shieldagentburr

[shieldagentburr]

Lana Burr was not the type to tolerate massive mistakes, especially when she felt partially responsible for them. Months of internal investigations had brought nothing. Autopsy reports showed no signs of foreign substances that could have influenced anyone's actions. The same twenty-five minute security tape had been played for hours on end, with nothing out of the ordinary showing up until those last few seconds.

Ethan Chen had simply vanished into thin air. She knew how he had gotten out--that much had at least been captured--but it didn't fit his profile for him to just walk away. He wanted out. He got out. But no one could tell her WHY he was out. Scowling, she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling that tension headache threatening to ruin her day already. She was now impatiently waiting for her tea and was silently praying to anyone who would listen that they would hurry up so she could get to the office.

They heard half her prayer.

Her quick trot down the street had suddenly stopped. An arm had snaked its way around Burr's shoulders, tightly holding her against the side of his body. She hadn't even heard him coming up. What was worse was the fact that her mind had immediately thought of how his mother used to pull that same move back when she was in Field Intelligence. She was certain Chen would have hated that comparison.

"Hey, Auntie Burr." Ethan's cold, smooth voice echoed in her ears, but somehow it felt like she couldn't fully hear him. His chin tilted up towards a security camera tucked away on a streetlight. She recognized it and knew precisely what was about to happen. "Do me a favor? Smile for the camera." She felt him smirk beside her. "You and me have a lot of catching up to do."

And with that, her world went dark.

[shieldagentburr]

Burr waited patiently as he went through the motions, silently agreeing with most of what he was saying. Although she would never admit it, out of everyone in that room, she trusted him the most to keep a level head in a bad situation. However, she also had to walk the fine line of letting an agent do his job and keeping a husband from getting too involved. She let him finish before finally speaking.

"If we evacuate," she said, her voice completely calm and even. "We will cause more problems than solutions." She had been there back when Chen had been fighting to keep the Home. The back and forth between her and her father had been ugly and Burr had honestly thought that the woman's dangerous past would cost her everything. It hadn't then. But now? Forcing a group of donors to evacuate a party when there may or may not be a threat inside? And if her conspiracy theorist father thought SHIELD had something to do with it? That would be the end of all the hard work Chen had done. And for some reason, Burr couldn't let that happen.

"Priority one is making sure your daughter is safe," Burr said, her tone of voice making it clear that it wasn't a suggestion, it was an order. "Priority two will be making sure Chen is secured. As much as I would love to get her out of here, at the end of the day, the choice is hers, not ours. In addition," Her head tilted towards the door. "Everyone best capable of protecting her is in that room. It might not be the most secure place, but the safest one might be staying where she is. At least until we can get some more information on where the hell he is right now."

Sterling waited impatiently for Burr to get to the point. He didn't like being told there was a problem and then having to wait for the answer to what it was. He needed the intel. He needed a solution. He needed to act. The anxiety of the unknown was building. Sterling understood it was something that couldn't be said in front of civilians and respected ducking into another room to talk, but it didn't stop him from gritting his teeth in anticipation.

At the name Ethan Chen, however, fear gripped Sterling tight and he took one brief terrified breath in before he switched back to business mode.

"Fucking damnit." He growled, shrugging off his suit jacket hurriedly and making sure his ICER was loaded. After sliding the clip back in he pressed the button on his ear piece. "Amador, you copy?"

"Loud and clear, Sterling."

"Stick to Rebecca. New threat. Ethan Chen." He kept the intel short and quiet in case anyone around her could hear the earpiece as well.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Amador cursed into her headset, remembering her last encounter with the man and the bullet she had dug out of her leg from it. "I'm on it."

Sterling turned back to Burr and hesitated. "We may have to evacuate the civilians." He couldn't be sure Ethan wasn't headed here. He was just breaking out of SHIELD. There's no way he knew about the Gala or where Chen was, but he was a smart man. Genius even. If he got a glimpse of any advertisement for the gala Chen's name was plastered all over it. Everyone there was potential collateral damage and he had no doubts Ethan would take advantage. "We have to get Chen somewhere safe. Please."

It wasn't like Sterling to beg but when it came to protecting Chen he'd do just about anything.

