There is no more SHIELD... Six Months Later

[simon_didnt_say]

It had all come down so quickly.  Just as they were about to roll out a new fleet of Helicarriers, HYDRA had revealed themselves.  They'd been nestling agents inside of SHIELD for years, through all kinds of ranks, sites, and positions.  The low end estimate had been something in the neighborhood of fifteen percent of the organization.  The higher end estimate had been closer to a third or higher.

Those agents who had remained loyal to the organization, Nick Fury, and their country had prevailed in the end, but the damage around the globe had been catastrophic, to say nothing of the damage to their reputation.  Hearings were called, accusations leveled.  Nick Fury had simply... disappeared.  SHIELD had been disbanded, the agents there of mostly found themselves without jobs.  A few, vouchsafed 100 % had remained in service, but most had been debriefed and released into the world.

Simon Fitz was one of those.  Like so many of the rest, no other security organization would touch him.  They all feared HYDRA corruption that they had somehow missed.

He had found well-paying work in the private sector.  His skills with robotics and computers were more than good enough for that.  But designing security for smartphones?  Building the better browser for people to surf the web while on the toilet?  Hardly compared to protecting global freedom.

The others probably had it just as bad...

Comments

[simon_didnt_say]

Simon frowned for a moment when he got off the phone with the receptionist, though he'd told her to send the woman up. Someone definitely had a HYDRA problem, though why that someone would specifically seek him out, he wasn't certain.

He grabbed what looked like an innocuous gadget from his desk, but really held a small stun device. Old secret agent habits died hard. If only his hands didn't shake so much when he held it.

He opened the door to his office (stupid glass walls and doors) when he saw her coming.

[symkarian_princess]

"Mr. Fitz, not well shielded behind glass," Nika commented as she approached the open door. He didn't look like he recognized her, which could be a good thing.

"I have a technological proposition for you if you're of mind."

[simon_didnt_say]

Definitely a familiar face... but he couldn't quite place from where. But she bespoke absolute professionalism, which meant either government agent, terrorist, or mercenary. Or possibly some kind of combination there of.

"N-n-not my first choice," he said, fighting to get his stutter under control. "But that's the hand that was dealt me."

He nodded. "I'm listening."

[symkarian_princess]

Nika smoothly settled on a chair in his office. She gestured toward his seat behind the desk. His posture was nervous, and he probably had a gadget somewhere pointed at her.

"Have a seat, Mr. Fitz. I may have a different game of cards that might interest you. We have a common enemy, and I have a need for more complex than smartphones savvy."

[simon_didnt_say]

Simon got himself seated, but kept a hand on his weapon. He was a neurotic mess who preferred the lab and computers, but he was still a trained SHIELD agent.

"I'm good with complex," he said. "And if this enemy is who I think it is... I'm listening."

[symkarian_princess]

Unless the trained field agent was named 'Sam Fury' Nika had yet to be impressed by one. Though she was not going to poke the neurotic man with whatever he had. All her hidden weapons were of a decidedly non-technological bent.

"Our mutual enemy has taken a team member from me," she laid it out simply. "I want him back and will hire whomever it takes to remove him from whichever head has him in its jaws. You are technologically brilliant from what I gathered and do have a familiarity with the people who upended your previous employer. So, I offer the chance to strike back with the added incentive of a top dollar or access to technology not readily available to people not under my mother's employ. Does that interest you at all?"

[simon_didnt_say]

Simon would hardly count himself as brave or daring. But he still thought of himself as a SHIELD agent, even if there was no more SHIELD. If HYDRA was up to no good, and he had a chance to stop that... If he had a chance to strike back for what they'd done...

"I'm in," he said.

[symkarian_princess]

Nika gave him a small smile. "Excellent. I can have a contract drawn up with whichever terms you're comfortable with. Though that does leave one important question...

"... do you know who I am?"

She had kind of bypassed the introductions.

[simon_didnt_say]

"Nika Sable-Preston, of the Wild Pack," he supplied. "We've met once. Or were on the same mission, anyway. With the spider-person. Not much time for introductions then."

[symkarian_princess]

"Nice to meet you more formally." She rose from her chair and offered her hand across the desk for a handshake.

"I can have the paperwork sent here or you can come to the embassy to sign them. Either way, I'll set up a tour of the available facilities."

[simon_didnt_say]

He stood as well, pocketing his device, and shook her hand.

"Might as well come to the embassy. Kill two birds with one stone."

[symkarian_princess]

She only arched an eyebrow momentarily at him pocketing whatever apparatus he had been pointing at her during the conversation.

"Very well. You'll meet some of the rest of my team when you arrive." Nika didn't hold out much hope Gina and Felicity would be overly welcoming. Gina was... just Gina and this one was definitely too scrawny for her tastes. Felicity would likely not like Nika recruiting another tech person. Or would like it overly much for stealing tech ideas.

Fin would be the welcoming one. The size of a wagon and all.