Agent Nic Martin

So many of the agents within these halls hide their pain behind expertly crafted masks meant only to reveal the best of them and on any regular day Simon was no different but he couldn’t be bothered for the last week there was no point in hiding his emotions because sooner or later it was going to bubble to the top and explode. He glanced over when the familiar voice that in it’s self brought a sense of comfort with it filled the otherwise empty weapons locker. Sure, it’s not exactly the most genius hiding place for someone who has a name tape across a locker but well, it wasn’t as if anyone was going to walk in. ‘A drink.” There’s no hesitation and it’s telling of Simon’s coping mechanisms, when he’d first lost them there hadn’t been a single day where he was sober and on the anniversary, it was the last thing he wanted to be. 

He nodded, not judging or questioning Simon's coping method. That wouldn't do any good he knew, it was easier just to provide company (and supervision if needed).

His head is laid back against the cool floor but he looks up for just long enough to see the roll of the other mans eyes. 

“Yeah you know let me just tell the JOLTING pain to stop while your finger goes on a damn joy ride.” He speaks through his teeth for a moment, equally as irritable as the other man. Simon was, well stubborn was the easiest way to put it when it came to medical things.

Still, he obeyed when Simon asked for a moment, simply shifting to keeping pressure on the wound while he waited. His expression softened to reveal his concern as he watched Simon, the pause giving him a moment to relax a little himself.

He nodded and carefully went back to work when prompted. It didn't take much longer before he got the damn thing out.

scolding starters

@agentnicmartin

"That would be helpful actually!" Nic replied irritably. He was injured himself, but thankfully not as badly or in immediate need of attention and trying not to worry as he worked with their limited med kit.

Hydra base, ???

2014, during the Fall of SHIELD/Winter Soldier

It still didn’t feel real.

SHIELD had been infiltrated and torn apart by large numbers of undercover SHIELD agents. Nic had barely been on base long enough for the Head there to confirm they were in fact Hydra after Nic had spent so long befriending agents and gaining their trust and friendship and then feigning interest in their work.

He’d heard some of them bragging, as they returned from SHIELD bases about how many they had taken down on their way out. Nic’s friends; his family- were they okay? He had no way of knowing without blowing his cover by asking the traitors to name those they had injured or killed. He wanted so badly to leave and check in with SHIELD, but he couldn’t. He had to wait.

But then someone who had worked in the same base as Nic showed up among the traitors and quickly pointed him out…

Next thing Nic knew, he was running. He’d panicked when the traitor had pointed at him and instead of trying to bluff his way through, Nic had turned and ran. Thankfully they weren’t currently armed and had simply been chatting in a corridor. He suspected that would change very quickly though.

Nic didn’t dare try to get to his room to collect his things, it was too risky. Odds were they’d send people straight there.

He’d turned a few corners and made it upstairs by the time anyone else caught up, Nic quickly stopping as his way ahead was blocked.  

There was a familiar, near silence for a while. Just the whir of a fan, some chatter here and there. And then a flurry of agents ran past the bars. That caught the soldier’s attention. Her handler, Dale, ran into view and entered the code to her cell, sweat beading on his forehead.

Within seconds he’d stepped inside, pressing the button to release the weighted, spherical restraints from around her wrists and hands. She rubbed at the irritated skin where the metal dug in. The discomfort was so familiar to her, she paid it little mind while Dale spoke.

“There’s been an infiltrator, stealing Hydra secrets. He’s a danger to the world, if he gets out. We need you to stop him. Bring him back, alive.” Dale ordered, pulling a picture ID up on his phone and showing her. She found it surprisingly easy to memorize his features. Something... Maybe she’d seen him around the base. Dale pressed a comm into her ear, while she stared at the picture. 

“-heading towards the Southwest wing.” Someone alerted over the speaker.

With that, she was off.

It took her little time to catch up with the infiltrator. He’d been foolish. People didn’t escape Hydra. They were too many and too organized, for that. That’s what they were about, order. Keeping the world from falling into chaos. That’s what they’d told her, when she was confused.

She found him on the upper floor. The soldier pressed her palms to the ground, and the concrete ahead of him dipped ever so slightly, as if being slurped up by a giant creature. It stretched up into a blockade ahead of him, and she stepped forward.

