10: NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
That night, a deadly silence filled The Bus as everyone slept. Well, everyone but May.
Coulson had told her to put the plane on autopilot and get some sleep, but she'd refused. She needed to think things through. So much had happened lately that it was hard to contain her anger.
Friends had been hurt, things hadn't been as they seemed. Maya Anderson was a monster. She was Rage. Maybe she couldn't control it? Part of her hoped she couldn't; she'd hate to kick that pretty little face of hers.
"Mind if I join you?" Lincoln asked as he entered the cockpit. May signalled for him to sit down in the seat next to her as she remained focused on the controls.
"Did you hear it earlier?" Lincoln asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Coulson smashing up his office? Everyone did." May said.
"I had no idea he could get so angry." Lincoln commented.
"Better than taking it out on a person, I guess. He still tries to see the good in people; he hasn't learnt that you shouldn't do that in this job." May said.
"Has he always been like that? So furious with the world?"
"Not always."
"What happened?"
"An Asgardian stabbed him through the chest. Not his favourite day." May answered.
"What's the plan moving forward? How do we deal with this?" Lincoln wondered.
"We'll find a way. We always do." May said.
"It's just that if Rage – Maya - is getting stronger with every second, how do we fight her?" Lincoln asked. May looked at him briefly before returning to looking outwards, saying nothing and yet everything.
"To the death, then." Lincoln added.
…
Fitz was surprised to walk into the workout area to see Jemma thumping away at a punch bag, boxing gloves and all.
"I've been looking for you; wasn't expecting you to be here, though. What are you doing?" Fitz asked, leading Jemma to turn and face him.
"Rage won't stop getting more powerful, so I can't just sit back. We need to train and get stronger so I can defend myself. I'm tired of being one of few people on this plane who can't kill with my bare hands. If we're going to stop Maya we need to be ready for her. It. I don't know how pronouns work in this situation." Jemma explained.
"Fair enough, but boxing? Isn't learning to shoot a better use of time?" Fitz wondered.
"That comes next. I got Mack to develop of training plan for me. Boxing is up first." Jemma said.
"Well then, let's see what you've got." Fitz smiled, picking up some boxing pads and putting them on his hands, holding them up for Jemma to punch at.
"And what do you know about this?" Jemma smiled.
"I'll have you know I did boxing in my younger years." Fitz said.
"Yes, for three weeks. You told me." Jemma teased.
"Well, that's two weeks longer than you and ballet." Fitz retaliated cheekily.
"Hey, you promised to stop teasing me about that! I'm the one wearing boxing gloves, remember." Jemma laughed, punching one of the pads on Fitz's hand and sending him back a step or two, surprising him.
"Not bad. Just don't miss and punch me in the face." Fitz smiled.
"But I might improve it then." Jemma smirked and Fitz rolled his eyes, lightly punching Jemma's shoulder with a pad before she returned to punching at his hands.
"Coulson's not taking this Rage thing well, is he?" Jemma asked in between punches.
"About as well as one may take an enema." Fitz smirked and Jemma laughed before coming to her senses.
"This isn't a laughing matter, Leo! Rage is dangerous. I don't know how we can stop it." Jemma admitted.
"We'll sort it out, don't worry." Fitz said comfortingly.
"I just…what if we all throw ourselves into a war we can't win? What if Rage is too much? I don't want to lose anyone; I don't want to lose you. I don't know what I'd do." Jemma admitted tearfully.
"How many times have we said that about things before, eh? We always come out on top, Jemma. And hey, I'm not going anywhere." Fitz smiled, taking the pads off his hands as Jemma took off her gloves and hugged him.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Suddenly, Mack rushed into the room, almost out of breath.
"Fitzsimmons, there you are. We have a big problem." He panted.
"What is it?" Jemma asked.
"Coulson. He's done something stupid." Mack replied sternly.
…
"I'm sorry sir, but this was reckless. Did you think this through, like, at all?" Lance asked as the team stood in the main area of The Bus.
"Maya is dangerous, we know that now. Beyond all doubt. Rage is getting stronger every day, using R.E.S.C.U.E. as some kind of cover for its murders, destroyed out base, killed our agents and wounded our own. I'm not gonna sit back and do nothing. The time to act is now. We have to bring the fight to Maya or Rage or whatever the hell we're fighting – and there is no time like the present." Coulson declared.
"But leaking Rage's identity and its association with R.E.S.C.U.E. to the press with all our research proving the claims? How could you do that without telling anyone?" Daisy questioned.
"Because I'm the Director, and this is my call."
"That's reckless! You're not thinking it through! People are gonna ask questions about the source of the leak; what if a undoubtedly angry President decides to be just as childish and expose S.H.I.E.L.D. again?" Mack asked angrily.
"I'm not sitting back and waiting for another HQ to be destroyed or more agents to be killed. She was after The Young Gods, yes, but to murder them and attempt to harm their children is not acceptable. She has blood on her hands so yes, I'm going to act now and stop her before it's too late. Why does everyone have a problem with me fighting back?" Coulson asked furiously.
