Picking the Team Part 1
I quickly flip through the blue file folder Coulson had given me earlier. As it turns out, I'm going to lead a team of Inhumans. I laugh to myself. It looks like Raina had been right all along. We could be like the Avengers, but less famous. The whole keep-the-team-a-secret-and-anonymous part pretty much sealed that fate. I guess we'd also be less cool since we aren't going to save the world from Loki, or from Ultron. But that's not what matters. It's the people we save, the people we get to help hide from society that matters. If people knew about the Inhumans, we'd be treated like outsiders and experimented on. My team is going to keep them and everyone else on the planet safe.
Before I can help anyone, I need a team. I put the folder down. I need to clear my head. I get up, deciding to talk a walk. It'll help me decide who to put on the team. As long as I get one member decided, I'll be happy.
I stand up and walk out of the room. As of right now, I only had one member on my team. Me. I don't know who else should join. I know a few people who I don't want on the team, but I don't know a single person who I want on the team. I spot Fitz looking at something on a computer through an open door. Fitz was smiling at the screen like smiley giraffe. Unless he was watching some hilarious Youtube videos, I don't why he would be smiling at his computer. Time to investigate.
"Whatcha looking at?" I ask him as I step into the room, inconspicuously trying to see what he was looking at from the doorway. Drat. I'm too far away.
"Dinner," he responds without looking up from the screen.
I walk closer to the computer, reading some of the restaurants that were displayed on the monitor as they came into my sight. "You going somewhere nice to eat?"
"Um, yeah."
"By yourself?" Fitz doesn't answer. He's hiding something.
"Fitz?" Still no answer.
If he isn't going by himself, then he has to be going with someone. It couldn't be Hunter, because he was with Bobbi. Actually, if it was a guy, I'd figure he'd tell me. So that means that is has to be a girl. May was leaving, he wasn't fond of Weaver, Bobbi was hurt, and it certainly wasn't me so that left…
I gasp and Fitz turns around. "What?" he asks.
I grin evilly. "You're going to go to dinner with Jemma, aren't you?"
He pauses for a moment. "Yes."
I squeal and try to dash out of the room. I have to spread the news. It's about time those two got together. And to think all my attempts at matching making had epically failed.
"Skye," he calls out, managing to grab my arm. "You can't tell anyone, Skye.I don't want everyone on the base to find out because you told them. Jemma and I are perfectly capable of, uh, telling them ourselves." He blushes a little, probably thinking about his date.
"Fine," I respond, pouting a little bit. "I'll just ask Jemma how it went when you guys get back."
He nods, and begins to step back as I broke out into a run.
"Guess what?" I yell out to anyone who'll listen. "Fitz is going out on a date with Jemma!" I laugh.
I hear Fitz yelling at me as I spread the word. Sorry Fitz, but I bet you know that I'm you and Jemma's number one fan. I just have to spread the news. I smile as I run through the base.
Two hours later, I finally get a chance to go on my walk. As it turns out, everyone on the base was excited to hear the news. Who knew Agent Weaver was such a gossip? At first Fitz was a bit mad, but then he got over it as everyone congratulated him. He made his way back to computer to avoid further embarrassment. That was because the rest of us were telling stories and talking about what would happen during the date. Good times.
I smile as the wind sweeps my hair off my shoulders. It's been awhile since I went out to think. To walk. Last time had been...at Afterlife. But Afterlife no longer exists. Their leader, who just happened to be my mom, was evil. She was going to kill everyone at Shield. But I wasn't brave enough to stop her. I thought I could change her mind because I was her daughter, but I was wrong. My dad saved me as Jiaying was sucking my life from me. As she was killing me. My dad saved me by completing his only promise to my mom. He saved me from her.
My dad was living a new life now. A life without the pain or regret from his old one. He's a vet now, and he doesn't remember me. I smile. Despite everything, he wasn't a bad father. Now he's getting a second chance.
I turn around, taking in the view. I can barely see the base from here. The view from here is amazing. Not as amazing as the views in Afterlife, but they're beautiful in their own way. The only difference was that I'd never cause an avalanche out here. There's too much risk. Plus, there's no way someone would be waiting to give me food when I got back. Nothing can really replace Afterlife, or the people I meet there. I guess the only one that I can still talk to is Lincoln. Part of the reason is because he's not evil, and he's also not dead. Everyone else I knew in Afterlife is dead now.
The only problem is that I haven't seen Lincoln since he saved me. He left without saying goodbye. Not that I'll admit to anyone, but it stung a little bit. It almost felt like he didn't care enough to say goodbye; that I really wasn't his good friend. I'm assuming that he went back to Cincinnati to go back to med school, but I don't know.
