Agent Grant Ward found himself shoved into the interrogation cage although he couldn't exactly remember doing anything wrong.
"There's been a mistake," he tried again, but the officer showed no emotion and Ward wasn't exactly the type of guy to beg either. So he did what any grown specialist would do. He folded his arms and sulked in his seat until the famous Agent Hill strolled in with purpose that made Ward straighten up.
"Agent Ward, I assume you have no idea why you're here?" she checked, giving him a condescending look.
"Nope," Ward said loudly, his jaw tensing. "But I do know that this, whatever this is, is against protocol."
Agent Hill rolled her eyes. "Relax; we're not going to throw you out. Not right away, anyway."
To any normal person, Ward's glare would have sent them on a frenzy to save their lives. But Maria Hill was an equal match.
"Why are you here Agent Ward?" Hill began suddenly.
"Because that bald agent behind you dragged me inside."
"No, I mean in SHIELD. Why did you join?"
To be fair, even Ward wasn't sure why he had gotten into to SHIELD. But he had worked to goddamn hard to be questioned like this.
"Are you questioning my loyalties, Agent Hill?"
"Should I?" she raised her eyebrow, challenging.
"It would be a waste time. Oh wait, this already is," he mocked.
"So you think SHIELD is a waste of time?" Maria made a couple notes on her clipboard, making Grant a little nervous.
"That's not what I said-"
"Okay, next question," Agent Hill interrupted.
And so a lengthy interrogation began that would mark the beginning of a lengthy chapter in Ward's life.
"Welcome to Level 7, Agent Grant Ward."
"I'm nervous," Simmons fidgeted, pulling at the hem of her shirt.
"You should be," Fitz muttered, equally afraid, earning a look from Jemma. He shrugged his shoulders in defense. "Well, this could define our careers, not to mention open up so many opportunities, perhaps even out of SHIELD. Only if it works out, otherwise, it will be close to a fatal blow."
"Yes, well you're attitude isn't helping," Simmons mumbled.
Fitz backed up a little, surprised and Jemma's sudden sass. "My attitude wasn't a problem when we were in the lab."
"Just because I don't say anything doesn't mean I don't mind."
"I think the HQ air is getting to you," Fitz said, not jokingly. He preferred the patient Simmons who could calm him with her presence back in the lab whenever he felt below happy. But here, in the center of SHIELD, the headquarters, Jemma Simmons was far from calm. The rush of people, most of authority, and the magnitude of power radiating from the lone building was enough to give the hearts of a couple of young scientists, who hadn't gotten much sunshine in the last year or so, a significant cardio-workout.
Eventually a lady came to collect them and drag them inside what looked like glamourized jail cell.
The both were put into stiff chairs and like the specialist before them, they waited and were quite intimidated when Agent Hill marched in again, clipboard in hand, her eyes calculating and her gestures apt and curt.
"Agent Fitz? Simmons?" she called off, checking her paper.
"Yes," they both replied at once.
"We're simply here to ask you a couple questions regarding you're work on SHIELD so far," Hill told them.
"What kind of questions?" the Scotsman asked.
"I will be asking the questions, if you don't mind," she replied.
"Of course," Simmons answered for both her and the distraught Fitz. She placed a hand on his arm which effectively got him to relax from his stiff position.
Agent Hill watched the little interaction and made more notes. This was a test neither one of them were prepared for.
"Let's begin. We'll start with you Jemma. Why are you here?"
Some hours past. Apparently interrogating scientists was not an easy task because they were most likely to over explain and undermine the patience of an agent.
"The original formula that was created was bloody appalling," Fitz said passionately.
"Well it wasn't horrible, just very inaccurate and the researchers were clearly misguided," Simmons added, equally enthusiastic.
Maria was now leaning back against her chair, notes forgotten. Somehow the pen had gotten into Fitz hand as he began drawing diagrams on her extra papers.
"But we reconstructed this new design, all on our own mind you, and it works, I'm telling you," Fitz said, adding more notes on the paper Hill had no way of comprehending.
"Yes, it's quite a revolution. We can disarm people without killing them. I know something similar has been already produced but this is more powerful since it actually knocks out the subjects of a larger period of time, but when they wake up, they are healthier as ever," Jemma said proudly.
