Thank you to everybody who read or review the last chapter. I am really sorry for the long time between updates. First, I went back and wrote a sort of prequel to the story called Lie Detector Confessions of a Reluctant Legacy. It's mostly a gen story where the only pairings are Peggy Carter/Gabe Jones and Antoine Triplett/OMC, but it does give a lot of background for things that will happen in this story and the possible next story in the series.
After I wrote that short story, my computer got sick. Okay, it accidentally fell off my desk. I took it into the shop on June 23 and I was supposed to get it back on July 8 (Director Coulson's cannon birthday). The geek squad determined on the 12th that my computer was too broken to be fixed and I got a replacement computer which I'm currently trying to reconfigure.
For a lot of my other stories, I've been writing the chapters on my iPhone and just proofreading at work, but that didn't work for the style of this story. I tried, but I gave up. Thankfully, about 20 minutes later they called me and told me my computer was being replaced.
I don't cover as much material in this chapter as I hoped to, but I wanted to get something out as soon as possible (and the chapter was so long at that point that I was starting to get a sore throat). On the bright side, that means this story will probably be five or six chapters. I still hope to be done before September 23.
Chapter 3: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Find Maria Hill
"Is anybody else worried about AC being alone with Iron Man on the bus?" Skye asked looking up from her laptop. Trip was half convinced she was trying to break into the bus' surveillance system so she could keep an eye on Director Coulson. Nope, it wouldn't surprise him at all. Skye was very protective of the director.
Actually, everyone on this team was very protective of every other member of it. It was a big departure from before (except when he was running ops with his cousin Sharon). He had cared about his former partner, but unknown to him, he had been working with a man who had no trouble murdering his underlings. The agents of the Playground seemed more like family than anything else.
Skye brought food or protein shakes to Simmons when she got too engrossed in her work while trying to figure out a way to help Agent Fitz. The engineer has been in a coma for the last three weeks after essentially saving Jemma's life when Ward tried to kill both of them. Simmons current behavior reminded him way too much of his Grandmother Peggy's actions in the weeks after his grandfather died. Trip had a feeling that something big happened between the two when they were stranded at the bottom of the ocean, but Jemma refuses to talk about it. Nobody will push, not even Skye.
Many times he has seen Skye just sit there in the Playground's lab with laptop in hand just listening to Simmons' latest theory on how to help their friend (even when Jemma was pretending she wasn't on the verge of tears). He would often do the exact same thing.
But it wasn't just Skye, once or twice he has seen Agent May doing tai chi as Director Coulson reads files aloud in the background. She has always been his sounding board. Actually, Trip is almost positive she is the de facto deputy director at this point.
Because there wasn't anything for him to punch at the moment, he helped Skye mine the SHIELD files dumped on the Internet for useful things (as well as some files that Maria Hill had on the Stark servers that only Agent May knew about). He didn't have her computer skills, but he was good at analyzing data (unless it involves coming to the conclusion that you're working for a psychopath, who is killing off your friends). Although they were no longer on the FBI most wanted list, they didn't have the resources to run around the globe taking care of the problems on their own at the moment. Therefore, any good Intel was forwarded to their CIA contact also known as is Aunt Marcy Carter-Jones.
They were not just using her because she was family, but because she would take intel about an attacker with lion paws for hands seriously. Anybody who grows up Carter-Jones was well aware that there are stranger things in the universe than their grandmother's wartime boyfriend practically being his age due to accidental cryogenic freezing and that was before the alien invasion.
Trip and Agent May have been training Skye to make sure she can defend herself against threats like Ward. Even though the man was currently housed in a highly classified government detention facility, there were plenty of other hostile agents just like him. It only took Trip a couple of days to realize that Agent May running you through her training routine was her way of showing you that she actually cared.
Director Coulson asked Trip to accompany him when he went to interrogate their former colleague Ward for any useful Intel. When he first joined the team, Trip would have assumed he was invited because the director was worried that if Agent May went they would not get anything useful before she killed him. Trip realizes now the true reason is that the director wants to spare the rest of the team from facing the man who betrayed them all in one of the most painful ways possible.
The first interview was not that productive mostly because Ward's larynx was still healing. They really didn't get anything useful unless Hydra is using a bakery and a daycare next to a fertility clinic as cover for some nefarious scam, not even the location of Agent Hand's body so they could return it to her wife.
