:-)
When she woke up the next morning she felt giddy and happy.
She'd finally been on her first date ever and it had been amazing. Second technically… Cody's voice piped up. "It doesn't really count as a date when the guy's a psychopath who wants to rape you and hand you over to a terrorist, and you end up killing him. I'm pretty sure the dating gods have a rule about that." She retorted sarcastically and it shut him up.
She yawned and stretched before deciding a lie in was the perfect way to spend her morning while Phil had the lab cleaned and fixed.
She must have angered whatever god was out when a knock sounded on her door. She groaned but got up anyways and opened the door. "Fury wants you in his office. In ten minutes." The random agent said to before leaving abruptly. "This isn't going to be good."
She sat in front of the one eyed man a minute earlier than requested, after having found something acceptable to wear.
He handed her a tablet with a an open file. She read it through and he huffed a bit "I thought you were a fast reader." he said when she finally finished. "No," she shook her head "photographic memory, I remember everything read. You're thinkin' 'bout eidetic memory." she said.
"Never mind," he muttered "the file you just read pertains to a prisoner Widow brought in five days ago. Both she and Barton have tried numerous times and failed in cracking him." He leaned back in his chair. "And now you want me to take over."
"I honestly want give you the offer to turn me down, but theses are nuclear launch codes having gotten in the wrong hands. We need the answers yesterday." She nodded.
He got up and she followed suit. IT took a while getting to the holding cells because he constantly had to clear and override Marie's entrance.
"Remind me to have your level raised on the way back…" He muttered after the tenth time. Fury stopped in the middle of a hallway in front of an door.
Fury entered the room while she followed suit. The room was brightly lit with white walls and equally bright light, and it gave Marie a headache as she entered.
She couldn't imagine how this man imprisoned here for the last five days felt. "Well I'll find out soon enough." she thought. The man, Bruno Horgan, looked pathetic. His arms and feet were bare and shackled to the table in front of him. T
he bright orange jumpsuit contrasted badly with his pale skin and tired brown and bag filled eyes. "I would look like crap to after five days with Clint and Natasha interrogating me."
"I'd like to introduce to you Dr. D'Ancanto." Horgan took looked at her and angrily and mockingly said to Fury"Your best agents can't crack me, so you send in a little girl. Pathetic." he spat.
"Why does everybody call me girl, I don't look so young damn it!" she thought annoyed. "I'm almost twenty-one!" "Give it your best shot little shrink." Horgan said turning his attention to her.
"Who said I was shrink?" she replied in her soft accent and it caught Horgan off guard.
He eyed her warily "Then what are you?" he asked. "An engineer, like you. Except I don't go off destroying Stark Labs because because I lost my client." She said pushing him for a reaction and it was instantaneous.
He jumped to his feet, his six foot frame towering over hovering over her own five foot five, yelling obscenities at them. "Okay… Stark Industries is a sore spot. Noted." she thought. She looked at Fury and he nodded.
Fury walked over to Horgan and forced him back into his seat. Marie quickly grabbed his face with her hands.
She let her powers go and it took seconds before he was knocked unconscious.
Marie took a moment to breathe in before ripping his yelling psyche to pieces. She rubbed her head and Fury led her out and back to his office.
She filtered through his memories before commenting to Fury "He really hates Stark Industries." Bruno Horgan was once one of the best in the engineering field, making big money by providing weapons and munitions the U.S. government. His greed lost him his contract when safety inspectors closed him down for using cheap materials. Instead, the contract went to Stark Industries.
Since then he terrorized and plotted against Stark labs all over the country.
He was forced to watch as his life work, his factory, was being ripped apart by government officials. The anger and terror ripped him in two from the inside. He would save something, the smallest thing he could find. In his panic he found a small malfunctioning radar device that was supposed to project a beam that melted iron materials he'd been working on but given up. He took the device, hiding it in his suitcase before leaving the place he once called home.
"Have you found something?" Fury asked her a bit impatient and Marie nodded.
He perfected the device, incorporating it into a costume, and became the Melter. He Immediately left for the nearest Stark lab on a rampage, sabotaging and destroying it. He was confronted by Iron Man himself and painfully defeated.
"He has a friend in Russia, military man - a general in fact - Konstantin Lazarev. Used to do business with him on the sold him the Nuclear launch codes. But he got them from some guy who calls himself Doom." Fury inhaled as his hand clenched around the pen in it. "You're sure about Doom." he asked hoping the answer would be no.
"Yeah, his memories - not mine." She said without hesitation. Fury nodded while thinking about the diplomatic mess this would turn into.
