Clara Lewis: S.H.I.E.L.D agent, New Yorker, accidental time traveller- wait what?!
Clara thought being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent made her life as crazy as it would get. Ever since her accident in the field, she'd become a desk agent but working as Phil C...
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"You know," Phil said, awkwardly rubbing his hands together behind his back, "It's a real pleasure having you here."
Phil was edging up to Steve on the quinjet so he could talk to his idol. It worked so well because Steve had nowhere to run away to.
"It's so great to be introduced to you, you know, officially. I sort of, watched you...while you were sleeping."
Clara snapped her head around to stare wide eyed at Phil to get his attention. She looked at Phil, raising her eyebrows and using her head to gesture to Steve's uncomfortable facial expression.
"I mean, I, um, was present while you were, er, unconscious from the- from the ice."
Steve raised his eyebrows and sighed at the same time as Clara. She had to stop herself from laughing, it would just make the situation a whole lot worse.
"What Phil means to say is, of course, America is very grateful for all you did and it is a real honour that you're working with us now to save the world again." Clara interjected to try and salvage the incredible uncomfortable journey. "Isn't that right, Phil?"
"Oh, yes. It is such an honour. I can't tell you how much of an honour it really is. I'm just thrilled that you're-"
"Phil. Perhaps now would be a good time to debrief Steve?"
"Oh, yes, of course."
Clara smiled at Phil and gave him a reassuring thumbs up from under the mission file on her lap. The guy just gets too damned excited.
"So, this Loki," Steve began once Phil had explained it all to him, quite successfully, Clar had to admit, he only went on three tangents, "If he has the tesseract then, we're facing another war?"
"Afraid so." Clara admitted as the quinjet landed on the stretch of runway on the helicarrier that was already teeming with S.H.I.E.L.D agents rushing around to secure all the vehicles.
"And we'll need your help preventing it." Phil chimed in, for once acting normal, "We made some moderations to your uniform. I even had a bit or design input!" He said, pulling down his jacket and pushing out his chest in pride. Steve just looked at him blankly.
"You don't think it's a bit old fashioned?"
"Think of it as vintage." Clara joked making Steve smile slightly.
"I think, with everything that's about to happen, a bit of old fashioned is just what people need." Phil said wisely, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder then quickly removing it and pretending that awkward encounter had never happened.
Within five minutes, the quinjet was secured tightly to the helicarrier runway. The infamous agent Romanoff came to great them as they landed.
"Coulson, they're starting face recognition on the bridge." Romanoff said professionally and Phil made his excuses to leave, sighing in relief as he left that he didn't make too much of a fool of himself.
"He's a great agent." Clara remarked, "He's just idolised you since a child, he's very excited you're working with us."
"Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards?" Romanoff queeried, a half embarrassed, half entertained smile on her face. Steve just looked embarrassed.
"Trading cards?"
"They're vintage. He's very proud of them."
In amongst all of the organised chaos of S.H.I.E.L.D teams running around everywhere, poor doctor Banner had gotten himself lost. He wasn't what Clara had expected. For one, he looked just like any other guy. He was looking around him, darting out of people's way, like a lost puppy. The expression on his weathered face a combination of terror and peculiar excitement that reminded Clara of herself. She just hoped his first S.H.I.E.L.D mission wouldn't end up like hers.
"Doctor Banner!" Steve announced, grabbing his attention and approaching him. Romanoff and Clara in pursuit.
"Oh, hey." Banner said awkwardly, extending his hand to meet Steve's.
"You're here to find the tesseract?" Steve asked although Clara had made sure he'd been thoroughly debriefed.
"Yeah...is that the only thing you've heard about me?"
"Only thing I care about." Steve replied almost as soon as the question had left Banner's lips.
Clara felt the vibrations through the helicarrier and smiled for she knew what would be happening next. She'd only ever been on a helicarrier once before and that had not been a pleasant experience. But watching it take off, almost like magic, had certainly distracted her from the bullet hole in her chest.
"You fellows might want to get inside." Clara suggested.
"It's going to get hard to breath." Romanoff added. Clara smiled and sighed at the terrified expressions on Steve and Banner's faces.
"They want to put me," Banner mumbled, "in a submarine, a pressurised tin can?"
Both Steve and Banner walked two paces towards the edge and peered over, just in time to see the propellers fully emerge. It wasn't like anything they'd ever seen before, how could it? It was state of the art, no one else had this technology. It wouldn't be long now before the entire thing was carried away, out of the water and into the sky. Banner must have worked this out-
"Nope, this is much worse!"
Clara and Romanoff lead the two men into the helicarrier and to the main deck. Clara had never worked with Romanoff before. Of course, she had heard of her and had even met her a couple of times through Phil, but this would be her first mission on the same team as the Black Widow. Clara new her position was purely ceremonial but boy did it feel good!
She delivered Steve to Phil on the main deck and made herself as comfortable as she could on the stiff-backed desk chairs at the helicarrier's many computer screens. From the corner of her eye, she could see Phil make awkward conversation with Steve.
"Would you mind?" She heard Phil's voice ask, "It's a vintage set."
'oh no', she thought,
"Took me a while to collect them all."
"Yeah, sure. No problem." Steve replied, not even looking at Phil. Phil turned away, a triumphant smile on his face. Clara shook her head in despair, smiling nonetheless.
Thankfully, just at that moment, on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents running facial recognition- agent Sitwell was it?- announced that they had found a match, in Germany of all places.
"Cap," Director Fury announced, "You're up."
It was rather stirring watching Captain America reappear in his uniform ready to safe the day but Clara couldn't help noticing that his suit was essentially a unitard.
"Was it your idea to make it this tight?" She leaned over and whispered in Phil's ear. He gave her a look that she knew meant 'drop it'. She wouldn't. She would never let Phil live it down!
