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Post by Ray on Jan 12, 2016 20:39:51 GMT -7
Fury arches a brow at her, but lets her continue with her very free rant as he silently watches, unamused and unimpressed. He waits for a good ten seconds after she finishes, letting the quiet tension fall in thickly. Finally, he inhales a little deeply, and begins. "I gave you two scientists more than qualified to handle an unknown object. Better qualified than most scientists in this facility, but you're more than welcome to pick out a few more experienced but less spry agents in our collection who've never seen a day outside of a lab in all of their twenty years at the agency and don't even remember their years studying SHIELD protocol. I, personally, tend to find younger agents more capable of listening in stressful situations, but that's just my opinion." Fury comments, bobbing his head a little defiantly. "As for the three agents...well, they'll be receiving their own sanctions for not doing their goddamn jobs, but I think you're forgetting that the only person I handpicked myself for this mission was you." He states, clearly. "But I wouldn't blame Commander Hill for a couple of underachieving agents who are going to have a hell of a time getting court-martialed and cleaning bathrooms."
Fury unlaces his fingers and slowly leans back in his black, leather chair, but his dark eyes never seem to leave her face. Never even seem to blink except for when he expressively wants to.
"But I'm not too big of a man to admit that this mission had his faults from the beginning. Our intel was sparse and our determination of the scene didn't account for the apparent importance of this object. So I'll take full responsibility for the danger you faced and the injury you received. I'll even forget that you allowed an unauthorized agent to pilot your plane." He admits, though his gaze remains critical. "And you want to know why?" He prompts, brows lifting higher.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 12, 2016 20:55:33 GMT -7
Emily listened to what he was saying and she bit down on her lip to keep herself from screaming at him that this mission should never have happened in the first place. But also she wanted to scream out about the pain she was going through because of that damn 084. She tried to sit in a comfortable position but sadly no matter what way she sat, she was still in so much pain. She looked down and then cleared her throat. "If it's Fitzsimmons you're on about court-martialing then please don't" she finally said and looked up at him. If it was to do with the three guards, well now two, the other one was left in England. He was probably dead anyway.
She listened as he continued to go on before raising her eyebrow at the fact that he said he would take full responsibility, right now she had to be dreaming, right? There is no way in hell he would actually admit that surely? But Emily knew she wasn't dreaming and knew it was probably taking a lot for him to admit that. Then came the question at the end and she swallowed hard. Emily was going to say that Caesar was a damn good pilot and she had needed him but then that would be opening up a can of worms that they wouldn't be able to shut and it would probably end with one or both of them being relocated across the globe from each other. And she hated the idea of that.
"Why?" Emily asked and watched him. "I don't understand why you would do that especially when I'm the one who had the unauthorized pilot on the plane, well I would've take full responsibility for that anyway but why are you letting that go?"
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Post by Ray on Jan 12, 2016 21:12:53 GMT -7
He can see the gears working in her head, trying to figure out just what he's playing at. It always surprises him just how surprised everyone else seems to act when he's not the big, mean Director that agency myth has created him to be. Sure, he's hard. Hard on all of them. Not even Captain America, for all of his flag-waving glory, gets it easier than even the lowest level agent. But he would never purposefully put his agents in a situation he didn't feel they could handle. Mistakes happen. And even the Director of SHIELD is capable of making them.
"Because despite the shitty circumstances, you still completed your mission." Fury clarifies, blinking slowly along with his words. "You were overwhelmed, undermanned, shot, and still managed to bring back eighty-five percent of your team unscathed." He leans forward once more, elbows resting on his desk. "In the military, you would get a medal and a lifetime movie for that." Fury adds on with a hint of sarcasm, but no smile graces his mouth.
There's a quiet knock on the door, and Fury's glance drifts to the side long enough to see the head of a medic poking in through the crack. "Give us another minute, and then she's all yours." He tells them, and the man nods curtly and closes the door with him on the other side, waiting. Fury looks back to Emily and takes another deep breath, sighing it out.
"I want to give you your own team." He states, getting right to the point to waste no further time. "Your pick, because clearly you have a good eye if you picked an asset like Agent Laurent. I already put in the paperwork. All you have to do is agree."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 12, 2016 21:26:26 GMT -7
Emily had to admit that the two things she thought of was getting Fitzsimmons out of the castle and getting the 084 out of there so that the other team wouldn't get their hands on it and it was true, other than the fact there was still one agent in the castle, she had got everyone home, well Caesar had done that after he took over. But both Fitz and Simmons had their heads screwed on tight enough to know that they were in safe hands no matter who had been leading the mission.
