TW: self harm, torture, implied/referenced child abuse, depression, etc.
"At 0800 hours three men and our girl infiltrated the Havenworth Federal Penitentiary. They were in and out in less than two minutes."
May narrowed her eyes as she watched the video footage playing in front of her; the three men and Quake ("their" girl now, she supposed) busted through the ceiling, chaos erupting amongst the prisoners. The footage was grainy, but she could easily see that Quake was using her powers to force officers out of the way – she sent one careening into the wall, and he slumped down, unconscious.
Or dead. Yet to be determined.
Knowing this one, probably snapped his neck.
"That's our girl?" Simmons leaned forward, entranced. "Look Fitz, shockwaves!"
"It appears she's generating them from her palms, so genetic, I'd assume," Fitz extrapolated.
Simmons let out an excited squeal. "How intriguing! Next time we run into her I have to get a blood sample-"
With just one look, May silenced them.
Coulson didn't acknowledge the scientists' tangent, instead continuing the briefing. "They left no prints at the scene, but we do have one lead." He blew up the picture, enlarging one small detail – the Centipede device on one of the soldiers' arms.
"Centipede," Ward commented.
"Seems they've salvaged some of their research from Hong Kong," Coulson replied.
"So we were right," Simmons said excitedly. "Chan's platelets solved their combustion problem! Now they can create super soldiers with no further explosions."
Fitz gave her a pointed look. "Maybe don't get so excited about that."
Simmons frowned. "If they can do that, how long do you think it'll be before we see a Centipede-powered Quake?"
Ward set his jaw. "I'll take her out before that happens," he vowed.
Again, May flicked her steely eyes over to them, quieting them.
"Two of Centipede's labs have been destroyed, but they keep popping back up. Now they have at least three of these guys. Maybe more."
"Who'd they break out?" May wanted to know.
"Edison Po. Former marine. Expert at tactics and rapid response," Coulson responded, pulling up his picture. "Fell off the grid in '08, reappeared eighteen months ago at a diner in Boston."
Ward filled in; "Where he… stabbed a friend's eyes out."
"With a steak knife," Coulson finished for him. "Then finished his meal." He straightened up. "Finding Po and these Centipede soldiers are a top priority for SHIELD."
May nodded in his direction. "And Quake?"
He glanced over. "Simmons is right – now that they've refined their serum, we have to be wary of a Centipede powered Quake. So… yes. She's a priority too."
"A target?" Ward asked.
Coulson shook his head. "Rescue."
Ward narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry, sir, does this girl look to you like she needs to be rescued?" He gestured to the footage. "Because to me she looks like she just killed an officer with no hesitation. You know, like how she killed-"
"I know," Coulson cut him off. "And I understand where you're coming from. But you weren't there in Peru orHong Kong." Ward held up his hands in mock-surrender, taking a few paces back. May shifted on her feet, casting an uneasy glance over at Coulson, who picked up where he left off. "We'll be running point on this op. But we won't be working alone."
"What team did HQ send for backup?" Ward asked – maybe a bit tentatively after being told off.
"Not a team," Coulson clarified. "A person. Someone who can help us fight fire with fire."
That person ended up being Mike Peterson.
She'd had a hunch but was hoping she'd be wrong for once. She wasn't.
May stood next to Coulson on the ramp as the SHIELD van pulled up. "This is a bad idea," she expressed, staring straight ahead as Mike stepped out.
"That's what you said about the girl, too," Coulson responded. "And look where you are now."
May flicked her eyes over to him, then back at Mike. "Still regretting that one," she muttered. "One mistake at a time I guess."
They greeted Mike, then headed inside to brief him. After filling him in, Mike relayed the key details back to ensure that he had them right. May nodded. "Great, got it. Anything else?"
"One more thing," Coulson said. May closed her eyes, sighing. She knew exactly where this was going.
"Yeah?" Mike asked.
"I was actually wondering if you knew this girl."
There it was.
Coulson blew up the picture on Quake this time. "They call her Quake. She's turned up a few times now. Do you know anything about her? It seems like she's with Centipede. Do you know if Centipede is funded by any other organization, or maybe a subdivision of a larger organization?"
Like a terrorist organization that was wiped out back in World War II? May mused to herself.
Mike shrugged. "Not that I know of. But Quake. Damn. It's been a while."
May raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. "So, you have heard of her before?"
