"Amilla joined S.H.I.E.L.D before I did. Fury had been trying to recruit both of us for a long time, but each time I refused." Christine began.
The team gathered around the broken woman. They hadn't gotten very far in their conversation about Ultron when she came down the stairs. Her footsteps were light and they barely noticed her frame in the doorway. She stayed quiet as she shuffled over to the table. Clint offered her his seat, but she declined. Choosing to stand at the head of the table instead.
The team listened intently.
"I evaluated both of them and per my judgment, Amilla was best suited for Interrogatory position; Amara was better in the field." Fury said. "Because of their abilities."
Bruce gave her a quizzical look. "Their? As in both?"
"As you know, I specialize in hand-to-hand combat and shadow manipulation. My abilities made it easier for me to be used in the field."
They all nodded.
"Amilla was different from me. She was an empath."
"So, she was able to...what? Empathize with others?"
"Not necessarily. Amilla has always had the ability to empathize with someone, we all do. Her abilities took that a step further. Amilla was able to feel and suggest emotions. She could tell what someone was feeling and if it was genuine."
"As you can tell, that made her an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. With her abilities, she was the best interrogator we had."
"We had been apart of S.H.I.E.L.D for three years. During that time, I hadn't realized the effect on Amilla. Day in and day out consisted of her torturing and interrogating any adversary of S.H.I.E.L.D. I neglected to realize that each time that she would interview them, she not only would feel their emotions, but their mania, too. Especially when it came to Hydra agents. Hydra has no problem with torturing their agents, to train them. That's why they are so loyal to them. So, when they would send them our way, Amilla would have to endure that very torture."
Maria took a step forward. "I noticed some of her mood swings and the exhaustion. I just chalked it up to her being tired. I should have known it was something more."
"We all should have known better." Christine gave a pointed look to Fury.
She had noted the signs of her deterioration long before anyone else. She knew that something was wrong when Amilla would refuse to go on their afternoon strolls. A tradition that they have had since they were teenagers. Amilla was always a small individual, but she had noticed that she was getting smaller. Her glowing, hazel eyes had been shadowed, leaving them cold and distant. Her smiles weren't even the same anymore.Christine expressed her concern for Amilla to Fury; from the lack of afternoon jogs to her physical changes. He stilled in his chair and listened to her ramble for a few minutes before interrupting. He explained to her that Amilla has been working tirelessly to crack some stubborn Hydra agents. Telling her that there was no need to worry.
He was wrong.
"I didn't take it seriously until a month before she died. She was working on a particularly irritating suspect. She was in there with the suspect for twenty minutes before pandemonium. A nearby agent rushed in the room when they heard a scream. When he got there, he discovered that Amilla had stabbed the informant. The first agent that entered tried calming her down, but Amilla was being combative."
"How so?" Natasha pinched her eyebrows together in confusion. Judging from the silence, she could tell that this was a touchy subject. She tried to catch Christine's eye, but failed.
"She injured the agent that was attempting to help her, sliced his hand open. It took two agents to finally get her restrained enough to sedate her."
"We put her through a serious of psychological testing and evaluations. Each psychologist would come back with the same answer: she was fine. Anyone who was close to her could tell that she wasn't fine. She seemed to pass every single one with flying colors. To anyone who didn't know her, it would have looked like self-defense."
Maria hugged herself and admitted. "We think that she was manipulating the psychologists."
"That makes sense." Someone mumbled.
Christine made her way to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. Taking a sip of the black coffee, she relished in the burn down her throat. She took her time walking back over. Although she was physically in their presence, anyone can tell that she was entranced in her thoughts.
A sarcastic chuckle was heard, and the team shifted their attention to Christine. She was silent for most of the conversation. She happened to tune in enough to comment. "I knew she was faking it, she was an empath for God's sake."
"Fury and I took this into consideration when discussing her competency. We concluded that it would be best if she took a break from S.H.I.E.L.D." Maria admitted.
"Amilla took the news as anyone would."
The image of Amilla sobbing flashed in her mind. Amilla had described S.H.I.E.L.D as her home away from home. After their mother died, they both had been devastated. They began to rely on each other heavily, never leaving each other's side. While Christine had been trying to pursue her career in gymnastics, Amilla struggled more than ever. Her abilities made it harder for her to interact with others and be in public spaces; the large amount of people would cause her to become overstimulated.The sensory overload became such a hindrance that she seldom left the house. So, when she was presented with the opportunity to train, and later, control it she took it. This was her way of being able to have a chance at life.
"She was being terminated. How else is she supposed to react?" She deadpanned.
"She was not being-"
"She had a mental breakdown and killed someone. She was being fired." The mug in Christine's hands held her gaze.
"Anyway, after delivering the news she excused herself to her room. She didn't come out for the rest of the night."
"When I woke up the next morning, Amilla was gone. She left a note stating how sorry she was, but she was sick. My engagement ring was lying next to the pillow." Maris fiddled with the locket and everyone's eyes were drawn to it. Upon further inspection, you could see the heart design that was engraved in it.
Tony cleared his throat. "Fury, isn't fraternization frowned upon?"
Natasha reached over and slapped him in the back of his head. He frowned, but stayed quiet, nonetheless.
Maria ignored him before continuing. "We tried searching for her, but it was like she disappeared off the map. With the training that we gave her, she could have stayed hidden forever."
"But she didn't."
"No, she didn't. A couple weeks later S.H.I.E.L.D. got reports of civil unrest in Kuwait. People were becoming violent and attacking one another, People were committing suicide at alarming rates. We assumed that it was another one of Hydra's secret weapons. It was enough for us to investigate. We gathered a team to check it out and what they found was horrid."
"It was Amilla. She had had another psychotic break and had been causing chaos for weeks."
"She orchestrated the murder of hundreds of people."
An elongated silence filled the air and their gaze was directed, once again, to Christine. She was still refusing eye contact with anyone at the table. Her coffee had become cold a while ago, but she didn't care. She knew that she had grabbed the cup to keep her hands busy. Otherwise, she would have been digging her nails into her palms, leaving half-moon indentions behind. The only thing that can be heard was the creaking of the house.
"I had no other choice, but to declare Amilla an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a danger to others. A task force was fashioned, and they were on their way to Kuwait. Their instructions were very clear: Amilla is a wanted fugitive and she is to be brought in immediately."
Christine found the courage to finally look up from her cup. She searched the room and stared directly into his eye before opening her mouth.
"Dead Or Alive"
———————————————————
Thank you for your patience.
Vote,Comment, and Share.