It Takes an Ocean Not to Break - Chapter Three
Disclaimer: The BBC owns "Doctor Who" and all related characters; Marvel and Disney own "The Avengers" and all related characters; I own nothing.
Warnings: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Spoilers: "The Avengers" movie, "Doctor Who" seasons 3 and 4, "Torchwood" season 2
Chapter One | Chapter Two
Chapter Three
“I’m being transferred back to New York?” Martha asked, looking up from the tablet in her hands at Agent Sitwell, Coulson’s second-in-command. Coulson had disappeared about a week ago, leaving Sitwell to run the day-to-day operations of the base. Which apparently included notifying members of the science team if they were being transferred immediately. “Why?”
“Agent Coulson didn’t say,” Sitwell answered, hands folded in front of him. “All he told me was that you were needed back in the city immediately, and that you would be leaving first thing tomorrow morning and briefed on the way.”
“What about my research here? I can’t just drop it and forget about it.”
“I’m sure between you, Agent Coulson, and the Director you can work something out,” Sitwell said patiently.
“And what am I supposed to do for housing? I’ve already given up the lease on my flat when I moved here.”
“SHIELD will assist in locating suitable housing in New York.Any other questions you have should wait until your briefing, since they’ll have more information than I do.” With that, Sitwell exited the room, leaving Martha alone and staring at the ceiling.
She had been in New Mexico for a little over three months, and while there were times when the work lagged, she was enjoying herself here. The research was interesting and she liked her fellow scientists. She was even becoming friends with several of the agents, including Barton. She liked the open space, the clean air, the ability to see the sun and the stars. She was even slowly becoming accustomed to the silence that descended at night. And now, she was being asked to leave just as she was becoming settled.
“Might as well get it over with,” she muttered to herself, getting out of her chair and walking towards the main lab. She needed to talk to Selvig before the day was over about her transfer and work out something that would allow her to continue monitoring the scientists working with the Tesseract before wrapping up her research.
The other scientists were disappointed when Martha broke the news that she was leaving, and they insisted that on an impromptu farewell dinner. Wilson managed to produce alcohol and served as bartender in their corner of the mess. Martha stayed as long as she could before she reluctantly pulled herself away to pack.
It didn’t take Martha to pack her belongings, but she was too worked up to go to sleep. Besides, there was one last goodbye she had to make before she felt like she could leave.
Grabbing her jacket, she left her room and was walking down the hallway when she nearly ran into Agent Barton.
“So, word is that you’re headed back to civilization,” Barton commented.
“For once, the office rumor mill doesn’t lie,” Martha shrugged.
“You sound less than pleased at the prospect of moving to a place where there’s actual food.”
“It’s just a bit... sudden,” Martha answered after a pause. “And the lack of details is bothering me as well.”
“Whatever it is, they’re keeping a tight lid on it,” Barton said, a smirk coming to his lips. “Although Coulson was more excited than I’ve ever seen him when he got the call from Fury.”
“You suspect something,” Martha replied, raising her eyebrow.
“Let’s just say the last time that Coulson reacted that way, he’d just won an eBay war for the last Captain America trading card he needed for his complete set.”
So, something possibly to do with Captain America. Martha didn’t know much, other than he had been a tool for American propaganda during the Second World War before the actor had mysteriously disappeared in 1943.
“You’re heading out into the desert, right?” Barton asked, switching subjects.
“One last time before I’m back in the city of blinding lights,” Martha answered with a nod. “Would you like to come with me?” she continued, almost hesitantly. She and Barton weren’t exactly friends, but they had struck up a sort of camaraderie during her time here. Martha hadn’t been out into the area surrounding the base with Barton since her first week, but it felt right that she end her time here in a similar manner to how it began, going full circle.
“I have nothing else planned for the evening,” he answered, and with that, they set out.
She had gone out several times on her own in addition to her expeditions with Jane and Darcy, and she had a favorite spot roughly half an hour’s walk away. A rock jutting from the ground alternated as a buffer for the wind or as a perch to survey the surrounding landscape. Martha tried to alternate her routes to see where her wanderings might take her, but she kept finding her way back to this location.
