Author's Note: Hey ladies and gents. I was originally going to make this the last chapter, but it being the holiday season I figured that it'd be a nice gift for all those who follow this story. There will be at least 2 more chapters after this, once this particular story is done I'll move on to another fanfic; don't worry I'm not done with this series, (and yes I said series). Anyways thanks for everyone who enjoys this story and for those who have asked if Jaxx is Logan/Wolverine all I can say is...stay tuned. Though it's not necessary, leave a review and let me know how your enjoying the story thus far. I wish you all a happy holiday and I'll catch you all in the next chapter.
P.S. I do not own any characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all I own is my imagination and some OC's.
Place: Unknown
Time: Unknown
She was silent and motionless as she lies in her bed, breathing slowly, but steady. Her eyes twitch as she dreams about a mission so strange that it seemed like something that she had to have seen in a movie, or on an episode of Doctor Who. In the midst of her dreams she heard a voice, one that was soft and calming, calling out to her over and over… "Jemma…Jemma…" it kept calling, slowly stirring her from her slumber as it called out once more "Jemma!" From that, her eyes snap open and jerked herself upright.
Her breathing holds for a moment, but releases when she realized that it was all merely a dream. She placed her face in her hands as she fell back down, her head flopping on the fluffy pillow beneath her. After rubbing her face, she placed her hands on her stomach; she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment.
Simmons
Bloody hell…that's it, no more Doctor Who before bed; secret islands and genetic monsters, what a- (Her thoughts and attention turned to the ceiling, the same ceiling that she had been staring at for over a minute.) Wait-a-tic… (She immediately sat up and started looking around; though she wasn't where she had expected to find herself, where she was currently being familiar nonetheless.)
"Am I-how did-why am I on The Bus of all places?" (She grips the sheet covering her and flings it off of her; she noticed that she was fully dressed, and that her clothes were remnant of her most recent dream, all the way down to the dirt which crusted her shoes.) When did I-I don't remember getting dressed…What in the bloody hell is going on here-"Jemma" (The sudden voice whispering her name, echoing in her bunk snapped her from her thoughts.)
(Her attention became fixated on the door, the point from which the voice had originated.) "*trembling tone* Hello…Hello?" (The tremble in her voice was unmistakable, she knew that much at least. And yet despite every frighten nerve in her body told her not to, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stood up. Within caution and uncertainty, she took a step towards the door; her breathing was growing frantic the closer she got to the door, all the while she nervously rubbed her fingers together.)
(At first she was hesitant, but once more she overcame her emotional fears and slowly reached out for the door, sliding it open. After a few quick seconds she peeked her head out, scanning the area for any threats or anything out of the ordinary.) Looks clear enough… (She takes a step out into the recreational area and turned to her right.) "*softly* Hello…is anyone there?"
(Barely a seconds passes when a familiar voice responded, startling her in the process.) "Good to see you up Simmons." What the- (She turns around to see a familiar face, smiling at her current condition.) Jeez, Director Coulson, someone needs to put a bloody bell on you, sneaking up on me like that, my word. (Her heart was racing and her pulse pounding like a drum, fortunately upon seeing the friendly face of the Director her nerves began to settle.)
"*sighs heavily* Director Coulson, sir-you, gave me quite a fright *chuckles nervously*." (He gave her one of his patented mischievous smiles as he replied sarcastically.) "Really? I hadn't noticed." Sarcasm is very unbecoming sir; regardless I'm glad to see at least one friendly face. (Simmons took a couple slow, deep breaths as she tried to regain her composure; once she felt at ease she figured that it was time to get some answers.)
"Umm sir, if you don't mind me asking-why are we on The Bus? I thought that it wasn't fully operational and for that matter, where are we flying to; are we heading back to base or…?" (Coulson smile faded, turning into a grin instead as he stood there silent. Simmons started to feel uneasy once more as she too stood there waiting for him to answer.) Umm, okay…this is beginning to feel a bit creepy I mean, he's just standing there like-(Out of nowhere, Coulson speaks which nearly startles her once again.)
"To answer your first question, because this place makes you feel at ease and second, we're heading nowhere in particular." (He looks down at the black folder in his hands and starts to sign something on the paper, meanwhile Simmons was left pondering.) "I don't-I don't understand sir?" (Coulson finished signing before looking up and replying,) "Don't you?"
Okay that's not at all disconcerting, also… (Simmons asks.) "Sir, where is everybo-" (Coulson interjects) "They're around, but right now, I need you go down to lab…he's waiting for you." I-I don't understand, who's waiting for me? (Before she could get any words out, he jerks his head towards the stairs behind her; she turns towards the stairs and asks,) "Umm sir, who exactly is waiting?"
(She stared at the stairs, while Coulson answered, his voice seeming to fade.) "You'll see for yourself." (When she turned around, she was shocked to see that he had vanished, no trace that he ever existed.) Where did he-how did he-"Jemma…" That voice, where is it coming from…more importantly, who is it that keeps calling for me. "Jemma…" (She turned once again towards the stairs, which is where the ghost-like voice seemed to be leading her.)
Bloody hell…this is not at 'tall creepy as hell. (Despite her fearful uncertainty, she summoned what courage she had and started to walk towards the stairs. Once there, she stood at the top of the stairs for a minute, before hesitantly descending down to the cargo hold area/makeshift laboratory. Halfway down, she noticed that the cargo hold was relatively empty, which only seemed to fuel her growing concerns.)
