Unexpected Losses. PG-13.
Title: Unexpected Losses
Series: Agents of Inception (#1 - After The Fall, #2 - Easing The Transition)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13 for violence.
Pairing: Ariadne/Arthur
Warning/Spoilers: Winter Soldier/AOS spoilers, violence, minor character death. Written in response to the Tumblr prompt "Why does it always have to be alcohol?" for Still Worth A Shot, our AA Fest there. The AO3 Collection is here.
Summary: Storming a building for gear and information is more dangerous than it really should have been.
The building was a nondescript one in the middle of the business district of Columbus, Ohio. There were the inevitable office drones walking here and there along the sidewalk, and it was a peaceful afternoon. To an outside observer, it would appear like every other Thursday afternoon, nothing important going on in the building at all.
It was the lower levels that held the interesting artifacts that they were looking for.
Darren Bartel had chosen to go in and distract the front desk staff, claiming an inspection from Washington while Ariadne, Arthur, Eames and Saito went in. "It might be related to Level Two weaponry," Saito had told them when he arrived with pilfered documents that were far above their clearance level. It hadn't made it out to the internet; as much as Agent Romanoff had supposedly leaked all SHIELD secrets, there were still quite a few that were well hidden. Ariadne rather doubted that she would do such a thing anyway. Anyone that highly placed in the organization and skilled in espionage would know that knowledge is power, and simply put the documents that Hydra was interested in out in the open. Whatever they didn't know about could still remain in SHIELD custody.
Saito had provided them with better clothing and equipment, then set himself up as the director of a consulting firm. "Their cover is in acquisitions and fuel management," Saito told them. When he was dressed in a crisp black business suit, white shirt and tie, he looked every inch the consummate professional."So that's where we all come in. Because I'm willing to bet that this location is not entirely in SHIELD control right now. I had an associate based in Detroit that came here often, and she's gone. No warning, no messages, just gone." He paused and let that sink in. "Don't be a hero," he warned them. "It's not a story, not a movie. Just go in, get the data and any equipment they might have, and get the hell out."
"And if it's too big for a briefcase?" Ariadne had asked. She and Darren had the least experience with operations like this.
"Shoot your way out if you have to," Saito told them grimly, frowning at her blanch.
"Then maybe you should be the associate at the front desk," Darren muttered, shaking his head. "That way, you'll have their backs. I'm not that great a shot."
"It'll work," Saito told them confidently. "Besides, we want our sharpshooters going down into the lower levels. The tech is going to have more security than office floors."
Ariadne shot Darren an apologetic look. While neither of them could compare with an ops team, Ariadne was a better shot than he was. At least, she hit her targets.
As tense as she felt, there seemed to be no difficulty for Darren going in to speak with the receptionist at the front desk and arrange to meet with various officials from the office floors of the building. That would keep their security occupied, and the other four would circle around and enter from the loading dock, working their way into the building and down into the hidden lower levels. It seemed to go off without a hitch, though Ariadne was certain that something would go wrong. That was probably just her own nerves.
Until everything got shot to hell.
The lights flickered first, the only sign that a silent alarm was triggered. Arthur and Eames shouldered heavy backpacks they had found in the lower levels, filling them with whatever tech they thought was useful. Saito had gone for the databanks with a pocket full of jump drives and a 5TB portable hard drive from his briefcase, stating that it was neater. He made copies of everything and had left Ariadne to figure out what else might be valuable on her own. She had gone through the hard copy files in the vaults, stuffing the briefcase she had brought with her. At the flickering of the lights, she looked around and was all too aware of the holster at the small of her back. Could she get to it fast enough?
Arthur was at her side immediately, and Ariadne was startled. She hadn't been in the same part of this floor as he had been, and had lost track of him. "Time to go," he said tersely, taking her arm in hand. She could see the outline of his twin Glocks beneath his suit jacket, unbuttoned at the waist for easier access. "Stay close to me, no matter what happens."
"How'd we get caught?" she asked, voice warbling slightly.
He shook his head sharply. "Doesn't matter right this second, but I don't think it was us."
Which meant it had been Darren. Was he Hydra after all, then?
