Hollow Scars

The sun shone brightly on the beach of Cape Town outside of the Cape Grace Hotel. It was a typical Friday afternoon for the establishment with very little out of the ordinary. The beach was filled with tourists and residents enjoying the hot weather and cold water. About a hundred yards from the water was a shack constructed to look like it belonged in the tropics. It was an unmanned bar, and seeing as it was only seven thirty in the morning that was a good thing.

Scarlett sat at one of the tables on the beach near the bar, enjoying the sun and sand as much as the tourists seemed to. It was a beautiful day and the ocean breeze cut the morning heat as well as it could. At least that’s what she was pretending to do while she kept eyes on the Cape Grace Hotel and waited for Special Agent Michelangela Pierce to show up as she had commanded the night before.

It had crossed her mind on multiple occasions that they wouldn’t answer her demands and she might have to take matters into her own hands. SHIELD definitely didn’t want Scarlett banging down their door, and if that’s what it would take to get them to back off then Scarlett would do it. So far there had been no sign of foul play, but Scarlett wasn’t taking any chances. SHIELD, as far as she was concerned, was just as bad as MedCo right now. Both companies specialized in weapons, secrets and conspiracies and Scarlet no longer had the patience for either of them.

Thankfully for Mickey Pierce, Scarlett had calmed down considerably since the night before. Finding out that her long time contact and confidant was really a SHIELD agent of some kind had been a substantial blow to Scarlett’s trust. The big hotel room had begun to feel less luxurious and more empty soon after she’d gone inside to relax. As much as she had wanted to enjoy her slumber in the plush bed she’d found that instead she tossed and turned as her mind went over the variety of things that could happen this morning.

Scarlett had definitely considered abandoning the meeting altogether, since it seemed pointless the more she thought about it. Would telling SHIELD to back off really change much of anything? No, it certainly wouldn’t. The company was going to do what it wanted whether or not they had Scarlett’s approval. But now Scarlett would let them know she was onto their ploy and they would be forced to tread lightly. The meeting with Mickey would do her no harm.

The night before she’d had a hundred or so angry words for them but now she had very few. The basic summary of the meeting would be Scarlett letting SHIELD know that she was aware of what they were up to and if they wanted to remain out of the crossfire then they should keep a steady distance behind her. She already knew what to expect from the agent. It was standard procedure to try and bring someone like her in. If they really knew anything about Scarlett then they would know she was too stubborn to cooperate.

Plus it still burned her that her trust had been violated by her contact. The Indian man. What was he playing at? How many years had he been an agent for them? Scarlett turned her attention away from her thoughts and watched instead those on the beach and passing by along the sidewalk between the beach and the hotel.

The visitors to the hotel were running along the beach playing games while others were in the water. A handful of others were lying on towels or beach chairs, sunning themselves and getting a nice tan. There was a group of small children gathered close to the water, running back and forth as the tide rolled in, pretending the ocean was chasing them like a monster. Tilting her sunglasses away from her face, she watched the children play and couldn’t help but smile.

These innocent people suspected nothing malevolent was going on around them. How blissful it was to be ignorant to the harsh reality of the desert. Sometimes Scarlett wished that life could be that simple for her. Wouldn’t it be nice to lie on the beach with Tony enjoying a margarita until he very likely tried to steal her bikini top while she was sunning? It was a fun mental image but it didn’t seem feasible. If she could go back and choose to keep on her blinders and live a normal life, would she? Brushing her raw and pained fingers over the bump on her head again, Scarlett smirked.

Definitely not. Regular life was too boring, she much preferred the danger.

Scarlett was brought back to reality when someone tripped in the sand nearby. A young man in his twenties had tripped nearby and was looking at her sheepishly. Handsome with dark skin and dark eyes, he waved awkwardly. His friends were nearby laughing it up, amused that their friend had gotten so distracted. Giving a wave and a wink to the boy Scarlett turned her attention back to the crowd and waited. It was almost time for her meeting with Agent Pierce and she’d seen no sign of the SHIELD agent. If she was more than fifteen minutes late, Scarlett would check the security cameras of the café for signs of suspicious behavior before taking her leave.

