Contacting Sharon (For agentxthirteen)

[irredeemed_ant]

In the aftermath of the Triskeleon falling and HYDRA'S reveal to the world, SHIELD had become a broken and fractured organisation and Agent O'Grady had found himself uncertain who to trust or turn to. Colonel Fury, Commander Hill, Black Widow, they were all dead or else in positions he couldn't be clear of. He'd only survived because of the sacrifice of his best friend, and then acquiring a secret project from a section he'd reached in his flight - Hank Pym's Ant Man armour was a device SHIELD scientist had been working on, updating the dated 60' and 70s tech and its shell into a prototype worthy of the 21st century.

And Eric had... taken it. To stay alive, of course. He was pretty certain HYDRA was aware of it and planning to take it themselves anyway. So he'd managed to put that SHIELD combat training he'd half listened to good use and eventually activate the suit's shrinking abilities to fly away.

Seemed like he was actually good with it, once he'd had the chance to test it in relative safety, but now the more pressing concern was getting to someone he could trust. Someone safe. Agent 13... Sharon... he'd heard her defy that HYDRA agent on the intercom, she could be trusted as far as he was concerned. Plus it was true that he had seen her in the hallways more than a few times and had his eyes on her. She was pretty hot after all.

Via getting intel from his tiny height he learnt that the agent was now with the CIA, so with some difficulty he located the facility she was stationed at and used the vents to get securely inside whilst the size of a small bug. Maybe he'd be safe for the first time in a while.

Comments

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon was going to die. Tedium at SHIELD had never been like this, but at the CIA, she was convinced it would kill her. She would die a slow, meaningless, existential death. The worst part was knowing how few people would care.

She sighed and clicked her pen again as she read over another sheet of statistics. Proofing reports before they could be released, she thought darkly. All of SHIELD’s files were on the internet. Why not put the CIA’s there, too? And then everyone could see how incompetent the people in charge were.

No, she should let people be able to sleep. She might be in a bad mood, but she wasn’t evil enough to take that away from people.

“Got to be fucking kidding me,” she muttered to herself. The bangs against the wall in front of her were not from the firing range, and the faint moans that accompanied them weren’t from paper targets getting shot. The downside of having a so-called “office” next to a supply closet with no cameras in it. Unlike Sharon’s room, which had cameras tucked away in the pipes overhead that doubled as her ceiling. Had to keep an eye on the former SHIELD agent, after all.

She leaned forward and thunked her head against the desk. “Can’t wait for another suicide mission.” She thunked her head again. The worst part of working at the CIA was that she couldn’t bring in any music that she could use to drown out the sounds next door.

[irredeemed_ant]

To be fair at least Sharon had only gotten into that sort of thing lately. For Eric he'd been usually strapped to computers (and pretending not to be playing video games instead of work - lucky it'll been his friend and not Eric on duty in the hellicarrier control room that day, nosy Tony Stark) or on patrol duty somewhere. Never exactly riveting, though it was preferable to fending off alien invasions or HYDRA when you thought about it. Still, reports and stastics were never fun, so he would likely sympathise.

Moving through the vents whilst shrunken was a somewhat trying experience, the metal tubes weren't exactly clean, but then no CIA operative had likely considered a ant sized human moving gingerly through them, dodging the tiny handful of sensors made to tackle less troublesome issues. When he'd reached the area next to what he'd determined via using his former SHIELD hacking skills to figure out the location of Sharon's current office he'd become aware of the moans and bangs emitting from the nearby vent, and a bemused peek had resulted in him identifying two evident horny CIA agents who wanted some level of privacy, either not knowing or caring who might be listening.

It might have been tempting to get a close look, certainly the voyeuristic viewing got the tiny man more than a little aroused himself, and the girl with the red hair wasn't bad looking, but he was on a mission. Though if he got close to Sharon maybe...