Ariadne followed Arthur's cues and wasn't surprised in the least to see Eames and Saito move with practiced ease. They didn't appear nervous at all, making her feel like the weakest link on the team. But she kept up with them despite her shorter height, feeling the weight of stolen documents in her briefcase. They weren't even trying to be subtle now; once they approached the stairwell leading up, all three men took out their guns. Arthur took point, checking the door and nodding briskly when it was clear.
Dimly, Ariadne could hear shouting and gunfire, which seemed like dreadful overkill just to take down Darren in an office building.
Except that it wasn't Darren in the lobby and hallways, but soldiers that seemed to move with an almost robotic nature. They shot at anyone that moved, occasionally making abrupt changes in direction as if they were marionettes. Ariadne didn't even want to try shooting at one of them with her Beretta; they were wielding semiautomatic pistols with larger than regulation magazines, and it wouldn't surprise her in the least if a regular 9 mm bullet wouldn't harm them. The men around her seemed to come to the same conclusion, as they all moved along the periphery of the space. "Head to the back, where we came in," Eames hissed at them.
"And Darren?"
"I don't see him," Saito said, looking everywhere. "He might be with the officers, still working the ruse we agreed on."
"Not in this chaos," Ariadne disagreed.
Before anyone could answer that, more of the building's security swarmed the area to attack the soldiers. Using the distraction to their advantage, the four of them moved toward the back of the building. Ariadne kept her eyes peeled for possible soldiers or guards coming after them, feeling like she was caught up in some kind of surreal nightmare. She caught a flash of panic on her right hand side as she turned her head,
"Darren!"
He was trying to shoot his way out of a knot of security guards to reach them. Ariadne took out her Beretta and took aim at the guard heading in his direction and shot her before she could think about it, hitting her high in the chest. It spun her around, away from Darren, who shot her a grateful look as he continued to barrel toward them as fast as he could.
And then one of the soldiers in beige shot him in the back.
Ariadne wanted to scream from the horror of it, from the look of shock and pain on his face as he stumbled and fell, sprawling across the floor. Arthur was pulling at her, yanking her away from the firefight, and she was screaming, reaching out for Darren even as she saw the spreading pool of blood widening beneath his body.
Her head hit the frame of the door as they burst out into the loading dock, and she mercifully was knocked unconscious.
***
Ariadne sat bolt upright in bed, feeling disoriented. She had no idea where she was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something awful had happened.
"Hey, you're awake," Arthur said. He was seated in the armchair, jacket discarded, tie undone, top few buttons of his shirt open. While the rumpled look was good on him, it seemed odd to find him that way. She was used to him looking crisp and freshly pressed.
"What happened?"
"Darren's dead. We got there apparently at the same time competing interests were going after the items we found."
It was like being doused with ice cold water. "Oh, God," she moaned, putting a hand to her mouth as the reality of events crashed into her. "What happened after I was knocked out?"
"We split up. I brought you with me, Eames and Saito went their separate ways to be sure that none of us were being followed. We're safe for now. No one seems to know we were even there today, at least."
"But with Darren dead…"
"They would chalk it up to one more casualty. I don't think anyone would find us."
"Whatever we took, it wasn't worth it," Ariadne replied, starting to shake.
Arthur got up slowly and grabbed the bottle of vodka that had been resting on the bedside table, along with one of the glass tumblers. "Here. This might take the edge off."
"Why does it always have to be alcohol?"
"It's cheap and easy to get. Not to mention legal," Arthur replied promptly. He poured her a generous amount, and watched as she started to drink it. Then he poured himself a glass. "It's different if you walk in expecting that," he began slowly. "If you all know the risks involved. If there's no one to miss you…"
"It's probably awful of me, but I'm glad it wasn't you," Ariadne said, looking up from where she was trying to choke down the alcohol. It burned something awful, and she tried to tell herself that was why tears were coming. Because it made no sense. He was real, he was solid, he held her trust. But she felt more connected to Arthur after only a week's acquaintance than to Darren, who she had worked alongside for the past four years. That was probably guilt she was feeling, that sickly acid burn in her chest. That or the alcohol. Maybe that was why everyone drowned their sorrows in booze. It was easy to blame the physical symptoms on the alcohol, and then no one would have to deal with the reality of their feelings.
