Maria was fuming as she dragged herself back to her desk in the bullpen after the morning briefing. Her senior agent had dismissed her report. Again. Fisher's exact words had actually been that he had glanced at it and that the situation didn't warrant their attention.
That little -
She took a deep breath and told herself that Fury would not be happy if she shot her superior officer. Coulson would be disappointed too. May would definitely be proud, though.
God, she missed the action she had had with May. Days like this she even missed getting shot at. But what the hell had Fury been thinking assigning her to Agent Fisher and his team?
As she reached her desk she let herself fall into her seat. Her eyes fell to the file on her desk. Travel patterns in the Middle East. Great. Another topic she was not interested in reviewing. She reached for it to deposit it on one of her neatly stacked piles – things to do now, never and not ever - only to stop in the middle of her movement. Something was… off. Not wrong directly, but it felt different.
She risked a glance around the bullpen but the few agents sitting at the surrounding desks were not paying her any attention. A careful look at the overhead crossing to her left didn't show her anything either. She turned back to her desk. Monitor, keypad, phone, coffee mug, stack of files.
Coffee mug.
Maria leaned forward.
Steaming coffee with milk and by the waft of sugar.
The briefing she'd just returned from had lasted 50 minutes. And she still drank her coffee black. If only because staying long enough in the coffee booth to grab milk and sugar would force her to talk to her co-workers. She took another cursory glance at her surroundings before pulling the mug closer. She lifted it and quickly grabbed the small folded piece of paper hidden underneath.
::
The door fell shut behind her and the wind instantly picked up her hair to mess with it.
"Took you long enough."
Maria let go of the breath she had been holding as she spun around to see Melinda May leaning casually against the railing of the roof.
"Nice to see you too, May."
May walked up to her and grabbed her by her upper arms. "It really is good to see you, Maria. Congratulations for making Level Four." Her eyes softened as she smiled at her former apprentice.
Maria returned her smile before gesturing to their surroundings. "What's with all the cloak and dagger?" She asked as she pushed her hair behind her ears.
What was left of May's smile drained from her face. "Someone needs my help."
Maria thought she felt her stomach drop. "Someone or Coulson?"
"What makes you think it's Coulson?" May's face gave nothing away.
"Is there anyone else you would do this for?"
May's eyes narrowed dangerously and Maria couldn't help but smirk in triumph.
"I thought you didn't work with him anymore."
Or so she had heard a few months ago. In fact, the story had been that they had had a fight and May broke his nose. She didn't believe it at first but people were really adamant about that fact. She didn't know what to make of that. May and Coulson worked perfectly together. They complimented each other like no other team she had ever witnessed. Sure, Coulson talked a lot and tried to tell jokes that were not funny. Not at all. But May genuinely didn't seem to care that he was a complete dork as well as a brilliant analyst. In fact she endured all his rambling with a patience Maria would kill to have.
And even back then she knew they were on the brink of something. She just always imagined it to be too complicated.
"He's in trouble."
And yet sometimes it was that simple.
Maria didn't even have to think about it. "What do you need?"
If Melinda May wouldn't be Melinda May, her shoulders would have sagged with relief at this point. But all Maria received in return was a small nod. "He went after Black Widow, but he was made. His cover was blown 48 hours ago."
"Wait." Maria frowned at her. "If you're not in on the op, how do you know this?"
May just shot her a look and kept talking. "He managed to install a tracker. Now all I have to do is pick up the signal."
"Why does it have to be you?"
"Because there is no extraction plan." May said sourly.
Maria heaved a deep breath. "How do you know that? I mean how do you know any of that?"
May shook her head. "This is an unsanctioned mission. The less you know the better."
"No. I'm in. Tell me."
The older woman let her eyes wander over the rooftop before meeting Maria's demanding gaze again. "Years ago Coulson and I agreed on a system if anything ever went wrong on a mission. Right before he was made he got a message through to me."
"And the extraction?" Maria wanted to know.
"There is no extraction because they think he's already dead." May's voice left no doubt about her own thoughts on that. It was good enough for Maria.
"How do we track the signal?"
May cocked her head, her expression unreadable. "We need a Level 7 clearance."
"I don't have access to that."
May let a small pleased smile play over her features. "No, but your boss does."
::
Maria looked around carefully. It was lunchtime and the bullpen was mostly empty. She walked up to her target as inconspicuously as possible.
She had to suppress a smile at the thrill she felt. God, she had missed this.
Standing directly in front of her intended goal she waited until its occupant looked up at her.
"Anders. Hi." She said with the sincerest smile possible.
The junior agent just frowned at her as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "What do you want?"
