Janine Hadley Legal Investigator

//MCU oc. Sideblog to empatheticagent

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Agent Janine Hadley

-MCU oc!

-Legal Investigator for SHIELD, Clearance Level 8. Gathers evidence for attorneys to use in court in order to defend SHIELD agents and any powered people and non-powered Avengers (yes, you Barton). 

-She specialises in the defense of powered who are unfairly treated due to fear and bias against them. Greatly opposes the Sokovia accords and registry. 

-As a legal investigator, Janine’s job is to determine the responsibility for what happened, and help ensure the defendant’s rights to which they are entitled. As a legal investigator within SHIELD, Janine may be called in for any type of litigation where the collecting of facts is important for the group, such as cases where agents are being charged by a member of public for property damage while protecting them, or accidental injury. 

-Occasionally she will cover cases between two parties directly within SHIELD, her most well-known being the investigations against the former agent Bancroft. 

-She is trained in techniques of fact finding and of forensic procedures and human relations. As a legal investigator, she interviews witnesses and searches out evidence; whether it is testimonial, documentary, or physical. Agent Hadley’s aim is to assemble as complete a factual picture of a situation as possible. 

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Did she really want to do this? And do this through Shield? Not really. But it seemed like pretty much her only option, at this point. At least Shield had people who were familiar with what she'd been through, what she'd done, under Hydra. They wouldn't have to start from scratch. For better or for worse, she was on their radar, as much as they were hers. She might as well use that to her advantage.

Sadie knocked on the door to the agent's office. - sadiebrin

Janine of course had read all the material she could get her hands on in relation to Sadie Brin; old shield files mostly, plus a report from Fury and agent Ellis from a fairly recent mission. She was definitely curious to meet the woman herself.

"Come in," she called from her desk when she heard the knock, quickly finishing up a note she'd been writing.

@sadiebrin

[sadiebrin]

Taking a breath, she turned the knob, and stepped inside the woman’s office.

Sadie had finished up a coffee prior to the meeting, but with her metabolism she knew better than to blame it for the anxiety rippling over her. Her gaze flickered up to the investigator’s. “...Hi.” Now was not the time to clam up. Speak. “I’m-I’m Sadie.” She eyed the chair across the woman’s desk, but hovered awkwardly. Her hands felt out of place, shoulders tensed. She was all too aware of her body language, suddenly. 

What did this woman think of her? She’d likely read her files. Was she taking note of everything she said and did, as the soldier herself had a tendency to do with those around her? What result was she even looking for, with all this- She wanted to know where she stood. She’d go to jail without protest, if that was what the courts decided, and if they pardoned her, maybe that would feel like a step forward... Was there a chance they’d deny her access to seeing Rockland? She hadn’t even reunited with him yet... could the court take over in regards to him? Should she refrain from bringing him up, or be open with her questions? When had Bucky been pardoned? Had it been after he’d had the trigger words cleared? She should’ve asked him prior to this meeting. Whatever, she was here now.

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Sadie Brin. Janine somewhat regretted not asking Salvi to sit in on the meeting, if not to counsel, but to at least observe to get a good read on the woman. But even without the help of her psychologist friend, Janine knew the subtle signs of anxiety.

"I know this isn't easy," she said in what she hoped was a gentle tone. Another reason to wish her colleague was present; Janine was not as good at the whole 'gentle' thing. She preferred professional- facts, evidence, practical things.

"I'm going to be honest. It may not always be what you want to hear, but I don't mess around with false hopes. That being said," she gestured to a file on her desk. "I've read your file; I've worked with worse before. But, they aren't going to just let you walk back in like nothing happened."

@sadiebrin

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Did she really want to do this? And do this through Shield? Not really. But it seemed like pretty much her only option, at this point. At least Shield had people who were familiar with what she'd been through, what she'd done, under Hydra. They wouldn't have to start from scratch. For better or for worse, she was on their radar, as much as they were hers. She might as well use that to her advantage.

Sadie knocked on the door to the agent's office. - sadiebrin

Janine of course had read all the material she could get her hands on in relation to Sadie Brin; old shield files mostly, plus a report from Fury and agent Ellis from a fairly recent mission. She was definitely curious to meet the woman herself.

"Come in," she called from her desk when she heard the knock, quickly finishing up a note she'd been writing.

@sadiebrin

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

*brings her coffee with 10 sugars and 5 creams, alongside some pumpkin spice and chocolate syrup* Enjoy!

"Wait, does this mean I can set my coffee up how I like it instead of being brought the wrong order? Thank you!"

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Why did you want to work for Shield?

"It wasn't something I planned for. I won a few high profile cases and got approached by the standard Agents in suits."

[agentsterling]

shieldlegalinvestigator​:

Janine nodded. She’d heard similar from other agents involved in the Canada rescue too.

