"East side, clear," Banks said over comms.
Then Rosalind's voice spoke in Phil's ear, "North side, clear."
"Ditto," Phil sighed, lowering his gun and looking back at the three ATCU agents that accompanied him. "Meeting point in ten."
"Copy that," Banks and Rosalind muttered in unison.
Turning to face the agents, he ordered, "Give me a sec?"
They nodded and one of them said that they'd be walking to the meeting point. Phil was left alone in the infirmary-like room, looking around. There was no one anywhere in that building, but there were signs that proved that people had once been there, how long ago Phil wasn't sure. Putting his gun back in the holster, he sighed and rubbed the back of his head, despair gnawing him. Those had been three weeks of following leads that led nowhere. He was tired of living like that. He hadn't been given a chance to take a breath in the past months. First SHIELD gathered all the Inhumans, then, as things seemed to be perfect, they were abruptly taken away, but this time, Phil had no idea where they were. And he was even more worried because his little girl and his pregnant wife could be in the harm's way.
Banks and Price were chatting quietly, the other ATCU agents putting their guns and equipment away, when Phil met them outside the building where allegedly HYDRA was keeping the Inhumans. Yes, they already knew that much. HYDRA was infiltrated everywhere, and it was with a big shock that Rosalind learned that Gideon Malick, a person she considered a friend, with whom she had worked for more than a decade, was a traitor. He was the one present at the meeting with President Ellis and he managed to bias him so that the ATCU would be in charge of the Inhumans emergence. He helped design the agency and oversaw the science division, having everything and everyone wrapped around his little finger. They hadn't found out for what Malick need the gifted individuals, but they believed to be close to the answer. Price kept on going back to work at the ATCU, trying to find out about Malick's whereabouts and motives.
"He's on to us," Phil said. "They must have found the tracer on Skye's necklace and have been toying with us all along."
"Coulson's right," Banks agreed. "And if Malick is on to us, you are now treading into dangerous waters, going back to work," he continued, casting a glance at Rosalind.
"I appreciate the concern," she said, rolling her eyes, arms crossed over her chest, "but as far as Malick's concerned, I'm just clocking in for another day. We've got nothing to worry. A few more days and I might be able to find where he really is."
"If it isn't too late by now."
Rosalind placed her hand on Phil's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, "We're going to find everyone. Your wife, your daughter, my son," swallowing a lump in her throat, she resumed, "Everyone's alright, I'm certain."
Breathing in and out thoroughly, the man looked up and nodded, "Let's hope you're right."
"Tell me what you see, doctor Kozlov," Malick asked the man that had just entered the room.
Kozlov stood by Malick's side, the two of them watching, through a thick, unbreakable one-way mirror, the commotion in the room adjacent to the one they were standing. With his hands resting comfortably in his pockets, the doctor nodded his head, observing the Inhumans fiercely fighting each other.
"What have been injecting them with?"
Malick looked at one of his subordinates who was also in the room, "Doctor Greer is the one who's been in charge of the experiments. He can answer all of your questions."
The doctor took a deep breath, not particularly liking Malick's teasing tone and turned to the young scientist, "Tell me, what have you and your team have been doing?"
"We've administrated modafinil, desoxyn, methylphenidate, paxil, Prozac and antidepressants on all subjects. Their violent behavior was stimulated and their adrenal gland was affected, causing them to constantly produce adrenaline."
"Did it also lead to enhanced strength, immunity to pain and fatigue and a greatly accelerated healing rate?"
"Yes. That was verified in all of them. Some of the subjects are, however, less capable of fighting than others," Greer casted a glance at the other room, more than half of the Inhumans were already lying on the floor, bloodied.
"So," Malick's voice roared all of the sudden, "do we have a deal, doctor?"
Kozlov nodded his head, "Yes. But I want some of my team members overseeing the administration of the Combat Enhancers on your test subjects. The IGH needs to take part in all experiments that involve our drugs."
"Sure, why not?" Malick shrugged. "Greer, take doctor Kozlov to our labs. The gifted will be taken to you soon enough."
