It's hardly the Ritz, but after everything that's transpired in the past few days, they're just thankful to have a place to lay their heads for the night. Jemma sits at the edge of the pool beside Skye, the two of them slowly kicking their legs in the cool water. Behind them, Leo and Trip are discussing something or other, but they're on the outer rim of her attention. Presently, she's more focused on Skye and on the unlikely series of events that have made the bond between them all the stronger.
"I mean, go figure, right?" Skye says with a snorted laugh. "You find a nice guy, he seems really into you and BAM. He's with HYDRA."
"I'm having a hard time believing it myself," Jemma sighs.
She tilts her head back and looks up at the night sky—the view isn't as nice as it is from the Bus. She thinks of Jasper. She thinks of Grant. That's twice she's been fooled now, twice she's had the wool pulled over her eyes. She'd spent days in denial, looking for some clue that Jasper wasn't what they claimed he was. A part of her didn't want to let go of the man she'd fallen in love with, but after Grant had revealed himself, something in her had gone cold and hardened. Something had died. The hope she'd been holding onto—a flickering candle light she'd sheltered from the howling wind—had been snuffed out.
"They really do make you believe them, don't they?" she asks.
"I never saw it coming," Skye says, leaning back. "I mean to fake all of that? All the shit we've been through together? Everything? You'd have to be a sociopath. And he thought… I mean the grossest part was that he thought I'd still want to be with him. How could anyone want to be with that?"
Jemma nods in agreement, but doesn't offer an answer. Skye opens her mouth, perhaps understanding the implications of what she's just said, but closes her mouth just as quickly. She leans towards Jemma, placing a hand on her back.
"I didn't mean… I mean Ward and I were… it was different," Skye says.
"No, no, you're right. But I appreciate your concern," Jemma assures her with a faint smile. "We were all fooled. Some of us more so than others, but I understand now. This wasn't something any of us could have predicted. We just have to… move forward. As hard as that is."
"Right," Skye says in agreement. She looks down, watching the water as it ripples gently with their kicking. "We've still got us."
"Yes. That we still have," Jemma says, smiling when Skye glances up and catches her eye.
She knows this is hard for Skye. They'd all seen the way Skye and Grant were drawn to each other and knowing that she's not alone in having been tricked in this way helps ease Jemma's guilt somewhat. Though, she's thankful at least that Skye never had the chance to become any more involved with Grant beyond what they'd had. Having to see Skye go through something like that… she's not sure she could have handled it. It hurts immeasurably to have to go through this herself, but having to watch the other woman suffer the same would be unbearable. She would never want to see Skye in that kind of pain.
This event has drawn them together in a way she'd never expected, but in many ways, there's a comforting feeling in having them with her in the trenches. This is dangerous for all of them. If there had been a time for fun and games, it's long since passed. The safety she feels right now, surrounded by the people she loves, is a luxury. She knows that it's not something she will be feeling very often in days to come, so he has to treasure it while it lasts.
"I'm sorry for what he did to you," Jemma tells Skye. "I'm sorry you were alone."
Skye shrugs one shoulder. "Yeah, but you guys came for me. That's what we do, right? It's kind of our thing."
"Yes. We look after one another," Jemma agrees.
"Anyone can look out for someone," Skye corrects her. "I may not be the expert on families, but I'd say what we have is pretty damn close, wouldn't you?"
"As someone with plenty of family experience, I can say that's an accurate comparison," Jemma says with a smile. "You know, I… Well, I'm my parents' only daughter. When I was little, I always wanted a sister and if I'd ever had one, I can say that I could only hope she would have been something like you."
Skye smiles at her; does so in a way that makes Jemma believe that, as bad as things are, if they can hold onto this, then they can make it through. She's not sure where exactly they're hoping to make it to, but wherever that is, they can make it. Skye hugs her like a sister might and, really, they are that, aren't they? When it comes right down to it, they're more of a family than any of them have realized. And now, with their identities erased, all they've got left is each other.
