𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐌 ⁽¹⁾

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chapter one
( elara noxley and the avengers initiative )
❝ what could possibly go wrong? ❞

━━━ 𝓔LARA sat in her office, an expression of frustration etched on her face. She furrowed her brow, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took a moment to look up from the report she had been faxed: 'Tesseract compromised; team members compromised; possible lethal hostile. Meet me on the roof.' With a sigh she stood up from her desk, and as she passed the wastebasket she tossed the crumpled up message in. She made a b-line for the elevator, slipping in before the doors shut. A few other agents stood among her, all much to busy to pay any mind to her hasty entrance. She pressed the button to the top floor and waited wordlessly for all the others to shuffle out to their respective destinations, each time the elevator let out it's shrill ding! the passengers lessened in number, which eased Elara's worries. Once she was alone she let out a strained breath as she wrung her hands together.

When the elevator finally reached the top floor Elara darted to the staircase that led to the roof. If she hadn't been so hyper-vigilant she would have run into the sweet older woman who always delivered her copies, but instead they curtly exchanged pleasantries before Elara ducked into the stairwell. She climbed the steps two at a time, her fists balled up at her sides. When she reached the door to the roof she took no time to rest as she stepped out into the sunlight.

Nick Fury stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the parking lot. He looked older from the last time Elara saw him; more accurately, he just looked more exhausted. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket, and he wore a black beanie on his head. If it hadn't been for his attire, Elara might not have noticed that it had gotten chilly. She tried her best to ignore the cold, but she couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine. "Hello Nick," Elara said, "it's nice to see you again. It's been a while."

"It has," Fury spoke monotonously, not turning to face her, "did you finish the report you were working on?" He was sizing her up, and she knew it. Fury was never subtle in his intimidation tactics, despite being a trained secret operative. Elara tensed up as she saw Fury's good eye give her a once over before Fury turned his gaze back to the parking lot. 

Elara cocked her head to the side. "Your note seemed urgent, do you really want to—"

"The report, Dr. Noxley. Is it done?" Fury was quick to cut her off.

Elara's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Almost," she paused for a moment while picking at her nails, "I wasn't able to finish it since the stone was taken, and I don't exactly have access to the other five stones. There's only so much I can hypothesize about their behavior."