Valor ↠ Prequel [0] ✓

03 | The Compromise

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VALOR
iii. THE COMPROMISE

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  THERE WAS A GREAT divide that existed between the agents that Riley O'Dair was never fond of. Whether it was the secrets no one actually knew anything about or the overachieving agents consistently trying to prove that they were better than each other, S.H.I.E.L.D. was more divided than you'd expect.

  Director Fury used to tell Riley that he liked keeping things that way. It kept everyone on their toes. He said that everyone had missions of their own for a reason. "Compartmentalizing is more helpful than you think," he'd always say, and while everyone always thought they knew something that the others didn't, no one actually knew a thing. "Nobody spills the secrets because no one knows them all." Riley liked to think that was why she still trusted Fury after everything he'd done to her.

  Steve Rogers was convinced that the only one who knew all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets was Fury, and that was why Steve felt like he couldn't trust Fury. But Riley always defended him.

  Even if Director Fury was shady, Riley knew deep down that he wasn't a bad person. This was S.H.I.E.L.D., after all. Their methods of ameliorating madness were questionable, but at the end of the day, S.H.I.E.L.D. was created to protect the people. That was what mattered most, wasn't it?

  The next day, an invisible Riley O'Dair strolled throughout Washington D.C. Riley was under orders from Fury to perform a minor assessment on Steve. It was a simple task that anyone could do, but he had assigned it to Riley earlier that day because he knew Steve trusted her. Fury wanted to ensure that Steve wasn't up to anything questionable, seeing as the latter was famous for breaking rules and acting against things he deemed as unjust.

  See, earlier today, Fury had informed Steve of something called Project Insight. It was an operation that would connect S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarriers to spy satellites to prevent any possible terrorist attacks. It was formed in response to the Battle of New York in 2012, but Steve saw it more like an aggressive means of tyranny rather than protection for the people. All Fury wanted was for Riley to see if Steve wasn't planning on doing something stupid.

  Riley didn't really mind. Steve was Riley's friend, after all, and she liked being able to get out of the Triskelion—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s primary headquarters—when she could.

  Riley slipped through the back alleys of the city that led to Steve Rogers's apartment, turning visible once more. She strolled through the alley, humming to herself when she noticed something from behind her. It was a muffled, hardly noticeable sound, but Riley's ears were sharp. She remained composed despite the sound causing her to grow alert.