"Coulson," Skye repeated, her knuckles white as she pressed her fists into the surface of the Holocom. "Coulson, do you copy?"
The comm room remained silent as they once again failed to make contact. "Damn it," Skye groaned, slamming her palm down on the table before beginning to pace in front of him. "That's a half hour now and still nothing."
Fitz tried to stay calm, not wanting Skye to become any more agitated. "There's probably something in there, um…blocking our feed," he reasoned. "Some kind of transceiver interference, most likely. There's loads of tech in there 'cause of the event. Hardly anything to worry about."
Skye shook her head. "I just have a bad feeling about this, Fitz," she murmured, continuing to circle throughout the room so fast Fitz considered it a miracle she hadn't taken her shoes off yet.
"Hey, it's just an info op," he said gently. "And everyone in there knows what they're doing. They'll be fine."
Skye didn't respond, which was probably the best idea, since Fitz was having a hard time believing the words himself. The longer he waited to hear from Jemma (or any of the team, for that matter), the more convinced he became that something was terribly wrong.
Skye faced the Holocom once more. "Coulson," she called out. "Coulson, do you copy?"
There were a few seconds of silence, and then the brief crackle of static resounded throughout the room. "Yes, Skye," Coulson's voice came in, and Skye nearly collapsed from relief. "I heard you the first fifteen thousand times. I told you I've been in meetings and that I wouldn't be able to talk. What's wrong?"
"If you heard me, then did you notice that we haven't heard from anyone since Hunter and Simmons went in? They're dark in that ballroom, sir."
"What?" Coulson asked, but the sound was coming in and out. "Is something messing with-"
His voice went out completely just then, and Skye looked up at Fitz with wide eyes. "That's not normal interference, is it?" she whispered.
Fitz felt like the air had disappeared from the room, which was an interesting assessment for him but strangely appropriate considering the tight bowtie around his neck. He didn't want to admit it, didn't want to think about the implications, but he had to face the truth. Because he now knew that something was very, very wrong.
"Someone knows we're here."