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

Not So Side Job

I had enough time on the plane ride back that I finished my report and got to sleep. Not that sleeping on a plane was the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was better than trying to make the whole journey around the world conscious. Besides, I had slept in worse conditions than this before. 

When I got back, it was well into the morning, already 9 AM. Technically, I could take the whole day off if I wanted to, but then what would I do? My whole life was at SHIELD. Instead, I took a shower and got changed, putting on a fresh casual suit. If all else fails, I could head down to Records and do some filing.

I was just finishing braiding my hair back when a beep in my ears started going off. In a voice no one else could hear, a robotic woman alerted me: "Battery low."

Contrary to most people when they start hearing disembodied voices, I wasn't surprised. Instead, I tied off my braid and tapped twice behind my ears with my finger. A second later, my hearing aids ejected, and the world went silent. 

Nobody except Natasha knew that I had been born mostly deaf, but personally, I loved it. It wasn't like it was a problem for me. I had gotten implants at a pretty young age, but of course, they were SHIELD implants, not the usual ones. No one could tell that I had hearing aids in as long as I didn't take them out, or an EMP was fired. They were like tiny AirPods, but they went inside my eardrums instead of resting on the cartilage. 

I took the moment to flop down on my bed and relax. Whenever I switched them out to charge, I liked to just rest in the silence for a few minutes. There was something really peaceful about not hearing the background noise of SHIELD for a while. There were no gunshots being fired, no shoes walking down the hall, no papers rustling in a folder. Just my own heartbeat pulsing rhythmically every second or so. It was as close as I got to being back in the country again.

I couldn't stay for very long, though. After about five minutes, I took my other pair out of their charging station and replaced them with the dead ones. Slipping the new aids in place, I retapped behind my ears, and the implants accepted the aids. After a second, another beep sounded. "Replacement successful," my assistant informed me, and satisfied, I grabbed my phone and walked back out the door. Time to get back to work. 

The SHIELD phones allowed me to clock back in remotely, which was a nice upgrade from having to go find a check-in station somewhere on campus. I started walking to the cafeteria, since I was the slightest bit hungry, but just as I was about to enter the meal hall, my phone went off. I continued to go get food, since I could eat on the way, but I was surprised when I saw who was texting. It was Director Fury.

Grabbing a hash brown and a milk carton, I sped off towards the elevators and waited for one to take me up to Administration. This was where Level 9 and 10 agents had their offices, as well as a few Level 8 agents as well. Natasha actually had a space up here, but she didn't use it often. I had been up here more times than most Level 5 agents, but that wasn't hard to do. Fury liked checking up on me, since he was the reason I was even here. If it hadn't been for him and Natasha, I wouldn't be an agent, so when he wanted to see me, I tried to respect that.

I scanned my badge at his door as a way of knocking. It would show him who was there to see him, and grant me access inside. After a few seconds, the light on the lock turned green, and I pushed the door open. 

Fury was sitting at his desk, looking over something on his computer. Whatever it was apparently wasn't very exciting, judging from the look on his face, but I made no comment and sat in the chair opposite him. 

After a second, he sighed and slouched back in his swivel chair. "You know what pisses me off about the U.N.?" He asked me, rubbing his head.

"Do tell," I encouraged him, amused. I loved seeing him act like this, when I got the chance. It made him seem a little more human than most people tended to see him as. 

"They're stubborn as hell," he answered, pointing at his computer screen. "From the write-ups of the drafting meetings I've been sent, they're barely budging with their negotiations."

I smirked, leaning on one of the armrests. "Well, if your negotiators are smart, they'll aim big and get what they're after by means of compromise. Besides, you can't expect an international council to make substantial change easily, or quickly."

He chuckled, briefly. "Well, they're following your suggestions, so if that's what you told them to do, they should be fine."

"They're redrafting the Accords now?" I asked out of surprise. "I didn't think they'd start for another year or so."

Fury shrugged and closed his computer. "I sped up the process. I want to make this legal so you, Parker, and the Princess can get to recruiting," he explained. "Speaking of, that's what I called you here for. You up for some one-on-one time with your new leader?"

I nodded. What else was I supposed to do anyways? "Is there a mission?"

"Not yet, I can't send you out without these new Accords." He handed me a slip of paper with a set of coordinates. "He's just headed out for patrol tonight, and I want you two to work out a few logistics if you can. He'll meet you at these coordinates at 9:30 tonight, if you're up for it."

"Yes, sir," I responded, and folded the piece of paper before slipping it into my pocket. "Is there anything else you needed from me?"

He glanced to his computer. "Not unless you want to go over these negotiations for me."

I hesitated, but it wasn't to tedious of a task. "I could look at the progress if you wanted. Just to make sure the right terms are being altered."

"You're a godsend, Raven," he praised me. "I'll send them to you later. Let me know if there's anything that needs attention."

"Will do, sir."