Chapter One: Filling the Gap
Phil Coulson sat back from his desk and rubbed his tired eyes. His head ached, the tension radiating down his neck and across his shoulders. He felt the slight pressure in his ears as "The Bus" adjusted altitude and the aircrafts systems kicked in to compensate and equalise the pressure in the cabin again. He should really try and get some rest but he knew that any sleep he got would be far from peaceful. Images flashed over and over again in his mind on some sort of demonic loop that was beginning to test his sanity. He was exhausted all the time but kept it hidden from his team as best he could. They needed his stoic, steady, confident presence now more than ever, particularly after what had happened with Ward. He couldn't afford to let them see that he was starting to fray at the edges. Only May had an idea of his problems but even she didn't know the full extent.
Speaking of Ward. He glanced at the file on his desk before a knock at his door drew his attention. He knew that knock,
"Come in May"
May entered and stood in front of his desk, arms folded across her chest,
"Why aren't you in bed?" she asked sternly. He raised an eyebrow at her,
"Why aren't you?" he said, giving her a gentle smile,
"Someone's got to fly the plane"
"The plane fly's itself"
May sighed and braced her hands on his desk, leaning over him,
"Phil, we've been over this, you have got to get some rest!" she said, exasperation seeping through her normally stoic façade,
"If you keep going like this, you'll crack and I don't know if I've got enough glue to put you back together again"
"How about all the King's horses and all the King's men?"
May glared at him,
"Coulson" she warned,
Coulson had one of the best poker faces that May had ever encountered and the gentle smile never wavered as he leant forward, placing one of his hands on hers.
"Thank you for your concern. I appreciate it…but I'm alright May…really"
She glared at him for a moment more then dropped her eyes to the file on his desk. She glanced back up at him and he nodded as he sat back. May spun the file to face her, skimming over the contents then studying the photograph.
"Ward's replacement?" she asked,
"Not really, I was looking for a new member to add to the team, he" he said gesturing to the file, "just happens to be filling a convenient gap. Another Specialist"
"And a good one if his record is anything to go by, Black Ops too…you trust him?"
Coulson ran a hand over his face,
"I don't know…I've not come across him before…you?"
"No…he looks good on paper, but then so did-" she hesitated,
"Ward" Coulson finished, closing his eyes, "We'll meet him, bring him on board and he can go through probation. We'll decided what to do with him on a more permanent basis after that…if we have suspicions, we'll get rid of him"
"Sounds like a good plan" May said, closing the file and making her way around the desk.
"Plan, yes…good one? I'm not so sure" said Coulson, rubbing his eyes. He jumped, eyes snapping open as May took his arm and practically pulled him to his feet,
"Well we'll just have to wait and see won't we? And now Director, I'm putting you to bed"
The Bus touched down on the edge of The Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. The moon cast a watery silver light over the trees as Coulson, Skye, May and Trip made their way down the loading ramp. Coulson examined the GPS tracker in his hand then looked towards the trees.
"We've got about a kilometre walk until we reach the RV point" he said, clipping the device back on his belt. Skye followed the direction of his gaze,
"This is literally the middle of nowhere…and its cold" she said, rubbing her hands together,
"It's the middle of the night in October, in Scotland, of course its cold" said Coulson, beginning to walk toward the tree line, his breath misting in front of him, Trip and May flanking him as Skye stepped up to his side again. Once in the trees all natural light disappeared, their torch beams cutting harsh swathes through the silent gloom. Fallen leaves, pine needles and twigs crunched under their feet as they may their way between the tree trunks. Skye looked around,
"This is a strange choice of location for a pick up, don't you think?"
"Some Specialists are extra cautious with their locations…if they have family or are working a cover then they don't want anything around that could give that information away" said May from the gloom,
"Plus" said Coulson, "After the discovery of Hyrda in our ranks, I don't blame him for being cautious…to be honest this location is a clue to how he operates"
Skye looked at him,
"How?"
"Think about it" Trip he said, as Coulson pulled a low hanging branch out of the way and gestured for her to step in front of him,
"If we were setting a trap for him, or he was for us, he could kill us out here and no one would find the bodies for months…or ever for that fact. It's a location that doesn't require a clean-up crew"
The GPS on Coulson's belt beeped,
"We're here"
The groups positioned themselves in a circle, torch beams sweeping back and forth, hands hovering close to their sidearms.
"I got nothing" said Trip, "Anyone else?"
"Negative" said Coulson, "Fitz, you on Comms?"
"Here Sir" came the voice in his ear,
"Have you got anything on Thermal?"
Back at The Bus, Fitz scanned the thermal feed from the Dwarf drone above them,
"No Sir, only the four of you. No other signatures."
"Maybe he's late?" said Trip,
"Or lost?...maybe our coordinates are wrong?" said Skye, dropping her torch beam to the ground,
"Or this is a setup" said May behind her, drawing her ICER.
"Director Coulson?"
Skye squeaked in fright and stepped back as Coulson, May and Trip spun. May and Trip trained their weapons on the voice whilst Coulson's hand hovered just over the holster. Skye pointed her torch towards the newcomer. He was standing in the shadows of a tree, shadows that she could have sworn were empty a moment a go.
The man dressed in green, grey and black combats raised his gloved hands to show that they were empty, his eyes narrowed against the bright light. He was tall and athletic, well built with a solid frame. He carried a side arm on his belt with a slim cylinder in a holder strapped to his right thigh, a knife on his left. Over his shoulders Skye could make out the hilt of two swords strapped to his back. His hair was steel grey, touched with silver at the temples but the hard, strong features of his face were much younger than his hair colour would suggest and his eyes were the brightest shade of emerald she had ever seen.
"Sir, there's a fifth signature now on the thermal…it just…popped up! I don't-"
"Yes, thank you Fitz we've got him…Agent Sloan I presume?"
The man smiled,
"Conall Sloan, at your service, Director"