"Oh, yeah, I've fought her before," Mike said casually. "And, though I didn't see her, I know it was her quake that took down the office in LA. And I'm sure she was at the station too.'
Coulson's eyes widened. "You fought her?"
Mike nodded. "Right before LA. I had been under the impression that she was given the serum too. I, uh, was wrong, and nearly crushed her skull." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "But it's okay, 'cause I also didn't know she's got earthquake powers until I was flying across the gym and slammed against the wall. Girl can pack a punch."
"Gym… like a spar?" Coulson elaborated.
Mike nodded. "Yeah. I think they were testing the serum strength with her. They told me to give it everything I had and to not hold back. I… I felt weird. About hitting a girl."
May shot him a dirty look.
He quickly added; "I just mean like, she looked so young, you know? Like, far too young to be doing this sort of work. And she's so small I really thought she'd snap in half. But they told me she could take it. And shit man, she did."
Coulson nodded thoughtfully. "Were you the only one she fought?"
Mike shook his head. "I think they'd been testing every Centipede soldier on her, at least the first ones anyway. One of the guys, Schwartz, got his ass handed to him. Even with the serum. She fights like her life depends on it."
"It probably does," Coulson commented, a solemn note to his voice.
"Makes her dangerous," May added sensibly, sending a pointed look his way. "Especially if they inject her."
"Oh, if they give her the serum it's game over," Mike said. "She could easily take down an entire city with a flick of her wrist."
"That's reassuring," May muttered.
"That's why she's a priority too," Coulson emphasized. "We need to get her away from them before that can happen, for our sakes and for her own good as well."
Days had begun to blur again.
She hadn't truly slept in the days following Hutchins' death (murder, it was a murder, cold blooded killer killer killer-) and her eyes were beginning to sting from the lack of rest. She couldn't bring herself to close them though (coward, coward, you can't even face what you've done) so instead she sat, slumped in the corner of her cell, her eyes trained on the floor.
(Hannah had her own special mark running straight down, next to Kalmowitz – long and deep, because maybe she'd hoped- maybe she'd wanted- but that wasn't her choice, she couldn't, they wouldn't let her-)
She'd been up in the gym training a handful of times, and she'd quite literally dropped into a penitentiary with some of the Centipede soldiers to extract one of the prisoners (a couple new marks on her wrist signified the officers she'd quaked, probably to death, it was getting hard to keep track at this point). The smiley superior was gone, which meant she was left with just the angry one, who was already upset with her – made crystalclear days before when he'd threatened her after Hong Kong. She'd lost track of how long it had been already, but he still looked less than pleased – more so than usual.
At least the anxiety had started to subside.
But the replacement to her racing heart was a deep, empty hole in her chest. An unrelenting desperation for an escape once more – but they would never let her have it, just like the sky. The two things she craved more than anything, constantly held above her head, just out of reach.
What a cruel fucking joke.
(Coulson had offered her a way out, and she didn't take it, she didn't take it-)
(What would HYDRA do to her if she'd taken it-)
(Traitor, traitor, traitor-)
(You fucking know what we do with traitors-)
She didn't hear the creaking of her cell door, but she'd felt the sharp, turbulent vibrational bursts that were so characteristic to the angry superior from down the hall. Dirty brown boots entered her line vision as she stared at the ground through unseeing eyes, followed by a gruff voice.
"Get off your ass. We're heading out."
She lifted her head, her hair falling and hanging limply in front of her face. The superior stood over her, his brows pulled together and his mouth drawn in a scowl. The cuffs clinked as she slowly raised her hands up for him to free her of their grasp, and he muttered incoherently to himself as she slowly got to her feet.
He didn't say a word as she followed him to the helicopter, though she stole a quick glance up to the gray streaked sky. She took her seat in the back and as soon as eyes were off of her, her fingers instinctually made its way to her mouth, her teeth digging into the raw skin in any effort to feel something again.
She wasn't sure how long the flight had been, but she'd worked her way through her knuckles on her right hand, all the while keeping her superior in her peripheral just in case. As they landed, she quickly wiped the blood onto her pantleg and sat up straight, lifting her chin as her superior turned to look at her.
"You're being transferred to Centipede full-time for the time being," he told her as he opened the door to let her out. "Due to your recent misconduct, I'll have to stay to keep you in line. You'll return to the base when you're no longer of use, but for now your job is to protect this project with your life."
She nodded.