As if on cue a familiar woman with dark brown hair casually pulled out of her face walking a golden retriever approached the hotel. Dressed in a three piece suit and looking on her guard, it was funny that Agent Pierce made no attempts to try and fit in amongst the jovial crowd. It wasn’t exactly easy for Scarlett to go under cover after sustaining so many cuts and bruises on the ship a few nights prior but she’d at least tried.

Looking down at her phone to check the time Scarlett rolled her eyes. It was eight o’ clock. Michelangela was right on time. What were the odds that they’d sent Agent Pierce without back up as she had requested? Slim to none she was guessing. Thankfully Scarlett had already prepared her way out just in case SHIELD thought it’d be funny to try and take her into custody and she half expected them to. Once the agent disappeared into the fenced in café behind the hotel, Scarlett got up from her seat near the bar set up on the beach and started toward the hotel.

Her wardrobe had significantly dwindled in the weeks past when she’d had to destroy clothing that had either been contaminated or bloodied or had to discard it say, when being chased by a horrible undead rage monster. The few things she had left made her look like a cat burglar no matter how she strung them together. Considering that was essentially what they were designed for, it made sense. But still she didn’t want to stand out in a crowd, at least not today and not more than she needed to. Then of course, there was Tony’s Black Sabbath shirt that remained. He’d left it with her in Madrid and now she kept it safe and hidden at the bottom of her luggage. It wasn’t an article of clothing she would risk losing, even if it was one of her least favorite bands.

So Scarlett had gone to one of the stores on the bottom floor of the hotel and purchased a flattering but comfortable yellow, gray and white striped sundress along with a pair of probably the least sensible shoes, heeled sandals, that she had worn since the night of the masquerade with Tony. Sometimes the nicer she looked the better she could fit in. Shoes in hand, even Scarlett didn’t think walking through sand in high heels was feasible, she left the beach.

Putting her heels back on once she’d rid her feet of sand, Scarlett checked her phone before setting it to record so she could review the conversation later if necessary. In the last week she’d learned to leave nothing to chance even if it meant renewing old bad habits. Just because she was paranoid didn’t mean she wasn’t be followed or played. In fact, she’d been betrayed by half the people she knew in the last year so Scarlett wasn’t up to trusting anyone. Poor Tony, would he really want to deal with this when all was said and done?

Seated at a far table in the corner of the fenced in outdoor café, the brunette was leaning over in her seat petting the friendly golden retriever who wagged his tail in response to the affection. Scarlett watched only for a few seconds then approached and sat down in the seat across from her at the table, crossing her legs and leaning back in the chair, relaxed. Agent Pierce nearly jumped out of her skin with surprise and the dog jumped up in alert as well.

“Agent Pierce.” Scarlett nodded her head politely, hiding how amused she was that she’d managed to still get the jump on the SHIELD agent. The woman had known she was coming to the hotel for a meeting with someone so why was she surprised when she actually showed up? At first the loyal dog was defensive and apprehensive of the newcomer. But after a few sniffs at Scarlett’s heels he wagged his tail happily and seemed to return to his ever happy self. Scarlett loved dogs, but resisted giving him any attention for the moment. They had business to take care of and she couldn’t be distracted by puppy dog eyes, particularly since Tony wasn’t there to interrupt her. She’d have to remember to tell him later that she had officially decided he was like a puppy dog.

“Miss Damien.” Mickey hid as much of the surprise from her features as she could, but there was apprehension thick in her gaze. Not that Scarlett could blame her for that at all. The only times she’d actually interacted with the agent hadn’t been very pleasant for her. In fact, Michelangela had some pretty terrible luck when it came to Scarlett. First, she’d let Michelangela into Tony’s garage after having thoroughly pissed him off, disabling Jarvis and stealing his car. Then during their second run in Scarlett had stolen the woman’s top secret files and gave her the slip. It wasn’t that Scarlett had anything against Mickey, she just hadn’t had the time to stop and chit-chat with anyone from SHIELD.

“What’s with the dog?” Scarlett cocked her head to the side curiously, peeking under the table at the dog again. She’d never run into a government agent with a canine partner, at least not in these parts of the world. It was fairly obvious that Michelangela’s companion wasn’t a trained police dog of any kind.

“That’s Pluto. He’s my dog.”