"Do you people even hear what I'm saying? I didn't even ask you this, this crap, why are you telling me this?" Hill complained, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"So you don't doubt us," Fitz muttered as Jemma made grammatical corrections to his notes. They were too busy crafting the redesign to notice another agent step in.
"Ah, Coulson, here to save me," Hill greeted him, getting up.
"How'd it go with the kids?" he asked her quietly, studying the young people arguing over a piece of paper.
"First there was Agent Ward who didn't want to tell me anything. It was like pulling teeth. With these two, it's like a reverse; they are like eager kindergartens freaking explaining to me the birth of life. I swear I have not been taught so much chemistry in all my years in school than I have in these two hours. Get me out of this."
Coulson smirked and nodded, dismissing her. He moved her chair to sit and finally the noise made Fitzsimmons look up.
"Where did Agent Hill go?" Fitz asked, pointing his pen at Coulson.
"Intermission."
"Excuse me?"
"Consider it a pee-break," he said, nonchalant.
Fitz blinked and then looked and Simmons who looked put out.
"She's not coming back is she?" she asked Phil quietly, sighing. So much for them getting discovered.
"Why the long faces? Are you unhappy to see me?" Coulson asked.
Fitz crumpled up his paper in frustration, fighting the urge to fling it at someone.
After an awkward silence, Jemma finally spoke up.
"You see sir, Fitz and I were hoping HQ called us in to talk about our new design for the Night-Night pistol. Clearly there has been a misunderstanding."
"Oh no, there's no misunderstanding. We called here to offer you an in-field opportunity. Your expertise is best in the field, not in some lame lab in the corner of nowhere," Coulson explained.
The scientists looked at each other, then at Coulson.
"What?" they asked, together.
"It's a promotion," Coulson said smiling.
"What does that even mean?" Fitz asked.
"We can't work in the field. Can we work in the field? I don't think we can. Fitz, can we?" Jemma asked bewildered.
The excitement in her eyes immediately put Fitz on guard.
"No. No, absolutely not," Fitz said, shaking his head vigorously getting up.
"C'mon Fitz, it's a new opportunity. Didn't we discuss how any job is better than the one we have, rotting away inside a small facility no one cares about?"
"Yes we did but getting a chance to be alive is also an opportunity. And you can't live in the field Jemma. You die. We'll both die, and we'll die in the first day. Look at us, it's like we're waiting to be killed."
Simmons breathed once heavily and turned to Coulson.
"I'll do it, I'll join," she said impulsively.
Coulson smiled and Fitz yelled.
"No!"
"Congratulations, Agent Simmons, welcome to our team," Coulson reached his hand out which Simmons shook, feeling shy.
"What are you doing, Jemma, this is not why we came here."
"We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon. We can fly you both to Hub in the morning."
"If you think I'm letting Simmons go alone with this then you must be out of your mind mister," Fitz angrily said.
"Of course you'll be coming as well," Coulson reassured him.
"Wait what?" Fitz asked, confused.
But he was ignored.
"Anyways, that's all for now, I'll see you two tomorrow. Agent Hill will clarify everything for you, you'll be more than prepared tomorrow, don't worry," Coulson told them, turning to leave.
"Thank you, but wait, sir, we didn't catch you name?" Simmons asked.
"Agent Phil Coulson. See you at the Hub guys." With that, he walked out.
Simmons thought for a while, turning to Fitz who still looked shocked.
"Phil Coulson…Agent Couslon? Fitz, where have we heard that name before?" Jemma asked him ask they left the room.
Fitz searched his own brain; the name sounded familiar to him too.
"Wasn't that guy the one who died in that helicopter incident back in New York, what with the American agent who ran away?" Simmons asked unsure.
"Yeah, that's the name, but clearly it's not the same guy cause this one's alive," Fitz commented, trashing the crumpled notes in his hands.
"But why do I have this weird feeling like that's still him?"
Fitz studied her for a moment, and then crinkled his nose, looking around the busy hallways.
"It's the HQ air. Let's find that Agent Hill and get the hell out of here."
A/N: Another development chapter, I needed a filler to set pace so apologies if it was a bore. And might I mention how awesome it is to see the familiar usernames from the last story! I can't believe it! JPElles and JigokuShoujosRevenge, you guys certainly rock, thank you for reviewing and thanks to all the readers, please stay tuned. The Thor gang will join SHIELD after a couple chapters so hang there!
If you have the time and thought, feel free to leave a review :)