Chapter Three: In The Shadows
"Trust, in my line of work, is a luxury I cannot afford. Every allegiance, every alliance, is a calculated gamble in a world where loyalties shift like shadows. The nature of this game dictates that even those closest to me are merely temporary allies, for in espionage, absolute trust is the chink in the armor that invites downfall."
Phoenix Project Director of Intelligence Eleanor Winslow, during a conversation with Randolph Symes III
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Maria Hill, February 10th, 2008
Maria Hill observes the woman in the advanced power armor smoking a joint, her helmet laid down on the table in front of her, through the mirrored glass. Her mind whirls with a mix of skepticism and cautious curiosity, while her steely gaze lingers on her figure, clad in technology beyond their current comprehension.
"So, who is she?" Hill questions Phil Coulson.
Phil Coulson shrugs. "Didn't say what her name was, but she said that she's from the future. She fought against an alien invasion that ended when she sacrificed herself to destroy the mothership, which ended up throwing her back in time."
"I've seen my share of improbable things," Hill murmurs, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "But time travelers? That's a new one."
Phil Coulson stands alongside her, his demeanor poised yet visibly intrigued by the situation. Hill trusts Coulson's judgment implicitly, but this scenario pushes the boundaries of believability.
"She seems convinced, sir," Coulson remarks, his eyes fixing on the armored figure. "She spoke as if she fought a war - detached and devoid of emotion. That, and the fact that she's covered in what definitely isn't human blood and highly advanced technology... it's hard to ignore."
Hill remains silent for a moment, the weight of the woman's warning settling upon her. Hill briefly thinks about the activation of the Avengers Initiative to counter a potential threat, but she knows better than to act before verifying the words of this stranger.
"What if this is some elaborate ruse, Coulson?" Hill muses aloud, her brow furrowing with concern. "A distraction to blindside us from a more immediate danger?"
Coulson nods thoughtfully, acknowledging the valid concern. "We can't dismiss the possibility, ma'am. But her urgency suggests otherwise. What if she's our best chance at preventing catastrophe?"
The stakes were immense, and Hill understood the weight of their decision. If they dismiss her as a hoax, they risk ignoring a legitimate warning. If they trust her blindly, they might fall prey to manipulation.
"She wants our trust," Hill notes, her eyes fixed on the woman's determined stance. "But trust is earned, not freely given, especially when the fate of the world is at stake."
The woman stares at the two-way mirror as she chomps down on the pipe, looking directly at her, staring her down. Hill's mind raced with the responsibility of this decision, before coming to a decision.
"Go in there and talk to her," Hill commands, her tone resolute. "But keep every possible measure in place. I want everything she knows about this supposed invasion."
Hill watches as Coulson heads over to the door of the observation room, opens it, and enters the room, with the woman sizing him up as he takes a seat. Hill's gaze remained fixed on her, a blend of determination and wariness etched on her face.
"We're walking a fine line here, Coulson," Hill murmurs, a flicker of uncertainty underlying her words. "Let's hope this leap of faith doesn't end up being our downfall."
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Phil Coulson, February 10th, 2008
Phil Coulson sits down with the same smile he gives to reassure people that everything is alright, but he has a sinking feeling that this time, everything is very, very wrong.
"Good day. I'm Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, or the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division," Phil calmly states as he studies the woman's expressions intently. "We need to discuss some concerning events involving your recent activities. Mainly, you popping up in Times Square out of nowhere."
The woman takes the cigarette out of her mouth, putting it in a nearby ashtray, before staring him down with her eyes with a frown on her face. "Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. Ask your questions, SHIELD guy."
As Coulson begins his interrogation, he notices how her eyes, though calm and composed, hold an undeniable sense of weariness, hinting at the burdens she carried from her purported future reality. Her face is a facade of indifference that barely masks the underlying layers of pain and trauma she might have endured.