She scoffed and then looked down. No doubt there was someone out there penning a TV show after her, she didn't need a movie or a medal either. Emily just wanted to keep her team safe and she didn't do that after she got shot, that had fell on Caesar. In honesty she would've been lost without him and probably could guarantee that if the other pilot had taken her out to England, she probably wouldn't be coming back.
Emily glances back over her shoulder and sees the medic poking their head around the door and she was actually happy to see them, they would make her feel a bit more comfortable than she was right now. And god she wanted some more sleep, if she could get it. Her eyes then fell back on Fury when he sighed and then started to talk. The words that came out of his mouth was definitely something that she never thought she would hear, ever. Maybe that she had done a good job and would be leading another mission but definitely not leading her own team. This was big.
"I.." she said and felt her eyes widen at the fact that he wanted her to agree to take on the team. He was sitting there waiting for an answer and so she said "Yes" and nodded before she cleared her throat. "I already know who I want on the team" she admitted. "I want Laurent, Fitzsimmons, I also want Tripp and to bring in Hunter again, I know we've used him before but I would like him on the team and.." she cleared her throat and leaned forward, slightly. "There is another thing I ask, once Teresa Atwood accepts the proposal to join SHIELD, I would like to have her on my team so that I can train her up. I have a feeling she would make a damn good agent and I want to be the one to get her there, if I may of course"
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Post by Ray on Jan 13, 2016 21:44:16 GMT -7
"Fitzsimmons, Tripp, and Hunter I can do." Fury replies, mentally cataloging the names in his brain. He'll add it to the file after she's gone to medical, making it official as soon as possible. Amanda will no doubt be stuck in a hospital bed for the next few days or so - a week being a kind minimum - but that doesn't mean that she still can't work. Or, at least, get a clear understanding of just who she's inviting onto her missions. She seems to think she knows well enough, considering how quickly she rattled off the names like she'd been planning this dream team since she was a child like its a Fantasy Football League, but she'd be surprised.
Wouldn't be the first time at the very least.
"Teresa Atwood has to say yes first. And even then, putting her immediately into field missions without any proper Academy training could be risky. It's been done before. But risky nonetheless." He admits, though the girl has trained with both Stark and Barton before, so it might not be too bad of an idea. Fury certainly didn't learn through no damn Academy, but there's been very few agents that preceded and followed him that could say the same thing. "And Laurent..." Fury pauses for a moment, lacing his hands together once more.
It's not hesitation. Not really. But Laurent is one of those special cases that Amanda wants Teresa to be. Fury can think of a dozen places, off the top of his head, right now, where he feels Laurent should be rather than stuck here in HQ like some lab dog with a short leash. But the Council has yet to allow him to put Laurent to better use. Not without Fury agreeing to some...less than seemly tests.
But they work well together. And what else is Laurent going to do.
"I'll allow it." Fury finally concludes. "For the time being."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 14, 2016 0:30:30 GMT -7
Emily watched as he listed off the names that she wanted on her team. Fitzsimmons was here st the triskelion and Tripp would have to be called in seeing as he was on field missions but Hunter, she would have to give the call herself. After their last mission together he had told her not to think of SHIELD as a life but rather as a job and then he had left to do god knows what. Now she had to find him and having time in the medical ward would give her that time to track the British asshole down. If he allowed her to of course.
She listened and nodded when he said about Teresa had to say yes first. Sure she had gone to her on New Year's Eve to get her answer but she had gone to her when she exited stark tower and the young woman looked as if she would consider it. That was then and this was now, if she gave Teresa enough time then she hoped she would come to her rather than Emily go to Teresa, it would work out better that way because it meant that it was on Teresa's terms rather than her own but only time would tell.
She listened as he seemed to hesitate on Caesar. She knew he would probably be in trouble, even though fury himself said that he was willing to overlook the decision to take him with her but in all honesty, she was the only pilot she trusted and he had her back the whole time and that's why If both fury and Caesar said yes then she was going to make him him her second in command, it wasn't because she was sleeping with him or had feelings for him that was even surprising to her especially when she hadn't planned to fall for him, but because she could trust his judgement. He would have her back, hell he had it when those other guys had locked them in the castle. He had her back when she was out for the count back at Retreat and had taken over the team to allow her to get some rest. He was well up for the job.