Mentally forcing himself to carry on Eric reached the adjoining vent and had a excellent view of the office space, together with a evidently bored and pained ex-SHIELD agent. Her head thunking was not only slightly amusing, but did provide a nice means of distraction for Eric to enter the office proper. He needed to be certain that they were both alone before contacting her. In the meantime he zipped closer to her via the Ant Man's thrusters, perching on her desk beside an array of paperwork.

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon didn't stop thunking her head against the desk as he touched down, and she sighed when she saw the bug land on her desk.

She rested her head and felt around blindly for her stack of files and grabbing the one on top before holding it up to smack the bug. No way was she putting up with some annoying bug on top of everything else at the CIA.

[irredeemed_ant]

On reflection and on being seen Eric should have probably anticipated such a reaction, but it was still a worry nonetheless. Fortunately she was reacting on blind instinct not looking at him, and he was incredibly swift in this thing, so it was fairly simple to shift position, zipping from the dead zone under the offending files and off her desk, shrinking some more to round an eighth of an inch for good measure as he landed on her lap, glancing upwards at her looming body.

With any luck in her current state she'd assume the bug had either been squished or flown off elsewhere. Granted he could have let her try to squish him - Eric had already learnt via a stay jogger's foot the other day that he retained his natural strength in his armour so was very hard to harm - but he wasn't wanting the likely backlash to shake him, and figured she'd need to be in a slightly better mind-set before approaching her properly. In the meantime he carefully clambered halfway up her shirt until he reached her breast pocket, slipping down neatly inside to the bottom and avoiding anything she might have kept in there.

[agentxthirteen]

It was almost ten minutes before things quieted down again, and Sharon sighed as she lifted her head and got back to work. There were still breaks for shooting rubber bands at the computer monitor, but except for interruptions by other people, she worked diligently, plodding along with checked box after checked box.

Less than two hours later, she finally got to her feet and rubbed her eyes as she tugged on her jacket. She grabbed her keys and headed out. She still found time to glare at the supply closet door as she passed, but other than that, she was much more interested in getting out of here.

She was almost out the door when Danner stopped her and asked her to stop by his office. Sharon tried not to groan. What grunt work were they giving her now? Or was it more along the lines of "SHIELD was a traitor, therefore you must be a traitor, too. Care to come clean?" meeting.

Danner pointed to an empty chair in front of his desk, and Sharon sat and waited to find out. All she wanted was a beer and a burger, damn it.

[irredeemed_ant]

Eric had elected to wait it out in the comfort of the breast pocket, soon aware of her righting herself and begin typing amid some occasional mutterings, the exterior sounds of any coupling in the room next door finished, apparently. The relative silence soon made him drift off to sleep, helped by the natural warmth of Sharon's body behind him.

A bleep alerting to immediate movement from his host coupled with her rising awoke him, Eric managing to keep his balance as the light dimmed from her adding her jacket before the thud of her steps on the floor became audible.

Sharon might not have made any visible sign of irritation at the voice he took from the pocket to be one of her superiors - filing the name Danner for future reference - but he was pressed up against her chest and her intake of breath betrayed her thoughts to him. He knew that she was innocent of course so resolved that if she came under fire - verbally or otherwise - he'd try and help her out as best he could. Again Sharon's body betrayed her as he heard the distant rumble under her breath of her hungry stomach. If she was going to have that he'd definitely try and join her.

[agentxthirteen]

The meeting was long and felt longer without anything to eat or drink. Sharon was tired from a day of doing next to nothing, but she knew better than to sound disrespectful or to be short with Danner as he asked question after question after even more meaningless question.

After nearly an hour, she was released back into the wild, and she calmly went to her car, smiling cordially to the guards who checked her car on the way out. It wasn’t until she was on the road that her features darkened. She drove straight to one of her favorite burger joints, asked for a seat in the back, didn’t wait until she sat to order a beer, and sank into her seat with relief.

This job was going to be the death of her, she thought. At least, if she’d died with SHIELD, her death would have meant something. This, though? This was bullshit.

