Chapter Text
“Is all this really necessary, Phil?” She sat back with her arms crossed over her chest. It was nothing personal, really. She was like that with everyone.
The Director shrugged. “You know I have get some sort of official record. But, we can also consider this a catch-up between old friends. And anything that should stay between friends can be left off the record.”
Her feet swung up onto the table. To most, it would look like she couldn’t care less. But Coulson knew her well enough to read it as a sign that she had relaxed, at least to some degree.
“Alright,” she said. “Where do you want me to start?”
Phil took out a small, SHIELD-standard transcription device. “How about at the very beginning?”
She smirked, raising an eyebrow. “A very good place to start?”
The Director’s face didn’t even twitch.
“Alright, alright,” she relented. “The very beginning, then. Buckle up, this is gonna take a while…”
“We can break it up into multiple sessions as needed,” he assured her. “Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
The Director started the recording.
Alright then… Here we go.
My life changed the year I turned fifteen. Sophomore year of high school is a tough time for anybody, but that was when it all went to hell for me. Up until then, my life had been pretty average. I’d wake up, follow the morning routine, and then my mom would drive me to school. Though it was only the second week of classes, the routine had been the same in freshman year. Pretty standard stuff. And I started that particular day expecting another standard year, just without that dreamy, excited haze that came with starting high school.
Biology was my first class. Not an ideal way to start the morning, to say the least. After enduring almost an hour of hearing old Mrs. Cranton drone on about the mitochondria and countless rabbit trails about her trivial life experiences, the bell mercifully dismissed us. And on I went, passing through my other classes in much the same way.
When lunch rolled around, I was the first one at the table. The other sophomore girls trickled in, sitting down then promptly forgetting about me. It wasn’t anything malicious on their part. I was just shy; a bit of a loner. I tended to get too caught up in daydreams to remember that you sometimes actually have to put in effort if you want human interaction. The other girls were more extroverted, and had known each other longer than I had been around this school. Some days I managed to muster enough mental presence to jump into the conversation, but today was just one of those self-reflection days.
If I hadn’t been so caught up in my own thoughts, I might have noticed the stern brunette woman surveying the cafeteria.
All was going rather smoothly. Well, as smoothly as school can go. Until eighth period, that was. I was absentmindedly sitting in Spanish class listening to Mrs. Brentley remind us about the conjugation of ser when a voice rang out over the intercom.
“Kaitlynn Grace to the main office.”
Of course, the whole class stared. I wanted to disappear, but instead I got up and hurried towards the door, trying to attract as little attention as possible. As I walked the hallways, I ran through every possibility in my mind. Dad wasn’t supposed to get me early... No sort of appointments or anything... I couldn’t come up with any reason as to why I would be called to the office. My heart pounded and my palms grew sweaty.
I opened the door to the office to see a tall black man clad in unseasonably dark-colored clothes, facing the wall behind the secretary’s desk, speaking lowly with the principal. When Principal Garrett’s gaze fell on me, this new man turned to face me, and I saw that he had a patch covering his left eye. Off to the side, there was a severe-countenanced brunette woman, and it was at that moment I realized she had been in the cafeteria earlier… and I hadn’t even noticed. (Well, I mean, obviously I did notice, but like, in a subconscious way.)
“Ah, Miss Grace,” Principal Garrett said. “This is Mister Fury…” He gestured to the man, then the woman. “And Miss Hill. They represent a prestigious academy, and they’ve been surveying our school all day. After reviewing some student academic records, they’ve selected you for a very rare opportunity to transfer into their elite program.”
He had a smile plastered on his face, and I couldn’t tell if the obvious strain of it came from legitimate excitement, or irritation that they would be losing my good grades for another institution to boast about.
“Yes,” Mister Fury said, barely sparing an exasperated look in the principal’s direction, “I’d like to go over with some of the specifics with you privately, to see if you’d be interested.”
The oddity of the situation left me speechless, so all I could do was nod. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he turned and strode right into Principal Garrett’s office, like he owned the place. I followed him in, and he nodded at something behind me.
“Close the door,” he said, making himself comfortable in the rolling chair behind the cluttered desk as I did so. “Have a seat.”
Though I was a bit uncomfortable with all of the formality and being ordered around, I slowly eased myself into a sitting position on the edge of one of the two chairs opposite the work space.
An awkward silence lingered, but I had no idea where I would begin even if I wanted to start the conversation, so it lingered a little while longer. This was definitely a little odd. Wouldn’t most school recruiters be acting suspiciously friendly at this point? Asking a dozen small talk questions they don’t really care about and certainly will never remember the answers to?
I simply sat there as he stared me down with his one good eye, until finally, he said, “Most people would have pestered me with a thousand questions by now.” More silence. “But not you. Why is that?”
I thought for a moment, carefully thinking over what I wanted to say. That was another quirk of mine that came from getting caught up in my own mind, along with the daydreams. I tended to be eloquent in my head, but awkward out loud, so I usually took a bit of time to carefully craft a mental script before I responded to tougher, more personal questions like that. If I didn’t, that would usually lead to some unseemly rambling that got me weird looks and misunderstandings.