"I'm serious." The superior lifted her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "SHIELD's been meddling with our operations and we could have had them under control if you'd just done your job. I will say this one time, and one time only. Phillip Coulson and his team are a threat. If they show up, you are to show no mercy, but leave Coulson alive. We need Coulson alive, you understand? And if you hesitate, I will make your life a living hell. I will mold you into the perfect HYDRA drone – pliable and perfectly compliant. And if not, we'll just throw you back to Whitehall and let him do what he wants. Do I make myself clear?"
She nodded, expecting an anxious tremor to make its way down her spine at his threat – and surprised when she found herself calm, almost indifferent.
(Maybe she was just too fucking tired to care anymore.)
The superior let go of her with an annoyed tch. "Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be an insolent, pathetic little girl?"
He led her into the warehouse and through the rows of blue storage containers. She followed behind, scanning the room's vibrations – she could feel activity towards the back where they were headed, and quickly picked out the familiar, unsettling vibrations of Raina, much to her dismay. Though she was unsurprised to find her, she was certainly not excited to be stationed with her again; she hated the way the woman acted like she knew so much more about her than she did herself.
Whether or not she actually did was still up for debate.
A round table set with a tablecloth and a meal so good it looked fake sat abandoned in the middle of the warehouse. Her gaze lingered on it for a moment before snapping back up at the voices that carried just a few yards away from them.
They found Raina standing with a balding man she'd recognized as the one they'd broken from the penitentiary between some shipping units and in front of a makeshift lab. She froze, her heart speeding up and her breaths shuddering in her lungs as she took in the bright lights, the doctors, the needles-
(Every instinct screamed at her to run before they took her, she couldn't do it again, she couldn't she just couldn't, the man, the round glasses, the scalpel, she'd been awake, she'd felt all of it, discovery requires-)
Her superior cleared his throat and she quickened her pace, forcing her legs to follow.
"This SHIELD team has destroyed a few of our operations. We move every few days now to be safe." Raina turned her attention to her and her superior. She nodded to acknowledge her, her voice scathing. "This one has let them slip through our fingers a few times now."
"Quake will not let that happen again," her superior responded. "She knows what will happen if she does."
The corners of Raina's lips twitched, and she turned her attention back to the labs. "As you can imagine, moving constantly causes maintenance problems. We can't understate the toll it takes on our soldiers. They're drained after every mission."
She forced herself to peer into the thrown-together lab, at the men sitting in the exam chairs. They looked exhausted. One of them had tubing in his nose to help him breathe.
An anxious quake bubbled in her chest the longer she looked, so she peeled her eyes away, squashing it down.
(You're next, you're next-)
"Our men need regular injections; constant upkeep." Raina cast an accusatory glance over at her. "Difficult when SHIELD has us on the run."
"Then it's time to stop running," the bald man suggested, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Quake can take them down," her superior suggested. "We can lead them straight here and ambush them in our own backyard."
The thought of taking down that SHIELD team on her own made her stomach twist, especially because it sounded like her superior was testing her – almost looking for her to slip up, so he could have a reason to pull her from the field and destroy her.
She bit the inside of her cheek. He was stacking the odds against her.
"I'll need her for other matters," Raina responded. "If that's alright with you sir."
Her superior nodded curtly. "She's all yours."
(She still didn't like Raina, but she was grateful to her in that moment.)
(Though she was certain that it wouldn't last long.)
She hadn't been allowed to watch the fight from the backseat of the car, but from what she'd picked up on, Phil Coulson had been there (and something about that fact made her chest tighten because shit, why was she relieved that the Centipede soldiers left to ambush them had failed?). Upon the realization that Mike Peterson was now with SHIELD, Raina had decided to target the one thing he cared about more than anything in the world – his kid.
Her stomach flipped.
(She'd been right – this was astronomically worse.)
They were on the move again – her superior drove the car, the bald man sitting passenger next to him, and she and Raina had taken the backseat. The walls of the car felt like they were shrinking in on her, but she sat up tall like she was supposed to, her eyes bearing straight ahead as Raina spoke with the bald man in the passenger seat.
(She definitely found it a bit humorous to hear Raina practically begging him for information on the Clairvoyant, whatever that meant. The way her seductive, buttery voice seemed to roll right off of him was even better.)
After realizing that he was not going to relent, Raina turned her attention to her. "Daisy," she lilted, her voice soft and her eyes burning straight into her. Her skin crawled at that word again. Her superior was right there in the driver's seat, what if he had heard? Why couldn't this woman just call her Quake like everyone else? Not that it was better, but at least it was a label that meant nothing to her.
