Dr. Eleanor C. Simmons,
I am writing to offer my sincerest congratulations on your upcoming graduation from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology. Your remarkable achievements in the field of biology have led to phenomenal breakthroughs, and have not gone unnoticed by those of us here at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
I am aware that you are considering quite a few options to pursue after today's commencement. Due to your outstanding qualifications, I am also contacting you to inform you of a rare opportunity that we would like to present you with. This opportunity would be for you to join a highly classified project, one that has profound implications. Because of the delicate nature of the project, I am currently unable to inform you of any specific details, but I can say that this undertaking has the potential to make the world a better place.
Your knowledge and expertise, as demonstrated by your academic and scientific excellence, are exactly what we are looking for. This letter is the only one of its kind, as most projects require more experienced agents. Should you accept, however, I know that you will prove to be an extremely beneficial addition to the project. The choice is entirely up to you, but I know I speak for my colleagues when I say that we sincerely hope you choose to work alongside us in this ambitious endeavor.
Due to the confidentiality of the operation, please destroy this letter after you have read it and refrain from communicating its contents to anyone. Further instructions will arrive soon after your graduation, so continue to proceed with training. I look forward to meeting you soon to hear of your response.
Again, congratulations.
Cordially,
Jasper Sitwell
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division
Field Agent, Level 7
May was very close to regretting her decision to tag along with the team. The wait to get Skye's badge and the inevitable paperwork hadn't been that bad, and May had simply been amused when Skye had pleaded with the photographer to retake her I.D. photo, insisting that her hair looked terrible and that she could not carry that around for five years.
No, the worst part had come after Skye had retrieved her badge, when they had been heading back towards the mission briefing rooms and she had proceeded to flash her new identification to every man wearing a suit. Ward had had to keep her moving along, looking extremely embarrassed and apologizing to passersby. Maddeningly, Coulson hadn't seemed to mind at all. He had simply worn what May liked to call his "proud dad" face, a face he had started to use much more often as of late. But after Skye had stopped the fifth person in order to explain how she was now a real S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Coulson took note of May's impatient glare and grabbed hold of Skye's arm.
"Yes, it's very impressive," he smirked at her. "But we actually have things to do right now. Agent Sitwell's waiting to brief us, and he's probably ready to go home."
May expected Skye to complain about receiving a mission at this hour, but she just nodded, a ridiculous grin plastered on her face. "Yay! A mission," she clapped her hands together. May rolled her eyes.
"We've had missions before," Ward said, looking at Skye in confusion.
Skye sighed loudly, but she was still smiling. "Yeah, but that wasn't when I was a super duper mega awesome agent. Honestly, Ward, get with the program. 'Cause if you don't, I'm probably gonna have to swoop in and save your ass on this mission. With my super agent powers." She smiled with satisfaction before turning around and following Coulson.
Ward threw his hands up in exasperation. "Level 1," he called after her. "You're Level 1." Skye ignored him and he turned to May, probably hoping to exchange some kind of glance of mutual frustration. But May simply smirked before heading in the same direction. She heard him groan behind her before his footsteps fell in line with hers.
Before long they had all assembled in one of the briefing rooms. As they waited for Sitwell to retrieve Simmons from the lab, Coulson gave the rest of them a short rundown of what was going on.
"Over the past couple of months, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been making some changes to their recruitment policy, mostly because of recent developments regarding…" He trailed off, and seemed to decide it would be best to tell them the truth. Good. Because May had actually filed the suggestion right after Peru. "Frankly put, the lack of experience FitzSimmons have had in the field has been a clear indication that we need to better prepare all of our agents." Coulson grimaced apologetically at Fitz, who had placed his hands on his waist in protest. He opened his mouth, looking like he was about to argue, but then seemed to think better of it and nodded begrudgingly.
"Starting now, all graduates are required to shadow at least one field assignment if they haven't already, regardless of where they'll actually be stationed within the organization." He smiled over at Simmons's sister. "We've been lucky enough to have Ellie assigned to us."
Fitz and Ward immediately began to object at the same time.
"Not bloody likely. Agent Coulson, if our track record has been any indication, it should tell us that Ellie should not-"
"Whoa, sir, are you sure that's such a good idea? I don't think we're necessarily the best option with our level of-"
Coulson held up his hands and glared at them both. "Quiet. Ellie's going to be with us, and that's final."
