Christie stepped into the S.H.I.E.L.D communications base where a majority of agents still worked with Coulson and Maria Hill. She was spending her time staring over the shoulder of the surveillance agents as they scanned through the city's CCTV cameras mercilessly, to catch any information on who this mystery doctor was or where he went - a tedious job, but one that needed to be done. Most of them found Christie incredibly intimidating, having heard stories about her before, so they made it their mission to get it done quickly so that she could go away again and leave them in peace.
To be fair, the steely grey eyes and the tight jaw with a slender but stealthy figure was enough to make anyone a little uneasy.
Coulson had allowed her to take control of a little subsection after fully understanding why this mission was specifically important to her. As Christie continued to pace up and down until someone got something, she noticed someone else scurry towards her in the distance. "Oh god. Ash, I'm trying to get results for you alright?" she sighed, running her fingers through her long moonlit locks as Ashley made her way over to her briskly. "I'm trying."
"I know Chris, but you have to try harder," Ashley begged her quietly, grabbing her younger sister's hands and squeezing them in desperation. "Rogue's literally dying!" Christie opened her mouth to ask how, but was interrupted by none other than Agent Sharon Carter who was vigorously approaching them both out of nowhere after overhearing Ashley's demands.
"Agent Darmer, this is practically impossible. The doctor was driving with a covered licence plate and we just cannot source the face of his driver, no matter how much we zoom and enhance. He literally drove straight off the grid," she stressed to Christie, looking quite flustered herself. She had a lot of respect for her and wanted to do well for her - but Ashley, she had less time for.
But that was fine, because Ashley was shamelessly rolling her eyes at the pure sight of her, remembering the way she was asking questions about Christie beforehand and how she reacted to Steve bringing her to clear his apartment.
"Christie," Ashley stressed again, stepping a little closer to her sister and ignoring Sharon's words. "Please."
"Ashley, we're doing the best we can!" Sharon scoffed, crossing her arms authoritatively. "Your increasing demands aren't helping, so just take it down a notch, alright? I get that she's your friend-"
"Don't," Ashley threatened her lowly, stepping a little closer to her with her finger slightly raised, "don't you dare. Because of S.H.I.E.L.D's incompetence, my friend has somewhere between few days and a few hours left to live. We need to find the doctor, get the damn mutation and put it back. So your fake concern and patronising tones can-"
"Wait, Ash - what do you mean by 'she's only got a few days to live'?" Christie quickly interrupted her ramblings with her hand risen in the air and inserting herself between her and Sharon. Ashley sighed and flung her head back exasperatedly.
"I called Dad. Turns out her body relied on the mutation to function because it was an energy source. Now that it's gone, she's literally dying, at home, on Stark's f*cking sofa! Nose bleeding, getting weaker by the hour," she hissed, her deep green eyes beginning to pool with helpless tears. Sharon and Christie exchanged glances with each other, unsure of what to say. "Chris, I haven't even told her yet. She's asleep, she has no idea of what's going on. Please, I can't lose her. I saved one of your friends once…" Ashley closed her mouth, clenched her jaw and said no more. Partly because she was fully crying now, but also because she knew that it wasn't fair to stick that on her sister.
She knew that Christie really was trying her best, and she couldn't do that to her.
But it didn't matter - the words had already hit home. Ashley had indeed saved Renesme once.
So Christie turned back to the desk of workers and clapped her hands, getting the agents' attention again.
"Alright guys listen up! This just went from a Code Murky Orange to a hardcore Red. We have a life at stake here and we need that syringe back. Someone said they got a blurred picture of the front of the car before it went off the grid earlier?" she told them all clearly, nibbling her bottom lip as she attempted to remember who said it.
"Allison said it," Coulson nodded towards the youngest looking agent with deep brunette locks tied in a bun. The girl looked up and nodded with a blush, swinging her screen around so that Christie could see the blurry image in front of her. Yes, it showed the doctor in the front, but his getaway driver was fully covered up, sunglasses and everything. He was even wearing gloves - but something about the gloved hand gripping the steering wheel seemed a little different.
There was something underneath the material of the finger.
"Zoom and enhance on the finger…ring finger at that," Christie murmured, crouching down so that she could see better. Allison did as she was told. There, staring right back at them, was the outline of a ring.
A hexagon shaped ring.
Christie had seen that before, and her breath almost stopped completely as she slowly realised who it was. "Axel, that absolute bastard," she grunted through gritted teeth before standing up straight again. One of the other agents overheard her words and didn't have to be told twice - he got to searching the name 'Axel' and let out an excitable "GOT HIM!" which made everyone jump. Christie jogged over to where he sat and was met with the holographic profile of Axel, seeing the same guy she hated and had done ever since he groped her in the HYDRA base on her Winter Soldier mission. Those pearly white teeth, that cheesy grin, the lack of consent awareness - she just couldn't stand him.
"You know him, Christie?" Coulson murmured to her, hearing her silence.
"He was on the Winter Soldier mission when I went undercover," Christie answered after clearing her throat. "A proper creep - so yes, those guys were definitely from HYDRA and I don't doubt that they're trying to make a super serum soldier of some sort using the mutation as a catalyst."
