Agent Raven of S.H.I.E.L.D. (COMPLETE)

Belly of the Beast

Once Raven landed in D.C., she had twenty minutes before the Field units landed. She spent seven of them getting in a car and driving to the White House, two of them waiting to get into the security parking garage, and one standing in line to get into the actual building. 

Between the transit between the car and the security line, she switched her receiver to broadcast to any SHIELD radio devices within a hundred yards. "This is Agent Raven," she announced quietly into her earpiece. "I'm on-site and headed to Turner's office. If you need to lock anything down, now's the time."

There was no response, but Raven didn't expect one. She readjusted her broadcast settings to a channel between her and the eight unit leads but kept her receiving settings open. If one of the undercover agents or STRIKE agents needed something from her, she didn't want to miss their call. 

If agents thought she looked strange at SHIELD, people at the White House looked as though Raven had grown a second head. If it wasn't for her SHIELD badge, she probably wouldn't have been let in. By the time she got through the line, she had heard at least two people say 'Hawkeye' and one person say 'Avenger.' Well, I've got their attention.

That unsettled her more than anything. She didn't mind being in danger. Target painted on her back? Fine, no problem, but usually, she kept her head low and stayed under the radar when that was the case. She was good at hiding, not just because she was a spy. Thanks to Natasha and Fury, she had hidden for five years. Going out into the open when the enemy knew she was on the way? That was new. That went against everything she had been taught, everything she had done since Natasha had found her. It was one thing to sneak up on your opponent. It was another to walk with her head held high into the fire. You didn't have the advantage when you played on someone else's turf, on their terms. 

Usually, she would have liked to study the layout of the building more before she arrived, but she only had about five minutes to memorize as much as she could while she was still in the air. She had found a map of the White House on SHIELD's database but could only look at it for so long before she had to turn off the autopilot and fly stick. Raven knew the general direction she had to go, but that only got her so far. 

As she walked toward the West Wing, she did her best to map out features she thought would be helpful. Doors over here. Guards in that hallway. Wide-open space in this room. A lot of windows over there. Even more guards this way. 

Actually, the increase in guards did help her confidence somewhat. The more opposition in one direction, the more likely that direction was correct. She checked her time again. Five minutes until the Field agents landed, and still nothing from the FBI. She needed to make a move or kill time. Something to work the timetables to her advantage.

Raven entered the next room and saw the secretary's desk to Turner's office. Four guards stood in this room, and Raven was willing to bet all of them plus the secretary were CROS. Two stood outside Turner's office, and the others stood at either side of the door Raven just entered through. Surprisingly, they weren't trying to kill her just yet. Then again, the last time CROS had seen her, she didn't look like this.

"I'm here to see Vice President Turner," she announced, walking up to the desk. She saw the door to Turner's office around the corner and stepped ever so slightly towards it. 

"Do you have an appointment?" The secretary asked, not even looking up at Raven.

"Wrong answer."

That caught her attention, as well as the attention of all the guards. The secretary actually looked at Raven and slowly seemed to recognize her.

She grinned and leaned forward ever so slightly. "What you were supposed to say was: 'over my dead body.'"

The secretary realized her mistake. She wasn't supposed to let this person in at all, appointment or not. This was Romanoff's girl.