Ghosts of the Past

Chapter 8 meetings and discoveries

Authors notes I don't own Marvel Agents of SHIELD. All I own are my OC's Jack Williams, Shadow, the Katana Killer, Carl Berlin, Henry Radcliff and Cobra.

Also I recommend that all my readers check out the fics written by Angels Anthem, Appa Appa Away, LongLiveTheClones, XxheavendragonxX, Aurora Lunar 0Love This0, Icehockeychic4 Canadiancloneluver, Guardian Kitch, Jemmz, Full-Paragon, Fenrisulven13 and lastly Xpredatorx as they are twelve of the best writers on this site in my opinion.

And please if you read this fic then let me know what you think of it good or bad comments just let me know as I want your opinions on it no matter what they are. 15 people now have story alerts on this fic while 4 people have added this fic to their favourite stories list.

Updates of this fic will be awhile as I have college exams in May.

The main pairings of this fic will be Mayson and Jack Williams/Maria Hill but I might add others later on in the fic.

Lastly I recommend my readers have a look at the Agents of SHIELD fics written by charmed4lifekaren you will not be disappointed once you read them, they are amazing fic's and very well written.

Well that's enough of an author's notes on with chapter 8.

SHIELD Headquarters interrogation room

Phil replied to the Shadow "If you want to meet, come here and surrender yourself like Carl did. That we can talk as long as you want."

Laughter was heard over the phone before the distorted voice said "Amusing agent Coulson. Very amusing. I will meet you at the abandoned SHIELD black site just outside the city on the main road leading to New York. Bring Carl with you. No SHIELD agents tail you or monitor you. Once our conversation is over you will be allowed to leave unharmed. You must know by now that at my core I am a man of my word. So what do you say Coulson? Will you agree to meet me?"

Phil asked "How do I know this isn't a trap to abduct me like Centipede did recently. What guarantees my protection? You don't really expect me to go in blind and trust your good word do you?"

The Shadow said "Have a tracker chip on you that you can activate if you are in danger. That's all I'll allow. Now hurry. Faster you and Carl get here, the faster you learn more about your friend Skye."

Phil was silent for a few moments before he said "Deal. We'll be there in a half hour. Know this if you try anything Director Fury will have the Avengers hunt you down and take you out."

Shadow said "Even they wouldn't be able to find me Coulson."

With that Shadow hung up and Coulson went to see Director Fury about the tracker ship while Carl was being seen to by a medical team.

Fury said "Are you sure about this Coulson?"

Phil nodded and Fury said "We'll give you the latest tracker chip and place it just below your skin in your hand. All you'll have to do is scratch your hand to activate it. Within minutes SHIELD teams will be there. Good luck."

Phil was escorted to a nearby table where one of the scientists would put the tracker chip on him and Fury watched on as Carl was getting patched up after the beating Phil gave him.

While this was going on Ward who was nearby asked Jack "Think it's a good idea to let this happen?"

Jack replied "Phil can handle himself. As for Carl Berlin. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

With that Jack took out his phone and said "Hello. It's me. Remember that favour you owe me. I'm calling it in now."

The man he phoned asked "What do you need?"

Jack said "I need you on standby in case a mission I'm on goes south."

The man replied "You got it."

Ward curious asked "Who was that you called?"

Jack answered "An old friend."

Once Phil had the chip and Carl was cleaned up they got into a car and headed to the location where Shadow told them to go.

The guards outside the building opened the main door and as the two men entered the hallway Carl said "The Shadow is in the room that is at the end of the hallway."

Phil asked "Not coming with?"

Carl replied "No." and didn't say another word.

Phil walked down the hallway and opened the door. All he saw was an empty room, once he took three steps inside, the floor illuminated and a ray of light rose from the floor to the ceiling.

Phil then saw he was no longer looking at an empty wall. He was looking at a fireplace in a manor and seated at a desk just in front of him was a man wearing a black skull mask that fit perfectly around his head and with lit up red eyes in the mask.

Phil said "Holographic technology, not bad. I assume you're the Shadow?"

The man replied "I am the Shadow agent Coulson. It's good to finally meet you. I hope you understand why we aren't meeting face to face, a man in my position has to take precautions."

Phil asked "Why did Carl Berlin have images of my team. Why are they under surveillance?"

The Shadow said "I have a lot of people under surveillance agent Coulson. Rival mafia leaders, political figures, dictators in third world countries. So many it's sometimes hard to keep track. Honestly do you think a man with my resources doesn't have people in SHIELD who work for me? SHIELD is so full of leaks it's one leak away from sinking altogether into the abyss. But we are getting off topic. Tell me what do you know about Skye?"

Phil replied "You already know what I know. Let's talk about what you know instead."

