Preparation Part 2

"Your space is through there," Mr. Coulson said as he motioned to the right side of the room. There was a wall with an opening on the left side, but no door. I found myself thinking this was smart, because the last thing a soldier needed was to feel locked in a room.

As soon as we walked in, I was greeted with a view of trees and grass out a giant window. Other than that, it was the same grey walls and barren space that I had seen in every other room. Confusion swept over me, but Mr. Coulson read my mind.

"Whatever you want, we'll get it," he said. "Don't worry about the cost. We know your opinion will be best."

I dropped my duffle bag on the ground and took a look around. "I'll need a bit to think," I laughed awkwardly.

"I'm sure," Mr. Coulson replied lightly. "Here—" he said, taking a piece of paper out of his suit pocket. "You'll need the wifi password. Take all the time you need, and email me a list afterward."

As soon as I nodded, he left. I stood there for a moment, simply trying to wrap my head around things. "Right…" I sighed. "What would be best…" I sat down on the ground and pulled out my laptop. A few clicks later, I was in the wifi and searching the web for possibilities.

My mind was filled with paint swatch color codes and calming color palettes. When I found myself looking at a sofa, I sighed. "It'd be nice if I had some measurements in here," I mumbled. The best I could figure was the room was somewhere around thirteen feet by sixteen feet. Perhaps that's why I jumped when an Irish voice answered my question.

"The exact dimensions are thirteen and a half feet by seventeen feet."

I put a hand over my heart as my body whipped around. The room was still empty. "Who-"

"My apologies, my name is FRIDAY," the bodiless voice said. "I am Mr. Stark's personal AI system. I am only available in the residential areas of the compound."

"I see," I breathed. "I, uh…what were those dimensions again?"

"Thirteen and a half feet by seventeen feet," FRIDAY replied.

I looked down at my computer screen again. The sectional was large, about nine feet long. I tried to imagine it in the corner by the window, but I couldn't be sure. Would it fit the way I thought?

"Are you in need of assistance?" FRIDAY asked.

I was startled again, but settled down enough to process the question. "Uh, yeah, I am. I'm looking at a sectional, it's nine feet long, and then the chaise part is five feet. I was thinking of putting it…mmm, there," I motioned generally to the corner by the window.

"I understand," FRIDAY said. Suddenly, a port popped out of the wall beside me. "May I access your computer?"

After some hesitation, I took the cord from the port and plugged it in. The room filled with a humming noise, almost as though FRIDAY was thinking. "Is this the sectional you are referring to?"

I yelped slightly when the sectional appeared before me. My eyes wide, I stepped forward to touch it. My hand went right through it. A hologram.

"Y-Yes, that's the one. I was looking at the charcoal grey color," I told her. Before my eyes, the fabric on the sectional changed colors. I took a few steps back to look at it before I nodded. "Yeah, that's right…what else can you do?"

"What else do you need me to do?" FRIDAY asked. "I see here you have a paint color pulled up in tab number two— Sherwin Williams 7557."

"Yes, that's the one I was going to use," I answered. A moment later, the walls were washed with the light cream color I had envisioned. I went forward, expecting another hologram, but was met with a solid wall. "How-?"

"The walls are controlled by light panels," FRIDAY answered. "They can be changed at any time to suit your needs."

A large grin was growing on my face. This was going to be fun.

An hour later, I was sitting on the ground admiring my work. The first half of the room had a large wooden desk with a fabric chair. Above the desk were some of my favorite quotes, some from movies and historical figures, and others from the Bible or fictional books. A coral knotted rug laid behind the desk, and a large white lamp was on top of the desk. On the other side of the room was the large sectional, plus a few oriental and knotted poofs to be used as a foot rest or chair. On the wall opposite the sectional was a towering white media center with a place for a tv, speaker system, and plenty of books. A fluffy cream rug was in the center of the floor, and a coffee table sat on top of it. Finally, a large terrarium hung by the window with a basket of blankets beneath it.

"Is the room to your satisfaction?" FRIDAY asked.

I smiled brightly. "Yeah, it is."

"A file has been sent to Agent Coulson," FRIDAY replied.

I was just about to say thank you when there was a knock on the wall. I spun around on my blanket to see Sargent Barnes looking a little more than distressed. The holograms were beginning to fizzle away, leaving us in an empty room.

"What is going on in my room?" he demanded softly. "They won't let me in, what is going on?"

I blinked. I hadn't anticipated they would get to work that fast. "Mr. Coulson let me into your room while you were out training in order to evaluate your mental state. I did so, gave them my notes as to how your room could be improved, and have been in here since," I answered honestly. Trying to beat around the bush wouldn't help.

He shifted uncomfortably. "I saw them taking away my punching bag."

"Yes," I said calmly.

His stubborn voice replied immediately. "Why?"

I sighed. "Because a bedroom is a place for peace and tranquility, not for exercising. Having separate areas for separate purposes will help you calm down at night so you can sleep."

His jaw clenched. "I sleep just fine."

"Yeah, because that's how dark circles get under your eyes," I replied sarcastically as I folded my arms. "From plenty of sleep."

Sargent Barnes sighed loudly, his right hand coming up to rub his temple. I noticed his metal hand had relaxed from the fist it had been in when he first entered. "They won't move the books, right?" His voice was so quiet, almost like a desperate child.

My eyes softened, and I found myself getting up from the floor. "No, no they won't. I asked them to put in a bookshelf so you can have a place to put them. And I'll keep plenty of books in here, too, and you're welcome to read those any time you like."

Sargent Barnes nodded slowly. His eyes finally came up from the floor, and I watched as he scanned the room. "What is this going to be?"

I smiled. "This is my place. I'm gonna help you and Captain Rogers get up to speed on things. Any questions you have about culture, history, society— I'm here to answer them."

A tentative laugh came out of his lips. "It's a long list of questions."

"I'm sure," I said as my own smile grew. "But hey, we have all the time in the world. Today was just my first tour of the area and getting things set up, but I'll be back tomorrow. You and Captain Rogers can let me know how you like or dislike your rooms, and ask any first questions then."

"Steve," Sargent Barnes said suddenly. "Just call him Steve. He doesn't like it when people call him Captain outside of the battlefield."

I nodded. "Duly noted…James." A comfortable silence spanned as the both of us became lost in our thoughts staring around the room. After a moment more, I cleared my throat. "You wouldn't, um…you wouldn't happen to know how I'm getting home, do you?"

Sargent Barnes shook his head. "Not a clue."

"Your flight back leaves in ten minutes, Miss Reynolds," FRIDAY cut in. "Agent Coulson is on his way to pick you up."

I gave Sargent Barnes a wry look. "I suppose that answers that question." He shared my look of amusement. I knelt down and began packing my things, only to have him come over and stop me.

"Those textbooks don't look light," he commented.

"They're not," I snorted. "Makes me wish I'd gotten rid of them after college."

"They have closets all over this place," Sargent Barnes said. "I bet there's somewhere you could keep it so you don't have to take it back and forth."

I was about to reply, but Mr. Coulson entered at that moment. "It's time to head home for the day, Miss Reynolds."

I nodded, then turned to smile at Sargent Barnes. "I'll see you and Capt- Steve tomorrow." I handed my bag over to him. "And I would like to see my textbooks then, too."

A guilty grin came onto Sargent Barnes' face, but he nodded regardless.