“Well obviously… wait, come on, Mickey and Pluto? Really?” Scarlett smirked but Agent Pierce didn’t seem to be in the mood for games, not at the moment.

“Miss Damien, you called this meeting and it sounded important.” Now that Scarlett got a closer look at the agent she could see the stress in her face. Her eyes were sunken in and grayed; she hadn’t been sleeping. She fidgeted with her hands beneath the table, alternating between petting Pluto and tangling and untangling the leash in her fingers. She was nervous about the meeting with Scarlett but also stressed about something else. For a government agent, Michelangela wasn’t very good at hiding her emotional turmoil in the least. Scarlett had a pretty obvious guess to what was bothering her.

As Mickey went to speak again, Scarlett reached into her bag and grabbed the folders she’d taken from the agent in Egypt and dropped them in front of her on the table. Mickey’s mouth hung open awkwardly and she stared down at the files and then back up at Scarlett who was waiting for any reaction, physical or vocal. Flipping through the pages in the folder suspiciously Mickey glanced at Scarlett then back at the folders.

“Thank you,” She said at last then sighed and it appeared as though a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. The stress still hung about her like a dark cloud, but a tiny bit of the tension had been relieved.

“I figured you’d need those back before someone realized they were missing. I made a few corrections here and there. You know… for the leading counter terrorism agency on the planet your information is strangely inaccurate. At least when it comes to me.” Scarlett offered a smile, but not exactly a gentle one. She was playing the know it all card. No matter how the tables turned Scarlett needed Mickey to think she didn’t need SHIELD’s help or information. The deck had to be stacked in her favor even if half the cards were blank. Negotiations were ninety percent bullshit and ten percent truth.

“Why are you giving them back to me now?” Mickey leaned on the table curiously. Her hesitation faded at long last.

“Tony mentioned that you might have been distressed when you found out I stole them.” Scarlett folded her hands in her lap and then smiled as Pluto brushed his wet nose against her palm in hopes of receiving some sort of affection from her. Scarlett played tough for a few seconds but relented quickly and scratched the dog behind its ears. “It was never my intention to get you into trouble with your superiors but I needed the information you had and didn’t have the time to sit around while you tried to talk me into coming in because that’s what you’re trained to do.”

“But you have the time now to listen, then?”

“Not as much time as you’d think.” Scarlett scoffed and then waved the waiter off as he offered her water. Mickey on the other hand placed an order for orange juice and a short stack.

“You should order something, this is on SHIELD per your request.” Mickey nodded toward the waiter.

“Just coffee.” Scarlett’s appetite wasn’t what it had been and nothing seemed quite as good as the food she’d gotten at the small run down diner the day prior. The stress she’d discarded that morning after surviving nearly drowning at the hands of a monster had returned in full force.

“You called this meeting today, Miss Damien… So what is it you wish to discuss? I know what I was instructed to speak to you about but something tells me that you have your own agenda.”

“Smart girl, I had no doubt. Last night when I made that call… I was very angry but now I’ve managed to collect my head. I have one question for you… Why are you helping me?” Scarlett spoke immediately after Mickey finished her thought. The agent hesitated and then took a drink of her water before speaking again. She seemed to want to say something but instead changed her mind.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mickey averted her eyes, using Pluto as a distraction.

“Oh, don’t play dumb Agent Pierce. You’ve got this cute awkward shy thing going on, I get it… but you’re, well maybe not you, but SHIELD is assisting me under the table.” Scarlett continued to pet Pluto who seemed perfectly content to rest all of his weight against her. “SHIELD has been shadowing me and if I find out that it’s been for longer than these past few weeks someone is going to pay and I don’t want it to be you. You seem like a nice girl and I’ve inconvenienced you already many times.” Mickey didn’t respond and again looked apprehensive. She seemed to want to tell share something with Scarlett but was obviously instructed not to.

“You have to understand, Miss Damien. We’re in the business of making sure people like you don’t put others at risk with their actions. Unfortunately you seem to be doing that quite often so you can understand that we’re keeping close tabs on you.”