She'd explained to her parents, of course. Phil had afforded them that opportunity. As much as it pained her to have to do it, she knows her family will be safe without ties to her. So long as they have any ties to S.H.I.E.L.D., they will be hunted and she can't bear to put her parents or her brothers or their families in danger because of her. Because she's not giving up. She could leave now, she knows, but she can't really leave. Not when these people, her second family, can't leave. They have the courage to stand against HYDRA and she'll stand with them, every step of the way, no matter how hard it gets. No matter how much it costs them, they won't back down.
"Anyone order pizza?"
Jemma and Skye pull apart at the sound of the voice and the four of them look across the pool to find the source. Jemma knows that voice. She's heard it before. And there, walking through the gated entrance, holding a stack of pizza boxes and accompanied by a gorgeous redhead, is Clint Barton. Mouth agape, Jemma pulls her feet from the pool and clambers to a standing position.
"Agent Barton!" she calls, quickly making her way around the pool with the others on her heels.
"Agent Barton? As in Clint Barton? As in Hawkeye?" Trip inquires.
"Just 'Clint' is fine," Clint assures them. He nods towards the woman at his side. "This is Nat."
"The Natasha Romanoff?" Leo adds, sounding shocked.
"My, my, you're all certainly easily impressed," Natasha notes as Clint sets the pizza boxes down on one of the poolside tables.
"What… What are you doing here? How did you find us? Where have you both been?" Jemma asks, the questions coming out of her like coins from a winning slot machine. "Does Agent Coulson know you're coming? Do you know about Agent Coulson? Oh, no, please tell me you know about him…"
"It's fine, they're both well aware that he's alive."
Jemma hears another familiar voice, only this time it's accompanied by a shiver running down her spine. When she sees Andy King walking through the gate, time seems to slow down. The last time she'd seen this woman, she had been in the company of Alexander Pierce. He'd said that she and Jasper were doing good work for him. Jasper had been revealed as a HYDRA agent, which could only mean one thing. The realization sets her heart pounding, the sound of her rushing blood thrumming in her ears.
"Don't come any closer," Jemma snaps, her whole body rigid with tension.
Andy stops where she is, looking nonplussed by Jemma's greeting. She passively raises her hands in the air, seeming relaxed; almost as though she'd been anticipating this kind of welcome. The implications make Jemma's stomach turn. Leo, Skye and Trip shoot her curious looks until Jemma explains.
"Don't let her any closer, she's with HYDRA," Jemma says, trying to tamp down the anger bubbling up inside her.
"Because she was partners with… oh, god," Leo says faintly, figuring out exactly what she just had.
"Was. I was with HYDRA," Andy corrects her. "I'm not here as one of them."
"Don't trust her," Jemma says. "Agent Barton, get away from her. Whatever she's told you, it isn't true."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," Clint says.
To her shock, he takes a step to the side, shifting protectively in front of Andy, who still stands with her hands raised in the air. Distrust crackles in the air between the two groups as tension ignites with the simple action. Trip mirrors Clint's move, shifting his stance so that he's shielding Jemma from the three newcomers.
"If Agent Simmons thinks she's with HYDRA, I'm going to trust her judgment," he says evenly. "Which means I'm not letting any of you, Avengers or not, take another step closer until you give me good reason."
"Everyone stand down."
Phil's voice breaks the stand-off, calling all their attention to him. He and Melinda have finally emerged from one of their hotel rooms, whatever discussion they'd been having apparently finished, at least for the time being.
"There's no reason for concern," Phil says. "Everyone here can be trusted. We're all on the same side."
"You got my text?" Natasha says, nodding towards Melinda.
"I did," Melinda replies. "But it wouldn't have hurt you to give us a little more warning."
Natasha shrugs. "I thought you liked surprises."
"You know I hate surprises."
"Silly me."
In the middle of this, Clint has abandoned his post by Andy in favor of striding purposely towards Phil. For a moment, Jemma is sure that the archer means to strike the older man, but at the last possible second, any anger she'd been reading off of him evaporates as he pulls Phil into a tight, brotherly embrace. Phil doesn't fight it. If anything, he gives in quite readily, his arms wrapped securely around the other man. Natasha touches Andy briefly on the shoulder, encouraging her to lower her arms, before she makes her way towards her fellow Avenger. The second she's within arm's reach, she's hauled into their embrace, making for an awkward, if affectionate, tangle of arms.