"Fuck... Ara. I have to make call." There was so much to do. Too much. They needed more hands on this. There were plenty of SHIELD agents in this very room. They had to give assignments quick. Ethan was smart, he was fast, he was deadly, and he was potentially on his way. They didn't have time to waste.

[shieldagentburr]

Burr had also stolen a glance over in Chen's direction, making a mental note of the people in the group she was speaking to. No one jumped out as an immediate threat. Good.

She pulled Sterling into a nearby room, intentionally choosing one where the open door meant Chen could still be seen before she placed her phone on the table. The call had been going on for a number of minutes and she wasted no time getting back to the conversation. "Status report."

"He was last seen in the hallway." A man's voice came in over the speaker. "Cameras lost him after that. We've got three confirmed agents down. Medical's working on one of them now."

Burr looked up to stare directly into Sterling's eyes as she asked the next question. "Do we have eyes on Ethan Chen right now?"

"That's a negative, ma'am."

It had just taken one phone call. One call for everything to go to hell. She had been checking in like Chen had requested, suspecting that everything was alright, only to learn the opposite. Of course. God forbid she got one night off.

She quickly went to find a trustworthy face, taking them by the arm as she continued walking. "We have a problem," she said, making sure she was quiet enough that the civilians wouldn't hear.

[shieldagentburr]

It had just taken one phone call. One call for everything to go to hell. She had been checking in like Chen had requested, suspecting that everything was alright, only to learn the opposite. Of course. God forbid she got one night off.

She quickly went to find a trustworthy face, taking them by the arm as she continued walking. "We have a problem," she said, making sure she was quiet enough that the civilians wouldn't hear.

[shieldagentburr]

Burr wasn’t the type of person to be surprised by anything, so she didn’t do much more than look up at Sterling as he suddenly appeared and starting speaking. Unfortunately, she also wasn’t the type to expect sudden visitors, so when he finished his little speech, she turned to her phone and said, “I’ll call you back,” before hanging up the speaker phone.

“Agent Sterling.” She didn’t use her usual tone with him. She seemed worn down, even in appearance. While she normally sat up straight and held herself with a sense of authority, she was slouching ever so slightly and her eyes looked like she was in a desperate need of a break. “If I got offended every time an agent second guessed by advice, I wouldn’t be very good at my job. Nor would you, I suspect. And for the record, ‘weak’ is never a word I will put in your file.” She waved her hand. “The whole thing was water under the bridge as soon as you left the room. You owe me no apology.”

@shieldagentburr

“I’m sorry." Sterling said, suddenly appearing in Burr’s office doorway. "For verbally attacking you before. You were just doing your job and I was out of line to question you. Sometimes… I think I can carry the weight of the world and if anyone tries to tell me otherwise all I hear is them calling me weak. I’ve always felt very behind my fellow coworkers in terms of skill and experience so I… tend to make up for it by working when I maybe shouldn’t. My upbringing has never truly left me despite logically knowing you’re trying to help so… I apologize for my actions.”

[shieldagentburr]

theghostofagentweiss​:

The question confused him and it looked as though he was trying to do complicated math in his head and was failing miserably. 

“What do you mean? I’m dead. What is there to look out for? This is me now. Until I forget everything or I move on, I guess.” He wondered if it was really Ray grounding him there or if he was just scared to move on. 

“I think… this IS my ok now. It… hurts to watch everyone move on and… But it’s ok. I’m grateful to linger a bit. Make sure everyone is ok. Say goodbye.” 

That all too familiar scowl of Burr’s returned and she struggled to sit up straighter. “If it hurts...then it’s not okay.”

She took another labored breath. “Just because you aren’t...here anymore doesn’t mean that we...stop caring. And if there is some kind of beyond after all this life we live, then I would hope...I would hope that the people I call my friends are out there enjoying it. Full of joy. So if you’re sitting there...telling me you’re hurting and that there’s nothing to look out for...well I’m sorry, but that’s some Grade A bullshit. Because I will look out for you. Whether you like it or not.”

[shieldagentburr]

She somehow managed to force out a chuckle even though it stung a little. "Is there an all of the above option?"

