DAY 90
Ninety days…ninety damn days…three months…three whole months and I'm still not even four feet tall. I actually think I have a damn loose tooth. Do nine year olds lose teeth? It's a back tooth. Geez I don't remember and what if it falls out and never grows back. Hell, you only get two sets. Did my teeth regress? Shit, everything else did so why not my damn teeth. Anyway, I'm not sure so off I go to see Simmons. She'll know. She knows everything and since this whole damn mini-me thing started she's been researching even more. I didn't even think there was research on people shrinking down to their former kid self.
Anyway, breakfast was kinda of a hurry up and get done deal. May and Coulson were in a hurry about something going on in ops. Of course they wouldn't share because 'on a need to know basis…' well you get the drift. Must have been something juicy because they didn't even insist on walking me to the lab, although I did get a very strong warning about staying out of trouble. Then they just pointed me in the right direction and said they'd see me later….so, I guess I'm on my own and we all know what that could lead to…
So here I am in the lab, sitting on the counter watching Jemma act weird. She kinda doesn't even look at me when we talk. No surprise but I didn't grow an inch or gain a pound. I did ask her the tooth question and she was surprised…a little. She made me open my mouth and looked at all my teeth. She said she wasn't a dentist but it sure looked like some of those back ones were damn baby teeth and would more than likely fall out. She said I shouldn't worry because she was pretty sure the new tooth was pushing out the old one. Great, now I'm teething. Can this get worse? There really are a lot of things about growing up that I don't wish to experience a second time. Once was plenty.
But, back to Jemma. She was acting really strange. She talked to me but only if I asked a question and she sounded kinda grumpy. Fitz wasn't around so I thought maybe they were at it about some theory or idea or experiment. I really hope it has nothing to do with me. I asked her what was wrong and she almost jumped on me. She said there was absolutely nothing wrong and why would even think there was, she was merely busy. Then she started shuffling stuff around like she was working on it but it was definitely just for show. She barely looked at a thing and she almost knocked over a whole bunch of those test tube things. Jemma never knocks things over and she was talking all British-y. She only does that when she's really nervous or super angry. I couldn't quite tell which and I told her she was doing it. She told me again she was just very busy. Then she picked up this enormous binder that was opened right next to me. She held it against her chest with her arms wrapped around it like she was hugging it and said maybe she could get some work done if a very cheeky little girl didn't have her bum planted right on her work counter.
I just laughed and looked at the spot on one side of me and then the other. I even picked up my butt on both sides to check. Then I told her my 'cheekies' were a lot smaller than they used to be so I really wasn't taking up that much space. I gave her my best puppy dog eye smile.
She just frowned and let out a long breath, like she'd had it with everything. She asked me why I couldn't just sit on a chair like a normal person. Huh! That was easy. I held up one finger and told her that I was definitely NOT a normal person, at this particular moment. Two fingers – the chairs in the lab were all wriggly and rolly and not comfortable. And finally, three fingers – when I sat on the counter I could look her right in the eye and it made me fell like I was the right size. I tucked down my chin then popped up a fourth finger (cuz I just thought of it) – if I sat on the floor she'd probably trip over me or just step on me and it made me feel even smaller. Before she could say anything I asked her what was 'cheeky' anyway. I used a goofy English accent and for a minute I thought she was going to laugh. Instead she told me I still did a horrible job of it. Then she just stared at me so I said it again. She looked right at me for the first time and said it meant I was being a real smart ass. I just raised my eyebrows and pointed to myself, like 'me?'. I really thought she'd laugh that time but she just hugged her binder tighter and shook her head. She said I was incorrigible (I had to look that one up). I told her I'd been called worse and she said it didn't matter what size I was I was just as incorrigible
I just shrugged again and she moved the monster binder to another table and pretended she was looking through it. I thought I'd use the moment to clear up something I was really wondering about. So I said 'speaking of bums'. I used the Brit term with another terrible accent. She didn't even turn to look at me so I plowed right into it and asked how she knew about the Wakatta and did May show her the art of guard your flank. Well, that got her attention! She stood up and scowled and said 'absolutely not!'. So I just smiled (like, yeah, sure) and nodded my head a few times. I told her it looked that way when I mentioned it yesterday. So how else would she know?