The Shadow laughed and said "Very well. SHIELD agent Linda Avery dropped off the girl who became Skye at St Anne's orphanage 24 years ago. Shortly before that Linda, her partner Richard Lumley and 4 other SHIELD agents were sent to the Hunan province of China, as back up to another SHIELD team who were sent there to investigate what you in SHIELD refer to as an 0-8-4 an object of unknown origin. They found a baby in the arms of the dead lead agent from the first team. That team and an entire village died protecting the girl. After that all I know is 4 of the agents on the second team died and when Skye was put in the orphanage and shortly afterwards agent Avery died. Richard Lumley hasn't been seen since then. Even I don't know where he is."

Phil asked "How do you know all this?"

The Shadow answered "It was my men who killed the SHIELD agents and the people in the village."

Phil angrily said "Your lucky we're not meeting face to face otherwise my hands would be around your throat right now."

The Shadow said "Now that we've cleared that up agent Coulson. Let's talk about the Clairvoyant and Centipede. I assume you have Radcliff in custody?"

Phil nodded and The Shadow said "Ian Quinn is the money behind Centipede, it seems the Clairvoyant has info on him and used it to get Quinn to finance Centipedes operations. Quinn has a delivery coming in soon from CyberTek industries. Something called Project Deathlok. Carl has all the info we know about it on his phone. But before you go agent Coulson, tell me what do you remember about when you were begging to die?"

Phil asked shocked "How do you know about that?"

The Shadow replied "I know a lot of things and I know that you didn't just die at the hands of Loki. You died on the operating table, they gave you a drug called GH325. It stabilized you temporally. But it wasn't enough to keep you alive. You died cursing Fury's name. At that point he got more desperate to bring you back and brought in outside help."

Phil said "Do you know what he did?"

The Shadow answered "I don't know yet. Once I do if you want to know. Unless you're waiting on Fury to tell you everything. I doubt he will. I will demand payment in return, my payment is a favour or information. Which will it be?"

Phil was silent for a few minutes and said "What kind of favour would you want in return?"

The Shadow replied "Carl Berlin, convince Director Fury to let him go. Have him put a tracker chip in him if he needs to. Just get him free. That's all I ask. Now what do you remember about your time on death's door?"

Phil was silent as he remembered and said "I saw a light. After that I don't know what happened until I woke up in a medical facility and Director Fury was there telling me that I was going to be ok."

The Shadow said "Thank you for the info agent. You can go now."

With that the hologram was shut off and Phil was back in the empty room.

He quickly turned around and left the building followed by Carl.

Carl asked "So what did my boss want with you?"

Phil didn't say a word as he drove the car and headed back to SHIELD HQ.

The Shadow meanwhile left his office and entered a nearby room where his men were interrogating the recently acquired SHIELD doctor.

The Shadow held up his hand and his men moved back as their boss walked over to the prisoner and asked "Tell me doctor. Where was Agent Phil Coulson taken after he died?"

The doctor spat blood at Shadow and said "I will tell you nothing."

The Shadow replied "You will. It is only a question of how much it has to hurt before you talk Doctor. Make him talk men, whatever it takes."

Without saying another word the Shadow left and headed back to his office.

SHIELD headquarters

Jack entered the cell and said to the guards "Leave us."

The guards left and Jack glared at the woman who resided in this cell. He said "Your Raina I assume. You had Phil Coulson tortured. Give me one reason why I should not kill you now?"

Raina smiled and said "You won't kill me. You're a SHIELD agent. Besides what is Phil Coulson to you? A colleague or a superior who you want to show loyalty by doing this act?"

Jack said "He is my brother. You claim your boss the Clairvoyant is a telepath. I doubt it but anything is possible after all. The battle of New York proved that."

Raina said "The Clairvoyant sees all. Everything except what happened to Coulson. What happened to him was for his own good."

Jack grabbed Raina by the neck and started to squeeze before he said "Maybe killing you is for your own good as well. Whatever your boss has planned. It will fail. People like the Clairvoyant always fail, ask Red Skull for example."

With that he threw Raina back and left the cell.

He got a phone call from his friend and said "Are you nearby?"

The caller replied "I am. Do you still need my help?"

Jack got a text message from Melinda saying Phil was on his way back and said "No. But stay here in DC. You might still be needed. If so I'll get you in the building and to Director Fury. He'll hear you out."

The caller replied "Got it."

Jack hung up and headed back to meet up with the rest of the team as Phil and Carl entered the building.

Carl said "I assume the Shadow told you about what happened in China?"

Phil nodded and Carl said "The men that Shadow sent in found the baby in a house where a scientist lived. He smuggled her out of a research lab somewhere in China. Never found out where. Before his men could get out SHIELD showed up and a firefight broke out. That was after the men killed everyone else to learn where the baby was. No one saw what powers she has."

Phil asked "How can you work for such a man as the Shadow, Carl? He is a psychopath?"

Carl merely said "Let's focus on Ian Quinn and Cybertek and then we can talk about my boss.

With that the two entered the main elevator and headed to Director Fury's office.

Authors notes well that's chapter 8 completed please let me know what you think of it read and review no flames though ok.