Arthur downed his own glass of vodka easily, then put the tumbler aside. He took hers from her shaking fingers, then set it down as well. "It's not awful," he said softly. "It's human. It's something I feel, too."
She rose to her knees on the bed and practically fell against him, trembling. Her mouth sought his, and it felt as though she was holding onto Arthur like an anchor to reality. He was real, they were both alive, this awful day was over, no one was coming after them, he was solid beneath her hands and she no longer felt like she was drifting through limbo.
Her clothes somehow disappeared, and she almost couldn't recall how that happened. Or how his were removed. Or how the comforter got kicked aside. But she knew she pulled his lean body down over hers, that she wanted to feel his presence, the weight of him pushing her down and letting her feel connected. There was his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth and his hands caressing bare skin. She could feel the planes of muscle beneath her hands, the faint prickles of stubble beginning to grow in, the slight tickle of leg hair as he shifted above her.
If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. She would rather stay in this moment forever.
But after the high his touch brought her, there was still the crash, the burn, the loss. This was what Hydra did, she told herself. This was why she had joined SHIELD in the first place, to prevent others from feeling this crushing sense of inadequacy. When the tears fell, it was as much out of shame as it was grieving someone she had worked with for years. It wasn't as if she was close to Darren, which made her feel that much worse. She didn't know if he had family, if he had a girlfriend or a boyfriend or didn't date at all, if there had been anyone he left behind that would have to be notified that he was dead. And he was considered a fugitive, a criminal because he had believed in something that turned out to be corrupted and diseased.
"Hey." Arthur tightened his arms around her as she cried, clutching tightly to him. She was adrift, lost, and holding onto him was her only anchor in this limbo of grief. "You're okay. You're okay. I've got you. I promise you, Ariadne, I've got you."
He kissed her face and jaw and neck, let her press her skin against his. Touch and touch and touch, the soft slide of skin against skin. This was real. This was reality. This was her anchor.
And in the morning, she would train harder and fight better. Ariadne wasn't about to let Hydra take anything else from her ever again.
The End
Series: Agents of Inception (#1 - After The Fall, #2 - Easing The Transition)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13 for violence.
Pairing: Ariadne/Arthur
Warning/Spoilers: Winter Soldier/AOS spoilers, violence, minor character death. Written in response to the Tumblr prompt "Why does it always have to be alcohol?" for Still Worth A Shot, our AA Fest there. The AO3 Collection is here.
Summary: Storming a building for gear and information is more dangerous than it really should have been.
The building was a nondescript one in the middle of the business district of Columbus, Ohio. There were the inevitable office drones walking here and there along the sidewalk, and it was a peaceful afternoon. To an outside observer, it would appear like every other Thursday afternoon, nothing important going on in the building at all.
It was the lower levels that held the interesting artifacts that they were looking for.
Darren Bartel had chosen to go in and distract the front desk staff, claiming an inspection from Washington while Ariadne, Arthur, Eames and Saito went in. "It might be related to Level Two weaponry," Saito had told them when he arrived with pilfered documents that were far above their clearance level. It hadn't made it out to the internet; as much as Agent Romanoff had supposedly leaked all SHIELD secrets, there were still quite a few that were well hidden. Ariadne rather doubted that she would do such a thing anyway. Anyone that highly placed in the organization and skilled in espionage would know that knowledge is power, and simply put the documents that Hydra was interested in out in the open. Whatever they didn't know about could still remain in SHIELD custody.
Saito had provided them with better clothing and equipment, then set himself up as the director of a consulting firm. "Their cover is in acquisitions and fuel management," Saito told them. When he was dressed in a crisp black business suit, white shirt and tie, he looked every inch the consummate professional."So that's where we all come in. Because I'm willing to bet that this location is not entirely in SHIELD control right now. I had an associate based in Detroit that came here often, and she's gone. No warning, no messages, just gone." He paused and let that sink in. "Don't be a hero," he warned them. "It's not a story, not a movie. Just go in, get the data and any equipment they might have, and get the hell out."
"And if it's too big for a briefcase?" Ariadne had asked. She and Darren had the least experience with operations like this.
