Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't—
Who am I kidding?
Maria won't look at me as she guides us down a narrow corridor, the morning boardroom growing smaller and smaller behind us. The hall makes a sharp left turn, abruptly ending in a large metal door—of which Maria flashes her badge to unlock.
After I entered, she shut and locked the door behind us. We found ourselves enclosed in a room no bigger than a janitor's closet—no windows, cramped, with a gray metallic gleam on the walls.
Ensuring no one was within earshot behind the steely entrance, she held her badge up to a discreet fire safety licensure frame mounted to the wall. Green lights activated the inconspicuous frame—triggering the far wall to slither down into the floor, unmasking a secret elevator.
I can't tell if this is good or bad. It feels bad.
It might be good?
No, this feels bad.
This is my first day, I haven't fucked up already...
Have I?
The opening of the elevator door interrupts my spiraling thoughts. She walks inside and I meekly slink behind her. A voice speaks after the doors constrict and I hear the wall glide up once again with a satisfied series of clicks.
"State name and badge number," the voice commands.
"Agent Hill, Maria, badge number S39DK3JF. Requesting level 17b and notify Director Fury," Hill recites.
"'Request': Agent Hill, Maria. Clearance Level 9. Notify Director Fury, Nicholas J. Rejected. Unknown Agent presence detected."
"Level 9-Agent override, Agent Hill, Maria."
"Rejected."
"Goddammit," Maria huffed. She leaned toward the elevator buttons and pressed one with a cat icon.
"Director Fury speaking."
"Nick, it won't accept my override to 17b."
"Hold on a sec."
We waited in silence for a few moments, before the elevator voice spoke to us again.
"Director override. Fury, Nicholas J. Confirmed. Beginning descent to Level 17b."
The elevator began to descend hastily and my mind began spiraling once more. How come there's a 'b'? How do we have enough levels to go all the way to 17? Does it end at 17? Or does it go to 20? It'd be weird to end on 17, so it must go to 20—does it go higher than 20? Nevertheless, levels unbeknownst to the general S.H.I.E.L.D. operation requiring a secretive 'b' denotation—fucking awesome.
"Maria?"
"Yes?"
"Why is the button to reach Fury a cat?"
Maria sighed. "It's...It's a long story; ask him to tell you about Goose."
More questions festered, but Maria cut off my train of thought.
"Fury doesn't have a lot of time; Captain Steve Rogers will be returning with Agent Natasha Romanoff shortly. There's a lot to catch you, and Steve, up on and—fair warning—the Captain will probably be... piqued," Agent Hill warns.
"So, I'll be going into a heated meeting... between Fury and... Captain America?"
"Regrettably, yes."
YOU ARE READING
LEGACY: a bucky barnes story
FanfictionShe's got everything to prove as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but when thrown headfirst into the demise of S.H.I.E.L.D. hellfire, she's hellbent on proving her worth and owning her legacy. What she didn't plan on was catching the eye of the infamous Winter...