(As she reached the bottom of the steps, she turned towards the lab to see someone unexpected working inside the lab. She stood there, frozen in shock, her eyes started to well up and her body started to shake a little.) No, no it can't be…it's not possible "*voice trembling* Fitz…?"
(She stood in the doorway, utter shock frozen on her face as she watched the man she knew as Leopold Fitz, standing next to the center island workstation. He was leaning over on the table tinkering with one of the D.W.A.R.F.'s the he and Simmons had developed; his mind was so fixated on the work in front of him that he neglected to see Simmons standing in the doorway of the lab just a few feet away.)
(Her legs felt like they were about to buckle as she used every ounce of strength she had to keep herself standing and not collapsing to the floor. As tears started to streak down her cheeks she put her hands up to her mouth in attempt stop muffled her whimpering and hide her quivering lips.) This can't be happening-this has to be a dream, it has to be, he can't- (Fitz tosses the mini screwdriver that he was using next to the D.W.A.R.F. and lets out a disgruntled sigh; he briefly stood up and placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose while he clenched his eyes closed.)
(He mumbled to himself for a few seconds before returning to work on the device; all the while Simmons tried her best to regain her composure, quickly using her hands to wipe away the tears and the streaks along with them.) *inhales deeply* Okay, get it together ol' girl…can't go in there looking like a mess now, can we…
(She nervously tugs on her shirt in an attempt to clear up any wrinkles that her shirt might've had; after she fussed with her hair for a quick second, making sure that it was neat and tidy before taking a deep breath once more. She could feel goosebumps on the back of her neck start to form as she walked slowly into the lab.)
(There she was, standing next to the man who she has known since her early days at the Academy, who would later not only become her partner and close friend, but would also sacrifice himself to save her; she often thought back to that moment, the moment where he, in his own way, confessed how he felt about her and it would linger there, for hours until it became unbearable.)
(And now that he was here, standing before her and she couldn't seem to bring herself to speak, to say what she needed to. What words could express how she felt when he expressed how he felt or when he willingly gave his life for hers. Instead she opted to keep things, casual.) "*clears throat* Hey Fitz *smiles nervously* what'cha doing there?" (He looks up from the device briefly to address her query.)
"Hey Jemma…*sighs heavily* I'm trying to finger out why Sleepy's Video Sensor Array isn't transmitting and I've taken the bloody thing apart I don't know how many times and I can't for the life of me figure out why. At first I thought that one of the PPM-SUM Analog Receiver's was malfunctioning but they seem intact, so then I decided to check the-" (Simmons interjected) "The Video TX Filter Lens," (Fitz snaps his fingers and nods as he replied.)
"That's exactly what I thought, so I replaced and still it doesn't seem to be working. *places his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose and begins to gently squeeze* Bloody things' giving me a headache." (Simmons couldn't help but smile, not at his frustration but at the face he made during.) Same old Fitz, it's like he hasn't changed at 'tall…I can't believe how much I've missed this…
(It took a few fleeting moments, but she managed to snap herself from her thoughts and focused on the current matter at hand.) "What about the Digital Trans-Servo Connector? If there was-" (He removed his fingers from and shook his head and replied) "I've checked that the last dozen times I took it apart, there's no missing pieces, nothing inside is broken…" (Simmons replies,) "As I was saying, if there was a power surge of some kind, it could have reset the frequency of the Bandwidth Module and there by-" (Fitz looked down at the device as he finished her sentence.)
"Caused the Video Transceiver to-" (Simmons and Fitz say simultaneously) "Lose its origin frequency." (The two share a quick smile before Simmons holds her hand out, saying playfully.) "If I may…" (Fitz picks up the mini screwdriver from before and gently placed it in her hand and replied.) "There you go." (She quickly went to work on the D.W.A.R.F., twisting one of the audio baring's slowly clockwise; a few seconds later, the tablet to Fitz had connected to the drone earlier suddenly turned on.)
(The screen reflected their images back at them and the two share a laugh for their success a hug. She held him tightly, and he her and in that moment, a moment that she wished would never end, she was in bliss. She clenched her eyes closed and wished, prayed that when she opened her eyes, that he would still be there, waiting.)
(Hesitantly, she slowly opened her eyes; her eyelids felt heavy, almost as if she had been asleep for days, weeks even. At first, everything was blurry to the point where she could barely make out any shapes, but after a few quick blinks her vision started to clear. Once her vision returned, her eyes scanned the room and soon her gaze turned to the monitors beeping to her left.) Was it-it was all a dream…
(She started to shuffle a bit, but quickly became hindered by a mixture of numbness and soreness running through her entire body.) Ugghh, what the-I feel so bloody sore…I haven't felt like this since my first day of gym class back in the 5th grade. Can barely move at 'tall. (She continued to struggle to sit up, and not soon after she was finally able to sit up, her head started throbbing.) AGH! Bloody hell,
(After raising her hand to her forehead, she found that it was no simple headache or migraine. Soon, she found the throbbing was coming from the back of her head; she reached behind and gently touched the spot that was throbbing. She winced and gasped out, the pain which lasted for a few painful seconds, left quite the impression.) "*mumbles* That was bloody smart *winces a little*…"
"Not really," (Simmons froze, not just in body but her mind as well ;) That voice… (She looked to her right and there, standing in the doorway of the ICU room was someone all too familiar to her.) "*shocked/confused tone* Agent May?" It can't be-how did- (The veteran agent stood in the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her chest, sporting a tiny grin. May replied sarcastically.) "Last time I checked,"
(Not soon after May walked into the room and over to the right-side of Simmons' bed, her grin slowly fading. As she stood next to her, Agent May noticed the look of confusion plastered across the young agent's face. Simmons breathing started increasingly rapidly and in an effort to calm her; May placed her hand on Simmons' shoulder and asked.) "*soft tone* Simmons, are you okay?"
