A/N: Review Response: Review 1. (Guest) I'm glad you like the story. I'm glad you brought up the Caitlin/Killer Frost dynamic, because I planned on discussing that soon. I thought it was weird at first too, but I love Caitlin and Frost on the show (they're actually my favorite characters). That being said, there will be no "Killer Frost" in this story (like we see on The Flash, anyway). This story is set entirely in the S.H.I.E.L.D. universe. It's said in season three of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that Inhumans can't keep changing between states. Dr. Garner kept turning into Lash and then back into his human form, but he was still transitioning into being an Inhuman. Eventually, the Lash state would become his only state. It's a similar thing with Caitlin. Killer Frost can be considered a changed state for her, and since I don't want to make Caitlin completely become Killer Frost, there will be no separate Killer Frost identity in this story. I will still explore the power struggle, though. I hope this makes sense. It will be explained more in the actual story, in upcoming chapters.

Thanks for reading!

May took a step forward. "Caitlin, you're making the room too cold. Try to keep the cold more contained."

Caitlin's left hand clenched into a fist. She didn't want to be contained. She started to lift her right hand, readying herself to send a wave of cold energy at May. The woman looked far too threatening. She wouldn't have her powers contained again.

"Simmons!"

Caitlin whipped around at Mack's bellowing yell. The man appeared in the doorway.

"Where's Simmons?"

"Don't know. What's wrong?" Bobbi asked quickly.

"Barry had an accident." Mack disappeared. Bobbi ran out after him. Caitlin stood rooted to the spot. Barry had an accident.

"Caitlin."

She looked at May and felt her powers cut off. Rational thought returned to her as her anger faded, replaced with regret… and fear, for Barry. "Where is he?" she asked.

May shook her head. Caitlin bolted from the room, heading towards the treadmill. She knew May was right on her heels, but her mind was completely on "Barry!"

Barry lay motionless on the floor, against the far wall. A static charge filled the air, and his clothing seemed burned. Caitlin landed heavily on her knees at his side, one hand flying to his neck as the other grabbed at his wrist. "Oh, Barry…"

"What do you need?" May asked.

"I don't know yet." He was breathing but barely conscious, his eyes almost completely closed. In the back of Caitlin's mind, she started running through possibilities for what had happened. At the forefront she focused on understanding his condition and what treatment he needed. Simmons arrived next to her, moving to take his pulse. "Pulse is strong," Caitlin told her. Simmons nodded.

Barry's mouth moved. An indiscernible sound came out, but it seemed like he was trying to say something, and not just incoherent.

"Barry, can you hear me?" Simmons asked.

"… 'm okay," he said, very loosely. He was still barely conscious, but the fact that he'd spoken at all was a good sign.

"Let's get him to the med-bay," Simmons said. Mack picked Barry up gingerly, supporting him to the med-bay according to Simmons' and Caitlin's instructions. Once Barry was on a bed they started more fully examining him.

"No signs of serious damage," Caitlin said, looking to Simmons for confirmation. The doctor dipped her head in agreement. "His body just needs rest."

In the time it had taken them to check on Barry, Daisy, Cisco, Fitz, and Hunter had found them and were standing outside the med bay. Abruptly overwhelmed by the crowd of people (and given that her concern for Barry was fading), Caitlin murmured an excuse and pushed past everyone, ducking into the hallway. She had a shaking feeling inside her that she worried would show physically before long. She heard the footsteps behind her and knew someone had followed her, but hoped they got the message that she wanted to be alone. She needed a few minutes unguarded.

"Caitlin."

She stopped when she heard the voice. May.

The woman stood facing her with a searching gaze. "We need to talk about what happened back there."

"Barry's gonna be fine."

"I don't mean with Barry. What happened with your powers?"

A flash of fear shot through her. "I shouldn't have broken the gauntlets."

May was giving her the same look that Coulson was so good at, making Caitlin feel as if May could read her every thought. Something in her eyes softened, though. "Don't spend too much time alone."

