Return to Russia

Chapter 5

Intrigued, but still furious, I walk Charlie down the hall and back to her room. I do what I can to calm her down, and gradually, she stops sobbing.

"I know we haven't accomplished much yet, but how can he expect us to make as much progress as you could?" she sniffles.

"He sets his expectations way too high all the time, don't worry about it. He'll eventually learn to tailor them to your abilities." I sit next to her on her bed, one arm around her shoulders.

"Is he really going to send me home?" Charlie looks up at me with tear-filled eyes, worry and self-doubt evident on her face.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Here, let me find you some tissues." I wander into the bathroom, hoping there's a box of Kleenex somewhere. While I'm looking, I hear the door to the hallway open and someone come in.

"Charlie, are you okay?" Isaac asks anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But what was that attitude back there? That wasn't you," she replies tersely.

"Don't you get it, Char? Those people are professionals. I had to try to talk myself up. Director Fury said it himself—they don't even want to work with us. We're nobodies; they're the goddamn Avengers!"

"You're wrong. They may have had their doubts before, but you might have sealed our fate with that false ego. Please, just dress in your normal clothes and stop slicking your hair back. It's obvious you're not impressing them. You just look like a jackass."

"I... I do? Oh God, Charlie, why didn't you say something sooner? They probably think I'm an imbecile!" Isaac's voice is rough, panicked, and missing all of the self-importance that had inflated it earlier.

"Relax, we're used to it," I shrug as I walk back into the main bedroom, a box of tissues in hand.

"How long have you been here?" Isaac takes an involuntary step back, his voice rising in pitch. "I mean, uh, you are?" He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I assume you've seen the entry-level agents milling about the main floor at headquarters?" I hand the tissues to Charlie, who graciously accepts them. "I have to interact with them way more often than I'd like to. They always try to make themselves seem as important as possible because they know who I am. Honestly? I couldn't care less how important they are. Genuine people are much more pleasant to work with than the stuck-up assholes with inflated egos. The suck-ups are also the only agents I know that take the time to make their hair as shiny as their freshly polished shoes. It's disgusting."

Isaac nervously runs his hand through his hair, the copious amounts of styling gel causing it to stick out in several different directions. He loosens his tie and the top button on his pressed dress shirt. "Can we start over?" he asks, extending his hand. "My name is Isaac Huffman, and it is an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you."

"Likewise," I smile as I shake his hand firmly. His posture quickly relaxes and a smile lights up his eyes. "Now, if you two are going to be alright, I should probably go talk to Nick."

"Right. If you're unable to convince him to let us stay, I completely understand; we haven't really been that useful here."

"Don't worry, I won't let him send you home. Besides, he knows just as well as I do how important it is to have backup." And with a curt wave, I leave Charlie and Isaac to go find our boss. After having no luck at his room, I head back to the conference room. Hushed whispers slip through the gap in the door, barely even audible. I knock once, and the noise from within ceases. Soft footsteps indicate someone is coming over to check the door, which opens ever so gradually. As soon as Maria recognizes me through the crack in the door, she swings it open and quickly ushers me in.