“I guess... I’m just not too good at making small talk.” He gave me a look that said Go on. “I mean, this is kind of an unusual situation. And like, I dunno, what am I supposed to do while you ominously stare me down?” I gestured helplessly with my hands. “I’m just not the chit chat type.”
Right. So much for a carefully crafted script. Cue the ramblings.
“Well luckily for you, I didn’t come here to make chit chat,” he said at last. Then, leaning forward, he looked me dead in the eye, which was way more intimidating than it may sound.
“I may have been less than truthful with your principal earlier. Hill and I are here to recruit you, but not for another school. We’re interested in your potential to be a SHIELD agent.”
I frowned, trying to process the sudden intake of information. This was that Fury? “I- Sorry, what now?”
“SHIELD.,” he repeated cryptically. “The Avengers. Earth’s mightiest heroes and all that. You, Miss Grace, have been noticed by the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D. for short, because of your exemplary performance in the academics program of your school as well as some key characteristics that have been observed by your instructors.”
“Wait, but… Wasn’t SHIELD destroyed by Captain America?” I asked. “Like, half of them turned out to be Nazis in disguise?”
“That’s right,” Fury said. “But some of the other half decided to keep going anyways, a little more covertly. I’m sure you heard about the helicarrier that saved lives in Sokovia?”
I simply nodded. Who hadn’t heard every detail of Sokovia?
“That was SHIELD. We’re back to working in the shadows, deep undercover, to prevent another HYDRA mishap.”
I don’t know why, but something inside me went a little cold at the mention of HYDRA. Even learning about the original Nazi chapter of that organization from the 40s had always given me an odd, unsettled feeling, something more than just abhorrence of what they did. I couldn't say why HYDRA bothered me so personally.
“And… you want me to be trained as a SHIELD agent?” I asked incredulously. “Mr. Fury, I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not exactly spy material. I have absolutely no self defense or fighting training whatsoever, I’m only mediocre at computer code, I’m a horrible liar, and not to mention, I’m only fifteen years old.”
“We don’t recruit people for what they can do, Miss Grace,” he said. “We recruit people for what they can learn, the potential that they have. And that’s exactly why we want you. You have displayed exceptional mental skills for someone your age.”
“So what, I’ll transfer to the SHIELD Academy to finish my education and start my training? I didn’t think it existed anymore.”
“No, not the Academy,” Fury confirmed. “Those facilities have been destroyed, and all the students that we did have either defected to HYDRA or went on to great careers that have nothing to do with SHIELD. In this case, we’re looking into re-starting an academy type of setup, beginning with you. You would be... the control subject, if you will. We want to go about this in a whole new way. And as for combat skills, well, you’ll be trained by the Avengers themselves.” He studied me carefully. “Should you choose to accept--”
“I’ll do it.” The words leapt out of my mouth before I could stop them. Fury raised an eyebrow. His expression seemed almost amused, as if I had just proven a point.
“I had a feeling you’d say that. But, I want you to take a little more time to consider this.” He seemed extra serious, so I focused all of my attention on what he was saying. “Due to the nature of SHIELD’s secrecy, you wouldn’t be able to tell your parents about this. Back in the day, most people would be thrilled to find out their kid made the SHIELD Academy. Today, anyone who knows we still exist is at risk.”
At that, I paused. Things had never exactly been smooth and loving between my parents and I, but did I really want to lie to them about my life? But there was something inside me that couldn’t say no. Some instinctive feeling in my soul. So, I listened to it.
“I know this won’t be easy, or glamorous,” I began cautiously, trying to plan out my words before each sentence. “And it might be weird, lying to my parents… but this feels right. And when I listen to my instincts, they don’t often steer me wrong. So, Mr. Fury, this is what I want to do. It’s a little bit crazy, but… it’s what’s right for me.”
Fury nodded, looking like this was the outcome he had been expecting all along. Did he know something I didn’t?
“Agent Hill will be by your house tonight with another agent to pose as representatives from the “institution.” They’ll give the boarding school cover story to your parents.”
“Okay,” I said.
“You’ll need this,” he said, sliding me a sleek looking phone across the desk. “It’s encrypted, and has pre-programmed emergency contacts. After Agent Hill leaves your house tonight, you’ll receive some files with information of the Avengers. It’s probably best to read up on them before you meet them.” He stood up and walked out, and I glanced at the clock. It was time to leave already. I ran to my locker, gathering what I needed from the teachers whose classes I’d missed, and took a moment just to breathe.
I couldn’t help but feel like I had made the most important decision of my life. I glanced at the sleek, SHIELD-standard phone, allowing myself to briefly admire the cool tech before quickly stuffing it into my pocket where it wouldn’t be noticed. I sure hoped the Avengers were as good as they looked on TV. They were going to have to be miracle workers to make a spy out of me. It seemed so impossible... But, I thought, only time will tell.