24 hours had passed. No sign of Fitz-Simmons. Skye, Coulson, May. Everyone had been searching. The Bus was up and running again and the whole team, was piled on and scouring the globe for the missing scientists. Skye was scanning every known electronic frequency that could be traced.

"Come on, Fitz-Simmons. Where are you?" she whispered.

She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. The battle with Hydra had been hard enough. But when the smoke cleared and Fitz-Simmons were nowhere to be found, Skye felt like she had been beaten to a pulp. It was bad enough that Fitz had been taken but Simmons…she was still recovering. Who knew what Hydra was doing to her or if she was even still alive. Skye slammed her fist down on table in frustration.

"I shouldn't have her on a mission so soon."

Skye looked up and saw Coulson, looking as if he had just been to a funeral. He looked at her hopefully.

"Any luck?" he asked.

Skye shook her head.

"But I'm not going to stop. Not until we find them." she swore.

Coulson gave a sad smile.

"You look tired. I'll make you some coffee." he said, patting her on the shoulder.

He started to walk away but stopped, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"You know, it couldn't hurt to ask him if there's any place he knows of where Hydra might take them." he suggested.

Skye growled and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head.

"We don't need his help. I'll find them." she insisted.

Coulson nodded in understanding.

"Got it. Last resort. I'll make you that coffee."

Skye thanked him and went back to her search.

"Hang in there guys, we're coming for you."

~*#*~

Fitz groaned and rolled over in bed. He knew it was morning, but he did not feel like getting up. He opened his eyes a sliver and looked at the clock. 9:30. He groaned again.

"Fitz! I know you're up, I can hear you. If you think I'm going to let you fall back to sleep while we have work to do, you've got another thing coming."

Fitz opened his eyes all the way. Jemma. He sat up and looked around, confused for a moment. Then he remembered. He and Jemma had been captured by Hydra. She'd been brainwashed and he'd signed on voluntarily to try to get her back. Hydra had set them up in an apartment just a few minutes away from one of their main laboratories and was expecting them to develop new technology and weaponry for them. Fitz sighed and rubbed his head.

"So it beings." he muttered to himself.

"I'll be right out, Jem." he called.

Fitz dragged himself out of bed and threw on a robe. He went out of the bedroom and smiled. Well, he had to give it to Hydra; they knew how to keep people around. The apartment was obviously new. Spacious main room, two bedrooms with separate bathrooms, open concept kitchen and living room. Even a loft complete with a big-screen, high-definition television. If they weren't an insanely evil agency bent on taking over the world, Fitz felt like he could get used to working for them.

Jemma was in the kitchen, making something that smelled delicious. When she saw Fitz, she smiled.

"Well good-morning there, sleepy-head." she greeted him.

Fitz smiled and walked over to the kitchen.

"How long have you been up?" he asked.

Jemma shrugged and poured a cup of coffee.

"Only an hour or so." she replied.

She picked up two loaded plates from the counter and put them down on the wrap around bar.

"I made all your favorites. Ham, eggs, and an orange sliced in thirds." she said proudly.

Fitz looked at the magnificent breakfast feast. Now this, he would be perfectly alright with getting used to. He smiled and shook his head.

"What's the occasion?" he asked as he sat down.

Simmons smiled happily, as she dug two forks and two knives out of a drawer.

"Well, today's our first day at a new lab. We both need plenty of energy to keep our brains sharp. You never know what discoveries there are to be made or what new research opportunities will present themselves." she explained.

Fitz felt his stomach knot. That was the part he dreaded the most. Working for Hydra. Inventing things for them that could be used against their friends. He forced himself to smile.

"Yeah, lots of great opportunities." he said before digging in.

He hummed in approval.

"God, I never knew you were such a good cook." he said with his mouth full.

Simmons giggled and shrugged.

"My mum taught me a long time ago. I just haven't had the time to work on it." she explained.

Fitz nodded in understanding. He looked at her with concern. She was acting perfectly normal but Fitz knew she wasn't the same. Did she even remember her time in S.H.I.E.L.D? Or did she now think of S.H.I.E.L.D as the enemy? Fitz had to find out.

"Do you think we made the right choice? Working for Hydra, I mean?" he asked carefully.

Jemma looked at Fitz in confusion and nodded.

"Of course I do, Fitz. Hydra is offering us something that S.H.I.E.L.D never could: freedom. Now we can research and develop without having to check with an S.O.s or a director. No red tape." she insisted.

Fitz sighed and gave a small smile.

"I guess you're right. I suppose I just feel a little bad about leaving Skye and Coulson and them." he suggested.

Maybe mentioning the others could trigger something in her. He watched her to gauge her reaction. She seemed to think about it for a moment. Then she sighed and shook her head.

"We can't worry about that, Fitz. We have to do what's right for us." she said sadly.

Fitz nodded, looking down at his plate. He felt Simmons's hand on his cheek and looked up to see her looking at him with distress. He searched her eyes for any sign that the old Simmons was still there. She gave him a sad smile before kissing him gently. Fitz closed his eyes, fighting tears. His heart was torn. Jemma was safe here. She was happy. And she still loved him. There was no need for her to ever be put in harm's way again because Hydra would want her to spend every moment in the lab. But Hydra would use anything they invented or discovered against his good friends. What if one of them created something that was used to injure or kill one of the people they once held dear? He broke the kiss and looked at Jemma pleading.

"I'm trying, Jemma. I really am. I just…I want you to be happy." he whispered.

She gave him another quick, gentle kiss.