"Shoot your way out if you have to," Saito told them grimly, frowning at her blanch.
"Then maybe you should be the associate at the front desk," Darren muttered, shaking his head. "That way, you'll have their backs. I'm not that great a shot."
"It'll work," Saito told them confidently. "Besides, we want our sharpshooters going down into the lower levels. The tech is going to have more security than office floors."
Ariadne shot Darren an apologetic look. While neither of them could compare with an ops team, Ariadne was a better shot than he was. At least, she hit her targets.
As tense as she felt, there seemed to be no difficulty for Darren going in to speak with the receptionist at the front desk and arrange to meet with various officials from the office floors of the building. That would keep their security occupied, and the other four would circle around and enter from the loading dock, working their way into the building and down into the hidden lower levels. It seemed to go off without a hitch, though Ariadne was certain that something would go wrong. That was probably just her own nerves.
Until everything got shot to hell.
The lights flickered first, the only sign that a silent alarm was triggered. Arthur and Eames shouldered heavy backpacks they had found in the lower levels, filling them with whatever tech they thought was useful. Saito had gone for the databanks with a pocket full of jump drives and a 5TB portable hard drive from his briefcase, stating that it was neater. He made copies of everything and had left Ariadne to figure out what else might be valuable on her own. She had gone through the hard copy files in the vaults, stuffing the briefcase she had brought with her. At the flickering of the lights, she looked around and was all too aware of the holster at the small of her back. Could she get to it fast enough?
Arthur was at her side immediately, and Ariadne was startled. She hadn't been in the same part of this floor as he had been, and had lost track of him. "Time to go," he said tersely, taking her arm in hand. She could see the outline of his twin Glocks beneath his suit jacket, unbuttoned at the waist for easier access. "Stay close to me, no matter what happens."
"How'd we get caught?" she asked, voice warbling slightly.
He shook his head sharply. "Doesn't matter right this second, but I don't think it was us."
Which meant it had been Darren. Was he Hydra after all, then?
Ariadne followed Arthur's cues and wasn't surprised in the least to see Eames and Saito move with practiced ease. They didn't appear nervous at all, making her feel like the weakest link on the team. But she kept up with them despite her shorter height, feeling the weight of stolen documents in her briefcase. They weren't even trying to be subtle now; once they approached the stairwell leading up, all three men took out their guns. Arthur took point, checking the door and nodding briskly when it was clear.
Dimly, Ariadne could hear shouting and gunfire, which seemed like dreadful overkill just to take down Darren in an office building.
Except that it wasn't Darren in the lobby and hallways, but soldiers that seemed to move with an almost robotic nature. They shot at anyone that moved, occasionally making abrupt changes in direction as if they were marionettes. Ariadne didn't even want to try shooting at one of them with her Beretta; they were wielding semiautomatic pistols with larger than regulation magazines, and it wouldn't surprise her in the least if a regular 9 mm bullet wouldn't harm them. The men around her seemed to come to the same conclusion, as they all moved along the periphery of the space. "Head to the back, where we came in," Eames hissed at them.
"And Darren?"
"I don't see him," Saito said, looking everywhere. "He might be with the officers, still working the ruse we agreed on."
"Not in this chaos," Ariadne disagreed.
Before anyone could answer that, more of the building's security swarmed the area to attack the soldiers. Using the distraction to their advantage, the four of them moved toward the back of the building. Ariadne kept her eyes peeled for possible soldiers or guards coming after them, feeling like she was caught up in some kind of surreal nightmare. She caught a flash of panic on her right hand side as she turned her head,
"Darren!"
He was trying to shoot his way out of a knot of security guards to reach them. Ariadne took out her Beretta and took aim at the guard heading in his direction and shot her before she could think about it, hitting her high in the chest. It spun her around, away from Darren, who shot her a grateful look as he continued to barrel toward them as fast as he could.
And then one of the soldiers in beige shot him in the back.
Ariadne wanted to scream from the horror of it, from the look of shock and pain on his face as he stumbled and fell, sprawling across the floor. Arthur was pulling at her, yanking her away from the firefight, and she was screaming, reaching out for Darren even as she saw the spreading pool of blood widening beneath his body.