[irredeemed_ant]

After a while he realised that Danner sounded as irritating a prick as he had thought he'd be with those endless questions, and Eric had to avoid the urge to zip out to hit the CIA interrogator in some pressure point to knock him out so Sharon would be sparred this nonsense. He'd seen her help and lead the loyal SHIELD agents, surely they knew she was about as loyal as they got? It was the whole reason Eric was approaching her... alongside maybe her being attractive, he admitted to himself.

So he'd remained secure in her breast pocket until she was out the room, hearing her move to her car and drive out the facility to the burger bar. Once she was seated he slipped out onto the table next to her, glancing up at her giant features, darkened from her inner thoughts and irritations. Was now the best time to speak to her? The seat in the back was quiet and there wasn't too many customers, but it might still look weird to have her apparently speaking to herself if anyone looked. He was pretty hungry by now though, so regardless he was planning to swipe a little of her food.

[agentxthirteen]

A beer was deposited in front of her, and she ordered a burger with the works. She held off until she was alone, then took a long swig of her beer and melted into her seat with a groan.

She closed her eyes and kicked her heels up on the opposite seat. This was what life was supposed to be like, she mused to herself. Not listening to coworkers fuck each other in the next room over and being grilled like a turncoat between monotonous tasks.

[irredeemed_ant]

Eric definitely felt sorry for her at the sound of her groan - it wasn't right that someone who'd been such a resourceful and smart SHIELD agent had been reduced to this state, and it was tempting to make her days better, somehow. He'd find some way to make her happier, whether that would be soon or later at her place, before or after introducing himself.

With her eyes closed it was a simple task to zip across to her prone beer and take a tiny portion for himself to quench his own thirst, glancing up and down her as he considered ways to make the former agent's day a little brighter whilst he waited for her burger.

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon eventually opened her eyes again and sighed. Okay. So that was her day. And now it's over. Now is the beginning of a new time.

Whether that time is worse than the rest of her day is anyone's guess.

She pulled out her phone and started checking the news she'd missed while she'd been in her office.

[irredeemed_ant]

Her sigh of relaxation at least put him at ease a little, it wasn't nice to see her so stressed for crap which wasn't her fault.

With Sharon's feet on the seat across whilst she checked her phone, Eric had an impulse to do something for her. Zipping across to her giant exposed feet which radiated with heat from walking and stressing all day, he perched carefully on her giant left pinky toe and started to massage it gently, intending to move toe to toe and relieve some of that tension for her. At his size and without her knowing it seemed a decent thing to do.

[agentxthirteen]

She briefly felt something tickle her toe, but then her foot relaxed, and the rest of her followed in short order.

Her eyes drifted closed, but she was still aware of what went on around her. It would be embarrassing to survive the Triskellion only to die at one of her favorite restaurants.

She heard the waiter's approach and sat up, alert. She murmured her thanks as the burger was set in front of her. After a second, she caved and decided to indulge. She asked for another beer.

She would have to face hell again tomorrow. Why not?

[irredeemed_ant]

Eric had cautiously rubbed her toes one by one, hoping that even though she was resting some of that stress she'd experienced would dissipate. He was alerted by the approach of the waiter a little too late and yelped as Sharon sat up and her toes and foot shifted, sending him tumbling down with a grunt onto the chair her legs were resting.

Whilst Sharon was ordering another beer he got up a little groggily and flew back up to the table, glancing up at the enormous burger she'd ordered which from his perspective resembled a tasty mid level apartment building. If one had all the trimmings.

His tummy reacted to the sight and smell and with a cautious impulse Eric flew up and perched on the side of the burger, slipping back his visor and extracting a piece of the meat carefully before chewing. Oh god that was good he thought as he picked a few other pieces, only half aware of what Sharon was doing.

[agentxthirteen]

She reached for the burger, then paused. She could swear she saw something crawling on the burger.

Oh, no. No, no, no. Not her favorite restaurant. Good lord, don't let this place let her down, too!