"So, what's your name? You didn't tell us when you started talking about an alien invasion in the future?" Coulson asks politely, even with the knowledge that the woman will probably lie.
The woman shrugs. "Name's Annette Durand."
Coulson smiles. "Nice name. May I refer to you by that name from now on?"
Annette shrugs again. "Sure. So, what do you want to know?"
Coulson chuckles. "Right to the point. Nice. Anyway, you said you came from the future, where an alien invasion occurs. Who or what invades us?"
Annette grimaces. "A group of aliens called the Chitauri. They are going to invade Earth for the Tesseract."
Coulson puts up a poker face as he processes the information. Annette knows about the Tesseract, which is so highly classified by both NASA and SHIELD that only the top echelons of SHIELD know about its existence. Her knowing that the Cube exists in the first place gives credence to her claim that she is from the future, but something about her feels... off.
Coulson nods. "Ok. What are the Chitauri, and why do they want the Tesseract?"
Annette's face intensifies. "The Chitauri are a sentient reptilian species of cybernetically enhanced beings operating under a hive mind intelligence. They will invade Earth for their master, whose name is... difficult to remember. Their master wants the Tesseract for its power. Obviously."
Coulson maintains his composure, but he is intrigued. "How did the Chitauri invade Earth?"
Annette nods earnestly. "The Chitauri invaded Earth using a portal created by SHIELD's experiments with the Tesseract. It was..."
Coulson notices Annette's voice falter as she looks to her side, closing her eyes. Signs of PTSD.
Annette takes a deep breath. "I think you get the point."
Coulson has a look of sympathy. Her story is increasingly probable. He's studied people's microexpressions to discern their true feelings during interrogations, and her trauma is not fake. "We do. So, where did you get your armor and weapons?"
Annette takes out the pistol from her side and puts it on the table, right next to her helmet. "We killed some, looked into their brains, and reverse-engineered their technology. Pretty simple."
Coulson frowns. "Doesn't sound so simple," he mumbles, before refocusing on the task at hand. "Mind telling me what your intentions are?"
Annette passes the futuristic sci-fi pistol to him. "Get SHIELD, the entire world, ready for war."
Coulson grasps the pistol, as he examines it, the metal feeling cold and unwelcoming.
Coulson's frown grows deeper. "I will need to talk with the Director about this."
Annette shrugs once more. "Go ahead."
Before Coulson hands the pistol back to Annette and leaves the room, he can't help but feel uneasy, not just about the uncertain future SHIELD faces, but also as if a pair of eyes are watching him just out of sight.
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Annette Durand, February 10th, 2008
Annette Durand watches keenly as Phil Coulson leaves the room.
She made up a bunch of bull shit about her being from the future to gain his trust. Technically she's right, but it's not this universe's future. She thought about telling Phil Coulson about HYDRA, but she knows his will is immense. Giving him a psychic vision of HYDRA's operations would require breaking through his mental defenses, which would have been obvious to the SHIELD agents watching her through the two-way mirror.
As for her story... well, she had another psychic vision of the future when she was taken in by SHIELD and put into the interrogation room, where she saw the ugly bastards that were the Chitauri, the Norse god Loki (like, what the fuck, the Norse gods are real?) leading them, and the Avengers fighting back against Loki's forces in New York, driving them off the planet for good.
Annette can't control her visions of the future, but at least she isn't spasming or grasping her head in pain and shock when they occur.
Annette knows that she needs to deal with HYDRA sooner or later, as she doesn't want those fascists to take advantage of her for her powers and advanced technology. So, she resolves to take them down as soon as possible, when SHIELD isn't watching her.
As she asks for another cigarette, Annette has a feeling that this universe will get wacky and weird. She read some comic books about superheroes, but being in a world where they are real is something she wasn't expecting.
And yet, she doesn't have it in her to give a shit. Probably because after everything that she's seen during her time in XCOM, she's become desensitized to weird and strange things.
Well, at least she isn't wearing spandex and tights.