Burr didn't move as her friend sat next to her. It was so strange seeing him like this, but she was slightly grateful she got another chance to talk to him. "Understandable," she said, not even beginning to know how much it had hurt Ray. It also seemed rather kind of him to be looking after her. It made her think, and she turned her head slightly to look at him. "But who's making sure you're okay?"

shieldagentburr​:

Like she was going to have a–of course. It was all making sense to her now. That’s exactly what was happening. She should have figured it out earlier. Her heart was finally giving out–that’s why she could see him. The combination of trauma and wanting to see a friend before she went. It all fit perfectly.

Despite her still shaky breaths and the fact she was now feeling a little nauseous, she smiled at her friend. A real one, not some professional boundary smile. It was nice seeing him again, even if it wasn’t entirely real. “I have a feeling…” she said, struggling with a breath before she could finish. “That you are never going to let me live this down…”

“What? You having a heart attack, you not believing in ghosts, or your face when you realized what was going on?” Clay imitated her face of fear, feeling that she was being playful enough now for it to not be perceived as insulting. 

Good luck trying to send him to another seminar, Burr. 

He decided to scoot a little closer and soon found himself sitting beside her, leaning against the wall she was. He bent his knees and rested his arms on them casually.

“I’ve been here the whole time, you know. Since it happened. Mostly watching over Ray. He’s been really fucked up by it all.” He looked sideways at her. “But I’d also visit you from time to time. Make sure you were ok. Being a ghost is lonely as fuck.” But today he could be seen and heard. Today he felt things. Clay found himself running his hand through his hair and then just leaving it in there from the sensation of touching hair again. He knew he couldn’t, he didn’t even have to test it, but he wished he could eat again. Taste some southern cooking. Cook himself something nice. He missed that. 

[shieldagentburr]

Like she was going to have a--of course. It was all making sense to her now. That's exactly what was happening. She should have figured it out earlier. Her heart was finally giving out--that's why she could see him. The combination of trauma and wanting to see a friend before she went. It all fit perfectly.

Despite her still shaky breaths and the fact she was now feeling a little nauseous, she smiled at her friend. A real one, not some professional boundary smile. It was nice seeing him again, even if it wasn't entirely real. "I have a feeling..." she said, struggling with a breath before she could finish. "That you are never going to let me live this down..."

shieldagentburr​:

She allowed herself to slump down to the floor, showing a far less put together version of herself that she never allowed people to see. Despite seeing his figure and hearing his voice, Burr still didn’t believe it was his ghost. No, it must be that she had finally snapped; she worked herself too hard and now her mental state was finding some payback. She was simply hallucinating.

Her heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and her breaths seemed short and uneven. But for a moment, she didn’t care. Clay’s death had been unfair–not to her of course, but to him for losing so much of his life to live–and although there wasn’t anything she could do to fix that, it hadn’t stopped her from missing her friend. She somehow managed to find her voice between breaths.

“Hey…” A few more seconds passed before she could speak again. “You’ve clearly seen better days.”

Clay’s smile brightened when she snarked at him, showing she was at least a little bit ok and not all the way traumatized. The smile was so classic Clay. Wide and cheerful like a cartoon character, his whole body energized like an excited puppy with no tail to wag.

“You look in a mirror lately? You look like you’re gonna have a heart attack. But please, don’t actually have a heart attack. I am not medically trained and I don’t know how long I’m going to be solid enough to help you anyway if you did. Are you ok? Breathe. Come on. In… and out… It’s ok. You’re safe.” 

[shieldagentburr]

theghostofagentweiss​:

Clay didn’t move closer to her. In fact, he slowly sat down on the floor and crossed his legs in front of him to show her he wasn’t planning to come near her. Give her the space to breathe. His expression was… sad. He didn’t mean to freak her out. He didn’t want to scare anyone. He just… wanted his friends back. 

“Sorry to scared you like this, Burrito. You’re a hell of a skeptic, I’ll give you that. Thinking the IT guy was fucking with you when I was typing to you on your computer? Man, you made some leaps that day.” He smiled fondly at her. “I think you can see me because it’s Halloween, right? Maybe this is what they mean when they say the veil is thinner. I dunno. I’m winging this whole ghost thing but… Hi.” 

She allowed herself to slump down to the floor, showing a far less put together version of herself that she never allowed people to see. Despite seeing his figure and hearing his voice, Burr still didn’t believe it was his ghost. No, it must be that she had finally snapped; she worked herself too hard and now her mental state was finding some payback. She was simply hallucinating.

