AN: Still working on a sequel to Out of the Shadows but hit writers block and this little idea has been nagging at me for a bit. Just my take on how I'd like to see Season 3 start off.
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Grant Ward looked with distain at the files his men had brought him, a sad short list of candidates left from Hydra's regime. Specialists, hackers, and mercenaries had been easy enough to come by. Even if they didn't believe in the vision they did believe in money and would follow whoever was willing to give it to him. What Ward desperately needed assets, scientists, to help replicate the few spoils he had managed to keep from the Fridge. His only hope of fighting Coulson and the rapidly reemerging Shield. Ward wasn't sure what all had happened after he left, just that Coulson now in charge of both Shield factions and commanded the Illiad in addition to the Playground.
Thanks to the chaos that had initially followed the fall, no one had realized that Garrett had squirreled away a few of the more choice, yet low key items they had stolen from the fortress. And now that he had taken over Hydra, become the new head, he had set up in one of Garrett's hidden bases, much like Fury's Providence, this was one fully equipped with supplies and weapons.
Ward was slowly settling into his new role as head and unlike the heads before he was young, driven, and not set in the old ways. He had vision and a plan to bring about a new age of Hydra, one where Hydra would have the power it had always wanted and the closure he craved.
And it was a mix of fear and not wanting to disappoint their new leader that had the thugs trembling before him. "Your telling me these are all the assets we have left, both volunteer and otherwise" Ward growled, his men taking steps back. "What about Cybertek? The students captured from the Academy? The Sandbox?" he demanded.
One of the men stumbled forward seeming to be the unofficial sacrificial lamb of the group "We lost many over the last year Sir…some were rescued by Shield, a few escaped, a few were killed for not cooperating. What we have left is there Sir…but none meet your particular requirements".
"Coulson has some that do" he replied easily, knowing for a fact what he wanted was out there, having seen them in action. He still viewed it as one of Garrett's biggest mistakes, allowing his anger to get the better of him and not using the practically gift wrapped scientists they had captured in Cuba.
"They why not take Coulson's?" one of his men asked the others stepping away slightly fearing their leaders retaliation. He wasn't known for taking suggestions. One could have heard a pin drop in the room, Ward sitting back and mulling over the option. He had honestly thought about it before, deciding to first see if he could find an acceptable alternative in his own ranks. After all he was still operating in the shadows, to his knowledge Shield had yet to take notice of him and his rise to power. And going after Coulson's team, especially them was nothing short of poking a hornet's nest.
The team had always been protective of their young scientists, he himself putting his life on the line for them many times. But now, with Fitz still recovering from what he had done to him that protection was at an all-time high. He'd seen it with Hunter on the jet, the mercenary never more than a few steps away from the engineer.
Then again they were a supreme advantage, if the technology he had could be mass produced and weaponized on a larger scale he could take Shield out in a matter of weeks. He could also use the pair as leverage, bait even to draw Coulson out or force him back. His decision was made.
"All right gentlemen, we're going to go collect ourselves some assets, prepare your gear and be back here within an hour".
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Fitz sat in the semi darkness of the monoliths room, or as he had come to think of it…his own personal version of hell. Staring day at night at the thing that had taken Jemma from him nearly three agonizing months ago. A small lamp sat next to his makeshift cot, Director Coulson finally having it brought in after finding Fitz in there enough times dead asleep from exhaustion. Since the horrible second he had found out she was missing, watched the footage of her screaming for help as it drug her in, he had dedicated everything he had to finding her.
Wearily he looked at his tablet, waiting for the results of the scans he'd run earlier that day. It had been Skye…Daisy who had given him the idea when she mentioned that she could feel the frequencies of the materials around her and was learning to use and manipulate them. So he though it he could find the rocks frequency he could possibly match it with the devices he had put up around the room and get her out. He hadn't dared tell anyone what he was doing, not wanting to give them false hope, not after so many failed attempts before.
The results finally appeared and he slowly set to work calibrating the devices, his desperate and tired mind only able to pray he was on the right track.