Maria had to force herself to keep smiling. "How's your report coming?"
"What do you care?" Agent Anders asked warily.
"Excuse me?" God, she knew why she hated working here. Anders was only a Level Two, but he was damn good with a computer. Now if only he wouldn't be sucking up to their S.O. all the time, maybe he would get somewhere with his skills.
"Look, I have this report to finish. Fisher wants it on his desk by tomorrow." He tried to dismiss her.
"I know. But I need your help." No need beating around the bush here. She was on a clock.
Anders eyed her critically. "Why would I help you?"
Maria leaned forward and rested her hands on the edge of his desk, her voice taking on an impatient edge. "Because I helped you out after the briefing this morning."
He leaned back in his seat. "You didn't help me! I came to you for advice and you wanted to get rid of me!"
"I did not." She said forcefully.
He leaned forward again, not letting himself be intimidated by her. "Yes. You did. Ever since you started working with this task force you've been a mean condescending bitch."
She stood back up straight and crossed her arms in front of her. She should have known asking Anders would be a mistake. "Excuse me? But who doesn't know that Persia is called Iran now?" She hissed.
Anders just raised his eyebrows.
Maria took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She was on a mission here, she reminded herself. Who knew Anders wouldn't be the roll-over puppy she had expected him to be. "Okay, fair enough."
Agent Anders crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "Look, I'm sorry. When I'm stressed I tend to be really honest with people. I can't handle pressure very well. But I'm not going to help you."
Maria took the moment he looked at his computer screen to scan his desk. Messy. But her eyes caught his coffee mug. His personalized coffee mug. Bingo.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mike." She took a small step back, pretending to leave him alone.
One.
Two.
Three.
"Wait. You know my name?"
Gotcha.
Maria hid her smirk as she stepped forward again and tried a sincere smile instead. "Of course I do. I think you're the only capable person on this team." Which wasn't even that far from the truth.
"Really?" His eyes widened behind his glasses.
She leaned forward conspiratorially. "Maybe I did if you helped me. No questions asked."
Mike looked around and when he seemed satisfied he leaned forward as well. "Will we get into trouble for it?"
Maria shrugged. "Possibly."
"Cool."
Maria just rolled her eyes at his self-satisfied smirk. "So are you going to help me or what?"
"Yes." Mike nodded. "But you'll have to do something for me, too."
He was kidding, right?
"What?" She snapped.
Mike cleared his throat, suddenly nervous again. "You have to go on a date with me."
Maria narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "No way."
His shoulders slumped in defeat and what Maria assumed was genuine disappointment.
"You help me and I'll owe you one." Once the higher ups got wind of this she would never be in any position to help anyone ever again.
"Okay." He seemed satisfied. "Can I tell the others that I went on a date with you?"
She kept thinking back to May and the mission ahead of them. "If you have to." She admitted grudgingly.
"Can I say you asked me out?"
"Don't push it, Mikey."
::
May impatiently tapped her foot and Maria wondered if she had ever seen her this nervous.
"Relax."
"He's late." May said tersely.
Maria just sighed and looked at her watch again. Yes, he was late.
But just as she was about to check her gun one more time, just to be safe, there was a knock at the door.
May met her gaze silently and gestured for her to answer it while she took position behind the door with her weapon drawn.
Maria shared a look with her before opening the door.
Mike.
"Finally." She huffed as she dragged him inside by his sipping jacket and closed the door behind him.
He frantically looked from her to May and back again.
"Where you followed?" May wanted to know.
"Ehm, I don't think so." He swallowed and looked back at Maria.
May just shot Maria a look before stowing her weapon and walking over to the window. Mike followed her with his eyes before taking in the apartment. "Is this your place?"
"No." Maria just said. "I live two streets over."
Mike wandered around the living room. "And do you know…" He glanced at the mail on the mantle. "…Robert and Jessica well?"
"I don't know them at all." Maria said as if that was to be expected.
"Do you have it?" May interrupted from where she was watching the street.
"Okay, just to be clear." Mike stopped in the middle of the living room with his arms crossed. "Of course I have it. And what the hell are we doing meeting in the apartment of total strangers?"
"Just a precaution." Maria said and passed him on her way to a black duffel bag. She grabbed a laptop out of it and sat down on the couch. May walked over to her.
After booting up the laptop they looked at him expectantly.
"The key code?" Maria asked after a few tense seconds.
"Uh, sure." Mike cleared his throat and tapped the side of his head. "It's in here."
May shot him an appreciative look.
"What?" He asked defensively. "You think I'd be stupid enough to write it down?"
"The thought has crossed my mind, yes." May replied. "Now let's get this over with."
