Mirage // Marvel Universe

Recon_Mis2103_Report

The sunshine outside dims to match the mood that has settled in the Barton living room. Everyone's faces have been pulled into neutral expressions. The room isn't silent, but it's still a vacuum. Nick Fury had that effect.

No one wants to be here, most especially me. Laura tinkers around the kitchen, having muttered something about lemonade and peanut butter cookies. From how long she's spent getting a few things out of the refrigerator, I'd say the offer was more of an effort to keep herself out of the way. Clint, on the other hand, is doing the exact opposite. As soon as I sat down, Clint sat down next to me, partially evil-eyeing Fury from across the coffee table.

"So, what's up?" I ask Fury, drumming my fingers on my pant legs.

I glance at Natasha once again. She could very well be a statue, or perhaps a security camera would be a more fitting title. Having eyes trained on me like a hawk should make me feel uneasy, but it doesn't. If anything, it's reassuring.

Maybe Spencer is watching me too.

I don't particularly believe in the afterlife— never have. However, from my years working for SHIELD, I know that it's loss that most makes people question their beliefs. I want to know that he's out somewhere; I want to be able to hope that when the quantum tunnel blew up, it didn't mean the end for him. In my heart, I know that it's useless to believe that. That accident was the end for him. Maybe it will turn out to have been my end as well.

"Agent Hagino, are you with me?" Fury asks.

I bite my cheek and turn my head towards him."Yes, sir," I mutter.

"I know these past few weeks have been trying for you. I want to assure you that I am not overlooking that. I do, however, have some news," Fury says. It better be good news because, frankly, I don't think I can handle any more bad. "Unfortunately the R&D Department, SHIELD's leading medical labs, and our scientific development team haven't gotten any closer to a cure for your condition." I shouldn't have jinxed it.

"So, am I— will I be like this forever?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Hagino. I just mean that it might take a bit more patience than originally thought." Patience, the one thing I'm about to run out of. Fury leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees. "Do you know what makes me a good director, Agent Hagino?"

"You've got killer instincts and an eye for the dramatics?"

He pauses, his brain likely running through all the quick-witted retaliations he could say. It seems he decides against it, sticking to his straight-to-business manner. "What makes me a good director is that I know how to take advantage of a bad situation. I think this is one of those situations. To put it simply, what you consider to be an ailment, I consider a... resource." I squirm under Fury's gaze. A resource? Is he kidding me?

Clint's eye flick to me. He moves forward, blocking me from view. I'm not sure if he even knows he'd doing it or if it's just an instinct to protect me, even outside of the field.

"Hold on, Director, what are you saying here?" Clint asks.

"Agent Hagino's new ability to alter her atomic state could be of benefit. We've run some simulations, and with the proper training, she could be a real asset in the field."

"With all due respect, sir, Hagino is already an asset in the field, and a damn good one if I do say so myself," Clint says.

Fury leans back again. "That as it may be, I can't overlook the potential to do some real good here, Agent Barton. Think about all the lives we could save if—"

"What if I say no?" I interrupt. This takes fury aback more than it should. He had to have known that I might say no, right? "I'm no help like this, Director Fury, trust me."