A/N: Hello everyone! Please don't kill me from lack of updates. I feel so bad for not touching this in a long while. But I promise, to make up for being a bad noodle, I'm going to give you guys another one in a few days. Maybe this weekend, or early next week!

And, just so everyone knows, this story is now going to be written in a first person narrative from now on. So, here you go!

Update: I also decided to change the narrative to present-tense, so if this seems different from when you last read it, it probably is. I just have difficulty writing in the past tense, so I changed that too. Sorry for being weird about my writing style, but I PROMISE this is the last time it'll change! Scout's honor.

I can feel the BUS moving from the ground, gaining speed as it begins our ascension. My hands grip the edge of the lab table in front of me in hopes to keep myself steady. I've been in many planes before. SHIELD missions, trips to London to visit aunt Kylie or Grandma Peggy. Doesn't mean that I always feel safe in them.

I know, however, that I am overreacting. Once we are actually stable and in the air, I'll most likely forget about it.

"You okay?" Simmons asks, light concern in her tone. She and Fitz are off on their own projects, using large tools that I have no idea how to work. I stand off to the side, watching in fascination.

I give a weak nod. "Take offs just give me a headache."

She nods in agreement. "Same here."

"Once we're stable I'll feel better."

"Try taking your mind off it." She suggests as she tinkers with... Some sciencey tool. I can tell she's working on a gun, but any details after are beyond me.

"How?"

"Have you unpacked in your bunker yet?" She asks.

Come to think of it, I haven't. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my duffel bag slouched in the corner of the lab. "Actually, no."

"Oh! You should then." She gives her Scot friend a side-eye, one I can't read. I swear, they can read each other's minds. Not even a full half hour with them and I already feel out of the loop with my fellow agents. "Fitz hasn't either. Maybe he could go up with you and unpack in his, too."

I shrug my shoulders. "Why not?"

"One second." He sets down some sort of heat-emitting tool and yanks off a set of gloves. Then he runs to where he and Simmons had tossed all of their luggage earlier, shuffling through the pile to find his pack. I so to my duffel bag and grab it, slinging it over my shoulder with ease.

The glass doors of the lab open automatically as I walk in front of them. Leo follows suit behind me, a pack of his own in toe. Together we jog up the stairs and head to the bunkers.

There are three in a row near the wing to the left, and it's mirrored on the right. Coulson has his own, set somewhere in his office towards the front. May, Ward, and Jemma have taken the ones to the right of the plane.

Fitz seems almost distraught at the fact that Simmons' bunker isn't right beside his when he sets his pack down. I'm sure that Ward had just thrown his stuff down in an open one, not realizing it was reserved. In the end, Leo and I bunk right next to each other as we unpack. The last one, closest to the opening of Coulson's office, remains empty.

The CAPTAIN AMERICA trading card my father gave me is set proudly on my nightstand, along with my contact lens case, a little bottle of saline for them, and my old pair of glasses. Not that I ever use them, but just in case. My clothes are thrown lazily into the top two slots in my tiny dresser, and a couple necklaces rest on the top. And, of course, a picture of my family. It's from a Fourth of July party, years ago. Mum was still alive, happy and bright. It's easy to notice that I have her features. The bright blue eyes, the reddish hair (though mixed with dads, it isn't as bright,) even the soft jawline. But, I have my dad's nose and smile. And a larger chunk of his personality. I'm a great mix of them.

"Genevieve?" Fitz calls on the other side of the sliding door to my room. "Almost done?"

I set the picture on my dresser with a smile. "Yeah!" I open the door and nearly walk into him. Stupid turbulence.

"Sorry." I apologize immediately, but he just waves it off. "It's because we're in the air. I promise I'm not this bad usually."

"I don't doubt it." He says, and we walk through what seems to be the living room area. The couches are lovely; a light tan and they look delightfully soft. To the left is a small bar, one which I fully believe will be used after each mission. "This is basically the 'sea legs of the air.' Air legs? Is that a thing?"