I’m going to miss this, she thought wistfully, taking in the night sky. A few scattered clouds interrupted an otherwise clear night, the crescent moon’s faint light enough to subtly light the landscape without blocking some of the smaller stars. She wouldn’t find anything like this back in the city, no matter how hard she tried.
They didn’t stay outside long, only about twenty minutes, before they began to walk back to the base.
“My job’s going to be easier now that you’re shipping back to New York,” Barton remarked when they were almost there, his voice teasing. “You’re the only one I’ve had to deal with who seems to make late night wandering out in the desert a habit. I might actually be able to get some sleep without worrying what you might be getting up to.”
“Don’t get too comfortable with those thoughts, Agent Barton,” Martha warned him, trying to keep from laughing. “I’ll be back soon enough.”
He sighed as the satellites came into sight. “That’s what I was afraid you were going to say,” he replied mournfully. “At least I’ll have some heads up then.”
“Who knows, I might find a way to sneak in and surprise you,” Martha shot back. She still had her perception filter, and it might be fun to try it on Barton, who was one of the most observant people she’d ever met.
“Challenge accepted, Dr. Jones,” he replied in the same tone of voice.
Martha finally did laugh. Maybe she would have to move Barton to the friend column after all.
~*~*~
Maria Hill met Martha at the helicopter pad on the SHIELD base when Martha arrived, scant possessions in tow. They were quickly loaded into a high-tech jet by a pair of agents who accompanied Hill. Within five minutes of Martha’s arrival, they were airborne and traveling towards New York City.
“So what is it that’s so urgent I’m being transferred?” Martha asked Hill once the jet had leveled off. She’d only met the other woman once before, when Fury had recruited her from UNIT and Martha had gotten the impression Hill didn’t like her much. And, from some of the rumors she’d heard in the mess from several agents, Hill was a person you wanted to be in good graces with.
From the looks Hill was giving her, evaluative with a healthy dose of skepticism, Martha was doubtful any impression the other woman had of her would be changed in the near future.
“SHIELD recently discovered a downed aircraft, dating back to World War II, from a rogue Nazi science division known as Hydra,” Hill began, handing Martha a tablet. “In it, we discovered something. Or, someone to be more exact.”
“Captain America is real?” Martha asked, looking up from the tablet. She’d already guessed as much from the conversation she’d had with Barton the night before, but she didn’t want to draw undue suspicion upon herself by reacting any other way. “How is he still alive?” she continued, looking back down at the tablet. “And so young?”
“All the relevant medical data should be in your hands,” Hill replied. “That includes Dr. Erksine’s original notes from when he developed the Super Soldier Serum and current observations from the doctors involved in Captain Rogers extraction from the ice.”
“If he’s been already extracted, why am I being rushed from my current project to this one?”
“You’ll have to talk to the Director about that.”
And that must be at the center of Agent Hill’s distrust of her, Martha decided. She gave the impression of a woman who wanted to have all the facts so that she could come to a rational decision, and hated it when she knew things were being withheld from her. But there was little Martha could do to alleviate the situation without sharing more than she was comfortable having SHIELD know about the Doctor. She’d seen how he’d reacted to UNIT when he’d come to help with the Sontaran situation. She didn’t want to even imagine how he might react to SHIELD.
Instead, she listened carefully as Agent Hill sketched out the details regarding Captain Roger’s discovery in the ice, and how SHIELD theorized he had arrived there in the first place. Martha made a mental note to call Jack as soon as she could to see what he might know about Hydra, since he had lived through the war twice. It wasn’t that Martha didn’t trust SHIELD, but Jack would have a different perspective on the entire situation.
The ride to New York was surprisingly quick. Within three hours, they landed on a helipad across the river from Manhattan in New Jersey. Agent Coulson stood at the edge, not moving even as the debris picked up by the helicopter’s blades assaulted him. He waited until Martha and Hill emerged before gesturing them to follow him.
“We have a situation,” he began without preamble.
“What happened?” Martha asked, shouting to be heard even as they walked away.