Her heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and her breaths seemed short and uneven. But for a moment, she didn’t care. Clay’s death had been unfair--not to her of course, but to him for losing so much of his life to live--and although there wasn’t anything she could do to fix that, it hadn’t stopped her from missing her friend. She somehow managed to find her voice between breaths.

“Hey...” A few more seconds passed before she could speak again. “You’ve clearly seen better days.”

[shieldagentburr]

theghostofagentweiss​:

“Wait!” He was expecting her to run away but–no, nope, she was coming after him with a broom. Clay ducked suddenly but found she was trying to sweep… The ceiling? Oh man, did she think he was an elaborate hologram? “Dude, like I told you before, if you have friends that would prank you like this you need new friends. Can’t believe you still don’t believe in ghosts. You’re looking at one, bro.”

He gently stepped forward and touched her arm to get her to stop.

“It’s ok. I know this is a lot. I’m sorry. But… I miss you and I’m glad I got to talk to you again.” Clay, in a last ditch effort to apologize or convince her, he lifted up his pants leg to reveal the little bead friendship bracelet that spelled “burrito”. He had died in it and so it was permanently attached to his ghost form. “Even if it looks like you’re about to beat me with this broom.”

Burr had decided to ignore whatever this thing was as she continued sweeping for holograms. She thought she felt the figure touch her, which only further annoyed her. If it was capable of touch, that meant someone went above and beyond to create a sort of robotic version of her friend instead of just an image. She could hear it apologizing, claiming to miss her, and those ideas led her to believe there must be a camera around where the operator was watching her. She’d have their head for this.

She was about to snap back at this fictional image when she saw the bracelet. That...wasn’t possible. It wasn’t information found in any file. It was personal. A little conversation she had only kept between the two of them. The only other person who would have known about that was the real Clay.

The broom clattered to the floor as Burr stumbled backwards, one hand trying to hold onto the wall as the other went to her chest. Her breathing almost seemed to catch in her throat, struggling to find its way out as she stared at the man with wide eyes.

[shieldagentburr]

The figure looking like her friend was bad. The voice sounding like him was worse. But the sparking was the last straw. Her heels rapidly clicked against the floor as she stormed towards the "hologram", snagging a broom the janitorial staff had left in the hall.

"I don't know who set this up." She began sweeping up towards the ceiling, trying to find wherever the mechanism creating all this was. "But this will be the last time we're having Halloween decorations up unless this stops now."

shieldagentburr​:

She came to a sudden stop at the sound of her nickname. “Clay…” Her voice was barely audible.

The file in her hand snapped shut and she quickly pivoted around, her eyes narrowing at the “ghostly figure” someone had set up in the hall. “This isn’t amusing,” she said, her voice now stronger and seeming borderline angry. “Knock it off.”

“Wait! It’s me!” Clay said, stepping closer. “It’s me! It’s Clay! Please! I don’t know what’s going on. I can–… What day is it?” Was it Halloween? “What year is it?” 

The ghost in front of her began sparking and static crackled slightly in the air around Burr. 

[shieldagentburr]

She came to a sudden stop at the sound of her nickname. “Clay...” Her voice was barely audible.

The file in her hand snapped shut and she quickly pivoted around, her eyes narrowing at the “ghostly figure” someone had set up in the hall. “This isn’t amusing,” she said, her voice now stronger and seeming borderline angry. “Knock it off.”

shieldagentburr​:

Burr never minded working on Halloween. She lived in an apartment building that didn’t get many trick-or-treaters, she wasn’t the party going type, and she definitely wasn’t a costume wearer. She had always treated it as just another day, so staying late at SHIELD so the rest of her department could go out and enjoy themselves wasn’t that much of a sacrifice for her. The only downside was when some of the younger agents decide to pull small pranks in the building. Spooky noises, abusing holographic tech from the science divisions, baking goods that would turn people’s mouths red, leaving little “ghosts” everywhere–she had seen it all.

Which was why when she was walking back to her office and saw what appeared to be a dim figure in the hallway, she didn’t even bother to stop. “Stop loitering in the halls,” she said, her heels clicking against the floor as her eyes remained glued to the file in her hand.

Clay looked up from his hands when he heard his friend.