Fitz fell silent, but his face had turned white. Ward calmed his voice, continuing. "Sir, I understand. And actually I think this new policy's a great idea." He sighed. "But we already have FitzSimmons, who still haven't been cleared for combat." Ward raised his voice as he saw Fitz getting ready to argue with him. "And we have Skye, who hasn't even taken her field assessment yet."
Skye scoffed angrily. "Ward, I think we've all demonstrated that we're perfectly capable in the field-"
"Oh, really?" Ward turned on her. "And getting shot in the stomach is your definition of 'perfectly capable,' is it?" Skye's eyes hardened in response, and Ward seemed to regret his choice of words. He turned to face the rest of them. "All I'm saying, sir, is that we're probably not the best fit for her." He glanced at Ellie, whose face had fallen at seeing them so vehemently opposed to her joining them. "No offense, Ellie. I'm sure you're very smart, and would probably make a very good addition. To another team."
Ellie gave a tight smile. "That's all right, Agent Ward," she said quietly. "I understand."
Ward sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt. Being out in the field can be pretty scary, and I don't want to have to worry about ensuring your safety." Ellie simply nodded, but Fitz and Skye were looking at Ward with disgust. And May was also getting dangerously close to smacking him for his patronizing tone.
May had been quietly observing Ellie ever since she had first run up to Fitz in the lobby. She could tell that many people probably immediately compared her with her sister. After all, they were both S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists, they both had the same nose and full lips, and they both were far younger than their peers.
But May was trained in subtleties. Truthfully, she was also wary about Ellie joining them for a mission, but not because of her lack of experience. It was something in her eyes, which echoed a level of maturity unseen in many her age. Ellie looked about 17 years old, but May suspected she was probably more around 21 or 22. She also held herself in a way that was distinctly different from her sister, a way that was almost a mirror reflection of someone else May knew. A red flag waved in the back of May's mind, but she figured it probably wouldn't hurt that much to have Ellie on the Bus. It would be another person to monitor, but May was actually more concerned with Coulson's behavior than she was about the girl.
"It's not up for discussion, Agent Ward," Coulson replied. "She'll be coming on this mission with us. But don't worry. Your presumed superiority has been duly noted."
"Sorry," Skye interjected. "What mission, exactly?"
"We've got another 0-8-4," a voice replied from behind them, and they all turned around to see Agent Sitwell enter the room, along with a very red-faced Simmons. She avoided all of their eyes as she made her way over to Fitz, who was looking at her with alarm. Sitwell must have caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to. Great. Another person May would have to keep an eye on.
"An 0-8-4? Are you sure?" Skye asked. She still looked excited, but May could tell that she was a little more apprehensive this time around, probably considering the fact that the last one they'd dealt with had nearly caused a nuclear explosion. And there was the troubling fact that she herself was an 0-8-4. That might have had something to do with it.
"We're fairly certain. We've been receiving some signals that look a lot like those we saw in Peru and with the Tesseract, but we won't know exactly what we're dealing with until we can examine it further. We're going to need your team to retrieve the object, neutralize it, and bring it back here."
"Neutralize it?" Skye asked, and May could tell she was trying not to appear too alarmed. "We have no idea what it is! How the hell are we supposed to know how to neutralize it?"
"You guys have been in some tight spots before. I'm confident your team will be able to figure it out."
"Uh, excuse me, sir," Ward spoke up. "You said you wanted us to bring the 0-8-4 back here? You don't want us to send it to the Sandbox or the Fridge?"
"The situation is urgent," Sitwell replied. "Just recover the object as soon as possible and bring it here." He briefly glanced at all of them before nodding. "Good luck. Ms. Simmons, if you'll come with me, we'll get you your clearance badge and brief you on our shadowing policy."
There was a small noise of surprise, and May looked over to see Simmons's eyes had widened as she'd noticed her sister's presence in the room. Ellie tried to give her a small smile, but her sister and Fitz had started arguing in fierce whispers. A little deflated, Ellie started to follow Sitwell out of the room.
"Jasper?" Sitwell paused and faced Coulson. "A word?"
