Again she was awake before the sun was up, and she spent the time reading through the more important briefing packets, namely the one about the Avengers. And wow, Dr Leary hadn't been lying when he said they were irresponsible. Included in the packet was a medical history, one that was as complete as possible, given their limitations (surgery in a cave in Afghanistan didn't leave records, surprisingly) and her clearance level (she didn't understand how Steve Rogers was born in the twenties, but she accepted it, because it was that sort of week).
It was like having six of Sherlock Holmes, but with no John Watson to keep them in check.
Although, if she understood correctly, Agent Coulson was the team's handler, and was exceptional at keeping them in line. For her purposes, he would be the John Watson in this comparison. A John Watson that had died in the line of duty, but not stayed dead.
Again, above her clearance level. That sort of week.
She resigned herself to not knowing much of anything for at least the next couple of months.
The Avengers seemed like a good bunch of people for the most part, six strong personalities that clashed with each other, perhaps with the exception of Stark and Banner, who were both of a scientific disposition and seemed to get on well enough. Then there were Barton and Romanoff, who had been working together for years, and yet still seemed to want to kill each other half of the time.
She really didn't know what to make of Thor. He was from another world, and seemed beyond comprehension.
She was still chewing that over when Ronald got up, all through breakfast, and on the ride to SHIELD.
She spent the rest of the day in medical again, meeting more people, learning where everything was, and ensuring her skills were compatible with American standards and equipment.
She tried reading the SHIELD manual that night, but fell asleep with it on her face, as Ronald ever so kindly took a picture of, and then removed it for her, marking her page, which was totally unnecessary, since she was still in the chapter index.
The rest of that week passed in much of the same way, orientation, getting used to the building and hallways, the never ending hallways, meeting more of her coworkers, and getting bumped up to a level four clearance after an incident with the medical files.
They were both given the weekend off, which was a rarity, Dr Leary assured them. "Evil doesn't rest," he told her, deadpan, and she would have believed he was serious, except the day before he spent the better part of their lunch hour trying to talk her into believing that Hawkeye was actually a product of introducing bird genes into a human being. She listened and nodded the entire time, and only when he stood up to dispose of his tray did she tell him that she had access to the medical files, and that he was telling complete bullshit.
He blushed to nearly the colour of his leftover catsup.
Miranda and Ronald took full advantage of that rarity, and went to see the sights of New York, including the statue of Liberty and the newly rebuilt Avengers Tower, formerly Stark Tower.
It was a good weekend.
Her first real week of work involved one sprained ankle of a level five agent who was sparring in the gym, one mild allergic reaction due to a perfume in the office space of a level four IT worker, and an incident involving paintballs between two level one agents, who she mostly glared at and gave a good talking to. And wow, she must be getting old, because they looked like they should still be in high school.
"I told you we shouldn't have done it Sam," the one snapped on his way out.
"Shut up Peter," the other muttered.
Miranda only shook her head.