What Gonna' Work? Teamwork!
I sat with my head against the cargo hold ramp, bemoaning silently the situation we found ourselves in. Everyone seemed to feel the same, silently stewing- except May. She was just flat out unconscious. Sneaky bastards didn't even have the courage to face her because they knew they'd lose… the cowards. But Coulson had of course surrendered the Bus for my life, but to insure his compliance Reyes had tied all of us to the ramp in a line- like lemmings. I don't even know if I really remembered what a lemming was, but the word just somehow seemed appropriate. My neck had at least stopped bleeding from the prick of the knife at this point, so there was that to add to my pile of positives. It was the only one in the pile, but it was a start.
I noticed Fitz was staring at my neck as well from his spot next to me. Another thing to add- I had been the only one who had to be roughed up. They basically hadn't laid a hand on Fitz-Simmons this entire coup other than tying them up. That was a positive. "This is my fault," he told me apologetically. I looked over at him and shook my head. I couldn't blame him even a little bit. I was the big screw-up here.
"No, it's mine. I should have protected the two of you better- fought harder or something."
"Well, I should have been able to help you rather than stand there," he disagreed. "Should have learned Kung Fu."
"Oh yeah, but I shouldn't have pushed you into the field in the first place," Simmons apologized from next to Fitz. And it started to dawn on me that everybody thought they were the big screw-up of the hour. Everyone was blaming themselves, not one person like me for instance. We weren't disappointed in one another. We were mad at ourselves. There might be hope for us yet as a team after all. "You weren't ready."
"Uh we," Fitz disagreed, gesturing his head towards my neck, "we weren't ready." Jemma looked at it and took a beat before nodding in agreement. Now I was just starting to get a bit uncomfortable at all the guilt heading my way. They were scientists. It's not like I expected them to fight while I hid in the corner.
"It was my job to make a proper threat assessment," Ward joined the guilt party, sounding very hard on himself. For the first time I almost wanted to comfort the guy rather than hit him. He almost made it sound like he cared about us, that in his mind he had failed us.
"This wouldn't have happened if Agent May wasn't on the stick," Skye added bitterly. "She would have busted out some of her ninja know-how." Now I hadn't seen any of May's combat skills, but something told me she had to be good for how high Fury and Hill held her. I had no doubt that whatever Skye had seen made her assessment of our pilot completely accurate. Plus, she totally had the demeanor to be a secret ninja.
Not everyone seemed to agree with me though. "Agent May?" Fitz inquired in gentle disbelief. "No. No, no. She transferred from administration." Well, I bet there was a story there. And from Ward's face next to me it had to be an interesting one.
"Well, I've seen he destroy a guy, so…" Skye defended. Everyone now turned to look as Ward as I had for answers to these conflicting accounts. He took a minute deciding how to answer.
"You've heard of The Cavalry?" he addressed the three of us. Instantly getting the feeling I should know it I through my 'yeah' in with Fitz and Simmons. I didn't even know if I needed to research this one- it seemed to speak for itself. She had a badass name because like I suspected she was a badass. She probably rode a horse through flames while wielding machine guns or something.
"Wh-everyone at the academy talks about st-"Fitz and Simmons both seemed to come to the realization in the same instant and spoke in unison. "She's The Cavalry?"
"I told you never to call me that," May groaned from the floor. I couldn't help but let out a chuckling breath knowing our greatest asset was up and at 'em. But at the same time I was also making a very large note to avoid calling her by that name. Making her angry was pretty close to the last thing I ever wanted to do- especially when she was the woman who held all my secrets in the palm of her hand.
Fitz-Simmons were still grappling with the revelation, both of them staring at her in amazement. "I can't believe it," Simmons smile nearly went from ear to ear. "Oh, we're sure to get out of here now." She then addressed May politely as she sat up. "Um, how do we get out of here?"
May didn't even have to take a moment before she had the makings of a report to give us. "Can't go through the doors. They're bolted, tied to the pressurized lines." Well… that left… practically nothing. We might not be able to pull this off after all. Fantastic.
But I wasn't going to give up just yet. We had to fix this. Reyes wasn't going to get what she wanted if I had anything to say about it. And I always have something to say. I turned to Fitz-Simmons. "Do you two have any ideas? You're the geniuses."
