condo?!" Tom yelled, waving his arms exasperation.
"Have I seen john doe?" The old man scratched his chin for a moment. "No, I haven't. But that reminds about the time that- "
"This is hopeless." Tom ran his fingers through his fluffy hair.
Her face brightened with the following entertainment. When Tom said he had a new driver, she never expected him to look so fragile. The old man, Rufus, wore the thickest glasses, his chauffeur uniform was worn loosely. Indicating that his uniform didn't fit him at all, although, he didn't seem to mind much. Grace wasn't sure if he was even a certified, considering the way his body hunched over. She'd be lying if she didn't find this slightly amusing at his fail attempt at communicating with the semi-deaf driver.
Grace giggled and shook her head. "Can he even hear you?" She wondered.
Tom came across as unsure. Looking back the Rufus, the old man was still blabbering about his time in Vietnam and something about a pal named John… Turning his attention back to grace, he spoke in doubt. "Of course, he can hear. I-I'm sure he can hear… He's teasing, that's all."
After several attempts to communicate with the old man, Grace agreed to let Tom drive them back to his place. The only problem was that Rufus held the keys to the vehicle. "Rufus, I need the keys!" Tom yelled.
"Monkeys? No, I haven't seen any. I made sure." He nodded with pride.
"Keys! I said keys!" Tom shouted in his ear.
"Yes, I have the keys. I'll drive." Rufus said in a scratchy tone, during which time he walked and entered the automobile.
After the ordeal, both Tom and Grace entered the vehicle as tom resisted the urge to pull out every strand of his hair. When they finally managed to settle themselves. Rufus' voice asked in a rasping manner. "Were to?" He asked while adjusting the rear-view mirror.
"Home." Tom muttered, resting his chin on his palm.
"Comb? No, I don't have one. But I do have some peppermints." Rufus mentioned, digging in his pockets.
Taking out a few pieces of the candy, he offered them to take one. Grace shook her head in politeness. While Tom took one and threw it in his mouth, slowly sucking its sweetness. "Home Rufus." He repeats himself.
"How about I take you home?"
For a moment, Tom's eye seemed to twitch. He was too tired to even try and explain himself again. Instead, he merely nodded at the old man.
Grace's eyes glinted and grinned at their banter. She leans back to her seat and lets the elderly man drive them away.
AN: Eh... Not one of my best chapters. I wanted to post this sooner but I had hard time writing this, especially the action scene. Hopefully the next chapter comes out better, preferably sooner. Constructive Criticism welcomed. Reviews are appreciated and helpful. Thanks for reading.