A/N: Just watched End of the Beginning. Don't get me wrong, I do love my Whedonverse shows and I still think AoS has great potential - but this "Uprising" arc is already starting to disappoint me. My crazy little AU will stay AU, thank you very much. I might cherry pick future fun and games from this story arc and Winter Soldier to use when appropriate (like in a future sequel), but for now, my story line will not change to align with the show where it stands. If you guys want to stay on this little adventure with me to this story's end, you're most welcome. :-)
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The SHIELD agent caught up to his spirit-brother and the Guardians at the door to the mansion. "Well," Fallon asked the group, "which way from here?"
"Coulson was right about one thing," Ryan declared. "There's at least ten subfloors to this building. And there's people on every one of them."
"More good news," grumbled Fallon. "Any idea how many more of *these* guys we should expect to run into?"
"Less than a dozen," replied Esposito. "One or two posted on guard duty on each floor."
Fallon looked at the makeup of his group compared to the anticipated threat. "You mentioned something about the place potentially being booby-trapped?" he asked Coulson.
"I'd count on it," Coulson agreed.
Fallon turned to Ryan and Esposito. "Think we should send away the 'non-essential personnel?'"
Ryan nodded, and turned to his left. The tiger spirit's snow-white counterpart appeared and bowed before his master. How may I serve you, my Lord? he asked.
"The army is no longer needed today," Ryan told the tiger. "And the next stage of the mission might put them in unnecessary danger. Release them with our unending gratitude and send them home."
The tiger spirit bowed deeper as he accepted his commission. As you wish, my Lord, he replied. The spirit then turned to Castle. May we work in concert, Master Sìfāng? When Castle nodded, the spirit exploded into thirty white balls of energy. The wizard 'blessed' the balls of energy with a second gentle nod before they took off toward their targets.
Skye watched in horror as each ball of energy hit one of the members of the army. Each 'soldier' shook their head to clear out the mental cobwebs, seemingly regaining their awareness for only a moment...before they disappeared. "Are they...are they *dead*?" she gasped. "Did you kill them?"
Ryan shook his head. "No, no! Castle just sent them home."
"Oh," Skye exclaimed, trying and failing to wrap her head around what she had just seen.
Ryan sensed her unease. "None of us can use our abilities to kill, Skye," he reassured her. "*Ever.*"
Feeling moderately better, Skye surveyed the group to see who was considered to be 'essential personnel'. "Still a lot of people here," she mused. "Sure we want to travel as a group?"
Fallon recognized that Skye had a point. "Is your shield down?"
Skye nodded. "At this point, we should assume he knows we're here."
"So will he try to escape up or down?" Fallon asked Coulson and Esposito.
Castle answered Fallon's question by getting down on one knee and touching the cement beneath his feet. A rumbling beneath everyone's feet told the group that the wizard had to be casting some sort of spell. When the rumbling stopped, Castle stood on both feet once again. "If there's any way for the Clairvoyant to escape from underneath us, it's now blocked. The only way he can go is up."
"Unless he blows us up before we get to him," Skye muttered.
"Bomb disposal first, then," Fallon declared, agreeing with Skye's assessment. "Let's split up for now." Fallon turned to Coulson. "I'll take Angel, Crusher, Cap and Master Xiānzhī. We'll head up to look for traps above ground. You'll take everyone else and head down?"
Coulson nodded. "How will we keep in contact?"
I'll be in everyone's head the whole time, Ryan projected through the group mind-link.
And we can talk to each other this way? thought Coulson. When the group's heads nodded almost as one, he had his answer. Okay then.
"If you need any help or find the Clairvoyant, the wizards will bring the two teams back together," Fallon instructed the group. "Good luck, everyone." He then grabbed Coulson's arm, staring into the man's eyes with a sincere concern. "Be *careful*," he warned.
Accepting the instruction and understanding the emotion behind it, Coulson nodded.
Fallon opened the door, taking the lead going up the staircase and expecting his team to follow him. When Esposito took up the rear, Coulson led his team further down the hallway. "Stairs to the left..." suggested Coulson.
"Wait!" Beckett stopped the group, holding back Coulson's lead. "Castle, look down by Coulson's foot."
Castle recognized the problem immediately. "Can you put your hand on the wall?" he asked Beckett. She did as asked without question. Castle reached through himself deeply into the connection he shared as Beckett's soulmate. "Open your touch for me? I don't want to have to force us to walk through ten sub-levels in the dark..."
The subtle 'zap' of a now-fried wire was the only indication that anything had happened. "What did you guys just do?" asked Skye.
"Your boss was about to bumble his way through a laser trip wire," Beckett teased.
"So we stopped it," Castle added.
Skye shook her head in amazement. "Wow..." she exclaimed.
Coulson nodded to show his gratitude. Then he snapped back to his focus on the mission. "You'll keep your senses open for any more traps?" he asked Beckett. "I doubt that'll be the last one." When Beckett nodded, Coulson took a hesitant step forward. He sighed briefly with relief that the trap had, indeed, been cleared, then pushed on. "Let's go."
The stairwell opened into a large research lab, full of at least three scientists looking to be hard at work...and seemingly oblivious to the battle that had just raged over their heads. How are we supposed to get through that lab without attracting attention? thought Skye.
An image flashed through Skye's mind that was not her own: a lab, similar in size to the one they were just outside of...but with every lab-coat either collapsed on the floor or slumped over their work table. Skye backed into the wall, shocked by the scene. You guys didn't...
The Mùshī and I merely 'encouraged' them to sleep, child, Katya's voice rang through the group mind-link. I suggest you do the same.
Skye opened her mouth to ask how Katya was able to do such a thing...until her being nearly gagged on the thought as the answer came to her. Angel...you're like me?!
In some ways, Katya replied enigmatically. Now focus, child. Your team cannot stay in that stairwell all day.
Skye nodded and turned toward the door. She let her thoughts project out through, she hoped, the length of the room. Her mind carried only one word on that projection: sleep. Skye opened the door a crack to check the progress of her gift, then, with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction, opened the door to let the rest of her team come through. "Clear," she whispered.
Coulson walked through the door and let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. "You did this?" Skye nodded. "How long will they stay asleep?"
"Six to eight hours, I'm guessing," Skye replied with a shrug, trying to 'act casual' about the whole thing. "Unless I wake them up before then."
Coulson was starting to feel an almost fatherly sense of pride toward his young protege. "Nice work."
"Thanks," Skye accepted the compliment with a beaming smile before she and Coulson ran to catch up with the rest of their team.