"I-I'm just having trouble concentrating personally," Fitz admitted. "It's hard to concentrate in these intense situations." He was scared just like the rest of us, but it was getting to him a lot more. He was freezing up and we couldn't afford that. I went to try and comfort him, get his head in the game, but Ward surprisingly beat me there of all people.
"Hey. Don't freeze up." It was blunt, but had a gentleness I hadn't heard in the man before. He was really pulling out all the stops today in terms of having emotion. I was almost starting to question my judgements about the guy. "You don't need to come up with the whole solution. Just part of it. Right?" He was looking at Skye, the two of them clearly calling back to a moment from before. The problem was there were three people between the two of them and I could say it was certainly a little uncomfortable. "Pieces solving a puzzle."
Okay, I needed to end this before they tried making out or something. "Can I just say I'm a little insulted you didn't use my 'no man is an island' quip from earlier," I broke the mood completely. "But okay. Apparently she speaks wisdom though she said the same exact thing. Whatever. I'll try not to be bitter for too long."
Everyone seemed to want to laugh at my comment, but just wasn't feeling the moment. Understood. No pressure. "Let's get to work on that plan then," Ward suggested getting us back on track, though he didn't seem to harbor the usual venom my tangents brought about. "The goal is to make sure Reyes doesn't get her hands on the 0-8-4 and touch down back in Peru."
"We could escape and hide," Fitz suggested. "And then when they land and cart the 0-8-4 out, we grab it and take off with them on the ground."
"We'd be facing them without weapons though," Ward reminded him. "They're going to cut through us real quick. Plus, I don't know anywhere we could hide on here for that long." I started wracking my brain, trying to contribute and pull my weight around here.
"We break free," I tried, "get to Coulson and then hold a gun to his head telling Reyes we kill him unless she surrenders. From what I understand she needs him to clear where we're going. Plus with their whole past history she'd crack under the pressure. We get the Bus back before we even land." It could work. We just had to play the emotions just right to light up a powder keg.
"We're not holding anything to Coulson," May instantly put it down. "There are too many variables and she may call our bluff. Then we'll be right back where we started." Point taken. And from the look everyone was giving me, suggesting holding a gun to your leader isn't the way to win points.
"She's right about one thing though," Fitz came to my aid, "It needs to be before we hit the ground. Even if we have to take it down ourselves somehow."
"May I ask with what?" Simmons inquired. "It's like Ward said. We still have no weapons."
"We have the 0-8-4," I spoke suddenly as it came to me. "You guys said it's like some kind of laser. We can threaten them with that. They'll practically be running off the Bus."
"It's too unstable," Simmons argued. "You could set it off and then we'd all be dead. Yes, the mission would be a success, but not quite in all the way we desire such as us living." Okay. Think. What can we use? What can we do?
"Or," Skye spoke up like she just had an epiphany, "we set it off, but in the way we want." Everyone was looking to see where she was going. I was really curious personally. "We point it at something and let it damage the Bus enough it has to go down. We use that time to get the upper hand and take everything back." Wow. I really liked that idea. I started thinking it over and was crazily starting to buy that it just might work.
"Well, that's clearly the worst idea we've heard yet," Simmons disagreed. "Including holding a gun to Coulson's head."
"It could work," I disagreed, slightly defensive. "Skye's plan, not mine. It could work."
"Reyes is gonna kill us the minute we land, regardless, and blame it on the rebels," Ward reminded us intensely. "This way, we have a fighting chance. I'll take it." I couldn't help but think that of course he would agree with Skye's plan, but it was honestly the best one we had. And I had to make sure that everything went alright for all the people in this room. I had to make this mission a success no matter what it took. How I was going to do that? I honestly had no idea. "What's first?" he asked our two geniuses.
They still clearly weren't onboard with the plan. "We can't get upstairs without going in the lab," Fitz reminded all of us.
"And the only way to release the lab doors is from upstairs," Jemma added, clearly backing him up.
"The first thing is, we're tied to the cargo hold door so unless you can-"Skye was silenced by a crack echoing through the hanger. I don't know why, but it honestly kind of made me want to throw up though I had no idea what it was. It just sounded that disgusting.
"What the hell was that?" Fitz and I both spoke in unison, him cringing even more than I was.
"Her wrist," Ward answered us simply, sending chills down my spine and making me nearly gag as May rose now free from her shackles. There were the sound of footsteps coming from the balcony and she quickly and silently made her way up the stairs.
