Tahiti or Bust
Chapter 4: Flight Level
A/N: Happy New Year! Ok! Holidays are done, break over! Back into the fray.
"Grant! Come out, Come out wherever you are! You pussy! Where are you?!" Grant's older brother was on the warpath, again. The bush he was ducked under was hiding him for now, but he knew he'd be found out soon.
"Who are you?" a small, whisper voice came from behind him. Grant whipped around, terrified, to see a little girl with long brown hair and green eyes tucked into the bush behind him. She was quiet, how did he not notice her?
"Shh!" he hushed her. "Get out of here!" She didn't. She looked around for the source of the shouting.
"Are you Grant?" He nodded.
"Follow me. My auntie's house is over here. You can hide there."
Lucy's phone vibrated on the bed next to her. She pulled herself off of the comfortable pillow and groaned at the motion. He'd been in her dreams again. Even as a kid, there was something about him that just…. No. She couldn't think about him that way. Not now.
Lucy looked at the alarm. Just after 2 in the morning. She really hated to do this, but the likelihood that she'd be able to leave this "Bus" within the week without it was unlikely.
She quietly grabbed the small, black bag out of her duffel and peaked out of her room. No one was about. She slipped out of her door and tip toed around the room.
She looked around her, trying to figure out which would be the best place to start. Over there, by the chair in the corner. From the little bag she pulled out a tiny, button-sized microphone. Expertly hiding it, she moved onto another spot. Over in the small conference area. Under the table would work for this one. And maybe a button camera in the corner? Good.
Lucy kept this up, creeping around, placing bugs and camera around the plane. a bug under Coulson's desk and one under the table in the interrogation…interview room. She crept downstairs to stick a bug in the lab, a camera on the stairs and a mic in the SUV.
The little devices were quite lovely, actually. New off the line from Stark Industries. The listening and watching devices were designed with camouflage capabilities. Immediately blending in with the color and texture of the area they were attached to. Completely undetectable unless you put them there yourself. Unnoticeable by standard bug-finding equipment and, Lucy's favorite part, they stopped working within a few days. The power gone, they would eventually fall to the floor and get mistaken for refuse.
Smiling a little as she worked, Lucy bent over the driver's side door to find a good place to hide a bug in Coulson's roadster.
"Uh, uh, uh. Not Lola." Lucy startled and spun around so fast she dropped the mic, watching as it rolled across the floor to stop right at Agent Coulson's feet. Shit.
"Agent Coulson! What are you doing up at this hour?" A smirk was firmly in place on the older agent's face. She was totally caught in the act. Red handed. Canary feathers in her whiskers.
"I got up to drink a glass of water. What are you doing up at this hour?" Coulson reached down and picked up the small microphone. "This is a new model. Stark?"
"Yes, sir." Lucy put on her best sheepish look. Hiding her aggravation at being caught.
"Spying on spies is a tricky business, Agent Watson." Coulson handed her the small mic, much to her surprise.
"I apologize if I offend, Agent Coulson, but with the nature of my job and the opposition I'm sure to find from certain members of your team…"
"I understand, Watson." Coulson cut her off with a wave of his hand. She looked at him now, he looked tired. As if he hadn't slept well in days. She made a mental note. "Just don't let the others know you're doing it. And don't bug Lola." He nodded to the pretty red car behind her, and started for the stairs.
"As you wish," Lucy smiled. How refreshing to be understood in her line of work.
"If I may sir," Lucy took a leap of faith as she addressed him again. "I have an herbal supplement that helps me sleep soundly." She felt a jolt of accomplishment when he stopped. "It helps my nightmares stay away too. If you're interested." Coulson turned to her from his place on the bottom step.
"Thank you, Watson. I think I'll be fine." He continued up the stairs. "But I'll let you know."
"Grant? He… he showed up again." Lucy's voice sounded panicked over the phone. He could tell she'd been crying.
"He did what!?" Grant was instantly mad. This was the last straw. "Didn't the restraining order go through?"
"Yeah, he said he didn't care, that the cops wouldn't be able to find him." She sniffed and it sounded like she was pacing. "I called them before you. They said they'd contact me when they got him. I just… needed to hear your voice."
"I'm coming down." Grant was already throwing some clothes into a duffel bag. He knew he should've stayed in Cambridge after the last time.
"Oh no, you don't need to do that…"
"Don't bother, Lu. I'm getting in my car now."
Grant Ward groaned as he was awakened by a knock at the door.
"Ward! Wake up. Coulson called a meeting."
In his half-asleep haze he honestly couldn't tell if that was May or Coulson yelling at him. He looked at the clock on the small shelf next to his bed. 6:00am. He let out a breath and forced himself out of bed. Despite his discipline all throughout training and his service, he never became a morning person. By sheer force of will did he drag himself out of bed every morning, ignoring his body's cries to remain in his comfortable, warm bed. Just because he did it, did not mean that he liked it.
Glancing at the itinerary, he pulled on a simple grey t-shirt and jeans. He would not need to look too professional today, the tie stayed on the hook. He tied his shoes and opened the door to his bunk, right at the same time that the last person he wanted to see opened hers.
"Good morning Agent Ward," Lucy said, her greeting lacking all emotion. He wasn't convinced that she actually thought it was a good morning. She never was a morning person either. Something he once enjoyed having in common with her. Both of them enjoyed staying in bed on weekend mornings, making plans to not make plans and just stay in bed all day….
That. That was a memory that he did not need this early in the morning. Coffee. He needed coffee.
Grant looked at Lucy… Watson. She was Agent Watson. He acknowledged her with a slight nod and headed for the coffee maker.
"Okay team," Agent Coulson's voice permeated through the fog of drowsiness that hung in the air. The younger agents all turning their attention to him as he stood in the doorway to the briefing cubicle.
"We have an assignment." Without any other explanation, Ward led the way, Skye and Fitz/Simmons followed. Lucy followed quietly after them, hoping they wouldn't notice and she could observe. She leaned in the doorway as Coulson began a rundown.
"We have a case of unusual disturbances in Colorado. Twenty miles Southwest of Buena Vista is a small ghost town called St. Elmo."
"Is it on fire?" Skye quipped as photos of Wild West type buildings appeared on the screen. Coulson ignored her.
"Residents have reported several cases of things going missing around the town. Which wouldn't be suspicious aside from the fact that the things are quite large." Two pictures appeared on the screen.
"This is the town's jail, it has gone missing. And here is the Mary Murphy Mine, originally one of the more successful silver and gold mines in the area. It disappeared two days ago."
"How does a whole mine just, disappear?" Ward asked. "What kind of person or device could do such a thing?"
"Maybe something just made it invisible?" Jenna Simmons spoke up. "Although, if it were just invisible, then it would still be able to be felt."
"Well we're going to find out. We'll be landing in Los Angeles in about 3 hours to fuel up and then head to Colorado from there. Fitz, Simmons, I want you two to try and figure out what could make entire landmarks disappear. Skye, I want you to search and see if any similar occurrences have happened recently."
"Got it!" all three chimed at once, then headed out of the area, presumably to complete their tasks.
"Ward," We'll need some identification. Something in the geological range."
"Yes sir." Ward went off to his task. And then there were two. Coulson looked at Lucy. Lucy looked at Coulson. She smiled at him.
"Well, this is exciting isn't it?"
"If you want to observe, I suggest you do so as inconspicuously as possible. Please do not distract my agents."
"Of course, Agent Coulson. I'm very good at what I do."
Hope everyone had a great holiday!
Thanks again for reading!
