Here's the next chapter! THANK YOU to everyone that viewed, favorited or alerted. They make me want to write even more! This chapter has a little back story for Marley as well as much more cannon interaction. As always, I have an AMAZING Beta! Much love goes there for taking time to help me out. :D I don't know if I am entirely happy with it and I may change it some, but here it is. I would love some feedback from you guys as well, if not too much to ask.
Disclaimer: please see pervious chapters, 'cause it's the same.
Stepping out of the high-priced black Mercedes, Marley smoothed her long wool coat out and looked up in amazement. The exterior of the building was partially covered with an overgrowth of gorgeous green ivy; complementing the light grey stone underneath. It was an older structure; it had to be over a hundred years old, but held its age well. The circular cobblestone driveway had a Jane Austen-esque feel; like there should be a horse-drawn carriage instead the various expensive cars that occupied the space.
The estate was surrounded by a high, black iron gate that was manned by a group of four well built men carrying, what Marley could only assume, was some of the most unforgiving weapons she'd ever laid eyes on. There were other guards peppered here and there, but she assumed most of the others were inside. The man that owned the property sure liked his security.
A muscular man in a typical black on black suit walked out from the large, deep red double doors at the entrance.
"Ms. Brackett, please follow me." The man's voice was all business as he didn't even glance back to see if she was following.
Marley quickly grabbed her black purse from the passenger seat and hurried in behind him.
It turned out that the interior was just as infinite as the exterior. As they walked through the very wide halls, Marley could not help but notice the amazing details of the walls that surrounded her. The floor was a nice mahogany color that held not one scratch or scuff mark, which made her feel self-conscious about how her black pumps clicked against the wood. She was thankful the rest of the floor was covered in an elaborately designed rug.
They turned the corner in to a wide, open room that was just as elaborate as the carpet.
"Holy…" Marley was awestruck yet again.
It was a ballroom, or at least what used to be a ballroom. The high vaulted ceilings gave way to a grand mural of mountains and water; highlighted by a bright golden sun. The room itself had been converted into a sitting room of sorts with couches, love seats, and a couple of small coffee tables. Marley knew all the furnishings had to be on the more pricey end of the scale; just one of the couches probably cost more than Marley's yearly income, which was saying something.
The man-in-black, as Marley had taken to mentally calling him, turned back to her. "Please wait here, Mr. Lancaster will be with you shortly. If you are in need of anything, please ask one the butlers." With that he left the room, leaving her in silence.
"Butlers?" Marley asked, more to herself.
"May I take your coat?"
Marley almost screamed at the new voice. She spun around to discover a kindly-looking, older man sporting a white shirt dress shirt and tailored pants.
"Ah…Yeah…Yes, thank you." She stuttered, wriggling out of her red coat.
The old man smiled and draped his coat over her arm.
"Is there anything else you require?"
"No, thank you. "She replied.
"Very well." Without another word he left, leaving Marley alone in the ridiculously large room.
The absence of her coat made her feel cold in her royal blue dress and black lace stockings.
Now was her moment to ready herself; she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She instantly felt the warmth as she reached out; even if there weren't pleasant emotions present, it still made her feel good to touch someone else's mind. Most of the people in the house were of no importance, but one stood out immediately. Marley smiled as she found the man she came to see; he was both anxious and curious. Both emotions could be played on given the right approach.
Marley opened her eyes at the sound of the doors opening. She put on one the biggest smiles she could as she watched the man she knew as Damien Lancaster entered with his large entourage of other men dress similar to his security. He wasn't exactly what she expected; he wore a deep blue pin-striped suit, mid-thirties and was taller than the average man. The intimidation factor was definitely strong.
"'Ello there, young lady." The thick Irish accent was hard to miss.
"Mr. Lancaster." Marley replied with a nod. She reached out her hand and Lancaster took it, laying a gentle kiss on her knuckles. A small blush spread across her cheeks. His curiosity was definitely peaked.
"Please, let us sit." He said, guiding her to one of the rose colored couches. The others that came in with him remained standing by the door.
"Mr. Lancaster, your house is simply stunning." They sat next to one another, but kept their distance. It was all part of the game she began the moment he stepped foot in the room; the initial buildup.