Actually, the traitor mostly talked about how he manipulated the team in to trusting him. Trip is personally shocked that Colson did not start breaking Ward's fingers when the man started mentioning things like only saving Simmons life to get the team to trust him or the only reason why he slept with May was to keep her from realizing his true intentions. Trip never saw a man so close to killing someone, but not doing so when Ward confessed to using being under Asgardian mind control as an excuse to kill Agent May.
Director Coulson never physically attacked him at all. Trip and everyone else there would have looked the other way if he had, but it never happened. However, Trip was sure the director wanted to. Trip wanted to but his conscience, which sounded a lot like his grandmother at that moment, kept him from doing so by reminding him the guy wasn't worth that type of reaction.
Even though he was the new person on the team, he knew that this protective spirit also extended to him. When Agent Billy Koenig used the excuse of "orientation" to ask too many personal questions about his grandmother, former SHIELD Director and co-founder Peggy Carter-Jones, Coulson stopped the interview. The director also had Skye looking into the highly classified files regarding Trip's conception that may or may not have been a conspiracy to oust his grandmother and replace her with Alexander Pierce. However, for some reason that particular level 10 file never found its way to the Internet.
So considering the type of bond that he has with the team, he's not shocked that he is now sitting around with Skye and Simmons talking about their unexpected visitor. No one was surprised or upset even that he shot at the Iron Man armor before it was confirmed that the person inside it was actually Tony Stark and not some Hydra agent in a knockoff suit.
"Director Coulson will be fine. Besides May searched both of them before they even walked into his office on the bus and she let the director keep his ICER." Trip told Skye only semi-joking.
"A little less than an hour ago you were aiming your gun at him." Skye pouted.
"An hour ago, I was under the impression that all the official Iron Man suits were destroyed. Hydra had access to all of SHIELD's files. They used that information to build the centipede soldiers. I can completely see them trying to build another Iron Man. Something similar happened before and the senator pushing for it was Hydra." Trip suggested.
"And it was a disaster." Skye defended.
"But it wouldn't have been if they had access to Dr. Stark's files. They could've passed it off as a legitimate SHIELD project, especially after Dr. Stark chose to focus on other avenues of helping people." It was the first time that Simmons had spoken since Tony Stark invaded their secret base. He wasn't sure if her quietness was caused by the incident reminding her of what happened five weeks ago with General Talbot's invasion or if it was related to her normal reaction after a teleconference with Agent Fitz's doctor.
Agent Fitz was currently at GUMC under the alias Leo Fitzsimmons, a 28-year-old engineer at Stark Industries in their DC office. According to the cover, Fitz was in a coma after supposedly falling overboard from his boss' boat while sailing along the Maryland shore. Only one doctor knew the truth and she was the one who called Simmons every other day. The reason why this doctor knew the truth was she'd spent her entire life around SHIELD. According to family legend, she had been born in the conference room of the old New York office. The reason why he knew about this family legend was because the doctor just happened to be his mom, Stephanie Triplett.
As of three weeks ago, she was the doctor in charge of overseeing Stark Industries partnership with Georgetown University Medical Center. She took the job after his accountant father was promoted to the head of SI accounting and moved out east. It turns out his predecessor was a Hydra spy who was recently discovered when the entire company was forced to go through polygraphs. His dad got the job because CEO Pepper Potts wanted to put someone in the position she actually trusted. They knew each other from their early days with the company, before Ms. Potts had become Stark's assistant. Part of him thinks this may be some strange conspiracy orchestrated by unknown forces, but right now Trip is not going to question it because he feels better knowing that his mom is watching out for Fitz.
"I doubt that even SHIELD could have got the specs on those suits. If Tony Stark did not want the information to become public, it was never going to become public. I have hacked into Stark Industries and I've only got in because Stark's AI wanted me to find the files that were too dangerous for the great SHIELD data dump like how Coulson is not dead and dispose of them properly." Skye almost sounded impressed.