Maria motioned for Mike to sit down beside her and thrust the laptop into his lap.
"Wait a second." He checked the screen. "You want to run S.E.E.K.E.R.? This is not going to work."
"What do you mean?" May asked abruptly.
"Look." Mike adopted a more calming tone. "The key code might give you access to the program but you won't be able to actually use it without the right clearance."
Maria cursed under her breath while May stalked back to the window.
Mike's gaze wandered from one woman to another. "Look. Maybe we can find another way. You're trying to pick up a radio signal?!"
May nodded wearily. "A transmitter signal, yes."
"Where?"
"It got activated in Germany two days ago. By now it's probably somewhere in Eastern Europe."
"Okay." Mike nodded and went back to the computer.
"What are you doing?" Maria asked from beside him.
"Well. Chinese Intelligence Satellite no one is supposed to know exists is crossing over Europe in four hours and twenty-six minutes." He said matter-of-factly.
"And?" Maria prompted him to continue.
Mike just shot her mischievous look. "Well, if we can't use our own satellite with our own program, maybe we can hitch a ride with another. All we need is a program to access the Chinese satellite."
"We don't have one." May pointed out.
Mike just shook his head and let a smile play out over his face. "I know. But I have four hours and twenty minutes to write one."
"And you can do that?" Maria narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"You do know I dropped out of MIT, right?" He sounded vaguely disappointed.
"What do you need?" May asked instead, cutting to the chase.
"Well. You could check if Robert and Jessica have any coffee."
::
Sixteen hours later, huddled behind a small wall on an Ukrainian rooftop and freezing down to her bones, Maria almost regretted insisting that she should accompany May.
"Six guards at all times." She whistled appreciatively as she set her binoculars down and looked at May. "What's the plan?"
"You won't like it." The other agent smirked before dropping down to check the contents of her backpack.
"That's what you always say." Maria pointed out. "So what'll it be? Fighting our way in?"
May shook her head. "Too many cameras, too many guards. We'll have to fight our way out."
"Out?" Maria couldn't believe what she was hearing.
The older agent just nodded. "Yes. They are prepared to not let anyone inside. Security on the way out is usually easier to handle."
"Easier? That's what you said on our last mission together. And then I ended up jumping through a water canal in ten inch heels with Napalm exploding around us."
May actually cracked a smile at that. "Yes. That was fun."
Maria just pursed her lips. "Okay. Just tell me, before we save his ass in an unsanctioned mission and get thrown into dark little cells for the rest of our lives."
"What?" May paused in her preparations.
"Did you really break Coulson's nose?"
May just rolled her eyes but Maria thought she saw a small smirk on her face as well. "Yes."
Maria did a double take. "What happened?"
"We don't have time for this." May motioned for her to get ready.
Maria held her back by her arm. "If we succeed we'll never see each other again. Dark little cells, remember."
She was only met with silence as May checked her watch for the hundredth time.
"Just tell me." The younger agent insisted.
May looked up at her. Then she sighed. "He told me to be careful."
"What?"
But May was looking down at her watch. "The guards are going pass in 3...2..." May shot up from their hiding place and slipped over the edge of the roof. Maria just shook her head before she followed her soundlessly.
::
She came to some while later to the feeling of zip ties cutting off any circulation in her hands and feet. But her face didn't feel as bruised as May's looked from where she was sitting across from her, bound to a chair as well.
Maria looked around and the motion caused her head to throb. She slowly took in her surroundings. How disappointing. It was far from sterile, but from what she could make out in the dark she had expected more mould. It definitely smelled like mould. And was that a dripping pipe near the wall to her left? The sound was already driving her crazy.
The grating of the door only added to her headache and she instantly slumped forward in her seat. But nobody seemed to pay her any attention. Instead, they seemed to be dragging something heavy into the room. She only dared look up after the door had closed again and all was silent.
May moved as well.
"You okay?" She asked.
May nodded dazedly before trying to move her arms and legs to no avail. "Peachy." Just then her eyes widened. Maria tried to follow her gaze and had to turn her neck in an uncomfortable angle until she could see what they had dragged in. A smile broke out over her face.
Coulson.
He looked like hell and was currently unconscious, but at least he was breathing.
"They're making this too easy." May said warily.
"Easy?" Maria wriggled against her restrains until she couldn't take the pain shooting through her arms. "Nothing about this is easy."
May didn't respond and Maria knew she was working out a way to get them out of here. She didn't even make it five minutes before her patience ran thin. And the dripping water certainly didn't help.
"So you broke his nose because he told you to be careful?"
May's head shot up to meet her gaze in the dim half-light. "Let it go."