Lancaster smiled, looking to ceiling. "Thank you. It's been in my family for years. It's one of my favorites."
"So, Mr. Lancaster, what can I do for you?" She wanted to make sure Lancaster knew she was here for business.
Marley had to stop herself from grinning at the interest she felt rolling off the Irish man in waves. "Quite direct aren't we? If I remember correctly, it is you that contacted me. "
She gave him a small laugh. "I heard you looking for some new blood; new blood that came with skills." She held out her hand again. "Hi, I'm new blood with skills." She particularly oozed confidence. "I also come with excellent references."
"I looked into you, Ms. Marlene Dorothea Brackett, and yes, you do indeed have some impressive references But what's a young girl like you know about the Black Market art or antiques?"
Marley smiled; time to reel him in. "I know you're into U.S Civil War-era items, judging by décor on the walls that line the halls. This room alone is worth an easy quarter mil."
"How'd ya figure that?"
Taking a closer look at the couch she was sitting on, she smiled. "These couches are originals; meaning they haven't been refurbished, reupholstered, or touched in any way." She gave a purposeful shrug. "Going off that, I'd say the rest of the room is same." Marley pushed her glasses up and waited. She could almost see the wheels turning in Lancaster's head. That's when she made her move. She grabbed a hold of the desire she's sparked in him. "You know you want me."
After a second Lancaster seemed to shake himself. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
She smiled when the word 'need' flashed though her; he was beginning to feel a need for her. "You need me." She didn't necessarily know how her influence worked, but she always knew when it was working; a warm sensation settled in the pit of her stomach.
"Well, Ms. Marlene, you are quite impressive. I think I can find somewhere for you."
Not releasing Lancaster's emotions just yet, she said, "I look forward to doing business together."
"Marley!"
The sound of Skye's voice pulled Marley out of her memories. The shower she was taking had become scorching hot; so much so that her skin was now an angry pink. Marley slammed the water off with more force than she'd intended.
"Marley, are you okay? You've been in there over an hour." Skye didn't sound annoyed, just concerned.
"Yeah, give me another sec." She yelled to the door, gently stepping out of the shower onto the cold tile.
She grabbed the nearest towel and started the process of drying off. It was then she noticed the mirror. She couldn't believe she'd missed it before. Taking a tentative step forward she reached the mirror, pausing before deciding to wipe the fog away from it. Before her stood someone she didn't think she knew anymore; it looked like her, but she wasn't what she remembered. Her nose was still the same narrow shape, her skin still held the same allotment of freckles, and her hair was still the same reddish-brown it had always been; even if it was now dull and down to middle of her back. But her eyes were different; they no longer contained the same shine, the life in her eyes was gone.
"Marley, come on; Coulson wants us down for a briefing." Skye's voice was now bordering on annoyance, but she couldn't tell who it was directed towards.
Ignoring the tears threatening at the corner of her eyes, Marley grabbed the clothes Skye gave her and put them on, not bothering to look at the design. Skye left her the essentials, plus a white sweater and a pair of leggings. Marley quickly brushed her hair, enjoying the small pleasure, and threw on the pair of brown boots Skye also left her.
"Marley we—" Skye whined before Marley finally opening the door. Skye eyed her up and down. "You okay? Your cheeks are super red."
"Shower was hotter than I thought," Marley said with a small smile. "Thanks for the clothes by the way."
"Oh, don't thank me, thank Coulson. He's the one that made me and Simmons go get some of your stuff out of storage; took us forever to find your clothes."
"These are my clothes?" She really looked at the clothes she was wearing, but nothing came to mind.
"Yeah, my clothes would be way too big and Simmons…well, let's just say no to that thought. Oh, here, Coulson said you'd want these back; I didn't want them to get crushed." Skye handed her a pair of glasses from her pocket.
Marley simply stared at the purple square frames; they were her old glasses. She'd forgotten she even wore glasses. They were taken away from her the first day at Wood Hills; she just got used to her slightly blurred surroundings. "Thank you, Skye." Marley slipped her glasses on and immediately felt conflicted about her current employer. It was like SHIELD and Agent Coulson were two separate entities.
"Come on, we really have to get going. Coulson doesn't appreciate lateness, neither does Ward or May, or anyone else here, for that matter. I'm speaking from personal experience here."
