Brad didn't flinch at the word, but only on account of her being a woman. Soldier. If it had been some army fuck trying to talk him down, he might have bristled and snapped back, blue eyes bright and intense as he stared them down. But no, because it was a woman, his drawl was patient rather than snappy.
"Marine, ma'am. U.S. Reconnaissance Marine." She had asked a specific question, though, and so he continued smoothly, the words clearly practiced. "Trained for deep reconnaissance, specifically geared towards stealth. Sneaking behind enemy lines, remaining undetected. Covert missions. Sabotage, rescue, intel. "
His tone was more matter-of-fact than that of a braggart. Given that she had simply lumped him in as a soldier, Brad suspected she didn't particularly care what he was specifically. Practical. He could work with that.
"All of which I've been briefed is what you need."
Being in the dark about things might have been the status quo sometimes, but that didn't mean he liked it.
Ah, right. Marine. She was surprised he'd corrected her so... politely. Most marines she knew would go from zero to fuck you the second they were referred to as what they thought of as 'lesser' than they were. He sounded calm, though. Even with the extra emphasis on the ma'am. Listing off his strong points, she nodded, glad that the powers watching over them had actually picked someone suited to this instead of giving her some wet behind the ears greenie. That he didn't fly off the handle and try to prove himself to her spoke more than most of his resume. He was confident in what he could do, stating it like a fact instead of trying to roll out a list of things to make himself seem like the top dog.
She liked that. "Good. Then you'll actually come in handy here. We've got a stealth inbound, two targets; one living, one not. Target one is a flashdrive with intel that needs to not be spread beyond the damage its already done. Target two is the carrier. Only one needs to be brought in."
He raised an eyebrow, faintly surprised that she had decided to divulge what he had asked for so readily. He had expected some flippant answer on how the info was above his paygrade, or maybe something along the lines of how he was only there to provide support and therefore it didn't matter. As a result, the surprise showed on his face, and for a few seconds he looked quizzical more than anything as he studied her. Then he nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." No extra emphasis on the ma'am this time. He shifted so that he was more comfortably crouched -- he could feel pins and needles beginning to creep in already. "We bring in the carrier. Got it." There was a dry quality to his voice, and he cracked a faint smile.
"If I thought you were even a little bit serious, I'd take you out now just to save you from further embarrassment." The corner of her mouth lifted as she looked over at him before she settled back in her crouch. She took turns flexing and focusing on each muscle group in her body -- like relaxation meditation, only for the purpose of keeping things from falling asleep. She watched him shift, knowing it was likely for the same effect.
Natasha ran on the basis of 'need to know'. She'd hold mission specifics from people she thought might compromise them, but if she felt it would garner full participation, she'd share what was needed. Keeping him in the dark would just breed disdain on his end and there was no way she was having backup she couldn't trust to watch her back. So she'd rather have him a little in the know and happy than ignorant and spiteful.
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no subject
"Marine, ma'am. U.S. Reconnaissance Marine." She had asked a specific question, though, and so he continued smoothly, the words clearly practiced. "Trained for deep reconnaissance, specifically geared towards stealth. Sneaking behind enemy lines, remaining undetected. Covert missions. Sabotage, rescue, intel. "
His tone was more matter-of-fact than that of a braggart. Given that she had simply lumped him in as a soldier, Brad suspected she didn't particularly care what he was specifically. Practical. He could work with that.
"All of which I've been briefed is what you need."
Being in the dark about things might have been the status quo sometimes, but that didn't mean he liked it.
no subject
She liked that. "Good. Then you'll actually come in handy here. We've got a stealth inbound, two targets; one living, one not. Target one is a flashdrive with intel that needs to not be spread beyond the damage its already done. Target two is the carrier. Only one needs to be brought in."
no subject
"Yes, ma'am." No extra emphasis on the ma'am this time. He shifted so that he was more comfortably crouched -- he could feel pins and needles beginning to creep in already. "We bring in the carrier. Got it." There was a dry quality to his voice, and he cracked a faint smile.
no subject
Natasha ran on the basis of 'need to know'. She'd hold mission specifics from people she thought might compromise them, but if she felt it would garner full participation, she'd share what was needed. Keeping him in the dark would just breed disdain on his end and there was no way she was having backup she couldn't trust to watch her back. So she'd rather have him a little in the know and happy than ignorant and spiteful.