“Captain Rogers woke up,” Coulson replied. “We had him in a room that simulated 1943 Brooklyn, but somebody forgot to make sure that the radio broadcast of the Dodgers game was historically accurate.”
“So he figured it out?” Hill questioned, climbing into a waiting SUV, followed closely by Martha and Coulson.
“Ran outside of the building and into Times Square before we could explain the situation to him,” he confirmed with a nod. “We brought him back to the base, but Dr. Jones is needed immediately to assist debriefing him.”
“Why exactly am I needed to debrief him?” Martha asked, looking at Coulson. She had her suspicions, but she needed somebody to verbalize the reasons for her presence here.
“The Director will explain when we arrive,” was Coulson’s only answer. Martha and Hill shared a look of mutual exasperation.
After parking in the garage beneath SHIELD’s New York offices, Coulson quickly escorted Martha through a series of hallways, ending in a small, out-of-the-way office. Martha wasn’t surprised to see Fury waiting and looking over a file when they entered. Coulson closed the door behind Martha, leaving her alone with the Director.
“So, you transfer me here to debrief Captain America,” Martha stated, forcing herself to remain in a relaxed stance. She was sure Fury saw through it, but she wanted to at least retain a pretense of not being nervous about this entire situation.
“Indeed I have, Dr. Jones,” Fury replied, not looking up from the paper. “I take it you’re wondering why.”
“That might be helpful, yes.”
“As I mentioned when we first met, your file from UNIT was heavily redacted. Including,” he paused for, in Martha’s opinion, dramatic effect, “who referred you to them in the first place. A doctor, just out of medical school, with no visible experience in the field of xenobiology being snapped up by an organization designed to handle extraterrestrial threats is a little odd, if you ask me.
“I also believe,” he continued when Martha remained silent, “that the individual who may have recommended you to UNIT gave you some experience in situations outside of normal parameters. Including, for example, an ability to relate to Captain Rogers current predicament of waking up in a different world than the one he went to sleep in that our other employees may lack.”
Martha remained silent. Fury knew about the time travel, but didn’t have proof, she concluded. Whispers between organizations could work both ways, Martha knew, and if she had heard things about Fury and SHIELD, he’d probably heard things about the Doctor and his long involvement in UNIT and read between the lines, especially in the most recent encounter involving the ATMOS incident.
It also didn’t help that the man practically advertised his adventures in time traveling to every bloody person that he met when he introduced himself.
The way Martha saw it, she had three options right now. The first was to lie and deny what Fury was implying. As tempting as that was, Martha couldn’t do that. Her mum hadn’t raised a liar, and she wouldn’t go that far, not when there were other options. The second was to own up to what Fury had said, admit to traveling through time, but again, that wasn’t an option she was particularly keen to take unless absolutely necessary. That only left door number three.
“What would you have me do?” Martha asked in a deadly polite tone. Admitting to nothing had worked well for her in the past, and, while it may not be the most ideal choice, it was the only one she felt comfortable taking for now.
“Talk with Rogers. Be his guide,” Fury said. Although his face didn’t change expression, Martha couldn’t help but get the impression he was feeling smug. He’d probably wanted this outcome, damn the man. “I’m also assigning you to the unit analyzing the serum Dr. Erskine used, in hopes that we can finally unlock what he did, but that will only be part time.”
“And my other project?”
“I’m sure we can make arrangements for you to continue your research into the Tesseract’s effects on the scientists,” Fury replied calmly. “Is that all?”
Martha pursed her lips nodded slowly. She hated feeling like she was being manipulated into doing something, but there was little she could do at this point. “So when do I meet this Captain Rogers?”
“No time like the present,” Fury answered, and gestured for Martha to follow him out of the room and into the hallway.
Captain Steven Rogers, publicly known as Captain America, both was and wasn’t what Martha expected. He certainly fit the tall, blond, muscular image she had in her head, but he was quieter than most American soldiers Martha had met, and more contained. She wondered how much of that was due to shock and how much was inherent. She’d find out soon enough.