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Hunter watched sadly on the security screens as the young engineer fitted around the room, adjusting one of the many devices he had set up in there. Hunter's heart broke for the kid, the anguished cry when he'd found out his friend was missing, having to hold him down as Coulson initially had him sedated, and now after months kept silent vigil over him. He wasn't alone, Mack, May, Bobbi, and even Coulson himself taking shifts.
"How is he tonight?" Coulson asked softly making Hunter jump, he wasn't expecting anyone else up this time of night.
Scrubbing his face he gestured at the screen "I almost don't dare say it but better…I think he's about to try…something. He's been adjusting those little do dads around the room for the last few hours…even ate the dinner Skye brought him earlier before she left". Coulson gave a grim smile, he couldn't remember the last time Fitz had eaten without the threat of being forcibly removed from the room until he did so was. He watch his young agent for a few minutes, feeling a small bubble of hope start to swell in his stomach. Fitz did indeed seem to be onto something. There was purpose in his movements for the first time in weeks like he used to have in the early days on the Bus. "Perhaps I should go check and see…"
He words drown out when a massive explosion rocked the base and the alarm began blaring. "What the Bloody Hell!" Hunter yelled picking himself off of the floor just as a second explosion ripped through the base, the security camera's going out before them.
Coulson cursed "We're under attack" he growled already hearing footsteps running through base. Most of the support staff was off base, either out training or out for some much needed downtime.
"You think!" Hunter shouted back pulling his gun out and following Coulson into the hall "Get to Fitz! Get him somewhere safe!" he ordered, the mercenary not having to be told twice. Coulson breaking away from him to head towards the cargo bay where the explosions seemed to have originated from, gunfire as he got closer only confirming it. There was a large hold where the door should be, smoke from the edges of the hole and a number of back SUV's parked just inside it.
There he found Agents May, Morse, and Mack already hunkered down behind a stack of crates towards the back of the room. "It's Hydra" May hissed popping up and firing a few rounds before coming back down.
"Hydra?" he asked in horror, they had been almost silent since the battle on the Illiad "How did they know where to find us!?"
Mack and Morse were up firing shots next "We'll beat it out of someone later" Mack said wishing he had something bigger than an ICER at the moment. They exchanged fire for the next few minutes, the Hydra agents making no push forward to attempt to overtake the agents though they were clearly outnumbered.
"Why aren't they coming at us" May asked as she put in a fresh clip the realization hitting Coulson first "They're distracting us…they're after something in the base…the second explosion….! Everyone fall back, May your with me to make sure the toolbox is safe, Bobbi, Mack get to the lab they may be hunting for new tech". Everyone obeyed without a word, the four agents slipping back, only a handful of Hydra pursuing.
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Fitz looked up in horror at the sound of the second explosion, his hands shaking in stress in anticipation. "Not now" he begged looking at the monolith "Jemma…please…please let this work…please come back to me…" he begged and activated the program. He'd come too far to stop now. The devices around him flared to life, a steady stream of light coming from them and onto the rock, the hum of energy making his hair stand on end.
The door to the room was kicked open and for a brief moment he thought that someone had come stop him, the tablet slipping from his fingers as something from his nightmares loomed in the doorway. "Hello Fitz".
"Ward…" he stuttered backing away, eyes flicking between his former friend and the now vibrating rock…was it working?
"Long time no see" Ward said advancing, his men standing back at the door, guarding against interruptions. Fitz kept pulling back until he fell onto his cot grabbing wildly around him until he found a screwdriver, holding it in from of himself for all the good it would do. "What…what do you want?" he hissed as the specialist closed in slapping the tool away and grabbing his arm in a vice like grip. Ward's response making his blood run cold "I just found it".
Fitz cried out and tried to pull back, Ward easily twisting him around and placing a gun to his temple "Now where is your murderous better half?" Ward knew the kid would rather die than put her in danger and wasn't' really expecting and answer in the first place so when a small whimper came from his captive he was surprised "Gone" he said his voice cracking.
