Chapter 4 - I will move heaven and earth whilst staring death in the face.

May had rounded up the ducklings, or Skye Fitz and Jemma as they were actually called for an emergency meeting in the lab, as now her senses were going ten to the dozen and she was not happy.

Fitz, Jemma and Skye all went into the make shift lab and collided with Melinda May who looked as pissed as they had ever seen her, but also saw the worry painted in her eyes no matter how much she shielded them from the world. If anyone took the time to actually look or care they would see minute patches of expression and emotion flicker like pictures in a movie but all they took in were the rigid stance and the determined lines of her lips.

"When you guys have finished pissing around we need to talk…"

"May, what is the matter with-"

"Sit down, shut up and listen to what I have to say, cause I am only going say it once."

They all looked at each other, concern etched on their faces and nothing could be heard but the sounds of their beating hearts and as one they turned their heads back to look at May and await with baited breathe at what they were going to hear.

"Look I am not going to, nor do I have the time, to mess around so here goes. Phil is missing."

Fitz fell of his seat, Jemma squeaked and in her soft British accent uttered, "Oh my gosh," and Skye looked stunned and sick at the prospects of what that could mean or what May would actually tell them. "Where is AC?"

"What part of 'missing' do you not understand, if I knew where he was then he wouldn't be 'missing' would he?" May knew that had come out harsher then it had intended to but she didn't have time for what she deemed stupid questions.

"Now I don't know how long he has been gone, but I don't believe he's where this note claims him to be, for one, I have been there and spoke to them. They told me the truth…"

That loosely translated into 'I had a physical altercation and literally twisted his arm to ensure he was telling the truth.'

"Also a flower was left by my bed, but more importantly, I hate that flower, Phil knows that I hate that flower. I hit him with a bunch many years ago…"

At this they all shared a look and snigger but that look disappeared within seconds as the gravity of the situation set down on the Bus.

"The note was nothing like anything Phil has even written before nor does it sound like his style, so someone entered here without me knowing and without waking any of us. Nor did they set of the alarm system, then managed to navigate their way around the Bus, get their hands on Phil and remove him somehow."

She threw the note and rose at Jemma and Fitz, they didn't need to be told what to do and shot off to see what they could find or anything else to help the angry lioness ready to destroy who ever stole her King.

Skye didn't say anything or move a muscle, she just stared at May's rigid back, time seemed to have stood still, silence settled in the room like snow on the ground and yet no one said a thing.

"Skye, I know you care a lot about Phil, but I need you to do this for me and I need you to be the illegal hacking machine that I know that you can be. I don't care how you do it, but I need you to hack the mainframe of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. I'm sure that one of these two is behind this case. Garrett is the last one to go after Phil, I threw him out of a plane and later someone takes him. I don't believe in coincidences, but I'm sure as hell I'll get him back."

Skye sat at the table pulled out her laptop and began the most important work that she had ever done in her life, the stakes were too high to mess up or fail and she was going to enter the mainframe like a ghost in the machine.

May patted her on the shoulder in silent thanks for doing what she was asked and not questioning her methods. She knew that Skye was worried, but knew that the young Agent would not question how she was feeling cause it was her job to hold everything together.

May would love to trash the place, stamp her feet and cry but that would not get her the answers that she needs, so instead she is going to have a word with a silent friend, or should she say ex friend, as he should have washed up by now.

"Guys, I am taking a trip to obtain some information, don't open the door, not even to me or someone you think it is me. If you do or I find out that you do I will throw your laptops into the sea." She saw the paled expressions on the faces of the three little ducklings and knew that they understood the seriousness of the situation. She smirked at the thought of throwing their laptops away and headed in to the woods disappearing like a wolf in the night.

Phil was floating in and out of consciousness, in the distance he could hear voices but could not make out what they were saying. He had been drugged for mobility and a relaxant, they wanted to ensure that his body couldn't move but his mind was still active but relaxed. They were attempting to influence his thoughts. They'd attached pads to his head to measure his brain waves looking for bursts to indicate whether or not he was using his psychic powers.

The time that they saw the strongest reactions were with Melinda May and thus they would use the others to weaken him and ensure the final blow would come in the form of Melinda May. They would grind him to his knees, guaranteeing compliance and have the world's only documented psychic on the planet under their control.

At present tears were streaming down his face, he was attempting to bargain with the mysterious voice for the freedom of the so called captured, whilst attempting to work who was real and was not. Were any of them real? Who were they?

A scream shattered the night, whether real or not, he watched as Jemma Simmons' arm was yanked behind her back, a sickening pop emanated around the room, as her arm vacated its socket.

"Please, please, let her go, I am begging of you…Jemma!"

"Stop trying to read her mind, I will tell you when to use it. As you can see I am not afraid to cause harm to people, to get what I want. Now, Phil Coulson, can you guess what I want?"

Phil's drugged addled brain was attempting to work out what was real, Jemma Simmons was babbling in pain he could see something that looked like Jemma Simmons but was it?

The face that turned would haunt him forever, he could have sworn that he was dead, he was staring death in the face but for how long …