There was a caution in her voice that made Caitlin think May knew what she was talking about. "I'll come check on Barry soon," she said in a more earnest tone. May seemed satisfied, and didn't try to stop her when Caitlin started walking again. It was a good thing she didn't. Caitlin wouldn't have been able to hide the shaking of her hands.

0-0

Barry reached for the Gatorade to give himself a few seconds. He could feel the weight of their stares: Cisco's being curious, Simmons' concerned, Mack's measuring. After taking a few gulps he set the drink down and met their stares levelly. "You're probably wondering what happened."

"We know what happened," Mack said, "you pushed yourself too hard."

"Is that why we've barely seen you lately? Because you've been running on that treadmill?" Cisco asked.

Barry pushed himself into an upright position. "I wanted to increase my speed. Which I did, by the way." The others didn't mirror his slight smile. He guessed he'd really scared them. He'd been pretty good about stopping before he passed out, but today he'd gotten past some barrier inside himself. He'd felt a new rush of speed as he pounded along on the treadmill, so much faster that he couldn't really hear anything. Then the lightning he felt inside him had started appearing on his body.

"There was a slight charge to your cells," Simmons said. "More than normal."

"That's probably because of the lightning."

"The treadmill doesn't conduct electricity," Mack said.

"It wasn't the treadmill that caused it." He explained what he remembered to them: first the joy at breaking his top speed, closely followed by the panic at seeing electricity travel across his torso. "I kind of just reacted and ran off the treadmill, and something in the way I moved made the lightning strike me." He normally felt the electric charge when he ran, but this had been a complete rush of it, from outside his body back into it. It had sent him flying into the wall. The next thing he remembered was two anxious faces leaning over him, and being carried here.

"You made your own lightning?" Cisco asked.

Cisco had a familiar gleam in his eyes, apparently fascinated. "Yeah, but I made it strike myself."

Cisco was shaking his head, a grin on his face. "Doesn't matter. You can make lightning! Man that's awesome."

From Mack's expression, he seemed to think it was cool himself, though he wasn't as enthusiastic as Cisco. Then again, few people were. "Daisy will want to know about this. She just went to fill Coulson in."

"I'll be good to practice in an hour or so," Barry said. "Maybe I can work with her on -."

"No," Simmons said. There was a force behind her words that usually wasn't there, and Barry's brows pressed closer together. "Yes, your body may be fine in another hour, but you're not doing any more training today. I think Caitlin would agree with me that you need a longer break from activity than what you've given yourself recently. And sleep doesn't count."

Barry met her determined gaze and reluctantly nodded. If she felt so strongly about it, of course he would take the rest of the day off. If he was honest with himself, he liked the idea of some down time. He looked at Mack and Cisco. "Wanna play some video games?"

"I've got some things to catch you up on, in the powers department. I can do that while we play," Cisco said.

"In an hour," Simmons put in. Her tone gentled, but remained insistent. "I still want you to stay here for a little longer."

0-0

Cisco had really missed hanging out with Barry. He hadn't realized it, but it had been a long time since they'd relaxed just the two of them. Mack played video games with them for a short time, and then Barry and Cisco watched two classic films after dinner: Singing in the Rain and The Princess Bride. Well, they were classic to them, anyway. Between learning that the headgear contraption Fitz-Simmons had made actually let him control his visions and spending time with one of his best friends, Cisco was in a pretty good mood when he went to bed that night.

That came crashing down early the next morning, when Coulson called everyone into the op center. Cisco could see in seconds that the Director was shaken, and was alarmed by the sight of blood on his clothes.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked, stepping forward.

Coulson held up a hand to stop her, realized everyone was in the room, and put his hand down. "Rosalind Price is dead. It's her blood on me, not mine."

Price was the ATCU woman Cisco had met once. He knew Coulson had seen her a lot more than that. Apparently they'd been close.

"How'd it happen?" Daisy asked.

