They quickly strode up the Bus's cargo ramp, and May noticed Simmons and Ellie emerging from the doorway at the top of the steps. When Simmons caught glimpse of the trio, she bounded down the stairs, Ellie on her heels.
"Sir, what is it?" Simmons asked, briefly glancing at Coulson before rushing over towards Fitz.
Fitz waved his free hand at Simmons and her sister. "Both of you stay back. We're putting it in the Cage."
Ellie's wide eyes followed Fitz as he made his way past her. She sidestepped closer to Coulson as they all travelled in a pack up the steps. "Sir, is everything all right?"
"We don't know, Ellie," he replied. "But I'm not taking any chances with this thing. It's gonna stay in isolation until we get to the Hub." He quickly glanced around the group and voiced the question that was going through May's head. "Simmons. Where are Ward and Skye?"
Simmons had grabbed the other end of the containment case, ignoring the protesting glares from her partner. She turned her head behind her as they reached the top of the steps. "They're here, sir. I took a look at her ankle, and from what I could tell it's just a small strain. But she was so tired that we all thought she should get some sleep."
Coulson nodded, his face showing the relief that swept through May as well. She hadn't realized how much she'd been worried about Skye's safety, but she was glad that she had one less thing to worry about. That is, until they brought Skye into the field again.
But they had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.
FitzSimmons swiftly set the case down on the interrogation table and as Fitz set to securing it for takeoff, May heard footsteps approaching from behind them. She knew who it was without turning around.
"Sir?" Ward's voice came from somewhere over her left shoulder. She automatically tensed up whenever she heard his voice now. She hadn't liked the way things had ended between them, especially considering what he'd gone through with that Asgardian, but it had been necessary. Things had gone too far, and with Coulson acting so strange lately, May had needed to focus all of her energy on making sure he didn't do anything colossally stupid. But Ward had been less than mature about the whole situation and had insisted on acting as awkward as possible around her. So of course she mostly ignored him. "What's the plan?"
"We complete the mission as fast as possible," Coulson replied. "May?" He looked at her with poorly disguised anxiety. "Get us off the ground. Now."
May wanted nothing more than to deliver the 0-8-4 immediately, but she had to at least broach the subject. "Phil, what about those airport security guards? You think we should just leave them?"
"Honestly, I couldn't care less about those guys. If HQ wants to send a team to take care of them, they can be my guests. We've done what we were told to do. We've got the 0-8-4. Now let's get out of here."
She tried to convey her apprehension as they looked at each other for a few seconds. It was unlike Coulson to leave so many stones unturned. But she understood. She didn't want to be anywhere near that thing for longer than she had to, either. She gave him a subtle nod before heading towards the cockpit.
Twenty minutes later, everyone except for Skye was gathered around the Holocom. Fitz swiped a few keys, searching through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s armory database until he found what he was looking for. The specs from the Chitauri scepter flashed up on the screen.
"Is that-?" Simmons began.
"I think it is," Ward breathed.
"Loki's scepter," Ellie murmured, and looked around in confusion. "Why are we looking at Loki's scepter?"
"The 0-8-4 we found looks a lot like this stone," Coulson replied, pointing at the screen to the head of the scepter. "Fitz, what can you tell us?"
Fitz held the tablet containing the information the D.W.A.R.F.s had collected in one hand as he scrolled through the scepter's diagnostics with the other. "It…appears to have the same dimensions as the original, sir. But the status on here says it's in custody at HQ. There's nothing about it having gone missing or anything."
"You think there's two of them?" Ward asked, his voice raised. "That's what we have on the Bus right now? Sir," he said in alarm, turning towards Coulson. "This thing is lethal. Even Agent Barton wasn't able to fight it."
"I know, Ward," Coulson said, sounding annoyed. "I was there."
Ward closed his eyes briefly as he seemed to remember just how much experience Coulson had with this particular 0-8-4. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just…we don't know how to control this thing. I don't want a repeat of…the last mission," he finished, staring down at the table. May agreed with him. She would be just fine if she never had to deal with a brainwashed team member ever again.
"That's why we're handing it off to the experts," Coulson responded. "But it still wouldn't hurt to get a better idea of what it is we're shacking up with at the moment." He turned to Simmons's sister. "Ellie, when you were on the ground in New York, did you and Professor Martell come across anything like this?"