“Captain Rogers, this is Dr. Martha Jones,” Fury introduced her when they entered the examination room. Rogers looked up from studying his hands and gave Martha a shy, hesitant smile. “She’ll be helping you make the transition to the 21st century.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” he answered softly, enveloping Martha’s hand in his own and shaking it. His grip was firm, not overwhelming, and she gave a genuine smile in return.
“Pleasure’s all mine, Captain Rogers,” Martha replied, meeting his gaze. “Now, if you’ll please excuse us, Director?” she asked, turning to Fury. She did her best to keep her voice pleasant and the smile from slipping, but she couldn’t tell if she’d succeeded or not.
Fury only nodded in response and quietly left, much to Martha’s surprise. She’d expected at least a token protest from him. But she’d take what she could get with him.
“So, Captain Rogers, how do feel about a walk?” she asked. She had no doubt that the room was being monitored by a plethora of agents, and she’d rather have few witnesses to what she and Rogers were going to discuss anything that might touch on her experiences with the Doctor. Some things were better in private. That, and she had just a small suspicion that he might enjoy the fresh air and walking outside, even though it was winter.
Somebody had already given the Captain clothes-khaki pants, white trainers, and a white t-shirt that clung to his muscled chest. He would probably need a coat due to the weather, although, compared to where he had spent the last sixty some-odd years, he might find it quite pleasant. They’d have to find one somewhere before they left.
“I’d like that,” he confessed.
Of course, it was immediately complicated by the fact that the faceless agent in charge attempted to force a protective detail on them. It was only after Martha repeated several times, in a tone she’d last used with John Smith and Nurse Redfern, that it would only attract more attention than a simple walk warranted. Furthermore, she emphasized, if they wanted the Captain to feel at ease, attempting to isolate him was a rather idiotic way to go about it.
Finally, after assuring the agent that they would only be going to Brooklyn were they allowed to leave.
“Next time, we’re sneaking out,” Martha muttered to the Captain as they walked down to the nearest subway station. She figured between her imperfect present day knowledge and his more likely better past knowledge of the city, they would be able to find their way around.
“You don’t plan on going to Brooklyn,” Rogers remarked, a smile flitting across his face.
“What, and make it easy for them to track us?” Martha asked in mock affront as they lost themselves in the crowd descending the stairs.
If there were agents following them, they managed to stay hidden while Martha and Rogers rambled through Central Park. They walked in silence, the hushed winter landscape enveloping them. If Rogers wanted to speak, she would let him. Otherwise, Martha wasn’t going to force the issue, not when they had just met. She wanted to get a better feel for the man before she started talking, and she suspected he felt similarly.
She wasn’t sure how long they stayed out there, but it was long enough for her feet to begin to ache. In unspoken agreement, they turned around so that they could walk back to SHIELD’s base, which wasn’t that far away.
An agent stood in the entryway, waiting for their return.
“The Director would like to speak with Captain Rogers, and Agent Coulson has some paperwork for you, Dr. Jones,” the woman, identified by her badge as Agent Morse, told them.
“Of course,” Rogers answered, shifting to a soldier’s stance from his more relaxed posture from their walk.
“Captain, before you go,” Martha began, fishing a card and a pen out of her purse. “This is my mobile number,” she continued, writing it down and handing it over. “If you ever need anything, feel free to call me.”
He took it with a murmur of thanks and followed Agent Morse, while Martha went to sort out the logistics of housing and keeping up with the New Mexico project with Coulson.
That night, unable to sleep despite the late hour and the time spent unpacking her belongings, Martha logged on to her email. She’d forgotten how bloody noisy the city could be after becoming accustomed to the relative quiet of the base. Looking at the first unread email, she frowned.
“How the hell did you get my address, Barton?” she muttered, clicking the message. He’d probably found it in her file, she reasoned, as she read the note: Figured you’d be missing this. Hope Coulson’s fanboying hasn’t scared off the Captain yet. CB
She smiled when she opened the photo: it was a view from her favorite spot, the one she had taken him to the night before. The quality wasn’t the best and it was hard to distinguish the individual stars, but it still touched her that he’d gone through the effort to get the photo. She hadn’t been expecting something like that.