When Sitwell nodded, Coulson turned to the rest of the team. "Okay, everyone but May and Ellie can head to the Bus and get ready for takeoff. Wheels up in 30." FitzSimmons continued to bicker quietly as they filed out of the room, Skye following closely behind them. Ward hesitated, obviously feeling like he was also needed there, and it took another glare from Coulson to finally make him leave. As the door shut behind him, May walked up to stand next to Coulson and Ellie.
"You stole my line," she told him drily. Coulson just smirked at her, looking very pleased with himself. Despite his recent alarming behavior, he was still infuriatingly cheesy sometimes.
"What is it, Coulson?" Sitwell asked.
"Are you sure this is the best idea? I mean, the last time my team and I went to go check out an 0-8-4, it was a disaster." He looked over at Ellie. "Please know that this has nothing to do with your abilities." Ellie nodded, but her cheeks were flushed. Coulson turned back to Sitwell. "But frankly, I'm a little wary about bringing another agent on board without combat training."
"Phil," May muttered, leaning towards Coulson's right ear.
He turned his head. "What?"
"I think she can handle herself." Coulson looked at her in confusion, and she tried to wordlessly explain her intuitions. He searched her eyes and seemed to understand, at least a little bit.
"It'll be good for her," Sitwell said. "Having experience in the field is vital for all of our agents, as I'm sure her sister can affirm. Besides, I think you'll find her to be a valuable asset."
Coulson smiled respectfully. "I'm sure, but…we already have two scientists on board."
"None with her expertise."
May and Coulson exchanged a glance and slowly turned their heads towards Ellie at the same time. Sitwell knew they had FitzSimmons, right?
Coulson was thrown for a moment, but found his voice again after a few seconds. "Actually…I've never heard of Ellie Simmons before today, so could you elaborate? What kind of expertise are we talking about here?"
Sitwell looked over at Ellie. "Do you wanna tell them?"
Ellie's eyes darted back and forth between Sitwell and Coulson. "Um…well…I have a PhD in biochemistry…" She spoke slowly, as if she were unsure of what she was supposed to say.
Sitwell smiled at her. "It's okay. You can tell them the truth."
She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh. Okay, then. I wasn't sure, because most of what I've been studying has been classified and I haven't been allowed to talk about it with any of the other students-"
"Ellie here just graduated from the SciTech Academy two years early at the top of her class. She's the youngest to pass through since FitzSimmons, actually."
Ellie blushed. "Oh, Leo and Jemma are far smarter than me."
"She's being modest," Sitwell assured them. "Her work in the field of astrobiology has been unparalleled."
"Actually," Ellie held up a finger. "The term exobiology is more precise." May tried not to smirk. She was definitely Simmons's sister.
"I apologize. Her work in exobiology has surpassed some of our leading scientists here at S.H.I.E.L.D. She's actually slated to helm the astrobiology division at the Sandbox once she completes her training."
Ellie's eyes widened. "Really?"
Sitwell smiled. "Well, we'll see. I'm sure you'll have plenty of operations and projects vying for your attention very soon."
It's something in the way he said it that sent up another red flag in May's head. She had the strong suspicion that Ellie had already been approached. And not necessarily by the good guys.
"Astrobiology?" Coulson asked. "Isn't that the study of-"
"Extraterrestrial life forms, yes," Ellie replied excitedly, a spark in her eyes reminiscent of the sparks that sometimes went off in the Bus lab when FitzSimmons made some scientific discovery or other.
"So…we're talking aliens?" Coulson sounded skeptical, even though everyone in that room knew that he had firsthand experience with aliens.
"Well, in the field we prefer the term extraterrestrial," Ellie corrected him. "But essentially, yes. Before the Battle of New York, we were mostly dealing with conjecture. You know, the search for habitable environments in our solar system and outside of it, any evidence of prebiotic chemistry, the detection of extraterrestrial life, that sort of thing." She was becoming more and more animated as she spoke, even starting to use hand gestures. "And, of course, the Foster Theory opened up a world of doors for us. I mean an actual gateway to another dimension? It's extraordinary!" She seemed to realize she was getting off track. "But it wasn't until the Chitauri invasion that the field experienced an enormous upheaval. I mean, it's actually been quite phenomenal." She laughed in amazement and looked at them all expectantly, probably hoping for some sort of similar reaction.
Coulson looked at her curiously. "What exactly have you been doing, Ellie?"