"Thank you sir" she said immediately when he said that he would allow Caesar on her team for the time being. But even she knew that in some cases it would end up being permanent. But for now she was just happy to have him with her. "Oh I was wondering if I could have fitzsimmons' and tripps files so that I can better understand them, if I may of course.." She said with a soft smile before looking back towards the door.
"I better get that treatment seeing as I am in quite a lot of pain and If you're finished with me sir then I think I might go with the medical staff to get checked in to the ward"
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Post by Ray on Jan 14, 2016 16:26:20 GMT -7
"I'll send them your way." Fury replies with a curt nod, though he watches her with a lingering, questioning look masked by his usual hard indifference. It seems unusual, at least to him, to only request the files of half the team. Granted, she's worked with both of them in the past, one more recently than the other, but getting a look at Hunter's file would be just as beneficial as looking at Tripp's or Fitzsimmon's. And Caesar's...
Perhaps it's better she doesn't ask for his.
"Come in." Fury bellows out towards the door. Almost immediately, the door opens a crack and the medic peeks through once more, looking a little hesitant but a little anxious to get moving at the same time. Fury turns his gaze back to Amanda. "Get some rest. Heal up. And once you're on your feet, get your team into shape." He tells her, before adding with an almost humorous cock of an eyebrow, "That's an order."
The medic opens the door a little further and puts his own frame in the entryway, giving Amanda a tight-lipped smile. He has a wheelchair just outside of the door, one hand on the back of it, and a medical bag slung over his arm.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 14, 2016 16:41:18 GMT -7
"Thank you, sir" she said with a pained smile and then bit down on her lip. Emily knew that it was strange to only ask for three people's files rather than the other two aswell, but there wasn't anything on Caesar's or even Hunter's files that she didn't already know. Both would have her back if something went wrong. Caesar proved that far too many times.
She looked back at the door once more when fury bellowed and was actually glad to see the medic on the other side of the door. In honesty she could do with the rest and SHIELD had the good stuff that would keep her out of pain while she was healing. Her eyes fell back on fury when he spoke and she nodded once. "I shall do that, director" she gave him another smile only this one wasn't so pained and then slowly rose to her feet.
Emily had felt pain before, it wasn't anything new but she really would like to take time off from getting shot, granted this was only the second time it had ever happened but her thoughts had instantly gone to Daniel and it wasn't actually the first time she nearly had a panic attack while on a mission. She wasn't unstable and fury didn't need to know about it but it was one of the reasons why she had tried putting off going on field missions.
She moved over to the door and then looked back at fury before she moved out of his office and to the waiting wheelchair. She was getting her own team and it felt strange and the first person she wanted to tell was the person she always wanted to tell things but Emily wanted to do that face to face instead but she grabbed her cell out of her pocket and wrote a quick message to Caesar.
Dont worry about the repercussions, it's all been sorted. I'll be in the medical wing for a bit, need to heal and SHIELD has the good stuff. I'll see you soon and thank you again for saving my ass.
And sent it. Emily put the cell back into her back as she was slowly wheeled away from furys office and towards the medical wing. She knew she wouldn't be out for a bit, and it would give her time to get some proper rest from work.
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Post by Ray on Jan 14, 2016 17:06:34 GMT -7
"Let's go get it." Poe says flat-out, not even a quiver of a smile twitching at his lips or a lingering twinkle of humor in his dark eyes. "Let's go get the alien stick thing."
"Poe. No." Caesar replies automatically, giving him a hard look. His cellphone vibrates in his pocket, and Caesar digs a hand into his flight suit while keeping his eyes locked on Poe's face. "We don't even know what it is. It could be dangerous. Hell, it is dangerous." He huffs out the last few words, finally dropping his eyes away to look down at the smooth screen of his phone. His battery is almost dead - a little red light flashes at the top - but he skims over the text quickly, surprise bubbling up within him at her words.
They hadn't seen Maria since she disappeared with Emily in tow, looking pissed off and on the prowl. And now, with Emily's vague text, he's a little worried about Emily's fate. He sends back a quick text.
Everything fine?
"We won't know until we find out, right?" Poe continues, not deterred by Caesar's distraction. "You had a reaction to it, man." He says, leaning in a little closer and a little excitedly. Caesar looks up at him with an unimpressed expression and stuffs the phone back into his pocket. "Maybe it's your destiny."
"To fight Darth Vader and destroy the Death Star?" Caesar replies wryly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
"We've done weirder things." Poe retorts, and he's not entirely wrong. But he's not right either.