Maria held her gaze. "Like hell I will."
May's eyes narrowed and Maria knew she was trying to work out whether to indulge her or not.
"Yes. I did." She finally admitted.
"And she never apologized for it either." A muffled voice interrupted them.
Both their heads spun around to Coulson's slumped form on the ground. His hands were tied behind his back and he groaned as he tried to sit himself up.
"You told me to be careful right before I went into a possibly hostile situation." May argued.
Coulson rolled his head, trying to work out a kink in his neck. "Yes. Because I wanted you to be careful. Instead you got shot."
"You were hovering." May insisted.
Only then did he finally look her from behind bruised eyes. "I was being considerate."
May couldn't stop the scowl. "You were overbearing."
"And you broke my nose for it?"
"I don't like hovering." She said curtly. "And I don't like it when people tell me how to do my job."
"That's not an apology." Coulson pointed out.
"You're not going to get one."
"What? You broke my nose! It's crooked now!" His voice rose with indignation.
Maria couldn't believe this. "Guys?" But the others ignored her.
"You had no place to-"
"That's enough!" Maria interrupted them forcefully.
An uneasy silence fell over the room.
Coulson took a deep breath and seemed to let it go. "Was getting captured and bound part of your brilliant plan?" Or not.
"What was I supposed to do? Leave you here?" May asked icily. "Because I can still do that."
Coulson ignored her and gave Maria a once-over. "You okay?"
"Perfect." She replied flatly. "This almost feels like old times."
Except for the tension in the room. That was definitely new.
"How's working with… Fisher was it?!"
Maria couldn't believe this man. They were in enemy hands, bound and weaponless in a drippy basement and he was making small-talk.
She spared a look over at May and saw her working her hands behind her back. Or he was just buying time. That sneaky bastard.
"I hate it." Maria supplied.
Coulson actually laughed at that. "I knew you would. So what was the plan?"
"Get in. Find you. Make our way out." Maria supplied at May's silence.
Coulson looked over at May and their gazes locked. But gone was the underlying strain Maria had witnessed only minutes ago. They were a team, functioning flawlessly like a well-oiled machine, ready to fight. "Spare knife?"
She nodded.
"Ankle?"
"Belt." May replied.
Coulson stored the information away.
"Will you be able to fight?" May asked in no uncertain terms.
"I'll manage." Coulson replied.
May just raised her eyebrows in return.
"I'll manage." He repeated with more force.
"You have at least three broken ribs and the way you're shifting your body your left arm is pretty banged up, possibly broken."
They shared eye-contact for a moment longer than Maria felt completely comfortable witnessing.
"I'll be fine." Coulson said one more time, softer now. "How do you want to do this?"
"Bangkok?" May suggested.
"All right." He nodded. All was decided.
Maria groaned. "I really hate it when you do that."
The only answer she got was the sound of May dislocating her thumb.
::
::
In the end they didn't have to fight their way out. At least not all of it. In fact they had barely made it out of the basement when they were met with a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team in full tactical gear ready to get them out.
Which was not too bad considering Coulson's condition.
Maria watched the other two carefully. They were currently sitting left and right from his hospital bed in a nameless S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in Germany waiting for the doctor to clear him for a trans-Atlantic flight. At least she thought she was watching them carefully until May sent her a glare that had her immediately avert her gaze.
But the thing was, there was nothing to see. They were acting as normal as they usually did. May had fought Coulson for the remote only to give up on daytime television after a few minutes. And now she just sat there, her feet resting on his bed and rocked her chair. Coulson just dozed, happy from the painkillers. It felt like the minutes in that basement had just been a glitch. Like they had to release some pressure and now that they had, they could go on pretending.
Coulson's nose really was crooked.
Her musings were interrupted by the stomping of heavy boots and a shadow looming in the doorway.
It took Maria a split second longer than May to get to her feet.
"Sir." May said but Fury just waved her off.
"Save it." His tone allowed no objection.
He strolled further into the room and Maria sent May an uncomfortable look. May just shook her head. Fury stopped at Coulson's bed while the later tried to sit up straight.
"Your doctor tells me that you'll be fine."
"Yes, sir." Coulson met his gaze head-on.
"Good." Fury crossed his arms in front of his face. "As for you two…" He pierced them with his glare. "You did a damn fine job."
Maria hoped her face gave nothing away as she shot May a quick glance.
"A damn fine job of pissing me off."
Ah.
She saw May square her shoulders out of the corner of her eye.
"Sir. Agent Hill-"
"Save it, May." His warning gaze wandered from one of them to the other as they stood left and right of Coulson's bed. "You can just be glad the Chinese didn't catch wind of your friend Anders' Trojan horse program."
