Hello all! Chapter 2 is finally here! It only took me a year, but it is here! I promise the next chapter will not take a year to complete. Hopefully it is everything those who are following, reviewed or favorited (to which, I am immensely grateful), expect. Huge shout out to my Beta (you know who you are), who has been extremely lenient with their time and patience, especially when I bug them again and again. Thank you!
Disclaimer: Same as the last chapter...
"No. Whatever it is that you are about to ask me to do, the answer is no."
A mere second after Marley woke, she found out who she was rescued by and immediately wished they'd just left her. SHIELD wanted her back. The two men that had come for her were both SHIELD agents; the familiar one turned out to be Agent Phil Coulson, a man she'd only met once, but knew he held a lot of sway within the semi-secret organization. She currently sat across from the older agent, picking at the tight layer of gauze on her left hand and going up her arm.
While she was out, they'd apparently picked the embedded glass out of her arm and hand. She was still dressed in her grey scrubs from the facility, which now held specks of her blood along with a faint burning smell from the explosion. She was irritated at how the rescue had gone, but even more irritated by who'd she let take her. In all fairness though, it wasn't like she had a choice.
"You haven't heard what exactly it is we need from you. I understand your apprehension—" Coulson began.
With a deep sigh, she cut him off. "You really don't, Agent Coulson. It's been three years; that's three years SHIELD owes me. I don't make it a habit of doing favors for people who owe me something."
"It's Lancaster. He's back." Coulson stated, adding no further information. It was unnerving to Marley that she felt noting coming off him, not even the determination she knew he had to be feeling.
Mentally shaking herself, she responded. "Once again, Agent Coulson; regardless of who or why, I do not do favors anymore. My lesson was learned." She couldn't contain the bitterness that crept into her voice.
"I am of no use to you anyway. Wood Hills did a number on me; I'm out of touch with my empathic…ness. It comes and it goes. I haven't been able to influence anyone like I used to," She stated, her words completely honest and full of disdain.
"We are willing to make a deal for the use of your services."
"Ha! Where have I heard that before? Your word is just as useless as a lottery ticket" She retorted, her words dripping in sarcasm.
"This time is different." Coulson slid two files over to her, one with the SHIELD logo and the words 'CLASSIFIED' written in bold; the other was unmarked. "The file on the right is everything SHIELD has on you—medical history, family, federal offenses, places you've lived, everything." Coulson paused before continuing, as if to see if she was still listening; she semi-was. "The file on the left contains a signed affidavit by the Attorney General of the United States, dropping all the charges against you as well as the destruction the other file."
Marley did not open the Attorney General's file. Her hands remained still as she stared at the folders. "These files mean nothing to me." She said, finally bringing her head up to meet Coulson's eyes. She gently pushed the folders back towards Coulson. "Fury promised the same thing and he's your superior, right? What makes this any different? A signature? Your word? Those mean little in my experience."
"At the time, the deal Director Fury made with you was not his to make. I have the proof you need. You can walk away after this completely free. We will even hold the door open for you." A small smile played on the agent's face, never breaking eye contact.
Marley stared at him before standing up and walking over to him. Before she knew what she was doing, she'd grabbed his hand. She wanted to know if he was lying or being deceitful, but all she could feel was the warmth of his hand. Surprisingly, Coulson did not take his hand back, but instead returned the grip with a light squeeze. Frustrated, she dropped his hand before turning her back to him, arms crossed.
"It was only one of the reasons SHIELD sees value in you. You still know Lancaster's contacts."
"You guys have really made an art out of convincing people they have a choice when they actually don't." Marley stated to no one in particular. She turned back around and faced Coulson, meeting his gaze square on. "Say I choose not to do this or refuse to finish the job? What happens then?"
Coulson stood, a dark look on his face. "Then you go back wherever we put you and that signature becomes void, but trust me when I say you should avoid that option. There are still several interested parties that would love to have you in their…possession."
Marley internally cringed at the word. She wanted desperately to have some sort of feeling from him that proved he was sincere, but nothing was coming to her; she had to make this decision without her damning 6th sense.
Before she made her decision she needed to know one thing. "If I do this, that's it, nobody comes after me, even SHIELD, right?"
"You have my word." He replied. Marley snorted again, giving him the best glare she could. "I'll have it added to the affidavit." She continued to lock eyes with Coulson before sticking her hand out. Coulson only stared, seemingly unsure of her decision.
With a huff, Marley reached for his hand, squeezing her eyes shut against her growing headache. "Shake my hand before I realize how stupid I am." A second later, Coulson's palm met hers, giving it a few firm shakes.
"Welcome back and welcome aboard, Agent Brackett," Coulson added before letting go.
"God, do you all go to the same school to learn what to say to people SHIELD tricks?" Marley asked with an eye roll. Coulson walked over to the door and gave her another smile before exiting, leaving the door wide open and Marley alone with her thoughts. That was until Coulson poked his head back into the room.
"Open door's an invitation. Time for you to meet your co-workers." He disappeared again, but Marley remained seated, thinking he was joking. Coulson appeared yet again. "That meant you should be following me, Brackett."
She pushed herself up from the chair flinching at the pain that was returning to her arm. "I don't know if you know this, but I am not a real 'team-player.' I mean, Agent Romanoff wanted to punch me and actually did a couple times."
"Then you'll fit in quite nicely." He motioned her to follow again, this time she gave no resistance.
If anything she'd learn the layout and the exit points of her new prison. She quietly left the room behind Coulson, noticing the sudden change of environment. Everything was brighter in comparison to the dark integration room she was just in. The walls of the hall were a nice glossy wood and the floor was actually a carpet. To Marley, she'd just upgraded her life.