She made a face and flicked away the ant before inspecting the burger for others. Oh, man.

Her. Favorite. Restaurant.

She loved this ant-infested place. She would just love it more without ants.

[irredeemed_ant]

Owning to his munching Eric only noticed the offending face and then finger with a moment to spare, tightening himself on instinct from the impact as her flick sending him zipping across the room and just managing to right himself halfway in mid air, groggily with the sudden pressure as he felt winded.

Hmmmm, maybe that was a dumb idea. He also felt more than a little queasy after spinning about twelve times immediately after consuming giant burger meat. So with Sharon distracted he moved back to her as he pondered his options. Contacting her whilst she was on the ant flicking warpath and amongst crowds felt like it would likely go south, so it felt best to hide on her somewhere until she was finished and hopefully back in her apartment. But where?

After a moment an idea occurred to him, and zipping around from her sign of sight whilst burger investigating, flew up and then down amid the forest of her blonde hair. Hopefully he'd be safe in there until they were alone and then... well, he'd plan his next move carefully.

[agentxthirteen]

In the end, she decided that the ant must have been a stray. She drank her beer, ate her burger, and focused on the task at hand again.

Not that there was much to do. She followed Natasha and St- Captain Rogers' doings in the news, and she sometimes got news through people who knew her aunt, but other than that...

She felt blind. She hated feeling blind.

Okay, so if she hated it so much, why not do something about it? Enough playing it safe. They already suspected her. She'd use it. Somehow.

All she needed to do was figure out what to do.

She grinned ironically and left enough money on the table to settle the bill and serve as a tip.

She left, sighing as she got back in her car. She drummed her fingers against the steering wheel before shaking her head. Focus on getting home, then plan.

"Home," as it turned out, was an apartment a couple blocks in a Washington suburb. Couldn't afford a place in Washington on a CIA paycheck. Couldn't afford much at all, actually. They saved the goods for agents who survived to retirement.

Her apartment was clean to a fault, bright, and yet there were just enough shadows to hide weapons if she needed them.

She turned on the news, opened another beer, and tossed herself on the couch. Would Natasha be able to help her? Even Barton could hand some stuff off, probably. He liked to take time off, the weirdo.

[irredeemed_ant]

To be honest Eric had hated being out of the loop for a long time since the Triskeleon incident and not knowing who to trust outside Sharon, so he'd be pleased to know that he felt that way and happily back her up. There had to be other free groups of SHIELD surviving, after all.

In any case Eric had shifted cautiously towards the front of her hair so he could get a better view of her driving and once she arrived of her clean if simple apartment, though he knew having had the training that there was probably some weapons hidden in numerous places.

Her sudden popping on the couch jolted him slightly from his position as he tumbled down onto her lap before he righted himself and positioned himself on the lounge table. Now Sharon was drinking he debated the ideal timing of contacting her but he'd quickly realised there wasn't likely to be one. So he activated the comms and spoke up, tuning the speech to her ears only just in case anyone else might be listening.

"...Ah, Agent Carter? I've been wanting to talk to you for a while and this seemed... well, I guess as good a moment as any." To be honest he'd not known what would be best to say first, he'd never seen her reacting well to a seemingly invisible voice in her head.

[agentxthirteen]

She jumped as she heard a voice, grabbing a gun from underneath the coffee table. She froze, straining to hear the voice again. It hadn't come from the door, but it hadn't sounded like it had come from the window, either.

She pointed her gun at the floor and waited for another sound. Hydra or someone else, she wondered. There were only so many people who would track her here and call her Agent Carter...

[irredeemed_ant]

At least she had responded in about the way Eric had expected Sharon to and nothing anymore drastic, though he figured she probably thought this was a HYDRA plot. Sound from the com could be a bit unpredictable anyway where it seemed to come from.

Cautiously Eric hovered up to perch on her shoulder as he spoke up again. "Sorry I startled you, Agent Carter. It's Agent O'Grady? Kinda hard to explain but... well I'm standing on your shoulder, so try not to freak out on anything. alright?"