Clicking reply, she quickly typed out a response. It’s perfect. Thank you, Clint.
Chapter Four
Warnings: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Spoilers: "The Avengers" movie, "Doctor Who" seasons 3 and 4, "Torchwood" season 2
Chapter One | Chapter Two
Chapter Three
“I’m being transferred back to New York?” Martha asked, looking up from the tablet in her hands at Agent Sitwell, Coulson’s second-in-command. Coulson had disappeared about a week ago, leaving Sitwell to run the day-to-day operations of the base. Which apparently included notifying members of the science team if they were being transferred immediately. “Why?”
“Agent Coulson didn’t say,” Sitwell answered, hands folded in front of him. “All he told me was that you were needed back in the city immediately, and that you would be leaving first thing tomorrow morning and briefed on the way.”
“What about my research here? I can’t just drop it and forget about it.”
“I’m sure between you, Agent Coulson, and the Director you can work something out,” Sitwell said patiently.
“And what am I supposed to do for housing? I’ve already given up the lease on my flat when I moved here.”
“SHIELD will assist in locating suitable housing in New York.Any other questions you have should wait until your briefing, since they’ll have more information than I do.” With that, Sitwell exited the room, leaving Martha alone and staring at the ceiling.
She had been in New Mexico for a little over three months, and while there were times when the work lagged, she was enjoying herself here. The research was interesting and she liked her fellow scientists. She was even becoming friends with several of the agents, including Barton. She liked the open space, the clean air, the ability to see the sun and the stars. She was even slowly becoming accustomed to the silence that descended at night. And now, she was being asked to leave just as she was becoming settled.
“Might as well get it over with,” she muttered to herself, getting out of her chair and walking towards the main lab. She needed to talk to Selvig before the day was over about her transfer and work out something that would allow her to continue monitoring the scientists working with the Tesseract before wrapping up her research.
The other scientists were disappointed when Martha broke the news that she was leaving, and they insisted that on an impromptu farewell dinner. Wilson managed to produce alcohol and served as bartender in their corner of the mess. Martha stayed as long as she could before she reluctantly pulled herself away to pack.
It didn’t take Martha to pack her belongings, but she was too worked up to go to sleep. Besides, there was one last goodbye she had to make before she felt like she could leave.
Grabbing her jacket, she left her room and was walking down the hallway when she nearly ran into Agent Barton.
“So, word is that you’re headed back to civilization,” Barton commented.
“For once, the office rumor mill doesn’t lie,” Martha shrugged.
“You sound less than pleased at the prospect of moving to a place where there’s actual food.”
“It’s just a bit... sudden,” Martha answered after a pause. “And the lack of details is bothering me as well.”
“Whatever it is, they’re keeping a tight lid on it,” Barton said, a smirk coming to his lips. “Although Coulson was more excited than I’ve ever seen him when he got the call from Fury.”
“You suspect something,” Martha replied, raising her eyebrow.
“Let’s just say the last time that Coulson reacted that way, he’d just won an eBay war for the last Captain America trading card he needed for his complete set.”
So, something possibly to do with Captain America. Martha didn’t know much, other than he had been a tool for American propaganda during the Second World War before the actor had mysteriously disappeared in 1943.
“You’re heading out into the desert, right?” Barton asked, switching subjects.
“One last time before I’m back in the city of blinding lights,” Martha answered with a nod. “Would you like to come with me?” she continued, almost hesitantly. She and Barton weren’t exactly friends, but they had struck up a sort of camaraderie during her time here. Martha hadn’t been out into the area surrounding the base with Barton since her first week, but it felt right that she end her time here in a similar manner to how it began, going full circle.
“I have nothing else planned for the evening,” he answered, and with that, they set out.
She had gone out several times on her own in addition to her expeditions with Jane and Darcy, and she had a favorite spot roughly half an hour’s walk away. A rock jutting from the ground alternated as a buffer for the wind or as a perch to survey the surrounding landscape. Martha tried to alternate her routes to see where her wanderings might take her, but she kept finding her way back to this location.
