Chapter 25 - A Strange Concept of Fun

Events in this chapter occur during the time period covering season 2 episodes 6-7 and may use portions of dialogue from these episodes.

"Rumlow," Coulson put his head into the small office where Brock was typing up a report, muttering under his breath the whole time (he loathed paperwork). "Got a minute?"

"Any excuse!" he was out of his chair in a moment, following the chuckling Director. "Damn, how Skye spends her day with her face in those screens I can't imagine."

Phil smiled wryly, closing his office door. "You should be used to it by now. I'm sure you had more reports to do as STRIKE Alpha commander?"

"I did, and believe me I'm grateful that there's less paperwork these days and more field time. Even though that takes me away from Skye," Brock grimaced, then shrugged. "Can't have it all, I suppose. Now what can I do for you, Director?"

"We need to shut Christian Ward up."

Brock blinked. "You want me to assassinate a Senator? Somehow I didn't think that was quite your style, sir."

"No!" Phil blinked, shocked. "Did Fury ask you to… or HYDRA… no, you know what, don't answer that question. No. I don't want you to assassinate anyone. I'm planning to offer Christian Ward a deal. I think we've got about everything useful that we're going to get out of Grant. We'll offer him up to his brother in exchange for Senator Ward publicly changing his stance on SHIELD."

Brock thought it through for a minute. "The senator won't let his brother go?"

"There's no love lost there, believe me. Christian Ward will probably want a very public trial followed by an execution." Phil saw the way Brock's jaw tightened. "And yes, I know you have a very personal reason for wanting to kill Grant Ward yourself. But let's be realistic here. Does it matter how he dies? And if this exchange buys us some goodwill… I can't afford to throw it away."

"As long as Ward doesn't start publicly spilling names we don't want revealed - like yours, and mine, and the fact that SHIELD isn't down for the count yet - I've got no problem with it," Brock decided eventually. "What do you need me for?"

"I need to have a private chat with Senator Ward, and I want to do so from a position of power. I was thinking we'd break into his office," Phil shrugged. "Cut his phone lines, spook him a bit. Without false flattery, you are easily the scariest person on this team. Even more than May."

Brock grinned. "Better not let her hear you say that."

Phil smiled back. "So, you in?"

"Sure. Sounds like fun."

"You field agents do have the strangest concept of what constitutes fun."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"What a lovely family," Brock muttered to Coulson as they left Senator Ward's office. "We need to watch out for that one. He's a double-crossing liar, just like his brother."

"We won't hand Ward over until the Senator's delivered on his promise," Coulson agreed quietly. "And I think we've made our point that we can get to him any time we choose. He won't betray us."

"Well, if he does, I know where to find him," Brock fingered the handle of the shockstick concealed inside his jacket. Senator Ward had definitely rubbed him the wrong way, the creep. No wonder Grant was a bit weird, growing up with a brother like that.

"Very true."

"I know Skye will be happy to have Ward gone from the base, too," Brock continued; left unsaid was that he'd be happier the faster Ward was gone.

"I know," Coulson agreed. "I hated asking her to talk to him, but when I needed answers I didn't have a lot of other options."

Brock sighed. "We know that. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

"No, of course not. I don't like it; why should you?" Coulson shrugged. "At least it'll be out of our hands."

"Agreed."

"I'm going to need Skye to talk to him once more, I think. You can go in as back-up, but I want you out of Ward's sight. She's less likely to let him get to her with your support; I know I don't fully understand your bond, but I have seen some of its effects."

Brock grumbled but agreed. "Fine. But this is the last time."

"It ought to be. I'll see him out myself; Skye can stay in the lab with Simmons at that time."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Brock stayed on base until Ward was taken away. He stood right behind Skye, a hand resting lightly on her shoulder as Ward was paraded past. It was hard to hide his amusement when Jemma stepped protectively between Ward and Skye and promised to kill him if she ever saw him again; though Skye felt his amusement, her expression remained blank. But they did both reach out to Jemma supportively; Skye took her hand and Brock rested his free hand on her arm. She glanced back at them with a tight smile as Ward moved out of their view.

"It's okay, Jemma," Skye murmured softly. Jemma turned around and wrapped her arms around Skye.

"Where he's going, he won't hurt anyone again," Brock said soothingly.

"I know," Jemma answered quietly. "I'm just glad he's gone."

"Come on. Let's go find a project to keep you busy," Skye said, tugging Jemma back into the lab.

"If you ladies will excuse me, I have a meeting with Coulson when he gets back inside," Brock spoke lightly. "But if you need me, I'll be around."

"We'll be fine. Go on," Skye said. She pulled him in for a kiss, then shooed him away.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Rumlow," Coulson greeted the other man as he returned to his office. "Skye and Simmons are alright?"

