For the S.H.I.E.L.D. We Know and Love
Summary: Fitz travels with the real Toolbox, searching for Coulson and support of the organization. Jemma stays inside, watching the rebellion from the site. Together they listen. Together they search. Together they fight for the S.H.I.E.L.D. they know and love.
A/N: After watching the last episode I had to write this. My Fitz-Simmons feels were so intense at the last scene! I loved it! This is the result of those feelings. It's mostly Fitz and Simmons, but others are mentioned briefly. I hope you like it! Please leave me a review!
Fitz walked swiftly to the car, trying not to look too suspicious. Once he reached it he slid into his seat, closed the door behind him, and brought the backpack to his lap. He opened it up and pulled out the small black cube, a faint smile on his lips. Relief washed through him.
Thank you Jemma, he thought.
There was something else in the bag too, something he hadn't packed. One was a piece of cardboard with Jemma's handwriting. It was a note, and it ended with "Be safe."
I'll try, he thought.
The other thing was a thick cylindrical package. He picked it up and found it split into halves. It was a sandwich. His favorite sandwich from the looks of it. He brought it to his nose and smiled as he smelled it. Just a hint of pesto aioli.
It was hard not to look back as he pulled out of the base that had been his home. Hard, but not impossible. He had a mission to focus on. Jemma was counting on him.
Jemma looked from the cube to Bobbi. "As I suspected, it's connected to Coulson's DNA. It changes so rapidly that I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do unless we have the DNA on hand."
"Just keep trying." Bobbi said. Then her tone became more personal. "I'm glad you're doing this. That you understand."
"What's not to understand?" She put on a tight smile. "If you're looking for the truth, I'm obligated to help. That's what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s for, isn't it?"
Bobbi smiled in relief. "Exactly." She gave her one more look before walking away, leaving Jemma alone.
She didn't know how long it would take them to realize the Toolbox she had was a fake. Hopefully they never would. As long as she acted convincingly, they had no reason to suspect anything.
It was a pretty good copy if she said so herself. They had come up with it quickly, but it would pass the basic tests if it needed to.
Her thoughts strayed to Fitz. She hoped he would be okay on his own. She knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but she still worried about him.
She was very glad he had picked up on her silent communications earlier. She had thought his anger would keep him from understanding her plan.
She shouldn't have underestimated his acting abilities.
It had been good to feel so connected with him. Almost like back at the Academy, before people had realized they were a perfect team; it had been just between the two of them.
Now she wouldn't be able to contact him at all. For all intensive purposes he was dead to her.
No one left on the base knew how intact their relationship really was.
Fitz drove for hours, putting distance between himself and the Playground. He only stopped when night had fallen around him, the roads emptied. He thought that if he had been followed, he should stop for the night.
He had no idea how the "S.H.I.E.L.D." run by Agent Gonzales worked. Was it almost exactly like the real S.H.I.E.L.D., or did it bare more resemblance to HYDRA? Coulson had seemed to think Agent Gonzalez was a good man with good standards. But how could that good a man think Coulson was dangerous?
He couldn't think about it for long. It made him too angry. In the brief moment he'd had alone with Jemma, they'd decided that he should try to find Coulson and others in support of S.H.I.E.L.D.; the one Nick Fury had left Coulson in charge of.
Now that he had traveled some distance from the Playground, he needed to figure out where to go first.
He'd been thinking for nearly twenty minutes when it hit him. The first place Coulson would go was to check on Skye. That's where Fitz had the best chance of finding him. Unfortunately he knew it was the first place Gonzales's S.H.I.E.L.D. would search for Coulson too.
It was going to be a race, but Fitz knew he needed sleep. So he bought fuel for the car and then lay down in the back, his head on the backpack. He would set off in the morning.
Jemma was startled out of her reverie by an angry exclamation nearby. She looked up just as Agent Gonzales stalked by, fuming. Bobbi was a few steps behind him, and she stopped when she saw Gonzales wave her off.
"Bobbi?" Jemma asked.
The blonde agent looked at her and walked over, trying to look like nothing had happened. "What's up?"
"Why is Agent Gonzalez so upset?"
Bobbi looked like she was going to pretend not to know for a moment, and then she sighed. "Look, I'm not really supposed to let you know," she said in a whisper, "but there was an attempt to capture Coulson."
"I'm guessing it didn't go very well?"
She had to fight back a smile. "No, not very well at all. But Gonzales is so mad because Coulson sent for us."
"And he still escaped?" Jemma said with raised eyebrows. "Nice job Coulson."
Now Bobbi fully smiled, but only for a second. Jemma saw it as a sign that maybe Bobbi wasn't as fully invested in this "true" S.H.I.E.L.D. as they believed her to be. Maybe she was still loyal to Coulson, deep down.
"Hunter's working with him." Bobbi said. "And apparently so is Mike Peterson."
"Mike!" Jemma said.
Bobbi shushed her and looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "It doesn't look good that Coulson has contacted people on the Index, Jemma. Gonzalez is really starting to see Coulson as a threat."
"Then you have to convince him that Coulson would never harm S.H.I.E.L.D. or any of its members. You know it's true!"
Bobbi hesitated. "Of course I do. Now I have to go try to calm him down."
"Good luck!" Jemma called after her.
She bent over the fake Toolbox and thought about what Bobbi had told her, wondering if Fitz knew what she had just learned.
Bobbi followed Gonzales with slow steps. He didn't know she was keeping Jemma informed of the major events that went on. He would disapprove of her sharing any information with the scientist, she was sure. But she knew that Jemma cared for Skye, and Coulson. Maybe by speaking about them in front of her, offering a little information she might not otherwise know, Jemma would speak up.
