Author note: I decided to post the first two chapters together since they were pretty short. Also, just a shout out to SparkyGirl123 and for helping with Beta reading!
The woman looked up in the large entryway and to the glass ceiling several stories above. The building was huge and people all dressed in business suits and skirts with ironed blouses were walking everywhere across the huge S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on the floor, all looking like they knew exactly where they were going and wished to be there as soon as possible. She suddenly felt incredibly small and vulnerable, surrounded by the enormity of the building and the bustle of people around her. On either side of her were two security guards who were 'for her safety' they claimed, and a few steps ahead of her walked a determined Coulson.
After a while she stopped trying to keep track of how many hallways they went down, and how many security doors and elevators they had to scan into. Instead she focused on trying to keep up with the brisk pace of the guards beside her, and rubbed the hem of the sweater they had given her between her fingers in an attempt to calm the beating inside her chest.
Eventually they approached a counter where a middle-aged woman sat behind a desk and Coulson slowed the group to a halt. The girl glanced around the room, noticing a definite change in the decorum. Most of the hallways they had come through so far had been fairly dark aside from the overhead lights, with exposed pipes running along the walls in places, making her feel like she truly was in a secret base.
However once they had crossed the threshold into the room they now stood in the whole atmosphere changed. She knew they were below ground— she knew that from the first time they got on the elevator— but even so, this room seemed overall much brighter than any of the others they had walked through. The walls were painted a soft green and there were plants along the walls and pieces of art hanging that she didn't quite understand but regardless gave her a sense of calm.
"Name?" The woman behind the counter asked Coulson after scanning his verification badge.
Coulson looked at the girl before answering the woman. "Um, put Jane Smith for now, original identity unknown."
Jane Smith. The words resounded in the girl's head as she realized that was now her name, she was Jane Smith. She recognized the Jane from the bracelet she had at the hospital but the Smith part sounded unfamiliar to her. She assumed it was just a generic name that a lot of people had. She was surprised at the relief she felt simply from being given a name. It was as though she was given an identity and could finally start building on it.
The woman asked Coulson a series of questions about her history, and then showed the group to a doorway at the side of the room. This led to another hallway, though still decorated nicely like the room with the desk, doors with numbers on them on either side lining the walls. She stopped at a door marked 53 and unlocked it with her keycard. "This room is all yours." The woman said kindly as she motioned Jane through the doorway.
Cautiously she entered, the rest of the group remaining outside, discussing her stay she presumed. She was pleasantly surprised by the nice interior of the room, as she had been expecting nothing more than a glorified cell. There was a bed made up along one wall, with a TV, a bookshelf, and a dresser on the others. There was also a bathroom and she peeked her head in to see it was just as nice as the rest of the room. Pleased with the furnishings she returned to the doorway.
"I got to hand it to you Coulson." Jane stated. "I wasn't entirely sure about all this, but I guess you really are a man of your word."
Coulson just smiled. "Well I've got to be going but I'm going to leave you with Carla and she will help you get settled in." The two guards readied themselves to leave and Coulson said goodbye to Carla who stood with her keycard still in hand.
"But wait!" Jane said as Coulson turned to leave. "When am I going to see you again? You're not just going to drop me off here like an orphaned puppy are you?"
Coulson chuckled at her sarcasm and said as he walked down the hallway, "I'll visit when I can, but no promises. I'm a busy man!"
Jane just smirked and turned back to face Carla. "So, when do we get to eat? I'm starved."