“SHIELD is in the business of meddling in matters they don’t belong in. I am not a terrorist and I don’t appreciate being treated like one.” Scarlett stopped petting Pluto until he whined in response and thudded his tail against her foot. The dog slowly scooted closer to her and licked her palm until she complied and pet him again.

“I know you’re not. SHIELD knows you’re no threat to them. That was not an easy decision to make by the way.” Mickey rubbed her temples and then thanked the waiter who brought her meal and Scarlett’s coffee. “If I had it my way then you would be left alone but I don’t get my way very often. Things are more complicated than you realize.”

“Everyone thinks that I’m not aware of how complex things are, but I’m fully aware.” Scarlett took a sip of the coffee after adding creamer then set the cup back down. “You have no reason to trust me or my judgment considering our brief but notable history. In good faith I would like to mention something personal. I overhead Pepper and Tony talking about your connection with Leonard after our first meeting. I’m sorry about what happened.” Mickey hadn’t been expecting that and her skin paled, her hand immediately brushing over the spot where her engagement ring had once been on her left hand.

“It wasn’t your fault, specifically.” Mickey spoke hesitantly once her tongue had managed to move out of the way. She was obviously uncomfortable talking about the events surrounding her fiancé’s death.

“I’m still sorry. And I’m sorry for bringing it up like this too. You’re obviously thinking about it, you’re… distracted. You didn’t expect me to join you here but that’s the whole point of you coming to this place this morning so… you must be thinking about something else. You keep adjusting that hand like it’s missing some weight and… I’m just sorry that it happened. You of all people have to understand why I’m pursuing them the way that I am. What happened to him was inexcusable and I refuse to let it happen again on my account.”

“Of course I understand.” Mickey grew serious, finally managing to gather her bearings after the startling change in subject. “I want MedCo to be stopped more than most do but not at the expense of your life. That’s where you’re headed Miss Damien. SHIELD can help you, if you let us. We have a common goal! You want to stop them and so do we. We can’t have you running around the globe while being pursued by these monsters. Other people are bound to get hurt in the mess you’re leaving behind.”

“So what is it that you and SHIELD expect me to do exactly?” Scarlett continued smiling. She leaned back in her seat but behind her mask of playfulness she felt guilt in her stomach again. It was easy to forget about the man who had died while trying to play hero with Tony at the masquerade. No one had expected MedCo robots to attack that day particularly ones made to Scarlett’s clever design. It was impossible for her not to feel responsible for his death and the injuries that had followed. She’d been so focused on the existence of the robots themselves that she’d nearly forgotten that a life had been lost and that of a man who had been nothing but kind to her.

“Come in with me. Talk to the team we have set up.”

“Not a chance.” Scarlett laughed and shook her head. “That’s not even an option. I’m surprised you guys haven’t developed a better system yet.”

“We can help you but not if you’re out there playing lone gunman.”

“You’ve already been helping me without me coming in so why would I change tactics? Actually that’s part of why I called this meeting. What does SHIELD think they’re playing at manipulating everyone in their path? I can handle myself without a babysitter. I would’ve never suspected that my contact had turned until the other day when he worried about me. You good guys get so attached so easily. I should’ve known that when he was worried about me that he had to be working for you. Guys like him? Real guys like him… they don’t care what happens to people like me. I’m good at my job but I’m a dime a dozen in this business.” Scarlett tapped her fingers against the table, the other hand lazily petting Pluto who was well on his way to falling asleep in her lap. “I need to know why you’re helping me when I’m being so uncooperative. Why is SHIELD going to such great lengths for me?”

“I’m not a field agent, Miss Damien.”

“Stop it with the last name thing, it’s Scarlett. God is this what it felt like when I was calling Tony by his last name? How annoying.”

“Fine, Scarlett… as I was saying, I’m just a messenger. Grunt work you see, not that I wouldn’t love to be a field agent but… I’m here working with someone else and this person might have a bit of a soft spot for you. There’s no real way to know if that’s true or not, but I can assure you I haven’t been leaving you any clues of any kind or information that’s classified. I’m not authorized to make such decisions. But someone else could be. I couldn’t say.” Mickey had managed to confuse herself with her wording and seemed to be revising her sentence in her head then nodded resolutely to confirm that she’d meant everything she’d said.

“You see, this is why I don’t work with government agencies.”