Her face was barren of her usual, bulletproof muzzle, as she hadn’t had time to grab it from the armoury. Her hair was down in a messy mop, but she could see fine, and that was the main requirement of the mission. Otherwise, she wore her usual uniform. They hadn’t bothered to have her switch out of it, since the previous mission.

He'd been among them a while now. What was it... nearly a year? Longer? Nic had kind of lost track. He hadn't had a chance to check in with his SHIELD contacts for nearly a month and was realising that this uprising was likely responsible in some way, interfering with communications.

Nic had quickly taken down a pair of agents he'd accidentally come up behind in a corridor, taking the weapon of one. He checked it as he kept moving. Not a full load of ammo, but at least well-maintained. It was better than nothing, if he used it well.

He was nearly at one of the emergency exits, just down the next corridor, when the ground before Nic suddenly shifted and put him off balance. He stumbled into a concrete wall that was absolutely not there before.

"Aw, come on!" he groaned, rubbing the arm he'd first collided into the blockade with.

Carefully, Nic pressed against it with his other hand, testing it. Nope. No way he was getting through that. It didn't seem to budge or even wobble, so there was no pushing it and he had no powers to otherwise break it.

He let out a string of curses before finally turning, freezing when he saw someone there.

There was...something familiar about her. Frowning, Nic struggled to work out what it was that was familiar. Dishevelled hair? Nothing notable about that. Even if he could clearly make out her facial features beneath it, the SHIELD agent doubted they'd be of much help.

training turned tension starters

“Oh shut up,” Nic huffed. He turned his head away, a hint of a smile a Simon’s comment. “That’s not-”

He reached up and brushed a hand nervously through his dark hair.

“I wasn’t joking about the problem with faces,” he admitted with a shrug. “Normally I double check as soon as I arrive, but eh. Tired. Annoyed at the gross guy…”

Simon smirked, a knowing look on his face when he catches the smile on Nic’s face. “Uh huh, sure.” 

Nic nodded in agreement. “Yeah, definitely. I’ve even gotten a few field trials recently because of the improvement.”

He cringed at the idea of the 18 hour shift. Probably a chaotic one too.

“Oh sure. Just- let me drop Eva’s bag off first so they don’t end up calling about it as soon as we leave? Then you really can sit without feeling rushed.”

Lena smiled, “that’s great news Nic, I’m happy for you.” 

He nodded and carefully took the bag. "Sure. Should only take a couple of minutes."

Nic headed off then towards the elevators. It took him a little longer than anticipated, but he did return as he'd said he would with a grin on his face as he jogged back over to where Lena was waiting.

“Well it’s… something at least,” Nic said with a sigh. He still obviously wasn’t in a great mood, but for the time being it wasn’t being displayed as anger towards the only other person around.

Nic stood there silently for a bit, studying Simon as if it only just occured to him that he could be talking to someone else. Sure, he’d assumed that no one else around would know the safehouse (or be able to talk about the mission for that matter) but now he was less focused on complaining, Nic suddenly felt the need to make sure.

He was a bit annoyed at himself for not making sure first. What if it wasn’t Simon waiting and he’d just started talking? He frowned and stepped a bit closer, trying not to let his worry show as he studied Simon, focusing on things like how he was standing, how tall he was compared to Nic and the less common hair colour.

“Better than nothing.” Simon replied, he was used to absurd hours holding the same position, had gone a full 72 hours on bare minimum whilst ensuring he got the shot, needless to say a snipers job isn’t exactly glamorous. 

He reached up and brushed a hand nervously through his dark hair.

Nic almost walked straight past Lena until she spoke to him. He stopped and stood there a moment, eventually focusing on the familiar backpack.

Right. Lena. Eva’s mother.

He chuckled at the joke and shrugged a shoulder.

“Oh sure,” he said. “It’s not exactly a bad way to cross paths. Better to be dropping off Eva’s bag than needing to see each other for work purposes, right?”

He went to reach for the bag, but paused to look back at Lena. “How are you doing by the way? Been a while since we last crossed paths.”

Lena chuckled, “yeah especially in our fields, if we run across one another it’s probably not a good day.”  She handed the bag off and folded her arms as she listened to him.

Nic hesitated, not sure whether or not he should question her. Later, maybe. For the time being, he simply nodded.

He cringed at the idea of the 18 hour shift. Probably a chaotic one too.