"What's he talking about, Ellie?" Simmons muttered. Ellie looked flustered, like she hadn't expected to be called on, but she recovered her composure.
"No, sir," she said, ignoring Simmons's question. "All the weapons we found were dormant, having been deactivated when Mr. Stark exploded the Chitauri ship. We weren't even allowed anywhere near the scepter, actually, but it must have been all right because Agent Romanoff handed it off to S.H.I.E.L.D. authorities after the Battle. From what I gathered, no one has been able to figure out how it works exactly, only that it has the ability to somehow control the mind through touch and it's connected in some way to the Tesseract."
"She's right," Fitz continued. "We have no idea how the scepter was able to open that portal. It's science that's way ahead of us right now. Last I heard, S.H.I.E.L.D. was keeping it locked away at the Triskelion. And, of course, the Tesseract is up in Asgard."
There was a pause as they all looked at the screen. Ward broke the silence. "Then what was that stone doing in the Denver airport?"
No one had an answer.
"I'll get Sitwell on the phone, tell him we're on our way. In the meantime, no one goes near that room. We've got a couple hours before we get back to the Hub. I suggest everyone gets some rest."
Everyone nodded, but May could tell Coulson knew no one was going to be sleeping anytime soon. He left the room, along with Ward, who was probably heading straight to the bar. It'd been a long day.
May was about to head back to the cockpit when she heard Simmons interrogating her sister in fierce whispers.
"What the bloody hell was that all about? When were you ever on the ground in New York?"
"Jemma, please don't be upset. I didn't want you to worry. It was after the Battle, and we were just doing a general sweep to look for the possibility of alien viruses."
May heard Simmons breathe in sharply. "What?"
"We didn't find anything," Ellie continued hurriedly, and paused. "I mean, obviously we missed something but…well…you already knew that," she finished quietly.
Simmons was shocked. "I can't believe you would be so stupid as to- Hang on. Why would you even be there in the first place? You were in the middle of your pharmacology studies at the Academy."
"I was studying pharmacology," Ellie corrected her politely. "And actually, I never stopped. But Dr. Martell and I went beyond pharmacology to create a new field of study, which is what I used as a basis for my independent project."
"Oh, this is so cool, Jemma," Fitz said. "Wait 'til you hear what it is."
Simmons turned on Fitz. "You knew about this? How come you didn't tell me?"
Fitz looked uncomfortable, but scoffed. "You two really need to work on your communication. Jemma, it wasn't my place."
"I'll deal with you later," Simmons murmured to him under her breath. She turned back around to face her sister, plastering a smile on her face. "What were you studying, dear?"
"Um, well, we're calling it astropathology at the moment, but I suppose it could also be referred to as astropharmacology," Ellie said.
"Did you hear that, Jemma? Your little sister's gonna be an alien coroner one day."
Ellie laughed, but May detected a hint of nervousness when she spoke. "Oh, Leo, don't be absurd. That's far ahead of what we've been working on. I doubt we'll be able to perform post-mortem examinations on extraterrestrials in my lifetime."
"Is that what you were doing a few months ago when we were at the Academy?" Simmons asked quietly. "When you were on the other side of the country?"
May snuck a glance at Ellie out of the corner of her eye. Her movements seemed to falter for a moment, but only for a moment. May doubted she would have been able to detect a pause if she hadn't been looking for one.
"Mmhmm," Ellie nodded, and gasped too loudly. "Oh! We've forgotten about Skye! Should we go wake her up and tell her what's going on?"
"Absolutely not, Ellie," Simmons replied. "She needs her rest. But what exactly were you-"
"We could really use her, though. Leo said she's phenomenally good with accessing private information. What if she could dig deeper into the airport records and see if there's any clue as to what organizations were operating down there?" May could tell that Ellie was grasping at straws, trying to deflect Simmons's probing questions, but she deflected very well. It was a valid suggestion.
Simmons shook her head. "Regardless of who was playing around with the stone, we were only told to retrieve it and bring it back to the Hub. We're not supposed to-"
"Actually, Simmons, that's not a bad idea." Fitz pressed a few keys on the Holocom. "We might not have to wake up Skye, but we can do a little digging on our own."