“We’re not a government agency. It’s a common misconception actually. People seem to think we are.”

“You’re worse. A privatized agency that thinks they’re above the law.” Scarlett shook her head in disapproval. “It’s all smoke and mirrors what you do.”

“No offense Scarlett, but isn’t that what you do too?” Mickey picked at the food in front of her. She’d held off on eating at first as not to be rude, but it was a shame to let fluffy pancakes go to waste.

“Yes, but I don’t have to worry if the people I’m working with are lying to me… because I’m the only person I’m working with. It’s a different game we play, even if we do have common goals on this particular occasion”

“What about Mr. Stark? Don’t you work with him rather frequently lately? You don’t want him to get in too deep with this, do you?”

“He’s not with me right now and I wouldn’t exactly say we work together as we do hinder each other. As for being in too deep, if he were here he’d firstly point out that he had been in too deep on more than one occasion and I would correct him for you. He’s not wrong. But not in the way he would’ve implied. Tony made his decision when I gave him more than one chance to back out. He’s very loyal.” Scarlett shook her head and then glanced down at Pluto whose ear was twitching in his sleep. “Does your dog always drool this much?” She asked when Mickey didn’t immediately respond. Scarlett seemed different when she’d brought up Tony. She seemed sadder. Mickey was morbidly curious to what was going on between the two, but knew it wasn’t the time or the place.

“Only when he’s happy.” Mickey looked under the table and then leaned back in her chair when she saw Pluto half asleep on Scarlett’s lap.

“It’s pretty gross.”

“Yeah it is. Look Scarlett, I assure you that we are only trying to help you but we can only do so much when we’re met with resistance at every turn.”

“That’s another problem. SHIELD seems to think I want their help. But no one communicates. Yes, I know that you have tried to speak to me in the past but there has never been an occasion that didn’t come with strings. I can’t know who is an enemy and who is SHIELD without communication. And if that requires me coming in for some ridiculous debriefing and contract signings that will succeed in nothing but wasting my time and risk my imprisonment then it is completely off the table!”

“Don’t you need our help though?” Mickey looked at her expectantly. “We can take this off your hands. Deal with MedCo for you and you can go live your life.”

“Under SHIELD’s thumb you mean? What sort of life is that?” Scarlett looked around them to make sure no one was listening then leaned closer to Mickey across the table. “That’s what would happen if I came in with you, right? I’d be treated like a peer but then kept there for my own safety until the situation blew over. You said it earlier, you can’t have me running around and creating chaos in my wake since MedCo so desperately wants me for whatever reason. Then after MedCo what would happen? Charges pressed against me for the pathetic information in those files or my involvement with MedCo? I know what happens to people who don’t cooperate. I’m not that desperate.” Mickey didn’t answer, and it was clear to Scarlett that Mickey knew the truth as well as she did.

“You have friends at SHIELD, Scarlett. Not just me but there are others who would make sure that you don’t end up a prisoner of war.”

“No.” Scarlett shook her head in objection. “I called this meeting to tell you to back off. I am willing to work with SHIELD but under my own terms. When I have information I will contact you, Mickey. You might not see me, you might not actually hear from me but when I have information for you, you’ll know.”

“Me? Like me personally or…” Mickey blinked in surprise and again seemed apprehensive.

“I’m a powerful ally and you know so I’m turning the tables. I’ll come to you when I have information or I’ll leave it for you in one way or another but I will under no circumstances be brought into SHIELD. Not now. Just make sure you don’t get in my way again or this will not be a nice breakfast the next time we’re together.”

“I appreciate your… faith in me, I think.” Despite her words, Mickey looked utterly and completely confused. Why did Scarlett trust her if that was indeed what she was implying? She’d done nothing to be friendly with her or prove her worth to the woman but there she was, offering to give her information that no other agent would get their hands on. The prospect was exciting, confusing, and nerve racking all at once. “But I can do better if you come in with me. I’ll make sure things don’t go as you suspect they will.” If Mickey had Scarlett as her personal contact would it help her become a field agent?

“I already told you I’m not coming in.”