For a moment, Jemma is caught off guard by the scene. She has found Phil to be, in the time that they've known each other, one who is more reserved in his emotions. He's a private man, only opening himself up so far. Yet here, now, she watches him pull these people to him with open arms and sees so many, many things in him. Clint pulls back enough to grip Phil by the lapels of his jacket, shaking him briefly as he says something that she can't hear and there is such pain on their faces, mingled with such love that she hardly recognizes the man who's been leading their team for months.
But she hasn't forgotten their other guest. When she turns her attention back to Andy, she finds the young woman watching them with what seems to be a sense of longing. She's different than Jemma remembers. Pale, gaunt, worn. Hunted, perhaps. Not at all the put-together agent that Jasper had introduced her to. Trip still hasn't moved from his spot before Jemma, eyeing the potential threat before them.
"If it'll make you feel more comfortable, you're free to search me for weapons," Andy declares.
"That won't be necessary," Phil calls, apparently having noticed what was transpiring. Clint and Natasha pull away as everyone's attention is drawn to the only person standing singled out. "I know who you are."
Andy gives him a long, meaningful stare before she asks, "Do you?"
"It… was explained to me," Phil replies heavily.
Jemma watches the two of them carefully as they watch each other. There's some sort of unspoken conversation happening between the two of them, a sort that she can't translate. There's something she's missing, something that's right in front of their eyes. She reviews what she knows about each of them, looking to piece together something that might give her a clue as to what's going on. Because Phil wouldn't just accept a HYDRA agent—or former HYDRA agent, if she's to be believed—into the fold without good reason. And she trusts that he has good reason. But what that reason is…
And then it hits her. The realization dawns on her so suddenly that for a moment she's struck dumb by it. It seems too strange, too outlandish a possibility. And yet it all makes sense.
"Oh my god," she breathes, a hand over her mouth.
"Jemma?" Leo intones worriedly, a hand on her shoulder.
"You said your father had died in New York. I hadn't thought to consider…" Jemma babbles. She looks up at Andy, flabbergasted. "Your last name isn't King."
There's a crooked smile on the other woman's face as she says, "You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."
Even then. Even then when she smiles, the evidence is so clear. So abundantly clear in the way her eyes crinkle at the corners and how she never quite seems to give you a complete smile and how had she never realized?
"Someone want to explain what's going on here?" Skye asks, shooting an impatient glance between the assembled individuals.
"'King' is one of many aliases created for my safety by Director Fury. Growing up with S.H.I.E.L.D. made it something of a necessity," Andy explains. "My last name is actually 'Coulson.' Your team leader is my father."
There's a long stretch of silence where no one seems to know what to say. Most of them seem to be standing there, waiting for something to happen. Jemma certainly is. Frankly, her mind is still reeling from yet another addition to the insanity that's becoming increasingly common as the days go on. Perhaps it's no surprise that it's Skye who breaks the silence.
"You have a kid?" Skye demands, whirling towards Phil.
"I didn't know," Phil says, rubbing a hand across his forehead, almost self-consciously. He sighs heavily, looking about as tired as the young woman who shares his last name. "Or perhaps it's more correct to say that I didn't remember."
"Sir," Jemma says hesitantly, "are you saying…?"
"Before we get into that, let's all go inside and sit down," Phil says, looking to each of them in turn. "From what I understand, we have a lengthy conversation ahead of us."
There's a quiet, hesitant shuffling as they all gradually obey the unstated but implicitly understood command, disguised as a polite suggestion. Clint gathers up the pizza boxes once again as they begin to reconvene in the hotel room. Jemma hangs towards the back of the group, waiting for everyone to file in, until she realizes Andy is doing the same. Their eyes meet amidst the group and Jemma's gut clenches painfully. Pulling her eyes away, she hurries on ahead, inserting herself between the safety of Skye and Leo and not looking back.
