Lyra Redfield has been pushed around ever since she cut ties with the famous Anthony Stark. When fate happens to bring them together again, she realizes just how little her life meant to her. She wanted to make a difference-be better and do better...
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TONY had Happy accompany Lyra to Washington until he could find Lyra her own bodyguard. Lyra tried to explain she was going to a government organization, but he was not hearing it. He cared far too much about her, and with everything they had been through, he would protect his girlfriend as much as he could. Pepper offered the girl good luck, happy someone had finally seen her as Lyra Redfield instead of Tony Stark's girlfriend or ex-girlfriend. She thought it was a great idea based on Agent Coulson alone.
When the flight landed, Happy had already called for a car as he knew where to go from the email Lyra had received from Mr. Barton. Happy glanced at her shaky hands with a grin. "You know how proud Tony is? Wouldn't shut up about how great you are being offered government positions."
Lyra smiled softly. "He's worried, though."
"Ah, you can't blame him. He just wanted to protect you best he can," Happy said as they drove. She saw the large building they were approaching, and she felt her hands grow sweaty with nerves. "Shall I accompany you inside?"
When they pulled up in the front, she saw Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Agent Hill, and a man she did not recognize watching the car suspiciously.
"No. I'll call you when I'm ready," she said softly.
Happy squeezed her hand once as she fixed her shirt. She wore black pants and boots today instead of her normal heels and skirts she wore at Stark Industries—figuring they were a bit more hands-on. She did not know what to expect.
As she stepped out of the car, she saw Fury smirking at her as he walked forward to shake her hand. "Miss Redfield, I was so glad to hear you finally called. Took two weeks to persuade Tony?"
She laughed, shaking her head and dropping his hand to shake Hill and Coulson's hands in greeting. "No, I'm sorry, it was my fault. Tony actually forced me to call." She watched the man she did not know do a once-over as if he was assessing an enemy. Finally, he smiled, reaching out his hand for hers.
"Clint Barton."
"It's nice to meet you, Agent Barton," she said with a smile.
"Who's in the car?" he asked as he backed up as if he was getting in line.
"Happy Hogan. Tony's bodyguard. He didn't trust me coming all this way on my own," she replied with a smirk.
Agent Hill laughed. "Well, he'll be more protected by you after we're done with you," she said with a wink.
"Let's bring this inside," Fury stated as he led the large group inside. People watched with curious eyes, but Lyra did not mind. She knew she looked out of place with her dark hair not up and proper like Hill's or clothes dark as night like Barton's. She kept her head high like Tony had told her to do if she felt intimidated.
When they went into an elevator, she watched as the world became smaller below them since she could see outside. She could see Happy on the phone with someone—probably Tony—and the thought made her chuckle.
When they reached a high floor—what? like eightieth or ninetieth?—Lyra followed the men and woman who seemed to know their way around pretty well. They reached an office that had Nick Fury's name on it. Fury immediately went around the desk to sit down as Hill and Coulson sat down in the open chairs. Barton stayed standing, but he motioned to the last empty chair with a charming smile.
She sent a nod of thanks.
"Your training will take two weeks," Fury started, "this will include hand to hand combat and gun and other weapon training. This will be Agent Barton's job—to train you enough and figure out your strengths. Once you are physically trained, we will test those smarts Howard bragged about so often. You'll probably be more of a scientist, but depending on your physical scores, you may go out with Barton on missions often."
Lyra felt herself grow worried. She was hardly in shape.
"After training, you'll go home for now and do some work for us over there to see how you handle the distance since you and Mr. Stark are adamant about staying in California. You're always on call, Miss Redfield, once you join," Maria Hill spoke with a small smile. "This means if something happens and you are in California, you'll fly where we tell you with no exceptions. We have an office in every state, so you'll report to the California base often when not reporting here."
Coulson took over next. "We see potential in you. Not just for the Avengers Initiative, but for the company as a whole. We do a lot of things here at S.H.I.E.L.D., and we know how brilliant your mind is based on Hammer and Stark Industries. We've been in everything. The arc reactor powering Stark's chest—that was you; however, you know the wear and tear it will have on his body."
"I'm working on it," Lyra said, feeling more worried when they brought Tony's arc reactor up.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is how your brilliance rivals Tony's, and we need a brain like that to keep the world at peace whether your physical training checks out or not," Fury said. "Barton?"
Barton glanced at Lyra with a smirk. "Let's go."
"Go?" Lyra said to his back as he turned to leave. "Go where?"
He paused, turning with the same sadistic smirk. "I want to get an idea where we need to begin when you return. We're going to the training room."
Coulson laughed. "Let her sign the papers first, Barton."
Fury brought out a stack of paperwork that she had placed glasses on her face to let Jarvis scan. Hill, Barton, Coulson, and Fury watched with furrowed brows.
"Jarvis?" she asked after a moment.
"There are no underlying intentions, Miss Redfield. There is nothing tying you to the company should you want to leave. There are thirty-seven signatures strictly for you to follow their rules," Jarvis spoke scaring Coulson.
"Thirty-seven? Fuck," she whispered before nodding. "The main rules?"
Fury was about to open his mouth when Jarvis spoke again: "No talking about missions to anyone, including Mr. Stark. No going off the rules of each mission. Keep S.H.I.E.L.D. intel a secret. Arrive when paged if needed as quickly as you can... shall I go on?"
"No, thanks, J," she looked up to see Fury glaring at her. "Thirty-seven?" she asked again causing Barton to let out a laugh. "You know Tony could find out anything if he really wanted to, so I'm just going to void out that rule."
"Just sign, Miss Redfield," Fury grumbled.
Jarvis sent a flash of light to each line, affectively signing her name for her causing Barton to laugh even harder at the awed look on Coulson and Hill's face and the irritation on Fury's.
"Did you think I was going to cramp my hand up when I got to fight Mr. Laugh-A-Lot over there?" she asked, gesturing to Barton's amused face. When Jarvis finished, she placed her glasses in her purse after thanking the AI. "All right, where we going?"