I can't-am I really here? At the Playground? But how did-when did-okay this is becoming too much. I need to just, calm down and regain some sense of my composure, secondly…I need to determine what in the bloody hell is going on.
Okay then, that's better, now think ol' girl; what is the last thing that you-I remember… (May's concern started to grow as Simmons remained silent, lost within her own thought process.) "Simmons?" (Unfortunately May grew even more worried than before as Simmons continued to remain silent. Then suddenly out of nowhere, she shot up, turned to May and said with an urgent tone.)
"Oh god-what happened to the others? Are they-" (Before she could finish, her muscles began to ache and the numbing, throbbing pain returned which caused her to wince.)
May
"Simmons, calm down," (Agent May gently grabs Simmons by her shoulders in an effort to ease her anxiousness.) "They're alive, a little worse for wear but alive." (Simmons exhales deeply, looking relieved to hear May's words. Slowly she started to lie back down against the pillow, wincing as the back of her head touched the pillow.)
She's lucky, that it was only a mild concussion; it could have been a lot worse. At least she's calm down, for the moment. I can't imagine what she-they went through, but from what I saw when they landed…it must have been hell. (May turns to the table on her left, where a clear jug full of water sat next to an empty clear glass. She filled the glass about half way before turning back to Simmons and holding it out to her.) "Drink…"
(Simmons knew better than to argue, and besides she was quite thirsty from the way she chugged the water down in nearly 3 seconds flat.) I guess she was thirsty… (After finishing, Simmons looked up and saw May staring at curiously; feeling slightly embarrassed she shyly handed the glass back to May who was ready to fill it once more.)
"Another?" (May asks. Simmons shakes her head, reluctant to embarrass herself further, but besides that, the first glass had quenched her thirst. As May placed the glass back on the table, afterwards she sat on the edge of the bed, silent as she analyzed the bed-ridden agent before her.) Besides the bump on the back of the head and a few scratches, she looks no worse for wear, she's lucky.
(Before she could ask a question, Simmons turned to her and asked her a question of her own.) "How are they? Coulson, Skye, and Trip how bad-" That's the second time that she left out Jaxx's name…what happen between them on the island? (May stopped her once more and replied.) "Coulson and Skye are a little bruised some minor cuts and like you they look exhausted. But besides that they're fine. Trip is in the ICU, resting; the doctors say that he needs 2 weeks' minimum to fully recover. All of you were lucky, considering the alternative."
(Simmons quickly retorted, mumbling under her breath.) "Yes, well… (She looks away, a haunting look washing over her face.) Not all of us were as lucky." She's beating herself up, but for what? Maybe she blames herself for not saving Dr. Streiten…from what Skye told me, there was nothing that could be done. I won't let her blame herself for something that was out of her control.
"Simmons, I know that it must be hard, but you can't blame yourself for what happened." (Simmons looked up and met May's gaze, after which the veteran agent replied.) "Skye told me what happened…I'm sorry." (May's tone was sincere, almost heartbroken; Simmons had never heard that tone from her before and hearing it now made it difficult to keep her heartache at bay.)
(Instead of breaking down, looked away just as her eyes started to well up; after a few seconds of silence, Simmons finally spoke, her tone feeling distant.) "Don't be sorry, it was my fault…I should've tried harder I should've done something, anything, but I was just-I wasn't strong enough." (Once more May place her hand on Simmons' shoulder and stated) "Don't do that…don't do that to yourself Simmons. This is a war, and sometimes…"
"…Sometimes we lose people like Dr. Streiten, like-" (Simmons interrupts May) "Like Jaxx…" Wait, what? Jaxx? He's fine…why does she think that he's dead...? What happened out there, to make her think that he was anything other than alive? Maybe…she was out cold when they brought her in, maybe she doesn't know… (Just as she was about to speak, agent May is interrupted by a sudden and unexpected knocking sound coming from behind her.)
(She turns around and sees a familiar face standing there, smiling.) "Hey May, just wanted to check in; see how Simmons is doing…" Skye, this is the definition of bad timing... (May gave her an empty smile which faded just as quickly as it came; afterwards she replied.) "Perfect timing," (She stepped out of the way, giving both Skye and Simmons a chance to see one another.)
(They share a smile as Skye quickly makes her way over to Simmons bedside. She fought the urge to give the young biochemist a hug, out of fear that hugging her might hurt her further. Instead she stood at the bedside, smiling as she said.) "*soft tone* Hey, there she is," (Simmons smiled back, ecstatic that her friend was alive and well. She replies,) "Good to see you too Skye."
May stood next to the doorway, watching from afar as the two converses as though it was any other day. Eventually, Director Coulson stopped by for a visit, to check on her as well.
"Looks like I missed the party," (Says a smirking Director Coulson. He enters the room and walks to the other side of the of the hospital bed; grasping the railing he gave Simmons a once over, taking in to account how exhausted that she looked.) "Nope, you're just in time AC," (Skye says. Coulson shoots her a humored look, before returning his gaze to the bed-ridden agent.)