"I am, Fitz." she murmured.

He gave a half smile and sighed.

"Then I suppose that's all that matters." he concluded.

~*#*~

Skye slammed her laptop shut and buried her head in her hands. Another dead end. All of her hours of work had not turned up with a single lead as to where Fitz-Simmons were and they had returned to the Playground empty-handed. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling in dismay. She knew her next step but she dreaded taking. Going down to that small, windowless room with that scumbag was the last thing she wanted to do. But this was Fitz-Simmons and they were in danger. If he knew anything at all that might help them find her friends, it was worth her discomfort. So, she got up and headed down to the secret room.

When he saw Skye come in, Ward stood up and moved to the very edge of his enclosure. The happiness in his eyes bugged the hell out of Skye and she rolled her eyes. She went and sat down in her chair.

"It's good to see you, Skye." Ward said with a smile.

"Shove it up your ass, Ward. I'm here because there's a remote chance that you might know something that could save Fitz-Simmons." she snapped.

Ward looked at her with confusion.

"What happened to them? I thought Simmons was still unresponsive." he questioned.

Skye smirked.

"Oh yeah. I forgot you don't get any updates in your little rat hole." she jeered. "Simmons has been up and running for a little over a week now. She was doing so well that Coulson decided to put her back in the field."

"I take it something went wrong?" Ward guessed.

Skye took a deep breath to keep herself calm.

"They've been captured. I can't figure out where they were taken. Any suggestions as to where to start?"

Ward sat down on his cot and sighed.

"Well, if they took them alive we can probably assume they want them to work in research and development. I can give you a couple lab locations." he replied.

Skye nodded.

"That would be helpful." she said with a little less bite.

Ward gave her the locations and she typed them into her tablet.

"Anything else that might be useful?" she asked.

Ward nodded, his face now grim.

"I know that Fitz-Simmons would never willingly serve Hydra. But Hydra has a way to make them. Its a sort of brainwashing machine. If Hydra uses it on Fitz-Simmons, they may be beyond rescue." he warned her.

Skye looked at him with confusion.

"Wait, you mean brainwashing actually exists?" she asked, incredulously.

Ward nodded steadily.

"And it's powerful. They might not be Fitz-Simmons anymore by the time you reach them. I would start preparing yourself for the worst." he stated.

Skye turned her back on him to hide her look of fear and concern.

"Well then I'll just have to find them quickly." she said, determined.

~*#*~

"That looks like quite the sandwich, Fitz." Hector said as he sat down next to the engineer in the break room.

Fitz smiled and held up the culinary masterpiece triumphantly.

"Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella with just the perfect amount of homemade pesto aioli." he said with a happy sigh. "The best goddamn sandwich ever made."

Hector chuckled and shook his head.

"Looks like a thing of beauty. Simmons made it for you?" Hector inquired.

Fitz nodded as he tried to decide which end of his gastronomical work of art to start on.

"She's a gem. Which, I guess makes sense since that's what her name means." he said before taking a big bite.

He hummed in satisfaction.

"So much better than I remember." he said happily.

Hector smiled and shook his head.

"So I take it you two have pretty much settled in?" he asked as he unpacked his own, sub-standard lunch.

Fitz nodded as he chewed his second bite.

"Beautiful view of the city, fully refurbished and spacious apartment, rent and utilities covered. It's paradise." he said happily.

Hector whistled.

"All that and a beautiful woman to share it with. You're a lucky man, Fitz. All I've got is a condo on the south side with a view of the metro and a stray cat to keep me company." he said somewhat jealously.

Fitz chuckled and smirked.

"The perks of being in high-demand." he teased.

The men sat in silence for the rest of their lunch hour, mostly because they were both busy eating. After he had finished his sandwich, Fitz looked at Hector curiously.

"Why did you join up with Hydra?" he asked.

Hector shrugged.

"I was in the Marines. Got dishonorably discharged to cover some higher-ranking officer's ass. Wound up in prison. They got me out." he said simply.

Fitz nodded in understanding.

"So, you're not really a true believer or whatever?" he asked.

Hector shook his head and took one last swig of Corona.

"Not really. To be honest, there's not many people I've met that are. I think most of the hardcore Hydra followers are up at the top." he explained.

Well that was pretty encouraging. And also a bit sad. That meant that the majority of Hydra members were convinced, coerced, or brainwashed. The thought made Fitz almost feel sorry for them. S.H.I.E.L.D nowadays was made up of only the most dedicated group of people, with very few exceptions. They were more a family than ever. Fitz sighed and started clearing his place.

"Well, I should really get back to work." he said.

Hector nodded and crumpled up the wrapping from his deli sandwich.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Working on anything exciting today?"

Getting myself and Simmons out of here, Fitz thought. But he shook his head.

"Nah, not really. They mostly have me working on improving things they already have." he explained.

What he really wanted to work on was that hypnosis machine. Maybe it could give him a clue to how to reverse the effects. But he would have to work up a bit of trust first. If he asked about it too quickly, they might get suspicious. He had to play his cards right, befriend the right people and convince them that he was all for the cause. Meanwhile convincing himself that he really needed to get back to S.H.I.E.L.D. because, as the days went by, he was starting to forget why that was so important.

Can I get a "Woot Woot!" for the return of Fitz's sammich?! XD thank you guys so much for your reviews and your continuing support! I'm going to try and post every other day until Christmas because I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post during the holiday season (Christmas - New Years day). Please continue to review, favorite, and follow! Thanks again for reading! Stay tuned!