*Drawing of Anna by: avengers_zsra
I checked the clock on my desk again, it was now 11:50, it was time to go, finally. I stood up and grabbed a few items, a folder, a notebook, my bag. I quickly locked up my office and walked straight over across the hall to Fury's office.
"Ready?" I asked standing in the doorway. He had his feet up on his desk, studying something in his hands. He looked up at me and then back to the clock. It was time to go to our meeting with the World Security Council.
"I guess so." He replied standing up and picking up what he wanted to take. He followed me towards the elevator.
"Smith, Anna C."
"Fury, Nicholas J."
"Fortieth floor please." I said and the elevator responded by moving.
"How's he doing?"
"Pretty good, he's slowly catching up." It had only been half a week since Steve had been awake. He had been out of SHIELD's grasp for awhile, but has been wanting to get involved.
"What do you think they're going to want this time?" Fury asked me, he was leaning on the glass side of the elevator. He was staring down at his boots un-amused.
"God only knows, it's about time for a new weapon to be introduced. Last month they wanted to increase our personnel." I hated all of the politics that came with SHIELD and working with the government. It just made everything more complicated. Politics is the process of cooperation and conflict, it's fundamental to human life, even if I wished it wasn't.
"What are you going to present?"
"Our new initiative. It's time, it almost feels as if we're running out of it. I'll have to bargain with them to get it though. I'm willing to let whatever they want slide through to get this done." The elevator stoped and we step out onto the fourtieth floor and into a meeting room. The room was formal, with a long black table and at the end were screens.
"Secretary Pierce good to see you again," I greeted shaking his hand.
"Director Smith, always nice to see you," He replied. I trusted Pierce as far as I could throw him. He was too good at political manipulation and games. Pierce was one of the few people Fury fully trusted, and I trusted Fury so I put my faith in Pierce.
"Okay, let's start this." I stated giving Pierce a nod. He turned on the monitors and five heads appear. They are the five men and women that make up the world security council that helped run SHIELD, and the only reason I have grey hairs.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." Pierce announced getting their attention. They all mutter some kind of hello back.
"Let's start as usual with going over the reports from this past month." Pierce suggested, and he turned to Fury. Fury then read a bit about each big mission that had operated this month. He told them who went on it, what happened, and the outcome. This part was usually the longest, we run about thirty five big missions a month, and at most five of those are top priority ones. The thirty five usually consist of traveling internationally, or a big intelligence opts. If they're top priority it means they were game changing missions, ones that brought a lot of change. Usually if something big happens, like a war, or even a threat of one, our mission count goes up. This month however was relatively quiet, except for finding Steve.
"We need to talk about the Kabul mission."
"What about it," Fury inquired sitting up straighter in his chair. He was prepared to take the fire since this was his mission that he authorized.
"The objective was to stay covert, do you know why there ending up being a shoot out? It's irresponsible, and you should know that we are trying to rebuild relations out there."
"Our intel was wrong. Agent Grant was ambushed and had no choice but to break cover."
"Why do you think the intel was wrong?"
"I'm not sure anyone knows what exactly is going on with that group. We don't have an insider, well not a good one. So our intel is always blurry there. We went into that mission half blind." Fury reported, he looked frustrated and annoyed. The council had never been in a situation where it was life and death, they didn't know how fast someone is to pull the trigger, or to run. During those missions it's almost as if you're not the one acting, you're just fighting to survive. They finally gave up grilling Fury and one of them looked over at Pierce as if to signal him.
"I think it's finally time to address the elephant in the room." Pierce declared standing up.
"Yes, Mr. Pierce I think that's an excellent idea." One of them mentioned.
"According to my papers, we finally have the resources and understanding to use the Tesseract." Pierce commented and he showed a picture of the blue cube on the screen. I sat back waiting for the conversation to keep going. I already had an understanding of where this was heading.
"We have an unlimited number of things we can apply the Tesseract for." Fury looked over at me in a knowing way.
"It's extremely powerful, and can be used as a power source, we would run SHIELD completely using it. We could harness it's energy for weapons too." I measured the council members faces. They had already discussed what they wanted to do with the Tesseract already. Their faces were calm, unmoving. They weren't surprised or interested. They had already decided.