(She'd never let them take the name she'd chosen for herself, she'd never let them have it, they could take anything they wanted but she wouldn't let them claim the one thing she'd clung to that was still hers, never, never, never-)
"You're going to have to cross off the woman," Raina said. "Mindy. The kid's aunt."
She nodded. She was aware.
She'd done it plenty of times before.
"But I need you to not make it so… obvious." Raina wrinkled her nose. "The way they have you doing it is so… barbaric. Snapping necks and slitting throats and such."
She ducked her head, casting a quick glance up to the front of the car. Seeing that her superior hadn't heard (or maybe he had and would use it as ammunition later), she turned her attention over to Raina and raised an eyebrow.
"Daisy, you've got the power to manipulate vibrational frequencies," Raina continued, the corners of her lips curving upwards.
(Really? She hadn't noticed.)
"You could just as easily stop her heart if you hone in and concentrate on just the vibrations. Make it look like cardiac arrest. Either block off an artery or short-circuit the ventricles." Her dark eyes bore straight into her, and she had to turn her head forward again to steady the uneasy vibrations prickling in her palms. "You're so much more powerful than they let you be, Daisy. You could rip this car apart molecule by molecule without even batting an eye."
Don't show weakness, don't let her see you falter, she told herself, but the way this woman was looking at her – the way she knew so much about her – was causing nervous vibrations to rise and bubble in her chest.
Raina sighed. "Or I suppose you can do it their way, and just have another gruesome death on your hands. But you'll compensate for it later either way, so what does it matter?"
She snapped her attention back over to Raina, unable to hide her surprise. Raina simply nodded at her arm, shooting her a knowing look that made her skin crawl. "Your father would be so disappointed if he knew where his little girl ended up."
The car rattled. Raina looked around, her eyes wide and curious, her lips upturned into a satisfied smirk. "See? You already do it without even trying."
"Would you stop provoking the walking natural disaster?" The bald man muttered from the passenger seat. "She's going to make this car flip over."
Without thinking, her fingernail made its way to her mouth – they'd heard everything. Biting down hard on her cuticle, she clamped down on the nervous vibrations that had bubbled inside of her and locked away any rising worries of what the superior would do to her – even though she'd said nothing, even though it was all Raina. It didn't matter to him.
Raina shifted her gaze over to the bald man, then back at her. "Remember Daisy," she murmured. "A clean kill. Make it look like an accident."
It had occurred to her when she saw the look on Raina's face upon greeting the kid that it was his protection that had pushed her to request a clean kill. Ace didn't deserve to see his caregiver brutally murdered right before his eyes, and though she didn't want to have to do it at all, she'd complied in making it look accidental – and it was sort of exciting to hone her abilities like that. She'd focused in on the specific vibrational patterns of the woman's heart, picked up on the frequency that belonged to her ventricles, and with just a clench of her fingers by her side, she'd sent the vibrations into overdrive, causing cardiac arrest.
(And she hated that she could do that. She fucking hated that she could just kill someone like that, but at the same time she wondered how else she could use that ability, and what else she could do that the superiors hadn't had her practice.)
(How much more could Raina tell her about herself?)
Raina had cast her a swift, impressed glance before ushering the shell-shocked kid aside. "Don't worry Ace," she had cooed to the little boy. "We'll make sure your Aunt Mindy's okay."
(For her own sake, she told herself that the woman's disappearance afterwards was her being rushed to a hospital or something, but she knew for sure that was not the case.)
After calming him down and reassuring him that help was on the way for his aunt, they made their way to the living room, where Raina asked him some questions about his dad, which he was happy to answer. She stood off to the side awkwardly, taking in the features of the room and the action figures that Ace had so meticulously set up – gifts from his daddy, as he'd so excitedly told them.
(Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if this was a life she could have ever had. If this was something that could ever be hers. She barely remembered her childhood as anything but snapshots of multiple lives, and none of them looked like this.)
(To see that people actually lived like caused a strange ache in her chest she couldn't explain.)
The phone rang, and Ace answered it, excitedly announcing that it was his dad on the line. Raina nudged him, holding her hand out to take it and he handed it to her. She turned her back to them, her voice low as she spoke to Mike.
Even though Raina had insisted on using this poor kid as a pawn in her twisted game, she had to appreciate the lengths she was going through to soften the blow.