"Don't remember SHIELD having this nice of a facility," She commented, running her hand along the wall as they walked.
Coulson laughed. "My team is kind of an exception. And we're not in a building, we're…" He paused in front of a large window before stepping aside, allowing Marley to see what he was trying to show her.
Marley gasped at what she saw; a blue sky and an endless amount of clouds. There goes her plan.
"In the air," Coulson finished. For one solitary moment, Marley was awestruck, despite her depressing thoughts of escape. "Come on, everyone's downstairs."
Prying her eyes away from the window, she forced herself to follow. "Wait, there are stairs?"
Coulson only laughed. They continued through the plane, down a set of stairs that, on a normal plane, would be considered cargo and storage. Instead, it turned out to be a lab of some sort. There was not one wall that wasn't covered in a computer screen; large or small. In front of the lab sat a ramp that held several cars. Shifting her eyes around the warehouse-like area, she met three pairs of eyes. They were all staring at her.
"Well, that's unnerving." She murmured.
"I know, I had the same reaction." Coulson turned to face the people currently waiting for them. "Everyone, Agent Marlene Brackett. Brackett, meet the team." Coulson motioned for her to step forward. As she did, a smaller woman in red converse jumped in front of the team, all but grabbing Marley's hand.
"I'm Jemma Simmons, and I have to say I cannot wait to work with you!" The distinctly British woman shook Marley's hand vigorously. In an instant, the warmth from her smile radiated throughout Marley's body, reminding her that positive emotions still existed. Marley shot a look over to Coulson at the brunette's enthusiasm.
" Agent Simmons is in charge of life sciences; biology, both human and alien. She's been briefed on your unique…gift." A chill went up her spine at the job description. "Ability" Coulson recanted, thinking she was reacting to the use of the word. Her response came in the way of an eye roll.
"No offense, but I haven't had the best experiences with 'life' scientists, so," She explained darkly, pulling her hand away, "I'm not letting you touch me with a ten foot pole."
The young scientist's smile dropped a little and she stepped back. Marley tried to ignore the pang of guilt she felt for shutting her down. She also tried to ignore the slightly hostile feeling Simmons was trying to contain.
"Ah, I'm Leo Fitz; engineering and weaponry." A shorter man pushed Simmons aside before taking Marley's hand. She didn't miss the glare Simmons sent Fitz.
"Hi, I'm Skye, I, ah…well." Skye looked to Coulson. The thinner looking female looked out of place in comparison to the others. Her dark hair was slightly unkempt and her attire was more on the hipster side rather than the uptight side like Coulson.
"She's our newest recruit," Coulson said after a second. He seemed to be having a hard time coming up with a description for Skye as well. "She's good at hacking; formerly with a group called the 'Rising Tide.'"
With a shrug, Marley said, "Never heard of it, but cool."
Skye nodded before shaking her head, laughing. "Yeah? SHIELD didn't think so. They're not too keen on criminal activity."
A small giggle left Marley at the realization that she and Skye had something in common. "Tell me about it," gesturing to her current state.
"Looks like Skye's found a new friend." Marley looked up, smile fading, to find the tall man from her rescue walking down the stairs. She immediately didn't like him.
Coulson was the first one to respond. "Ms. Brackett, meet Agent Grant Ward. I'm sure you remember him from your extraction." Marley didn't say anything, only simply watched as he approached the group. A sour taste began to form in the back of her mouth; he didn't like her either. She smirked at the newfound knowledge.
"Most people say thank you, by the way." Ward commented, stopping in front of her.
Marley barked a loud laugh. "For what? Almost blowing me up?"
"Keyword being 'almost.'" Grant gave Marley an arrogant grin before jumping up on lab's counter top.
The sour taste in her mouth was getting stronger; he really did not like her. "Listen douche—" A thought stopped Marley from retaliating. "Wait, why did you guys come after me? I mean, couldn't you just have asked for me back instead destroying the place?"
Both Coulson and Ward exchanged looks. Coulson spoke first. "Wood Hills is owned by a third party."
"Meaning?" Marley asked.
Ward sighed with annoyance. "Meaning, someone else outside of SHIELD and the government owns that place."
"Yeah, they both had to go undercover as potential buyers. It was really an intricate plan." Fitz quipped with pride. The air seemed to get sucked out of the room.
Marley's throat was suddenly dry. "I…I'm sorry, did you just say 'buyers?'"
"Fitz!" Simmons scolded.
"I didn't know we were keeping that a secret!" He half whispered. Marley looked around the room, but no one seemed to want to make eye-contact, even Ward.
"Brackett, we—" Coulson started.
"I—Is there somewhere I can…" Be alone, is what she wanted to say. "Take a shower?" She finished, finding the floor of particular interest. The guilt in the room was now heavy, but it wasn't the only reason Marley felt the need to flee.
"Ah, yes, actually. Skye, can you show Agent Brackett to the shower?" Coulson asked.
Skye seemed to jerk herself out of her own thoughts responding in a quick breath. "Yeah, sure." Without asking, Skye gently grabbed Marley's elbow, steering her in the right direction. As much as the physical touch was unwelcome, Skye seemed to understand Marley's need to be alone. As they walked away from the group, Skye asked "So, the name Marlene?"
Marley gave her a sad smile. "Family name with a long story. Please, just call me Marley."
Skye gave a tiny laugh, but the rest of the journey was made in silence.
All Marley could think about was that she just made a deal with a devil that was keeping secrets. Fortunately for her, she was keeping her own secret; one that she would put into action as soon as the opportunity arose.
Reviews are much appreciated! :)