"For a guy who lectures everyone constantly about how we're a team, you've made yourself into one hell of a hypocrite. Now we're all gonna face the consequences of what you did. Anything that happens now is on you." Lincoln spat venomously before rushing out, Daisy following him. Everyone else quickly filtered out of the room, leaving Coulson alone. He pleaded to May to side with him, but she shook her head and walked out, barely looking him in the eye.
…
The truth about Maya, Rage and R.E.S.C.U.E. was headline news across the world. Coulson had spent hours avoiding any calls from the President and councils demanding an explanation for his actions. They appreciated knowing the truth, of course, but having the whole world know was the worst thing that could have happened. Newspapers and reporters dug deep and learned more about Maya and The Young Gods. Appeals were being made to find the members that were still alive and take them into custody; raiding their homes had found they'd all gone on the run. It seemed to be a hopeless situation.
Coulson sat in silence at his desk for hours before he received a message over coms.
"Sir, there's a broadcast signal trying to hack into your personal line." Fitz revealed.
"I wonder who that could be." Coulson sighed.
"Shall we keep blocking them?"
"No, let's just get this over with." Coulson said and turned on the screen in front of him, but was surprised to not be greeted by the President, but by a dishevelled and distressed Maya Anderson.
"How did you get this number? Same way you got information from Lance, I assume? Extracting information at the pier, huh?" Coulson asked.
Maya was silent.
"You called me; I know you want to talk. I take it your little mind tricks are what got the President on your side to set up R.E.S.C.U.E. for you, am I right?" Coulson speculated. Eventually, Maya nodded.
"To cover up your tracks. Who would suspect the woman attempting to bring human and Inhuman peace was actually a murderous Inhuman herself? Very clever." Coulson said.
"Enough. You've made me a fugitive. I will not forgive that. You made this personal." Maya seethed.
"You started it." Coulson retaliated.
"You think I'm a monster? I'm not. I didn't choose to be this way, you know. You try some fish oil and then it all went wrong. I can't control the changes, but I can hardly argue with the creature's results." Maya stated.
"YOUR results."
"No, you see that's not how I see it. We're two separate entities. I would never kill or hurt anyone, but the creature would. It's the creature with all the powers, not me." Maya explained.
"It's still your actions."
"But it's not my choice. If an Inhuman that could manipulate fire accidentally burns down a forest because they have no control, is it their fault? Or an Inhuman accidentally freezing a lake and all the fish with it? Maybe…an Inhuman causing an earthquake and burying a village?" Maya said.
"You really know how to push my buttons, don't you?"
"The one power terrigenesis didn't give me." Maya smiled.
"Okay, enough chat. Why the spontaneous video chat?" Coulson demanded.
"You want answers? Perhaps I want to give them to you?"
"I'm fed up of getting answers; I never like what I find out. You know, part of me understands your pain and why Rage does what it does, but you've hurt and killed my agents. I'm going to hunt you down and bring you in, Maya. As Rage or not." Coulson stated.
"I can feel it, Phil; the creature is coming out to play again. And you know it'll hunt you down first. Stay out of the way; I can't be held responsible for what may happen or the losses you may suffer." Maya stated.
"Yes you can." Coulson said.
Through the screen, Coulson saw Maya jolt in pain, squeezing her eyes closed and letting out a scream.
"Maya?"
When she reopened her eyes, they were jet black. Her skin started turning navy blue. Rage was coming.
The screen switched off and Coulson turned coms back on.
"Everyone monitor news reports for Rage sightings. Maya's showing her not-so-pretty face again. Bring all the weapons we have."
"I thought you wanted to bring Rage in, not kill it?" Joey asked through his earpiece.
"Either option will suffice at this point. I'm not having it kill anyone else." Coulson stated.
…
The Bus soared towards Central Park; Rage had been spotted there and the news were already reporting on it; S.H.I.E.L.D. had to beat any military that could be sent to stop it. Rage was now putting more innocent people in danger, leaving Coulson determined to stop it. It had to end there.
Coulson spared no expense; the whole team were sent down on two Quinjets just as Rage tore trees apart and lunged for terrified citizens desperately trying to escape its clutches.
"How are we covering this?" Daisy asked May as everyone exited the jets and loaded weapons.
"We're an unbranded team working for the U.S. Army." May replied.
"Remember, there's much more of us this time. If we all keep shooting we should be able to pierce its skin eventually." Coulson shouted as the team ran towards Rage with all they had.
"Pretty big 'if'!" Jemma exclaimed.
"It's the only plan we have; we couldn't sit back and do nothing!" Coulson shouted, taking a few shots at Rage, causing it to see the team and let out a huge roar, leaping across the park towards them.
A shockwave from Daisy sent Rage flying crashing into a fountain. Lincoln fired bolt after bolt of electricity at it, but it seemed to be ineffective, even when combined with a flurry of bullets coming from the rest of the team. Crushing the fountain into rubble, Rage threw chunks at the team.