But the way Ace looked at her with such innocent, childlike curiosity made her want to sink into the floor.
"What's your name?" Ace asked her after Raina took the phone from him. "Are you Raina's friend? Can you be my friend too?"
She stiffened, casting a quick glance over to Raina.
(Fuck, how was she supposed to look this kid in the eye after-)
"Who's your favorite hero?" he asked after a beat, referring to the array of superhero action figures on the living room table. "I like Iron Man."
She bit her cheek, turning her attention back to the toys. Her superior and the bald man were still in the car, and something told her that Raina wouldn't mind…
"Thor's cool," she murmured, cringing at the way her underused voice crackled in her throat and casting another swift look at Raina, who'd merely smirked to herself at the exchange. Her gaze swept across all the toys before landing on the one woman figurine. "Black Widow's the best though."
He handed her the Black Widow action figure, and she turned it over in her hands. The woman's face was twisted into an expression of pure determination, her red hair splayed out and her fists clenched, her whole body held in a position of power and confidence. She was posed in a way that made her look strong and brave, like she was protecting something much bigger than herself.
"Black Widow doesn't have superpowers," Ace told her. "But she's a master at martial arts."
"Is she?" She studied the action figure. Though she'd been underground for the Battle of New York, she'd heard all about it, and of course she knew who all of the Avengers were. But Ace was content to teach her, so she was content to listen.
(But shit, he needed to stop looking at her like that-)
"Yeah. She's like, one of the strongest Avengers," Ace explained. "Even though she doesn't have a metal suit or super strength."
She smiled to herself, letting her gaze linger on the woman's face before handing it back to the kid. Ace set her back up in line with the other Avengers, and her gaze swept across the whole team, her stomach twisting in a way she didn't quite understand.
Raina hung up the phone, her head tilted and her eyes burning with curiosity. "I didn't realize you were such a fan of the Avengers," she teased, though there was a certain level of probing in that statement, she was sure of it. Her ears burned with embarrassment and she stood up, lifting her chin. "Ace, sweetie, we're going for a drive. You're gonna see your daddy again."
May didn't like this.
Not one bit.
This mission was proving to be much larger than they'd anticipated – and Centipede was a bigger threat than they'd initially thought them to be. Their ethics were already largely in question to say the very least – with the human testing and the kill switches and the eye-camera controlled soldiers – but now they were threatening a child's life.
The anguish on Mike's face as he described the call to them made her heart twist. She'd wanted a child once, a lifetime ago, and she'd accepted that family life simply wasn't her reality. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he felt – a parent threatened with the life of their child.
"They said they would murder my son." Mike's voice shook. May took a deep breath, pushing her own anger aside for use later.
And, as she pulled the SHIELD van up to the specified meeting spot, she was ready to use it if necessary.
"At least let me escort him out for the exchange," she said, keeping her gaze straight ahead.
"Mr. Peterson requested me," Coulson reminded her. "I'm comfortable with that. And if things go south, I need you back here, taking point of the team."
She gritted her teeth. "I'm not letting you go alone."
"Hey," Coulson murmured. She looked in his direction, feeling her shoulders relax a little upon meeting his gaze. "I'll be fine. We'll get the kid to safety."
"I don't like any of this," she confessed. "At least let me get a little closer just in case. They probably already assumed you have the team with you."
Coulson sighed. "We promised Peterson not to do anything that might endanger Ace."
"Phil." May winced at the nervous edge to her voice, and quickly fought to get it under control.
Coulson's gaze softened. "It's okay, Mel."
"I…" She looked away, clearing her throat and steeling her nerves. Matter-of-factly, she stated, "The team can't lose you."
He'd noticed her slip, however, and reached out, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, not wanting to let herself feel comforted by the way his thumb grazed back and forth. "You won't. But the team needs you too."
She glanced through the window as another car pulled up, and out stepped Raina, followed by Quake, her superior, and finally, Ace. "They brought her."
Coulson followed her gaze, raising an eyebrow. "Quake."
"I'm coming." May got out of the car. Coulson followed.
"Mel-"
"They didn't say they were bringing her."
"Melinda-"
"I'll be damned if-"
"Melinda."
She stopped, turning back around. Coulson's shoulders sagged. "I can't talk you out of this, huh." She shook her head. "Okay. Fine. But stand down. Do not engage under any circumstances."
"I'll make that call," May muttered under her breath.