"If they don't have Bucky already, that is," Ashley reminded her quietly, making Christie's blood run cold.
At this point, she knew they were under pressure.
"Do you guys have an address for him?" she asked Coulson directly.
"We can find one," came the voice of none other than Agent Hill, striding towards them with her trusty tablet poised in her hands. "He was one of the S.H.I.E.L.D undercovers. We just located his house by satellite - same car in the drive, new numberplate but…he's pretty busted regardless."
"We don't even know if the doctor's still with him," Sharon had to be the one to point out, causing Ashley to spin on her heel and glare at her again. But Christie stepped in before she could, physically pushing Ashley back from getting up in Sharon's face.
"We don't Agent, you're right. But if there's one thing that slimy bastard liked to do, it's talk," she assured her a little coldly, already beginning to leave. "Send me an address. I'll go and squeeze something out of him like a ripe lemon," she told Coulson over her shoulder as she slipped her way out of the comms room.
"Already got transport and company waiting outside," Coulson called back with a proud smirk. He was so proud of the way she was taking charge, he could barely hold it in.
"I'll come with you," Ashley nodded, running after her as well. Christie froze dead in her tracks and turn around to face her determined looking sister.
"No, if Rogue's dying then you need to be with her. We don't know what kind of time we're playing with, Ash. Don't you dare leave her alone," she reminded her sternly. Ashley bit the inside of her cheek and ducked her head, knowing she was right, but hating to admit it. She felt so useless when she wasn't on a mission, but she still fell quiet as she and Christie walked back outside into the transport bays where, true to Coulson's word, there was the car waiting with Natasha leaning up against it. She practically galloped over to Ashley as soon as she lay eyes on her, registering and understanding every ounce of pain in her face.
"Ash, I am so sorry about your friend. We're gonna do our best to save her, alright? I swear we are," she told her firmly as she gave Ashley a comforting hug. Ashley nodded and shot both her and Christie a short smile of gratitude.
"Thank you, guys. I trust you both - so don't go arguing on this mission, got it? No distractions, please. Just get it done, I know you two can do it," she hummed knowingly as she and Natasha let go of each other. Christie rolled her eyes and readjusted the weapons belt around her waist, whilst Natasha huffed a little at her words.
"We're professionals, Ashley. We've been working together against our wills for years - we'll be fine," Christie drawled as if it was obvious. She turned to Natasha. "Coulson's literally just sent down his address. So are you driving or am I?"
"…neither," Natasha answered with a grimace. Christie was about to ask what she was talking about when suddenly, the blacked out window wound down, revealing an extremely excitable looking Clint Barton in sunglasses in the drivers seat.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Christie grumbled, slamming her hands over her face as it slowly dawned on her. "Barton-"
"Hey, Whitey! It's just like old times!" Clint grinned back cheekily.
…
The car journey to Axel's house was long and reasonably uncomfortable for the first hour or so, because the silence between the three of the agents was almost unbearable. Christie was in the back seat focussing all her energy on staring out of the window, whilst Natasha and Clint were at the front with the radio playing quietly in the background. "Hey, do you guys remember when we all got put on that mission in Frankfurt?" Clint suddenly piped up, glancing into the rearview mirror at Christie before glancing to his right to Natasha. She nodded with a small smirk, whilst Christie said nothing.
Not the small talk.
Anything but the small talk.
She hated the small talk.
"Do you remember when you got food poisoning from that weird ass buffet in the hotel we were at?" Natasha smirked over at him. "Your ass didn't stop popping off for days and then some. It was absolutely gross." Clint burst out laughing, shaking his head at the painful memory.
"I mean we kinda knew the place was dodgy," he pointed out fairly. "The 'S' for Chinese was literally bound up to the back of the wooden board with a disused rope that I'm pretty sure had blood on it. Who forced us to go and eat there?"
"Uh, you did? We were all hungry but - well actually, you were hungry and you were whining like a little b*tch. Don't think I've forgotten," Natasha reminded him with a baffled blink, making Clint grin to himself again. "'Nat, I'm hungryyyy, seriously you guys if I don't eat, I'm gonna go….I'm gonna go…' damnit! What was the thing you always said?"
"'I'm gonna go berserk'," Christie answered in quiet amusement, making Natasha glance at her over her shoulder with a little smile, which Christie surprisingly returned. "I swear, Barton thought he was Banner before Banner did."
"Not even an exaggeration," Natasha sighed as she turned her head back round again.
"Hey, I get aggy when I'm hungry!" Clint defended quickly himself with a frown. Christie rolled her eyes, which he caught in the rearview mirror.
"Ya, but I'd rather you act 'aggy' than gassy, which is what you were all damn night after those greasy duck spring rolls," she pointed out amusedly. This made Natasha chuckle out loud, although it sounded like a reluctant one. Over the past few days, she and Christie had clearly been getting on a lot better than they ever had before. Clint, who had been away for most of their newfound bonding time, found the unusual friendship a little odd - but he was extremely thankful for it, as he regarded both Christie and Natasha quite high in his estimations and saw them both as great friends. The three of them used to do missions together all the time, until that unspoken situation in Budapest - then everything changed and it turned into nothing but awkwardness, snide comments and bad blood. It seemed like they'd never get over it.