Coulson had a terrifyingly blank kind of hatred in his eyes. "Ward."

Cisco saw most of the others react negatively, whether their expressions hardened or their bodies tensed. He looked at Barry and Caitlin, wondering if they knew more than he did, but they seemed just as clueless. He'd been told Ward had betrayed and hurt most of the team at some point, but he didn't have any specifics. He trusted their judgment, and was fine with hating the guy, but he did wonder exactly what he'd done. Now he had a deed he could put to the name, even if he didn't know the face.

"What do you need us to do?" Hunter asked.

"Roz's partner Banks is on his way here. He's the only one Roz confided in, so we'll figure out HYDRA and ATCU stuff later. Right now our priority is Ward. I want each of you in my office individually, to tell me everything you think might be relevant. Even the things you think aren't. I want to know everything relating to Grant Ward." He looked at them. "Hunter, you first. The rest of you make an order. And don't keep me waiting."

He walked out quickly. Hunter gave a low whistle, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Ward doesn't know what's coming for him."

"Yes, he does," May said. "You better go."

Hunter left after giving a significant look to Bobbi, and Cisco looked at the others. "I know it might not be important now, but what exactly did this guy do?"

"He betrayed us for HYDRA," Fitz said. There was an edge of steel to his voice. "He tricked us from day one."

They told Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry the story of Grant Ward, taking it in turns as Coulson's independent interviews continued. Cisco's stomach turned a few times, and he knew the shock was plain on his face. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team had said they'd been through a lot. Cisco had never imagined so much of that trauma was because of one man.

"What can we do?" Barry asked.

At this point it was only Mack and Bobbi in the room with them. "Be ready," Bobbi suggested. "Coulson's out for blood."

Cisco looked at Barry and Caitlin. Barry had a firm stance, and a determined expression. Caitlin seemed less confident, but Cisco knew she would do whatever the S.H.I.E.L.D. team asked. They all would. Cisco wasn't sure when it had happened, but the three of them had grafted themselves onto this team of agents. Maybe they weren't agents themselves, but they definitely weren't just Inhumans being helped out. They were something in between.

0-0

Jemma hated the look in Fitz's eyes. Since his meeting with Coulson he'd had a mixture of dread, anticipation, and anger in his usually gentle eyes, and she knew it was because of Ward. She was sure he felt the same way she did about the situation: all the old pain dredged up to the surface, the hurt he had caused them and the injustice that he kept evading their grasp fresh in memory. She understood, but she hated to see so much negative in Fitz's eyes anyway.

She wanted to talk with him, to try to help him relax, but they weren't alone. Banks had arrived and was telling them what he and Rosalind Price had discovered about HYDRA. He had already told the others everything important, but Fitz had asked him to the lab. Jemma wasn't sure why, until he asked one question.

"What do you know about Distant Star Pathfinder?"

Jemma knew emotions were messy and complicated, but it still surprised her how strongly she could feel both guilt and hope at the same time, whenever Fitz brought up Will. She wanted him to stop, because she knew it hurt him to think of she and Will together. She also wanted to get Will back. She still wasn't sure if she loved him, but she had to at least get him back to earth, to repay him for everything. Fitz understood that.

When Banks told them what he knew, their eyes met in an instant. This could be the lead they needed. Fitz had the program ready to find Will. The only thing they were missing was a way to get to him, and bring him back. A portal. And Banks might have just given them the location of one.

"We need to tell Coulson," Fitz said.

He started walking toward Coulson's office, so fast that Jemma had to put a hand on his arm to make him stop. He wouldn't quite meet her eyes, and guilt started overcoming the hope inside her. "Fitz, what Banks just told us makes our suspicions seem valid."

"So?"

"So HYDRA wants the thing on Maveth. That's why they've used the portals. What if the next time a portal opens, it gets out?"

"Even if that thing is real, it doesn't matter. It won't get out. All we need to do is find a working portal piece." He brought his eyes to hers, though she could tell it hurt him to do so. "We're gonna get Will back."

