𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 | 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

𝟎𝟏. 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞

— 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 —

════════ ⋆★⋆ ════════

JULIE'S BROW FURROWED AS SHE LOOKED DOWN AT THE PHONE VIBRATING IN HER HAND. With a sigh, she held up a finger, interrupting the current discussion. John—the man whom she'd been speaking to and her significant other—visibly frowned and stiffened. The 'are you kidding me right now' expression didn't go unnoticed as Julie turned her back, pressing the phone against her ear.

"I thought I explicitly told you to never call this line," Julie said in a low tone, reminding the director of their arrangement. "I'm on a date at the moment. Can this wait?"

At this point it was impossible to balance lifestyles at once. Two jobs: agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and head of Stark Industries security department. True, she was meant to simply handle the paperwork, but since Alexander Potts had dropped off the grid several months ago... she had to pick up the slack until she could find a suitable replacement.And two very different circles: one that was her family and the people she cared for the most, the other filled with secrets and genuine horrors.

"Phase One has gone rogue."

Julie's jaw tensed and her lips tightened. She placed the line on hold, turning back to her boyfriend with the fakest smile she could get away with. "John, dear. It's Tony. He's asking me to pick up a couple more hours for a top-secret Stark project."

"Okay..." John eyed her expectantly. When she didn't give any further information, that frown returned to his face. "You promised that you'd let me help. Y'know, so you weren't spreading yourself so thin. Come on. I can help."

Julie shook her head. "Not with this."

John huffed. "Do you need me to look after the twins?"

Julie shook her head, quickly growing more engrossed in the encrypted emails that Fury sent her way. "No, that's alright. Happy's got them tonight. You can just head home and get some rest."

"Julie—"

"Goodnight, John," she interrupted. She wasn't intending to be rude, but time was of the essence if Fury meant what he'd said. She stood from their table, leaving the fancy restaurant behind as she climbed into her Stark-issued vehicle—of course with S.H.I.E.L.D. modifications—and transferred the call to the speaker system.

"Brief me."

"Selvig's experiment with the cube was less than ideal," Fury replied. "We received another extraterrestrial visitor not far off from the guests we hosted in New Mexico."