Her smile faltered a little but she cleared her throat. "Well, it all started the day after the Battle in my immunohistochemistry lab. Of course nobody else had been there because the Academy was sort of in chaos but I stupidly went about business as usual because…well, what else was I supposed to do? Fortunately, though, Professor Martell was also there, and we were discussing the events of the day before when she received a phone call from Director Fury himself." Ellie paused for effect, but she was probably a little disappointed that her exciting story wasn't eliciting much of a response from her audience. "It was the strangest thing, but because I had been there, Professor Martell invited me to accompany her to New York to do a ground sweep in order to detect if there were any signs of hazardous materials or biological weapons. We didn't find anything, thankfully, but it got me thinking. These extraterrestrials have a specific biochemistry completely foreign to us here on earth, right? But that also means that they have antibodies we've never seen before, either. What if it were possible to isolate and examine their enzymatic activity and use their DNA in order to develop vaccines…to target human viruses?"
May saw Coulson freeze and knew what he was thinking. Did Ellie know about what had happened with her sister?
Ellie must have been a little more perceptive than most other SciTech graduates, because she seemed to notice Coulson's reaction as well. "I know what you're thinking, sir," she said quietly. "But the virus from the Chitauri helmet had lay dormant until those firefighters had stumbled upon it. We wouldn't have been able to detect it with our equipment."
The spark had disappeared from her eyes, so May decided to help her out a little bit. "What happened after that?"
Ellie cleared her throat again. "Well, I talked to Dr. Martell and she received permission for me to focus my studies on what we like to call astropathology, and it has been truly groundbreaking. Actually, I've been able to-"
She paused and glanced at Sitwell, who had shaken his head almost imperceptibly. But May had noticed. There was that red flag again.
"Well…actually…all my work has just been theoretical so far."
Ellie wasn't nearly as bad as Simmons at lying, but she still had some work to do. Coulson didn't look very fooled, either, but he probably figured that they had wasted enough time chatting.
He turned to Sitwell. "You think the 0-8-4 we're dealing with could potentially harbor an alien virus? Do you remember what happened the last time?"
"From what we gather, there's no evidence of a virus. But having Ellie there would not be a bad idea. She would've been extremely valuable during that incident with the helmet. At that time, she'd already isolated other alien DNA samples from the Chitauri weapons we picked up on the ground in New York. To be honest, she probably could've saved your team a hell of a lot of trouble."
Ellie was looking at the floor, visibly uncomfortable. May didn't show compassion very often, but she felt a small pang for the poor girl. Ellie had nearly lost her sister to something she would have been able to prevent. Having all the skills in the world meant nothing if you weren't in the right place at the right time, and May understood that all too well.
Coulson hesitated. "Okay," he told Ellie. "But…what I say goes, all right? I've already got enough agents who don't listen to me. I don't need another one. And if we encounter hostiles, I don't want to have to worry about you. So you'll be staying on the Bus for the entirety of the mission, is that understood?"
Ellie nodded emphatically. "Yes. Of course, sir. Thank you, sir. It is an absolute honor to be working with you. And…you won't even know I'm there." She was beaming, obviously ecstatic about joining the team for an assignment. May could tell Coulson was trying not to like her, but he had always been a sucker for that sort of thing. Oh, brother. This was going to be a very interesting mission.
"Okay, Jasper, she's all yours." Coulson stepped forward and shook his hand. "Would you mind bringing her to the Bus when you're finished?"
"Sure thing," he replied. Coulson nodded to May and they both began to head towards the door. "And Phil?" They turned around. "Good luck."
"There you are," Agent Sitwell said, handing her the shiny new badge.
She was surprised. "Wow, that was fast." She felt a little guilty about jumping the queue in front of many of her classmates, some of who had been waiting nearly all day for their badges.
"We don't want to keep Agent Coulson waiting. Now. You understand your objective, right?"
She nodded. "Look for evidence of the GH-325 on the command station, ensure the 0-8-4 is neutralized properly and brought back here, refrain from engaging in combat." She paused, mentally going through the list in her head. "Have I missed anything?"
"A big one, actually. Don't-"
Ellie could have kicked herself for forgetting. "Tell anyone about the project. Yes, of course, sir."
He smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm sure you'll do great. And if you succeed, we can talk about you joining Project Phoenix as a permanent agent."
