[𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱] - 𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 & 𝚘𝚌

0.5 - [Fury's special crew.]

[2011, Washington D.C.]

"Forget it, Nick. Just don't even think about it. I feel honored that you want me to be a part of your super secret world defense club, I genuinely do. But you have to understand that it's just not my thing."

Mallory sighed. Ever since she found Nick Fury's plans about his project, the Avengers Initiative, she had the feeling Nick would try to get her on board. And there he was, completely delusional to the fact that Mallory enjoyed working behind the scenes.

The Avengers Initiative seemed to her like the exact opposite of behind the scenes. Or Fury completely lost his mind and wants to recruit a man that is able to transform into a big green monster for paperwork. Who knows.

"Mallory, please, at least think about it. All these special, talented people, you could accomplish incredible things together."

"Incredibly destructive, you mean."

Now it was Director Fury's turn to sigh. Getting up from Mallory's comfortable leather couch for rare visitors (and for herself in basically every coffee break) and starting to wander up and down in her office, he started another attempt to explain her his point of view.

"Even if you don't want to believe it, there's more out there, Mallory. So much more. We, you and me and every other living being on this earth are lost, should they ever attack. We need something. And you could be part of it."

"An enhanced grandpa fresh out of the freezer, a science experiment gone wrong, Mister Legolas himself and me? Well, if that's your only hope, you can already start saying goodbye to dear Mother Earth."

"I'm serious."

"So am I, Nick. You know I appreciate everything you do a lot, and I'll do everything I can regarding background work, software programming and whatever else you need for your group, promise, but I won't go out on the battlefield for you. I'm sorry."

Mallory hated this. She hated having to say no to someone who always put his trust in her, supported her, encouraged her to improve. She hated the feeling that she owed Nick Fury a lot, and still had to say no.

But what she hated the most was the thought of being useless, not as good as the others in Fury's team. She just belonged to the background team, or, if it really was needed, in a car or a helicopter - which she both knew how to handle pretty effortlessly, it didn't feel that different to the racing games on her computer she played in her youth. And well, her parents still did not know what she really worked as, and Mallory was not keen on them finding out through TV, so the Avengers Initiative had to get along without her.

She felt quite sorry for Clint Barton, to be completely honest. He had a goddamn family - two incredibly cute kids, Mallory saw pictures - and Fury still dragged him into this, just because he was an amazing archer and could not say "no" very well. He was probably the only one except her, Fury and Fury's assistent Maria, who became quite a good friend of Mallory - having a similar sense of humor and the same love for coffee - who actually already knew about the initiative: Banner and Rogers were only under constant surveillance, but not directly involved in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s activities.

Some notes in Fury's files hinted that even more extraordinarily talented people should be recruited, but Mallory had no clue who that could be, hopefully not another poor soul just wanting to live their life and do their job in peace.