The Last Recommendation of Agent Coulson: Chapter 2
Call Me Phil
Darcy was finishing up for the day, typing reports that had been spoken into cellphones and periodically checking for new emails in case she was supposed to be doing anything else (ANYTHING PLEASE!). As per usual she remembered her scheduled advanced combat training was tonight but only when her phone buzzed to remind her she was going to be late. She ran to the other side of the building arriving five minutes late and she’d skipped changing her pants.
Once there she noticed everyone was on an obstacle course being supervised by Agent Romanov who was barking orders and randomly knocking people off their feet she had entirely way too much fun doing it. Darcy groaned wishing she’d had time for another power bar, she usually fell anyways and tomorrow she just knew she was going to be covered in bruises. Still she threw herself into the course letting her hair whip behind free. At first it was fun, getting winded, she and several others were laughing when they’d fall. But the first time Agent Romanov dropped her from behind she found herself staring Agent Romanov in the face hair gripped in her hand her head tilted at an awkward angle. “Agent Lewis why didn’t you tie up your hair?”
“I was late?”
“We know.” Agent Barton dropped down beside Romanov said smirking. “She was the last one in by five minutes that’s why she’s still wearing her shoes and slacks.”
“You know this is your sixth wardrobe infraction?”
“Yeah” Darcy was relieved to get her hair back. Even though Agent Romanov had had a good grip it was just was just a little sore. “Can I go change please? Agent?”
“Come with me Probationary Agent Lewis.” Barton lead the way to a secluded mat in an adjoining room. “We have some different training in mind for you tonight.” he said it with a smirk and produced a blindfold from his back pocket. Darcy tried not to think about how anything possibly fit in those super tight leather pants. “I’m going to blindfold you but only after you strap this knife to your, uh thigh.” To his credit, noted Darcy, he didn’t look at her chest or her legs, he merely was struggling to get it the tiny knife out of his quiver without damaging his arrows.
“Told you to leave it in its case.” said Agent Coulson appearing behind Darcy and making her jump.
“Yeah but it didn’t really you know fit in my pockets” Barton finally got both the strap and the little silicon and leather sheath free and handed it to Coulson.
“Agent Coulson, good to see you as always.” Darcy was relieved, as hot as Agent Barton was she’d felt a little too unsettled after Agent Romanov to really relax not to mention she was freaking out about being blindfolded.
“You too Agent Lewis.” Was that crinkling around the eyes? He really does care, she thought.
“Probationary Agent Lewis.” she corrected for want of anything else to say.
“Not if this goes well.” he responded. Darcy was dumbstruck, she still had a good three months of training before they gave her a permanent assignment and she wouldn’t have to keep going through the different departments. From Agent Coulson that was practically a hug and grin, a fist bump... So Darcy hugged him and squealed. He let himself be accosted and Darcy recovered quickly. “Now you’re going to strap this to your leg, we’re going to blindfold you and you’ll have to free yourself from the following situation.”
“I don’t like the dark.” she mumbled as she sat on the floor raising her pant leg to secure the strap and make sure the silicon part stuck to her calf. Agent Coulson dropped down.
“Call me Phil.”
“I’m not going to like this am I Phil?” her voice was small because she really, really hated being blindfolded. He gazed at her, his eyes squinting.
“You may not like it Darcy but it will save your life.” She gulped, she’d never heard him use just her first name before or been allowed to use his first name. Now she knew she something terrible was going to happen. He took his eyes off her face, “There’s a trick to it you just focus on the goal no matter what.” she nodded. He quirked the tiniest of smiles but it might have just been her imagination. Coulson stood up helped her up, blindfolded her and was gone.
The exercise was terrifying. It had started with blindfolds and that was bad enough but then she and the rest of them were rounded up gassed and then when she came to she’d been tied up. She wanted to throw up, no gun, no taser, and just a tiny little knife on her leg, but she was tied up and it was going to hurt like a bitch to cut them off blindfolded. She kept thinking of Agent Coulson and all the encouragement. Because from what she knew of the man this made Darcy his legitimate favorite to be treated to an extra pep talk before this whole ordeal. Time passed slowly but she bent down to her knife concentrating on listening for her surroundings. After what seemed like forever she’d twisted the knife around and cut through the zip at her wrist with just a few cuts. Blindfold off she studied her surroundings. Half of the probationary agents were still tied up and from the looks of it passed out. There was only two out of the twenty that were free and ready. She crawled over to them because apparently her limbs were still mostly asleep.
They planned carefully, lots of strategy and what-ifs being bandied around but then as half had freed themselves she just got to work freeing the others. They were ambushed almost as soon as she’d freed one of the blindfolded agents struggling and whimpering. Everything she’d learned from boot camp was dribbling through her ears but she grabbed her knife and tried to work faster. The rest seemed to get blurry fast. All their strategizing and what-ifs had been reduced to, “keep your head and stay together as we try to get the hell out of here.” well its what she kept telling those she was freeing. A few flash bangs and it was chaos again. At some point she felt herself being dragged by a masked assailant and fought tooth and nail to be released. It was dirty business getting free and avoiding capture. Soon she’d found a hiding space behind a crate and didn’t see the gas canister that knocked her out. She woke up a while later and had to repeat the whole get together and plan thing before she grew frustrated and grabbed two others to get up high in the huge warehouse and taking turns scoping out the exits and entrances.
The whole escape and survive exercise plan was like herding cats so she gave up and just focused on the ones that would work with her. Another chick was better at strategizing so they listened to her. Someone else had managed to get a gun off the intruders. It only had tranqs but they started to formulate a plan. Suddenly everyone was working together and listening to herself and the other girl with the strategies. They formed four groups and tackled their respective objectives. The next time the assailants came everyone was ready. It was a dirty victory and every got injured before it was over, and it wasn’t over until they’d tracked down transportation and were able to drive themselves back to SHIELD. Darcy dragged two people out of the stolen SUV when they arrived SHIELD before finding out there were still people stuck back at the warehouse, she was bad at directions so she grabbed the steadiest person who could remember where it was and they headed back. Everyone piled into the SUV they were attacked again.
“FUCK THIS IS SO NOT FAIR!” she yelled to no one in particular as she jumped from the SUV to face their attackers a stolen gun in in her hands. She took down one with a tranquilizer noticed she was out and brandished a knife at the last attacker, the attacker was a guy but he barely flinched when she opened a gash on his leg.
“Agh!” she yelled when she was tranqued again.
She woke up in the SHIELD infirmary. Tired and exhausted she screwed her eyes shut and vowed to yell at however had left them without backup. Waking up from nightmares, soaked in sweat she screamed when she noticed someone was in the room with her.
“Darcy, its Phil.” she shook and sobbed.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I can’t I suck at it. That’s why you keep having to give me pep talks. I’m not cut out for it. I’ll never be good at it.” A nurse peeked into the room and Phil waved her away.
“Strange, I hear that you got the high marks for decision making and leadership. But you really shined for search and rescue. You went back for the remaining agents.”
Darcy took the bottle of water that rested on her bedside table. “But we sucked, like seriously we should have gotten out of there in half the time.”
“Maybe. Or perhaps the point was to keep trying and not to expect backup.” His phone buzzed, he pulled it out and clicked it on. “Rest up, Agent Lewis.”
They did suck at working together, they lost valuable time when they neglected to cut their comrades free, gassed twice and many were tranked twice. They got a three hour lecture as a group on what they did wrong but not until they’d been fully debriefed and filled out paperwork. When it was all over and they were dismissed from the thorough dressing down Darcy kept thinking about what Agent Coulson had told her. “Perhaps the point was to keep trying and not to expect backup.”