"How're you feeling?" (He asks his tone full of sincere concern. Simmons gives him an exhausted smile and replies,) "Just a bit tired 'tis all sir; nothing a few days of rest won't fix." (Coulson's gaze drifts from her to Skye and the two share a mental conversation, before he turns to her and says.) "Hopefully not too tired, because we have a surprise for you." (Simmons appeared amused, and sounded as much when she asked.)
"A surprise? What surprise sir?" (Coulson grin quickly turns into a smile as he replied simply,) "See for yourself," (He jerks his head up, towards the direction of the doorway; Skye moved to the foot of her bed, giving Simmons a chance to see him, standing in the doorway smiling as he said.) "Hey there, miss me.?" (Simmons eyes widened a mixture of shock, confusion and pure joy encompassed her face as her eyes started to well up with tears.) "*voice breaks* Jaxx?!"
May, Skye and Coulson stood there, watching as Jaxx slowly entered the room and with him came an emotional hour. Simmons was in disbelief, thinking that she was hallucinating or at best was dreaming again; but when he touched her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers she knew in an instant that it was all real. She nearly leapt up from the bed, hugging him like never before and he hugged her in turn.
They held each for what seemed like forever, while in reality only seconds had passed. Simmons asked the usual questions that Jaxx had expected were coming; how did I survive the creatures? How did he make it out of the facility before mere seconds before its impending destruction and so forth from there. Though his answers were vague, Simmons didn't care, all she cared about was the fact that he was alive and here.
The next few hours went by rather smoothly; Coulson and May left to go to his office and discuss a few things, while Skye stayed behind with Jaxx and Simmons, listening as Jaxx told stories of their youth. After a while, Skye and Jaxx left to give Simmons some time to rest; afterwards Skye left to check in on Trip, leaving Jaxx to his own devices. He knew that Coulson would want to talk to him about what had happened, more specifically about what had happened with the facility and what he had done to the creature.
After a moment to himself, reflecting on the pros and cons of telling Coulson his secret, he decided that it was past time to share what he knew, about himself, about what he could do and more specifically, what he was. Once Jaxx arrived at Coulson's office door which was closed, he paused as he reached for the door when he could hear voices inside. He listened intently as they discussed what had happened on the island, which mainly consisted of May asking about details on what had happened on the island.
Coulson gave his usual vague responses, especially in regards to what happened with Jaxx and why Simmons and Skye thought he was dead. Jaxx could feel a twinge in his gut; he never liked to eavesdrop, but that was before Hydra, back when everything was somewhat normal. Suddenly the voices quieted down and a few seconds later the door opened and May walked out, closing the door behind her. Her gaze immediately met his and from the frown that she was currently sporting he could tell that she was irritated by Coulson's lack-luster responses.
Even though she knew that he wouldn't flat out give her an answer she decided to ask Jaxx anyway. "I don't suppose that you would care to shed some light what happened out there?" Jaxx held back a smirk that was trying to force its way to the surface, instead he cleared his throat and with a single word, a name, he could give her a clearer picture of what happened without actually saying it. "Do you remember Burma…09?" At first May appeared confused, so much that she re-stated "Burma?"
It took her only a few seconds to remember that date, to remember what happened on that assignment; it was one that she would quickly like to forget, but much like Bahrain, it stuck with her. "That bad?" Jaxx said nothing; he just stood there leaning against the doorway, a somber look on encompassing his face. That look was enough for her, enough to satisfy her curiosity on the subject. She twists the door knob and opened the door just slightly; she started to walk past him when she suddenly stopped, gently placing her hand on his shoulder and once more they met each other's gaze.
"He's closing himself off, shutting us all out. If he won't talk to any of us, maybe he'll talk to you." Jaxx could tell from the way she looked at him and the way that she sounded that she was genuinely concerned for him; of course, knowing their particular history, he wasn't really surprised. Still, if May, a person known for keeping her emotions to herself, outright asked for help then something was definitely wrong. He responded with a simple nod and that simple nod was enough to ease May's tension.
She nodded gratefully before walking off to punch away her frustrations of the day; the second that she turned the corner he gripped the door knob, pushed open the door and walked inside, closing the door behind him. Jaxx took a few steps forward and then suddenly he stopped, mid-center of the room. To his right was a couch, which is where Director Coulson was sitting, eyes closed, head resting against the back of the couch.
But, his gaze quickly drifted to his left, where it fell upon the Director's mahogany desk, more specifically the place mat which lay within the center. His gaze fixated on that place mat for what seemed like days, before drifting to the lower left corner of the mat where he noticed a scratch. Most passerbies wouldn't even be able to see it, but Jaxx was different and he knew that it was no mere scratch.
He quickly turned to his right and stared at Coulson for a few seconds, taking note of the exhausted look that he was currently sporting. On the table in front him was a bottle of unopened Tennessee Whiskey and next to it was two empty glass's waiting to be filled. Jaxx couldn't help but smirk a little as he made his way over to the couch, where he took a seat at the other end. Just as Jaxx started to get comfortable, Coulson opened his eyes and lifted his head.
Slowly he started stirring to life, letting out an exhausted grunt in the process; he scooted to the edge of the couch, reached out and grabbed the bottle. The Director unscrewed the lid and proceeded to pour the whiskey into each of the glasses, filling them about halfway. After sitting the bottle down, still opened, he took both glasses and handed one over to Jaxx, who graciously took it without saying a word.