"Try not to look at it," I whispered to Fitz, trying to avert my eyes from her right hand. "Just don't look at it, don't think about it, and don't recall the sound. Just don't."
"I'm trying," he whispered back. "But you're really not helping matters." The man looked out over the group of us, and the moment he registered one of us was missing May was already on him. She managed to flip him over the balcony and send him very painfully to the floor with a cry. She had taken down a man a lot bigger than her with ease. Maria Hill had been right… the bitch. No. I didn't mean that. I was letting today get to me too much. But May was certified badass and I was so glad we had her on our side. She put anything I was capable of to shame really- a true Agent in every regard. The chances of this succeeding were now so much greater than before, thank goodness.
May jumped over the balcony herself and landed lightly on her feet before cracking her wrist back in place. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block out any and all images assaulting me at the moment. I let the moment pass before focusing in on the mission. I needed to keep my head in the game. Try not to think of it. Try not to imagine what had happened. Just deep breaths and let it go. Focus on the mission at hand. Fitz seemed to be having the same battle next to me- at least we were partners in this. "What's next?" May asked us, pulling me back in more efficiently than I had been doing for myself.
"How about you get the rest of us out of these?" I suggested. She quickly made her way over to us and undid our binds with such efficiency it was scary. When it was my turn I just rubbed my wrists with a smile, happy to once again put my days of being bound behind me. I rose to my feet with a game smile. "Thank you. I have such a thing against handcuffs." I was immediately getting looks and regretting my words, but I played it off with a shrug. "Another story for another day. Let's do this."
"We need to get into the lab," Simmons stated what came next. "We need supplies- a way to activate the 0-8-4 without any of us being in the way."
"We could use one of the Dwarves," Fitz suggested. "If we are purposefully trying to activate it then it should be no trouble at all."
"How do we make sure no one swats it out of the sky?" I felt a need to follow up. We had to make sure we covered all our bases.
"Send it through the vents," Simmons suggested. "It will be virtually undetected until it reaches its destination. We can unscrew the one present in the lab easily."
"Okay, so we activate it," Ward followed along clinically. "We blow a hole in the plane and if they fall out it's better for us. How are we going to make sure one of us doesn't get swept away though?"
"Tie ourselves together," Skye instantly spoke up. "Make a chain and stick together to get through the Bus." It was absolutely insane, but it might work. "Harness ourselves to a rope and buckle down somewhere once we have the plane back."
"Leave that part to me," May vowed and I planned to. She was going to get her job done.
"But none of this will work because we still have the issue of somehow getting through that door," Fitz reminded us. We all started to think madly and as fast as our brain could go, but May seemed to be a step ahead of us this time.
"Oh, we'll get through that door," she said with complete confidence as she made her way towards our cars. I quickly realized the brilliance of what she was planned and started to follow her. Agent May clearly knew what she was doing.
Skye stopped all of us, clearly worried, and we circled around her. "Okay, we're sure, right? Everyone's sure?"
"We're all on board," Jemma assured her, caught up in the tense moment and just throwing caution to the wind.
"Yeah, Let's do this fast," Fitz agreed.
"Ditto," was all I felt I needed to add.
"No turning back," Ward prepped us. "No freezing up."
"Because if we do, then all of die," I cut his talk short, trying to speed things up. "We know."
"All right," he agreed as everyone nodded. There was then the rev of an engine and we all turned to see May already standing in the driver's seat of one of our Jeeps. "You guys talk a lot." She then floored it and we all had to duck out of the way, Ward actually shielding me a bit weirdly enough, as she drove full force into the lab doors. It certainly made a dent when we looked up a moment later, wires sparking and glass everywhere. We efficiently made our way into the lab and set about our tasks: Simmons started drilling the screws out of a ceiling vent with my assistance- though she had three done in the time it took me to do one, Fitz got one of the Dwarves up and running, Skye was raiding the cabinet for supplies while Ward grabbed belts and rope from one of the bags, and May made her way through the other set of doors to get our plane back. I wouldn't want to be in her way at all.
As soon as we took care of the vent, Fitz sent one of the Dwarves up as quickly as he could, steering in towards the 0-8-4. Ward came around and the group of us lined up to get belted up, him doing it without a word. I was the last in line and he hesitated. "We've got three belts," he growled in frustration.