Trip saw some of those files which in his mind explains why Stark Industries is footing the bill for Fitz's very expensive medical care. Maria Hill was very good at finding great blackmail material and apparently Trip used to work for a bunch of voyeuristic perverts. Skye convinced herself that Stark was cheating on his girlfriend with a Captain America look alike and Maria Hill happened to have video proof that Stark wanted gone, but for various reasons he couldn't be the one to do it. So he used Skye and allowed his AI to help. Trip knew better about the Captain America look alike thing, but the rest of her theory was probably true. However, he wasn't going to mention something that his grandfather told him in confidence when he was a scared 13-year-old who just realized he wasn't into girls as much as the rest of the guys on the track team.
"That same AI is currently keeping me from hacking into the security feed. J, I thought we were friends." Trip struggled not to smile; he was right about what she was up to.
"Why are you hacking the security feed?" He asked shaking his head. "I doubt Coulson is in any danger from a man who hugged him."
"Well, somebody who I thought was my friend turned out to be Hydra, so I'm going to hack into the security feed just to make sure Coulson is safe with a guy who can make..." Skye abruptly stopped speaking when she's interrupted by a British voice coming from her computer.
"Ms. Poots, due to recent breaches of Mr. Stark's privacy he has chosen to temporarily disable all security cameras in Director Coulson's office." So that was her real name. No wonder she went by just Skye.
From the many visits he's made to his father's office over the years, Trip instantly recognized the voice as belonging to the JARVIS OS that practically runs the place. He just wondered how the proprietary operating system found its way onto Skye's laptop.
"J, I've told you not to call me that. It's Skye, only Skye." She chastised AI as if he were a person.
"Ms. Skye, Director Coulson is not in any immediate danger. Mr. Stark sees Director Coulson as a personal friend and does not wish him any harm. He has no allegiance to Hydra, especially in light of the fact that they arranged for the assassination of his parents. He just wants to spend time with someone he was led to believe was deceased for the last two years." The AI said trying to reassure Skye.
"Mr. Jarvis has a point. Dr. Stark seemed genuinely happy to see Director Coulson." Jemma said almost wistfully probably wishing for her own reunion with Fitz.
It took Trip a little while to remember that Tony Stark had at least five doctorates and deserved that title even if according to company lore he only requires people who pissed him off to call him doctor. Of course, half the time he forgets that Jemma has a set of doctorates herself. He knows that she has a tendency to fall back on formalities when she stressed which is probably why the title came out.
"I know. I just worry sometimes. I still think Billy should've been allowed to put Iron Man through orientation." Skye told the others with annoyance in her voice.
Billy had wanted to put Stark through "orientation" the moment Trip put his gun away, but Director Coulson quickly said no and took Stark to his office on the bus because he liked it better. Agent Koenig was most likely sulking in the control room since he wouldn't get a chance to ask a superhero embarrassing and very private personal questions. After Trip's very uncomfortable second interview, Director Coulson banned Agent Koenig from overseeing anymore orientations.
"If you cannot trust an Avenger to not be Hydra, then who can you trust?" Jemma said with a sad smile.
"No one." Trip whispered to himself.
"Maybe he's not Hydra, but he could still be planning to turn us over to Col. Talbot or somebody like that. Maybe Stark is here to convince Coulson to leave us and take some cushy corporate job like what Hill did. If he went through 'orientation', we could know that." Skye pouted again. Trip is pretty sure Coulson possibly abandoning her is what Skye is really afraid of.
"The military is no longer looking for us, so we don't have to worry about that. I doubt even Tony Stark could convince Coulson to leave now; rebuilding SHIELD is the Director's personal mission. Personally, I think you only want Stark to go through orientation because you want to listen in on the conversation." He smiled at Skye.
"I'm not going to confirm or deny that." Skye said looking down at her computer.
"Fitz would have loved to be here." Simmons sighed. "He really admires Dr. Stark's work. Fitz read all his papers in college. Actually, I think the veneration began before then. His mom was at MIT through a foreign exchange program when Stark was an undergrad there. It was just a year or two before Fitz was born."
Trip was chuckling to himself with that last sentence. It was another strange thing he and Agent Fitz had in common. Not only did neither know the identity of their birth father, but apparently both of their moms went to school with the future superhero only at different times. In his mom's case it was first grade (before the Stark heir was sent to boarding school) because from a security standpoint it made sense for the kids of two of SHIELD's top brass to be in the same school for easy protection. Of course, he just found out about that a couple weeks ago. Apparently, Trip gets his ability not to talk about this sort of thing from his mom.
