A/N: Here's another chapter, guys! Hope you like it! Leave me a review!
Two and a half weeks after their defeat, Coulson had no other option. He had to call Fury.
It took a little digging to find a way to reach the elusive former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but he finally found a secure channel.
"Director." Coulson said.
"You know that's not me anymore." Fury said.
"Right." Coulson said.
Fury paused for a second. "I'm guessing you're going through something serious, to contact me like this."
"You'd be guessing right."
"And here I thought you might just want to see how I am."
Coulson smiled, but it vanished almost immediately. "We have a situation."
Fury seemed to sense that the time for joking was over. "What's wrong, Phil?"
Coulson explained what had happened with Fitz. "He almost put May in critical condition." He finished.
"That does say a lot." Fury admitted. "She's one tough son of a bitch."
"We have no idea where he is, how many people he has, or how we can beat him. We're just waiting for… whatever's next."
"And you don't like waiting."
"What can I do?" Coulson asked. He was done acting like a leader, coming up with impossible plans: he wanted to know exactly what he could do.
"I think I might have a solution." Fury finally said. "But I can't promise anything. And you can't be involved."
For the first time in a few weeks, a bit of hope fluttered in Coulson's chest. Everyone was so serious and negative lately, this bit of hope felt like stepping into a sunlit room. It allowed him to relax, ever so slightly.
"I'll contact you when I know more."
"Thank you sir." Coulson said, smiling.
Fitz jumped into the battle, lifting his shield above his head and throwing it into the "enemy" ranks. About a quarter of the men on his side kept going, not casting him a second glance. Another quarter hesitated for a few seconds before continuing on their mission. The other half stopped and looked at Fitz.
"What are you staring at?" Fitz said with a raised voice. "Complete the mission!"
They fumbled and ran into the throng. This was the biggest mock battle they'd had. His forces were split in half. Fitz had arranged them like the S.H.I.E.L.D. penitentiary battle. He'd had tables and columns set up, and assigned the defensive team with a goal: keep intruders out at all costs. The other team, the one he was on, had an easier job. They had to allow at least one person to get to the center of the "base" and retrieve an artifact, and guide them out safely.
This battle wasn't just with toy guns though. This time every soldier was equipped with stun-guns. C'mon, Fitz thought. Show me how well you've trained.
He put half his effort into his team, showing them what position he would take in an actual siege but relying on them to move forward. He could do this. He needed to know that they could as well.
It was an hour later by the time they were done, but as Fitz looked around the room, he couldn't help but smile. The offensive team had won, and in the process they'd knocked out just about every defensive member. Most of them were just reviving as Fitz walked around. Many had bruises from physical contact.
Suddenly his smile faded. Why was he smiling? People were hurt, and there wasn't even a reason. It had been a fake battle. He should be helping them, not pushing them so hard. Wasn't there someone he usually helped to cure people?
He closed his eyes and shook his head. No, there wasn't. He'd been having weird dreams like that lately, and the past few days he'd had moments of doubt like this. He opened his eyes and adjusted his grip on his shield, to comfort himself. He was pushing himself too hard. It was making him doubt what was real.
Well no more. They would do mock battles like this every so often, but otherwise the only training his men would do would be in their squads. The mock battles would be planned carefully by Fitz. He would scramble the teams every time, and give them less notice before each one as they went on.
His men – and women – would be ready for anything.
Fitz just needed to focus and remember who he was.
Skye set down her soda so quickly it splashed up and landed on her hand. Jemma jumped and looked at her. "What is it?" she asked.
Skye's face was so clear it was alarming. A moment ago they'd been talking with increasing anger and negativity, and then suddenly Skye had slammed her can down, her face draining of any emotion.
"We've been doing this all wrong." Skye said.
Jemma pressed her eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"
Skye looked at her, not even bothering to wipe off her hand. "We've been trying to find Fitz by looking for signs from them."
"What else can we do?" Jemma asked.
"If we haven't found anything in more than two weeks, it's because there's nothing to be found."
Jemma blinked. "Are you saying there's nothing we can do? Because we can't give up."
Skye smiled, ever so slightly. "There's nothing we can do to find them. But we can always make them come to us."
Comprehension dawned on Jemma. "We need to lure them here. Well, not here. But somewhere we want them."
