Chapter Text
No one had ever truly left S.H.I.E.L.D. The organisation had their talons in everything and everyone that had ever so much as cast a shadow near it.
The tall, slender woman twisted her black pencil skirt, adjusting it before she opened the large golden door, hitting her briefcase on it as she made her way into the large hotel foyer. Grumbling under her breath at how she could lug a rocket launcher over her shoulder while hopping out of a moving Jeep, but she’s bested by a bag that’s carried by nearly the entirety of the corporate world as it clips on a commercial entryway. Her heels clacked on the tile floor as she passed into the lounge, tucking her brown, shoulder-length hair behind her ear; naturally scanning the room, counting heads, blueprinting exits, noting furniture and support beams that would second as gunfire cover, all while holding a nonchalant demeanour.
“Ah, Ms. Lance.” A tall blond man wearing an expensive tailored suit stood to greet her while, unknowingly, calling her by an alias. Maria Hill reached out to his extended hand, which he squeezed while she passed pleasantries with a kiss to the air at his cheek as she mirrored his actions. She was never one to naturally participate in an intimate greeting such as this, but she learned that the man was easier to manipulate when she showed a little warmth. Even when it wasn't genuine in the slightest.
“Mister Burch.” The undercover agent smiled as she sat down at the table after he gestured at the booth across from him.
“It's always a pleasure to see you,” he said through a thick southern accent as he seated himself.
“Yes, a pleasure to your bank account.”
The man laughed jovially before taking a sip of his scotch. “This is true. Your requests have always come mysteriously but never without extra weight added to my pocketbook.”
Maria had to force a smirk, not having an ounce of respect for the weapons dealer and manufacturer.
She was not against the creation of weapons themselves, she just hated them being sold with zero regards, and to whoever had the funds to pay for them. Especially when the majority of her job seemed to be cleaning up the mess made by 'bad men with guns.'
“So, what is it I can do you for this time?” His greedy eyes twinkled.
“I need you to make yourself available,” she said simply.
“To you? I already am.” He winked, throwing his hands casually behind his head, before raking his eyes down to her chest and then back up to her face.
Maria had to use all the strength in her body not to react to his wandering gaze. She pressed forward. “I need you to put it out there you're available to obtain this" — she put the case on top of the table, opening it to show him its contents — “and sell it.”
“Oh, wow.” He took his time to look over the technology. “Guess I shouldn't ask where you got this, knowing you'd never tell me.” His gaze shifted up to her as he continued. “But I have to tell you, as much as this is indeed rare, I don't know if anyone is in the market for it.”
Maria smirked, knowing that his words couldn't be further from the truth. She had good intel that Hope Van Dyne had approached him a month prior, looking for this exact part for their quantum bridge.
The agent had Tony Stark engineer the component. She planned the request at the most convenient of times, right before Pepper Potts's birthday. She had told Tony that if he'd make the part without question, she'd give him the details and credit for the birthday surprise that she had already planned for Pepper on his behalf. The man, who had not realised it was the evening before his girlfriend’s birthday, quickly agreed, and three days later she had her part.
“Well, if you don't think you can sell it, I'll move on down the line. Get someone else to do it.” She sighed, putting on a performance while pulling back the case towards herself on the table.
“Well now hold on a moment there.” He jumped in quickly. “I never said I couldn't sell it. I'm just saying the seller’s fee might be a little higher. You know, for all the extra work I'll have to put in to finding a buyer.” Maria fought back the urge to roll her eyes at his words. “I want thirty-five percent.”
The money meant nothing to her. Tony didn't even charge her for supplies let alone labour. What's a few thousand in raw materials to a billionaire anyway? However, Maria did not like Sonny Burch of Cross Technologies, nor did she appreciate the bullshit that was constantly spewing from his mouth, so she countered his offer.
“Twenty.”
He laughed. “Twenty? That's absurd.” He then eyed her as he countered. “Twenty-five.”
