thisismyweapon:

Once they got back from the mission, Jason had been looking forward to a long nap, and maybe a cold brew or two for his birthday. No crazy drinking this year and no fuss made about his getting older; he just wanted to relax and maybe convince Sammy to have tea with him, rather than coffee.

His father's death changed all of that.

Gran called him the morning after he'd gotten home a few days ago to give him the news. Jason didn't know how he should feel; on the one hand, it was his father who had passed away. On the other hand, his father had dropped him off at Gran's house one night when he was three years old and he only heard from him on the rare Christmas or birthday. Jason was ashamed to admit that, short of his grandmother's photos of their family, he couldn't really call Carter Howard's face to mind.

And now, on his birthday, he was going to hear from his father ever again. He'd have to tell Jake.

He sat at the table in his quarters with the first bottle of beer in the first twelve-pack he'd purchased for his twenty-fifth birthday. He wasn't sure he could drink all of them, but he figured he'd give it the old college try, even if he'd never been to college.
 

nextgen_shield:

Agent Gamble noticed a power surge in one satellite and then it was gone. The connection to the satellite was broken and then another satellite had a power surge. A few moments later that one went offline. One by one the SHIELD satellites went offline and the world's big spy agency was blind in the sky.

Agent Gamble jumped up and hurried over to Commander Dugan.

Ten minutes later Col. Fury ordered his special ops team in for a briefing.

nextgen_holiday:

"A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be." -- Unknown

sammyfury:

Sammy was jostled as the line shifted unexpectedly forward by people waiting for that all important afternoon jolt of caffeine. She was already in a cranky mood so the person that stumbled into her didn't get much more than a muttered 'it's fine' to their muttered 'sorry'. All she wanted was a cup of coffee before she returned to her shopping. It wasn't her favorite activity, so anything that would help her through it was appreciated, especially given the circumstances. Mom and Dad received invitations to attend parties of different political flavors, and often they went when their duties allowed and the UN needed a SHIELD presence. Sammy was taken to many of them from the time she was old enough to not call everyone a 'damn yahoo!' SHIELD first, then politics.

( Read more )

sammyfury:

At three am, traffic on the deck was sparse. It was the best time to find a quiet moment that wasn't inside four walls, and the view couldn't be topped anywhere else in the world.

For a sleepless Sammy, it was the only place to go. She had a covered mug of coffee and a mental puzzle to work out. The puzzle had only three corners and no straight edged pieces. As soon as she figured out the fourth corner, she'd know what was nagging at her brain.

thisismyweapon:

"Agent Fury, please report to Research & Development. Agent Fury, Research & Development, thank you." 

Tech runs a hand over the vibranium-weave suit and runs the calculations over in his head again. If this works, the Special Ops team will actually be able to teleport from the Helicarrier to assigned targets and back. Between that and the new kinetic shield generators he'd finished perfecting, it would be very difficult to hurt his teammates.

All he had to know now was set a test run or five.

Walker's new shield tech was was ready as well and Jason was very proud of himself. A lot of the materials provided by Stark Industries really helped.

He went about reloading the new assault/sniper-rifle as he waited for Sammy to arrive.

thisismyweapon:

Jason made sure to put on his best button-down shirt and slacks, matching them with the new black leather coat Jessica got for him. She and Hunter were doing well, and she wanted Jason to have a new coat because New York was much colder than Louisiana.

Besides, you can't take that pretty secret agent woman of yours out lookin' like you just stepped out of the lab.

Jason thought Sammy rather liked that look.

In any event, he'd found a Mediterranean coffee shop in the area that he thought Sammy might like, due to her coffee fixation (he is working on introducing tea into her life) and hopes that dinner and coffee will be a fun time for her.

He knocks on her door with flowers in hand and hopes he remembered to level up his professions in WoW today.

girlspy:

This year, Alice decided that Sammy needed something "extra special" for her birthday. Yes, while guns were always the option, there were only so many years in a row that you could get your best friend a new gun for her birthday. It was repetitive. It was boring.

And Alice was not a fan of repetitive and boring.

So, at around ten o'clock, when she was working in her office, Sammy would receive a very special present.

A Happy Birthday stripper-gram. The guy was conveniently dressed as an average, everyday S.H.I.E.L.D agent so Sammy wouldn't suspect that something was up until after they were behind closed doors.

Alice didn't want the surprise to be ruined, after all.

nextgen_holiday:

The beginning of a New Year, a time for new hopes, new experiences to come. A time to reflect on times past, remembering fond memories happily and trying to put less pleasant thoughts and experiences in the past.

It is a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. And for much of the world, it is a time of celebration. This is no less true for the super hero set as anyone else. If anything, they just have that much bigger of things to look forward to.

nextgen_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
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+

Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_holiday:

Christmas. Yule. Saturnalia. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. Many cultures have celebrated and still celebrate a winter festival. There have been many names for it over the millennia. No matter the name it is a time to come together and celebrate with feasts and gifts with friends and loved ones.

Each culture has a legendary figure who would deliver gifts to children during this time. In Russia and some Slavic cultures he is known as Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, and comes not on Christmas but on New Year’s along with his granddaughter Snegurochka, or ‘”Snow Maiden”. In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe he is known as Father Christmas. In the Netherlands and Belgium he is known as Saint Nicholas or “Sinterklaas” and in France he is known as Père Noël. In the United States we know him as Santa Claus.