I chuckle. "I don't think that's the term, but I know what you mean."

"Good." He gives me a sweet smile. Then he furrows his brows in thought. "How many times have I made a complete fool out of myself in front of you today? I want to keep track in case the number gets bigger."

It makes me laugh. "None so far."

"I said the stupidest joke on the planet to you that I found on the internet. That kinda makes me a fool."

"Nonsense!" I defend the joke. "I thought it was quite funny. And trust me, I love funny."

"Do you now? I'm learning a lot about you, then."

"Really? Like...?"

"Well," he starts counting on his fingers as we sit down onto the couch, "One, you like funny. Two, you get a little sick during a planes take off. Three, you're a wee bit stubborn."

I point my chin out and cross my arms in mock anger. "I am no such thing. How dare you insinuate that!"

Leo chuckles heartily at my fake anger. I did say I liked funny. I grin and uncross my arms. "Well, then you know more about me than I about you."

"Well, what do you want to know?" He asks, throwing out his hands in an offhand gesture. "Shoot."

"What, like Twenty Questions?"

"Why not? We're going to be stuck on a plane together for who knows how long. Might as well learn a bit about each other."

"Fine." I say, snuggling into the comfiness of the seat. I think for a moment, finding a question. "What year did you graduate SHIELD Academy?"

"Hm, odd first question." He notes, but I shrug my shoulders in response. "Jemma and I graduated two years early."

"Together?"

"Yeah." He smiles at the thought of his friend. "She and I became conjoined at the hip there."

"Really?" I ask, hopefully hinting a little at their relationship.

"Basically." He doesn't take the hint. "You?"

"I graduated my fourth year there, the second in the class."

"Impressive."

"Okay, question number two." I say, straightening up in the couch. It's his turn to pick.

"Favourite animal?"

"Easy." I grin. "Cats."

"Cats? Really?" He groans. "They're little demonic banshees from hell."

I laugh. "No they're not! Not all of them, anyway."

He rubs his temples in response. "And to think, I thought you were decent just a moment ago."

"Oh, shut up!" I playfully smack his forearm. "What about yours?"

"Monkeys."

I give a gesture of indignation. "Mine is a demonic banshee from hell, but yours flings its poop around. I think I win here."

"Monkeys are very smart!" He defends them.

"Sure, Leo. That's why they throw poop at us."

I test the waters with the nickname. He doesn't say no, and he doesn't disagree. I take it as a good sign.

"Fine. I highly disagree with that, but you like cats. There's no getting through to you." He tells me, crossing his arms.

"Okay. Let's agree to disagree."

"Deal." He nods. "You have the next question."

I think for a moment before deciding. "Are you and Simmons...?"

"Are me and Simmons, what?" He furrows his brows.

"Dating?" I clarify.

"Oh, god no." He answers, laughing as if the thought is crazy. "Jemma's like my annoying little sister."

"Really?" I question. "You two just seemed... So in sync."

"Well, yes. We're together most of the time, and we are very close, so it just kind of happens. But we are NOT dating."

"Okay." I say with a nod. I smile inwardly. Nice.

"...How about you?" He asks, scratching the back of his neck. From his body language, he seems nervous. His fingers intertwine in his lap, cracking his knuckles.

I shake my head at the thought. "No, not really. Haven't had one since my Academy days."

"Really?" Fitz says. I can see a glimmer of something in his eyes, but I can't tell what it is. Joy? Confusion? Maybe a little of both?

"Yeah." I nod to him. "It's not like I have time for significant others anyway. I mean, I'm a SHIELD agent. There's the whole, "married to the job," thing with us agents. Missions take over my life. When would I have time to go on a proper date?"

He shakes his head. "Maybe you'll get lucky?"

I shrug in my seat. "Maybe."