She raised a brow. “Twenty.”
His face split into a grin as he shook his head at her. “I like you, Ms. Lance. You just say what you want and don't compromise on it.” He took a swig of his drink, polishing it off, before nodding and extending his hand. “Alright, twenty percent it is.”
Maria nodded plainly and shook his hand before giving him a card with her contact information. “Call me after you set up a buyer.” She then took her package and walked out, a satisfied smirk on her face knowing that this part would bring a quantum bridge one step closer to becoming a reality.
After exiting the building, the agent turned down an empty side street, pulling her keys out of her blazer pocket as she approached her Cadillac Escalade. Just as she unlocked her vehicle with the fob, about to pull the driver's door open, the S.U.V. suddenly shrunk to the size of a Hot Wheels car. Then, as if out of nowhere, a figure appeared beside her, grabbing the case out of her hand before throwing a fast cross hook at her face. Fortunately, Maria's quick instincts and training kicked in and she easily blocked the strike. She ground her teeth, recognizing the figure as Hope Van Dyne in her Pym Particle suit that had resembled her mother's old Wasp one. Maria had only seen her in the suit thrice before, caught on satellite imaging, but had never witnessed her up close in full combat action wearing it.
Hope turned to flee with the package as Maria was quick to kick off her heels and drop her keys to make pursuit. It only took a few strides before she dove at the other woman, grabbing her by the face of her helmet and pulling her back down. But before Hope fell, she shrunk, dropping the package to the sidewalk as she abruptly turned her miniaturised body, in-flight, before quickly growing back to size in front of Maria.
Hope threw another punch that Maria ducked under, coming up and grabbing her extended arm; she knew striking back at the armoured suit would only hurt her hand. Maria then attempted to flip her to the ground, but she shrunk again which made the agent growl in frustration. Within a moment Maria could feel the other woman behind her, grabbing her. One arm bent around her neck with the other hand holding the back of her head, securing her in a chokehold.
The woman deactivated her helmet, unmasking her face, before she growled into Maria's ear, “What is S.H.I.E.L.D. doing selling tech to Sonny Burch?”
Maria struggled against her hold as she grunted back, “Don't play dumb. You know exactly what we're doing.” She gathered that the woman was smart enough to put two-and-two together.
Hope had been buying from Burch for over a year now and every time he pulled through with her requests, despite his company being a sub-par operation.
Maria had been covertly nudging Cross Tech. employees to the rarer components that Hope had been ordering, today being only the second time that she'd shown up personally to sell a part directly to Burch. Not that Hope could work out those particulars right then, but she didn't need to know the finer details to understand the overall situation.
“God, you guys are like ravenous dogs, running around the neighbourhood taking a piss on everything in sight, thinking it's now yours.” She spoke in what sounded like annoyance above anything else. “How long have you been surveilling us?”
Maria didn't have much to lose in telling the truth, and if anything, it gave her some power in her compromised situation – letting her know that S.H.I.E.L.D. had both control and restraint. “Since 1987.”
Hope’s grasp tightened around Maria’s neck as the agent squirmed beneath her, gasping for air. Hope now knew that they've been watched ever since her mother had disappeared and her father had cut ties to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hope growled as she aggressively threw Maria to the hard concrete below. The agent coughed as she rubbed her neck, turning to see Hope miniaturise and fly off, leaving the briefcase behind.
Maria huffed as she slowly picked herself up off the ground. She then took a hold of the case and went to her shoes, sliding them on. She sighed while looking at her toy-sized Escalade before she took out her phone to hail a ride from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s California based headquarters.
“Goddamnit,” she muttered under her breath after ending her call, not knowing if she was angrier with herself for being caught, or with Hope Van Dyne for catching her. Either way, she'd have to pay that woman a little visit. Hope would still be needing her abandoned part after all, and Maria knew that she'd have a hell of a time tracking down another just like it. If she wanted it in a timely manner, she'd have no other choice but to get it from her.