It's decidedly cramped, even without the elephant in the room. Somehow, despite the closed quarters, they've managed to separate into groups. Melinda and Phil sit together, side by side. Across from them, Andy sits sandwiched between Clint and Natasha. Skye and Trip sit on one of the twin beds while Jemma and Leo claim the other, the four of them having the best view of the bunch.
"If someone doesn't start asking questions or answering them, I'm just going to go ahead and start myself," Skye says after an uncomfortable length of silence.
"I'm really not sure who should be explaining what to who at this point," Phil admits.
"Why don't we start with why we're here?" Clint suggests.
"Considering that's something I'd like to know as well, I think that's as good a place as any," Phil agrees.
Clint nudges Andy with his elbow and she looks up, startled from whatever thoughts she'd been having. Jemma has noticed her gaze constantly wandering between Phil and the floor, like she's afraid to be caught looking at him.
"You want me to explain or…?" Clint offers.
"No, I think… maybe I can just get most of the points we need to cover in one go," Andy says, shifting in her seat. "Alright, so… Well, Jemma, as you guessed, I was with HYDRA. Was. That's very important. Because I'm not now, anymore. I never really was, but that's… I mean, I was but I wasn't, you know?"
No one says a word.
"Maybe back it up a bit, Bambi," Natasha suggests gently.
Andy seems to deflate somewhat at that.
"Right. I'm sorry, let me start over," she apologizes. She takes a deep breath, centering herself, before beginning again. "So this really all starts with New York. It starts with Loki and the Chitauri invasion. That was when everything changed."
Her eyes stray back towards Phil.
"When you died, it was… I took it hard. I left S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while to get my head on straight, spent some time with Clint in Night Vale before heading out on my own," Andy explains. "That's when John found me. To me he was always Uncle John—because like everyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. who was around when I was growing up, he was family. You two had slowly drifted apart over the past ten years or so, but I didn't think it was all that strange when he approached me. Death does that. Brings people back together. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. As you can probably guess, this wasn't for better."
"He recruited you," Trip says. "Like he recruited Ward."
"Not exactly. Although he manipulated me the same way he manipulated Grant," Andy replies. "He used dad's—"
Jemma watches the other woman stumble over the word, her eyes darting to Phil anxiously before pulling away. How difficult it must be, she thinks, having all those memories of someone who has none of you. How difficult it must be to have no memory of someone who has over two decades worth of you.
"He used Agent Coulson's death to get close to me. He spent time with me, got close enough for me to drop my guard, so when he said he had something to show me, I didn't question him. I just followed. What he had to show me was HYDRA. His plans. Where they were headed. Maybe it was some lingering sense of affection, but he tried to persuade me to join them of my own free will. Of course, I refused. And at that point, it didn't seem that he'd have anything to blackmail me with; I was at a low enough point that I didn't think that I stood to lose anything. I was wrong."
She pauses, as though she doesn't want to have to continue. Jemma watches as she folds her arms over her chest and frowns, her mouth drawing into a thin line. The action is so unspeakably Phil that for a moment, Jemma forgets the fact that she doesn't want to trust this woman. Because Phil is watching her, seeing the same things that Jemma is, and like Jemma, it's for the first time.
"It turns out that if you're enough of an asset to them, they won't waste time trying to blackmail you. Instead they make you… comply," Andy says slowly.
"Comply," Leo echoes. "I don't understand."
"They brainwash you," Clint fills him in. "They unmake you."
"They have a method, a machine that they bring you to and it's… They break you down. You're still you, but they change things, tweak things. They go in and rewrite your code," Andy adds. Her expression has turned distinctly uncomfortable, but she continues regardless. Her attention shifts to Phil, her expression morphing into something almost apologetic. "I want to say I held out for a pretty long while. In reality, it was about three weeks, I think. What they did… I won't go into details, but I'll just say it works. When they know where your breaking point is, it's just a matter of time."
"Brainwashing, though?" Jemma murmurs. It just seems so outlandish an idea, that they could strap you into a machine and reformat you like a hard drive. But then, if they could wipe Phil's memories, she supposes this wasn't all that more strange. She perks up as a thought occurs to her, her heart beating quicker at the possibility. "Jasper. They did the same to him."