"So why the extraction team?" May was brave enough to ask.
Fury's face darkened. "That was Anders as well. He used Fisher's code to enter the mainframe and implement a rescue mission. Once it was in the system, nobody could tell that it wasn't sanctioned. But from what I've read he saved all your asses."
Maria couldn't help the small smile. Who knew Mike had it in him.
"Coulson, you're cleared for flight travel." Fury continued with business. "Your transport leaves in an hour from Ramstein." He turned his head and shot Maria a look she couldn't discern. "Your new assignment is waiting for you upon arrival. And as for you, Agent May." His head turned once more. "The Hong Kong office is expecting you in two days."
"Yes, sir." She nodded and Maria held her breath as Fury stalked past her and left. Only then did she dare to look at her former team mates and she caught the look that passed between them.
"That went well." She tried for levity and Coulson offered a smile in return.
May dropped down into her seat again and scowled. "I hate Hong Kong."
Coulson's smile attempted sympathy but ended up somewhere in the vicinity of mirth. "You did break my nose, after all."
May's eyes only narrowed at him And Maria took that as her cue to leave. These two definitely had something to talk about and as much as they were putting it off, they would never get to it with her around. And a shower sounded absolutely lovely right now.
::
Who had she been kidding? Of course they hadn't talked. Or maybe they had. They were just so damn professional all the time that Maria couldn't really tell. But at least with the way May hadn't left Coulson's side during the flight and the way she discretely checked him over every few seconds, everything was back to normal.
"You know I'm not going to collapse any second, right?" Not so discrete then.
"We'll see." May just said as they made their way off the plane.
"Maria." Coulson turned towards her. "We never had a chance to celebrate your promotion. Wanna join us for a drink?" He looked at her expectantly.
Maria shuddered at the memory of the last time they had celebrated a promotion. May making Level Six. And if she concentrated hard enough she was sure she could get the taste of the cheap Tequila they'd had back into her mouth. She clearly remembered the other two matching her drink for drink and yet she had been the only one feeling like death warmed over the next day.
"Thanks." She said slowly. "But there's actually something I have to do."
"What?" Coulson asked in indignation. "What could that be?"
At her hesitation May gently nudged his shoulder and threw her a smile. "Go. Have fun."
God, she desperately tried.
At least that's what she tried to tell herself as she rode the elevator up to the bullpen an hour later and nervously run her hands over the wrinkles in her dress.
She found him at his desk, stacking his belongings into a cardboard box. His coffee mug was sitting on top.
"I'm sorry." She cringed and Mike spun around in surprise.
"Hey." His eyes widened when he saw her appearance. "And…. wow."
Maria nervously cleared her throat when she noticed other agents around who were working late and started to look over.
"I'm sorry I got you in trouble." She got back to the point.
"Are you kidding?" Mike beamed. "I was transferred to a cyber tech unit. It's perfect."
"Well in that case, you're welcome." Maria smirked relieved.
"Do you have any plans?" Mike asked and gestured at her.
Maria looked down at her black dress and the red stilettos and had to fight a smile. "I do, actually." She took a step up to him, just at the brink of his personal space. "You didn't have to send in an extraction team after us."
"Your chances were pretty slim…." He trailed of with a half-smile and Maria had to chuckle at that.
"Yes, I know. So… Thank you." She said with a genuine smile. "And I think the least I can do is repay my debt."
"What?"
"Come on, Mikey." She smiled at his dumbfounded look. "I believe we have a date to get to."
"Seriously?" His eyes darted around nervously. By now Maria imagined they had gathered quite the attention.
"Come on." She hissed. "Just go with it."
He shut down his computer and turned off the lamp. At Maria's insistence he left the box and followed her over to the elevators.
Maria for her part was aware of every eye following them through the bullpen and smiled in satisfaction.
Mike slumped against the elevator wall as soon as the doors slid closed. "Thanks, you didn't have to do that."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" He shifted uncomfortably. "You definitely sold it. The others are probably freaking out right now."
They got off the elevator when it reached the lobby but Mike made no move to follow her further.
"Mike?" She turned around when she noticed him hang back.
"What?" He stared at her dumbly.
Maria just rolled her eyes before taking a step back in his direction. "Look. All I asked you to do was get me those access codes. And then you saved our asses back there. The least I can do is treat you to a midnight showing of Jurassic Park."
"Seriously?" He stared at her with wide eyes. "I love that movie."
Maria just smirked. "So, are we going or what?"
Thank you for all these wonderful reviews so far. They are dearly appreciated.