"What have you guys decided to do with it." I asked cutting Pierce off. He was the one to fill them in with information about the Tesseract before the meeting. He was the only one that would have that type of access to the information, and he told the council about the Tesseract's power. I had come to this meeting, only to discuss something already decided in their minds. They were wasting my time.
"We have decided to further our research on the Tesseract. If what this research says is right, we move to make it a source of power of weapons immediately."
"Absolutely not. The Tesseract has already been used as a weapon, and that created
mass destruction in World War Two. I will not stand for it to be used as a weapon."
"Well then Director Smith, how would you like us to protect ourselves?"
"Making a more powerful gun is just like fighting fire with fire. If people found out what kind of weapons we were producing with the Tesseract, it could lead to another arms race. This power, isn't for us, it's something we shouldn't interfere with. I move to Initiate a new Team Initiative." I elaborated. I stood up and smoothed down my uniform.
"We have plenty of teams, like Strike team."
"No, no this team is different. This team will handle the problems we can't. I am creating a team of very powerful, diverse humans that bring forth different assets. This team is going to fight the battles we can't." I described to them. I walked over to the computer screen and pulled up a screen of the profiles done on each person on this hypothetical team.
"So your team of assassins and billionaires are going to save the world?" A man questioned.
"Yes,"
"Some of these people aren't even associated with SHIELD! And if you look at their pasts. How did Natasha Romanoff even get on this list. She was a former KGB and the list of her sins are endless."
"That's just like saying we shouldn't trust anyone who has done wrong in their life. That's like saying I can't trust you because you lied once upon a time ago. It's clear that Agent Romanoff isn't her past."
"You think these people will even work together? They are all too different."
"They really aren't. They have different styles and leanings, but all they want is to protect. Their protective instincts are their strongest ones. How they choose to do that is different. All of them have a steal moral compass, and they're rigid with it even if they don't know it."
"It sound's like you're too close to this project Director Smith."
"I choose these people myself, so I guess you could say so."
"It's a no, from me. Secretary are we ready to vote?"
"Let's try this," I interrupted, and give a smile. I tapped my fingers on the table and I heard the sound echo. I had the room. And I waited a bit and took a drink of water.
"I'm going to reject Phase Two, there will be no weapons made from the Tesseract. But if you let me put this group together, I may allow some prototypes to be made." I bargained, and I placed the compromise on the table as if I wasn't prepared for it. Phase Two was easily deconstructed.
"And who are you to stop Phase Two?"
"I think you're underestimating my manipulation skills, Council."
"Trust me we've see your manipulative ways." One jabbed at me.
"When will this team be meeting?"
"Whenever we need them." I answered before adding the compromise. "These weapons can start being made by the end of the year."
"Make it the month."
"Six months."
"Three–"
"Six and that's it."
"Look why don't you good people take the time to actually read the report I've made and next month we'll discuss things more. Right now, I've got to go, and I expect Secretary Pierce to hold this vote for next month." I articulated making eye contact with Pierce. I guessed I looked intimidating enough because he nodded. But now I owed him which was almost worse.
"Director Smith, you are riding down a slippery slope. I would like to remind you that we are here to keep SHIELD in line. You seem to think that all of SHIELD can run under your will and we won't allow that."
"Listen here, the only reason all of you are here is because of me. I created the World Security Council and if I thought you weren't run by your own agendas, I might not push mine so hard. But everyone has their own plans, and it's all just a game, it's not my fault that you haven't won in awhile." And I know I shouldn't have run my mouth like that, I had no place. I was technically under them in the hierarchy, but I couldn't stop myself sometimes. I love the verbal game.
"I'll see you good folks next month." I said officially ending the meeting which wasn't my job. I picked up my stuff in an aggressive manner and walked out of the room hotly.
"Has anyone ever told you you're a bit power hungry?" Pierce mentioned to me. He was taking of his suit jacket looking at me. I raised an eyebrow as if I was wondering why he was talking to me like that.
"No, why? Heard any rumors?" I asked innocently turning my body and pushing the elevator button. Of course people always make comments about my controlling attitude, but it never bothers me. I couldn't count the times I've been called a controlling bitch. But I know what I want, and I know how to get it.