I’m going to miss this, she thought wistfully, taking in the night sky. A few scattered clouds interrupted an otherwise clear night, the crescent moon’s faint light enough to subtly light the landscape without blocking some of the smaller stars. She wouldn’t find anything like this back in the city, no matter how hard she tried.
They didn’t stay outside long, only about twenty minutes, before they began to walk back to the base.
“My job’s going to be easier now that you’re shipping back to New York,” Barton remarked when they were almost there, his voice teasing. “You’re the only one I’ve had to deal with who seems to make late night wandering out in the desert a habit. I might actually be able to get some sleep without worrying what you might be getting up to.”
“Don’t get too comfortable with those thoughts, Agent Barton,” Martha warned him, trying to keep from laughing. “I’ll be back soon enough.”
He sighed as the satellites came into sight. “That’s what I was afraid you were going to say,” he replied mournfully. “At least I’ll have some heads up then.”
“Who knows, I might find a way to sneak in and surprise you,” Martha shot back. She still had her perception filter, and it might be fun to try it on Barton, who was one of the most observant people she’d ever met.
“Challenge accepted, Dr. Jones,” he replied in the same tone of voice.
Martha finally did laugh. Maybe she would have to move Barton to the friend column after all.
~*~*~
Maria Hill met Martha at the helicopter pad on the SHIELD base when Martha arrived, scant possessions in tow. They were quickly loaded into a high-tech jet by a pair of agents who accompanied Hill. Within five minutes of Martha’s arrival, they were airborne and traveling towards New York City.
“So what is it that’s so urgent I’m being transferred?” Martha asked Hill once the jet had leveled off. She’d only met the other woman once before, when Fury had recruited her from UNIT and Martha had gotten the impression Hill didn’t like her much. And, from some of the rumors she’d heard in the mess from several agents, Hill was a person you wanted to be in good graces with.
From the looks Hill was giving her, evaluative with a healthy dose of skepticism, Martha was doubtful any impression the other woman had of her would be changed in the near future.
“SHIELD recently discovered a downed aircraft, dating back to World War II, from a rogue Nazi science division known as Hydra,” Hill began, handing Martha a tablet. “In it, we discovered something. Or, someone to be more exact.”
“Captain America is real?” Martha asked, looking up from the tablet. She’d already guessed as much from the conversation she’d had with Barton the night before, but she didn’t want to draw undue suspicion upon herself by reacting any other way. “How is he still alive?” she continued, looking back down at the tablet. “And so young?”
“All the relevant medical data should be in your hands,” Hill replied. “That includes Dr. Erksine’s original notes from when he developed the Super Soldier Serum and current observations from the doctors involved in Captain Rogers extraction from the ice.”
“If he’s been already extracted, why am I being rushed from my current project to this one?”
“You’ll have to talk to the Director about that.”
And that must be at the center of Agent Hill’s distrust of her, Martha decided. She gave the impression of a woman who wanted to have all the facts so that she could come to a rational decision, and hated it when she knew things were being withheld from her. But there was little Martha could do to alleviate the situation without sharing more than she was comfortable having SHIELD know about the Doctor. She’d seen how he’d reacted to UNIT when he’d come to help with the Sontaran situation. She didn’t want to even imagine how he might react to SHIELD.
Instead, she listened carefully as Agent Hill sketched out the details regarding Captain Roger’s discovery in the ice, and how SHIELD theorized he had arrived there in the first place. Martha made a mental note to call Jack as soon as she could to see what he might know about Hydra, since he had lived through the war twice. It wasn’t that Martha didn’t trust SHIELD, but Jack would have a different perspective on the entire situation.
The ride to New York was surprisingly quick. Within three hours, they landed on a helipad across the river from Manhattan in New Jersey. Agent Coulson stood at the edge, not moving even as the debris picked up by the helicopter’s blades assaulted him. He waited until Martha and Hill emerged before gesturing them to follow him.
“We have a situation,” he began without preamble.
“What happened?” Martha asked, shouting to be heard even as they walked away.
“Captain Rogers woke up,” Coulson replied. “We had him in a room that simulated 1943 Brooklyn, but somebody forgot to make sure that the radio broadcast of the Dodgers game was historically accurate.”