She didn't try to stop him when he started walking again, though she wanted to. Nothing she could say right now would make him feel any better. And if she couldn't help Fitz, maybe she should try to help Will. They found Coulson and started presenting their case to him, trying to convince him to let them investigate.

"Distant Star Pathfinder was the program that sent Will to Maveth. The program HYDRA used to do it, anyway," Jemma said.

"Banks said an independent contractor funded the program. Gideon Malick."

"We'd like to look into the location they used, see if they've left behind anything that could help us."

Coulson barely looked at them, moving about his desk. Packing a small bag. "Do it. Have Banks go with you."

Jemma had a silent conversation with Fitz as they slowly went to find Banks. Something was definitely off about Coulson. She hoped he didn't do anything rash. Of course that was exactly what she and Fitz were doing, but she pushed that thought away quickly. If she thought about it too much she would tear herself apart.

0-0

"Can you bring these back to the lab for me?" Caitlin asked.

"Sure." Cisco took the papers from her. "What are they?"

"Documents Fitz and Simmons were looking at with Banks. They were going to look into a possible lead on Maveth."

Cisco saw the logo that the scientists had been looking at on the top paper. If they'd found a possible lead, maybe they would find the Will guy. Although Cisco kind of hoped they didn't. He'd been distracted, but he still hoped he could help play matchmaker for them.

He walked into the lab and went to Fitz's desk to set it down, reaching absently to straighten the chair as he did. Upon touching the chair Cisco entered a vision, completely unbidden but especially vivid. He saw Fitz and Simmons standing in a large space. Fitz reached his hand out to cover Simmons as a man approached them. The scene cut and resolved to show them in a different place, being forced apart and in opposite directions as someone said something that sounded like 'one of you will tell us.'

Cisco came out of the vision with a strangled gasp. He could feel his heart racing. That wasn't a new vision. It was the vision he'd had when he first came out of the cocoon, though this time it had been much clearer, and more detailed. If he was seeing it again, it had to be real.

He ran out of the lab. He passed Barry and Caitlin as he headed toward Coulson's office but didn't stop. He didn't stop until he almost collided with Daisy in the hallway.

"Whoa," she said. She had her hands on his arms. "What's the rush?"

"I saw something."

She straightened, taking in his anxiety and searching his face. "What was it?"

He told her, his nerves climbing as he saw her reaction. "I saw more this time. They were brought to a guy, tall and strong, with dark hair. I think they recognized him."

Daisy pulled a tablet closer to her and tapped the screen a few times. "Is this the guy?"

Cisco looked at the picture and nodded.

"That's Ward." She swore. "We have to keep this from happening."

Dread filled Cisco's stomach. "Daisy, in my vision they were wearing the clothes we saw them in this morning."

She bolted down the hall, shouting for Mack. Cisco stayed in place.

"What's going on?" Caitlin asked, as she and Barry approached Cisco.

Cisco just shook his head, too lost in his fears to go through it out loud again. Barry disappeared, probably to find out what was wrong from someone else. Caitlin stayed next to Cisco, silently trying to support him. He appreciated it, but it didn't help.

Daisy came back a few minutes later, telling them Barry had run to the warehouse and had found Banks's body, but no sign of Fitz or Simmons. At that point Cisco let his head fall into his hands. It was his fault they were gone. If he'd just tried seeing them again… this was the first vision he'd ever had, of course it had been real…

"It's not your fault," Caitlin said.

"Cisco."

He looked up at Daisy's voice.

"I need you to focus, okay? We're gonna get them back."

"How?"

"Mack will make a plan, and we'll go after them. Come on."

Caitlin pulled lightly at his arm, and he followed her and Daisy to Coulson's office (which was currently Mack's). By the time he stepped inside he had stopped wallowing. Fitz and Simmons needed help now. Bobbi had told him to be ready earlier. It was time to actually do that.