She tried not to appear too disappointed. "So…I won't be going to the Sandbox after all then?"
"Ellie, this has the potential to be even bigger than what our agents over at the Sandbox deal with. And your work has allowed our operation to develop in ways we could never have imagined. Within a few years, you could potentially lead the entire project."
Her eyes widened. "But…surely there are more capable agents. Professor Martell, for example, and even Jemma-"
Agent Sitwell shook his head, and began to lead her towards the Hub's plane hangar. "Dr. Martell has turned down our offers. She says she's not interested in leaving the Academy, although SciTech will probably need her to develop the new astropathology courses anyways. And your sister is very smart, but…she's not who we're looking for. She's not the greatest at handling classified information. Or following the rules. You know, she shot me once."
Ellie laughed, assuming that he was referencing some joke she didn't quite understand. She glanced over to see that he was serious. "No, that can't be right. Jemma? You must be mistaken."
"Tell that to the bruise I have on my chest from the dendrotoxin she fired at me."
Ellie shook her head, speechless.
What the hell had S.H.I.E.L.D. done to her sister?
Ward paused, breathing heavily as the punching bag continued to sway from his last hit. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement at the bottom of the cargo ramp. Despite having just nearly reached his physical breaking point, he rushed over to Ellie and grabbed the two suitcases from her hands, ignoring her protests.
"Thank you, Agent Ward," she smiled at him.
He tried to give her a friendly nod in return. "Welcome to the Bus. Come on. I'll show you to your bunk." He began to head up the stairs. When they entered the common area, he glanced behind him to see her looking around in amazement.
"This is, without a doubt, the largest airborne mobile command station I've ever been on. Is all of this really just for the six of you?"
Ward laughed. "Seven now." He walked over to his room and slid open the door with his foot. He had severely power-cleaned the small bunk when he had gotten back to the Bus, but since he was pretty OCD about his things, he hadn't had to do much besides change the sheets and vacuum the floor. He set her suitcases on the inside of the door and stepped out of the room, motioning inside. "Here you are. Sorry it's not much."
She walked past him into the bunk. "It's lovely, Agent Ward. Thank you." He gave her a smile and she glanced over to her right, her eyes focusing on something over the bed. "Who's this?"
Ward ducked his head into the doorway and saw that she was pointing at a small framed photograph on the shelf. "Oh, um, that's my little brother."
Ellie glanced over at him in surprise and quickly looked around the room. "Oh! This isn't…I haven't…is this your room?"
"Yeah, we only have six bunks on the Bus," he explained. "But it's okay because I don't mind sleeping on the couch for a little while. We have some pretty nice couches."
Ellie's face turned bright pink. "Oh, dear. Oh, I'm so sorry." She picked up one of her suitcases and began to leave the room. "That won't do at all. I couldn't possibly inconvenience you in such a-"
"I insist," he interrupted her, gently taking the case out of her hand and setting it back in the room. "Please. It's the least I can do."
She gave him a knowing look, and shook her head, smiling. "Agent Ward, I'm not upset with you for what you said earlier. You made some very valid points, and I completely understand why you wouldn't want another inexperienced agent on board. Trust me, you don't have to give up your room."
He was relieved that she hadn't been offended, but he still felt a little guilty. "It's really not a big deal."
She eyed him dubiously. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," he replied emphatically.
"All right, then," she laughed. He was grateful she hadn't tried to argue further. "Thank you again, Agent Ward."
He nodded. "You know, you can drop the Agent if you want. We're not so formal here on the Bus."
"Okay…Ward," she smiled. "Well, this is the real deal, isn't it? Calling each other by our surnames? I feel like an actual S.H.I.E.L.D. agent now."
"Ellie!" Ward turned around to see Skye approaching them. He stepped a little to the side. "I'm…really sorry about that awkward fest earlier. We're really glad you're coming with us."
Ellie smiled. "Oh, thank you, Skye. I'm really glad to be here."
"Wheels are going up," May's voice came over the Bus's comm system. "Lock it or lose it."
Ellie looked at the two of them questioningly, but Skye grabbed her hand and led her over to one of the couches, showing her the safety restraints. Ward sat across from them while they took off. He effectively tuned them out as they gabbed on, acting like they'd known each other for years instead of only a couple hours. When they reached cruising altitude, Skye snapped her fingers at him for attention.