"They're fine," Brock agreed readily. "Skye's distracting Jemma with updating their chemical analysis program. Jemma's handling the chemical side and Skye's writing the update."

"Good," Coulson nodded. "That's good."

Brock surveyed the older man. Coulson looked utterly exhausted. "How are you doing, sir?" he asked quietly.

Coulson's smile was tight-lipped. "Not great. Wishing I'd sent you to Japan and to Belgium with the others. We might have saved a few more agents."

Brock raised his eyebrows. "What, and left this place without any expert guards but Trip? I think we both know that wouldn't have been smart, sir."

Coulson nodded. "I have something to ask you. I asked May, but - she's too close. I'm not sure I can trust her to do this."

"I'm listening, sir," Brock said cautiously.

"The carving. It's - out of control. Every night, now. All night. I can't sleep and it's starting to affect my decision process. I've had May look over all my operational orders and she's picked up on a few things that I've missed - I need you to do the same for the Theta Protocol orders."

"Of course, sir," Brock agreed readily. He didn't mention that he'd already been doing so. Blindly following orders had ended with him working for HYDRA before he realised it. He didn't plan on going down that road again.

"One other thing." Phil took a deep breath. "If I go genuinely mad - like Garrett did, and I know you've seen the footage from the Bus and Cybertek, of the way he was behaving towards the end - I want you to put me down."

Brock sat back in his chair, lips forming into a silent whistle. "This is what you can't trust May to do for you."

"Yes. I asked her and… she's set up a safe house. A cabin in the Australian Outback." Phil's mouth twisted. "I don't want that. I saw what Garrett became. I'd rather die. Truly, I would want to die rather than become that. Promise me, Rumlow. For Skye's sake, for all of their sakes - if it comes to it, put me down, and then support May as my successor."

For a long moment, they looked at each other. And then Brock nodded slowly. "If it gets to the point where I think there's no hope for you, I'll do it."

"Thank you." Phil cleared his throat, shuffled papers on his desk for a moment. "Right. Back to business. How's your little side project of hunting for the other enhanced soldiers going?"

"It's just taken an interesting turn, actually. I ran into Sam Wilson - you know, Cap's flying buddy? He's been out and about chasing leads on Barnes, and we've been following the same reports of men with extraordinary strength. I bumped into him in Seattle."

"Did you, now!" Phil tilted his head consideringly. "That's a very useful potential ally to have on side. And a superb conduit to the Avengers. He never knew me, either."

"I know. I've not mentioned your name - although Cap heard me say it a couple times, he never pushed me for more information."

"He must have been distracted."

"I think it was more that he recognised I was in no fucking mood for it. The first time was right after I found out Quinn had shot Skye, and the second he was barely conscious anyway, after the Triskelion battle."

Phil winced. "I see. Well, I'm happy if you want to keep working with Wilson when the opportunity arises. Heaven knows I'd be more than happy to see Barnes safe and sound as well."

"I'm fairly sure you're not the only one," Brock answered with an amused smile. "I'll see if I can get in touch with Sam next time I'm out and about. I should probably be doing that soon anyway, given everything else that's been going on."

With a nod, Phil shrugged. "I haven't pushed because I know Skye needed you here for a bit. But you probably should go see who else you can track down. Keep me posted, please."

"Of course. In an emergency I can have Skye get your attention, too," Brock added, chuckling. "It is one of the nice things about the soul bond - no one has figured out a way to jam the connection yet."

Phil laughed. "No, I suppose they wouldn't have. It's hard to experiment on something you can't even identify. Soulmarks are still one of the great mysteries of our world."

"Our world would be a very different place without them, that's for damn sure."

"And yours has changed your life significantly," Phil commented, his tone thoughtful. "Ever think about where you'd be if not for your connection to Skye?"

Brock frowned. "I try not to. It's not pleasant."

"I get that." Coulson shrugged. "Any ideas where you'll be headed first?"

"I'll probably check in with Sam before I make any plans. See if he's got any new leads since we last spoke."

"Sounds like a good plan. Let me know what your itinerary is before you leave, please."

"I will. I leave a copy with Skye as much as possible, too, though you know they're prone to change sometimes." It made Skye feel better if she had some idea of where he was going, and he obliged her as much as possible. She could hack his cell signal anyway, so there wasn't much point in keeping his location from her.

"I'm pretty sure everyone on this base knows how that goes. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Brock was getting to his feet when the phone rang. Phil answered it, holding one finger up for Brock to wait a moment. "Hello. Senator Ward? Yes, good morning… what did you say?" his shoulders were suddenly tense. "How the hell did that happen? I warned your men not to take their eyes off him for a moment…"

Brock was running without even thinking about it. Ward had escaped, he'd be coming back, Brock had to get to Skye… he burst in through the lab doors. Jemma and Skye whirled to face him, Skye's eyes widening as she felt the sudden spike in his emotions.