"That's okay," I assured him. "I'll stay down here in the lab- be out of the way. Everyone else has a part to play but me." We were taking too long. They surely knew what we were up to. And I wasn't going to sacrifice anyone's safety for my own. "It's like you said. I'm a distraction. Don't let me distract you and go get the job done."
He narrowed his eyes. "We stick together. I'm not leaving you down here for someone to stumble upon and hurt you." Before I could protest, he wrapped the rope around my waist. "We're a team and we stick together." He tied the end of the rope around me with multiple knots and examined his work with a sigh, noting how insecure it looked compared to the others. "Let's hope that will hold." Before I could argue any further, he started up the stairs and we all had to follow, lining up outside the door. He latched one end to a metal railing so the group of us were anchored and moved to the front of the line.
We all turned to Fitz, who I saw had the Dwarf at the 0-8-4. He took a deep breath and looked at Jemma. "Simmons, forget what I said before. This is the moment that we'll regret." With a push of a button, the entire plane jolted. We desperately held our balance as our stomach dropped and the feeling of falling and falling fast hit us.
"It worked," Skye managed to smile from beside me. I don't know how though. I was trying desperately to just hold it together.
Ward tested the door and to everyone's relief it instantly opened. "The drop in cabin pressure released the doors," Jemma explained with a smile. The mood was starting to catch to me too. It was working. We were figuring this out and turning the situation around.
Ward turned to us, bringing the mood of our small triumph back down to serious. "I'll take care of the soldiers. All of you guys get to the 0-8-4."
"And Coulson?" Fitz questioned, clutching his tablet close to his chest as the plane shook.
Ward shrugged just a bit. "Let's hope he can handle himself." I wanted to disagree with him, but he was right. We had to worry about our part of this and trust our leader to know what to do. Otherwise we'd end up getting off track and jeopardizing everything when we had already blown a hole in our plane.
With that, we were through the door. Ward was first, then myself, Skye, Jemma, and Fitz. As soon as we were through the wind became so much more intense and the shaking even greater. But we had to push that to the back of our minds and fight with everything we could to remain upright. Instantly, the sound of a gun rose over the din and Ward was shoving me back through the door while he ducked. "Get back!"
The man kept firing and Ward charged into the room, kicking both men as he jumped over the couch. I just tried to keep a hold on the swaying door and not be completely bowled over as my hair flew every which way. "Go no! Find the 0-8-4!" I managed to hear him shout and knew this was the moment. I started as the leader of my line making my way towards the back on the Bus, grabbing at anything I could to keep me steady over the winds. Everyone followed behind me, desperately trying to stay on their feet with some have more success than others- that being Fitz. But I had to focus on me and leading them, putting one foot in front of the other and just praying they would match me. It wasn't on the now toppled table any longer, but it had to be somewhere in the room.
Then we went straight downwards and I was sent rolling into the wall, Skye colliding into me as well. We both struggled against the elements to sit up. Ward was still battling one of the men in the room, throwing him into a wall. But it was Simmons who grabbed my attention. Jemma had found where the 0-8-4 had been embedded in one of the walls after flying off the table. She managed to yank it out after a few attempts, clutching it to herself. "I've got it!"
"Fitz! Reel us in!" I shouted over the wind, feeling the slight tug of the line as we tried to make our way back against now both the wind and steepness of the descending plane. I heard Fitz shout, but was distracted as Skye took a piece of paper to her face. She looked at it a moment before seeming to make a decision, unbuckling herself from the line.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted as she moved past me. Seriously, I had no idea. I grabbed her wrist to keep her from going any farther. I wasn't about to let Skye kill herself.
"We need your help!" Jemma reminded her. She just looked at the two of us and struggled against me grip.
"Trust me!" And I don't know why I did it, but I let her go. She made her way to a red Emergency case at the back of the Bus and pulled out a yellow bag just as the Bus started to level out. May must have done her job, but the wind was still brutal.
I was so busy watching Skye I didn't realize until it was too late. "Ashleigh!" Fitz shouted as the knot came undone from around my waist and sent me hurtling in the direction of the hole. I fought and grabbed onto the pole in the center of the room, hugging it to myself. The man had managed to shake Ward and was making his way towards Jemma, pulling at her line. Fitz and Simmons were being pulled together and struggling in vain against him, but I knew what I could do. I swung myself on the beam and let go, sending myself into the man with a kick that knocked his legs out from under him. He was sent tumbling back, but Ward grabbed his arm with his other wrapped around the same pole.