I wanted to get back to my office as soon as possible. I had to do some more work, to follow a lead on that flash drive. I had the coordinates of where it was from, but I wanted to run some background on the place. I just needed to untangle this mess and I had to do it soon. I couldn't put this on the back burner anymore. I was hoping to leave by the end of the week to pursue it.
I unlocked the door of my apartment, and dragged my feet in. I felt tired and defeated. There was something of an ache deep inside of me that felt like it would swallow me from inside out. I set my stuff down and went over to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I took a sip and sighed as I looked out of the window. Tomorrow was another day, and tomorrow I would move on, and tomorrow I would be stronger. I heard a door open and the shuffling of feet. What leads I found on the flash drive made the case even more graver than I thought. We were in trouble.
"Hey, Anna, I thought I heard you come home." Steve said sitting in front of me at the kitchen island. I didn't say anything but continued to drink my water. It was coming on six o'clock, and the sun was only beginning to set. I came home early tonight.
"Are you hungry?" Steve asked me now walking over towards the refrigerator. I still didn't say anything right away. I didn't want to talk right now, I was drained and I needed some alone time. Just some time to decompress and be alone.
"Not, really" I mumbled, which was kind of a lie. I was hungry but I wasn't really in the mood to eat right now.
"Okay, well we can talk about it later." He suggested feeling my sour mood. He sat back down at the kitchen island and I looked out the window again. The skyline was outlined in gold, it was beautiful.
"Can I draw you?" Steve blurted out, I quickly looked his way wondering if he was serious.
"Sure, Steve. I don't care. Where do you want me?" I offered trying to be pleasant. I hadn't had a roommate in decades.
"Right here is perfect. Just put down your glass of water. I'll be right back." He said quickly getting out of his seat. I heard him quickly run to get his art supplies, and it brought a smile to my face. He was such a dork. I heard some shuffling around in his room, and it sounded like a disheveled mess in there. Steve quickly came back with his supplies and sat back down in the seat. He smiled at me in a way that I knew he already had something in mind.
"Okay, turn your body forty-five degrees away from the window, and then move your head towards me. Wait, no. Move your hips to kind of face me, you can lean them against the counter. I should be able to see all of your face, but at a slight angle. I want to see more than just your profile." I tried to meet his commands but felt awkward shifting my body in uncertain ways.
"Is this good?" I asked unsure.
"Yeah that's fine." He mused looking at me. I was moved in such a way that I could only see a sliver of the view from the window. I stood in my pose for awhile not moving. I could hear the sound of Steve's pencil or whatever he was using scratch the surface of the thick paper. He would occasionally look up and stare at me with such intensity that it made me squirm a bit.
"What are you using?" I asked him cutting through the silence.
"Charcoal, it's really good for blending," He told me. The sound of him drawing and the peace he was in made me a little less stressed.
"Hmmm..." I nodded and I met his eyes as he looked up to study me. His eyes lingered on mine for awhile causing a rush of warmth to my cheeks. The corners of his mouth lifted up into a shy smile. I quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught blushing. I was suddenly reminded of the seventy years that we spent apart from each other. There were times when he would shove my shoulder like he used to do when we were young, or when we would make fun of each other. It was the small things, the little isms of us, that made it feel like those seventy years never happened. It felt like we were young, naive and happy. And I'd give anything to feel that way all the time.
I looked out of the window turning my head away from Steve. The sky was now more orange than it was golden. The skyscrapers stuck out in majestic manner outlined in a rich yellow-orange color. It was so beautiful, and that skyscraper a couple blocks down to the right side of the view, was new. It was built maybe five years ago. The world keeps changing, and improving. When I was young never in my mind did I think a building taller than the Empire building ever stand. The world is so beautiful, and it's changing, and we can't go back. All of this made me think back to my meeting at work.
They were asking to go back. How could they not understand they were going to redo history? Couldn't they see the weapons they want are the same as HYDRA's? Didn't they know the pain, destruction and fear they brought. The Tesseract should have never been found, it should have stayed at the bottom of the ocean. Those weapons would just lead to another kind of war. The problem today was that security was our biggest concern. We are all building armies, weapon arsenals against each other. We're scared of what we don't know, and we're too scared to find the truth. It's a never ending cycle. We can't build those weapons the Council wanted. It would lead to war. The Council couldn't do anything without my approval anyway. I would stand in their way, even if I was the only one. I won't allow for history to be redone. I won't allow another person to be killed that way.