"Fitz, are you sure that's really-"
"Oh, come on, Jemma," Fitz sighed. "Live a little."
Simmons huffed in response but didn't retaliate.
"Okay," Fitz said as he brought up a few of the websites Skye had shown them earlier. "Now. Who would want to play around with a mind-controlling rock of doom?"
"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" Ellie replied. When they looked at her questioningly, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Loki, of course."
Simmons scoffed. "Ellie, that's ridiculous. He's dead."
"I don't know, Jemma," Fitz shook his head. "There's been a lot of weird stuff going on with Asgard. Maybe that's just what they want us to think. You know, so we don't try to attack the planet and kill him ourselves."
"I think we would know if he were back, Fitz. He's not exactly discreet."
"Fine," Fitz sighed. "I have another theory. But I don't think you'll like it."
"What is it?"
He hesitated. "S.H.I.E.L.D."
May's head snapped up. They still didn't notice that she hadn't left the room.
"I don't understand," Ellie said in confusion. "What about S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"I mean…" Fitz paused. "What if the Denver bunker was another one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret locations? You know, kind of like the-" He cleared his throat as Simmons subtly shook her head, silently warning him not to say anything about the Guest House in front of Ellie. "Well, I mean, it's hardly a secret that S.H.I.E.L.D. has secrets. What if some of our guys were over there trying to figure out how the scepter works?"
"Oh," Simmons's face lit up as she stepped closer to Fitz. "Yes, that would make sense, because if they didn't know what they were dealing with, they'd need somewhere to keep it from opening up another portal or something." She moved around Fitz to pull up the diagrams of the Denver airport. "Skye said the place was built to withstand a nuclear explosion. It would be the perfect place to experiment with unknown Tesseract technology."
Ellie cleared her throat, and Simmons looked somewhat startled, like she'd forgotten Ellie was there, a common habit FitzSimmons had when they got excited about something. "Sorry, Jemma. It's just…all that makes sense and everything, but why would S.H.I.E.L.D. send us to retrieve it if they were using it in the first place?"
Fitz turned his body slightly towards Simmons and lightly nudged her shoulder with his finger, deep in thought. "She's right. It doesn't add up."
Simmons groaned in exasperation. "I don't know, all right? But it wouldn't be the first time S.H.I.E.L.D. has been less than honest with us about a mission."
"Wait," Ellie said, remembering something. "We were supposed to neutralize the 0-8-4 before we brought it back to the Hub. Maybe we should-"
"Ellie, please don't make ridiculous suggestions. There is no way you are going in that room."
"But, Jemma, what if-"
"Ellie, Fitz and I already have experience with this kind of thing, and it's too dangerous. You're not going in there."
"Oh, it's too dangerous, is it? Well, it's not like I'm suggesting jumping out of an airplane or anything."
There was silence, and the look on Ellie's face showed that she seemed to regret her words. May had a feeling she rarely stood up to her sister.
She took a deep breath. "All I'm saying, Jemma, is that we can't just waltz this thing into the Hub without taking the precautions-"
"Ellie," Simmons said calmly, but May could hear the tremor in her voice. "We know what we're doing. The 0-8-4 stays where it is."
"But-"
"So," Simmons raised her voice, "If you've got nothing of value to contribute, I suggest you go find something else to do."
Ellie's face fell, her cheeks flushed. After a pause, she gave a small nod before leaving the room, avoiding everyone's eyes.
"Jemma," Fitz said softly. Simmons was looking down at the table, her knuckles white as she held onto its edge.
"Fitz, please don't," she said quietly, briefly closing her eyes.
"No, Jemma," he said firmly, placing a hand on her arm. "What the hell was that all about?"
Simmons looked like she was about to cry, which May took as her cue to leave. After she had slipped quietly out of the room, unnoticed by the two scientists wrapped up in their own little world, she was heading towards the cockpit when she decided to follow another instinct instead.
As May entered the cargo hold, she paused at the top of the steps, silently watching the little girl throw herself at the punching bag below. Ellie was facing away from the staircase, so she hadn't noticed May come in. Her movements were frantic, the black bag steadfastly refusing to budge under her punches. Even though she wasn't crying, May felt something stir within her as she saw how distressed the girl was. She was halfway down the steps before her mind had even processed her decision.