"Leo's mom spoke about him all the time. Those stories were part of the reason why Fitz became interested in engineering and weapon design even if that sort of stuff went over his then stepfather's head. The creation of Iron Man was the reason why Fitz decided to go to the Academy instead of accepting a position at Hammer Industries." Simmons said sadly as both Trip and Skye wrapped their arms around her.
"We'll just have to tell Fitz all about it when he wakes up. After Stark is done with his conference with AC, we will take selfies just so we can Photoshop Fitz into the pictures. It will be great." Skye said with almost genuine enthusiasm. Simmons just gave her a halfhearted smile.
"If he wakes up," Jemma mumbled under her breath, probably assuming that no one would hear her.
"Agent Fitz is a fighter," Trip said trying to reassure her, but all that did was caused her to pull out of his arms.
"Your mother has run dozens of tests and she still can't figure out why he's not waking up." It's easy to tell by her voice that she was on the verge of tears.
At that moment, Agent May walked into the Playground's community room speaking on a phone that looked more like a normal cell phone than the secure phones they've mostly been using since the fall of SHIELD. However, he knows the agent well enough to know that she would not jeopardize their safety.
"Do you know who she's calling?" Trip asked the other two.
"She said she was going to contact Dr. Stark's "handler". I am uncertain who that would be since his breakup with Ms. Potts." Jemma responded calmly as she tried to compose herself again.
"You're supposed to keep him from doing stuff like this. Half of my team wanted to blow him out of the sky." They heard May practically yell which was disconcerting in itself because Melinda May does not yell.
"It could be former Deputy Director Hill." Trip suggested. "Technically, she does work for him now. I wouldn't be surprised if she gave him access. Stark did get in here as easily as Talbot did."
"The first thing AC had me do was remove her from the system." Skye told him.
"He's your boyfriend. Your problem." They heard May tell the person on the other side of the phone.
"I really hope it's not Hill." Skye mumbled to herself.
"It would explain why he helped her avoid detainment." Simmons suggested as she finally started to drink the protein shake that Trip had brought her. She never really eats well after her phone call with his mother and it is even worse than usual today.
"Actually, I think he only helped her because he was being extorted." Trip told the other two women.
"I know. That's why I hope it's not her." Skye said with half a smile.
"And you didn't think to talk him out of this ridiculous scheme of his?" They heard May sigh. "He already has you by the balls." Simmons started to choke at that moment.
"She probably just meant that metaphorically." Trip suggested even though he knew better.
"Mr. Stark is not in a romantic relationship with Maria Hill." They all exhaled simultaneously at the AI's words. "Agent May is currently speaking to Captain Rogers, who is presently in route to this location with Director Coulson's 'I'm happy you're no longer dead present." If Trip wasn't a trained specialist, he would have choked on his own drink when he came to the realization that his grandmother's wartime boyfriend was now dating notorious playboy, Tony Stark. The video was one thing; it could be easily dismissed as just sex (Trip only watched about five seconds before he came to the conclusion that he was about to watch someone his grandmother may or may not have had sex with have sex with somebody else and quickly cut it off before anything beyond kissing happened). Even though Stark was just slightly younger than his mother, he would have no trouble sleeping with the man if an opportunity presented itself, but dating was different.
"Captain Rogers? You mean Captain America is coming here?" He watches as Skye starts fixing her hair at that moment. Actually so does Simmons, but he saw that as a good thing. Jemma has been neglecting basic things like eating and hygiene since they lost Fitz. If they didn't make her drink the protein shakes they fixed or force other food on her, she would quickly starve.
"And you made smart comments about me going in to fan boy mode over my grandfather's old gear." Trip quipped.
"It's Captain America." Both girls said simultaneously as if it explained everything.
"According to what we just heard, Captain America is not available, so the primping is not necessary." Trip decided not to point out that if Tony Stark was not involved he would have a better shot hooking up with Captain America (if you discount the 'Ick' factor related to the fact that the guy may or may not have had sex with his grandmother).
"Jarvis just…" That's when Skye started choking on her soda. "That means the video files are- there was wall s- she was on t– handcuffs were – Captain America really is the dude."
"You watched the video files in their entirety?" He asked while Simmons simultaneously asked, "Are you okay?"
"Not really. Why are all the non-bastard guys gay, completely in love with other people, or some combination of the two?" Trip wanted to make some snide comment about his former fiancé being both gay and a complete bastard, but he had a feeling Skye's question was rhetorical. "Seriously, how did this happen?"