Fitz could be lying in a bid to protect her, ready to sacrifice himself again to save her. But from the tears hitting his hand he sense something was off. Why was Fitz here instead of the lab anyway? He took a good look around the room, the cot, a picture of the two of them in Peru on the makeshift nightstand, tools and tablets everywhere. Fitz had been working if not living in here. Ward looked at the rock incredulously "She's in that?!" he asked feeling another tear hit his hand. That was all the confirmation he needed, "Well your better than nothing" he said.
Fitz cried out again "No please, I need to get her out! She needs me!" trying to fight, clawing at the hands that held him, and dragging his feet futilely to try to slow Wards progress. "Someone help" he screamed getting one last look at the monolith as he was pulled from the room, seeing it starting to almost melt away "No! Please! Jemma!"
Ward decided that was enough turning to one of his guards "Shut him up please" he said, the agent pulling out a fabric gag and forcing it through the engineers protesting lips before tying it tightly. "Better" he said hearing the firefight still raging in the cargo bay. "Come on Fitz, don't make this hard…" Fitz responded by suddenly going limp in Wards arms, almost slipping free, but the specialist was too fast. "Nice try, I taught you that after those guerillas got their hands on you" Ward purred "but look around you Kid, I've got everyone else distracted, no one is going to know you're gone before its too late…"
"You sure about that Mate" a new voice shouted Hunter emerging from the darkness of the hallway they were planning on escaping down. His eyes were alight with rage Fitz had never seen as he stared down Bobbi's tormentor for the first time. "If you think you are going anywhere with him you have another thing coming".
Ward merely looked amused, adjusting Fitz in front of himself, and pressing the barrel of the gun deeper into his temple. Fitz offered a muffled screamed and fought madly against the hands that held him. Hunter narrowed his eyes, seeing the absolute terror in the young engineers eyes at being held by the man who had nearly killed him once "You let him go and go now and I promise you'll die quickly…if not…well let's just say what May did to you will look like a walk in the park".
"How's Morse?" Ward said earning a snarl from Hunter "Besides, you won't dare, not now, not while I have him…because as much as I want him I am just as content to kill him since I know how much it would hurt Coulson and the rest of the team…no one wants to see anything happen to baby brother here. After all you seem to be one lab rat down at the moment".
Hunter's hands shook with fury. Ward pressed the gun tighter "Now drop the gun". Fitz shook his head but Hunter let out a disgruntled sigh and tossed it aside keeping his hands in the air.
Ward smirked "See, that wasn't so hard".
"Your dead Mate, you know that. Coulson is going to have your head for…" Hunter was cut off as Ward suddenly turned the gun, aiming it at the mercenary. Fitz realized what was happening and threw his weigh against Ward's firing arm, causing the shot to go wide, catching Hunter in the arm rather than the chest. Hunter screamed in pain while Ward growled and shook his captive "That wasn't very nice" he scolded "He still needed to pay for Agent's Morse behavior when she was my guest". Ward advanced intent on finishing the job when Coulson and May appeared at the end of the hall.
"Ward?" Coulson questioned running forward to place himself in front of the fallen Hunter, May talking quietly into her comm do doubt summoning re enforcements "What in the hell do you think you are doing? Let him go or I swear I will end you"
"Shopping" Ward answered his men advancing forward in a show of force. "There seems to be a shortage of qualified engineers right now so I just need to borrow Fitz here for a month…five tops….if he is a good boy you might even get him back in one piece". Coulson came closer his hands visibly shaking in rage. Ward now noting the Director was sporting a sort of prosthetic. Somewhere in the depths of the Playground another explosion sounded, this time accompanied by the sound of shattering glass.
Ward wasn't fazed "You're outgunned and as I told Hunter I am either taking him or killing him…so it's your choice". Bobbi and Mack arrived as well, each one sporting larger rifles than they'd had in the cargo bay, Morse gasping at the site. Mack was faster, stalking up the hall in a few footsteps and stopping at Coulson's side. His eyes betrayed his panic seeing his tiny friend "It'll be okay Turbo" He tried to sooth "We're here".