Coulson was the first to notice their arrival. Everyone was there, even an Asian woman she'd yet to meet, but Marley knew who she was right away. "Skye, Brackett, nice of you to join us. Brackett, this is Agent Melinda May, she's our pilot and sometimes—"
"The Calvary." Marley finished. A blast of cold air hit Marley with such force she took a few steps back. Melinda May was legendary within SHIELD, even for someone like Marley who'd only been there for a couple months.
"Don't call me that." May stated, all serious. There was no hint of a smile or friendship in her eyes. It was like a blizzard.
"Alrighty, winning friends and influencing people," Marley murmured.
Ward leaned over to her, whispering "Way to go, Brackett, don't think I've ever seen May hate someone that quickly."
"Shut up." Marley snapped back.
"Mature," Ward shot back.
"Focus people. Brackett, tell us what you know about Lancaster." Coulson helped ease the sudden tension.
Marley sighed. "I feel like you know more about him than I do." Coulson remained silent; she got the hint. "Damien Lancaster is, or was, what we consider head of a large criminal organization, specializing in Black Market arts and antiques."
"Go on." Coulson prodded.
"Before I was locked up…Gah! That sounds really awkward out loud. Um, Lancaster started trying out arms dealing and, according to what I found out through SHIELD, bio-engineering warfare. A group of SHIELD agents, including myself, Agent Barton, and Agent Romanoff, were in charge of bringing Lancaster's organization down. I wasn't with the team when they captured him, but I heard it was quite a show." The group stayed quiet for a second before Coulson spoke.
"The bio-engineering Lancaster was willing to invest in was a company called CosChem. The owner is unknown, but the company has slowly been building in power. Lancaster was released on parole over two months ago and before you ask, we are pretty sure he had something on one of the government officials in Ireland, as he had a twenty year sentence. He reconnected with CosChem, but we haven't been able to get any other information."
"Why didn't we just bring him in when SHIELD found that out?" Skye asked.
"Because simply talking to someone does not qualify as illicit or terroristic activity, especially when the company isn't under a real investigation." May explained this as though she had done extensive research; Marley refused to ask how she knew, she'd already pissed her off.
"What kind of bio-engineering are we talking about?" Ward asked to no one in particular.
Marley shrugged. "I didn't get that far into it."
Simmons raised her hand. "Based on the files I've been given on both the company and Lancaster's past histories, I'd say we're looking at creating mutations in humans."
Everyone's eyes shifted over to Marley.
Ignoring them, she continued the conversation. "So what's the plan?" Coulson eyebrows raised in surprise. "What, like I didn't know you already had a plan and a use for me? That's like the 'SHIELD way,' right?"
With an amused sigh, Coulson began explaining his master plan. "Skye, I need you to work on creating a fake company; find something in the files that Lancaster would be interested in. I also need you to create a high-powered CEO using Agent Ward's likeness. Preferably foreign."
"What about my little…probation bracelet thing?" Skye interrupted, holding up her wrist. Marley didn't know the 'why' of it, but clearly it was a point of tension for the new recruit.
"I've got it covered." He paused, looking at Fitz and Simmons. "Fitz, I need to know what weapons Lancaster had in his possession at the time of arrest or any that he purchased, but never recieved. Simmons and Ward, you know your roles." He turned and faced Marley, his small smile present.
"And?" Marley asked, confusion growing. "What exactly is my role while all this is going on?"
"Training. I saw your moves at Wood Hills; you're out of practice. Simmons and Ward are going to give you a crash course."
"Wait, why Simmons?"
"Mental and physical." Coulson hinted.
What he was getting at hit her like a ton of bricks. "No, I told you—"
"And I said it was only one of the reasons, but it is a way you defend yourself. I've never seen it for myself, but you yourself said you need to reconnect."
"But—" Marley tried.
"It's not open for discussion." Coulson's words left wiggle room. "May. you're with me." He turned and left without another word, leaving Ward, Simmons, and Marley in silence.
"So, downstairs?" Simmons asked.
Ward confirmed her question with a nod, grabbing Marley's arm and pulling her with them. "Time to show me what you're made of, Agent Brackett."
"You sure you wanna find out Agent Ward?" She taunted. A warm feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
This was not going to end well for her.
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