I meanwhile was now tumbling again, but felt someone grab my foot to stop me from being pulled in. I turned to see both Fitz and Simmons had an arm around one of my legs and were desperately trying to keep me from slipping. They were losing their grip though and I was slowly sliding closer to the hole that would send me falling through the sky. I was staring my fear of heights right in the face and I was beyond petrified. I couldn't even move to get a better grip despite their shouting at me.
Then it was gone in almost an instant. In the commotion Skye had blown up the emergency life raft and used it to plug the hole essentially. The man Ward had been fighting bounced off it, seconds away from falling in after losing a grip on Ward. I hit the floor with a large gasp as the wind was knocked out of me and buried my head in the carpet as I took a few steadying breaths to come to grips with how close I really had been.
When I looked up Coulson was punching one of the two men as he reached for his gun and Ward had subdued the other. Skye made her way over to Ward and offered him a hand as I scrambled to my hands and knees with Fitz-Simmons coming in to help me up. "Are you-"
My arms were around the both of them before she could finish. I don't know what compelled me to do it, but it was strong enough I held them tight for a few second before coming to my senses. I had no clue why I had done that. I really shouldn't have, but part of me was still reeling that these two had saved my life. I would be hurtling through the sky to my demise. I was a bit emotionally unstable right now with that knowledge.
But it had been after I had again protected them and the 0-8-4, meaning perhaps I was more than a distraction this time after all. I could have changed the tide some way, prevented a catastrophe. Maybe I was finally 1 for 3.
Jemma was smiling brightly, though exhausted, and Fitz just looked extremely awkward like usual. "I am thanks to the two of you," I smiled, fighting back tears almost. "Thank you." She just put an arm around my back and we made our way over to the others. "T-t-the 0-8-4 is stable and cooling," Fitz informed Coulson as he examined a cracked cup. "But we should call H.Q. and get it to the Slingshot as soon as possible."
Coulson nodded and then looked up. "Was one of those guys covered in mashed potatoes?"
"Ashleigh threw her TV dinner at him," Simmons informed him. Coulson merely gave me an impressed look and went to address Reyes while we all just leaned on objects- I was personally leaning on the shoulder of Fitz- and caught our breath after a very intense scenario… as a team.
I couldn't let the moment go without getting something off my chest though as I turned to face Skye. "Next time you're planning on going off book, make sure you're not one of the one with a belt."
This time they all laughed. And as I looked the group of us over and the spike in comfort in the room, overall I'd say the mission was actually pretty successful after all. We were a team and I had made myself part of it all by my lonesome with just my skills and personality.
I had accomplished the first line of my tattoo. Now I just had to focus on the second.
XXX
I spent the couple hours before we landed on the couch, passed out with Skye while the others skittered about to get ready for the Slingshot launch. Coulson informed us we'd have to stay for a few days so repairs could be done, and as soon as we landed men were already making their way around us to fix things up. Skye made her way down, needing to talk to Coulson, and I was dragged to my feet a minute later by Simmons. "Come on. You can't miss it, even if you have seen one before."
She held a beer in her hand and passed one off to my from a cooler Fitz was carrying. I followed the two of them with a smile down the stairs as they blew past everyone to the end of the ramp. "Hey, come on. You guys don't want to miss this." Skye looked at me and I merely shrugged. We made our way to the end and took a seat with everyone coming up behind us. "So, it'll take about 180 days to reach the sun," Fitz told me as the others settled in and Jemma opened the cooler. "Now, yes, of course it would have been faster if they'd used hydrogen-fueled APU's, but they're having fun."
"Of course," I agreed. I popped mine open and clinked it against his. "Cheers mate."
"Cheers," he echoed before we both took a big drink. I didn't know my exact age, but it had to be over 21. At least I was hoping so now. But despite desperately trying to unwind after the whole affair, this was the first moment I felt at peace. Since I had woken up really. I felt like there was a plan, a purpose even, and that everything was going to be okay.
"How many of those have you guys had?" Skye asked from behind us. I rolled my eyes and took another swig. It tasted really good- hit the spot just right.
"Skye. Skye," Jemma shook her head. "It's important when in the field to unwind from time to time."
