2013-11-15 -- Cutscene: Fury's Orders

Director Fury's office is cold, and the man himself is sitting at his desk, looking over two different datapads of information, chewing on a pen. His expression is not exactly friendly as his fingers slide across the datapad, grumbling to himself.

"Come in," he says to the knock on the door. He is, after all, expecting someone.

Agent Grant Ward steps into the office, for once clad in the standard SHIELD jumpsuit and harness. He takes a few steps inside, and stands with his hands folded behind his back, regarding Director Fury with...very little expression at all, really. Then again, he's not exactly known for being a warm and forthcoming individual. In any case, he simply speaks, "Reporting as ordered, sir." Neither resentment or curiosity touches his voice. The Director will get to what he brought him here for in his own good time, after all.

Directly after Agent Grant the door is closed by none other than Agent Hill. A datapad was tucked neatly beneath her own arm with the screen lit up to display the memo and subsequent paperwork that she had set into place for this assignment. "Sir." A curt nod is offered to Fury as she steps past Agent Grant toward Fury's desk to stop a short foot away. "I've the paperwork together per my memo to you and have the full briefing prepared for Agent Ward's current assignment." Except the assignment hadn't been given yet. Hill glances aside to Ward before looking back to Fury to add, "With your permission. Sir." Ah, paperwork.

"Agent Ward. Agent Hill." Director Fury looks up from his paperwork, nodding slightly. As if Hill had said nothing, he simply intones, "Have a seat." His attention turns back to what's on his desk, and after he pushes a few more buttons, and skims a bit more information, he lays the datapad aside.

"I have a problem, Agent Ward, and I need you to handle it." He pauses. "This is a delicate problem, and it requires a delicate touch." He waits to see the response from the other two agents.

Agent Ward shifts over slightly and seats himself in one of the offered chairs, though he continues to walk that fine line between relaxed and appropriately alert, sitting up straight and keeping his attention focused on Fury, "Yes sir. What do you need me to do?" No hesitation or trepidation. Many agents quake a bit when brought before the Director (or the Deputy). If Ward's nervous, he's keeping it well bottled-up.

Agent Hill opens her mouth about to protest. Time was of the essence in this matter as too much had already been wasted dealing with the paperwork. Oh the paperwork. It was Fury though. Shifting she clasps her hands behind her back shifting into an at-ease posture with a simple, "I prefer to stand, Sir. I disagree about a delicate touch however. She needs to be brought in, and quickly."

"Agent Hill, please," Fury scowls. "We've had this argument already, and we will not have it again. I've seen the medfiles, just as you have. Everything I'm seeing points towards her having a few days off as good thing." He turns to look at Ward.

"How much do you know about the Deputy Director's leave of absence?" he asks point-blank. "I know there's likely gossip, that's all people ever seem to do. What have you heard, and what do you believe?"

"I'm not really one for gossip, Sir, most of my time is spent on solo ops." Agent Ward replies simply, but considers a few moments, "Given what I know of Deputy Director Romanoff's history, and the fact that she's never been known to take any sort of -real- leave of absence before, I can only guess that something has rattled her pretty seriously, either physically, psychologically, or both." He flicks his dark eyes over towards Agent Hill, then back to Fury, "Given Agent Hill's concern and the mention of medfiles, I'd guess that's not far off the target."

It's clear that Agent Hill is not pleased by this at all. With a clench of her jaw that was almost audible she turns her gaze away from Fury to stare at a spot on the wall behind him giving a curt nod. "Sir." With that she goes quiet to silently stew and listen to the discourse between Fury and Grant.

Fury's eyes narrow. "Hill, has he been read in on the Silencer issue?" he asks. "If not, clear him for it."

He steeples his fingers, looking at Ward sternly. "The Deputy Director was hit with something that, to put in in layman's terms, undid all the super-soldier goodness that had previously been done to her. She is, for all intents and purposes, normal now." He leans back in his chair. "Something like that comes as a shock, Agent Ward. She needed some time off, I granted it to her." Of course, he's not mentioning everything, and from the way he's chewing on the end of that pen, whatever he's not mentioning is irritating him. Still.

"She's depowered and alone, and she did not want company. Where I can understand that-- she is still an asset of SHIELD that we must protect."

Agent Ward listens attentively as Fury explains the situation and presumably Agent Hill updates his security protocols as needed. He's probably of the proper security level to know, but just didn't have "need to know" until now. "That's understandable, then. All her skills, but not quite all her edge." Ward considers a few moments, before asking, "Do you want me to shadow her directly, or do you just want me to stage myself in her general vicinity and keep my ear to the ground in case she ends up needing back-up?"

Agent Hill sweeps her datapad back around to the front tapping on the screen with rapid motions. "Cleared, Sir. The files, and Deputy Director Romanov's medfiles are available on your personal drive as of now." A look is cast to Ward with one eyebrow arched. "Depowered or not she's still a highly trained operative. Don't forget that. I would have suggested someone for this assignment with more familiarity with the Deputy Director, but," But THOSE Agents were needed elsewhere. Damn Coulson for being so indispensable. "As the Director said: Discretion." As to the rest of it she glances back to Fury waiting for him to fill that part in. Apparently locking her in a room with reruns of Gilligan's Island wasn't considered a good enough vacation for her.