They approached Mike, who was being briefed by Fitz-Simmons on the patch they were putting on his arm – a tracking device. He glanced over at May, then back at Coulson. "I thought-"
"Agent May just wants to make sure this goes smoothly," Coulson explained. "She won't do anything that could jeopardize your son, we promise."
Mike nodded apprehensively. "Thank you," he murmured, unable to look her in the eye.
May nodded curtly, looking over at Coulson. "Ready?" He nodded, and they turned and headed towards the middle of the closed road, where Raina and the rest were already standing.
Quake stood up straight, her stance wide and her chin lifted. But as they approached, recognition flashed in her face momentarily and she averted her gaze completely, narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth. Her superior nudged her and whispered something to her, and she slowly shifted her gaze back towards them.
May's eyes immediately flicked down to Ace, his arm in Raina's grasp.
"Hello Mike," Raina cooed, letting go of the boy and taking a few steps forward to greet them. Ace fell back and stood next to Quake, who shifted uncomfortably at his proximity. "It's been a while. Your son is adorable. He looks just like you" Her eyes trailed over to Coulson, and then landed on May. "What's she doing here?"
May gritted her teeth, nodding at Quake. "What's she doing here?" she shot back, her voice scathingly low.
She didn't miss the girl's flinch, and a shadow of guilt flickered in her chest. It wasn't personal – but Quake's presence in itself was a direct threat from the organization.
Raina smiled, shifting her gaze over to Coulson. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure," she lilted, ignoring May's question.
Coulson matched her evenly. "Lucky for you," he quipped.
"I have to thank you Mike, for holding up your end of the deal."
Mike shifted uncomfortably next to her, and May felt herself instinctually tense up.
"Let's just make the trade," Coulson cut to the chase. "Give us Ace and you can have him."
Raina's face fell. "Oh, that wasn't the deal."
May took a step forward.
"Not another step, dear," Quake's superior growled. "Or you know what happens."
"May," Coulson warned. She reluctantly took a half-step back, keeping her eyes on the boy. "Mike-"
"I'm so sorry," he murmured, regret thick in his voice.
Coulson looked quizzically over to Raina, who explained; "In exchange for his son, we asked him to deliver you."
Immediately, Coulson's attention snapped to May, who balled her hands into fists. "May-"
But before she could do anything, Mike lashed forward, grabbing Raina by her neck. "I'm not at full strength but I can still crush your throat. New deal – my son for your life," he growled, his anger rolling off of him in waves.
May stopped short, casting a surprised glance over her shoulder at Coulson, when suddenly she heard a gruff, male voice order; "Quake the kid."
Everyone stopped.
Mike let go of Raina, panic-stricken, and she whirled around, alarm written all over her face. Coulson stepped in line with May, a gentle hand on her back.
All eyes went to Quake, who'd backed up, her expression twisted in shock. Her superior stepped towards her, and again he growled; "Quake him."
Slowly her gaze dropped down to the boy, who looked back up at her with huge, confused eyes.
She stepped in front of him, putting herself between the superior and Ace.
And she shook her head.
"Phil," May whispered, her breath hollow in her lungs.
Coulson stepped forward. "I'll go, just, let's all calm down-"
Raina turned fully to face the superior. "Yes, let's just go, we got what we came for-"
The superior spat; "You've got one last chance. Quake him, or I swear-"
The girl shook her head once more, her brow furrowed in what looked like a strange mixture of defiance and defeat.
Acceptance, even.
And the superior drew his gun.
She didn't even flinch.
And he shot her in the leg.
May froze.
Ace leaped back, crying out in surprise, and Raina ushered him towards his father.
The girl made no sound as she crumpled to the ground, clutching the bullet wound on her thigh. She glared back up at the superior, her hair falling in front of her face. He took aim and shot her in the shoulder as well, and she recoiled, completely curling in on herself on the ground. He crouched down to her level, his voice a low, threatening growl as he muttered to her, the words inaudible from where May stood.
Coulson took a couple paces forward, his breaths ragged as they reverberated in his lungs. "Get back to the van," he told May through gritted teeth. "Get back to Fitz-Simmons, tell Ward to stand down. The team needs you."
"Phil-"
"I know." He turned, catching her eye. "I'll be fine. Take care of the team. I'll figure it out."
She sighed, nodding. He turned back to Raina, but before he could do anything, May grabbed his hand. "Phil."
He turned. "Mel."
"If you can, protect her."
He nodded, his eyes narrowed with resolve. "Don't worry. I planned on it."