Coulson-Jaxx
(Jaxx & Coulson gently tapped one another's glass; afterwards they took a slow swig of their drinks. The whiskey was room temperature and was smooth; like silk splashing against the back of their throats.)
J- "Damn," That's unexpected...Coul usually serves bourbon, but this...not bad
C- "Yeah, *he says with a grin* I thought you might like it." I prefer bourbon myself but still; this'll do in a pinch
J- "And where have you been hiding this?"
(He remains silent, his stare fixated on the unopened bottle of whiskey still sitting on the table. A smirk quickly crossed his face,)
C- "It was a gift, from Audrey,"
J- "*looks over at Coulson* Audrey, the cellist?"
(Coulson takes another swig of whiskey from his glass, afterwards he nodded.)
C- "One and the same."
(A mixture of confusion and shock encompassed his face, all the while his mind started to wonder about Audrey.)
J- He hasn't mentioned her since before New York...does she even know that he's alive? Knowing Coulson, probably not. "When-"
C- *Interjects* "2 weeks prior to New York, before Loki Shiskabobed me. And before you ask...no, she doesn't know that I'm alive, and it has to remain that way."
(Jaxx looked away for a moment, trying his best to sort out this new and recent bit of Intel.)
J- Man, Coulson and Audrey...they were close. I remember the way he talked about her, and how you could hear that little pep in his tone. Damn shame.
C- "Anyways, I've been holding on to it since then."
J- "*looks over for a moment, before taking another swig of whiskey* and you brought it out now because?"
C- "*subtly shakes his head* Just figured; after the day we just had, well...I'd say that we've earned this."
J- Yeah, you can say that again. I'm so tired...my entire body feels like I did a 3 hour training session with Natasha, UGH. "Couldn't agree more. Today was...full of surprising revelations." Never thought that I would have to become that thing, that animal, again...I was such a fool.
C- You don't have to tell me; I was there remember. Still, what you did...it was...well, unexpected doesn't even begin to describe it, but...at least now I know why Fury was so adamant to have you for the Avengers Initiative. *looks over, his expression blank* "Yeah well, some surprised me more than others."
J- "Was wondering when we would get to that." *takes one last swig, finishing what little whiskey was left in the glass* I just wish that I had some answers, but all I've got is questions.
C- *shoots a sly smile* "I was trying to be subtle; ease into it."
J- *joking tone* "Do I really look someone needs to be "eased" into the subject?" *glances over at Coulson, smirk crossing his face*
C- *looks down at his glass, watching the whiskey swishing back and forth* "Honestly, no..." *looks back at Jaxx, his smile slowly fading* "But, you've kept this a secret-from everyone, for a reason; hence the easing."
J- *nods begrudgingly* "Point made, loud and clear."
(Coulson finishes off the last swig of whiskey left in his glass, seconds later he grabbed the bottle and started refilling his glass, but only enough for a few swigs. Once he finished, he turned to Jaxx and gestured silently if he wanted a refill.)
C- *Jaxx nods, a second later Coulson started filling his glass* "First off...Simmons, does she-"
J- *he raises his hand, causing Coulson to stop pouring his glass* "No, she doesn't know...and I'd like to keep it that way, for now." I made a promise to keep her safe, from anyone and anything that could hurt her-that includes me. "Besides, she has enough on her plate already, with what she went through on the island, and her friend Fitz being comatose."
(The Director placed the bottle back on the table afterwards he switched hands, placing the glass in his right so he could rest it on the arm of the couch. Jaxx meanwhile took a small sip from his glass before doing the same with his left hand.)
C- "If I'm being completely honest, I don't exactly feel comfortable lying to my team, after all; keeping things hidden is what got us all into this mess in the first place. But, I also think that your right; Simmons has enough to deal with as is without finding out about her brother being an "Enhanced"."
J- "Yeah, about that..." *takes a swig of whiskey then rests it back on the couch* "I know you and I can tell that you have more questions flying about in that head of yours so...Let's get it over with."
C- He certainly has way with words doesn't he? "When did these...abilities, start to manifest?"
J- *scoffs humorously* "Manifest? I'm not possessed Coul, or some sort of World of Warcraft warlock or something. Trust me that would make things a lot easier. But, to answer your question, I had known about them for some time, but they just didn't "manifest" until after I was taken in by Simmons and her family."
(Coulson thought back to his first interview with Jaxx, back in 07. It stuck with him because he hadn't expected the relatively young Marine to be so forthcoming about his past; telling him about how Simmons and her parents quote un-quote adopted the young homeless boy and brought him into the family fold. At one point, Jaxx had told him that he'd left home to pursue a career in the military, much to the objections of his sister.)
(From there his career was that of a slightly above average Marine, that is until he and his team were involved with a 084 incident, which is when he had gotten on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar. It didn't take Coulson long to put the pieces together and figure out that there might be a connection to him leaving around the same time his powers manifested.)
(When asked, Jaxx simply replied that it was only part of the reason, but the main reason was that he left was because he was afraid of hurting Simmons unintentionally. After this, he removed one of the bandages that he had taped to his chest and much to Coulson's surprise there was no wound. Jaxx explained that his ability to heal is at least 5 xs faster than normal, but that wasn't all...)
Meanwhile
Level 2: Laboratory
Shortly after everyone left, agent Jemma Simmons started growing tired of being restricted to the recovery room and instead, against the objections of the Koenig, decided that her time would be best suited working. Though not fully recovered she still managed to maintain a relatively normal posture; first on her agenda was to stop by the ICU where Triplett was being treated.
