It was a simple mission: extract data on Hydra operations from a small, poorly defended base in the middle of Siberia. There were minimal risks, as there were only two or three soldiers staffing the base. May was able to sneak in and ICE them before they even had a clue anyone was there. As Mack and Bobbi dragged them out to the Quinjet, Coulson and Summers stood by while Daisy retrieved the intel off of their outdated computer system. It seemed so easy, over in minutes. Until a red warning light started flashing and a timer started counting down on the computer screen.

"What's happening?" Coulson asked worriedly.

"It's a safety backup on their system," Daisy explained quickly. "Looks like if they don't enter a code every five minutes, the place arms itself to explode."

"I'm getting really tired of these traps," sighed Coulson. "Alright, we have to get out of here. We've got thirty seconds."

"Wait, there's one more piece of information we need. Without it this will have been a wasted trip."

"Daisy, we don't have time!" Coulson exclaimed.

Summers stepped up to the computer and pushed Daisy aside. "You go," she urged. "I'll get the data and meet you outside."

Coulson's heart jumped at the thought of leaving Summers behind, not wanting to walk away without the agent he'd grown to care so much about, but she pushed him and Daisy forcefully towards the door.

"Go," she commanded calmly, "I'm right behind you."

Reluctantly, he followed Daisy as she headed out to the safety of the Quinjet. As soon as they had left the building, Coulson stopped, ordering Daisy to go on without him. He couldn't bear to go any further without knowing that Summers was going to be safe. He glanced nervously down at his watch. Ten seconds. "Where is she?" he whispered anxiously to himself. With five seconds to go, he looked up from his watch to see her sprinting down the long corridor towards the exit. He was sure she was going to make it. She was so close to the door now, so close to safety...

The building exploded.

XXXXX

"No!" Coulson screamed as he watched the fire and flying debris consume Summers. The flames wrapped around her, the bits of rubble knocked her off her feet and sent her flying forward. She landed heavily just outside the remains of the building and Coulson was beside her before he could think, tugging her to safety. He knelt down and pressed two fingers desperately to her neck, relief washing through him as he felt a faint pulse. He looked up at her face to see her watching him absently.

"Summers?" he asked with a shaking voice.

He noticed her hand moving slightly, her fist relaxing and opening to reveal the flash drive that they'd used to extract the data. "I got it," she whispered hoarsely. He quickly took the drive and slipped it into his pocket.

"Thank you, Summers. But you gotta stay with me, okay? I won't have you die over this. You're gonna be okay, just stay with me."

She tried to listen to him, to focus on his voice and the words he was saying, but pain was coursing through her body and it was overwhelming her. Her vision became blurred and Coulson's voice became very distant, and slowly she was dragged down into the blackness.

Coulson watched in panic as her eyes fell shut. "Summers? Summers?! Alexa!?" He grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse, feeling a weak throbbing beneath his fingers that told him she was still alive. Looking down at her body, he knew it wouldn't be for long. Blood coated her clothes as it trickled out from multiple wounds, caused by debris that had embedded itself in her chest and abdomen. There was a deep gash on her head, and her limbs were marked with burns where the flames had got to them. Coulson fumbled for his comms unit. "Fitzsimmons, I need you. Summers has been badly hurt. Hurry!" His voice broke as he finished the command, and soon tears were running down his cheeks as he watched the life slowly draining out of the woman who meant so much to him. A realisation struck him as he watched her pale face and he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Alexa, don't die. Please don't die. Don't leave me. I need you. Alexa, I... I love you."

Just as he'd said this, he was pushed out of the way by Simmons as she hurried to attend to her patient. "Oh, God," she muttered as she quickly knelt to assess the damage. She saw the shallow rise and fall of Summers' chest and knew that she was still alive, but only barely. "Fitz, I need pressure bandages," she commanded to her partner. "We need to slow the bleeding." Fitz reached into the medical bag he'd grabbed off the Quinjet and grasped the bandages, shoving them into Simmons' hands. "I'll need help to tie them," she said quickly, and he crouched beside her to assist. As they tightly wrapped the bandages around Summers' wounds, Simmons glanced up at Coulson, who was sobbing quietly next to them. "Coulson, I need you to do something," she said to get his attention, and his eyes immediately snapped up to meet hers.

"Anything," he replied shakily.

"She's barely breathing. She'll need us to manually supply her with oxygen. There's a face mask and oxygen pump in the bag." She'd barely gotten the words out before he was scrambling to grab the pump, his hands trembling slightly. He clamped it over her nose and mouth and began the regular compressions of the bag to force air into her lungs.

As Simmons tied off the last of the bandages, Fitz called over the comms, "Mack, we need the stretcher from the Quinjet." Moments later, the muscled agent appeared with the stretcher, cursing under his breath at the sight of his injured colleague and friend. He placed the stretcher down so that he and Coulson could lift Summers carefully onto it. As they carried her back to the Quinjet, Simmons taking over the operating of the oxygen mask, Coulson felt his tears continue to fall; they blurred his vision, causing him to stumble a couple times over the rough terrain. He was glad when they were safely back in the Quinjet and May piloted the craft at top speed back towards the base.

"Don't give up on me, Alexa. We're getting you the help you need," he sobbed quietly to her. "Just hold on a little longer. Please."