He watches as a guard he's never seen before nods in his direction. He stares out of his prison cell he's called home the last year. The guard hands him a small piece of paper. Be ready at ten. You're getting out. A small courtesy of Doom. He looks up in both shock and surprise but the guard is already gone.
"You got something on Lazarev's location." He asks her "Yeah, apparently he doesn't leave his home all that much - it's in a small village, Severomorsk" she said fluently because of Horgan's russian skills that were now her own "in the Murmansk Oblast. The town is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. But that shouldn't be a problem. His security in the house is high tech -thanks to Horgan- but we have the codes to turn it off from the outside." She said and then informed him of the codes.
He sits in front the man that calls himself Doom in the Latverian Embassy. Doom tells him of his plan and tells him what his part would be in all of this. He agrees and doesn't question the man about how he got his hands on nuclear launch codes. He's not that stupid.
He calls up his old friend the general and soon they agree on a price. Soon he's on a plane with a false Latverian passport.
The exchange goes unsurprisingly well between the two old friends. They sit and talk about the good old days, and half drunk on the strong vodka the general confides in him that he already set up a meeting with his leader and superiors on tuesday in two weeks time.
From there on they would discuss what would be done with the launch codes.
"What was Dooms angle in all of this?" He sometimes wishes this wasn't his job, that he'd become an accountant or something equally boring, but unfortunately for Fury this was his job so needed to know, even if he didn't always want to know.
"War… He wants to turn up the tensions between the States and Russia and remove the focus of him expanding Latveria." He nodded "Good work. You just saved the world Doc." he said appreciatively and Marie felt a sense of accomplishment she hadn't in a long time.
"Now go find your boyfriend or something, and try not to break anymore of his bones. He's going to be needed." Marie blushed and nodded before leaving the room quickly.
Fury sighed before calling the Widow and Hawkeye to his office. Five minutes later they entered casually. "Gear up. We've broken the Melter. You're going to Russia, you'll be briefed on the quinjet, it leaves in a hour." The two looked at him surprised before nodding and heading off.
Marie grabbed a chicken salad before slouching down at an empty table.
She looked around, it was still too early for lunch so the cafeteria was empty. She enjoyed the quiet chatter going around when a older woman in S.H.I.E.L.D. issued combat uniform sat down in front of her out of nowhere - she was asian, black hair and dark brown eyes - and she looked like she could kick ass. Marie looked at her a bit uncomfortably.
"May I help you?" she asked not wanting to be rude.
The woman raised an eyebrow at her. "Melinda May." "Marie D'Ancanto." she responded and the woman nodded.
"I've noticed you working out every night the last couple of weeks. You got skills." the woman told her Marie thanked her not knowing what a huge compliment it was coming from the woman.
She'd been working out every night since she killed Jack Foster, getting used to the fighting skills she absorbed from him when she applied it to her own lithe form instead of his massive and heavy one.
"I'd like to spar with you." May said and Marie was uncomfortable. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. I'm not really a fighter…" she said honestly.
The woman, May, looked at her with her own expression blank "You have the moves and skills that says so otherwise." May countered. "A lot of training, I've just never used them before." she said in a small voice. May nodded and rose from the table.
"Good. I'll meet you in the gym at nine." Marie nodded before realizing what the woman had said.
Before she could utter a decline the woman had already left. "What have I gotten myself into…" She groaned.
"What up, buttercup?" Clint said from behind her when he noticed long face. He and Natasha were wearing their uniforms.
Each sat down next to her at the table to eat a light meal before take off. "I think I just unknowingly agreed to spar with May tonight." she groaned and the two looked at her surprised.
"As in Agent Melinda May?" Clint asked in disbelief and she nodded. He whistled. "How the hell did you manage to get roped into that?"
"No Idea, she just came up to me and said she'd seen me train at the gym, that I had skill, and that she wanted to spar with me." Natasha and Clint shared a look.
"Have you been holding out on us?" he said and she quickly looked at them "No!" she said not wanting to explain how she suddenly developed fighting skills paralleled to Natasha. "Ever since the… you know… back in New York, I've been taking up some training." she said half lying, and they nodded understanding.
"You must be a natural if May wants to test your skills." he said before groaning "Why do all the cool things always happen when we're away on missions!" he complained to Natasha.
"We have our own fun." she said with a neutral expression and Clint looked at as if she was crazy "We do not share the same opinions on the definitions of fun Nat." he said before poking at his salad a bit not really feeling hungry.
Natasha only shrugged but Marie could see her lips turning twitching. "If you survive May, I'd like to spar with you too. It'd only help further your training." She offered to Marie.