Nic almost walked straight past Lena until she spoke to him. He stopped and stood there a moment, eventually focusing on the familiar backpack.

Right. Lena. Eva’s mother.

He chuckled at the joke and shrugged a shoulder.

“Oh sure,” he said. “It’s not exactly a bad way to cross paths. Better to be dropping off Eva’s bag than needing to see each other for work purposes, right?”

He went to reach for the bag, but paused to look back at Lena. “How are you doing by the way? Been a while since we last crossed paths.”

Lena chuckled, “yeah especially in our fields, if we run across one another it’s probably not a good day.”  She handed the bag off and folded her arms as she listened to him.

Nic hesitated, not sure whether or not he should question her. Later, maybe. For the time being, he simply nodded.

Lena was walking into SHIELD and recognized Agent Nic Martin, she chuckled, holding up Eva’s backpack she joked,  “we really need to stop meeting like this Nic,” she sat the bag on the desk and said, “She forgot it in my car and it’s Mason’s weekend. Would you mind seeing he takes it?” 

Right. Lena. Eva's mother.

He chuckled at the joke and shrugged a shoulder.

"Oh sure," he said. "It's not exactly a bad way to cross paths. Better to be dropping off Eva's bag than needing to see each other for work purposes, right?"

“Yeah, well… lucky for you because I’m not in the mood to be dea- I like that suit, I’d rather not have blood on it.” He’d changed what he was saying halfway through, realising how dumb it had sounded.

Nic sighed and leaned tiredly against the wall, brushing a hand through his hair to move it away from his face. He closed his eyes afterward, taking a moment to focus on breathing. He hadn’t exactly sprinted back to the safehouse, but he also wasn’t as fit as he used to be and had his prosthetic leg to deal with.

“Please tell me this place at least has something decent to drink?” he eventually said, looking back over at Simon.

He doubted evac would show until it was light out anyway so they may as well try to relax, he figured.

Regardless of how quickly Nic had changed the course of his words Simon’s eyebrow quirks up in a questioning gaze, he knows without a doubt what he was going to say. “Uh huh.” He hummed as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched the other for a moment. 

When Nic accepts the blanket and chooses to relax it puts Simon at ease that they’ve come to some sort of stalemate. 

Nic stood there silently for a bit, studying Simon as if it only just occured to him that he could be talking to someone else. Sure, he'd assumed that no one else around would know the safehouse (or be able to talk about the mission for that matter) but now he was less focused on complaining, Nic suddenly felt the need to make sure.

“I know, I know,” Nic sighed, pulling off his suit jacket and simply dropping it on the floor. He’d sort it out later. Instead he ended up ranting, venting his frustrations. “Actually, it wouldn’t have been so bad if it was simply the flirting to distract him, but he just had to be a handsy type and I’m very aware of all the disgusting things that creep has signed off on and-”

He wasn’t normally the type to take his frustrattions out on other people and because he wasn’t actually mad at Simon himself, the simple act of offering the blanket caused Nic to stop. He stared blankly at the thing for a moment before he actually reaching out to take it.

Slowly, Nic wrapped it around his shoulders. He’d get changed into dry clothes a little later.

“Thanks…” he muttered. After a moment there was a hint of his usual smile. “And uh… also thanks for not killing me.”

More often then not Simon wasn’t the one next to the target, it’s not how he was utilized, nope he was the trigger man, the sniper who was hunkered down at a distance.Sure he’d done his share of up close and personal, could handled damn near anything but he wasn’t the one who had to be at the mercy of the target, even if it was for a tactical advantage. He expects the rant, at this point he knows Nic well enough to read the subtlest of changes in the other man. “Hey, I get it, and for what it’s worth I’m sorry I asked it of you, I just didn’t see another way and I saw how he was eyeing you.” He offered the slightly more genuine apology to his initial one. 

The blanket was a sort of peace offering, how ever slight. So when Nic took it Simon was moderately relieved by the fact It was accepted.

Nic sighed and leaned tiredly against the wall, brushing a hand through his hair to move it away from his face. He closed his eyes afterward, taking a moment to focus on breathing. He hadn't exactly sprinted back to the safehouse, but he also wasn't as fit as he used to be and had his prosthetic leg to deal with.

"Please tell me this place at least has something decent to drink?" he eventually said, looking back over at Simon.