Forgive and Forget

Prologue

I walked the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly, each footstep seeming to echo louder than a cannon in the silence. It's around three in the morning, and most people have gone home by now. On my quest to deliver my last few files of the night, I only encountered four people.

One was a scientist, her formerly white lab coat fluttering behind her as she rushed by me, muttering about uneven copper dispersion. Two were security guards, with a gun at their side and a flashlight in their hand.

The fourth was a woman. She slunk through the shadows, and passed by me with a smirk. I recognized her uniform as that of a field agent's when she strutted by, and sent a scowl at her back. The office workers and field agents have always held a grudge against each other.  The field agents have only contempt for the "paper pushers", as they call us, and we resent them for it. 

I slowed slightly as I passed the Intelligence Mission Assignment offices, and handed a file marked as a level two political espionage in Beijing to the lone desk attendant. He gave me a slightly sleepy smile which I returned before I walked away.

I entered the elevator, and after glancing down at the single file in my hands, I sighed.

"All the way up, then."

I pressed the button for the top floor, and waited to reach my destination.  I shifted nervously as I thought about how I was going to go about delivering this last file. I know that, realistically, I would end up dropping it off with his secretary and that would be the end of it. 

But there was still a chance, however slim, that I might have to interact with the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. himself. And that is terrifying. There are rumors that he once shot an intern because they didn't put cream in his coffee. While that story is probably not true, his temper is legendary, as well as his hatred of paperwork and general crankiness any time he is awake between midnight and six in the morning. The fact that I might have to deliver more paperwork to the Director while he already irate is just...

The elevator opened with a soft ding, startling me off of my train of thought. I stepped out of the elevator, and warily began to make my way to his office. I groaned quietly when I noticed the abandoned secretary desk. Well. It seems the only way to get this to Fury is to give it to him myself. Oh joy. Turning to the door 

I braced myself, and knocked on his door. There was silence. I was just about to leave it on his assistant's desk and hightail it, when I heard a firm 'enter'. I gulped, and slowly opened the door. 

Director Fury sits at his desk, a small stack of paperwork that is incomplete to his left, and a large stack of completed paperwork balanced precariously to his right. He ignores my presence as he reviews the papers before him, so I silently walk to his desk, and set the file on top of the stack to his left. I then turn around and leave as fast as humanly possible without running. 

I sigh after I close the door to his office. I shake my head at how dramatic I was being. Nothing bad had happened. I chuckle as I amble back to the elevator. There was nothing to fear.

The sound of shouting and things being thrown resonated from Director Fury's office. 

I jumped, and ran back to the elevator.