Solstice ❆ BARNES

01 | ❝who are you kidding?❞

Now that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files have been trending on Twitter for an entire week, every curious soul around the globe has gone and read them all. It's no surprise that the names that stood out from the rest of the list of members happen to be Natasha Romanoff and Riley Anne Carson, trained assassins with highly questionable records.

Riley had been a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. since her parents' death at age ten. George and Amelia Carson had been murdered by HYDRA when they tried to force the couple to join. The Carsons were scientists making shattering breakthroughs in genetic manipulation, which HYDRA saw as valuable for their ideology.

One specific evening, during the family dinner, the Carsons were talking about little Riley's recent feat. She had come home from school saying that she won first place at the talent show, so the two adults ordered pizza and ice cream to celebrate. Just when they stood up to hug her, all the house windows shattered and in came an arsenal of armed men.

Riley still remembers the panic she felt to this day. Her mother had shouted for her to hide under the table, and her father reminded her of much they loved her before facing the intruders. Riley heard the sound of guns being cocked, Amelia striding forward with two hand pistols while George held a rifle. Rounds were fired, and Riley thought everything would be okay in the end. Amelia and George were both excellent shooters, having trained in case they needed to protect themselves, but even they were no match for fifty HYDRA goons.

The last thing Riley recalls is the visual of a man dragging Riley's mother by the hair, the woman bleeding profusely, then shooting her in front of the innocent little girl. George was already dead, his corpse in the hallway, and Riley's screams echoed throughout the house as the murderers left.

She was found hours later by a man named Nick Fury, a close friend to the deceased Carsons. The couple had been working with S.H.I.E.L.D. when HYDRA made their proposal, but of course, they couldn't be convinced. Their stubbornness and bravery probably saved millions of lives, but it shattered their only daughter's heart.

After that tragic day, Riley spent the rest of her life preparing herself. Training, learning, proving her capability to hunt down every last HYDRA scum on this Earth. She learned Russian, Japanese, and French by age 12, and she became a perfect marksman at 14. She passed her field ops exam a year later with flying colors, and was eventually allowed to join an important S.H.I.E.L.D. tac-team at the same time she got her driver's license.

Director Fury was impressed at the child prodigy's determination and skill, but he was also very concerned. He didn't want Riley's need of revenge end up making her do things that went against S.H.I.E.L.D. morale, so he put her in the care of his two most trusted agents, asking them to guide her.

Riley changed after that. She relaxed, eased up a little, and started to become the kind, young woman she is now. But with this came other consequences. Guilt became a new and very present emotion in her life. Sometimes, she saw the blood covering her hands and heard the pleas of people who had wanted their lives spared. Alone in her apartment, Riley would scream until one of her mentors came to check on her or she tired herself out.

So far, she's made progress. She finally decided that the best thing to do is accept and embrace her retirement of being the agent she grew up to be. Maybe now she could live a normal life, with an average job and attend night school to get a medical degree. She could heal people instead of, you know, killing them.

Early in the morning, Riley sits at the coffee shop across her apartment building in D.C., having gotten the news that Agent Romanoff was being called to court right this moment. Riley half expected her own presence to be required, so she stares at her cell phone and waits for it to ring as she sips at her Americano. Yup, these past two weeks have been hell for the 24 year old.