Jemma just crossed her arms over her chest and got all bossy. She took a step toward me then stopped and tapped her foot like the nuns used to do before they gave some kind of way too long sermon about something nobody was interested in. She said if I really had to know it was because she was not deaf, dumb, or blind and it was apparent that after my little work-outs with May, after I did something totally stupid and May was breathing fire, that I made a point of nursing my injuries. She said it was not hard to figure out just what part of my anatomy was feeling the pain of the sparring we'd done. Well, that and the fact that I mentioned the nasty thing by name on more than one occasion. She said she simply put two and two together, because she could. In fact she could put two-thousand twenty-two and another twenty-two thousand together, so it wasn't difficult to figure out my mom had given me a few of the best. That's another British way to say I got my ass blasted. Oh and the answer is 24,022 (I used my phone's calculator while she was still going on).
When she was done she just stood there staring at me. I asked her again why she was so mad then I unfolded my legs and slid off her counter. If it was making her that grumpy I'd find another place to park myself and she could just keep pretending to do her dumb work. She just shook her head and told me again that she was not angry, but the way she was hollering I didn't believe her. So I said if I had to sit in a chair I was going to use Fitz's. He didn't like wobbly rolling chairs so it was probably the best. I plopped myself in it but before I could criss cross my legs on the seat she held up a finger and said no then pointed to the floor. Damn, my feet don't reach the floor…reason number five. So I slid to the end of the seat until my toes reached the floor and spun the chair around just for good measure then I asked 'where is Fitz, anyway?'. He's always here. She watched me spinning but didn't tell me to stop so I spun in the other direction and just watched her and waiting for an answer. Then…
I got it! I snapped my fingers and said that was why she was mad. It was because she and Fitz were fighting. That's why he wasn't there. He had to go somewhere and cool off before they blew the lid of the lab. They really loved each other but hot damn, they had the best arguments. Even Coulson and May didn't get into it like them. Then they'd go off and cool off and come back and everything would be fine again. It was actually fun to watch.
Jemma told me not to be ridiculous. Fitz was off with Mack working out… Ha! She paused like she had to make something up. Jemma's gotten better at lying but not to me. I can see right through her. She said he's….. Then she didn't say anything so I smiled and said, 'he's?'. She started to say something but I stopped her.
This time I held up my hand, in the middle of another chair spin. I told her she didn't need to tell me where he was because I knew exactly what was going on and why he was with Mack. She actually moved so fast she knocked that damn mammoth binder on the floor and she didn't even stop to pick it up. She marched right over and stopped my spinning chair. She held the arm rests with her hands and leaned right down, almost right in my face and asked me just what I knew and how I knew.
I looked right back her and squinted with one eye cuz now she was really acting weird. I told her I just knew they had a secret and that's what they were working on. I tried to get up but she pushed me back down and asked me how I found out. I just looked at her for a minute because she looked real mad or scared or both and I couldn't understand why she was so all bent out of shape over it. Hell, I'm pretty sure Fitz told her all about it so it shouldn't be a big deal. I told her I knew they had a secret project they were working on but I didn't know what it was, just that it was a secret. I told her Fitz knew that I knew about the secret part but he wouldn't tell me anything else until I needed to know. I kinda smirked at her and reminded her about me and the 'need to know' deal. I told her I only found out the secret part cuz Coulson told me when we had that long talk about dreams and being all mad and talking about it. She just kept staring at me and I started feeling like maybe I did something wrong. So I backed off and I said I was sorry and I shouldn't have said anything. It didn't matter where Fitz was cuz it was none of my business. And it was none of my business why she was mad and then I said I was sorry again.