No matter the name or who is delivering gifts, it is the season of peace, joy and togetherness. It is the season for thinking about loved ones, friends and those less fortunate. It is a time to witness the goodness and generosity the human race is capable of. It is a time for peace on Earth and goodwill toward man.

nextgen_holiday:

“We’re here outside the Four Seasons Hotel in New York where the who’s who is gathered tonight. Celebrities, royals and superheroes have all turned out for the annual Maria Stark Foundation Winter Charity event benefiting Toys for Tots.

It’s truly an all-star gala here tonight.

New York’s own princess, Anya Stark, was seen being escorted by what appears to be her new flame, actor Austin Cain. Her brother and currently second in line to the Russian throne, Mikhail Romanov, was seen entering the party with Lyta Worthington, heiress to Worthington Industries. Tony and Natasha Stark, parents of a new baby, are making their first public appearance since the birth of their son.

Mackenzie Rider, a prince of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is escorting Ms. Andrea Denker of the Fantastic Four tonight. Kristoff Vernard, leader of the Fantastic Four, was seen in attendance with his wife Cassandra and their son Scotty. Vincent Amorason, heir to Latveria, arrived alongside his brother and was seen escorting a member of the Defenders, Asleif Thorsdottir. The rest of the Fantastic Four are here too with their dates, though Miss Valeria Richards is not in attendance. Franklin Richards is in attendance and is escorting one Miss Gill.

Los Angeles’ own superhero team, the Defenders are in attendance as well. Arriving with her team is Grace Danvers, daughter of Hollywood hunk Simon Williams and she is being escorted by teammate, Eiltin. The two Asgardian princesses and daughters of Thor, Asleif and Aridis, are also attending the festivities with their team.
Akilah Munore, the crown princess of Wakanda, is here tonight with her steady flame, Daniel Sherwood a member of the Young Avengers. The other Young Avengers are in attendance tonight with their dates, alongside the adult Avengers.

Donald Trump arrived with his wife and is one of many other famous faces to arrive. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Jack Nicholson, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift are just a few celebrities who have made an appearance here tonight.

It’s truly a party of the who’s who and it’s all for a great cause.”

thisismyweapon:

Since his visit to Bon Temps a few months ago, Tech has done his best to keep busy and prove his worth to the higher-ups for keeping him on payroll. He awakens each morning, showers, has breakfast, and goes to training with Sammy. He spends a couple of hours getting his ass kicked (though he's been able to lay a hand on her a couple of times, a point of pride for him), then goes back to his room for another shower and a little rest before reporting to his lab.

( Read more... )

nextgen_holiday:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." JFK

In America today is a day for being thankful for the things in people's lives. Today was a day to celebrate family, friends, prosperity and health with food, family and friends. It is a time to reflect on what is important us and to recognize the gratitude we hold for having those things in our lives.

sammyfury:

Licking wounds and feeling good about ass kicking on a mission was one thing. The team needed something else besides combat to draw them in together. Sammy's calendar provided an excuse to cut loose a little.

Meet at the Slaughtered Lamb to celebrate Walker's and Tech's birthdays before the month is over. Food and drinks on me. ALL the drinks. C'mon guys, we need the downtime off the boat.

Sam

PS - ALL THE DRINKS

PPS - Yes, I'll bail us out if we get into trouble.

nextgen_parent:

Commander Fontaine, Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., made the rounds when the special ops team came back in. After their last disastrous outing, she wanted to make sure they were still in one cohesive piece. The reports had been favorable.

She hadn't met the newest member yet, though she knew the contents of his file. She'd been the one to have it sent to Sammy for consideration. Her little gun nut, and Walker and Dugan, could always use someone with the ability to build a better gun.

Sammy's report had been terse but informative. The others' a little more informative. Landon was next on her list.

ng_independent:

The Empress was NOT happy. So far all of her plans have failed. The plan to grab female champions from Earth failed. The plan to grab guys and turn them into girls to use as her champions failed. The Empress had to come up with another plan. She had thought long and hard on it and eventually came up with something.

"Set A corSE to EARth!" she commanded. She would not be stopped this time. The plan was fail proof.

The Empress selected candidates as the ship made its way toward Earth. By the time they arrived, she had a list. One by one the names on the list were collected and put in the proper chambers.

When they wake up they will see a recording of the Empress addressing them.

"Greetings! Welcome to the service of...ME. Each of you will be expected to do your duty and proCREATE with the feMALE in the ROOM with you."

sammyfury:

A file was delivered to Sammy and included handwritten instructions from the head office. She read it over the day's unnumbered cup of coffee, then put out call for a meeting with the remaining team members. Each was requested to be ready to leave immediately. Tech, the newest member, was also included in the meeting call. Whether or not he would be useful on this particular mission was to be seen. He could end up staying on the helicarrier. The rest would go.

Hydra had been a very naughty villain group and they were going to get a closer look.

sammyfury:

While it was hard not to dwell on exactly why she was looking for a new team member, Sammy wasn't about to push it off onto anybody else. The selection would be hers. She took a long look at the team left and considered what advantage they could use the next time a mission blew up in their faces. Then she reviewed available personnel files of agents and conditional agents with the skills or abilities that fell into her particular expectations, and requested that Jason Landon's handler bring him to the directorate for a meeting.

She arrived early. When Jason arrived he would see a pale faced woman with an inhumanly large mug of coffee in front of her, tapping on a PDA. Her sidearm was non-standard issue. A large bulging manila envelope sat in the middle of the conference table.