I make it to the top of a hill. Looking around, there's a lot of ocean. I can't see the base from where I am. I look over at the barren landscape below me, and smile. In order to start my Inhuman team, which I'm considering calling the Secret Warriors, I need someone I can trust. A friend who can help me put the team together. And Lincoln seems like a pretty good start.
A few weeks pass before I get the chance to talk to Coulson about my team. I spent the walk back to the base thinking about the best time to break the news to him. But when I came back, the base was in a panic. I ran into Fitz, who informed me that Jemma was missing. He was on his way to check the security footage. I went with him.
The footage, while showing us what really happened, made things seem bleak. We saw Jemma getting swallowed by the Kree rock thing. The door was left wide open after she got swallowed. I also noticed that Fitz skipped past the part where he asked Jemma to dinner, but that wasn't the time to tease him about it. His best friend was missing. Our friend was missing, and the only two people who knew what the rock did are dead.
We spent the next week trying to find answers. We did research and searched through through the files we recovered from Afterlife with no avail. There was a chance that a few Inhumans knew what happened to Jemma. For the time being, they were our only lead.
The only Inhuman I know is Lincoln, and he knows most of the other Inhumans. So, I deduced, that by telling Coulson that I wanted Lincoln on my team, I could also say that he could help us find Jemma. A win-win situation. There was no way Coulson could say no to that.
I walk into Coulson's office. He looks up from the papers he's reading.
"Skye," he says, waiting for me to speak. He still has his arm in a sling, but it was better to be missing an arm the than be dead. He hadn't replaced it yet. It's probably a side effect of losing a team member, and a friend. We all had to make sacrifices to find Jemma, because she's what matters most right now.
"I think I found a member for my team. Of Inhumans," I add. "I think he might be able to help us find out what happened to Jemma."
Coulson looks intrigued. "That's great," he says. "We could use some help. Who do you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking of asking Lincoln to join my team. Besides Gordon, he was one of Jiaying's favorites, do he might know about the rock, or know of someone who does."
Coulson doesn't look surprised. "Are you sure he'll be up to it?"
I consider this for about a half second before answering. "Of course he'll be up for it."
Coulson looks at me like knows something I don't. He has this weird smile on his face. "Sound's great. Once you find Lincoln, tell me what he says. If he agrees, he's going to need a bunk here at Shield, at least, until you get your team together. He'll be a great asset."
"Do you know where Lincoln is?"
"You're our hacker Skye. If anyone can find him, it's you."
The following morning, I search street camera footage, hoping to catch sight of Lincoln. After a twelve long hours of searching, I pinpoint Lincoln's location. Looks like he was avoiding the cameras. He was last seen by a hotel camera in Cincinnati.
After some well earned beauty sleep, Coulson lets me go to Cincinnati. He wanted me to take a Quinjet, but I decided that it would be easier if I drove there. It only took me twelve hours to reach Cincinnati. I found parked the car and slept in my car for a few hours. Who knew driving could be so tiring?
After I wake up, I drive around until I find the Hilton Garden Inn. Lincoln had been spotted entering that hotel. I'm guessing he was on vacation or something. I mean why else would someone be in a hotel? If you're not staying there, on a work trip, or trying to recruit someone for your superhuman team, you wouldn't. Lucky for me, I feel into the latter category. It was pretty late, and I was exhausted, so I decided to stay at the hotel for the night. I'll find Lincoln tomorrow. If I went now, he'd probably be sleeping, or I'd fall asleep talking to him.
The following morning,I have a lovely breakfast. Food always tastes so good. Putting the food aside, I knew it was time to come up with a plan. I made my way down to the lobby and sat down in an uncomfortable looking chair. It didn't disappoint. I thumb through the file folder one more time and begin to run through my options.
As of know I have three options. The first one is to sit here and wait for Lincoln to enter the lobby. Nah, that would take too long. There's a big possibility that Lincoln won't even show up. Option two is...not an option really. I could cause an earthquake, forcing the residents into the lobby, but that'd be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to risky. Who knows if everyone would even make it to the lobby, or if they would end up uninjured. No way...this is officially the worst option ever. I can't believe I'm even considering this. The third option seems like the best option. I could ask the receptionist for Lincoln's room. I glanced at the folder, and smile. A prop was just what I needed.
I gather my belongings, and my nerves, as I casually walk up to the lady at the counter.
"Hello," she says, looking up at me. "Are you checking in?"