"I'll start circulating a rumor that we have… what's something they'll definitely want?"
"Access to all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s records." Jemma said.
Skye's eyes widened. "How do I casually put that out there? Oh yeah, I stumbled on top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. records, and I want you to come get them."
"Coulson has a record-keeping device not many people know about." Jemma said. "Fury gave it to him, I think. That should do the trick."
Skye raised an eyebrow. "How do you –?" she saw Jemma cast her eyes down and sighed. "Never mind. Are you serious? Coulson would never agree to that."
Jemma swallowed. "Then maybe we don't tell him."
"Are you sure? They will come for this, if it's like you say."
"Give me one moment." Jemma went to her computer and typed something in. She nodded. "It's something called the Toolbox."
"That's serious, Jemma. I've heard of the Toolbox. That has all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s information."
"So we have to protect it at all costs." Jemma said. She nodded at Skye. "Send out the information. Then we'll tell Coulson."
"Sir yes sir." Skye said, opening up her laptop. A few minutes later she shut it and met Jemma's eyes. "It's done."
"Are you sure they'll find it?"
"I know what I'm doing." Skye said. "I traced it through some underground sites but let it surface enough to draw their attention. And I encrypted it in one of the easiest things to crack. The only people that'll find it are HYDRA."
"Then all we have to do now is wait." Jemma said. She sighed. And then she gasped. "But we still don't know how to beat Fitz!"
A panicked look flickered across Skye's face at that. "The message is already out. I can't take it back!"
"Then it's a good thing I have a plan." Coulson said from the doorway.
The girls looked at each other, sensing trouble for their actions.
"Well, I didn't come up with the plan." Coulson said. "That was actually Fury." He looked at them. "What message did you send HYDRA?"
Jemma cleared her throat nervously. "Please don't be made sir. We told them about the Toolbox."
He didn't appear to react.
"We needed something big." Skye said, to disrupt the silence.
Coulson was silent for another moment, and then he nodded. "You made the right call. They should go for the bait."
Jemma exhaled in relief, and Skye cracked a smile. "So what's your plan?" she asked.
Now Coulson smiled. "I have no idea."
"Sir, you should see this."
Fitz looked up and saw one of his soldiers standing by a computer. He recognized the woman as one of the squad leaders, a former member of the other HYDRA. "What is it?"
"Dr. Nast asked me and a couple others to keep tabs on S.H.I.E.L.D. and Whitehall and Von Strucker's HYDRA. I found a possible leak from S.H.I.E.L.D."
"A leak?"
"The source seems accurate. It says… an object called the Toolbox is being moved in two days."
The Toolbox. That resonated with Fitz. He remembered stumbling across something about that, before his time with HYDRA. It had happened with a girl… the girl he had seen at the penitentiary.
Fitz staggered. Why was he remembering things? He didn't have amnesia. He knew who he was!
"Sir, are you alright?" The woman was looking at him with concern.
Fitz nodded. "Just a headache. Can you tell where it's being moved to?"
She typed something and then nodded. "Yes."
Fitz placed a hand on her shoulder. "Try to keep anyone else from finding this out. I'm going to tell Dr. Nast." He smiled. "And nice work."
The faint memory about the Toolbox still troubled him, but Fitz tried to push it to the back of his mind. Dr. Nast would be thrilled if they could acquire the Toolbox. It would give them the final push they needed.
Then they could overcome S.H.I.E.L.D. and integrate any who were willing into HYDRA, taking their resources. Once that was done, Whitehall and Von Strucker's HYDRA could be openly competed with.
The way Fitz saw it, the Toolbox was the foot in the door HYDRA needed. The Toolbox was the key.
Skye's mouth opened. "You don't know what the plan is?"
Coulson raised his eyebrows and shook his head, still smiling. "Nope."
"Then why aren't you worried?" Jemma asked.
"I told you." He said. "Fury has a plan."
"But you can't know about it." Skye said.
"Exactly."
"Then how do we find out what it is?" Jemma asked.
"That's where I come in." a deep voice said.
Skye and Jemma looked to the door in shock. Coulson merely stepped aside, still smiling.
"Dr. Simmons." Nick Fury said. "Skye. It's been awhile."