Andy huffs a quick laugh, a small smile on her face. "You're quick; and you're right. But his story is even more complicated than mine. See, Jasper has always been cleverer, but I'm quicker. When he discovered I was with HYDRA, he sent word to Director Fury that I couldn't be trusted. But not long after I made a discovery of my own: Jasper had been working as the Director's inside man for years. I assumed he was with them as I was, but in reality, he was merely playing the part."
"He makes a great patsy," Phil says, the realization in his tone colored with a soft undercurrent of fondness.
"The best," Andy agrees with a smile. Jemma watches it fall away from her face almost as quickly as it had appeared as the woman continues with her tale. "It took him years to discover that Pierce was at the heart of it and when he did, you can bet he didn't waste any time informing Director Fury. He didn't know I'd been watching him, shadowing him. I intercepted that message. While he was waiting for orders, I was busy already moving forward with my plan. Jemma, that weekend you spent together was the last time he was himself. I was waiting for him in his apartment after he dropped you off and… I took him down. I brought him in and gave them everything they needed to break him. Because Jasper has been my friend, my S.O., my partner and my family and no one knows him better than I do; I handed him over to them and helped them do to him what they had done to me. Actually, I say I helped them but in reality I was instrumental in the process. By the time you called him in to assist on your mission in finding the Clairvoyant, he was already theirs."
Jemma doesn't realize she's been holding her breath until it leaves her in a great, shaky exhale. It makes sense; the work he couldn't talk about, the secrets he had to keep, the danger he seemed to be constantly dodging. All of it makes sense now. The news creates a new wound as it helps to begin to heal another. He's still gone, but his memory doesn't have to be tarnished by HYDRA. He won't have to be remembered as a traitor who sold them all out. He was the good man she had always believed him to be.
He had been fighting the war they find themselves embroiled in now, long before any of them even knew it was happening. And for his trouble, for everything he had been through and sacrificed, this was how it had ended.
"Even I was convinced," Natasha says. "We all were. Without Nick around to tell us any differently, we had to make our own call. How long you knew someone or how close you were didn't matter; people we've worked with for years turned out to be HYDRA. I wasn't taking any chances and he didn't give me any reason to."
"I understand. In your place I likely would have done the same. But… I know you were with him when he was killed," Jemma says, willing her breathing to remain calm and even despite her racing heart. "Agent Coulson told me he was killed by someone called the Winter Soldier. Do you know anything about him?"
Natasha and Andy share a brief moment of eye contact following the question and Jemma has the feeling they both know a great deal. How much they're willing to tell, however, she can't be certain.
"He's a ghost," Natasha says with a shrug of her shoulder. "We've crossed paths over the years, but this was the closest I've ever been. If you're wondering where he is now or if I can give you the answer to that, I can't. But I can tell you that Steve is looking for him."
"And he isn't the only one looking for someone," Andy adds.
"So who is it that you're looking for?" Skye wants to know.
"Jasper," Andy replies.
"We've got… Well, Andy's got reason to believe that he's still alive," Clint explains.
"But you don't," Phil fishes, looking between Clint and Natasha. "You don't share in that belief."
"Phil, I trust her the same way I've always trusted you. But with something like this… I've got my doubts," Clint answers. "I've been away from it all for the past two years. Everything I knew and understood S.H.I.E.L.D. to be is either gone or was never really there, so I honestly don't know what to believe at this point. But she's got a hunch and that's a good enough reason for me to follow her."
"It's not a hunch," Andy says insistently.
"Perhaps you could explain, then," Jemma says, cutting through their chatter. "Because from what I was told it didn't seem… Given his manner of death I find it unlikely that he could have survived."
"See, you say that, but he's sitting here, isn't he?" Andy asks, pointing at Phil. "I saw him on a slab, so you can't say that this is impossible."
"Riiiiiiiiiiiight,"Skye says, stretching the word out as she slowly nods her head. "But that's… kind of a different set of circumstances."