“The agent is ‘Harry Crawford’, from the Science and Tech end of SHIELD. Footage shows Ward’s accomplice making physical contact with Crawford before he accesses a locked cabinet, room and computer for them. Ward stole some SHIELD gear as a result,” Janine sighed. “An ICER rifle was the most notable. The other problem is that we aren’t entirely sure what they accessed on the computer. Crawford was brought down for questioning, but doesn’t recall what he accessed.”

Janine helped herself to an empty chair, sinking down into it. She couldn’t exactly rush in and out of the office anyway considering the situation and she did need the rest.

“Oh, and not entirely ‘casual’, but I know you have an interest in it- Bancroft has finally been sentenced and transferred to the Raft. He’s no longer on base here.”

Sterling let out a sigh of relief when it seemed Crawford wasn’t taken or hurt by the intruders. It always made it that much harder when one of their own was threatened or killed. Abducted agents came with their own set of problems as well. Figuring out how to get the bad guys and keep them alive was a mission that always came with heavy prices. Agent Weiss had been one such failure on Sterling’s part. 

“Covered their tracks well.” He said to himself. If they were able to keep them from figuring out what they had accessed it couldn’t have been anything good. “So Crawford doesn’t know. They take out security cameras too? Keep us from getting a clear shot of the screens they were on?” If they could reconstruct the inside of a room that was blown to pieces from the sounds that echoed in it, they could enhance a screen on  security footage enough to get a peek, right? But Janine was no amateur. She would have thought to check that. An ICER rifle though. Wasn’t the worst thing they could have taken. Non lethal at least. Who were they planning to use it on? 

Sterling was distracting himself with the file, barely noticing her finally sit. He didn’t look up again until he heard the name Bancroft. 

“Good riddance.” He said simply to the news. “Haven’t seen him since Canada. Hope he’s having a miserable time.” 

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

"Yes, he certainly takes advantage of any knowledge he learned from us over the years," Janine said bitterly. "The cameras are fine, but none have a clear enough view for my department to piece together. Not that we can access remotely anyway."

She had given the situation a lot of thought already, so Janine didn't hesitate to offer her opinions. "My thought was he was looking to use it to frame one of us for anything he does with it. Or draw less attention to what he's doing by not killing anyone."

There was a small smile at Sterling's response to the news on Bancroft. "Well he certainly wasn't smiling when he heard where he was going. I wasn't sure if I should pass the news on to Hartell or just leave him be."

[agentsterling]

shieldlegalinvestigator​:

Intelligence Analysis

@agentsterling

“Agent Sterling! I’d welcome you back over a casual chat, but unfortunately I’ve come to deliver some work for you,” Janine said as she stepped into the office.

Straight to the point, she dropped a file onto the agent’s desk. It was labelled ’Base break in’ and decorated with a High Priority stamp.

“We’re in need of some analysis. And some discretion to avoid panic…”

Rather than waiting, the Legal Investigator opened the file to a set of photos. Some were the images printed directly from the security footage, some were zoomed in on the culprits, text on the side from SHIELD’s database as it had identified faces.

One was over 90% matched to the former SHIELD agent Grant Ward; only lower as he looked a little older and more worn than the records data knew him to be. And the whole ‘should be dead’ thing.

The second, a more feminine appearing person, was unknown.

“We don’t have a name for this one,” Janine said carefully. “But… they seem to match a loose description Hartell gave from what he recalled of Canada… Even in the way they make contact with our agent.”

She put down another photo, of the figure holding onto the SHIELD tech’s wrist.

The other could wait. He wasn’t quite the same level of concern.

“You could certainly try both.” Sterling greeted her as she stepped into the room, hand already out to receive whatever she was about to hand him out of instinct. He caught the file as she tossed it onto his desk and instantly scanned the cover. His brows furrowed and he glanced up at her as he flipped it open. 

When Janine flipped to the photos Sterling instantly let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his mouth a moment as he stared down at the file. “Ward.” He whispered. Of course it was Ward. It always seemed to be Ward or Bancroft lately. Sterling flipped back a page or two to see what base this was taking place in and nodded. He wondered a moment if he would have to travel to the base, but Janine wouldn’t be coming to him if she didn’t want him personally on it. That meant a full investigation. That meant leaving his family for a while. 

“Mmm… Nope. Don’t recognize her but there were a lot of people pulling the strings behind the scenes in Elysium. People I still wish we had taken in, especially now.” But they had made a deal for Bancroft. It still pained him to think that they had. The families of the agents they had killed breaking Bancroft out needed the closure. Not that any of them got the truth behind their deaths. Spy organizations and all. It was a tough business, especially when it came to loss. 

However, he looked closer at the photo of the SHIELD tech and began flipping through the file for a name. 

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Janine nodded. She'd heard similar from other agents involved in the Canada rescue too.

"The agent is 'Harry Crawford', from the Science and Tech end of SHIELD. Footage shows Ward's accomplice making physical contact with Crawford before he accesses a locked cabinet, room and computer for them. Ward stole some SHIELD gear as a result," Janine sighed. "An ICER rifle was the most notable. The other problem is that we aren't entirely sure what they accessed on the computer. Crawford was brought down for questioning, but doesn't recall what he accessed."