“Burrito?” The voice echoed after her as she kept walking but Clay didn’t move from his spot. He assumed she had been speaking to someone else but he took a moment to look around the hallway only to find it empty. Except for himself. “Can you see me?” 

[shieldagentburr]

Burr never minded working on Halloween. She lived in an apartment building that didn’t get many trick-or-treaters, she wasn’t the party going type, and she definitely wasn’t a costume wearer. She had always treated it as just another day, so staying late at SHIELD so the rest of her department could go out and enjoy themselves wasn’t that much of a sacrifice for her. The only downside was when some of the younger agents decide to pull small pranks in the building. Spooky noises, abusing holographic tech from the science divisions, baking goods that would turn people’s mouths red, leaving little “ghosts” everywhere--she had seen it all.

Which was why when she was walking back to her office and saw what appeared to be a dim figure in the hallway, she didn’t even bother to stop. “Stop loitering in the halls,” she said, her heels clicking against the floor as her eyes remained glued to the file in her hand.

Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Samhain. 

Clay didn’t remember what day it was. He’d lost track of that weeks ago. He wasn’t even sure the year anymore. All Clay knew was he felt more… solid. He couldn’t explain it. He would touch his thumb to his fingers and rub them together and he… felt. Just felt. Skin. Was that him? He never thought the sensation of touch would be this mesmerizing. He’d forgotten what it felt like completely. His breathing shook though he knew he didn’t need to breathe at all. 

Unbeknownst to him, he was partially visible, standing there in the hallway staring at his hands. Just a translucent version of how he looked the day he died. Same hair. Same outfit he was wearing when Bancroft had taken him. 

“What the fuck…” He whispered to himself, voice able to be heard but it echoed strangely in ways it shouldn’t.

[shieldagentburr]

SEND ❓+ A QUESTION AND MY MUSE HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

feel free to elaborate as much as possible !

[shieldagentburr]

theghostofagentweiss​:

“Alright, Grinch. No Fahoo fores dahoo dores with the other Whos. Nothing like karaoke night at a bar staying in your own corner, talking to no one, and deliberately having no fun. Girl, I will get those hips to shimmy. The more you talk the more of a challenge this feels like.” 

He laughed with wicked amusement. There was no way it was going to happen but let the boy dream.

“Interestingly enough, everything you just described sounds exactly like my type of fun. I’d be perfectly happy in what you seem to think is a miserable time.”

She couldn’t help but let a small smile grow as he laughed. She actually felt a little bit of her armor flake off around this kid and she figured that was worth tossing him a teeny tiny bone. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, leaning back in her chair a bit. “You get someone to sing my favorite song--without me telling you what it is--and I’ll dance to it. Once. Deal?”

[shieldagentburr]

eye-spied​:

Whether or not Burr was joking wasn’t something Akela was interested in. She also liked to play that game with her own dry humor and intimidating expression. She wasn’t one to fall into those traps. 

“Get back at you? Well, now I need the gossip. You can’t pour tea like that and not expect me to sip.” 

“I’m afraid it’s rather boring.” Burr gave her empty glass to the waiter approaching her, declining another drink offer. “Years ago, she used to get in trouble at SHIELD rather frequently. Nothing drastic. Just small pranks or comments. But we’d always butt heads over it.”

She looked over at where Chen was standing. “She’s changed a lot since then, but recently, I’ve seen that dastardly young woman creep out every now and then. And I have no doubt she wouldn’t hesitate to have the opportunity to play one last prank on one of the few remaining members of her team.”

[shieldagentburr]

eye-spied​:

Akela followed Burr’s finger and an actual smirk formed on her lips when she spotted the dress. In truth, it wasn’t so bad. Despite her mostly black and grey wardrobe at home yellow looked quite nice with her complexion. The poof of it was far too much though and she nodded back at Burr. 

“Thank you. Feeling less foolish now. Chen pick out your dress too or did she let you pick out your clothes all by yourself like a big girl?” She snarked with a wink, stealing a glance at Chen shaking hands with people at the door. 

“The day Rebecca Chen picks out my clothes is the day of my funeral,” Burr said with a completely straight face and even voice. She liked making people guess if she was joking or not. “Besides, if I had trusted her with my outfit tonight, I have no doubt she would have tried something covered in feathers or animal print to get back at me.”