"Hello? Earth to T-1000. Did you hear what I said, Ward?"
Ward shook his head, embarrassed. She sighed in exasperation. "I said I hope you don't think we're just gonna be sitting around for the next couple hours. You and me. Cargo hold. Let's go."
"Come on, Skye, really? Don't you want to take a break?"
"Absolutely not," she replied, looking at him incredulously. "Ward, the last time we found an 0-8-4, we almost got shot by people who were very interested in getting it, too. We're going to have to assume we're gonna be dealing with the same thing. And I know you've got your whole superhero complex thing going on, but I've had enough of getting shot to last me a lifetime. So…let's go."
Ward rested his head in his hands and sighed loudly before standing up. She was right, much to his annoyance. "Okay, fine. Ellie, make yourself at home. We'll be downstairs if you need us."
"Actually," she said, and they both turned around to see her following them. "Would you mind if I came and watched? It is my first mission, after all, and I'd like to see a little bit of combat before jumping right in there, you know what I mean? That is, if it's no trouble to you."
Ward glanced at Skye to see how she felt, but she just shrugged. "If you wanna see Ward get his ass handed to him, then by all means, come and watch." Ward rolled his eyes but didn't retaliate.
When they got into the hold, Ward could hear FitzSimmons arguing in the lab. Simmons was gesturing pointedly upstairs, and Fitz was shaking his head. They had been fighting about Ellie joining the team ever since they had left the briefing room. Ward didn't really know the whole situation, and he hadn't been able to make out much of what they were saying (mostly because they insisted upon talking over each other all the time), but Simmons obviously didn't want her sister there. Despite being mostly in the dark, Ward had a feeling he understood.
As he and Skye set up the mats, Ellie entered the lab, interrupting the scientists. Ward heard bits and pieces of the following conversation.
"Hey, El. Did you want a tour of the lab?"
"Oh, sure, that'd be great, Leo. But maybe a bit later?"
"Yeah, whenever you want. Just say the word."
"Cool. Jemma, is everything all right?"
Ward heard Simmons sigh. "Yes, Ellie, it's fine. I'm just…not entirely sure that being here is the best thing for you right now."
"Jemma, please don't worry about me. I'm going to be staying on the plane for the entire mission anyway, so really, I'll be fine. And I promise I won't touch anything without your permission."
There was a brief silence. "Oh, all right."
Ward looked over to see Ellie giving Simmons an enthusiastic hug, and Simmons gingerly patted her sister's back for a moment before pulling away. "Thank you, Jemma. I won't let you down." Ellie squealed. "This is going to be so much fun."
"Yeah," Simmons replied sarcastically. "Fun."
"Hey, Ellie," Skye called over. "You're definitely gonna want to watch this." Skye turned to face Ward and held up her hands. He started out slowly, aiming a few blows to her head, and she easily deflected them. Maybe it was because of his audience, but Ward decided to step it up a notch. He would have to be careful, because Simmons was watching, but he didn't have to let her win without a decent fight.
After a couple minutes, Skye tried going on the offense. Her technique was sloppy, and she failed in her attempts to get at his throat or head. She was trying to take him down again.
"Um, excuse me. Skye?" Both of them turned in confusion to see Ellie looking at them. "Sorry. I just…well, I couldn't help noticing that you were aiming upwards. He's much taller than you, so you'd probably want to…Actually, it'd probably be easier if I just showed you. Would…that be all right?" She glanced questioningly between them.
Skye looked as surprised as Ward felt, but she stepped aside. "Be my guest."
Ward's heart sped up a little faster. This girl was small, smaller than Skye. She looked like she would break if he so much as nudged her too hard. He decided he wouldn't offer up much resistance. After all, she hardly needed the kind of training an agent like Skye needed.
Ellie stood in front of him for a few seconds, her hand on her chin, examining him. He felt slightly self-conscious. Was she sizing him up?
"Okay. Are you ready?" she asked.
Ward almost laughed out loud. "Go ahead."
There was a blur of motion, and before Ward knew it, he felt his airway constrict as Ellie wrapped her arms around his waist. He was so startled that he barely registered his feet being knocked out from underneath him. For the second time that day, Ward found himself pinned on the ground.