When she entered, agent Triplett was still under mild sedation and was sleeping off the pain medication. She went over the charts twice, once with the fellow doctor treating him and once on her own accord. The notes were thorough, noting his wrist had been broken in at least two places on the Radius and Ulna. Among other injuries were 5 broken ribs, a dislocated ring finger and several hairline fractures.
She hated seeing someone else she cared about laying in a hospital bed, but at the same time she was grateful that he was alive and had made it off the island with the rest of them. After staying with him for a few minutes she left and made her way to the lab, but stopped when she was right outside of Fitz's hospital room. Every fiber, every instinct was screaming at her, wanting her to check in on him even though she knew that nothing had changed.
7 days and still no change in his condition; the biochemist and doctor within her knew that there is likely to be no change in his current circumstances, but there was a part of her that hoped, prayed that he would come back to her. She stood there, staring at the door for what seemed like years, decades, until she decided to continue to the lab. She made herself promise to check in on him later.
Finally she made it to her lab, and was grateful that none of the other doctors that May and Trip had rescued earlier in the day had been traipsing through. No doubt the Director had yet to clear them for access to her for which she was extremely grateful. Though the lab itself was relatively large, much of the space had yet to filled, leaving some areas of the lab somewhat empty.
On one of the lab tables near the corner of the room she noticed various items lay out, covering the top of the table. Curious, she made her way over and found that it was various clothes and other items sealed in evidence bags. On the edge of the table was a box of disposable gloves and a sticky note; when she picked up the sticky note and read it, "Had these waiting for you, in case you get bored. Coulson PS, the vial is in the fridge."
A not so subtle smile spreads across her face as she thought about how Coulson knew her well enough to know that she would refuse to stay bed-ridden for long; it was a small gesture, but one that she welcomed and was in need of. Her attention immediately turned from the table, to the cryo-fridge behind her. As she opened it, she found the canister, the same canister that she had put the vial that Skye took from the facility in. Quickly she went to work, ignoring the numbing pain throbbing in her head.
After taking the canister out of the cryo-fridge, she quickly grabbed a pair of disposable gloves from the box and began her testing. She had numerous tests that she wanted to perform, unfortunately this vial was the only one left of the re-created serum, so she had to use it sparingly and wisely. So, after much debate she decided to run 3 tests; using only the minimum amount needed for each one, she place the vial back into the canister and placed it back into the cryo-fridge.
She turned her attention back to the table and decided to process the clothes that they had worn to the island. Most of what she found was to be expected; dirt on the pants legs, sweat stains on the shirts and blood stains on the shirt. Yet, as she held her shirt in her hands she paused, looking curiously at the massive blood stain going down the side. There was something about it, something that she couldn't explain; all she knew is that there was something off about it.
She took a sample and ran it for genetic markers, and while she waited for that to finish she started going through another piece of evidence, the journal of Dr. Jennifer Goodman.
Simmons-Skye
The biochemist sat at her station, scribbling notes on the notepad next to her while slowly reading through the pages of the journal. Every once and while she would stop and look up at the Mass-Spectrometer off to her left, which she had running one of the samples of the HH.327, but would quickly return to the journal.
Halfway through the journal and she stopped taking notes, in fact she stopped reading all together. Instead she lets out an exhausting sigh and gently placed her fingers on her lips.
Skye- "Simmons..."
Simmons- *gasps* "Bloody hell,"
Skye- *chuckles a bit* "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
Simmons- Yeah well, you 'bout gave me a bloody heart attack, "It's *gulps deeply* it's fine Skye, really."
Skye- *smiles* "I figured I'd find you here, even though you're supposed to be resting.
Simmons- *smiles* "Yes well, I had some things that I needed to do; besides, there'll be plenty of time for rest later."
Skye- All work and no play...some things never change. (She walks over to Simmons' station, looking at what she's up to.) *curious tone* "So, what'cha working on? And remember, I flunked science, so..."
Simmons- "I am running tests on the serum that you *sarcastic tone* "procured" from the facility to see if I can ascertained any more information. But it'll take some time."
Skye- *nods* "Anything in that journal that can help?"
Simmons- "Ahh yes, the journal..." (She looks down at the journal and suddenly the image of those bodies they found in the pit appears in her mind.) *grimaces* "To be honest, most of it doesn't even seem plausible, mostly theoretical and yet..."
Skye- "They managed to create those, monsters."
(Simmons silently nodded her agreement and for a few seconds an uneasy quietness crept in. Suddenly the computer on the table behind them started beeping, which quickly caught their attention.)
Skye- *curious tone* "I thought you said that it would take a while for the tests to finish?"
(Simmons stood up and walked over to the computer; she tapped on a few keys.)
Simmons- "For the serum yes, but this is something else entirely. I was going through the clothes that we wore to the island, analyzing various samples; soil, bodily fluid..."
Skye- *sarcastic tone* "That sounds like a real hoot."
Simmons- "Yes well, I found something irregular on the shirt I was wearing. There was a large blood stain going down the side of my shirt and there was something...I don't know, off about it so I decided to run some tests, one of which is just finished."
(Simmons tapped a few more keys on the keyboard and a window popped up on the screen. After reading the information on said screen, her brow started to furrow.)
Simmons- *confused and shocked tone* That can't be right...that's impossible."