"No," I respond with a slight smile. I resist the urge to say that I checked out earlier this morning. That would make this conversation seem weird. "I just have to deliver something. My friend Lincoln Campbell said he has an important meeting tomorrow, but he left his papers back in the lab," I say, waving the folder. "He said he was staying here. Could you tell me what room he's in? He doesn't have a phone, so I couldn't ask him." I gestured at the folder on more time for effect.
"Sure, darling," the lady said. "If I were him, I'd be lucky to have a friend like you. He's in room 302. Do you want me to call him for you?"
"No thanks," I respond, relieved that she went along with it. "I want to surprise him," I add, smiling after the last comment. Lincoln would be surprised if the lady called him. That would be disastrous.
"Alright, darling," She wore the same smile that lit up Coulson's face the other day when I brought up Lincoln. Weird. "Have a nice day."
"You too," I say before walking over to the nearest elevator.
As I walk away, I think I hear the receptionist say "kids," and chuckle. I glance over at her, and she's shaking her head. I can feel my cheeks heat up as I stop in front of the elevator and wait for the doors to open. It's not Lincoln and I are dating or anything. We're just friends, right? I shake my head. There was no way that I'm going to let the words of a hotel receptionist get to me. I'm the Shield agent.
After what feels like an eternity, the elevator doors slide open. I quickly step in and run through different opening sentences as the elevator lifts me to third floor. Even though I acted confident with Coulson, my doubts about Lincoln never disappeared. I don't doubt Lincoln's powers, but I'm not sure that he'll agree to come with me. The elevator doors open and I step out. I proceed to following the signs to room 302.
Well, I think to myself, it's now or never. You got this. I take a deep breath before knocking on his door. There's no going back now. Looks like I'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
A minute passes and the door remains closed. It's possible that Lincoln left.I raise my fist and knock a second time. I hold my breath, hoping that Lincoln answers this time. As I silently pray the door flies open. Lincoln pokes his head out, and I sigh a breath of relief.
"Skye?" Lincoln asks, looking both surprised and confused at the same time. "What are you doing here?"
"I have something to tell you," I respond. Lincoln's gaze finds the folder. "Do you mind if we sit," I say, gesturing to the folder, and then into his room. "This might take a while."
"Not at all," Lincoln responds. He smiles, though I know it's not because he's curious. I just can't seem to place it...
I step into the room and sit down in a leathery chair. There 's another chair across from mine. A glass coffee table rests in between the chairs. As business-like as we can get in this hotel, I reckon.
"You know, I was beginning to think that the receptionist gave me the wrong room number just to spite me," I say as Lincoln sits down.
Lincoln laughs and I smile. It feels good to hear someone else laugh, especially if their laugh sounds as adorable as Lincoln's. Its been awhile since I've heard anyone laugh
"I'm surprised you even got my room number," Lincoln said. "And that you found out where I'm staying." He looks over at me before adding "Maybe I'm not that surprised. What's the favor?"
"I'm not sure I would call it a favor," I begin. Lincoln raises an eyebrow. "After the whole incident with Gordon and Jiaying, Shield has been looking for a way to protect the Inhumans. As you know, they've all scattered. We needed to find a way to keep them safe. The only thing we know is that Inhumans need to be kept a secret." I pause. A pang of sadness hits me as I think of the two people who I trusted. My mom...well, she was my mom. Gordon was my friend. And they turned out to be some of the most evil people I've meet, excluding Ward and all of Hydra. I look over at Lincoln, who looks sad and sympathetic at the same time.
I take a deep breath and try to compose myself. "Anyway," I continue. "We came up a solution of sorts. Coulson choose me to lead a team of Inhumans. A team that would protect other Inhumans and humans. Help those in need. Our team would be anonymous, so nobody would know who we are under the suits "
I pause. "Why are you telling me?" Lincoln asks with a sort of hopeful tone of voice.
I take a deep breath and go for it. "I wanted to know if you'd join the team," I say, waiting for his response.
Lincoln looks like he's having an internal battle; he's not sure what to do. After a few long minutes of silence, he gives me his verdict. "I don't think so," he responds. He looks like he's about to beat himself up for giving that response. Like he knows he screwed up.
"Why not," I ask, sadness leaking into my voice.
Lincoln bites his lip, as if he's forcing himself to lie. "I don't think I'm cut for it," he says, his voice cracking a bit.
"Of course you are," I say, astounded. "Lincoln, you're amazing. With your powers, we can help everyone who needs us. Isn't that what you want?"
This is part one! Hope you like it. I actually edited this one. I'll post part two next week. And after that, I'll post a longer version of an old fic I did. Please review. Suggestions, prompts, or Briticism of my writing is always welcome! Thanks for reading
~DPR