"Says the guy who, ten minutes ago, was chewing my ass out about flying somewhere I shouldn't have." Caesar huffs out a slight laugh.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 14, 2016 17:18:44 GMT -7
Emily felt her cell vibrate just as the elevator doors shut up. The medical wing was on one of the lower levels. She reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell and saw that the message was from Caesar. Of course it was. She had left a cryptic message but at the same time it gave a tad bit of information. Everything was sorted with Fury, even though he had been the one to bring up the fact that he wouldn't do anything about Caesar being on her mission.
It wasn't the first time he had been on a mission with her. He always escorted her and to be honest she really didn't mind it because at least she had someone on the mission that she knew.
She bit down on her lip and then went back to the message. Was everything really fine? At the moment she was in a lot of pain but that was just completely normal but she had to say something because he would get suspicious if she didn't say anything, and that was the last thing she wanted.
Everything's fine. Don't worry.
Then sent it and looked up when the doors of the elevator opened and the medic wheeled her out to the ward that she would be staying on for a while. Emily believed Fury when he said that he would overlook the fact that Caesar had been on the mission with her but she had trusted him. He had her back and that's what was important.
Emily took one last look of the Triskelion before the medical doors shut and she would be in there for a few days.
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Post by Ray on Jan 14, 2016 17:58:54 GMT -7
It's the morning of the fourth day, and Caesar wakes up in a cold sweat.
He sits upright as soon as his eyes snap open, the sudden panic shocking his body into motion. Sunlight is just barely fluttering in through the cracks in his pale blue curtains, creating a streak of light across the sheets tangled around his feet. All three of his dogs are piled on the other half of the bed, unaware of their panting owner or the heaviness of the air. The apartment is freezing, icy, but he still feels like his skin is burning and crawling.
He just doesn't know why. A darkness looms where the memory of dreams should be, like someone erasing a blackboard before he can even see what was written. A bead of sweat rolls down his brow, and swallows down the dry lump in his throat with difficulty.
Caesar closes his eyes, forcing himself to breathe in deep, regulated breaths, and thinks back. Tries to pull the images back to him. Strains for something.
But there's nothing. Not even the pacing of his dogs or his stumbling to the bathroom at two in the morning or the long hours of stillness. Just...nothing.
He opens his eyes, his lips parted and pulled into a worried frown, his brows pressed together, and sits there in silence until his alarm goes off at 7:15.
"You look like hell." Agent Huang comments as she pours herself a coffee in the Hangar break room. Or, at least, they call it the break-room. At one point in time it'd been storage space, the filing cabinets still stacked in one corner with heavy duty locks sealing them shut, but over the years, SHIELD stopped storing their things in here and agents starting bringing in a mismatched set of chairs and a picnic table and a box of donuts. "And yes. I'm surprised that's even possible for you." She muses with a teasing smile. She's already in her flight suit, black hair pulled back into a long ponytail trailing down the center of her back, helmet resting beside her mug. She has a yellow ace of spades painted on the side. She was an Air Force pilot at one time, serving missions for China before SHIELD picked her up. Sometimes, her English is far better than Caesar's.
Caesar grabs a bearclaw from the already half-empty box of donuts, black duffel bag slung over his arm, and takes a bite out of it. "Long night. You seen Poe?" He asks, after swallowing quickly.
"Gym," Ya replies, sipping at her coffee.
"Could you tell him I'll be in the medical wing if you see him." Caesar comments with a nod, turning for the door.
"Can do." She calls after him.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 14, 2016 18:14:58 GMT -7
It was the morning of the fourth day when Emily woke up and was happy to know that she would be getting out of the place today. She was healing remarkably and even she was feeling better. Fury had given her the files that she had asked for but they just remained in a drawer in the bedside cabinet.
Fitzsimmons had dropped by a couple of times, after Simmons found out that's where she was. The young agent had said that she needed to know that Emily was doing better. Thankfully she hadn't seen the files at one point had been on top of the cupboard until she had moved them into the drawer. Fury had told her to heal and then sort her team out and she was going to do that. Not only had her body healed but she had got enough sleep to the point that her mind wasn't constantly talking to her as she tried to sleep.
In all honesty, coming to the medical wing had been the best thing she had ever done. SHIELD had the best drugs that anyone could ask for. They had the best beds but sadly the food wasn't that good and she had been craving a burger by the second night of her stay, but the last thing she wanted was to have a doctor on her case so she didn't ask anyone to bring one in.