“So he figured it out?” Hill questioned, climbing into a waiting SUV, followed closely by Martha and Coulson.
“Ran outside of the building and into Times Square before we could explain the situation to him,” he confirmed with a nod. “We brought him back to the base, but Dr. Jones is needed immediately to assist debriefing him.”
“Why exactly am I needed to debrief him?” Martha asked, looking at Coulson. She had her suspicions, but she needed somebody to verbalize the reasons for her presence here.
“The Director will explain when we arrive,” was Coulson’s only answer. Martha and Hill shared a look of mutual exasperation.
After parking in the garage beneath SHIELD’s New York offices, Coulson quickly escorted Martha through a series of hallways, ending in a small, out-of-the-way office. Martha wasn’t surprised to see Fury waiting and looking over a file when they entered. Coulson closed the door behind Martha, leaving her alone with the Director.
“So, you transfer me here to debrief Captain America,” Martha stated, forcing herself to remain in a relaxed stance. She was sure Fury saw through it, but she wanted to at least retain a pretense of not being nervous about this entire situation.
“Indeed I have, Dr. Jones,” Fury replied, not looking up from the paper. “I take it you’re wondering why.”
“That might be helpful, yes.”
“As I mentioned when we first met, your file from UNIT was heavily redacted. Including,” he paused for, in Martha’s opinion, dramatic effect, “who referred you to them in the first place. A doctor, just out of medical school, with no visible experience in the field of xenobiology being snapped up by an organization designed to handle extraterrestrial threats is a little odd, if you ask me.
“I also believe,” he continued when Martha remained silent, “that the individual who may have recommended you to UNIT gave you some experience in situations outside of normal parameters. Including, for example, an ability to relate to Captain Rogers current predicament of waking up in a different world than the one he went to sleep in that our other employees may lack.”
Martha remained silent. Fury knew about the time travel, but didn’t have proof, she concluded. Whispers between organizations could work both ways, Martha knew, and if she had heard things about Fury and SHIELD, he’d probably heard things about the Doctor and his long involvement in UNIT and read between the lines, especially in the most recent encounter involving the ATMOS incident.
It also didn’t help that the man practically advertised his adventures in time traveling to every bloody person that he met when he introduced himself.
The way Martha saw it, she had three options right now. The first was to lie and deny what Fury was implying. As tempting as that was, Martha couldn’t do that. Her mum hadn’t raised a liar, and she wouldn’t go that far, not when there were other options. The second was to own up to what Fury had said, admit to traveling through time, but again, that wasn’t an option she was particularly keen to take unless absolutely necessary. That only left door number three.
“What would you have me do?” Martha asked in a deadly polite tone. Admitting to nothing had worked well for her in the past, and, while it may not be the most ideal choice, it was the only one she felt comfortable taking for now.
“Talk with Rogers. Be his guide,” Fury said. Although his face didn’t change expression, Martha couldn’t help but get the impression he was feeling smug. He’d probably wanted this outcome, damn the man. “I’m also assigning you to the unit analyzing the serum Dr. Erskine used, in hopes that we can finally unlock what he did, but that will only be part time.”
“And my other project?”
“I’m sure we can make arrangements for you to continue your research into the Tesseract’s effects on the scientists,” Fury replied calmly. “Is that all?”
Martha pursed her lips nodded slowly. She hated feeling like she was being manipulated into doing something, but there was little she could do at this point. “So when do I meet this Captain Rogers?”
“No time like the present,” Fury answered, and gestured for Martha to follow him out of the room and into the hallway.
Captain Steven Rogers, publicly known as Captain America, both was and wasn’t what Martha expected. He certainly fit the tall, blond, muscular image she had in her head, but he was quieter than most American soldiers Martha had met, and more contained. She wondered how much of that was due to shock and how much was inherent. She’d find out soon enough.
“Captain Rogers, this is Dr. Martha Jones,” Fury introduced her when they entered the examination room. Rogers looked up from studying his hands and gave Martha a shy, hesitant smile. “She’ll be helping you make the transition to the 21st century.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” he answered softly, enveloping Martha’s hand in his own and shaking it. His grip was firm, not overwhelming, and she gave a genuine smile in return.
