'So the dendrotoxin is really a family of toxins from the Mamba snake-'

'Yeah, but we use a modified toxin that Jemma invented-'

'-well, I did some work on it but there's a body of literature-'

'-I mean, others have made breakthroughs too-'

'-like the Cybertek people-'

'-Jemma jumped in front of that grenade on the train-'

'I had a split second to make a decision, and might I remind you that if I hadn't-'

'ENOUGH' May was starting to get a headache. She had already endured a whole morning's worth of lectures of the physiology of the nervous system and her brain was already at breaking point trying to learn action potential diagrams and all the different voltage-gated ion channels involved. The last thing she needed was Fitzsimmons talking over one another.

'Right, sorry, May.' Jemma was genuinely apologetic. She hadn't realised they were talking at the same time. For the umpteenth time, May wondered how on Earth they understood each other like that. Psychically linked was Daisy's hypothesis. May was beginning to think she was right.

The thought of Daisy brought a characteristic twist of worry to May's consciousness. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she getting enough to eat? Staying hydrated? May shook her head slightly as if to shake the thoughts away. Daisy wasn't her daughter. And even if she were, well, she was a grown woman for goodness sake! She could take care of herself - May had made sure of it when she trained her.

'Yes, sorry May,' Fitz parroted. 'But anyway, the point is that it's a modified toxin which inhibits voltage-gated potassium channels in a specific way.'

'Do you remember what the potassium channels do?' Jemma prompted, sounding awfully like May's old middle school science teacher.

'They...allow potassium ions out of the cell, leading to repolarisation.'

'Yes!' Jemma clapped her hands together and May couldn't help but smirk at the delighted look on her face.

'Yes, excellent, so anyway, the stopping power in the bullets is important because...' Fitz wasn't half as pleased and seemed much more eager to get into the engineering design of the I.C.E.R. A whole morning's worth of physiology was enough for him, even though he did love the sound of Jemma's voice, especially when she was speaking about something she was passionate about.

'...the toxin needs to find its way to its specific target as immediately as possible, triggering a cascade of electrical effects leading to instant paralysis and loss of consciousness. So dosage is important - for larger subjects you might need to use two bullets. But you don't want to overdo it, I mean, the pharmacology is self-limiting but if you really overload the system it could still be fatal.'

May nodded.

'Now, understanding this mechanism is really important,' Jemma explained. 'Because it might explain why some targets are not affected by the I.C.E.R. If they're totally immune, such as if they don't require those potassium ion channels, then emptying extra bullets in them isn't going to help. But if they're simply bigger or have a faster metabolism, you could try extra bullets or even a more concentrated dendrotoxin formulation.'

'Yeah, so like, Daisy's dad, you remember him?'

May rolled her eyes at Fitz's question and glared back at him. Of course she did, how could she forget?

'Right, yes, of course you do,' Fitz said. 'I.C. didn't work so great on him because of his extreme metabolic state and altered neuronal physiology.'

'Whereas when Daisy, well, 'Skye' at the time - when Daisy ICE'd herself when she first went through terrigenesis, the effect was immediate despite her powers. That's because her potassium ion channels were totally normal. Her powers are independent of neural physiology.'

May nodded again. All this talk of Daisy was starting to make her worry again. And Daisy shooting herself was definitely not May's favourite memory. She has been so scared back then, not understanding what was happening to her, yet she was still so brave. And protecting her teammates was top priority for her. That hadn't changed. May knew for a fact why Daisy left - she was trying to distance herself from the team, to protect them. May only wished she could find Daisy and drill it into her head that distancing oneself doesn't work. Daisy's actions were only hurting her friends.

'May?'

Jemma's soft voice broke through May's reverie. She could've kicked herself for losing focus. She was the one who kept going on and on about control.

'Fitz, why don't you get us some tea?' Jemma tilted her head at the door and gave Fitz a look that May couldn't see. Fitz left immediately.

'You miss her.'

May didn't see any need to respond. Jemma had made a statement, not a question.

'I miss her too,' Jemma said with a sigh, and there was so much hurt in her tone that May turned her gaze from where she was staring mindlessly at the diagram of a neuron, and up to look Jemma in the eye. She was startled to see a trace of wetness in her eyes, but Jemma blinked and it was gone.

'I'm concerned about her, Simmons.'

Jemma nodded in an understanding way

'The press isn't helping either,' May continued. 'She's losing herself and we can't find her to bring her back.'

Before she knew it, May was pouring her heart out. What was going on? She never did that. But if she was going to confide in anyone, Jemma was a pretty good candidate in Coulson's absence. Brave, loyal, kind Jemma Simmons with a heart the size of Jupiter.

Jemma listened quietly. She had known for some time that May was worried about Daisy, and felt responsible for her. How could she not, when Daisy was May's protegee and surrogate daughter? So she listened, and it was with some relief that she noticed May begin to relax as she spoke, with an almost-imperceptible release of tension from her shoulders.

When Fitz came back with three cups of tea, he was startled to see the two women look up at him with pensive smiles on their faces and identical knowing looks. He wondered if he had been left out of something important. He hoped they weren't planning a prank on him - he did not want a repeat of that shaving cream incident.