✓ THE SHIFTER, marvel

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"What do you mean I can't come and see you anymore?" 

Nick Fury sighed, giving the woman an agitated look. "Ms. Avery, listen-"

The woman let out a loud laugh, shaking her full head of hair vigorously. "Ms. Avery, listen," she mocked in a condescending tone. "Fury, you've known me for over ten years! I wait outside your office every Wednesday so we can talk-"

"Torrance," he muttered, rubbing his chin. "It's not that I don't love our talks, it's just the fact that I have a job!"

She rolled her eyes. "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D must be a really hard job, considering I've been one of your longest lasting agents."

"There isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D anymore after what happened in Washington. I know you like to still refer to me as the director, and it's nice to hear it...it really is, but that's not my position anymore. Remember? Pretending to be dead? Plus, how long you've been an agent isn't the point," he groaned, unlocking his office door and pushing himself inside with his shoulder. She followed closely behind, plopping down loudly on the couch by his desk. His office was bigger than most, half the walls made up of floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the countryside. The new Avengers Facility was nicer than the last to say the least.

"The point is, is that this time I've come with information. Now, don't get too excited," she grinned, seeing his eye peek up from behind the file he had grabbed off his desk. "It's not a huge lead, but it's something."

"You said you have been working the city, correct?" he asked, leaning against his desk. 

She nodded. Of course she had been working the city, she had been for months. "Do you want to know about the lead or are you going to keep asking me questions?"

He motioned for her to continue and she smiled. 

"I didn't find this out myself per say-" she started, giving Fury a sheepish grin. "-Santiago found it actually-"

"Who the hell is Santiago?" Fury asked. "And please don't tell me he's your new guy for the week-"

Rolling her eyes, she mumbled, "I don't have new guy every week...I keep to myself."

"Who is he?"

"My neighbor!"

"Your neighbor?" he laughed, shaking his head. He pushed off his desk, throwing his arms out and shouted, "You hear that everyone!? She got the lead from her neighbor!"

"What's the big deal? He's a very credible source-"

"I'm sure he is."

"He is! I swear!" she yelled. "He said he's been hearing talk about a new target."

"Hydra?"

She shrugged. "Could be, but we can't be certain. But it's not such a crazy idea, since I've encountered a few more than I like in the past few days."

"Know how many more are out there? Or did your source not have that type of information?"

She rolled her eyes, repeating herself, "We can't be certain."

He gave her a skeptical look and narrowed his eyes. "You aren't telling me the entire story, what aren't you telling me?"

She shifted in her seat. "The Winter Soldier, sir."

"Bucky Barnes? What about him?"

"He's a ghost story," she said, sitting on the edge of her seat. "Captain Rogers had nothing on his location and my very credible source says there's been word that Barnes is back in New York."