“Pleasure’s all mine, Captain Rogers,” Martha replied, meeting his gaze. “Now, if you’ll please excuse us, Director?” she asked, turning to Fury. She did her best to keep her voice pleasant and the smile from slipping, but she couldn’t tell if she’d succeeded or not.
Fury only nodded in response and quietly left, much to Martha’s surprise. She’d expected at least a token protest from him. But she’d take what she could get with him.
“So, Captain Rogers, how do feel about a walk?” she asked. She had no doubt that the room was being monitored by a plethora of agents, and she’d rather have few witnesses to what she and Rogers were going to discuss anything that might touch on her experiences with the Doctor. Some things were better in private. That, and she had just a small suspicion that he might enjoy the fresh air and walking outside, even though it was winter.
Somebody had already given the Captain clothes-khaki pants, white trainers, and a white t-shirt that clung to his muscled chest. He would probably need a coat due to the weather, although, compared to where he had spent the last sixty some-odd years, he might find it quite pleasant. They’d have to find one somewhere before they left.
“I’d like that,” he confessed.
Of course, it was immediately complicated by the fact that the faceless agent in charge attempted to force a protective detail on them. It was only after Martha repeated several times, in a tone she’d last used with John Smith and Nurse Redfern, that it would only attract more attention than a simple walk warranted. Furthermore, she emphasized, if they wanted the Captain to feel at ease, attempting to isolate him was a rather idiotic way to go about it.
Finally, after assuring the agent that they would only be going to Brooklyn were they allowed to leave.
“Next time, we’re sneaking out,” Martha muttered to the Captain as they walked down to the nearest subway station. She figured between her imperfect present day knowledge and his more likely better past knowledge of the city, they would be able to find their way around.
“You don’t plan on going to Brooklyn,” Rogers remarked, a smile flitting across his face.
“What, and make it easy for them to track us?” Martha asked in mock affront as they lost themselves in the crowd descending the stairs.
If there were agents following them, they managed to stay hidden while Martha and Rogers rambled through Central Park. They walked in silence, the hushed winter landscape enveloping them. If Rogers wanted to speak, she would let him. Otherwise, Martha wasn’t going to force the issue, not when they had just met. She wanted to get a better feel for the man before she started talking, and she suspected he felt similarly.
She wasn’t sure how long they stayed out there, but it was long enough for her feet to begin to ache. In unspoken agreement, they turned around so that they could walk back to SHIELD’s base, which wasn’t that far away.
An agent stood in the entryway, waiting for their return.
“The Director would like to speak with Captain Rogers, and Agent Coulson has some paperwork for you, Dr. Jones,” the woman, identified by her badge as Agent Morse, told them.
“Of course,” Rogers answered, shifting to a soldier’s stance from his more relaxed posture from their walk.
“Captain, before you go,” Martha began, fishing a card and a pen out of her purse. “This is my mobile number,” she continued, writing it down and handing it over. “If you ever need anything, feel free to call me.”
He took it with a murmur of thanks and followed Agent Morse, while Martha went to sort out the logistics of housing and keeping up with the New Mexico project with Coulson.
That night, unable to sleep despite the late hour and the time spent unpacking her belongings, Martha logged on to her email. She’d forgotten how bloody noisy the city could be after becoming accustomed to the relative quiet of the base. Looking at the first unread email, she frowned.
“How the hell did you get my address, Barton?” she muttered, clicking the message. He’d probably found it in her file, she reasoned, as she read the note: Figured you’d be missing this. Hope Coulson’s fanboying hasn’t scared off the Captain yet. CB
She smiled when she opened the photo: it was a view from her favorite spot, the one she had taken him to the night before. The quality wasn’t the best and it was hard to distinguish the individual stars, but it still touched her that he’d gone through the effort to get the photo. She hadn’t been expecting something like that.
Clicking reply, she quickly typed out a response. It’s perfect. Thank you, Clint.
Chapter Four