Marie sighed and accepted the offer. "How did I suddenly become everybody's personal punching bag?" She asked sarcastically. Steve sat down with them. "Karma, I've been told, is a bitch." He said flashing his cast to them and Clint mock gasped "Captain America swearing! Oh the youth's have corrupted you!" Steve shook his head at his antics.
He kissed Marie on the cheek and she blushed. "Pay up Barton." Natasha said grinning. "My, my, Steve…" Clint said "Or is it you that's been corrupting the youth!" and winked at him before handing over a twenty from his pocket to Natasha. "You bet on on when I'd make a move on Marie?" He asked surprised.
Clint responded with a "Yup." and Natasha nodded with not even an ounce of shame. "Clint actually bet that it would be Marie who made the first move, and that it wouldn't be before another two weeks." Natasha informed them. "He still hasn't learned not to bet against me." she grinned.
After a while the two rose from the table saying their farewells before leaving for the quinjet.
It left Marie and Steve alone together at the table. "So what have you been up to today? I came by your room and lab to see if you wanted to eat breakfast with me, but you weren't there." She kissed him on the cheek.
"I was in a surprise meeting with Fury all morning." she explained and he nodded looking a bit relieved.
"What?" she asked him. Steve blushed and shook his head. "What Steve?" she repeated before realizing what he was embarrassed about.
"Did you … Did you think I was avoiding you?" She laughed and he blushed even harder than before.
"It's not funny…" he muttered but he smiled a bit too.
Marie cooed over him and leaned over to hug and kiss him. "You really think I would be avoiding you after the amazing Steven Grant Rogers experience?" she whispered in his ear lovingly.
He held her tightly against him and Marie loved every second of it. "Well now you just made me feel like a right fool, doll." He whispered back to her and she shivered pleasurably.
"Come on." she said getting up while holding his good arm. "Where are we going?" He asked her surprised. "You'll see." was the only response he got when she pulled him along.
Steve stood inside her room a bit uncertain of what she had planned. She'd left him as soon as she'd pushed him inside it. When she came back her arms were filled pillows and linens and quilts. She threw it on the floor where he stood and closed her door. He raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned.
"We're building a pillow fort!" she exclaimed in childish glee that was so infectious.
"A pillow fort." he said. She nodded "Don't tell me the great Steven Rogers never built a pillow fort before." she exclaimed
"I'll have you know renowned for my pillow forts." he teased "Is that so," she said "Then get to work soldier!" He laughed and saluted her with a "Yes Ma'm!" T
hey threw off their shoes and started to work on their fortress. Once finished, Marie brought down her laptop before putting on a movie. That's how they spend the most of the day. They managed to get through the Lion King and then Fight Club - both movies Steve actually liked, the first one because of the childish innocence and morale of it, and the second because of the unexpected plot twist and criticism of the modern world it favored. "You seem surprised that you like them." She said snuggling into his side in the darkness of their pillowfort. The only light was from the dimmed down computer.
"They're the first movies I've seen that either wasn't a documentary or a fictional movie about the war. Just because I came from the war doesn't necessarily mean I enjoy watching movies about it." he said. "Then well make it our thing, every sunday that we have the time we build a pillow fort and watch movie that we want to watch, deal?" she said and Steve replied with "Deal." of his own before kissing her which soon turned into a snogging session in their pillow fort.
By the time it had reached nine Marie had already dressed comfortably in her workout clothes.
When she entered the gym May stood waiting in one of the boxing rings. she had a small smile on her face when she realized that Marie wasn't going to chicken out.
The woman nodded at her and Marie smiled even though she felt terrified. "I wasn't sure you'd come." May said looking at her. "I wasn't sure I was going to either, but then I thought, 'Hey, I haven't gotten my ass kicked in while, so why not!' and here I am." she said sarcastically and May's face though neutral in expression couldn't hide the humour in her eyes. Marie dropped her towel over the ropes when she entered. The two faced off each other before finding a good position, May started with an offensive stance while Marie used a defensive.
May came at her "Maybe if I" Her thoughts were interrupted when May led her flat on her back with a sweep of her leg. She looked at Marie unimpressed. It continued like this another ten minutes, Marie getting her ass handed to her, before May had enough. "Stop thinking D'Ancanto and start acting!" She said angrily pulling Marie to her feet.
Apparently having the knowledge of fighting and actually using it in a fight were two different things, Marie had realised. She was in pain but she wasn't going to let it show. She shook it off before taking an offensive stance. "Stop thinking, start acting. Right." she muttered. "I'm gonna regret this in the morning.." she winced as pulled up her arms.
May came at her, and she instinctively blocked her punch. They both looked up in surprise before May quickly continued with her attacks. Marie managed to block most of them and even landed her own hits on May. May came at her once more and Marie acted before realizing what she was doing. May went for a right uppercut leaving her front and left side completely vulnerable.
