AVIATION ▶ [CAROL DANVERS]

01. BLOCKBUSTER

IT'S six in the morning when she gets the call.

You wouldn't consider Carmen Pierce to be a morning person. The iced coffee she nurses in her hands every day and her "don't talk to me before noon" policy are testimony to that. But being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent goes hand-in-hand with unpredictability- she's gotten calls at three in the morning, while she's out with her friends or while screwing some chick she met at the bar, and whatnot.

She groans as her pager beeps loudly. She rolls over onto her stomach, her face smothered by the pillow as she reaches out blindly. The message just holds the address for the location of a Blockbuster a few streets away from where she lives. Slowly, her feet meet the cold floor- she grabs her shirt from where it was carelessly thrown on the chair and buttons it up over her baby blue camisole. She throws on her pants as she runs to the bathroom, throwing her coat on as she brushes furiously. Within five minutes she's in her car without her morning coffee and speeding through the lanes and pulling up where Fury and Coulson were waiting for her in their black sedan. 

"What's the deal?" She inquires as she slams the back door shut, leaning in between the two men sitting in the shotgun.

"No time to explain. Big hole in a Blockbuster's ceiling, a "blonde lady dressed for laser tag" reported by the local policeman. Says she was "talking funny"." Coulson answered, his eyes fixed on the road. "You look like you didn't take a shower," He says after a moment. 

"I didn't, Coulson, I got a five-minute notice, and I don't have uncharacteristic hair like yours." She says, a smirk tugging her lips. Coulson snorts. 

"We're here. Don't act like kids." Fury says, barely concealing a smile of his own. "Let's go."

She sees a police car pull up behind them, and the sirens are loud enough to startle whoever it is that they're dealing with. They empty the car, moving deftly towards the Blockbuster store. One quick look and Coulson turns back to the police car. 

"You called this in?" He asks, and the man in the car nods, his face pale. He points towards a distant figure standing outside the Radio Shack, seeming to be talking on the phone. 

She's hunched over, doing something on her wrist- Fury knocks on the glass of the booth. As she turns around, Carmen's heart skips a beat. She's gorgeous- her corn-coloured hair is blowing in the wind. She's wearing a tight, teal suit that hugs her curves and at the same time makes her look like some sort of advanced warrior or such. Her gaze falls on Fury and then moves to rest on Carmen. Their eyes lock and her heart speeds up. Carmen's known for a long time that her interests lie with members of the same sex but she's never felt this way before. What the fuck? What the fuck is happening. 

She composes herself instantly, unreadability masking her true feelings. It matches the emotionless composure of the blonde. 

"Excuse me, miss-" Fury says, and the woman focusses her attention back on him. "do you know anything about a lady blowing a hole through the roof of that Blockbuster over there?" 

"Witness says she was "dressed for laser tag"." He continues, his gaze falling pointedly on her attire. Carmen sees momentary confusion cloud the woman's eyes on hearing the words "laser tag", but is replaced by the same cold gaze. 

"Oh," She says, pretending to be in thought, looking to her right, "yeah, I think she went that way,"

Carmen barely resists a chuckle, clearing her throat and hiding her smile. The woman starts to move but Fury steps in to block her path. 

"Uh- I'd like to ask you a few questions," He says, pulling out his ID and flashing a smile. "Maybe give you the 411 on the late night drop box. Could I see some identification please?"

"Vers. Kree Starforce. We don't carry our identification on little cards," She mocks, moving past him once again. Fury blocks her path once again, and at this point, Carmen can see that it's an indirect battle for dominance. 

"Vers," Fury mirrors, trying to emphasise on the absurdity of her words, "Starforce. How long do you plan on being in town?"

"Well, I'll be out of your hair as soon as I track down the Skrulls that are infiltrating your planet." She retorts. Carmen can see that she's not joking. Maybe she's high? But she's too stoic to be.

Fury can barely hold back his amusement anymore. "Skrulls?" He repeats.

"Shapeshifters?" The tone of her voice clearly indicates that she thinks that all of them are brain dead. "They can transform into any lifeform down to the DNA?"

Fury smiles broadly, turning to Pierce and Coulson. While Carmen is just confused, Coulson is smiling back at Fury. Vers' eyes clearly express exasperation and irritation. "Oh, boy. You have no idea, do you?" 

She starts walking and Fury's hand shoots out to grab her arm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," He says, holding her back. "Hold on. How do we know you're not one of those shapeshifters?" 

She smiles. "Congratulations, Agent Fury, you have finally asked a relevant question," She says, sarcasm lacing her words. But Fury's had enough. "Oh, congratulations to you, you're under arrest."

As an agent steps forward with cuffs there's a distant sound of a weapon charging. A man in a swimsuit is crouching on the roof of one of the buildings with a huge...gun in his hands. It shoots out a huge purple beam which Vers sidesteps, pushing Carmen and Fury back. She recovers, shooting red-hot energy from something on her fist. Or was it her fist itself? It blasts through the wall, creating a massive hole. She runs to pursue the attacker and the agents are left stunned. 

Carmen takes out her handgun, moving towards the car. "Let's go!" She gets into the passenger seat and Fury into the driver's. Coulson sits behind. 

"Did you see her weapon?" Fury asks as he backs out of the area. 

"No."