Jemma watches as the freckled woman huffs in frustration, jumping up from her seat. She seems full of some sort of manic energy, her eyes too bright in the dimly lit room. It's at that moment that Jemma has to wonder, just how does one overcome brainwashing? And what had she done to do so? Is she even stable at this moment in time? Are they all sitting here entertaining the ravings of a madwoman? Perhaps all these things should take precedence, but a selfish part of Jemma is more concerned with hearing this theory out. She knows she shouldn't be jumping at even the slightest chance that Jasper not only isn't a traitor, but is alive as well, and yet she doesn't stop herself from doing so.
"Just let me explain," Andy says, holding up her hands in an apparent effort to keep them all quiet. "Okay, so, the thing about HYDRA is that, like S.H.I.E.L.D., it has assets. When you're an asset, it means that they'll go through certain lengths to make sure you don't happen to expire while you're still of use to them. Now, how many of you know what an LMD is?"
"Oh," Leo says, raising his hand like an eager student. "They're Life Model Decoys. Basically they're synthetic avatars meant to emulate human likeness. Hair, DNA, fingerprints, you name it and they're basically indistinguishable from the real thing. But from what I understand, Tony Stark's said that they're years from completing the first working prototype."
"Well, let it be known that Tony Stark doesn't know everything. Thank god," Andy says, the latter sentence muttered under her breath. "And he's hardly the smartest the world has to offer. It's true, before New York he made a statement he still had years of work ahead of him, but that was before the Chitauri so kindly left behind bits of their technology. Technology that S.H.I.E.L.D., and therefore HYDRA, made a mission of recovering. Just prior to being recruited to your team, Grant Ward was on a mission to recover a very particular artifact: a Chitauri Neural Link. This particular piece of technology was the key to unlocking the potential of the LMD. By utilizing the neural link, the bridge between host and avatar was able to be crossed."
"And the reason you're telling us all this," Melinda cuts in, eyeing Andy critically, "is because you believe that when Sitwell was killed by the Winter Soldier, it may not have been him, but an LMD made to look like him."
"I have every reason to believe that," Andy says, nodding in agreement. "He was an asset of the greatest importance. They wouldn't risk sending him into the field for an operation where he could be taken out. They were smart. They'd waited years—decades—to come out of the shadows. I'm nearly positive that they would have had that kind of insurance on an asset as valuable as Jasper."
"But you don't know that for a fact," Trip says.
"Well, no," Andy admits, her shoulders drooping slightly. She bucks up an instant later, her posture straightening with an apparent conviction, eyes like Phil's focused and gleaming with determination. "But I don't need to know for certain. This is the sort of thing that you can't know for sure. Belief is enough."
"Is it?" Phil wonders aloud.
Andy narrows her eyes at him in accusation. "It certainly always seemed enough for you to make bad decisions."
"That's a little unfair," Phil counters.
"Not really," Andy says, her fingers twitching as her arms lie at her sides. "I know Jasper and I know HYDRA and I'm telling you that I believe he's still out there. I came here to ask you not to give up on him just yet. If you just give me some time, I can get him back. I can fix this. So please, please don't give up on him."
The tail end of the statement is directed at Phil and at Jemma especially. It isn't just determination that Jemma is reading in the other woman's stance: it's desperation. Jemma would love nothing more than to say that, yes, she believes her and no, she hasn't given up on Jasper. But she's wary. Especially when considering the woman openly admitted to being an agent of HYDRA—regardless of how much that was or was not against her will.
"I think that perhaps we should discuss this while you wait outside," Phil says, rising from his seat.
Andy opens her mouth to offer a rebuttal, but shuts it just as quickly before offering a curt nod. "I understand."
Clint and Natasha rise with her as she moves towards the door, but Phil holds up a hand to stop them. Jemma sees Natasha raise her eyebrows at the gesture, as though she's surprised he's really trying that on them. In that moment, Jemma can see just how much keeping secrets have cost them; it's cost Phil the trust of the people he loves and it's cost Jasper his life. What else they stand to lose because of their secrets, she's afraid to find out.