She just looked at me for a bit then let out a long breath while she stood up straight and smiled for the first time. She said she was sorry and that she was just working on something that had her really concerned. She said it wasn't my fault and she shouldn't take it out on me. She said I could sit wherever I wanted. I just shrugged again cuz I felt dumb but I think she did too and I kinda thought she still wasn't telling me everything, but that's nothing new these days. I guess there was something I didn't need to know and I really didn't feel like fighting to find out. It wasn't worth the consa…what would happen if I did.(I'm tired of looking up words.) Some tech came in then and told her she was needed in the med lab. He said one of the agents had a small accident but command said she needed to check it out. She smiled at me and told me to stay out of trouble and she'd be right back.
I just nodded and spun the chair around about ten times before I started feeling a little pukey. There really wasn't a whole lot to do in the lab. Yeah, there were a lot of vials and tubes and cool machines but I was not taking any chances. Hell, I could press the wrong button and end up in diapers for the next 90 days. I shivered just thinking about it. But here I was sitting right in front of Fitz's computer and it had been a least two weeks since we net nannied each other out of our devices. I rubbed my hands together and wriggled my eyebrows. Woo Hoo! I could get him right at the source, no sneaky program through the system…nope right here in his main frame. I waggled my fingers over the keys and looked over my shoulder to make sure Jemma wasn't on her way back. I already worked out the code all I had to do was punch it in. I hit the space bar and waited for the screen to come to life. It took a couple seconds and it asked for a password. Oh, Fitz you are too easy. I guessed his password every time and 'plink' the screen opened and my jaw just dropped staring at the photo it showed.
I didn't even hear Jemma when she screamed my name, ran up and hit the escape key. The picture just blipped into a black screen. She spun me around and I think she was as angry and I was stupefied (yep, looked it up). I think she was so mad she didn't even know what to say. I tried to ask her what it was but the words came out all mixed up. She said that I should not be doing anything with Fitz's computer, that I should not have touched it and why would I do such a thing and now Coulson and May had to know. She yanked me up out of the chair and I was saying sorry and no she didn't need to tell and I didn't even touch anything but the on switch and Fitz needed stronger passwords.
A second later she was dragging me down the hall and heading for command.
I was pretty sure May wouldn't be happy.
xxx
I could hear all the yelling before we even got to the ramp. I pulled Jemma real hard and stopped us both. I told her I didn't think it was a good idea to go up there right now. I told her to listen. Everyone was yelling so much it was hard to tell what it was all about. Fitz was saying something about not jumping to conclusions and Mack was saying they weren't even sure. May was telling them it was another stupid decision on everyone's part and Yoyo was going on in Spanish. I didn't know what she was saying but it didn't sound good. Even Coulson was yelling and it's really bad when he yells cuz he's usually the one to get everybody to stop yelling. But he was saying something about somebody being in danger and how he should have been told immediately.
Jemma shook her head and started again but I just dug in. I did not want to be in the middle of all that. I told her I was sorry again. I was sorry I touched Fitz's computer and I wasn't trying to hack anything or go snooping and I would never do it again. I even crossed my heart. I begged her for mercy and said pullllleeezzz don't tell on me. I didn't even mention the picture I saw before she flicked it off. While she was dragging me up two floors I kinda thought it was one of Fitz's little pranks and it would pop up and scare me while I was scrolling thru Youtube some night. I even tried a little laugh. But Jemma said it was no time for that and this was no joke. She said it was totally serious and they needed to know. She squeezed my hand a little tighter and pulled me forward. If I could have gotten away I would have run to the nearest vent and hid until everyone cooled off. Geesh, they were already mad. All she had to do was tell them I was messing with Fitz's computer and…and my butt would simmer til Sunday. I kept telling her I was sorry but she just plowed ahead and burst right into the center of it all.
They didn't even notice us until Jemma really yelled for them to please be quiet. She's even polite when she screams. They all stopped and looked at us just standing there with her still holding my wrist. Mack told her it was not a good time and then looked at me and said I shouldn't be there. I was in total agreement and told her so. I told her I shouldn't be there and we should leave and let them do their work. Then May came and said Mack was right and hell, yay three people agreed. I think that make it unanimous! It was time for me to get out, but dopey Jemma just shook her head and dragged me over to the nearest keyboard. She said they had to see this and she tap, tap, tapped (I didn't even know she could) and bingo! There was that same picture on every screen in command only this time there was one of those little news things running under it like it was on at six.
