What If...? Rumlow Turned Against Hydra: Book One

12

"You'd better be sure of those credentials."

"Of course I'm sure, but more importantly, Matthias is sure."

Lincoln Creigh still looked disgruntled, but also eager to get to work. They both walked confidently into the lobby of the Triskelion, having been told that while the identity cards they carried would get them into the building, they needed to register with security in more than one way since they would be working for SHIELD directly. Creigh looked around at the vast space with high ceilings, steel and glass everywhere almost able to feel the sense of awe that the designers of the building had so obviously intended. The lobby alone breathed a sense of power that could not be matched or challenged. He decided that it was a success but only because certain types of people would respond to it. He was not one of them. After all, his entire purpose in being in the headquarters of SHIELD was to work around their power rather than meet it head on. He felt the smile he did not want to show for the various forms of security monitors that had to be everywhere even if they weren't plainly visible.

"You, Moira Paine, are a gigantic pain in my ass," Creigh told his companion, in an undertone, trying not to be conspicuous. She was a small woman with unassuming features who would have looked more at home anywhere than with the largest criminal organization in the world. He had always admired her, and her abilities, but their relationship was built on mutual sarcasm as opposed to open respect.

"You think you're pretty clever don't you, Creigh-fish? I can't believe I had to cut my vacation short just to work with you," she hissed at him, also trying not to draw attention to their conversation. They weren't supposed to know each other, according to their cover story. They both kept their expressions open, pleasant as well as somewhat nervous, appropriate for two new hires chatting to pass the time.

"You took a vacation? Since when?" He was honestly flabbergasted. He had never thought Paine would ever take a vacation.

"I do have family," she hissed at him, glancing around at the crowded lobby. "And they live nearby, so I didn't have to travel far."

"Huh, weird that you have family but weirder that they like you enough to want you to visit."

"At least some people like to be around me. Even other weirdos can't stand you."
Their quiet banter was halted as they were finally waved over to the security desk, manned by black clad men and women who looked so obviously like stock villains Creigh wanted to laugh out loud. There was apparently very little self-awareness in SHIELD and even less subtlety. He began to think that everyone in SHIELD who wasn't also in Hydra was willfully blind when it was so obvious their precious agency was one of the darkest in the U.S. government. He'd spent considerable time in the Pentagon, as well as Fort Meade, so he felt he had enough expertise to make that assessment.

"Identification," the guard sitting directly in front of them said in a bored tone.

Dutifully, both Creigh and Paine handed over the U.S. government identification cards, as well as their most recent false driver's licenses and U.S. passports. In spite of her earlier confidence, Paine looked uncomfortable, but Creigh only noticed it since he knew her so well. Anyone else would assume she was just slightly anxious on the first day of a new job. Creigh felt a rising apprehension as it seemed to take too long for the guard to process their identification.

The guard handed them back all of their forms of identification, asking questions as he did. "You came here from the Pentagon," was said to Creigh, who nodded.

"I worked there for seven years," he confirmed.

"And you were a contractor working for Raytheon, then you worked as a civilian in the Department of Defense, also at the Pentagon."