Nightingale | An Avengers Tale

Flashback

Lily skipped down the hallway of the Hydra facility she was staying at. Bucky was off on some mission so he wouldn't be training her today. Grant was still off on his mission, and no one would tell her when he would back. When everyone was gone, it was really boring for the little girl. While there were a bunch of scientists and guards, they all ignored her. What really stunk, was that she wasn't even allowed to go outside and play. That was one of the downsides of living at a top secret base.

But today was going to be a good day, Mr. Garrett was supposed to be coming to visit. While he was not her favorite person, he would always bring her a new toy or book. Lily secretly hoped he would bring the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia. He had brought her the first book because he said she read through the shorter books he brought too quickly. While it had been difficult to read at first, Lily soon became immersed in the story and had finished it within a few hours. Lily had decided that she loved to read and that one day she was going to buy the library from Beauty and the Beast.

"Hey, Princess!" Garrett's overly cheery voice rose from behind his desk as she pranced into his office. His office was dingy and boring; she had been there several times before and it was just a bunch of boring paper files in a grey interior room. Why he wouldn't want a room with some windows was beyond Lily's comprehension. If he had a window, he could at least watch the squirrels if he got bored.

Lily glanced up at him with a smile. "Did you hear that I learned how to pick a lock?" She cheerfully asked. "It was really cool and I'm super fast. Even Mr. Rumlow said so." She began to rush.

"Woah. Slow down." He joked.

Lily pranced toward the rolling chair that sat in the corner of his office. She paused when she saw a strange woman sitting in her chair. While Garrett's office was inherently boring, the one fun thing was to sit in his rolling chair. "Who's she?" Lily pointed a finger at the woman.

"We mustn't be rude." Garrett began.

Lily rolled her eyes at him and let out a sharp huff as what she knew that this was going to be another lecture on her manners.

"I can see you've been spending too much time with Grant." Garrett mumbled under his breath. "This is Miss Mary. She'll be your new teacher." He proudly said.

The woman glanced down at the ground; she didn't look like she wanted to be there. Grant had taught her the importance of reading other's body language, as it easily gave away what people were truly thinking and feeling. "Why?" Lily abruptly asked.

"Well kiddo, you need to learn things that my associates can't teach you."

"Like what?" Lily asked as she crossed her arms to glare at Garrett.

"Remember what I told you about the Widow program in Russia?" He began.

"Yup." Lily nodded. "It sounded scary. I don't want to go there." She shivered at the thought.

"While the program has made great agents, I always thought they were lacking in some areas." He began as he rose from his chair. "They had some good ideas, but it did not inspire loyalty." He shrugged. "I'd much rather have a smaller group of agents who I know are loyal to the cause than a large group that aren't." He paused. "And, that, Princess, is why I need you." He said with a smile.

Lily continued to stare at him, evidently confused as to where this conversation was going. She glanced at the woman in the corner; she seemed to be listening to Garrett's plan as well.

"Leviathan operatives and Widows have been wreaking havoc for decades." He smiled. "I say it's time Hydra had their own secret little weapon." He paused. "I need someone who S.H.I.E.L.D. will never suspect, and yet I need someone who knows them inside and out." Garrett sat back in his chair; he was evidently amused with his plan. "What is Agent Melinda May's middle name?" He turned to look at Lily.

Lily blinked in confusion. Why was Garrett asking a random question about one of Grant's new team members? "Qiaolian." Lily confidently said. She had memorized everything about Grant's teammates. During one of her training sessions with Agent Rumlow, he had handed her their files and told her memorize everything, which she had. "Her serial number is A 078634." Lily continued. "And she absolutely hates coffee."

Garrett smiled; his littlest recruit had a lot of potential. "Very good." He paused. "What else do you know?"

"Everything." Lily proudly said. "It's all up here." She pointed to her head.

"Well, Mary. You've got a smart little student." He said with a smile. "Make sure you train her well or I may have to act on my end of the deal." He smiled again as he stared at the strange woman.

Lily felt a shiver go down her spine. She didn't trust Garrett; he had given her no reason not to, but there was just something about him that just seemed off.

"I understand." The woman replied. There was a cold tone to her voice. She glanced at the ground again.

Garrett turned to look down at Lily. "Miss Mary is a current agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Like Grant?" Lily questioned. She had learned that Grant was gathering intel on the group for Hydra.

"No." Garrett laughed. "She's loyal to Fury. She even came here planning on spying on us."

Lily glanced uneasily at the woman. Why ever would Garrett choose that woman to train her? After all, loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were the enemies of Hydra agents.

Garrett grew serious as he stood and leaned down to look Lily in the eyes. "You can learn more about your enemy by being trained by one of them, than you can by being trained by one of your friends." He paused. "You will learn how they think, what they believe, and why they do what they do. You will learn their strengths and their weaknesses even better than they do." He paused to allow the little girl to understand what he was saying. "And that is why you will be better than them. And that is why we will win."

Lily nodded as she glanced over at Mary. The woman looked angry, but also scared. She had dark hair and hazel eyes. "I can do this." She bravely whispered as she turned to face Mr. Garrett.

"Good." He smiled down at her. "Hail Hydra."

Lily smiled back and whispered the words she was beginning to learn. "Hail Hydra."