Thirty

23 0 0
                                    

Later that night we drove to the bridge leading to the Triskelion.   I had gotten rid of that stupid dress, and was clad in a red blazer with a white collared shirt underneath, and black business pants and boots.  Plus my wig.  Matt wore similar attire; tonight we needed to look the part of workers.  A spy had tipped us with a password to let us into the property, as well as ID badges, I was just praying that they wouldn't see through our young age.  I pulled us up to the booth, and the worker said, "Registration and IDs, please."

"We're guests," answered Matt quickly.

The worker raised his eyebrows, "No registration and I can't let you in,"

"Complete order is no greater than chaos." I stated.

He smiled and waved us through.  As we were driving, Matt asked, "What does that password even mean?"

"I guess when it was revealed that Hydra was secretly a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., they found out that Hydra wanted total order because of their belief that the world was in chaos.  S.H.I.E.L.D. kinda wants to prove that they're different." I explained, Matt nodded.

We parked in the parking garage, near a vent.  No, we were not going to climb through it to get where we needed to go, but perhaps on the way out if all else failed.  Up we went in an elevator, to the main floor.  There was minimal security (only metal detectors), as the main floor of the Triskelion had become somewhat of a tourist attraction, like the Smithsonian.  The first part of our plan was to get past the metal detectors; we did this by using our IDs.  They were of people who had gotten dusted and then went missing when we all came back- the new population mingling with the old led to confusion.  People generally went missing, and there were too many uncharted records that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't pay heed to its workers as much anymore.  S.H.I.E.L.D. again waved us through when we flashed our IDs.

Next, Matt and I found the archives on the tourist map.  I took a picture of the map just in case.  Similar to the one at the Avengers building, the archives would store information about everyone.  And, as I said earlier, information was outdated and uncharted, so it could be easily manipulated.  On the thirty-seventh floor was the archives, but the general public and lower-class S.H.I.E.L.D. workers were not allowed past the thirtieth floor; the main elevators on the floor only went up to thirty.  

I sidled up to a younger, male security worker and asked, "Excuse me, but how can I get to archives?"

Hydra would've told me to fuck off.  But, this worker answered gruffly, "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I work here as an intern." I lied.

"And?"

Seductively I said, "I want to see where one of my friends who dusted is, they say they have everything in the archives.  Betcha a handsome guy like you would like to show me around?" 

"Nice try,"

I grinned.  "I was thinking you'd say that,"

Matt knocked him out cold.  We quickly grabbed his pass to a security elevator, and dragged him inside.  He was going to be out for at least half an hour, based on what I had learnt about fighting, plenty of time to go to archives and get what I needed.  The ride lasted a minute, but in that time Matt kept giving me strange looks until I questioned, "What the hell's matter with you?"

Stony silence.

"Jesus, you be you I guess." I scoffed, and swallowed Criz because I was getting anxious.  If anything, I should've still been mad at Matt for drugging me!  For some reason I wasn't, though.  The silence was growing uncomfortable, so I stormed out of the elevator rapidly once the doors opened.  

The hall was empty, apart from S.H.I.E.L.D. guards patrolling their posts.  Upon the right side of the elevator there was a security guard at a desk chair and table.  The desk had a large computer system monitoring the entire floor.  I knocked out the guard while Matt typed a passcode into the computer, similar to the one Rumlow and his men used, to make sure the cameras stayed on the same loop for our time remaining at the archives floor.  However, the guards still patrolled their posts; it would be very difficult to not get noticed.  Matt and I crouched beneath the table, and I whispered, "Okay, what do you think we should do?"

I received the cold shoulder.  God, he's worse than the Winter Soldier!

"C'mon, Matt!  You have to work with me- do you want us both to get caught?"

Matt shrugged, but finally answered back, "Look above the table, but slowly.  See if you can spot a vent to get us inside the archives room."

My eyes scanned the hall.  "There's a vent on the far right side, at the very end of the hall.  But, only a bloody idiot would make that trip, Matt, there's too many guards everywhere!"

"I have an idea." he said.

"What is it?"

I met his gaze towards a control panel resting beside the desk.  Crawling towards it, Matt told me, "Maybe there's a setting to send off an alarm somewhere on this floor, to draw all the guards away-"

"So we can get to the vent!" I finished.

"Don't interrupt me."  Once again, things became flat between us.  

Under Matt's instruction, I flipped one switch.  Sure enough, an alarm sounded in the hallway to the left, and we watched all the security dart towards that spot.  After safely arriving at the vent, I used my knife to pick the screws and we crawled inside.  The vent shot directly upwards and then turned to cross the ceiling, but from standing on Matt's shoulders I was able to reach the ledge and haul myself up, followed by pulling Matt up.  It would be only mere minutes before the guards realize that there was no breach in the left hall, and then they would find that their security cameras were hacked and two of their men were unconscious.  Stealthily but quickly Matt and I worked, using the map on my phone as a guide and a flashlight.  Eventually, we made it.  Matt's heavy boot broke through the vent in the ceiling, which dropped us down to archives.  There were rows upon rows of shelves with bins and boxes, each containing files.  It reminded me of the Avengers tower.  "Technology's changed, Sarah, so I would try a computer." Matt pointed out.

I walked over to a high-tech computer in the corner of the room, and luckily Matt broke through the series of firewalls and passcodes.  Then, it was just me and the computer.

This is it, Sarah.  One small change to your file and Elissa Fleur will be gone forever.

Tears watered in my eyes as my trembling fingers touched the keyboard.  I took two Criz to stifle my anxiety.  Part of me was shaking with excitement, the other part shaking with fear.  Mayhaps I could finally be someone who had no strings attached to her life, or maybe I could be disappointing my loved ones.  

Enter your search here:

I typed in 'Elissa Fleur.'

Fleur, Elissa Joelle
Status:  Alive
Associations:  Hydra, Crimson Night
Involved in illegal activity including the drug trafficking of Criz, a potentially lethal drug if used unproperly.  Agent 13, Falcon, and their team are currently tracking Fleur's location.

I shouldn't have been surprised, I knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. was following me.  Agent Thirteen was the one following and filming me.  But, my heart still dropped to the floor when I saw myself on the computer.  S.H.I.E.L.D. was hunting me down, and now I had the power to stop them.  With a racing heart, I spelled out a new word.

D-E-C-E-A-S-E-D

Then, I hit 'save.'  No more S.H.I.E.L.D., no more Agent Thirteen.  Elissa Fleur was dead.  The deed was done, I sighed with relief, knees weakening.  "C'mon, let's go," I said to Matt and we headed to the door.

"Stop!  Put your hands up!"

Suddenly I was fighting through a mob of security guards.  My disguise was lost.  No one fought fair, I resorted to biting and knifing people in the arms and legs like a crazed animal, and S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to actually kill Matt and I with their guns.  Someone shouted while pointing at me, "This is Fleur, we can't kill her!"

 Whirling on that guard, I screamed, "Shut up!  I'm Sarah!"

OutsiderWhere stories live. Discover now