At that moment, Coulson walks through the living-room like area, and I know immediately that Twenty Questions is over. I can feel his leader-like demeanor set in. He's holding a file, the words RISING TIDE printed on the front.

I stand up almost immediately, Fitz following suit. "Do we have orders, sir?"

As he flips a page, he tells me, "We may have a hit on a Rising Tide routing point. I'm going to take Agent Ward with me to investigate."

"... Oh. Okay, sir." I say, a little dejected. It's been forever since I've had a mission with Coulson, and I wanted to do it again. Like old times. Like before he was dead. But, a mission is a mission, and he is my boss.

"Don't sound so dejected." He lightly teases, a light smirk on his face. "You'll be going with Agent May and Fitz-Simmons to check the sight. I wouldn't keep you outta the field for long. You would maul me if I did."

I grin at him as the three of us walk down the twisting stairs. "Oh, sir, I would be much more professional than that."

"Would you?"

"Of course. I wouldn't maul; just gently maim." He chuckles at my remark. With that, he and Ward leave, taking one of our SHIELD vans with them.

"Oh, you two are close?" Fitz asks me.

I nod and take a few steps towards, "Lola," and stare at the pristine red shine. "Yeah, I worked under him with my S.O."

"And who was that? If you don't my asking." Jemma pops out of the lab, carrying a large briefcase with her. She quickly tosses it into Leo's hands and goes back to grab another one of their tools.

"An old friend." I say, shaking my head with a smile. "She's somewhere, probably saving the world right now."

"Interesting friend." She takes another case with her, this time holding it instead of handing it over to Fitz.

"You don't know the half of it."

May quickly bounds down the stairs, wearing a black and white pantsuit, professional attire like the rest of us. She seems very formal, too formal, for the Cavalry. "Ready to go?"

"Yes, Agent May." I say, speaking for the mini group.

"Get in the back then." She points to the other van we have, not Lola. Before I hop in with the others, though, I run my hand along the red door of Coulson's car with an impish grin. I touched Lola.

The first thing I see when we get there is a large spot in the ground turned to rubble. The shocks come from two spots most prominent in the rubble, most likely the Hooded Hero's feet or knees, depending on how he landed. It's crazy, thinking a man could have done this on his own. How powerful he must be.

"Jesus." I mutter. I kneel down onto the spot, trying to align my knee with one of the spots. I only succeed in getting my black pants dirty.

"You're not helping while you're on the ground." May says to me. I look up and notice her staring down at me, and my cheeks flush pink in embarrassment.

"Just thinking." I shrug, standing up and wiping off the gravel and dust from my knees. "It's crazy, isn't it? One person doing that. I mean, yeah, there's Thor and his Asgardian buddies, but a human did that!"

May just hums in response. Fitz-Simmons make their way towards us, their briefcases in hands, and as a group we head into the building.

Everything is scorched, burnt to black. I'm honestly surprised the building hasn't collapsed on its own, but Simmons assures me the structure of the building is totally sound. She uses a lot of science mumbo jumbo to explain it to me, not that I understand any of it, but it makes me feel better.

"This was a lab." Jemma states as we walk to the room where the bomb went off. "Was it leased as a lab?"

I toss on a pair of gloves as May answers. "A self-empowerment centre. With a top-of-the-line motion sensor security system."

Jemma chuckles as she kneels over a dead body, burnt to a crisp. "So a secret lab, then."

"And a superhero. Not a coincidence." May turns on a flashlight, looking over a particularly bad crispy body.

I cough, gagging on the smell. "Ugh, guess who won't be having any barbecue for dinner?"

"None of us will. Like a team-building exercise." Fitz scrunches his nose in disgust. "Ew."

"So, was this explosion sabotage?" May brings the subject back to the bomb. "Was it meant for him? Or were they just in over their heads?"

"Working on that problem." Leo announces, attempting to move his way past another set of charred remains without puking. "Excuse me, ladies- ah, sorry."