"Yeah, yeah, especially after a hard day of everyone almost dying," Fitz added.
"Which doesn't happen every day, right?" Simmons asked almost nervously. None of us answered. "It's an anomaly- an irregularity. Not… the norm." Something told me the opposite was quite true, and she seemed to realize it as well.
"Speaking of 'not the norm'," Coulson addressed us, "whose idea was it to blow a hole in the plane?"
We took a beat before Skye spoke up, shifting uncomfortably. "May said that the doors were tied to the pressurization, so then I thought-"
"We all did," I cut her off and got to the chase. "It was all of us, sir, and I must say it was quite brilliant." I rose my bottle again and everyone followed, agreeing to what I had just said.
Coulson was merely smiling with pride. "Good work," he told all of us, and that just capped off the moment perfectly. We had made him proud.
"All clear for liftoff," a voice sounded in the distance.
"Oh, time for blastoff." Fitz pinched his nose. "Launching… in three…two…" He got a laugh out of everyone and stopped just as the rocket blazed upwards in front of us. It was pretty amazing to behold, even if I had supposedly seen it before. "The trajectory will take it beyond the Lagrange point so that it doesn't hit Herschel."
"And there haven't been any coronal mass ejection, so it shouldn't lose telemetry." Ward looks at me in exasperation, but I just shrugged. I was growing accustomed to the jargon and its secret meanings.
"It probably means it's going up," I summarized, actually managing to make him smile. Maybe Grant Ward wasn't the absolute worst person in the world. Maybe even he and I stood and chance at becoming friends after all. Not that I was going to take anything back. I still stuck by all my comments about the robot.
What? Rome wasn't built in a day.
XXX
We had to stay in the bunkers at the Slingshot while waiting for our plane was being fixed and it allowed some time to finally just take it easy. I know it had been like two days of action but I know I seriously needed a vacation. The others seemed to take it in stride too- Fitz-Simmons were updating some things in the lab and I made sure to visit frequently. I would mostly just watch the two of them go back and forth, becoming more in sync with their way of acting and speaking. I wasn't quick enough to get a comment in there yet, but just give it some time. I was determined to get there. Things changed the second day after I almost destroyed an entire batch of cultures in the fridge just by touching the thing and I wasn't quite as welcome as before- I had to stand in the corner and not touch anything. There was even a line of tape to block me off for my convenience. I would admit to it being funny if it hadn't stunk of betrayal.
Skye and Ward were getting prepared to start her trained to become a true blue Agent- he had volunteered to be her S.O. There was definitely something going on there, but I kept my mouth shut. Let them figure it out themselves. I spent more time those couple days with Skye then Ward, though it was mostly at meals because she insisted on cooking for me so I didn't kill myself when I tried. The two us continued to hit it off and I answered any questions she had on S.H.I.E.L.D. in a very textbook manner- because I was literally learning them from a textbook the night before.
But Ward did visit me the second night, knocking on the metal of my bunk as I stared at my tablet. I had become dedicated to taking the opportunity to absorbing as much information as I possibly could. I was going to prove myself to at least be a knowledgeable as my level in one way at least. I looked up at him and I'm sure looked a little confused. Simmons had the bed below me, but she was still out, and Skye had the one across from us but she was gone, so I couldn't figure out who he was here to see.
"I am here to see you, Crawford," he answered my confusion. I put down my tablet and gestured for him to hop. He refused and just folded his arms. "I just wanted to clear up some things between the two of us."
"Okay?" Who the hell was this and where was Grant Ward?
"Back there, you trusted me to do my job and keep you safe while we were in the air, right?" I nodded, still unsure where this was going. "You understood my skill and counted me to do my part of the job. And it's not your job, so you seemed… useless." My look became a glare and he put his hands out. "Stay with me. But when we come to the situation where we need to negotiate with a guy threatening to blow a whole city- and Coulson brought you so he apparently thinks it's a possibility- that's going to be your moment. And I'm going to be the useless one. That's your skill and I will need to trust you to do your job then like you did with me." I was kind of floored right now and couldn't manage a response. "You're not useless. You're not a distraction. You're just as important as us- just in a different way then I'm used to. I'm sorry for making you feel any way else."