"Familiarity is the /problem/, Agent Hill," Fury says with a dark scowl. "I am sure Agent Ward will do a fine job." He looks to Ward. "Do what you need, but do /not/ let her know you're there, Agent Ward."

"I'm aware of Deputy Director Romanoff's skills ma'am. Believe me, I'm not assuming this is going to be any sort of cake-walk." Ward addresses Hill, then looks back to Fury and notes, "Understood Sir." He assumes the need for secrecy may not hold if Natasha's life is in danger, but he'll worry about clearing that hurdle if and when it becomes necessary. "I'll review the records on my way to her location." Which he assumes SHIELD knows, at least roughly. "Just to be clear...I'm assuming the objective is keeping Deputy Director Romanoff safe and not just strictly surveillance, correct?"

Agent Hill merely gives Ward an assessing look. "Good. See to it that doesn't change. There's any number of things that could happen to her and it will be up to you to protect her if necessary." A look is cast to Fury with eyebrows raised as if waiting for him to counter that.

"Use your best judgment," Fury says after a few moment's consideration. "Hell, she's on vacation in New Orleans. How bad can it be? But still, she's an asset that's working with far less power than she's used to, and even at full capacity I rarely sent her into the field alone." No. She usually had a partner. And they usually made messes, regardless of the op. He puts the pen back in his mouth, chewing with irritation. "It should be an easy assignment, but it's an important one. I intend on seeing her back on duty in a week and a half."

"I'll make sure she gets back in one piece, sir." Agent Ward replies, "Anything else I should know before I get to work? It doesn't sound like I should need any special equipment requisitions. I can be in New Orleans in a couple of hours. I'll review the medical records, and local supply caches and contacts en route." He dutifully ignores any comments about easy assignments. He's been in the field long enough to know that such a thing usually is merely a happy accident when it occurs.

"She's a possibly mentally unstable, highly trained killer in New Orleans. And she's Russian, Sir." Agent Hill lifts an eyebrow giving Fury a pointed look. "Given her past associations with certain individuals in this organization I would say it's safe to assume that she's not about to avoid the favorite past-time of the city with the motto 'Let the good times roll.'" Hill sweeps her gaze between the two men. Just in case they didn't get what she was hinting at however she fills in, perhaps needlessly, "Alcohol would be a bad mixture to her present situation."

Fury scowls again. "Are you suggesting that one of my agents is going to go on a drunken murderous rampage through the streets of New Orleans, Agent Hill?" The pen has come out of his mouth, and lands on the desk with a quiet thud. "She's an /adult/, last I checked, and what my agents do on their personal time, so long as it doesn't interfere with or compromise the mission, is theirs to do."

His lips twist in a grimace when she mentions 'past associations'. "As for the associations you are referring to, Agent Hill, my sources tell me that has been long over with." Damn straight it was.

Agent Ward remains seated, alert, and utterly silent. He's not touching this argument with a ten foot pole.

Agent Hill frowns when Fury scowls at her. "I'm suggesting that she may get into a position where her judgement is compromised, SIR, and she may react on instinct instead of her best judgement." She shouldn't. She shouldn't say more. Especially in front of Agent Ward. But she continues, "There are some things women have to deal with in crowded bars that men like yourself have never had to worry about. Sir." With that she straightens again clenching her jaw anew. It's Ward that gets her glare this time as she adds in a manner that might be even a bit protective, "Keep her safe. Even from herself if you have to."

Fury's face softens. Slightly. And only for an instant, before the scowl comes back to his face again. "I am sure Natasha-- the Deputy Director will be capable of fending off any wandering hands, Agent Hill. But your concern is noted. Now, if there is nothing else...?"

"Yes Ma'am. Understood." Agent Ward rises to his feet, folding his hands behind his back again, and still remaining quiet until it's clear there -is- nothing else. You don't walk out on Fury until he tells you you can go. Unless you're Captain America, which despite the occasional joking of some of his fellow agents, Grant Ward is very much not.

"No. Sir." Agent Hill straightens again with her expression gone back to a neutral sort of annoyed as opposed to the ready to fight annoyed. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do. The Deputy Director left quite a bit of paperwork in her absence."

"Dismissed." And Fury goes back to his paperwork.

Agent Ward nods, turns on his heel, and steps out of the office. He's barely two steps outside of it before his communicator is in hand, and he's setting up transportation to New Orleans and a standard undercover equipment load-out. It's another couple steps before he lets out the breath he was half-holding. It's only a moment of released tension though, before he's back to business. There's a job to be done, and somewhere between New York and New Orleans Agent Ward has to figure out how he's going to covertly look after a woman who might be the most skilled spy on the planet.

Just another day on the job.