Greer walked out the room with Kozlov, leaving Malick with our HYDRA agents, all of them observing the Inhumans beating each other almost to death.
"Knock 'em out and take them to the lab," the HYDRA leader ordered. "Those who are not willing to comply, put them through the Faustus. After all's ready, fuel the jets and let's head to Gloucestershire."
"And the children, Sir? What do we do with them?"
Malick answered before leaving out the door, "Put them in the containment modules, in an induced-coma stasis, and then send them to England as well. We'll need a big army and they might be useful one way or another."
Malick strolled leisurely around HYDRA's lab, hands clasped behind his back. All Inhumans were strapped down to metal table, all under their absolute control. After having put through the Faustus method, they all reacted the same way upon hearing the words "one red, two whites, one blue". That was the dosing of pills that the IGH used on all their test subjects: one red to increase adrenaline, two whites to stabilize the heightened level of hormones released into their bloodstream, and one blue to relax them. Malick had been anxiously waiting for the IGH's response to use their drugs; the pills were much easier to use than having to constantly inject the Inhumans. Currently all gifted people had been given the white and blue pills, and once It would get back to Earth and demand an army, they'd be told to ingest the red capsules.
"Sir, we have a problem," Greer said softly, approaching Malick.
"Deal with it," Malick answered harshly.
"It's the pregnant woman," those words made the man stop and walk back a few steps. "She's resilient. We've tried to put her through the Faustus but she somehow manages to block the mental reprogramming. We can't give her the pills."
"Force her, Greer. Her abilities are extraordinary and can be so useful to us, to It."
Greer swallowed hard, "Weimer tried to force her. She put a hand on his forehead and till now he's still screaming and squirming on the floor, in absolute pain. No one can move an inch close to her."
Malick sighed, "She has control of hers and everyone's nervous system. Try to knock her out somehow."
"Sir –"
"Do it!" he barked. "And if the pills don't work on her, put her in an induced-coma and take her to the containment modules where the kids are."
Phil's office at The Cocoon was filled with ATCU agents, all gearing up for mission. Ever since Rosalind called with intel, having learned that Malick was on his way to England, no one was willing to let that chance slip away. Phil was well aware that whatever Malick was going to do in Gloucestershire might not be related to the Inhumans, but they had to take a shot at it. At the very best they could kidnap him and try to extract information from him.
"Gather up everybody," Banks called. After getting everyone gathered around him, he turned to the monitor on wall. "Listen up, this is a live feed satellite that show us HYDRA's compound outside the castle. They have two trucks that carry seven containers; there are heat signatures coming from it, which means -"
"They have Inhumans there," Phil said.
"We don't know why do they need the Inhumans, but we have to rescue them and stop whatever HYDRA's plan is. Therefore, everyone will be split into two teams: Team A finds the Inhumans and brings them to the Quinjet, Team B stops HYDRA. I'll be leading Team A, Agents Coulson and Price lead Team B. Once Price gets here, Team B will elaborate the inflitration plan. Any questions?" as there were no doubts, Banks resumed, "Alright people, gear up. We leave in less than an hour."
Phil approached Banks and pulled him to a quieter corner of the room, "Rosalind and I need to be in charge of Team A. Her son might be in there, my daughter and my wife –"
"That's exactly why neither of you is going to rescue the Inhumans. Both you and Roz are too close. Believe that I'll do anything at my reach to bring everyone to safety, Coulson. There's nothing I want more than bringing the little guy to safety," Banks inadvertently confessed, swallowing a lump in his throat afterwards.
"You and Rosalind –?"
"Worry only about stopping those bastards," Banks retorted, avoiding dwelling into the issue at the moment. "When are the SHIELD agents coming?"
"We'll pick them up along the way. They're already waiting at the designated location." Phil shrugged as he told the other man, "I only have a handful of agents –"
"We need all help we can get. We've already walked down a long road. Don't give in now," Banks clapped Phil's shoulder and walked to the agents that would be under his orders.
After seeing the IGH and the Combat Enhancers drugs on Jessica Jones, I just had to weave it into this fanfiction.
Happy endings are getting closer. Just a little more angst, bear with it. :)