"Directly after the battle of New York then Director Fury assigned Agent May to look after Captain Rogers by posing as his neighbor May Phillips. She was also tasked with keeping Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers on amicable terms." The Jarvis OS explained.
So that was who Fury got to take over Project Adjustment after Trip decided he preferred to run ops anywhere but DC after his engagement imploded post invasion of New York. The original plan was for him to help his grandparents' friend adjust to 21st-century life by moving in to the apartment next door with his new husband, Robin. Director Fury referred to it as a honeymoon assignment and wedding present that would allow him to adapt to married life and keep him in close proximity to his ailing grandmother. Instead of a quiet wedding, aliens invaded New York and his fiancé called off the wedding because he went to fight them. Trip decided that he preferred punching things on assignment in South America with his cousin Sharon than spending one more moment in DC.
"That does not mean dating." Skye shouted at the AI bringing Trip back to the conversation at hand.
"Agent May did not assist with that until five weeks ago when she arrived at the Stark Arlington Ridge estate in an effort to find Ms. Hill. Agent May needed her assistance to assure then Agent Coulson's well-being and she felt that Mr. Stark would be able to provide this information. In exchange for this information, she assisted Mr. Stark with getting Captain Rogers to realize that his intentions were admirable."
Considering everything he's seen over the last six weeks, Trip is not surprised to learn that when he assumed May abandon the team, she actually left to find help for Coulson. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong person to turn to for help.
"Considering what happened, I don't think that was a very good deal." Trip mumbled to himself. Yes, she did help the team rescue Skye after she sold them all out to Talbot, but it's hard for him to respect a person who probably used surveillance footage of someone having sex to save themselves from prosecution.
"I didn't know she was going to turn Providence over to Talbot as part of her plan to help Coulson." May said joining the conversation. "Why did you allow Stark to install Jarvis on your computer?"
"I didn't have a choice if we wanted those files and I think I now know why you really wanted those files. Apparently, the thing with Ward really was a downgrade. Can we show that file to Ward on a loop with him chained to a wall?" There was a certain amount of reverence in Skye's voice but May ignored the comment.
"Captain Rogers will be here in 10 minutes to help us with our Stark problem. Can you let him into the hanger?" She said turning to Skye.
"Sure, no problem, if you tell me exactly how you managed to hook up Iron Man and Captain America."
"The AI already told you enough." Agent May replied stoically. The three felt it was best to follow Agent May silently to the hangar area.
What really happened
Five weeks earlier
The first thing Melinda May realized when she regained consciousness was the person who knocked her out didn't think to restrain her in some way. For a genius, Stark was an idiot. Most people who made that sort of mistake ended up dead, but she couldn't kill Stark (without a good reason anyway) because for some reason Phil and Steve like him.
According to Steve's most recent email, Steve liked Stark to the point where they'd slept together even though Stark had still technically been dating Pepper Potts at the time. Okay, Steve was in love with Tony, but she knew that before she left for the bus. Because of what happened, Steve was worried that the billionaire did not feel the same way. She was not. She saw the way Stark interacted with Steve and it was something other than friendship, it always has been. She's just surprised it took them this long for the situation to explode. Naturally, their relationship just had to explode the same time SHIELD did.
She completely understands why she was knocked unconscious. She hadn't believed Nick Fury when he came to her and told her that Phil was alive after his presumed death six months earlier. Actually, she thought he had completely lost it until he brought her to Phil's apartment and saw him with her own eyes and wrapped her arms around him. Phil not being dead was too good to accept without physical proof.
It would seem Stark decided to knock her out because he was afraid she was having a psychotic break, if the conversation she is hearing right now is anything to go by. She's not mad that he did it, she's just upset that she was distracted enough to let Stark render her unconscious. May has known for a long time that her emotional attachment to Phil Coulson had led to her making questionable decisions that could be detrimental. Even though she'd slept with Ward*, during the Lorelei incident she realized she could kill him if she had to. She knew she couldn't say the same about Phil. That's why the second specialist had to be on board, in the event of a worst-case scenario.
That's why she was absolutely terrified of the possibility that someone like Alexander Pierce could have programmed Phil to become a weapon. Melinda was too in love with Phil Coulson to pull the trigger, humanity be damned. However, the still recovering bullet wound in her shoulder was testament to the fact that he didn't feel the same way.
