"Fine," Coulson decided, realizing Fitz wouldn't leave the subject alone until he'd reached a verdict. "I know where he's at; I can go and pick him up tomorrow using the jet. May, I'll want you accompanying me. Skye, I want you to complete mission impossible and track down Barton and Romanoff. After she was blown out of the water with SHIELD, Barton slipped under the radar alongside her, and it won't be a walk in the park to pick up their scent if they don't want to be found." He took a deep breath, trying to think all of this through as he spoke. "Rogers, last time I heard, was still somewhere in New York."
Winter Soldier?
"Fitz is right; the Winter Soldier – now known as simply James Barnes – is with him. That's why I'm a little more leery to just go grab Cap; he won't leave Barnes out after having just reconnected with him, and we'd have to take them both. Considering Barnes is formerly HYDRA, I think I have a right to these reservations."
"I thought it was verified that Barnes had been under mind control?" Skye asked.
"It was, but I'd still rather talk to someone who's met him personally before I open up SHIELD to him. That's why I want Agent Romanoff here; she would know."
"What about Agent Hill?" May asked.
"Hill could potentially be more complicated than just simply calling her back in. She works for Stark now, and I doubt quite seriously that she could just bail on him without raising his suspicions. He is entirely capable of finding everything out if he wants to look for it, and I don't feel like him finding out about my 'resuscitation' through a good hack."
"Then why not just bring Stark in too?" Trip asked. "Reassemble the Avengers to help us get SHIELD back up and running?"
"It's not a bad idea," May mused.
"No, it's not, but we've got to pace ourselves a little bit here," Phil said. "That means we start with you and I picking up Ward tomorrow. Skye, do you think you could give me Romanoff and Barton by the end of the week?"
Skye, who had already taken out her laptop, set it on her crossed legs, and gotten to work, arched her eyebrows as she looked at him over the screen of her computer, saying excitedly, "I think I can get it to you by the time you get back with Ward. I'm not sure, but if I log into what's left of SHIELD's database under your info-"
"You know my login and password?"
Skye rolled her eyes in an of course sort of way and continued as if he hadn't spoken, "It's really easy to find them. Like, all that's between us and them is this code that I'd bet you anything is translated as coordinates. I think they wanted you to be able to find them."
Phil smiled. "Great to hear."
"Yeah, but it's in code," Trip reminded him.
"Then the four of you work on cracking it while May and I see to retrieving Ward."
"Yes, sir," Trip answered, leaning to look over Skye's shoulder at whatever was on her laptop's screen.
"Another thing," Phil brought up. "On a less SHIELD-related note: we've all kind of been vagabonding our way through this base so far. There's five levels worth of bedrooms, and yet I haven't seen a one of them be truly claimed in the past month and a half that we've been here. I want you guys to start trying to settle in a little bit here, okay? You work better, I think, if you have space that is just yours to lay claim to. So humor me."
"You want to be on the floor closest to the labs, right?" Simmons asked Fitz.
Fitz nodded eagerly.
"That's the fifth floor down. The labs are on level six, above the office space," Phil supplied.
"Is there room for me there too?" Skye asked him.
"There are seven bedrooms on each level."
"Cool," she replied, jumping up with her laptop and heading in that direction.
Trip jumped up and followed her, saying, "I guess I'll join you three."
Fitz and Simmons disappeared after them, heading off to explore the lab, and May turned to Phil with a wry twist of her lips, asking, "Do we want to stay with the kids?"
"You can do whatever you want to," Phil said, standing from his chair.
"Well, I want to look out for you, wherever in this place you end up."
"I'm not like Fitz, May; I don't need a nursemaid."
"Fitz 'would not appreciate that sentiment, I'm sure'."
Phil rolled his eyes at her. "Fine. I guess I'll stay on level three and keep Ward there with me, away from the others."
"Good choice," Melinda agreed, nodding. "I'll join you there."
"You're going to live in the same space as Ward?" Phil asked skeptically.
"Sure," she shrugged. "More ways to get under his skin that way."
"You're a cruel woman, Agent May."
"Not cruel," she grinned. "Just vindictive, and considering what he caused in Fitz, I think he deserves whatever he gets, don't you?"
"Probably," Phil said. "But I almost wonder if seeing Fitz mute and in that wheelchair won't be enough of a punishment for him."
May scoffed, slapping him on the shoulder and calling him a softy as she started to leave the room.
He smiled lightly at her retreating form, mumbling, "Yeah, for some."
She froze at the door, having apparently heard his remark. She turned to look over her shoulder, a smirk playing about her mouth as she shut the door to the rest of the world before asking, "You're not irritated that I want to watch out for my partner, are you?"
"No, not at all."
"Good," she turned the rest of the way around and walked to stand in front of him, revealing in a low voice, "Because that's not the only reason I want to live with you."
Phil smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. "I know."
"Glad to hear it, partner," she answered with a smile that was becoming not so rare for him before she kissed him.