Tomorrow was a new day, and I would get up and fight. It's the only thing I could do. It's the only thing I know how to do now. I was smart enough to undermine this operation, and I was too powerful for them to touch me.
"Anna," Steve's voice cut through the loud sounds of the world, and caught my attention.
"Yeah?" I asked turning my head to him.
"Are you okay? Everything okay at SHIELD?" He asked, he looked worried for me. I looked at him a little longer trying to decide whether or not to lie. But when he looks I me, I know there's no point in lying. For whatever reason, Steve has always been able to tell whether or not I'm telling the truth. He always seemed to know what I was thinking or feeling before I even did. My head slumped down and put my hands to my face and shook my head. I could fight, but I could lose. I wasn't going to let myself lose, but I knew I was faced with a terribly hard task.
"No. The world hasn't changed one bit. People are still afraid, and terrible." I confessed and Steve stood up from the island. I can hear the sound of his chair scrapping the floor. He walked up to me and hugged me, my hands still covering my face. I was scared that if I looked at him I would cry.
"Of course the world's changed. Maybe human nature hasn't exactly but 70 years ago we didn't have the internet. " Steve joked trying to comfort me. His hand running down my back in the comforting way. He held me tightly. I laughed a bit and let myself melted into him just for a little while. I pulled away from him and turned away.
"Did you finish the drawing?" I asked and I tried to look like I was really interested in the refrigerator and whatever was in it.
"Yeah, I did. Well most of the way. You don't have to pose anymore."
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I don't know. You pick."
"We're ordering, pizza. I'm not making anything." I said grabbing the phone. Steve seemed fine with that and he went back to work finishing the drawing.
Later that night, I was reading on the couch and Steve interrupted the quiet time.
"I'm finished." He announced, I looked up from my book and saw him grinning. He was holding two pieces of paper in his hand. I placed my bookmark in my page and sat up.
"Let me see" He walked over to the couch and held up the one from today. It was incredible. It was so realistic, he got the shadows from the light from the window. He got the look in my eyes, and the way my hair lays.
"Steve, this is incredible. It's so life like." He even got a faded scar on my neck.
"I know but check this out. You know that portfolio of art you kept and gave back to me?" I had kept Steve's art from before the war and had recently given it back to him.
"Yeah?"
"Well take a look at his." He held up another sketch, this one done in pencil. It was of me, in close to the same pose, my mouth fell open. You could see more of my face in this one, and there was no window behind me. Steve's technique has gotten better over time, but this drawing was still really amazing. But that wasn't the thing that shocked me the most. I just looked so different.
"I know, time didn't do you well." Steve joked with a smirk on his face. I swatted his arm for that rude but amusing comment. I looked so different in the two sketches. My hair was straight and longer in the recent drawling, while in the older one I had my shorter wavy hair. I looked more delicate, more petite in the old one. This one I looked stronger, more powerful. Maybe it was the pose, but they were almost the same pose. I think it was the way my jaw looked tense and my eyes looked darker, more intense.
"You just look so much more...confident in this one." Steve remarked pointing to the new one. And I did look very different. The quiet shyness that had once covered my eyes had dissolved. There seemed like there was a new light, fire behind my irises fueled by confidence and power. I never noticed the change, it must have been a slow one. I didn't notice it at all until now, but I guess Steve did notice it.
"I didn't think I changed this much." I mumbled softly.
"You look just as beautiful in either one. You just seem more comfortable in the world, like you have the bull by the horns." He told me making me grin. I looked up at him and caught him in a smile.
"Thank you, Steve." I said, laying my head on his shoulder, his arm around me studying the two drawings with me some more.
"That scar is new."
"Yeah, got sliced or something."
"You're a little reckless you know."
"You can't even say one word to me about that."
"I know I can't." He agreed affectionately tracing the scar on my neck with his thumb.
*submit your fan art I love seeing it!