Skye- "What is it?"
Simmons- I've never seen anything like this before, "According to this, the blood sample has 25 pairs of chromosomes, which is-as I stated earlier, impossible."
Skye- Yeah, I still don't know what the big deal is so... "Okay, you're going to have to dumb this down for me."
Simmons- "The human genome or DNA is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes. This, has 25, which is-"
Skye- "Impossible yeah you said that. So what, it's like from an animal or something?"
Simmons- *shakes her head* "No, no it's definitely human,"
Skye- "Any idea whose blood it is?"
(Suddenly, the computer behind them started beeping, indicating that yet another one of her tests had finished. They walked over to it and once more, Simmons tapped a few keys and a window popped up, only this time it was a file.)
Skye- "Subject...X?"
Simmons- "Curious..."
(Simmons clicked on the file, which is when another window popped up; this one had the words Unauthorized in big red letters.)
Simmons- "What the...?"
Skye- "Here let me, this is my area of expertise."
(Skye did her thing, trying to bypass the security system. After only a few seconds another window popped up, this one more intimidating than the last. A loading bar appeared in the middle of the window, only instead of the word loading appearing above the bar, the word deleting took its place.)
(The bar started to fill rapidly, which made Skye hit the keystrokes all the more frantically.)
Skye- "Crap, crap, crap...no, no, no!"
Simmons- "What's going on Skye?"
Skye- "The file must have some sort of failsafe built in. I don't think-"
(The bar was quickly filled and once full the words file successfully deleted.)
Skye- "Damn it! It's gone."
(The two give each a look of shock and disbelief; they stood there for a moment just staring at the words wondering what the hell just happened.)
Director's Office
Coulson-Jaxx
(Coulson sat on the edge of his desk, one hand massaging his temples while the other gripped the edge tightly. Jaxx stood over by one of the windows, arms crossed in front of him, gazing out into the world waiting on the other side.)
C- Geez, and I thought my life was complicated, but compared to- *mentally sighs* (He stops massaging his temples, placing his hand on the edge of the desk.)
J- He's awfully quiet, yet his mind is probably a jumbled and such. Maybe I should've held back, kept some of the information to myself; he has enough on his plate without having to deal with my "problem". *drily* "You good?"
C- *sighs heavily* "Honestly, I've been better, but I do appreciate you telling me all this."
J- Yeah well I didn't have a whole lotta choice in the matter now did I-ahh screw it, worse thing that he'll do is put me on that stupid list. Other than that, I've got nothing to worry about. "Yeah well, didn't have a whole lot of options, besides...I trust you."
C- And I really appreciate that, especially in times like this what with Hydra resurrected and running around doing out there doing God knows what. "I'm glad to hear it. So...where do you go from here?"
(Jaxx turns away from the window and heads over to the couch, where he slowly takes a seat on the arm rest closest to Coulson.)
J- *inhales deeply* "Well, there's still plenty of people out there-agents who still need help fending off Hydra. It's not much, but at least it's somewhere to start."
C- *smirks slyly* "We could really use you here, your military background would come in handy and your abilities-"
J- "I can't. I don't fully trust these, "abilities" Coul. Until I find out more about what I can do, and how to control it."
C- "And we can help. We can help you figure out everything, not just how to control your abilities, but of course you already know that, which means that this is about something else. So, what is this really about?"
(Though only seconds passed, it was enough for awkward, tense silence to fill the room. Finally, Jaxx gave in and decided to tell him the real reason why he didn't want to stay and join Coulson's crusade.)
J- *sighs heavily* "You saw what I'm capable of, what I did to that..." I can still see it, still feel what I did.
(He remembered standing there between Coulson and the creature, staring it down as every bone and muscle in his body screamed for him to attack. The creature snarled and leapt at him seconds later; the creature seemed to float in midair, time seemed to slow around Jaxx and still he stood there unafraid.)
(As time returned to its natural speed, Jaxx throws a punch, connecting with the creatures' jaw. He could feel its jaw fracture against his knuckles, sending the creature flying backwards nearly 30 feet. It slammed violently against the ground, tumbling a few times before stopping.)
(Despite the sheer force of the punch, the creature slowly stood up, and when it was on its feet it stared into Jaxx's eyes and smiled through blood soaked teeth. Once more it attacked, running directly at Jaxx; as the creature struck, Jaxx dodged it then connected an elbow directly on top of its head.)
(Jaxx remembered the cracking sound as it echoed through his ears. His fighting style was fluid, but not elaborate; each strike, each blow connecting to specific points. The creature tried to slash him across the chest, only to find it slashing air as he stepped to the side. Afterwards, he gripped its wrist and twisted, seconds later he connected a strike to its left shoulder, dislocating it.)
(It roared out in pain as it stumbled to its knees; it looked up and stared at Jaxx, its eyes like burning embers of hate and rage. Once more the creature attacked, showing little regard for its dislocated shoulder as its arm dangled at its side. Jaxx ducked, side-stepped and dodge every one of its flailing attacks. Then in one fluid like motion, he attacked all the vulnerable spots, starting first with his right knee followed by an elbow to the back of its head.)
(The fight in and of its self didn't last long. By Coulson's account, it lasted maybe 8 minutes in total, ending with Jaxx the victor, standing over the corpse of the fallen covered in a mixture of its blood and his.)
(Jaxx shuddered as he snapped back to reality. He looked up at Coulson, who simply sat there in silence, watching.)