[agentxthirteen]

Cautious, Sharon turned her head and peered down at her shoulder.

"Fucking kidding me," she muttered. She played with the safety of her gun for several seconds, debating shooting him just for scaring the crap out of her.

Finally, she brushed him - more or less gently - off her shoulder and put her hands on her hips.

"If you're stuck on bug size, you can get on the table. If you can normal-size yourself, you'd better do it right now, O'Grady. And then tell me what the fuck is going on. I don't like people breaking into my place."

Natasha could do it, of course, but Sharon had given her permission long ago. First, it seemed to make the breaking-in process less fun, and second, she didn't want to shoot Natasha and have a pissed-off Black Widow on her hands.

O'Grady, though, is a very, very different matter.

[irredeemed_ant]

Eric managed a slightly lame wave of his tiny hand before worrying about her trying to shoot him. It wasn't as if there was any better way to contact her without her friends or HYDRA knowing. That said her gentle brush off her shoulder was somewhat encouraging.

At her request he got onto the table and after a moment's hesitation, activated the Pym Particles in the suit which allowed him to revert back to regular size. He didn't know if to be touched or worried that she seemed to remember his name.

He allowed himself to sound irritated too though, he deserved to. "What's going on is that HYDRA nearly killed me back at the Triskeleon and if I hadn't the sense to grab this thing before they got it, they'd probably have it in production by now. And..." And his voice got a little more relaxed and respectful. "And I didn't know who to trust in the last few weeks, except you. So that's why I sought you out, even if you have unintentionally tried to squish me on a few occasions today. Was looking for the opportune moment."

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon thought bad to the ant at the restaurant, then again to the ant she thought she'd seen at Langley. Despite how she had softened as he said he could trust her, her eyes flashed.

Still, this wasn't the time for off-the-cuff rebukes. She dropped on the couch, her gun still in her hand, and she tapped it absently against her thigh as she thought.

"So you saved the suit, and now you... what? Want my help getting it to the right people? Want a safe house? What do you want, O'Grady?"

How did she know O'Grady wasn't Hydra? Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD for decades before anyone knew. It wouldn't be impossible for a Hydra agent to try and get close to her using deception.

Not impossible, but unlikely. She could have nothing they wanted other than her last name on a list of the dead. And for that, they only needed to attack her, not use subterfuge.

Which meant she was trying to remember everything she could about O'Grady, and what she knew was paltry. Low-level, she remembered that much. He hadn't seemed to particularly care about getting promotions. He had, in fact, blended in fairly well with the other faceless SHIELD drones.

And now he had an Ant-Man suit.

There was no way for this to end well.

[irredeemed_ant]

At least she had lowered the gun, though Eric did take some solace in the knowledge that his armour would probably give some protection from it if it came to blows. Her slight softening gave him some relaxation though. Slowly so as not to unnerve her he sat across from her on the couch.

"I want some level of safety, really. Since I went on the run I figured what was left of HYDRA probably still knows the prototype SHIELD made from Pym's tech designs from the sixties and seventies still exists, so getting the suit to SHIELD and people I can trust like you seemed the best bet. I just kind of had to test the suit out for a few weeks first so I could be comfortable to get it to safety."

Eric had figured she might think him HYDRA, but then if he had been he'd have gotten to her and dealt with her without knowing. Eric had always been the type to remain comfortable where he was until the incident, and thanks to some level of martial arts training and the suit he'd survived where others hadn't. So he was hoping he'd done the right thing.

[agentxthirteen]

Her eyes flicked toward him. He just had to test it for a few weeks first. Right.

She considered as a commercial rattled off the side effects of an irritated-bowel medication.

"You can stay here for a couple days," she said at last. "Getting the suit to SHIELD will be tricky, since it isn't around anymore. Normally, I'd say take it to Hill, but it's probably best Stark doesn't get his hands on... that." She waved a hand at the suit. "You might as well stay while we work out what to do."