Everybody just stared with the same big eyes and open mouths that I did. I could tell it wasn't a Fitz prank because he looked as surprised as everyone else. The only one who didn't was Jemma. She still looked mad…well, madder. And she still didn't let go of me…like I was going vanish or get stolen or something.
Mack said 'when?' and Coulson said 'how long?' at the very same time. May said a whole string of stuff in Chinese that would probably set this diary on fire if I wrote it down. Yoyo was growling in Spanish again and I was pretty sure it was the same as what May was saying but I recognized one thing…the name Hale. I guess you don't need to say that in Spanish. Fitz didn't say anything just plopped his hands on his waist and stared at the screen. Jemma gave him one of those eye speak 'I told you so' looks and I finally knew why she was so mad…not just at Fitz but at everyone.
I looked up at the screen again and into my own eyes staring back at me. It was me. Me in Hale's compound, looking pretty scared. The words scrolling across the bottom of the screen said I was a missing child, taken from my family by people wanted for serious crimes, it said an Amber alert had been issued and gave a number to call if I'd been seen…anywhere.
I looked at Yoyo and remembered that kid that kept staring at me when we went into town a while back. She said it was nothing. but now…
I think it's gonna be something.
MEANWHILE, 1,585 MILES WEST
"It's out to all major broadcasting systems, ma'am, and all law enforcement agencies from coast to coast." A young man spoke quickly, standing at attention. He waited for her to dismiss him then disappeared into a small group that was working in various stations around the large room.
A tall man in a crisp business suit stood looking at a small screen. A grainy video played a few seconds then looped and replayed continuously. He shook his head and jammed both hands into his pockets. "Even if it were possible for a kid that small to cause…all of that…" he nodded toward the end door to the hall. "This doesn't prove your theory. You can't make out a thing."
"We're working on that." Hale snapped as she pulled a slip of paper from another young officer. She glanced at it, gave a nod and dismissed the officer. "Apparently the little brat knew her way around computers. My techs are still trying to get rid of whatever she did." She let out a frustrated growl. "Every time we get even the slightest glimpse of what happened in that corridor the thing skips and tosses us back to square one."
The man shook his head. "You and I both know there are people powered enough to cause this kind of damage, but there are absolutely no reports and no evidence of any kind that a child that can do even half of this." He walked into the hall and looked toward the remnants of the rubble that was being cleared by a small crew. A large blue tarp that covered the gaping hole in the outside wall flapped in the late summer wind. "Probably someone outside with some kind of exploding power," he surmised somewhat to himself. "Can't believe S.H.I.E.L.D. would use a kid like that," he shook his head. "Although, I do have to give them credit for pulling it over on you," he chuckled. "Who the hell would suspect a kid?"
Hale stepped next to him, grasping her hands behind her back. Her starch uniform, perfectly pressed, held her body in a perpetual state of attention. "All of the debris was outside the building, the explosion came from within and that kid was the only one in that hallway. The damn fire she started kept my guards far enough back they didn't see a thing. But believe me, she had nothing but the clothes on her back."
"Incendiary devices can be made incredibly small, General." The man smiled, "and simple enough for a child to manipulate."
"Two of my officers searched that child thoroughly." She informed him. "She had nothing, not even a damn piece of bubble gum. We still haven't found what she used to get the screws out of that vent panel."
The man folded his arms over his chest. "Well, if you're right then this child has great potential. If, and General, that is a very big if. If she has this much power now…imagine what she can become."
"Exactly," Hale agreed. "I intend to find that child."
The man relaxed his stance and gave a curt nod before turning and walking away.
Hale walked back into the room where several young officers sat before a line of telephones. She walked along them then turned and walked back. She stepped to the door, then issued an order without turning to face the officers who still sat at strict attention. "Every call…I want every call followed up and every lead investigated."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am." The soldiers answered in unison.
Hale stepped into the hall and let out a heavy breath. "I want that child." She growled to herself through her teeth before marching toward her command post.