If she knew anything they didn't. Bobbi couldn't tell.
Jemma had become a decent liar in the past few months.
But she hoped that if she showed confidence in Jemma, Jemma would return the favor. No harm would come to Coulson or his team. Bobbi just wanted everyone to be safe.
Fitz set of at first light, but even then he knew he would be too late. So when he arrived at the site of the cabin a few hours later, he wasn't shocked to find no one there.
He was however shocked to find the site completely destroyed except for the cabin.
He knew in a moment that Skye had caused the destruction, and for another moment wondered what could have made her have an incident that big. Then he thought of "S.H.I.E.L.D.", and had his answer. He just hoped Skye was okay.
He knew Coulson wouldn't have lingered here for long. So he searched for any clues the true Director might have left behind, combing over the area as best he could. He didn't find much of anything, and nothing particularly useful. There were two shot glasses on a table in the cabin, which led him to believe Coulson had at least one person with him. Running names through his head, his best guess had to be Hunter. And even that he couldn't be sure of.
So with reluctance he left the site, unsure of where else to search. He had been foolish to think Coulson would leave him a clue. Coulson had left before Fitz. How could he know that Fitz was searching for him?
But the bit of hope Fitz had had evaporated. Where should he look now that he wouldn't be caught by Gonzalez's S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Coulson walked up to the cockpit. "How are we doing?"
"She's running nicely." Mike Peterson said.
"Well that's good." Hunter said from the back. "Everyone's after us and we don't know where we're going, but at least we know the plane's alright."
Coulson bit back an annoyed retort. "I think I know where our first stop is."
Hunter sat up, suddenly serious. "Really? We can stop just flying around?"
Coulson half-smiled. "Yes. Mike, can you take us to Mexico?"
"Sure thing." He said.
"Wait, are we running?" Hunter asked.
Coulson turned to face him. "No." he said. "We're going to find the only person who can help us find Skye."
"Who's that?"
"An agent named Grant Ward."
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Unfortunately I'm not." Coulson said. "Ward may be a traitor, but he's our best shot at finding Skye. I have to do that before I go back to Gonzalez."
"Are you sure?" Hunter asked.
Coulson thought for a minute. "Yes. I have to fight for S.H.I.E.L.D., but I have to find Skye first. Let's make a plan."
"You know better than anyone else here what Skye's powers entailed." Bobbi said.
"Yes, I guess so."
"Do you know how we can find her?"
Jemma's eyebrows furrowed. "I have no idea."
Bobbi took her arm and led her to an empty room, pulling out a tablet. "She's in danger."
"I'm aware of that." Jemma said.
Bobbi started a video, one that showed the attempted capture of Skye.
"So you want to help her, right?" she asked once it finished.
"Of course I do." Jemma said, her eyes still on the screen.
"So you'll tell me what you know?"
"No."
They were quiet for a second.
"Why?" Bobbi asked.
"Because you're the ones putting her in danger."
Bobbi looked at her for a minute. "I thought you understood."
"I do!" Jemma said. "And I trust you! But I don't trust Agent Gonzales with Skye's fate."
"Do you trust that man?"
Jemma was silent. "No." she said softly.
"I don't want anything to happen to her." Bobbi said quietly. "But we need to find her."
"Even if I wanted to help, I couldn't. I have no idea who that man is, or where he could have taken her."
Bobbi looked at her carefully and then nodded. "I believe you."
Jemma walked back to her station slowly after that, playing the video over in her mind and tearing new information from it. She didn't know what to do, really. She had plenty of information now, but it didn't make sense to leave when Fitz was already on the outside. She was itching to hear from him but knew she wouldn't, so she distracted herself with work.
Bobbi must really trust her to have shown her that video. It was a pity that she really couldn't do anything with it. She didn't have enough information.
All she had was questions, and hope that everything would be sorted out soon.
Maybe all the information would come in handy soon. Maybe it would help them take S.H.I.E.L.D. back. For now, gathering information was the best she could do.
May sat in her cell, staring at the wall. It had been some time since Gonzales had visited her. She hadn't had any other visitors, not that she'd expected any.
It had been a low blow to bring up her past. Any respect she'd had for Gonzales was severely lacking now, no matter how good a man Coulson thought he was. He'd tried to convince her to switch sides, and when that didn't work he brought up Bahrain. She knew he would be back soon. He would have to show her that he really did know what had happened, just so she knew he was an honest man.
But an honest man wouldn't have to bring something like that up to get someone on their side.
She couldn't wait until Coulson came back. She knew he wouldn't be long. Once he had Skye with him he'd be back to fight Gonzales.
She wouldn't make a move until he got back. But when he did?
Gonzales would regret looking into her past. He'd also regret fighting S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fitz was stuck. He hadn't thought what to do if he didn't find Coulson. So he drove in areas he thought loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents might live, carefully watching and searching for signs of support. Needless to say he found nothing. But he tried not to let himself get discouraged.
He couldn't imagine Coulson leaving Gonzales in control for long. Coulson would return to claim S.H.I.E.L.D. as his own, and everything would go back to normal. He just had to be ready to act when that time came.
Jemma was gathering information from the inside. He had to search for it from the outside. Coulson would find a way to get them all back, he was sure of it. He was probably searching for Skye now. And May would fight when Coulson told her to, but not before.
It would be alright.
S.H.I.E.L.D. would be in good hands again soon.