Chapter Text
“So, what do you think? Is she up for it?”
Nick Fury leaned his hands on the briefing room table, talking to no one in particular in the room. They all stared at the profile projected by Jarvis on the empty wall.
“She’s green but it might actually be helpful. And she does have both the clearance and the skillset for this job. Both of those combined can be hard to find with a notice this short,” Natasha said. “It’s going to be a tough job to train her physical fighting skills this fast, though.”
“Well, we’re not dropping her in the enemy territory – “
Fury was cut off by Bucky.
“Isn’t that what we’re literally doing?” Bucky said, leaning back in his chair. “She’ll be the informant. The spy. I’d say it’s pretty damn hard to do that without being in the enemy territory.”
“Quit playing around, Barnes. You know what I mean. She will not be expected to physically fight anyone. Some self-defense training is in order, but I’d say she’s already a good shot.”
“I think it’s really up to you, Capsicle. Does she seem like someone you can team up with? I know the standards for that are pretty high, but…”
Steve hadn’t been talking. He stared at your picture – the profile had been shown to him before anyone else, since this would be his mission. He’d combed through it last night, feeling more than a little creepy, and tried to talk himself out of this. Him declining would decide the case.
Pros: If he said no, they wouldn’t place you with him.
Cons: If he said no, they wouldn’t place you with him.
Bucky knew something was going on, and Sam was getting the same impression, too, but neither of them said anything in front of everyone else. Steve knew he could say something. You’d be pulled out, or maybe he himself would be. No, he was the only one who could do this mission, and the medical expert need a physical fighter with them. Concealing Bucky’s arm was too big of a risk. It had to be him, with or without you.
He could’ve just opened his mouth and said: Anyone but her. That was what Steve Rogers inside him was saying: Anyone but her, please. If he could’ve been just Steve Rogers, he’d said that – but Natasha was right. They wouldn’t find another as suitable candidate in the allocated time, and the whole mission might be compromised. So, it was Captain America who opened his mouth:
“She’s the best fit for this. I don’t really know her, but her profile is pretty impressive, and her background makes it reasonable for her to appear in the hospital. She’s fluent in German and Russian, too, which could be important, if she overhears things. I do feel a bit heavy about sending someone as inexperienced as her to a mission of this big. But it seems we don’t have any other options. If she gives her consent, I’ll allow it, as long as she receives the best training possible before.”
There was an obvious kick under the table, Tony turning his exaggeratedly offended face to Natasha.
“I didn’t even say anything!”
“You were thinking about it.”
Steve didn’t pay them any mind, and neither did Fury:
“They’re all overachievers if they’re working for the Avengers. That’s not the main thing here. She has no family.”
There were two simultaneous reactions to that: “You do realize how cold that makes it sound,” from Steve.
And the shorter one, from Sam, probably doing a better job in capturing the mood of the room:
“Jesus Christ, man.”
Fury looked directly at Steve:
“Don’t be childish, Captain. I don’t mean that she’s expendable because of that. I mean that it is a lot easier to make a new identity for someone who doesn’t have prying aunties they might meet on the street loudly asking why they were using a different name and ‘if they were still working at that fancy government office’.”
Steve nodded. He could accept that. His eyes drifted back to the profile.
The blue color of the projection combined with the serious pose, the picture being probably your I.D. badge, made you look younger than you were. You were adult, he knew it, old enough to have graduated med school. Based on competing said med school, you had on your shoulders a good enough head that you could give your consent to this. Still. He wasn’t sure if you were aware of what you were actually getting into – obviously, there’d been forms and signatures and briefings. That didn’t change the fact that knowing what might happen in the field was different from being in the field. Still, this was your decision, not his.
You’d made up your mind, so Steve would accept it and do his best to make this easier for you. Next to your photograph was the legal document you both would have to sign before entering the field. His eyes scanned the text.
I, _____________ understand that by signing this document, I give my informed consent to entering an undercover operation under the premise of being in a romantic relationship with another agent.
I understand that the nature of the mission and upkeeping a believable image to ensure mission success demands physically touching another agent in a sexual manner, such as public displays of affection (e. g. holding hands, hugging, kissing, touching areas of another’s body that are traditionally considered to be reserved only for romantic affection). I understand that the exact nature of the touching required varies greatly and is dependent on the day-to-day reality of the mission. I understand that aforementioned parameters do not include intercourse, which requires additional consent not given by signing this document.
I give my informed consent to this manner of touching to my mission partner in public places.
I understand that all physical touch during mission is kept to a minimum. I understand that the mission headquarters (i. e. my and my mission partner’s private residence) is considered a private space, in which neither me nor my partner can initiate physical contact without getting additional consent not given by signing this document.
I, ________________, sign this document in sound mind and without any duress or undue influence. I understand that this document will be kept as a part of the Avengers Initiative (A. I.) records.
Steve was familiar with that part of the job; this certainly wouldn’t be his first undercover mission, and to be believable when undercover one had to be able to play a role. It honestly wasn’t very different from being an actor, he imagined, who had to sometimes touch other people for the sake of the job. One of the main reason the document on the screen had been crafted was to set the boundaries and keep things as professional as possible.
He tried to assure himself that he had done this before but wasn’t able to shake the looming feeling that it might be a lot harder this time.