38

Coulson's POV

A dead silence rang through the cargo hold. I waited for them to collect their bearings, their guns lowering one by one till I could lower my arms.

"What the hell is going on?" Other Me snapped.

"A lot but I think the first priority is to tell you that you're stuck in a different version of your world. We're in the Bus."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you?" Other Coulson said, folding his arms.

"Then by all means ask away." I waited.

"What's the date? I think we need to establish that."

My eyes darted to Other May. I knew it was a different version of her, different experiences and all but it was really good to see her face. Even after a few weeks from the last version.

"16th June 2013."

Some of them looked to each other.

"I'm guessing there's a time difference by your faces."

"Yeah, it's 28th October 2014." Other Skye said.

Behind me on the balcony, we heard the doors slide and a pattern of running feet.

"Cool. Another version so soon-uff" It was Fitz before Skye ran into the back of him.

"Sorry." She whispered before skipping down the steps. Fitz stumbled more than skipped.

"Wait, another version?" Other Bobbi Morse asked. I recognised her easily so the man must be her ex-husband, Lance hunter. Hartley mentioned he was a part of her team.

"Yeah, a different version of you came through, helped us with a lot of things like Mike and his family being moved, Po to a different prison, Raina's in the fridge and Vanchat in custody though we have Lorelei to contain in a week. They disappeared three weeks back." I explained.

"What about Quinn?" Other Skye asked, her face stony in a way that reminded me of May.

"He's…in a different situation. We'll debrief you on what we're doing soon."

"So you haven't told them about-" Fitz started, his hands started to mime a belly in front of him before Skye slapped his hands away.

"Not yet." I interrupted. "First thing's first, where's Simmons and Ward?"

"She's got the soul-"

"Not our version, Fitz." Skye whispered, shaking her head. A few dark looks spread across the Other faces.

"Simmons? I was….I.. I was...just… talking to her. She…" My eyes darted to Other Fitz. He seemed different but his speech confirmed it. What had happened to him?

"Let's go to the lounge, this could take a while." Other Coulson decided after a moment, looking defeated but accepted their new locational factor. I nodded.

"I have that feeling. Fury's arriving so. He might interrupt."

"Good."

I couldn't tell what he meant by the tone but Skye and Fitz took the look I sent to race up the stairs.

"Was that what Fitz was like before?" The large man asked. I didn't know him so I'd have to ask. Probably part of Hartley's team.

"Yeah." Other Skye asked.

Simmons was in the lounge, fiddling with an ice box. Trip was taking to her. Both turned as I and the Other version of us.

"Sir, and others." She greeted cheerfully.

"Simmons, that's our ice box!" Fitz whined, trotting over to them and past us "We eat out of this!"

"It was the only one we had suitable!"

"We eat of this!" He repeated.

"What's the deal with that?" Other Trip asked quietly to me.

"Simmons is growing an Alien baby in our picnic ice box." Trip called over. Some of the others snorted, while the others look from surprised to confuse.

"Alien Baby?"

"We'll come to that." I answered. It was humorous to a point but Fitz was right, we put food in that. "Simmons, buy Fitz a new one when we land. Everyone let's take a seat."

"I got an idea, why don't the other Team write out in bullet points what happened to them and we do the same then we swap. Questions and arguments later." Skye suggested an arm full of pads

"Alright, Sounds fair." Other could said, taking a seat.

Handing them out. I took the pen and began to write from the last part of the mission then May's disappearance. Pointing each event and what we found out then to the last phone call concerning Hartley and her team and Fury's due arrival. I could pick up Fitz and Simmons bickering quietly over a pad. Skye and Trip was working quietly on a separate pad each.

I glanced to the Others who were talking in hushed voices. Fitz was working with the Man I didn't know, friends most likely.

Other Lance appeared to be bickering with Other Bobbi over Other May's head though she looked mildly annoyed. Understandable. Others were paired off quietly with little fuss.

"Okay, I'm done." Skye announced, standing up with a yawn. "Is it too early to go to bed?"

"Yes," I answered taking the pad off her and put it to the side.

"I'll get the pictures!" Simmons remembered then jumped out her seat, over Fitz and shot away like she was being chased.

"I've never seen her move so fast unless she's A. being chases, B. Skye and make up or C. under fire." Fitz mused.

"When have I ever chased her about a plane with make up?" Skye asked again, taking a far-away seat, leaning back.

"A month ago. Your other version wanted a chance to see what she looks like under make up. She didn't succeed in the fact that Other vision of May got involved and threw her make up bag off the cargo hold." Fitz answered.

"So that's where they went!" Skye gasped then pouted. "Oh well,"

"What happened to May and Ward here?" Other Skye asked. "I haven't seen her, you've not mentioned her, Ward too." Her voice darkened at the end. Evidently something happened with their version of ward which they grew to distasted with much passion.

"It'll be here." I answered, tapping my pad. "Which I think I've got everything."

"I've put them in an encrypted file on here; Coulson had the only hard copy of…one of the pictures." Simmons said, her eyes darted to me then back to the others, a USB was in her palm.

