The Raven and the Hawk (My MCU #1)

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Around noon, Raven arrived at the building across the street from where her meeting was to take place. She made quick work of finding her way to the roof and settled in to do some reconnaissance. It wasn't that she didn't trust SHIELD and their intentions, well, if she were honest that was exactly the problem. But then, she didn't trust anyone.

It was her own fault she ended up on Nick Fury's radar in the first place. Several years ago she'd been given a contract to assassinate the Director of SHIELD. Rather than completing her task, she had followed Nick Fury until she had the opportunity to give him a message. She simply walked past him and placed the bullet with his name on it on the table in front of him. It was a warning that he took to heart, going underground until the person that initiated the contract had been dealt with.

Shortly after that, he attempted to recruit her for the first time. The second had been after she shot Agents Barton and Romanoff. Apparently Fury found her not killing himself and his agents an indication she wished to join SHIELD. Raven shook her head and looked through her scope at the building across from her again watching until she saw the familiar bald head of Nick Fury. Agents Romanoff and Barton followed him into the room and all three sat at the table in the middle of the room.

Another man followed behind dressed in a dark suit. He stood against the wall, hands clasped in front of him. He looked relatively non-threatening but if he was in that room with Fury and the others, there was more to him than what she could see. Raven pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed the phone number on the card Barton gave her the day before.

"Fury," the director answered. Raven watched him through the scope as she talked to him.

"Hello, Director." Raven all but purred the words. She smiled as Fury sat up straight in his seat and placed his phone on the table in front of him. She assumed he had put it on speaker so they could all hear.

"Ms. Sterling. I trust you are on your way to our meeting."

Raven shrugged though she knew the man couldn't see it. "Perhaps. Might I ask you a question, Fury?"

"It's not as if I can stop you, Sterling."

"Who is the man in the suit?"

Romanoff and Barton went from looking bored to full attention in seconds. Their gazes darted to the window as they searched for the threat, for her. The agent in question merely frowned. Nick Fury however looked completely relaxed.

"His name is Agent Coulson."

"Hello, Agent Coulson," Raven said and the man turned to the window and nodded a greeting. "Should I be expecting anyone else to join us?"

"No, Sterling. Just us. Now, will you be arriving sometime this afternoon?"

"Keep your trousers on, Fury. I'll be there shortly." Raven slipped the scope into the pocket of her coat. She made her way to the building across the street. Agent Coulson stood by the front desk waiting for her arrival.

"Agent Coulson," she said with a smile. "Did Fury not trust me to make my way to the room by myself?"

"Something like that, Ms. Sterling. If you'll follow me." The corner of the agent's mouth twitched slightly as if trying not to smile. He turned and headed to the elevators. She trailed behind, hands in her pockets as she examined the building around them. They stepped into the middle of the elevator and the agent pressed the button for the floor. He glanced at her as the box began to move. "How many?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Her brow furrowed in confusion.

"How many escape routes have you found so far?" His lips twitched but he didn't look at her.