Marie raised her foot and kicked her on the torso, making May fly back and falling on her ass. "Oh my god!" Marie exclaimed before running over to help pull May up as she had done to Marie earlier. May was lying on her back breathing heavily and grabbed the offered hand. She then pulled Marie down on the ground next to her. "Ow." Marie said lying on her back next to May, both of them panting heavily.
May then sat up looked at her. "You're good but you can definitely improve. We'll do this twice a week from now on." Marie's only response was a half choke-half pant as she tried to remember how to breathe.
There was a solitary clapping resounding through the gym. The Director stood with Phil and Steve at his side. Phil was holding his cellphone apparently videotaping the fight while smiling, and Steve looked at Marie with pride and surprise in his eyes.
"How long have you been standing there." May demanded, she hadn't noticed them either Marie thought surprised, as she still lay on the floor of the ring.
"We walked in on you kicking the good doctor's ass, and well it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me if I interrupted." Fury said grinning at them. May rolled her eyes as Fury continued "May, we have a mission for you, Phil will brief you." He said seriously and May nodded and left the gym with Phil.
Fury turned to Marie "I just came to let you know that the informations we discussed this morning, were a all correct and it was a success." He said informing her of Barton and Romanoff's mission. She gave him a thumbs up "Great." she said and he turned and left.
Steve entered the ring and lay down next to her. "I didn't know you could fight." He said looking at her sideways.
"Took it up a couple of weeks ago. I'm a natural." she said smiling at him. He was quiet for a little while. "You wanna eventually get out of here?" Steve asked her and she shook her head no. "I don't think I can get up even if I wanted to, sugar." she explained. Steve smiled at her "Then I'll just have to carry you." he said picking her up bridal style. Marie winced.
Natasha sat in the quinjet with Clint enjoying the peace and quiet, as he manouvered it back to base somewhere over the atlantic ocean.
The mission had been a success, and General Lazarev was no longer a threat to the world peace. The launch codes had died with him in what had been deemed an "accidental" gas explosion by the local russian news. Clint's phone pinged alerting them to a new message.
He put the controls of the quinjet on autopilot and pulled out the phone. It was a message from Phil.
"You owe me. Big time." it said and attached was a video. He opened the video sharing the screen with Natasha.
They watched the video of Marie getting her as kicked by May. Clint commentated and winced all through the video while Natasha silently observed.
The fight ended surprisingly well with Marie managing to floor May. "That was awesome!" Clint exclaimed while Natasha only frowned.
"What wrong?" He asked noticing her expression, suddenly wary. "Probably nothing… But her style reminds me of someone." She said. Clint stayed quiet while raising a questioning eyebrow at her.
She shook her head. She refrained from saying it reminded her of Jack Foster's fighting style, knowing it would only set him off in a rage.
When Marie woke up the next morning she felt like she'd been run over by a truck. A truck named Melinda May… Cody said and she could hear the obvious smirk in his voice. "Go away Cody…" I would if I could Marie…
She checked her phone and saw a message from Phil clearing her to work in the lab again - but to refrain from breaking any bones or computers - and that everything was back in working order.
She rolled her eyes. "I'll never get to live that down." she thought. She had another unread message this time from Clint, letting her know they were back from their mission.
she got up very slowly and wished she'd stayed down. She walked all over the pillows and linens that still littered on the floor and entered her small bathroom.
A shower, a toilet and a sink, and very little room. The shower helped ease the pain a bit, but the bruises were still there.
It was a good thing she was covered up by her normal clothing, because it wasn't a pretty sight.
She wondered when this had become her life. How she'd managed to go from jobless Phd to working for a secret government agency, dating a good guy and having a home.
"Okay, the dating bit is only two days old but both dates have been amazing!" she thought dreamily thinking about Steve. She grabbed her lab coat and made her way to work.
When she got there she found an person going through her stuff. She closed the behind her before clearing her voice. The person, a woman turned to her.
"Who the hell are ya, and why are ya going through mah stuff?" She demanded angrily her accent getting thicker. "Who the hell are ya, and why are ya going through mah stuff?" the woman copied her perfectly in Marie's own voice, freaking out Marie.
"What the hell…" Marie said taking a step back as the woman took one towards her "What the hell…" the woman copied again in Marie's voice, though this time her face and body started contorting. Blue scales rippled on the woman's body until Marie ended up standing in front of... herself.
The fake Marie took a metal plate from the table behind her, and smacked it over the real Marie's head. She fell unconscious to the floor. For a small second the fake Marie's eyes flashed yellow before returning to their normal green.
:-)