Ward slowly began to move around them "I'll take good care of him" he said beginning to slide around them and back towards the cargo bay his men had secured.
"Ward I swear to God if you hurt him…." Coulson hissed feeling Mack tense next to him, the larger man debating if he lunged if he could get Fitz out of the way before Ward could fire.
"That will be entirely up to him, Garrett said that if he volunteered he'd hold a high rank, have a nice lab, nice life…if he resists there will be pain…you know all about that don't you Bobbi. I wonder if what I did to you will be more affective on him".
May had to hold her back and she did lunge at him with a feral cry. Ward continued his trek out "Now May, let her go, I'm sure my boys here would love to finish the job". May fixed him with a look never regretting more that she hadn't killed him when she'd had the chance. "Speaking of which" he said as he approached the corner "Guys, do me a favor…count to five…and open fire, I don't want to risk someone following us".
The Shield agents all scrambled, diving into open doors that lined the halls, May and Morse getting Hunter into the lab just as the thugs started firing indiscriminately into the hall. "We can't let him get away" Mack shouted opening fire and taking out two of the men with ease. May was next dropping another two. Coulson looked across the hall and met Bobbi's gaze with a quick nod they came up at the same time, taking out the four remaining men.
Hunter put pressure on the wound feeling the women's eyes on him "Go! Get the kid, I'll be fine!" They didn't need any more encouragement and took off running right behind Mack and Coulson.
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Fitz continued to fight but was feeling himself tire from the effort as they arrived at the cargo bay, the horrible sounds of gunfire fading away behind him. As they entered the cargo bay Ward paused in the door, looking perplexed, as none of his men were anywhere to be seen. "I told them to stay here" he growled moving towards the cars, content to leave the idiots behind for disobeying orders, letting them face the teams wrath.
"No matter I got what I came for" he said happily Fitz redoubling his efforts. "Come on Fitz, I have a nice lab full of what I'm told is the best equipment and some super fun projects just for you. Some that even Garrett himself set up".
Ward froze as they got closer to the SUV's, now seeing his men strewn on the floor like rag dolls, as if they had all been hit at once. Then he heard it a second too late, soft footfalls behind him, turning just in time to see a rather large wrench connect solidly with his head and send him crashing to the ground.
Fitz slipped from his stunned grasp, tearing the gag away and scooting back until he found wrench of his own. Eyes frantically looking for his savior but seeing no one. Ward pulled his hand away from his head, blood flowing easily from the wound and he closed in again.
"Get the Bloody Hell away from him!" a stern voice commanded causing both men to freeze from shock at the sound of it. The familiar sound of Bambino being charged up filling the silence as Jemma Simmons emerged from the shadows, weapon aimed squarely at Ward.
"Jemma…" Fitz stuttered wondering if he'd gotten his head hit in the process…or if his mind was once again hallucinating her due to the extreme stress of the whole situation. She turned and offered him a soft smile, Fitz taking in that her eyes were startlingly blue, not the soft caramel he remembered, before she took a step closer.
"I said to get away from him" she all but growled.
"Simmons?" Ward questioned he himself questioning how hard he had hit his head "You're supposed to be in the rock".
She didn't seem phased stepping closer and Ward finally taking a step back "And you should be rotting in hell but we don't always get what we want! That wonderful, brilliant, handsome man got me out." She said "And you ruined it!" Ward was now really moving back having never seen here this angry before. "Ruined what was going to be a beautiful reunion where I would kiss him senseless and he would hold me tight, tell me how much he loved me and I loved him, how he never stopped looking for me…you took him from me once and I am not going to let you go it again".
Fitz finally rose wanting so badly to run to her, touch her, make sure she was real but didn't dare get any closer to Ward than he was. Ward had said he wanted them both and there was no way he was going to play hostage so he would take her too. Ward seemed to be thinking along the same lines, reaching behind him to draw another gun and force them both into the car when a single shot rang out into the bay, the tell tell blue veins of an ICER coming from the shot right between the eyes.