But little did they know they'd find themselves faced with their demons sooner than they thought.
…
Ashley soon arrived back at the apartment again, where Rogue was now laying in her bed instead of on the sofas after Pepper had moved her on Ashley's command. She was propped up with pillows and flicking through her tablet, but she looked even weaker than she did before.
When Ashley walked in however, she perked up.
"Hey Ash," she smiled brightly as Ashley entered the room with a bag of freshly baked bagels and coffees. "Oooh that smells amazing. I'm sorry that Mr Stark took all your pancakes."
"Yeah well that doesn't surprise me at all. Doesn't matter now - we got bagels, New York's very finest," Ashley beamed back at her, trying to sound as positive as she could as she perched herself at the end of the bed. This was the uncomfortable part - this is when she had to explain to Rogue exactly what was going on. "Alright - salmon and cream cheese or chicken, meatball mozzarella and marinara sauce?"
"Ooooh salmon please," Rogue gasped excitedly as she held her hands out. Ashley passed the correct bagel over with a cup of coffee, watching her unwrap it and take a hungry bite. "Mhmmm! Oh my god, that's the best!"
"Glad you like it," Ashley smiled slightly. But she couldn't even swallow hers down - if anything she wanted to throw up. "Listen, Marie…I have to explain to you what's going on right now."
"What do you mean?" Rogue frowned with a mouthful food. "I just feel a bit rundown, Ash - I was walking around barefoot remember? Probably just picked something up - I'm pretty sure it'll pass." Ashley sucked in her cheeks and winced as she regretfully shook her head, not breaking eye contact with her once.
She owed her the truth. But how does one come out with this? Well, the only person she knew that would exercise bluntness was Christie. So…
"No. Marie…you're…y-you're literally dying," she stated bluntly. Rogue stopped chewing and stared directly at her, in a mix of horror and disbelief.
There were a few seconds of thick silence as Rogue attempted to digest her words.
"Ash, that's a little strong," she finally let out an uncertain laugh.
"You think I'm kidding? I spoke to Dad today and he confirmed it. Your body is slowly giving up on itself without the energy source that is your mutation, and hun, it's only gonna get worse until-"
"Until?" Rogue rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, until the thing gets injected back in me again?" Ashley nibbled on her bottom lip and nodded. She knew that this news wouldn't go down well either way.
"If we can finally source it, yeah. It looks like they're gonna try and use your mutation to create some kinda…super soldier," she attempted to explain it gently, seeing the devastation briefly flicker in Rogue's eyes. "But we've got our best agents on the case, and they've already found a lead-"
"And how long do I have before I go? Before my body finally gives up?" Rogue demanded to know, interrupting her yet again. Ashley closed her mouth and gave her a hopeless shrug, unable to answer. "Oh come on Ash, don't run out of answers now!"
"Oh Marie, I don't know!" Ashley burst out her admission, holding her hands high into the air. "I don't. I don't know, okay? Now please stop getting on my ass for it as if this is all my fault! I'm trying my hardest, Christie's trying her hardest, all of S.H.I.E.L.D are busting their ass right now to save your life!" Rogue suddenly fell quiet and Ashley did too, leaping to her feet without even touching her own bagel and beginning to leave the room.
"Wait, Ashley I'm sorry!" Rogue blurted out just as Ashley began to gather her food together to eat elsewhere. "Please, don't go anywhere. I didn't mean to shout at you. I-I'm just pissed that this thing still has a grip on my life…again. Even when it's gone." Ashley took a few seconds of a deep breath in to calm herself down.
She knew that Rogue was just feeling weak, helpless and scared.
"I know, babe," Ashley finally sighed quietly, settling herself back on the edge of the bed again. "But once we get it back in you-"
"Back in me?" Rogue repeated her words with a bitter laugh. "Ash, I don't want it back in me. I'd rather die a human than live a mutant." Ashley's mouth hung open, and if it wasn't for how serious Rogue was being, she'd start laughing, assuming that it was a joke.
"Marie-"
"No, I don't want it anywhere near me. Take the syringe back from the evil dude, sure - but don't put it anywhere near me. You can give it back to the school and they'll keep it safe instead," Rogue stated firmly, her eyes not even budging. Ashley looked utterly horrified at her words, and she really didn't know what to say to change her mind.
"No, Marie, I said-" she attempted to remind her again, but Rogue was already shaking her head.
"Ashley, I said no. I can't live like that anymore. That's kinda why I extracted it in the first place," she muttered, sounding almost apologetic.
Apologetic for wanting to die. What a world.
"I just can't, it was a living hell. I'd actually rather die."
"Marie. That is an incredibly rash and dangerous decision for you to make, and I can't let you do it," Ashley finally whispered, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly out of desperation. Her heart was beating too fast now - she was getting nervous because it didn't look like Rogue could be swayed. "Just…just at least wait until we recover the syringe before you decide on a slow suicide, alright? At least do that."