Janine helped herself to an empty chair, sinking down into it. She couldn't exactly rush in and out of the office anyway considering the situation and she did need the rest.

"Oh, and not entirely 'casual', but I know you have an interest in it- Bancroft has finally been sentenced and transferred to the Raft. He's no longer on base here."

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Intelligence Analysis

@agentsterling

"Agent Sterling! I'd welcome you back over a casual chat, but unfortunately I've come to deliver some work for you," Janine said as she stepped into the office.

Straight to the point, she dropped a file onto the agent's desk. It was labelled 'Base break in' and decorated with a High Priority stamp.

"We're in need of some analysis. And some discretion to avoid panic..."

Rather than waiting, the Legal Investigator opened the file to a set of photos. Some were the images printed directly from the security footage, some were zoomed in on the culprits, text on the side from SHIELD's database as it had identified faces.

One was over 90% matched to the former SHIELD agent Grant Ward; only lower as he looked a little older and more worn than the records data knew him to be. And the whole 'should be dead' thing.

The second, a more feminine appearing person, was unknown.

"We don't have a name for this one," Janine said carefully. "But... they seem to match a loose description Hartell gave from what he recalled of Canada... Even in the way they make contact with our agent."

She put down another photo, of the figure holding onto the SHIELD tech's wrist.

The other could wait. He wasn't quite the same level of concern.

[infiniitefrequency]

shieldlegalinvestigator​:

“I didn’t say it works every time… And that is confidential, okay?

I doubt I even have enough time for that sort of thing.”

“Time is relative. My darling, you just need to carve out a proper work life balance. I always make time for one glass of wine a night, and a delicious dinner. That way I know if I choose to spend that time with someone, I’m already free.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

“You have balance? And proper dinners? See, this is why I need a damn assistant. I’m so tired of quick meals while reading paperwork at my dining table.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Do you take pro bono work outside of SHIELD?

“Look… I’m really busy as it is. But… I suppose, if they had nowhere else to turn and like… I knew they weren’t just trying to scam a free consult…”

Whether she was actually allowed or not was another matter. Probably, if it didn’t involve giving away anything about her official work.

[infiniitefrequency]

shieldlegalinvestigator​:

“I’d say that doesn’t work on me, but…

He’s not even my type, but damn it, that smile is charming.”

“Oh Janine … I knew you had a flaw.”

“He’s far too old for me anyhow. Give me a man willing to take direction.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

“I didn’t say it works every time… And that is confidential, okay?

I doubt I even have enough time for that sort of thing.”

[infiniitefrequency]

shieldlegalinvestigator​:

“Starts with a ‘H’. Oh wait. That could be one of two, but let’s be honest, it’s both.”

At least before Banner had control anyway….

“For a man with discernibly no powers, he is far too much trouble.” Ainsley shook her head, “And that smile when I have to interview him, he’s like a 10 year old who thinks he’s king of the playground.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

“I’d say that doesn’t work on me, but…

He’s not even my type, but damn it, that smile is charming.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Ainsley rapped her knuckles on the open doorframe, "Janine, please tell me the courier came and mistakenly gave you the files for the Donovan case, because if the DA's office neglected to send a courier with files for the second time this week, I am going to need you defend me in a murder trial fairly soon."

Hearing the familiar voice, Janine quickly put down her file and quickly moved to check her ‘in’ tray. She pulled out a thick envelope and looked it over before sighing and holding it out.

”Looks like it. Thank goodness, because I don’t think I have time in my schedule for a trial like that.”

[infiniitefrequency]

“Which Avenger gets in the most legal trouble?”

“Is that a trick question?”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

“Starts with a ‘H’. Oh wait. That could be one of two, but let’s be honest, it’s both.”

At least before Banner had control anyway….

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

What do you think about your coworkers in your department?

“Well I wish they’d stop asking how I like my coffee, because no matter how much I tell them, I never get the right coffee.

We’re all forever busy, so we don’t really talk a lot, just complain about how busy we are mostly. Except that one guy next door. He tries to flirt sometimes and I wish he wouldn’t.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Is there anything in particular you'd look for in an assistant?

“Legal knowledge?

That’s not even necessary actually. Someone to help file everything based on topic. Someone who can help sort out clear evidence from the vague or not really incriminating, so I’m not spending weeks reading through folders that turn out to just be general notes when I could be reading folders containing solid evidence of crimes.

Someone with commonsense. Decent reading speed. Preferably someone who can bring me the correct coffee order, unlike the guy in the office next to mine.”

[shieldlegalinvestigator]

Do you have any regrets?

“Sometimes I regret signing up for my position, but then I stop and wonder who will successfully bail out the Avengers when they get sued for property damage that’s caused by aliens they’re fighting if I’m not here doing it.

Mostly I just regret not spending more time with others within SHIELD. I tend to get very absorbed in the cases I’m working on.”