"No, you two stay," Phil says. He inhales deeply before letting the breath out slowly, looking to the two assets with a pleading expression as he adds on, "Please."
Clint shifts his stance, appearing uncomfortable, but he doesn't make any further movements towards the door. He turns his head, nodding at Andy.
"Think you can hang outside for a while, Bambi?" he asks.
"You have a lot to talk about," Andy says, nodding back. "I'd rather you clear the air now."
Her lips are set in a thin, hard line as she slowly makes her exit, and Jemma knows that she would really prefer to stay. But given the circumstances, Jemma finds herself more comfortable once the freckled woman has left the room. Trust. This is all about trust and always has been. That's what Jasper had asked of her and that's what Andy is asking now. The caveat to that being, of course, that trust is at a premium these days.
There's silence following the younger Coulson's retreat, as Phil, Melinda, Clint and Natasha take the time to study one another. Regardless of how easy the conversation had flowed and how quick Clint had been to embrace Phil, Jemma knows that the relationship between the four of them is still very far from repaired. If she had to guess, she'd say that they probably aren't paying much attention to the rest of them.
"So can we trust her or not?" Skye interrupts, drawing their attention yet again as she gets straight to the point.
Clint eyeballs Skye following her statement before he turns to look at Phil and says, "I like her."
A small, crooked smile makes its way to Phil's face as he says, "I thought you might."
"But seriously, we've got an ex-HYDRA agent sitting poolside out there," Skye says, pointing to the door. "Can we trust what she's saying?"
"Probably," Natasha says.
"Yeah, kinda hoping for a little more than that," Skye replies.
"It's complicated. She's had her head fucked with for months, among other things," Clint says, folding his arms across his chest and giving them all a view of his impressive forearms. "I can tell you that she's not theirs anymore, but that's about as far as my assurances go."
"And how can you be sure she's not still under their control?" Jemma wants to know.
"Cecil took us to Night Vale's City Hall," Clint says. He eyes Phil meaningfully. "You remember? The thing about re-education?"
Phil nods, but doesn't say anything.
"It wasn't pretty, but it did the trick," Clint says with a sigh. "But as far as Jasper? I know about as much as you do. I wouldn't have thought he'd have been with HYDRA, but then, I could say the same about a lot of people I thought I knew. I know that she's not gonna to stop until she's sure one way or another about him, so whatever she needs to do, I'm gonna have her back."
"I see," Phil says. He turns his gaze to Natasha. "And you?"
Natasha shrugs. "Someone has to have Clint's back."
Phil nods once again, silent. Jemma wonders what must be going through his head. Undoubtedly enough to give him a headache, judging by the way he rubs his temples. But as difficult as this conversation is, it's necessary. They can't move forward until they know where they all stand.
"Simmons, I'd like to speak with you later. Alone," Phil announces. "But for now, I'd like you, Skye, Fitz and Trip to keep an eye on… Andrea. The rest of us need to continue this discussion privately."
"Sir, before you make any decisions—" Jemma begins.
"There won't be any decisions made without each of you being involved," Phil assures her. "We're just going to talk."
Jemma looks to the others, hoping to wordlessly get their feedback. Trip looks wary, but willing to comply. Leo doesn't seem like he'd like to be in this room or out of it. Skye looks more intent on stubbornly insisting they stay until Jemma shakes her head at her. Skye doesn't look happy about it, but thankfully, she seems willing to go along with what Jemma thinks is best.
"Okay, we'll go sit outside, but let's get one thing clear first," Skye says. She points at Phil as she directs her words at Clint and Natasha. "I get that you guys have some beef with the whole not being told he was alive thing, but if you do anything other than talk to him, I will come in here and kick your butts."
"Yeah, I definitely like her," Clint tells Phil.
"Skye, it's fine. Please go wait outside," Phil says, looking to be in no mood for fooling around.
The four of them take the hint and gradually filter out of the room. As Jemma closes the door behind her, she knows that the conversation she's leaving them to will not be a pleasant one, but as she looks across the pool and spies Andy Coulson staring up at the night sky, she has to think that the one she's in for will hardly be any better.