"On board the quinjet, fucking now!" Brock ordered, his mind racing. He'd evacuate Phil with the girls and Fitz, Trip could fly them out, he would stay and try and spring a trap for Ward when he came back… he stopped, feeling suddenly foolish.

Ward wasn't going to come back. He knew Brock was here, that he'd be waiting. And Ward knew he was no match for Brock. Not without a whole lot more manpower and weapons. Nor did he have any idea where exactly the Playground was. He'd been taken away in a closed truck. No, Ward's priority right now would be to get well clear.

"Fuck," Brock sheathed the gun he'd drawn without conscious thought.

"Brock, what is it?" Skye was in front of him, reaching up to touch his face gently, her expression worried. He put his arms around her, pressed his cheek against her hair.

"Ward's escaped custody. I wasn't thinking clearly for a moment, panicked that he'd be coming back here for you. He won't. Not right now, anyway. He'll need resources."

"He's a Specialist, he'll have cash and weapons hidden in safety deposit boxes all over the country," Phil's voice said grimly behind him. "Skye, you know what we need. Facial recognition…"

"I'll get right on it." With one last loving caress to Brock's cheek, she pulled out of his arms and went to her computer.

Jemma's hands were clenching on air. And then, without a word, she opened a drawer in her desk, took out a pistol in a holster and strapped it on her hip before going right back to work.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Brock really didn't want to leave the Playground with Ward on the loose. But the bastard had pulled a superb disappearing trick, there was no sign of him, and he got a call from Wilson asking for assistance, so he gritted his teeth, told Trip to not let Skye and Jemma out of his sight, and headed back out. It sounded as though they were going to be busy anyway, Skye had just picked up another lead on the carvings. Some nutcase was carving them into bodies.

Hopping a flight to New York was easy and, thankfully, relatively short. It was strange having someone meet him at the airport but he greeted Wilson with a smile and a handshake.

"Rumlow," Sam greeted him.

"Wilson," Brock replied.

"Good to see you, man."

"You too. So what's this project you need help with?"

"You seem tense. Everything alright?" Sam cocked his head, looking at him curiously, and Brock was reminded that Wilson was a VA therapist and an expert at reading people.

"A guy got away from SHIELD custody; that guy is kinda obsessed with my soulmate." Brock shrugged. "She's safe enough on base, and with her team around her. So, I'm here to help."

"Appreciated, man. Look, if something comes up and you have to bail, I'll understand." Sam's expression was sympathetic.

"Should be okay, but I appreciate the consideration." Brock grinned. "If something comes up bigger than her team can handle, we might need you too."

"Hey, man, you help me and I'll help you," Sam agreed readily. "Keeping people safe is part of the job. So, I've got a lead on our missing friend that I'm hoping you can help me dig up..."

Brock listened intently. The lead Sam had found could be Barnes, but it could also be one of the other half-dozen or so enhanced soldiers Brock knew about who'd survived HYDRA's process, that he hadn't been able to definitely confirm were dead. It was quite possible that one or more of them had gone rogue. Thinking of rogues, he realised he'd better fill Sam in on Ward and his capabilities. It was just possible Sam might run across him somewhere.

"What d'ya want me to do with him if I do find him?" Sam asked curiously as they walked down the street together.

"Drop him from a great height."

Sam laughed. Brock didn't. "Seriously, man?"

"Seriously." Brock didn't even break stride. "Just make sure there's nobody below for him to land on. Follow up with a few bullets to the head, too. I'm not sure how high you'd have to drop him from to be sure of killing him, since he's got the same enhancements I have."

"Wow," Sam murmured. His natural good humour reasserted itself after a moment. "Remind me not to eye up your soulmate, if I ever get to meet the lucky lady."

Brock grinned. "That's right, Wilson. You keep your manners around my girl and we'll get along just fine."

"Eh," Sam shrugged. "Lookin's all I'd do anyway. I've got a soulmate too somewhere, but it's gonna be a real long wait. They were just born last April!"

Brock couldn't help but chuckle and give the other man a friendly clap on the shoulder. "I hear ya, man. It's a hard eighteen years to wait until they're legal, at least! That said, there's definitely good things to be said for having a soulmate more than twenty years your junior." He waggled his eyebrows salaciously at Sam, who laughed as well.

"More than thirty years, in my case."

"See, you lucky bastard. One day you'll reap the benefits of all that waiting."

They were both laughing as they walked into the police station they'd been heading for.

Of course we couldn't resist giving Sam a soulmate, too. But don't ask who it is… we're not telling ahead of time!

Please stop asking about San Juan, too - NOBODY knows but the two of us what we have planned down there, and we AIN'T TELLING. You'll find out in about 6 more chapters ;)

That said, a lot of our commenters have gone very quiet. You guys still enjoying this? We haven't lost you?