Of The Wolves And The Orphans

Allies

 I follow Barton wordlessly to a discreet door in the side of the building. He pulls out an id card and holds it up to a scanner. The scanner makes a beeping alarm sound and the door swings open. Barton and I walk in to a tunnel like hallway that leads to yet another door. He holds his id up to that one as well and it swings open.

I jump back a little warily at what it reveals. A woman in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform is standing with her arms crossed, obviously waiting for us. She is obviously muscular and a very imposing 5'11" for a woman. Her face is blank of emotion while her piecing blue eyes flick over everything. Her platinum blond hair is pulled back into a professional, military bun, only emphasizing the rigidness and lack of curves on her entire body. Her jaw is wide and strong with a large nose and forehead while her shoulders are broad and lined with obvious muscle along her entire body. I swear, if I didn't know better I would have said she looked like a man. She isn't pretty, not by a long shot, but she doesn't look like she wants to be pretty. She looks like she wants to beat the crap out of you.

"Agent Hunter," Barton acknowledges curtly.

She doesn't move or acknowledge Barton back but gets straight to the point. "The Director said you'd be coming with a new recruit."

"What else did he tell you?" Barton questions. She barely waits for him to finish before answering.

"Not much."

An awkward silence settled over our little group while Barton and Agent Hunter have a staring contest. I try to make myself the smallest and attract absolutely no attention. Of course, she turns her unnerving blue eyes straight to me. I avoid them and look at the ground, wishing Barton would get me out of this situation.

"So this is the recruit?" she questions as if I'm not standing right there. Neither of us answers since she already knows the answer. With her hands clasped behind her back, she slowly circles me and I can practically feel the line of her sight all across my body. "Not what I expected for putting up this much fuss," she comments to herself, which I find very rude.

"She was in medical for three months. Her physical condition is degraded," Clint adds. I send him a death glare from under my eyelashes. He is NOT helping.

"We are already full, I don't see how we can accept another recruit—"

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll be the one training her," Clint interrupts. Agent Hunter gives him a slightly surprised look before watching me with even more interest.

Dang you Barton!

"Fine," she clips curtly before heading to a computer and typing something. I breathe a sigh of relief now that her eyes are off me. "Your room will be 563 and you report at 0500 for your PT (physical test) and ME (medical exam). The rooms are through that door and straight down the hall. Dismissed," she cuts off.

I don't even glance at Barton before practically running out the door, thankful for any excuse to be out of there.

I hear the two agents talking in low tones, before the door slams shut behind me.

"Through that door and straight down the hall," I repeat softly to myself, "number 563."

Sure enough, I come across it in the millions of doors down the infinitely long hallway. I rest my hand on the door knob for a moment and pause. I cast a quick glance around. I wonder briefly how many of these rooms are occupied, and how many sleeping people are in here, just waiting for the sun to come up and bring another day.

I push the door open to reveal a cell like room, no different from the hospital ones I have been staying in; save this one has no tubes, wires, needles, and weird machines. A simple white cot is tucked in the corner with white sheets and a white bed stand on which sits a white alarm clock and all this blends in with the white walls. Two white doors to a closet and a bathroom are barely visible against the walls. I don't bother with anything, since I have no gear and no possessions, I have nothing to worry about. I practically fall into the cot that is a poor excuse for a bed and pull the itchy covers over my head, tunneling myself down as far as I can go.