Ellie paused abruptly, breathing heavily. She continued to stare at the punching bag in front of her face. "Jemma," she began. "I-"
Her voice caught in her throat as she turned her head to see May standing beside her.
"Oh," she said quietly. "Agent May. I'm sorry, I was just-"
"Your feet," May interrupted her.
Ellie looked baffled. "Sorry?"
"Pay attention to your feet," May said as she stepped closer to Ellie. "You're small, so you've already got a low center of gravity. But you're concentrating too much on your arms. Try to relax your fingers and focus on your foot placement as you step into the punch. Like this." May placed her right foot out in front of the other and bent her knees slightly, and as she stepped forward, Ellie tried to copy her movements.
"Good," May nodded. "When you're in a fight, balance is everything. Your opponent will be trying to take you down in the easiest way possible, so you can't afford to get knocked off your feet. Now, as you move forward, keep this taut," she said, gesturing toward her abdomen. "And try to focus on moving from the waist."
She stepped backward, giving Ellie complete access to the punching bag. She raised her hands up in front of her face. "No punches yet," May said. "Try a few blocks first."
Ellie gave a small nod and tentatively stepped forward. After a couple botched attempts, she seemed to fall into a steady rhythm. May almost smiled. This girl picked up things fast.
"Good, good," she said, walking up and placing a hand on the bag. It was swaying slightly, but Ellie still hadn't made much of a difference in its placement. "Your breathing still needs work, though. Concentrate on matching your breath with your movements. It'll keep you from running out of energy in a fight."
Ellie nodded, meeting May's eyes for the first time since she had arrived. "Why are you telling me all this?"
May hesitated. "Your opponent isn't going to care about going easy on you. They'll take one look at you and kill you without hesitating. When you're out in the field, you can't rely on anyone else to save you." She softened her voice as she saw the fear in Ellie's eyes. "But you've got an advantage. They'll underestimate you."
Ellie shook her head. "But I've got no skill, no power, no way to even-"
"Power comes from the ground," May interrupted her. "As long as you maintain good posture and pay attention to your feet, you'll have all the power you need. And you have more skill than you realize. I heard you took down Agent Ward earlier today," she smirked.
Ellie's cheeks turned pink. "Oh, that was just a bit of luck," she said shyly. "I'm sure he let me win."
"No, he didn't," May assured her.
She placed her hand on the bag again. "Now. Let's try a few jabs. But before you do anything, take a few breaths and center yourself. Try to remember what we've gone over. It's hard to stay calm in a fight, but if you practice enough, it could help give you the energy you need to get out alive."
Ellie held her hands up, and closed her eyes. After a few deep breaths, her eyes whipped open and she lunged forward, her fist making contact with the black vinyl. She gave a small gasp as it flew forward a few inches, a look of disbelief on her face. She broke into a smile and looked over at May, who gave her a nod of approval. Her smile faded as she took another deep breath, making contact with the bag again and falling into a rhythm of jabs and crosses.
May let her get into a comfortable zone before she spoke again.
"Your work hasn't just been theoretical, has it?" she asked quietly.
Ellie froze, staring at the bag swaying before her. She hesitated for a moment before resuming her punches.
"Of course it has, Agent May. Why would I lie about that?"
"Maybe because you've been ordered to. I don't know. But I do know that there are already drugs out there that have been created from alien DNA." She paused before venturing forward again, making sure to keep her voice soft. "But you knew that, too, didn't you? You helped create them?"
Ellie didn't pause this time, but her face turned white and she pursed her lips together in concentration.
"It's okay. You don't have to tell me. But you should be careful about who you're working for. There are a lot of people out there who would kill for what you've created." May let her words sink in before turning around to head back up the stairs.
"Nothing's been tested on anyone," she heard Ellie murmur behind her, and if May didn't have the ears of a bat, she might have missed it. She turned around to see that Ellie had stopped swinging, but she was still staring at the bag. She turned her head and looked May in the eyes. "Not yet, at least."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," May replied.
Ellie looked confused, but she shook her head. "I can handle myself."
"I know you can," May said, trying to make sure Ellie knew she was telling the truth. "But there are organizations out there who will think that they can take advantage of you."
"What should I do?" Ellie asked quietly, and the apprehensive look on her face was like looking at an old photograph of herself.
"Don't let them."