I could tell he was sincere. It was just shocking to actually hear him say that- to admit that. I decided in that moment to let go of my misgivings about Ward and chalk them up to a very rough start. I wouldn't hold grudges any longer and let us move forward. It might be hard at moments, but it honestly needed to happen. He might be the one I had to save one day, and I would save the guy in front of me right now. "I'm sorry for punching you in the face and being kind of nasty. I promise I won't do it again unless it becomes deserved."
He gave a hint of a smirk. "It's a deal." And that was that. We didn't talk much after that, but there was a sense that things had been fixed that even Coulson noticed. A certain tension was gone and I could breathe just a little bit easier knowing Ward wasn't going to keep trying to undermine me when I was already struggling.
I saw Coulson a few times. He was mostly busy with the Bus and making sure we got the upgrades we had all talked about. We were just as friendly as ever and I continued to behave myself mainly for his sake. He was just the kind of person who inspired your very best.
I saw May even less. Mainly because I tried to avoid her. I had come to grips with what I was through this adventure and I didn't need her trying to drag me down again. I knew I still had to convince her I was worth something that made me necessary. She still wasn't convinced in Fury's decision. I could tell just by the way she looked at me. She even seemed to like Skye more than me. Which was a shame because I thought I could learn a lot from her. Maybe one day I would be able to. I also had no nightmares to report thankfully. I slept in peace despite having the top bunk. I think my logic was starting to baffle them in terms of sleeping arrangements, but they took it in stride.
The only truly exciting event came the third day when May poked her head into the lab. "Agent Crawford, someone would like to speak to you." I had given Fitz-Simmons a wave and followed her to a small conference room with a single cup of water on the table. I took a long sip and waited for a few minutes when suddenly Nick Fury himself entered- eye patch and all.
"Sir?" I said in slight disbelief. He gestured for me to sit down.
"I stopped in to visit Coulson, and thought I would check in with my mystery girl," he explained, staring down at me. "From what Agent May tells me you're managing alright. You have the trust of the team, you're somewhat holding up on missions, and you're spending an awful lot of time studying. More than Agent Hill could ever manage to get out of you at least."
"I'm afraid I don't have much for you," I reported, hating to disappoint him. "I still have no memory of anything. I have no idea what I'm meant to do for the team yet. I'm kind of just making it up as I go along really."
"But that seems to be working out for you," he reminded me. "Agent May feels no one has an idea about your unique origin, including Agent Coulson. Speaking of, did you read the file we gave you about that?"
I shook my head. I knew I had files on every member of the team I could read, but I hadn't opened a single one of them yet. It had been really tempting to find out why May was The Cavalry, but I had resisted even for that. It hadn't seemed right. "I'm not interested in knowing about them unless they volunteer the information themselves sir. I'd rather them be honest with me then go sneaking around their information behind their backs."
"Just like you're being honest with them?" he cut right through me with a raised eyebrow. It was something I desperately tried not to think about or face. Part of me hated what I was doing and loathed myself a little more with each lie. But part of me trusted the girl who had wiped her memory and tried to chalk it up as being necessary. Thankfully she won most days.
He started for the door as I sat in silence, trying to keep down what he had said. "Just wanted to say keep up the good work. We haven't found anything on our end, but we're still looking. And don't let your guard down around that Skye girl. Coulson may have bought into her, but I want you to make sure he doesn't regret that."
"Absolutely, sir," I vowed, though I really had no plans to. Skye was fine. I knew she was.
"Keep Agent May updated," was his last words before he exited. And it was only then I realized the cup was missing. Obviously, this hadn't been a courtesy visit. I could have sworn S.H.I.E.L.D. had samples of my DNA though which made the whole thing confusing. What kind of things were they attempting over there? Why had he felt the need to do it himself rather than just ordering May to? What was going on? Who the hell was I? Why was it so hard to find one person's identity and if it was then who had I been that I was able to pull this off? There were a lot of questions buzzing around in my head for sure.
I had to dismiss it though. I was never going to know what was going on in the shadows with Fury and Hill really, and all I could do was hope my good behavior would eventually earn answers when they did come to some sort of conclusion.
After five days our Bus was cleared to be on the road again. And though time had been nice to recharge, when I climbed up that ramp to head in I was ready for the next adventure. And it seemed like everyone else was too. I even stared out a window as we took off, not allowing my fear of heights to get to me. This was nothing compared to what I had been through already. I was pumped and ready to go.
Bring it on.