The Cavalry

SHIELD's intel informed that Rappaccini and nearly five dozen agents were seen moving into a facility in Black Mesa, Colorado. Time was of the essence, so they moved out immediately and opted to brief the strike team en route on the Bus. Among the agents tasked with bringing Rappaccini in were Melinda and her team, Clint, and a team of five agents led by Agent John Garrett, otherwise known as Grant's former SO. Skye was extremely intrigued to meet him, and wanted to make an effort to get to know him more, which was code for learn some of Grant's dirty secrets.

As soon as briefing as over, Melinda practically teleported into the cockpit. She didn't want anyone to see or bother her while she was contemplating which spinal disk to break, and how to render Rappaccini a quadriplegic. She couldn't wait to inflict as much damage not just to her but to her whole fucking organization. Grant always said that he went easy on the bad guys because they were still people with families. She never disputed out loud, but she always found that line of thought to be utterly stupid. Bad people were bad people because they didn't care about anyone but themselves. If they didn't care about their families, then why should she?

She didn't, so she wasn't going to show even a scant ounce of mercy. She was going to pay for it later, but that was what Grant was… oh. He had better have woken up soon. Please be awake when I come back.

"It's three stories, and Rappaccini is on the top floor," Skye informed as they were running surveillance when they arrived to Colorado an hour later. Agents were swarming about on the outside, a far cry from Boca Caliente. There were also aircrafts littering the front areas, being loaded with supplies by a few of the agents.

"She'll be surrounded, since she has to suspect that we're coming for her," Phil said. "Some of us will have to go from the ground floor up to draw in the majority of the fire. Garrett, how many more are coming?"

"A dozen. I think they can handle themselves for ten, fifteen minutes."

He nodded, and then turned to where Melinda was sitting by herself on the far side of the room. "Garrett, you, May and I will be infiltrating from the roof. Everyone else, come in through the ground floor. Either way she goes, she isn't getting away."

Melinda scoffed. Coulson was damn right that she wasn't getting away. Not if she had anything to say about it. "May?" Her eyes cut away from the corner of the table she had been staring at during the final briefing to Coulson. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly.

She just stared at him. For as much as she appreciated his loving, naturally 'concerned for others' personality, right then, it was the most annoying thing. "I'll be fine."

"Because Barton told me how you snapped at Skye, for no reason. If you can't control yourself because of War-"

"Get off my back, Coulson."

He faltered visibly and frowned. "Fine. Move out in ten."

She watched him leave, and then wrapped her fingers around the small cylindrical device Fitz tentatively handed her. "That's a EMP device. Jus' press the button on top and all electrical devices with a short range will –"

"I know how EMPs work, Fitz." This mission had better have started soon. She was really starting to lose her patience.

Fitz gulped and nodded. "Right. But, your comm will also short out, so be prudent about using it," he said at supersonic speed before scurrying off somewhere away from her. She watched him and Simmons whisper amongst themselves without as ounce of care. Who gave a shit if they were talking about her? When they saw her looking at them, they panicked slightly and turned away.

She left the room to mentally prepare.

Ten minutes passed, and a pilot of Melinda's choosing directed the Bus down toward the base. The back hatch opened, and a tethered Clint unleashed a volley of Stark tech explosive arrows that rendered the aircrafts on the ground, as well as the entrances in the front and on the roof, expensive scrap metal. A Quinjet landed on the ground, and a dozen agents poured out to meet the AIM agents coming to confront them.

Melinda, Coulson and Garrett quickly exited the Bus on the roof, as per the plan, and entered through the entrance Clint so ostentatiously unlocked. They were met immediately by five agents, armed with large laser rifles. While Coulson and Garrett prepared to duck for cover, Melinda very casually fired clean holes into each of their heads with Grant's laser pistol. Without so much as a second glance, she moved on. "Move your asses. Let's go."

John and Phil shared a glance.

She was a one woman army. A demolition crew compressed into a size four. Her features didn't soften an iota as agents dropped their arms and begged for mercy. Phil was willing to let them live, Garrett was prepared to knock them out. Melinda shot holes into their heads without a second thought.

"May, what are you doing?" Coulson demanded as they charged down a corridor.

"My job. You?"

They engaged a group of incoming agents whose fire was too much for them to take with damage. They all ducked behind a large metal table that Phil quickly overturned. "You should have stayed on the Bus." John rose up and opened fire with his assault rifle. Three of the fifteen fell.

"I told you I'm fine." She followed Garrett and quickly killed three more. Phil followed that up with five more, and just barely missed getting nicked by a bullet.

"No, you're not. You just killed men who had surrendered."

"Who knows what they would have done once on our plane. You don't know these people, Coulson." She knew, deep down inside, that he had every right to question her. But she wasn't in the mood for arguing. Especially when she had more important people to deal with.

"You don't either." He reloaded a fresh clip and unloaded them into the remaining agents. They fell, one by one, with heavy thuds. "We'll discuss this later."

"Fine."

=Rappaccini's up ahead, AC. Double metal doors at the end of the hall. Looks like she's alone,= Skye chirped into Phil's comm.

"Good. We'll get in and get out."

=Um, what the hell's up with May? She's acting all T-1000-iny. Total Terminator.=

Phil stole a glance at her and watched as she snapped two men's necks, with her hands and feet. He sighed. "I don't know. I'll find out soon."

The three reached the metal doors Skye alerted them to with no further trouble. Clint radioed in and said that the bottom two floors and the perimeter were almost cleared, but there was no sign of the inundators. Phil cursed. "Guess it was too much to hope for. Skye, the door."

He placed a phone looking device on the door's keypad, to allow Skye to hack the door code. The red light above the number pad turned green, and a soft click sounded from the locking mechanism. Just then, a pair of agents opened fire on them from behind. As Phil and John returned fire, Melinda opened the door and slipped inside. "May!" Phil shouted as she closed the door before they could follow her.

At last.

The room was large, maybe a third of the perimeter of the entire building. In the middle, Monica Rappaccini sat hunched on a table, a welding torch in one hand and a piece of large metal in the other. "I'll be with you in a minute," she said. Apparently, she didn't know what was happening outside.

No matter.

Melinda reached into her vest pocket and pulled out the EMP Fitz gave her. Stepping further into the room, she turned it on. Suddenly, the door's locking mechanism and keypad, Melinda's comm, and whatever tech Monica had on her person or in the room shorted out.

"Dammit," Monica cursed. She switched off and dropped the torch onto the table, and took off the high-tech looking goggles she had on her head.

"Rappaccini," she hissed.

She turned and looked genuinely surprised. "Agent May, fancy seeing you here. Thought you'd be mourning your dead boyfriend." A quick trigger finger rendered the metal cuffs equipped with toxic gas dispensers on her wrists smoldering scrap. She sighed and took those off. "So, am I under arrest?"

Melinda dropped the laser gun. "No. Not yet you're not."