Today, she was getting out of this place. Another agent had brought by some clothes for her, just normal SHIELD uniform, until she got home to her own clothes. She had had a shower, as quickly as she could before she put the clothes on and sat down on the bed. Emily felt better in herself and having that shower had made her feel ten times cleaner and a hundred times better. There was no blood on her fingers and her skin colour was back to normal and she actually felt quite happy. But she would love to be able to have a coffee and a sleep in her own bed.
Emily reached over and grabbed the files out of the drawer before she took a quick look over the time. Fury was right, Fitzsimmons definitely was one of the best scientists they had had. She was the scientist part and he was the tech part. They were each other's counterparts and wouldn't go anywhere without the other so she hoped that they would actually be together for her team. Because there was no way that one would come without the other, they were a package deal and Emily wondered if she would have to sell it to them or whether they would be there with their amazing minds. She would take a better look at the files when she got back home, today she had a team to put together.
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Post by Ray on Jan 14, 2016 18:43:50 GMT -7
Caesar knocks on the door to Emily's private room in the hospital ward, after finishing the lengthy task of signing in for visitation and dropping his duffel bag off at his workstation. He's visited her nearly every day of her being cooped up in this section of the Triskelion; something that should have been suspicious and stupid on his part, if it wasn't for Simmons doing exactly the same thing. He'd bumped into the girl repeatedly as he made runs back and forth, and each time was more surprising than the last. Emily might have saved their lives, but agents rarely show their gratitude so openly. So consistently.
He's really starting to like that girl. And Emily certainly deserves it.
"Can I come in?" Caesar asks, cracking the door open just a little and poking his head through.
He doesn't look as bad as Huang says he did. His curly hair is in a little disarray, his eyes a little more tired than usual, but he still has the small, friendly smile curving his mouth and charm to go with it. He hasn't changed into any semblance of a uniform yet, wearing instead a loose black t-shirt beneath an unzipped brown leather jacket. Most days he doesn't even wear a uniform, and Hill has never given him any shit for it before.
Suits just aren't really his thing. And SHIELD is full of suits.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Jan 14, 2016 18:55:45 GMT -7
Emily looks up when there's a knock on the door and she puts the files back into the drawer before the door is opened and she sits back against the pillows. "Sure" she said and smiles at the fact that was poking around the door. In honesty she wasn't surprised to see him. Caesar wasn't the only one who liked to come visit her. Simmons was actually one of the special agents because she kept thanking her for doing her job. She had wanted to say that anyone would do it but that would be a lie.
Not everyone would put their life, literally, on the line to get two agents out of a castle that had been taken over by other forces. But Simmons had saved her life too, so it was a win win situation. Maybe that's why Fury was determined to give her her own team. She had known about it for four days and each day that Caesar came to see her it was another day that she didn't tell him. Mostly because she didn't want to speak to him about it while she was hooked up in a medical ward. But she was getting out today and she would tell him then.
Emily put her legs up on the bed and gave him a soft smile. She had to admit the longer she was in here, the harder it got to reach out and pull him in for a kiss. There had been doctors coming in and out of her room just to make sure that she was doing good. Most of the times he had been here, she was probably a mess down to the fact that she had been on painkillers most of the time. But it was actually good to have a clear head and she was definitely feeling better so today she was finally getting out, the doctor just had to sign off on it and she would be on her way.
"You really can't stay away can you?" she said in a tease and a soft grin. It actually felt good to be able to tease him.
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Post by Ray on Jan 14, 2016 19:21:53 GMT -7
Caesar pushes the door open the whole way and steps into the room, holding up a cup of coffee as he does. "Thought you could use this," He admits, carrying it to her bed. Technically, the doctors had put coffee and any caffeine of any sort on the don't even think about it section of her diet list as she heals from the bullet wound, but today is her last day, and he figures that if there's any way of celebrating it, coffee is probably the least risky option. SHIELD doctors be damned. He sets it on the bedside table next to her, before taking a seat in the semi-comfortable chair positioned at her side. He cracks a smile as he fixes his jacket and leans back in his seat. "Couldn't even if I tried."
She looks better, he can tell that right away. A wound that should have taken her weeks to recover from was healed almost instantly by standard terms. He guesses that's the magic of SHIELD at work; magic he'd never pretend to try to understand.
They have far more up their sleeve than even he can imagine, and he's never had the patience or the desire to sneak a peek behind the scenes. It feels like cheating. Worse, it feels like spying, and he could be lined up against a wall and shot for that. They'd made that abundantly clear the first time he'd used his ability in this damn tower. He hadn't gotten much that day. But he'd gotten enough.
"How you feeling?" He asks, nudging his chin a little towards her side. "Ready to go back to work?" He teases a little.
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