Changes | Marvel

FIFTEEN. Most Cliche Exit Ever

Since I had come to the Stinger three months prior, my training was now almost complete and now I was ready to train as an actual agent. I was no longer a weak, defenceless little girl – I was now a 5-foot 3 teenager who had enough skill to flip you over her back in one move. Okay that may be exaggerated, but I can definitely throw someone onto their back. In my free time I like to head down to the gym and practise all my newly learnt skills on dummies and other agents who happened to be in the training rooms at the time. Many believed that I was a pretty good candidate for a young agent, and they didn't mind the extra training whilst fighting me. Some of them even gave me tips and tricks on how to surprise Agent Taylor when it came to our one-on-one rounds. Although he did say that in a couple of weeks I wouldn't actually need him anymore and that I could only train myself to become better.

I wasn't too upset by his words, the first month of training was pretty cool and I had a lot of enjoyment watching the guy muck around but after that, he distanced himself from both me and the base. He spent almost all his free time away on missions, and only saw me when it was time for my mandatory training. And lets not talk about how he had somehow acquired the personality of Fury on a bad day, something had happened in his time away from base since it only started after he went back onto missions. With his isolation brought me the opportunity to make a new friend with an agent temporarily staying next door to me. Agent Yoland (who demands that I all her Yoli) was extremely nice and helpful, taking on the position as my caregiver since no one else thought I needed companionship or supervision. She made sure I slept properly, ate all three meals and trained every day. She also made sure I kept my room and my surrounding areas clean from the mess that would slowly gather throughout the week. She was like my mum, except she wasn't really.

Everything started on the one-year anniversary of the battle of New York. I was sitting down watching TV one day, when an article on my brother came up.

"Hey, Mr Stark. When is somebody gonna kill this guy? I'm just saying." My brother looked at the camera, furious. They were going over the events that happened when I was asleep. Apparently, a guy named the Mandarin was bombing a whole lot of places and my brother had – as usual - gotten involved. The Mandarin decided that trying to kill Pepper and Tony was a good thing and destroyed our Miami home. All my personal belongings, all of the Stark tech, all the memories – Gone. Forever. I was kind of pissed off about that.

Then there was the Thor problem. He managed to lead aliens into Earth again, and his girlfriend (Jane) had something happen to her. She was taken to Asgard and both refuse to disclose what happened to SHIELD.

Speaking of the agency, SHIELD was getting bombarded with a shit load of problems that were making many of the leaders antsy – including Fury. Agents were lessening their visits to the secret bases, meaning there was barely anyone around me anymore, Eric was becoming a lot stricter with security and Yoli was constantly trying to talk me out of my daily visits to the outside world.

"Ave, come on. The base is supposed to be hidden; you can't just sit out in a field because you feel like it." She implores, exasperated with my efforts to leave.

"I want to though Yoli. I hate being locked up so much; you have to understand that it's been a big change for me." I plead, feeling frustrated. "I've went from having as much freedom as I want, to being locked up underground. This is all I've got left of my freedom, let me have this" I tell her miserably, not wanting her to take me in. She sighs, rubbing her forehead as if to ward of an incoming headache.

"Alright. Just... don't endanger yourself or the base." She gets up and pats my shoulder, walking off into the dense trees so she could go back to base. I let my body drop and I looked up into the sky, watching the clouds go by. The other day Phil had contacted me for the first time. He had supposedly been having a great time with his new team, running after bad guys and destroying the evil left in the world. There was the Ward guy, a woman named agent May, a duo who liked to be called Fitzsimmons (talk about ship names), a guy named Agent Triplett (who I'm pretty sure I've seen in this base before) and a non-agent hacker girl - Skye. He explained to me how he had been getting help from an old friend that I've never heard off. - Agent Garrett along with Agent Hand, Agent Sitwell and Blake. Together they were trying to take a bad guy down along with finding a dude that has experimental technology in his body. Sounds really dodgy if you ask me, I was kind of glad he didn't call me in.

Later that night I received a phone call from a private SHIELD number which I definitely knew was Phil considering he was the only one who had it. "Well, do I need to come in?" I ask him hopefully as soon as I take the call, I was lying face down on the bed whilst talking to him. He chuckles a little.

"No, not at the moment." He responds.

"Aw man! Phil, you had my hopes up." I pout, exaggerating my yell.

"Just sit tight. I feel something bad coming up; I think you'll be coming in very soon." He replies, voice lowering and losing its tone of playfulness. I sit up in the bed, instantly frowning at the unfamiliar tone he used.

"As much as I want to say, 'nothing will happen' I really want to come in, so good." I hear talking in the background.

"AC? Who you talking too?" AC? That was new one, I guess it's better than Agent.

"Classified Skye." I hear him smile. "What do you need?"

"We're ready for the meeting." I hear the woman's voice once more and I sigh knowing that he had to go.

"Alright. I'll be there soon, let me finish this." I hear a sliding door and Phil's voice becomes louder once more.

"Sorry Ave gotta go. I'll talk to you soon, alright?" I sigh heavily before agreeing.

"My birthday's coming up. I want a horse." I state seriously, twirling my hair around my index finger.

"Good luck." He hangs up before I can complain, and I smile throwing the phone onto the bed and heading off down to the gym.

It was only a couple of days later when I heard from Phil once more a simple code word yet Fury taught me its underlying meaning. Danger.

"LICOFIRE. TRUST ERIC. EYES EVERYWHERE."

Or in proper english, SHIELD has been infiltrated and I was to make my way to a safe house through Eric. I didn't understand the whole moving thing, wasn't I already in a safe house? This base was literally the deadest base I've ever seen... Well, of the 2 bases I've ever seen. Once I had a quick freak out in my room and contemplated where I would go from there, I quickly get up and put on some proper running shoes. Fury told me that if I ever got a LICOFIRE warning, then I had to make escaping my priority. Casually, I step out of the room and straight into a hard chest.

"Hey Ava." I look up to see Agent Taylor, who had most likely been standing right outside my door – creepy.

"Hey Agent." I step around him and try to walk off, but he puts a hand on my shoulder making me sigh heavily.

"Hey, you want to go spar for a while? I have some free time." He smiles down creepily at him and realisation sets into my body.

The disappearing.

The changing personality.

The 'Missions'

The creepy looks and glances.

Was Agent Taylor... infiltrating the base? I force a smile which I have had a lot of practise with and kind of shook off his hand from me. "Nah, I'm actually on my way to Billy. Phil just called and before he could say anything, the service went out. I'm just gonna ask when it'll be back up." His eyes focus on me as I walk away, but he doesn't stop me from walking away. As soon as I'm around the corner, I start running and walk straight into Billy's office, locking the door and barricading it behind me.

"Avery Stark, What the hell-" I cut him off by putting a finger over my mouth. The urgency in my eyes must've made him listen to me. I pass him my phone and his mouth kind of drops. Silently, he motions me to behind his desk, he presses a button and the bookcase turns into itself, revealing a secret door. Obviously, he must have the most cliché escape route ever. Together, we walk through the dark but about half way, shooting and yelling erupts from the roof above us. We begin to rush, and the end of the tunnel was beginning to show up in the dim lighting. We quietly make it out and I sigh in relief.

Too early.

A cock of a gun is sounded, and I feel the cool metal being held to the side of my head.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave, Miss Stark."

Nothing my ass, Agent Taylor was not a good guy.