"LOOK OUT!" Bobbi shouted as everyone tried to move away from the shower of rock. Lincoln, Hunter and Jemma were caught in the chaos and knocked to the ground. Fitz sprinted to Jemma's aid before checking on the other two.
"They're out cold!" Fitz shouted to Coulson as Joey melted a lamppost and threw it at Rage, who smacked it away like it was nothing. It collided with Joey and Bobbi, wiping them out and sending them crashing to the floor.
"Fitz, with me!" Coulson ordered as he shot at Rage, with Fitz joining his side.
"We need to cover all angles." Mack said to May as they kept shooting. Daisy sent another shockwave towards Rage, who leaped into the sky and landed next to her. The crater it caused sent Daisy flying across the park and colliding into May.
Coulson, Fitz and Mack circled Rage and kept shooting, but they all knew they were dangerously low on ammo and Rage seemed unaffected by every single effort of the team. In the back of his mind Coulson had begun to realise he'd gone too far, but ignored the thought.
"No. More. Chances." Rage roared.
"My thoughts exactly." Coulson said, shooting his final bullet Rage. It was heading for right between its eyes, but it simply caught the bullet and with a snarling grimace threw it straight back at Coulson at twice the speed.
"COULSON!" Mack shouted.
Coulson looked into Rage's black eyes. Maybe it was just his time.
He dropped his empty gun and closed his eyes.
…
When he felt nothing, he reopened them and saw a pair of blue eyes staring into his own. Fitz was stood in front of him, a patch of blood growing in size rapidly in the middle of his chest.
Fitz went to speak, but all that came out of his mouth was blood. He fell to the floor, unmoving. Mack rushed to him in a panic.
"TURBO!"
Coulson looked up to see how Rage was inevitably taunting him for what had just happened. But when he did, Rage was nowhere to be seen. Coulson knew why. Rage didn't need to kill them; it had already won.
"COULSON, HE'S NOT BREATHING! COULSON, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Mack shouted, pushing Coulson to bring him back to reality.
He could barely register what was happening around him, and only watched in bewildered silence as Mack picked up Fitz's limp body and rushed towards a Quinjet.
…
He woke up a few hours later, lying on a bed in the medical bay on The Bus. Jemma was there, of course, and her face lit up as he opened his eyes.
"Leo? Leo? You're okay. You're alright." Jemma smiled, holding Fitz's hand in hers gently.
"W-What…what the hell…?"
"You saved Coulson, Fitz. You're a hero, as always. Had me worried bloody sick, though. Luckily Lincoln came to in time to revive you before we got you to the medical team on The Bus. Don't do it again please." Jemma said with a forced smile.
"…And Rage?" Fitz asked. Jemma's false smile now faded completely, telling Fitz all he needed to know on the matter.
"How are we gonna beat that bastard?" He asked.
"…I have no idea." Jemma replied.
"How's everyone else?"
"Shaken. Injured. You came off worst. Again."
"Just my luck, then." Fitz smiled.
"Stop it, it's not funny."
"Simmons, I'm okay."
"You were shot clean through the chest. You're alive, not okay. We don't know exactly what may have happened to you yet." Jemma explained.
"…How's Coulson?"
"No one's talking to him, and he's not talking to anyone else. I don't think it's ever been this tense." Jemma admitted sadly.
"Marvellous. Well, I've had enough lying down." Fitz said, going to sit up. He stopped almost instantly, his eyes moving around in their sockets in confusion. After a few seconds, his already pale face grew even paler.
"…J-Jemma?"
"Yeah?"
"…I can't feel my legs."
…
THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE…
Coulson had been staring at the gravestone in silence for twenty minutes. His tears had just about dried, but he knew another flood of them would come eventually. He barely registered the small footsteps walking up behind him and standing next to him.
"How're you doing?" Coulson asked in a whisper, turning to the person next to him.
"About as well as you." They replied with a sniff.
Silence.
"I know how much you loved -"
"-Coulson, don't. Please. You're grieving as much as any of us."
They took Coulson's hand in theirs, reading the name carved into the stone over and over, yet still not believing that they were gone.
"This is my fault." Coulson said.
"Don't do that to yourself."
"I got reckless, you were all right. I should've listened but now…now it's too late to save all of you." Coulson cried almost silently.
"Sir, this isn't your fault. You know who's to blame, and we'll make them pay in every way they deserve to."
"…I thought you didn't want any more pain." Coulson sighed.
"That was before…before it ended like this." They sobbed, placing a bouquet at the base of the grave.
"I'll leave you to it; I'll go and check on the others." They added, squeezing Coulson's hand and walking off as more tears flowed down their cheeks.
Coulson knelt before the gravestone and lowered his head.
"I won't let this be for nothing, I swear." He swore, standing up again.
As memories entered his head and a tear left his eye, he rubbed the top of the gravestone fondly and respectfully.
"I'm so sorry."
With that, he turned and headed back. Coulson knew that they would have forgiven him, but they were gone.
And for that, he would never stop blaming himself.