"Done. I even added a picture of a monkey in the corner." A clear picture of a money was in the corner next to his hand writing.

"Fitz." Simmons sighed, shaking her head but a fond smile on her face. She handed me the USB and took a seat.

"Looks more like a mutated you than a monkey, Fitz." Skye sighed.

Fitz face dropped, amusement sucked straight out his body and replaced with a cold look. He threw the pad to the side and sat back.

"Oh! So sorry Fitz I didn't mean-"

"No, no. It's a touchy subject." Fitz answered, looking at his nails. I could agree to that statement. If taken we'd mutate closer to alien. I didn't want that.

Other Coulson sent me a questioning look.

"You'll read all about it. Done?"

"Just about." He began to collect them up into one pile. "Hunter, hand it over." Glaring at Other Bobbi, Other Hunter handed it over and sat down on the floor since the seats were taken.

Swapping the pads, I went to open Other Coulson's one.

"Actually, why don't we start with your version of events. It'll be a lot less…confusing should something come up. We can ask questions with no interruptions from you with questions with what's happening with us." Other Coulson interrupted, picking up the pads and handed them out.

"Okay." I agreed. A good point.

I sat back and watched as they all began to read, Other Coulson's eyebrow shot up before frowning. He nudged Other May who began to read over his shoulder. Her face turn from a frown to disgust.

"Really? Pregnant? By him?" She questioned.

"Who's pregnant? Not every has the news." Other Hunter complained.

"Our version of May is."

His eyebrow shot up. "May? By who? Oh wait, by the tone I'm guessing it's Ward. Poor thing."

"This version of Ward hasn't done anything. Yet. He's being in habited by an alien race without a form."

"Sounds tough." He remarked.

"No. May, Ward, Quinn and Agent Hand are the only known agents being used for bodies."

"But May's pregnant. How's that supposed to work?" Other Skye asked.

"It's fairly simple." Simmons answered. "They just inhabit the mind, giving them the control of the host form. I don't think the baby aspect of it would have changed much."

"Oh." She then sighed. "How long as she been gone?"

"Couple of months. We first thought she'd run away or got in a fight by the state if her room but she left of her own accord."

"Room?"

I sighed. I hated this. Back to square one. I felt silly.

"Someone, explain." I could feel a headache forming.

"We believe the alien mind wasn't quite so compatible with the host. The possession takes stages to fully be… downloaded. The human body is forced to mutate to comply the host mind but to stabilise to keep everything in tact so the host wouldn't suffer a mental break down. Because the genetic shifts done to the form it unlocked potential powers locked away in the human genes. Of cource from our only contained alien, she told us the first few hours of waking into the host were difficult."

"You've really done your research, haven't you?" Other Bobbie asked, impressed.

Simmons shrugged. "It's the only time passing since they're targeting human hosts within SHIELD. Hand, May and Ward. 7 billion other people and it's three people from the same organisation. They've been picking us off so we have to stay in the air, minimalize chances of us escaping should be taken."

"Sounds like fun. Waiting it out"

"What's with the baby growing in an ice box?" Other Trip asked.

"Well, uh, It's more of an accident. The biology of the aliens is really quite fascinating. One of the Aliens using Agent Hand's physical form. She can create and mimic living ice. When she first came to SHIELD, she and the team were shutting down the centipede labs. The alien came through but her power was out of control. She froze everyone on the Bus. She took a few shots but she's alive."

"Freeze…..Living ice?" Other Fitz questioned slowly.

"Yes. The ice structure is different. Instead of killing the ice puts any living matter into a stables status. Much like how Captain America was preserved in the ice only much bigger."

"I'm guessing the Soul's are always out of control at the start. May's room, Ward room. Hand freezing the Bus. Quinn probably made things go weird."

"What can they do?"

"May's telekinetic ." I answered this time. "her room got torn up. When we tried to bring Ward and Quinn in, she took out the helicopters, SUVs, everything. She wasn't even there."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Yes. Ward's not any better." I snorted.

"What can he do?" My head jerked to Other Skye.

"Turn his form to a silver metal and he can create, manipulate and mimic a white fire over his body."

Some of their eyes widened.

"Christ. And I thought we had it bad." Other Skye breathed.

"We have a plan. I have Agent Hartley and her team running with us. They're digging into places we've over looked."

Other Hunter sat up, his body stiffening Other Bobbi too.

"Hartley's here?" He asked.

"Yes. I was on the phone to her shortly before you arrived."

"Can I speak to her?" His voice was odd to his normal speech. He was close to her but something must have happened to their version. Death maybe. Lucky Hartley knew the past version of us so she wouldn't be surprised for this version.

"When she comes back from her cover. If she signals for an emergency extraction then we'll be there."

"Where are they now?" Hunter asked again.

"London, UK."

He nodded, sitting back.

The bus suddenly jerked. The holocomm in the command centre flickered on. A jet was docking.

"It's Fury." I answered, standing up. "I'll need to warn him about you lot, he doesn't know."

"Sir," Skye yawned. "I don't feel-"

She didn't finish. I whipped around to see her collapse to the floor.