Once he makes it through to a mostly clean area, he sets his briefcase on the floor. He puts the code in to unlock it as May tells him, "If you're gonna be in the field, Agent Fitz, you have to get your hands dirty."

He grabs a large, tri-folded tablet and sets it on his hand, clicks a button, and brings it to life. The screens all light up with bright blue hues, telling off scientific notations and equations I can't even begin to comprehend but it seems to make complete sense to Fitz.

As he presses a couple more buttons on the screen, he pointedly tells May, "No, I don't." With one more click, eight little squares with legs fly off into the air, moving around the room and scanning debris with a blue ray. "High ho, off to work you go."

"Woah." I say, amazed. "I'm impressed. What are they?"

"D.W.A.R.F.S." Fitz explains, tapping away at the tablet in his hand. "Jem- Agent Simmons and I created them." He hands Jemma her own hand tablet, and she begins tapping away at hers as well.

"Drones Wirelessly Automated to Retrieve Forensics." Simmons adds. "These little beauties were made to seek out and analyze forensic evidence at a crime scene. We designed each with their own capabilities, so, um, some are recording the dimensions and texture of the room, and then some testing the matter density; radiation. I mean, one is just basically smelling."

I listen, thoroughly impressed at the quad-coptors buzzing around the room, scanning everything in sight with a blue ray. They work harmoniously, and it's almost relaxing, in a sense, to watch them buzz around.

"I've got something in... Something." Fitz distractedly notes, his eyes squinting at the information on his screen.

"Who's got it?" Simmons asks, nimble fingers quickly flying to get his information on her own tablet.

"Bashful." He points to the drone a few feet from where May is standing. She rummages through the rubble, and successfully yanks out an old, burnt security camera.

"Surveillance camera." She announces. "Deep fried."

"Yes, but that model has flash memory in case of burn outs." Fitz says, pleased with the drones' work. "Now, I could sync that data from the motion detectors and, with a little luck, get some images from before the blast." He grins to May, who holds a neutral expression. He sheepishly looks down to the camera in her hands, muttering out, "and by 'luck,' I mean, 'unappreciated genius.'"

"And we'll need it." Simmons frowns at her tablet. "Snows reading some compounds that are- woah." She follows her little drone over to a pile of cracked asphalt. She whispers out, "oh my god," as she kneels down to the ground.

"Explosive?" I ask her.

"No. Not of this earth." She grabs a long line of hexagons from the ground and holds it up. On one side, the hexagons glow a dim mix of amber and yellow, though most are cracked and rusty. The other side holds sharp prongs, like large needles. I shiver; I hate needles.

We all wait as the DWARFS continue their handiwork. They scan, test, and note almost everything on the site. By the time we bagged and tagged the camera and hexagon line, it's time to go.

"Well, I think the DWARFS did their jobs well." Fitz clicks on his tablet with a grin. "I say we give them a little break now, yeah? We got all we need from here."

As if pulled by an invisible string, the drones all fly back to the briefcase and deactivate themselves. They even set themselves in their own correct spots, marked by their names at the bottom. As we walk out, I stroll over to Fitz.

"Nice work, Leo." I compliment. "How long did it take you and Jemma to make those guys?"

He grins sheepishly at the compliment. "Oh, it wasn't that hard for most of them, actually. The only one that took long was Snow, but that's only because she checks the radiation levels."

"Interesting." I gave a nod to his words.

"He's forgetting to tell you that I did most of the work on her." Jemma pops in, bumping her shoulder playfully against his. "He got too annoyed with the programming portion that I just took over and let him work on Sneezy and Bashful."

He blushes lightly at the accusation. "I helped!"

"Oh, you did." She says with a smirk. "Only when all the programming was finished. You did assembly."

I laugh at the banter between the two. They're like an old married couple. "Either way, I'm really impressed."

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Next chapter we get to meet one of my favourite characters on this amazing show- Skye/Daisy! Feel free to leave a review or PM with your thoughts on this.