“Not as a prisoner. Let’s stop this skirting around the truth and playing games back and forth and… just come in and talk to Coulson. We can swap information and send you back out after these guys with the full force of SHIELD behind you.” Mickey figured that if Scarlett trusted her enough to offer to be a contact for her then she could offer some advice at the very least. She wasn’t holding her breath for a positive response, but she couldn’t help but try.

“This is my mess to get out of.” Scarlett nodded her head and at long last her smile faded. She’d held up the guise long enough. “SHIELD thinks they know everything about what’s going on with these monsters but the truth is you don’t know the half of it.”

“That’s why we need you to come in. With our information combined we could plan a strategic attack… Put a stop to this madness.”

“No.” Scarlett patted Pluto on the head which woke the dog up, but he was none too upset about it. “You said it yourself. You’re not a field agent. You called yourself a glorified go-fer practically. I’m sure that you would bring me in with every intention of keeping me safe and having me as a continued part of the investigative process. But I’m too much of a risk for SHIELD to have running around. MedCo thinks they’re playing a game with me. Wherever I am danger isn’t far behind. If I go in with you, I will be held prisoner. It’s what I would do in their shoes.” Scarlett knew how agencies like SHIELD operated. They would be fools to let her go once they had her within their sights.

“We wouldn’t let that happen, I told you…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah I have friends in SHIELD. I got it, but you can’t make promises like that, Mickey.”

“But we can help you. That’s all we want.”

“I know that’s what you want.” Scarlett smiled in understanding. “I came here with every intention of telling you and your company to back out of my life and quit playing games with me and that’s it. When I have more information for you I’ll contact you the same way I did before. And if my contact… you know the Indian man who… has been helping me find jobs for the last few years…. If he calls again, tell him I’ll find him and it won’t end pretty. I know he cares about me, but he lied to me. That confidence is broken and he won’t be trusted again.” Scarlett stood from her place at the table and Mickey did too. Pluto shifted with a whine and then laid near the table lazily.

“You’re being a fool.” Mickey called to her. Scarlett walked back to the table, not wanting to cause a scene in public. Several people turned their attention to the duo.

“Am I?”

“You’re acting like a spy but you’re not! You’re a target. They want you, Scarlett. You’re a fly crawling in their web and eventually they’re going to get tired of you buzzing around.” Mickey lowered her voice as she spoke and Scarlett got closer, making sure that no one was paying close enough attention to really overhear what she was shouting.

“Is that what you really think?” Scarlett felt dizzy with frustration. Why did no one have any faith in her? She’d made mistakes in the past few weeks due to lack of sleep and illness that still clung in her chest but she was still damn good at what she was doing. Was regaining the upper hand against MedCo and SHIELD not enough to prove that?

“You’re going to die.” Mickey implored, flopping back down in her seat. “None of us want that. I know you can’t possibly want that.”

Scarlett didn’t sit back down and instead took one last drink of her coffee. Reaching in her bag she pulled out some cash and tossed it at the woman.

“SHIELD underestimates me.” Reaching down to pet Pluto one more time and whispering to him he was a good boy Scarlett then turned her attention back to Mickey one last time. “Thank you for your time, Agent Pierce. We’ll be in touch.” Starting to walk away again she spoke without looking back. “Keep the change. I’ve decided that I don’t want SHIELD’s charity anymore.”

Mickey watched the volatile woman walk away and leaned back in her chair. That wasn’t what she had expected from that meeting in the least. Scarlett had sounded mad on the recording from the night before, but she’d anticipated being able to bring her in or convince her to meet with Coulson at the very least. But Scarlett didn’t seem interested in the power that SHIELD could offer her and instead wanted them off of her back.

It wasn’t as simple as that though.

Mickey hadn’t lied. Scarlett had friends in higher places than she thought she did. Picking up her phone, Mickey dialed and then placed it to her ear. Nonchalantly she rubbed her finger over the faded line on her finger where her ring had once sat and considered Scarlett’s words carefully. Could she really take down MedCo single handedly? Were her superiors at SHIELD just trying to put her away? Michelangela knew what SHIELD was capable of but was doing her best to stay along a strong moral path.

“I’m going to need help with Scarlett Damien.” There was no response on the other end of the phone. After the person on the other end hung up Mickey set down her phone and pushed away her pancakes. Somehow she had lost her appetite.