Her head hit the frame of the door as they burst out into the loading dock, and she mercifully was knocked unconscious.
***
Ariadne sat bolt upright in bed, feeling disoriented. She had no idea where she was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something awful had happened.
"Hey, you're awake," Arthur said. He was seated in the armchair, jacket discarded, tie undone, top few buttons of his shirt open. While the rumpled look was good on him, it seemed odd to find him that way. She was used to him looking crisp and freshly pressed.
"What happened?"
"Darren's dead. We got there apparently at the same time competing interests were going after the items we found."
It was like being doused with ice cold water. "Oh, God," she moaned, putting a hand to her mouth as the reality of events crashed into her. "What happened after I was knocked out?"
"We split up. I brought you with me, Eames and Saito went their separate ways to be sure that none of us were being followed. We're safe for now. No one seems to know we were even there today, at least."
"But with Darren dead…"
"They would chalk it up to one more casualty. I don't think anyone would find us."
"Whatever we took, it wasn't worth it," Ariadne replied, starting to shake.
Arthur got up slowly and grabbed the bottle of vodka that had been resting on the bedside table, along with one of the glass tumblers. "Here. This might take the edge off."
"Why does it always have to be alcohol?"
"It's cheap and easy to get. Not to mention legal," Arthur replied promptly. He poured her a generous amount, and watched as she started to drink it. Then he poured himself a glass. "It's different if you walk in expecting that," he began slowly. "If you all know the risks involved. If there's no one to miss you…"
"It's probably awful of me, but I'm glad it wasn't you," Ariadne said, looking up from where she was trying to choke down the alcohol. It burned something awful, and she tried to tell herself that was why tears were coming. Because it made no sense. He was real, he was solid, he held her trust. But she felt more connected to Arthur after only a week's acquaintance than to Darren, who she had worked alongside for the past four years. That was probably guilt she was feeling, that sickly acid burn in her chest. That or the alcohol. Maybe that was why everyone drowned their sorrows in booze. It was easy to blame the physical symptoms on the alcohol, and then no one would have to deal with the reality of their feelings.
Arthur downed his own glass of vodka easily, then put the tumbler aside. He took hers from her shaking fingers, then set it down as well. "It's not awful," he said softly. "It's human. It's something I feel, too."
She rose to her knees on the bed and practically fell against him, trembling. Her mouth sought his, and it felt as though she was holding onto Arthur like an anchor to reality. He was real, they were both alive, this awful day was over, no one was coming after them, he was solid beneath her hands and she no longer felt like she was drifting through limbo.
Her clothes somehow disappeared, and she almost couldn't recall how that happened. Or how his were removed. Or how the comforter got kicked aside. But she knew she pulled his lean body down over hers, that she wanted to feel his presence, the weight of him pushing her down and letting her feel connected. There was his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth and his hands caressing bare skin. She could feel the planes of muscle beneath her hands, the faint prickles of stubble beginning to grow in, the slight tickle of leg hair as he shifted above her.
If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up. She would rather stay in this moment forever.
But after the high his touch brought her, there was still the crash, the burn, the loss. This was what Hydra did, she told herself. This was why she had joined SHIELD in the first place, to prevent others from feeling this crushing sense of inadequacy. When the tears fell, it was as much out of shame as it was grieving someone she had worked with for years. It wasn't as if she was close to Darren, which made her feel that much worse. She didn't know if he had family, if he had a girlfriend or a boyfriend or didn't date at all, if there had been anyone he left behind that would have to be notified that he was dead. And he was considered a fugitive, a criminal because he had believed in something that turned out to be corrupted and diseased.
"Hey." Arthur tightened his arms around her as she cried, clutching tightly to him. She was adrift, lost, and holding onto him was her only anchor in this limbo of grief. "You're okay. You're okay. I've got you. I promise you, Ariadne, I've got you."
He kissed her face and jaw and neck, let her press her skin against his. Touch and touch and touch, the soft slide of skin against skin. This was real. This was reality. This was her anchor.
And in the morning, she would train harder and fight better. Ariadne wasn't about to let Hydra take anything else from her ever again.
The End