J- *voice trembles* "I lost it when I saw Simmons..." (He tried to find the proper words needed to convey how he felt and why he didn't trust himself around S.H.I.E.L.D. especially those he trusts and cares about.) "...I can't risk losing control like that again-especially around her or anyone else for that matter."
C- That look, a mixture of desperation, shame...what happened to him-losing control...it nearly broke him. It's the same look he had after. *nods* "I understand. But if you change your mind, or need help; you know where to find me."
J- (He forced a half-hearted smile out.) "Like-wise." (He stood up and took a few steps towards Coulson.) *hesitant tone* "There is something else that we need to talk about."
C- I know that tone. I really don't like that tone. "Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this conversation?"
J- He knows me so well. "Because you're smart."
(Jaxx walks over to the desk and stood next to Coulson; seconds later he placed his right hand on the desk mat. He slides it to the right, revealing the strange symbols underneath, the ones Coulson had carved earlier that morning. Neither said a word as they stared at the carving; Jaxx saw only a confusing jumble of symbols and lines that he didn't recognize, but Coulson...)
(He started to feel the urge again, that unrelenting, unexplainable urge to find something, anything sharp and carve. The Director wasn't a push-over, he could fight it, make it bend to his will, but for how long? Now wasn't the time to figure it out, at least that's what he thought.)
C- "Oh yeah, that..." I should've known that he'd find that. I'm sure that he had his suspicions about it. Despite his soldier front, he's actually very acute and smart at that.
J- "Yeah, that..." (He grips the desk on both sides, leaning inward slightly. His face was blank.)
C- *joking tone* "So, what gave me away?" Just out of curiosity, so I know to fix it.
J- *neutral tone* "Well, between the whispers and concerned looks from your team...I was able to put two and two together. Also, you look like shit."
C- *sarcastic tone* "Gee, thanks. I hate to tell you this, but your pep talks-they need a little work."
J- *concerned tone* "I'm serious Phil..."
C- "Wow, first name...you are serious." He never calls me Phil, like ever; this must be serious.
J- "I can see you struggling, fighting to keep it at bay, to keep the urge in check."
C- How does he- "How-"
J- (Interjects) "Trust me, I know the look. I also know that you won't tell any of the others because you're afraid that they'll spend every waking hour trying to figure out how to fix this; instead of focusing on rebuilding and beating back Hydra."
C- Wow, he's good...really good. *jokingly* "Are you sure that you can't read minds? Just asking..."
J- (He smiles half-heartedly, trying his best to show Coulson that he doesn't have to go through this alone.) "Look, I get why you don't won't to place this burden on the others I do. But you don't have to carry it alone; you do have to talk to someone." (Coulson opened his mouth, about to say something, but almost as if he could actually read his mind, Jaxx spoke quickly.) "Besides me."
C- (He looked forward for a moment, staring blankly at the flat screen hanging from on the wall.) He's right, but who's left to talk to besides my team? Who can I trust? Everyone else is either dead or work for Hydra; who knows where the hell Fury is... (He looks back at Jaxx.) "And, who exactly do can I talk to about my, unique situation?"
J- Well, I have one, but I'm not sure that he'll go for, of course it's not like he has a whole lot of options. *coy tone* "Have you heard from Andrew lately?"
C- (His brow furrows, his eyes narrow.) Seriously? I haven't spoken to him in years, not since...Yeah, that won't be awkward. "We haven't spoken since he and May got divorced; I doubt that he wants to hear from me."
J- "Just be your usual charming, sarcastic self and you'll be fine; besides you don't really have a choice."
C- *sighs heavily* "You know, I really hate it when your right.
J- "I know." *grins smugly*
C- *nods* "Fine, I'll give him a call, but I need you to do something for me."
J- *shoots him a look uncertainty* "Why do I have a feeling that I'm not going to like where this is going?"
C- "Don't worry; it's nothing painful, not yet at least." (He reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a small communications device and holds it out in front of Jaxx.) "Keep in touch. I may need your help in the future; this way it's easier."
J- *sighs* "Alright, deal." (He takes the device, from Coulson and slides it into his pants pocket.)
(Now that both their secrets were out in the open, they decided to have one last drink, to celebrate this new milestone. Unfortunately, their celebration was interrupted, as the phone on Coulson's desk began to frantically ring. Reluctantly, he walked back over to the desk, pressing the button which put it on speaker.)
Simmons- "Director Coulson"
C- "Simmons? You're supposed to be in recovery, resting."
Simmons- *apologetic tone* "Yes sir I know and we can talk about my disregarding your orders, but for now we have a situation down in the lab that needs your immediate attention."
(Coulson and Jaxx share a confusing look, as now, Simmons had their full and undivided attention.)
C- *concerned tone* "What kind of situation?"
Skye- "AC, its Skye. It'd be better if you came down here, where it's more...private."
(Between Coulson and Jaxx, they had nearly a decade's worth of training, and all of their training is shouting at them that something was seriously off.)
C- "Skye, Simmons, what's going on?"
(There was a pause, one which seemed to last forever; finally a voice comes over the phone bringing an end to the silence.)
Skye- "It's a file, one which I can't get access to."
C- "What's the file?"
Simmons- "From what could gather before it shut us out, it was about a test subject sir. Subject X?"
(Once again, Coulson and Jaxx share a questioning look.)
J- *whispers* "Subject X? What the hell is that?"
C- *dryly* "No idea..."