Agent of Chaos: A Captain America Fanfiction

Chapter 20: Capture the Intel Part 3

The buzz of insistent insects accosted my ears, and thin, nimble branches scratched at my black suit as I crouched in the forest surrounding Communication Building A. After Coulson summoned us from the bunk room, we were quickly transported to the Academy of Communication's campus. As soon as we stepped out of the sleek vehicle, Coulson announced that the test had started, informed us of the building we would be infiltrating, and said he looked forward to the results. It all seemed very rushed.

Glancing around the campus we were on, I noticed the constant, curious stares of the students alerting us to the obvious fact that slinking around the campus while dressed like Catwoman was not very inconspicuous. Deciding we would fare better somewhere with more cover, we made our way from the well-maintained yards of the campus, to the woods separating the Academies from the rest of the world.

The ten-minute walk through the untrodden path of the forest was full of encounters with spiderwebs laced from tree limb to tree limb. Not a great way to start a mission, but no good hero would admit to a fear of such tiny creatures. Ignoring the eight-legged fiends, I concentrated on the task at hand: the unassuming concrete building about 20 yards away. It was topped with dozens of satellites and lacked any good entry points. From our position, I could see only two windows in the back of the building, and one door that had a set of cameras above it, so that wouldn't be an option for entry.

"What do you think, Hennessey?" I glanced over at her noting the pink of her tongue popping out from the corner of her mouth; she was definitely in concentration mode.

"Cap wasn't kidding when he said this would be heavily fortified," Hennessey said with eyebrows knitted together. "I'm clocking two guards coming around the back every three minutes, and there are cameras installed at every single entry point including the windows. Who does that?!" I sighed.

"Nolan, think you could tech your way into the building?" I asked hopefully. I might not want to work with him, but I could begrudgingly admit that he could be useful.

"Not likely. I didn't see any places where I could employ my skills. I was hoping there might be an electrical box I could work with or at least cut the power to, but my guess is they buried them, so that isn't an option." So much for being useful. Frustration was beginning to worm its way into me, and judging by the slumped shoulders of my cohorts, I wasn't alone.

"Okay, so the ground is out. We'll just have to look a little higher then."

"Are you referring to the roof?" Nolan sounded taken aback by the suggestion, but Hennessey perked up.

"Yes! That could work. In my experience, a building as big as this one has to have a hefty ventilation system that we could use as our entry point. We can skirt to the left of the building to avoid the cameras on the windows and doors, and then make a run for it as soon as the guards round the corner. That will give us three minutes to climb to the roof." Hennessey was practically sparkling with hopefulness, and I was right there with her. Nolan, however, had missed the memo.

"And just how do you propose we get onto a roof that's, oh, you know, 15 feet high?" I could almost hear him restraining a scoff.

"That will be the entertaining part that you're definitely not going to like," I said, and his left eyebrow quirked up in annoyance. "We're going to have to work as a team, and essentially build a human ladder." I could see the rejection forming on his lips, so I rushed ahead with my explanation. "Don't worry, it's much easier than it sounds! I'll be the base, and Hennessey will climb on my shoulders. Then you'll climb to the top of us and onto the roof. There's even a pipe running along the corner you can use to steady yourself. Once you're on the roof, you'll help Hennessey up, and then she'll help me. Simple stuff." I plastered a grin of confidence on my face.