Bound By Purpose

Rememberance

I feel different. Everything about me feels condensed, pressured, as if I were slowly being shrunk down into nothing. I open my eyes in a panic, expecting to fall forward I throw my arms out, instead my fingers jam into smooth glass. I peer out at one woman who is staring back at me helplessly. I take in a breath of the stale air and do my best to point to the button. "It's just that black one there." I say. My breath fogs the glass as I speak, and I can hear the deep hum of my cage. The woman looks down again nodding. She hits the button and for the first time I'm able to step down of my own accord. The normalized pressure makes me nauseous and dizzy so I grab the door so I can steady myself. I would've passed out had it not been for the fresh air I began to pump in and out of my lungs again.

The woman is reaching out, but I swat her hand away. "I'm good." I say as I do my best to straighten myself back up. She's clear now, she stands tall and lean, she has dark brunette hair and she stands with a poise that not a lot of women carry. I do my best to match her in stature but my well being hasn't quite caught up with my attitude yet. 

"I'm Agent Maria Hill. Nick sent me to get you." At this she looks down, a tell tale sign of trouble.

"Is he dead?" I ask, I haven't had the best track record of waking up to good news. It's best to just get to the point.

"No. He was... We brought him back, and umm... Well... I'm gonna be frank with you... SHIELD is..." She pauses. "We're in a pretty shitty situation if I'm being honest." She's turned herself on now, it's harder to get a read on her. "Please follow me." She says turning her back. I leave the safety of my hold on the door and follow her through the same cascade I walked through years earlier. If Nick is here then that surely does mean a dire situation. 

I slow and then freeze altogether when I see Nick propped up on a hospital bed. Even from here I can tell he's seen quite a few years and recently has been in it, deep. Maria has made it to his side, she turns to me helplessly. "Surely, you can't be expecting me to save you." I say as I make my way to the foot of his bed. He might as well be torn to shreds.

He lightly shakes his head. "Maria is going after some of our Agents, I need you to stay here so we can talk. There's a few things I need to catch you up on." Beside his bed there is a small table with a briefcase and a few files peeking their way out.

I find Nick's gaze again. "What is it we will be talking about?" Maria sees me looking at the case and steps to divert my view. Suddenly I feel very vulnerable.

He lifts a hand to Maria who kneels down to his eye level. I can barely hear his whispers, but without any other sound in the world the details come clearly. "Carter called it in... Their forces have them spotted and are on the move... Go now... Whatever it takes..." She nods as she stands. She walks out without another word. When there is no sight of her left I turn back to Fury. "You may want to sit for this." He says. At first I tell myself that that's no way to carry myself, but then I remember the state I've been in, with no idea how long I've been gone, I reluctantly pull up one of the only chairs to the place where Agent Hill stood moments before.

"Are we the only one's here?" I ask trying desperately not to stare at the SHIELD files to my left. 

"No. There's a few keeping watch outside."

I shake my head at 'a few'. "How'd we get to this Nick? Look at you, it looks like someone used you as a target at a shooting range." Along with the bullet holes, he's wearing a sling and and an eye patch, though something tells me that wasn't from his most recent fight. I ask the question again. "How'd we get here Nick?" He nods his head towards the file on the stand. I reach over and place it in my lap. I stare down at it, I so desperately want to see what's inside but at the same time I fear it will show me nothing I want to see. I place my right hand over the SHIELD insignia and then look below. "Avengers Initiative?" I laugh. "You kept this thing alive? I thought it died out with Howard."