The pair turned in unison to see Coulson and the others standing in the door, May lowering her ICER even her mouth open in shock. "Simmons?" Coulson asked carefully. She was looking disappointed at Ward's fallen form before turning and offering him a familiar sweet smile "Sir".
"Jemma? Is it really you" Fitz stuttered again dropping the wrench unable to make his body move. He considered it a very good sign that Coulson and the others seemed to see her too. His small voice somehow carrying through the large room breaking her away from Ward and turning to him.
"Oh Fitz" She said softly dropping Bambino and running to him, throwing her arms around him. His own arms closed on their own accord as he buried his face into her hair taking in the scent he had gone so long without. Everything felt right, but he just needed to be sure "What did you steal from me our first semester and the academy and never gave back?" he asked softly. It was something they had worked after the incident at the Hub, as a way to be sure the other wasn't an imposter or being coerced. She sucked in a shaky breath nestled into his chest "Your MIT tee shirt and no you still can't have it back". Relief nearly took his knees out and a shuttering sob escaped his chest.
"Easy Turbo, why don't you take a step back" Mack cautioned running up, no one had put their guns away but didn't have them trained on them either "How can we be sure…it's her….?" His distrust of anything alien now at an all-time high.
Fitz moved quickly putting himself in front of her, grasping her hand in his own "I know" He said confidently turning his attention to Coulson "Sir, it's her". Coulson studied the pair and finally nodded lowering his weapon before approaching them both "Are you all right?" he asked the question seeming hollow considering what had just happened.
"Where did you go?" Bobbi asked from the ground where she was none too gently securing Ward.
She started to answer the grip on his hand tightening, Fitz shaking his head "Can't it wait?" He pleaded "She needs to be looked over, Hunter needs medical, and I would kind of prefer he be locked up in the deep dark hole before he wakes up" indicating Ward and his men.
Coulson agreed remembering Ward and his men were strewn about the base "Take her, May, Mack and I will take care of the ones in here…Bobbi get Hunter. Then someone see if they can find out from one of the grunts if Ward has decided he's the new head we've been looking for. I'm going to call Sk…Daisy she'll want to know". Before they went to their tasks, they each took a moment to embrace Jemma, welcoming her back, but giving her the space she needed for now. Fitz led her away, ignoring the bullets on the ground, shattered glass, and holes in the walls. "I'm so sorry…I was all my fault…I accidentally opened the door…couldn't get you out fast enough and…" He said as soon as they were clear of the others.
She stopped and looked at him shocked "Leo, you have nothing to be sorry about. You didn't open the door, you were nowhere near the latch, I suspect the monolith did it itself".
He still didn't' believe her feeling three months' worth of tears beginning to work themselves out "You were trapped in there, I didn't know what was happening to you, and I didn't' figure it out fast…."
She silenced him by grabbing the front of his shirt and tugging his lips to her own. He let out a startled squeak before very quickly and enthusiastically returning the gesture, pulling her even tighter against him. It was only when the need for breath became too great did they pull away.
"I could hear you Fitz, I could hear you looking for me, doing everything you could….getting downright grumpy with anyone who told you to give up" She started tears of her own starting to well as the memories started to come back "…you were my hero, again" she finished softly. He leaned down and gave her a softer tenderer kiss "Speaking of heroes, thanks for stopping Ward back there…"
She smiled "Well it was only fair you saved me so I saved you right back…now let's get me to medical so I can have a proper cup of tea before I explain everything. I only want to do it once and I want you at my side". He gave her one last kiss to the temple before leading her down the hall "I've been beside you the whole damn time…and I always will be".
The End
A/N: Hope you liked it, fun little one shot trying to tide myself over til Season 3. Still working on the sequel for Out of the Shadows as well, just hit a bit of writers block with it so if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading!