Author's Note: thanks to everyone who read the previous chapter. Made my day checking those reader stats. As ever nothing Marvel belongs to me. Enjoy!

"Skye, you still in touch with any of your contacts?"Coulson asked.

"Only a couple. They're not so eager to chat any more. Go figure."

"See if they've heard anything about Doctor Pierce," Coulson replied. "If they're as good at digging things up as you've said, it's a possibility."

Coulson almost smiled when he glanced at his two young scientists. "FitzSimmons run every test you can think of on that fragment."

They grinned at him like a couple of school kids.

"I'm actually quivering with excitement!"Simmons gasped. She gripped Fitz' arm.

He let out a squawk. "Jemma, I'll drop it!"

The pair rushed out of the briefing room, bickering as they went.

For a moment everyone looked after them, bemused.

"What about the super dynamite?" Skye asked. "Do I ask about it?"

Coulson shook his head. "If they mention it in relation to the doctor, fair enough, encourage them to say more. But nothing is to come from you. We don't need any more information about this material getting out."

Phil listened to his people, and Fontaine, discuss what they knew. He held in a snort. His people were discussing. May and Ward were muttering between themselves. Skye was listening with wide eyes, making a remark of her own when she had something to add. Fontaine, on the other hand, was holding something back. It was a long time habit of hers.

She'd always liked to watch people figure things out on their own. And not to encourage personal growth either. "Val" loved to see that she knew more. Phil had to admit she was careful about how she indulged her habit. It had never interfered with a mission. She took too much pride in being the best to let that happen.

He pondered Fontaine showing up on the bus. Why was she here? He'd bet his hazard pay it was for more than their new mission. Fury sent her here for another reason. Phil was sure of that.

He didn't let himself worry. May could see her for what she was. Ward would soon get past the starry eyed wonder of meeting Fury's best wet works agent. Or May would beat it out of him, which ever came first. As for Skye, they were all well aware she wasn't good with secrets. Not if she thought something shouldn't be secret in the first place.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. database says the current leaders of A.I.M. are anything but stupid,"

Skye's remark drew Coulson's attention. He nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Rented thugs don't scream "intelligent" to me, A.C," Skye muttered.

Agent Fontaine smirked. "A.C?"

Coulson ignored her. Skye's comment made sense. He folded his arms. Details ran through his mind. Then it struck him as stupidly obvious. "The thugs weren't A.I.M. hires."

Everyone turned to look at him. Phil could kick himself for not considering it the moment he'd heard Fontaine's story.

"You assumed they were A.I.M.," he said to Fontaine. Though he had his doubts about that.

"But why would they outsource to capture Doctor Pierce? It was a straight forward civilian grab. There's enough cannon fodder in the A.I.M. ranks to build an army. They're expendable. No reason not to kill them once they'd handed her over, then you have those potential leaks in the lower ranks blocked. There was no reason for anyone else," Coulson was sure of it.

It was clear to everyone else in the room that Coulson was no longer speaking to any of them.

Skye turned a bit green at his new theory, his casual dismissal of human life. What did it take to think like that? Sometimes, she forgot what Coulson was.

"The people who rammed her car, where are they now?" Agent Coulson asked.

"S.H.I.E.L.D has them in custody," Fontaine replied.

"Was it verified that they were working for A.I.M.?"

Fontaine nodded. "That was their story, under polygraph."

"Can't those things be faked?" Skye said.

She received blank stares for that question.

"I get that you big, bad agents can out smart a polygraph test," Skye said. "But can these guys?"

Coulson had to admit she had a point.

"Well, think about it," Skye went on. "Whoever hired them knew they'd be polygraphed. Standard procedure for all you alphabet soup guys. If they're not A.I.M. like Coulson thinks, why not put A.I.M. in the spot light. They're a known threat. No one would be surprised that they were involved."

Coulson gestured for Skye to continue as he observed Agent Fontaine. She didn't seem surprised by Skye's theory. Coulson restrained the urge to shake her. Though it might be worth the resulting broken bones.

"Whoever they are, they don't want to draw attention to themselves yet. Because even though they want to be big they don't have the resources."

Fontaine raised her eyebrows. "Well, I can see why you keep her around! What about grim and grimmer here?"

May didn't so much as twitch at the comment. Ward's reaction wasn't as controlled.

"MX153 would certainly enhance a criminal's influence," May said calmly.

Ward frowned. "Not just a criminal's," he said. "It's stating the obvious, but a weapon like that would be a handy asset for an agency too."

Evidently, Fontaine and Director Fury had already come to that conclusion. As for why Fontaine hadn't told them the whole story in the first place, Coulson had to stop himself from reaching for his side arm.

"I take it we have a leak?"

Coulson and Fontaine eye balled each other for a long few seconds before Fontaine nodded.

"My team was a possibility?"

"Of course," Fontaine answered.

"Why send a level nine agent? Why didn't he go through me?"

"You ask but you already know." The sneer was clear in her voice.

It would seem, Coulson mused, that he'd lost Agent Fontaine's good opinion. How distressing.

"Maybe I want you to say it, Agent Fontaine," Coulson stated pleasantly.

She said nothing.

Phil surprised himself, as well as the others, when his voice rose slightly. "Why are you investigating my people?!"

Fontaine stepped closer to Agent Coulson. From the corner of his eye he could see May and Ward poised to strike.

"Listen to yourself, Agent. That is why,"Fontaine said coldly. "These people are more to you than colleges. You're all friends. Fury wasn't certain you could be trusted to do what was necessary if it came to it. So he sent me."

For a moment, Coulson felt as though he'd been slapped in the face. Logic told him that Fury was covering his bases. All possible leaks were pursued, unlikely or not. It was standard procedure. Paranoia was a way of life for them.

Still, all he could feel at the moment was hurt. One of his oldest friends suspected he wouldn't perform his sworn duties, perhaps. Nick thought he was a traitor. That he felt this way terrified him. Though he wasn't about to let this woman see that.

"And what have you decided, Agent Fontaine," he asked evenly.

Fontaine looked Coulson straight in the eye. "That most likely the leak did not originate with your team. As Fury predicted."

"Did it hurt to admit that, Agent?" Skye said, all innocence.

Phil was proud when the young women didn't flinch at the look Agent Fontaine shot her.

"I'll work from the lounge," Fontaine said before leaving the room.

Skye let out a long, low whistle. Ward scowled a little but said nothing.

"She knew FitzSimmons wouldn't be able to hide it if there was anything going on," May said.

"A.C.?" Skye said.

Coulson turned to her even though the last thing he wanted to do was talk.

"That was too easy. Why did she just take it all at face value? Sure, the science twins can't lie. That's not proof. We know what they're like. We wouldn't ask them to keep a secret. We'd make sure they knew nothing."

May arched one eyebrow. "Are you trying to prove us guilty?"

Coulson could hear the tone of amusement in his friend's voice. If he wasn't so wrung out, he'd chuckle.

Skye flushed. "No! Prison does not sound fun. But..."

"She's not finished," Ward said. "We're under the scope until the day she leaves. Fontaine doesn't have proof either way yet and we know none of us has something to do with this. We have nothing to worry about."

"Ward's right, Skye. Don't let Fontaine get inside your head."

Phil wasn't sure who he was really telling that to, himself or Skye.

He sat alone in his office, surrounded by his collection. They were the only things that had stayed the same. Phil tried to take comfort in that façade of permanency and couldn't. Everything was different. He was different. Fontaine could see it. And she wasn't the first. Fury and Hill could see it when they looked at him. Fontaine was here because of him.

The words of his unwanted guest had struck home. Could he kill, Melinda? Or Ward? Would he be able to put a bullet through Skye's forehead? And FitzSimmons? Coulson felt sick just thinking about it. He'd never be able to hurt his team.

For a long time he'd been the man who would do anything for S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson was the one no enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D. ever wanted to cross. If you were stupid enough to leave a trail, he would catch you.

Who was he now?