Fortunately, Stark was starting to believe that she was not crazy because whoever he was speaking to was confirming the fact that Phil was alive. She has heard this voice, but cannot quite place it. Unfortunately, it wasn't Maria. That would make things too easy.
Melinda should have just went with her mother's contacts to get information on the former deputy director's whereabouts, but once she saw the email from Steve, she knew she had a better option in Stark. But again she hadn't expected the man to render her unconscious.
"I've always said that Nick Fury was a habitual liar. I should not be surprised at all that good old Nikki faked Agent Agent's death to get his top secret superhero boy band to stop acting like preschoolers." Stark practically growled at the other person he was speaking to.
"I can't tell you anything I learned from patient files; however, according to the level 7 and higher rumor mill, Agent Coulson died on the table at least twice, so tales of his death were not completely exaggerated." That's when Melinda realized that the other person Stark was talking to was former SHIELD psychologist, Dr. Suarez. She was one of the least condescending psychologists at the Triskelion. Dr. Suarez defected to Stark Industries some time during May's time on the bus.
"Well, considering the SHIELD rumor mill completely missed the fact that a good portion of their colleagues were Hydra agents, I really don't put much stock in their intelligence." Stark snarked at the doctor just as Melinda made her way into the other room only to see that Stark was communicating with her via video screen.
"So fine, Coulson died for a little while, but the pirate neglected to tell us that he got better. Patches could have said something about it once we sent Loki's ass back to Asgard." Stark complained.
'No, he couldn't, because Phil was still in the morgue at that point.' Melinda thought to herself. Director Fury said that he didn't tell her until December 2012 because it took a while to get Phil stable after what they did. She still wonders if that was the truth or if Fury had other motivations for not telling her. If he didn't need her to look after Coulson would she be just as ignorant as Stark to the fact that Phil was back?
"It was touch and go for a while or so I heard." The doctor said quietly.
"Fine, maybe not immediately after the battle but eventually. Instead we had a funeral that I paid for, including the property damage done by Agent Scarier. I picked out a tombstone complete with the epitaph 'He saved the world a lot'. I'm a little upset that I buried my friend when I didn't have to." Stark practically screamed.
This wasn't the first time that Melinda came to the conclusion that Fury's decision to keep Phil's resurrection a secret was detrimental to everybody who loved Phil. Fury said it was because he didn't want to put Phil's friends through the pain of losing him again if something went wrong. However, she personally felt that she would rather go through the pain of losing Phil again if she could just have a few more minutes with him. She would be perfectly fine with him hating her for the rest of his life as long as he was still alive to hate her.
"But what about you? You have been as Stark Industries employee for nine or 10 months now? Yet, you didn't say a damn thing until today. Considering that Steve's special friend is going after Maria, it's obvious she knows about Phil's Lazarus routine. Why didn't she say anything? Especially in light of the fact that my lawyers are saving her ass from being tortured by the NSA. I had a fucking right to know that Agent was no longer dead." Stark was shouting at this point.
"I was under orders not to. We were all under orders not to tell you." That excuse seems so hollow from someone else especially in light of the fact that Stark was on the 'You can tell in case of an emergency' list Fury created in case something went wrong. In her mind SHIELD falling to pieces qualified. Stark was the only Avenger on the list probably because of his resources and the special skill set needed to help Phil. If her suspicions proved true, Stark may be the only one who could fix Phil if he needed it now that SHIELD was gone.
"That's why I left. Those types of orders were detrimental to my patients." May scoffed at that. She had a feeling there was more to it than that. Maybe Dr. Suarez figured out the Hydra truth before everyone else did.
Of course, if not wanting to lie anymore was the main reason why the doctor left, she was able to do something that Melinda could not. She hated lying to Phil, but she did it anyway. She justified it by telling herself that if she wasn't there Director Fury would have just assign someone else who would not care about Phil at all. She was willing to risk his hatred just to keep him safe and now she was suffering the consequences by losing him-by losing his trust.
"If it was so fucking detrimental to your patients, why the hell didn't you say anything when you arrived at SI?" Stark shouted at the woman.
"Do you think that SHIELD just lets their psychologists walk away? I know too many secrets. I've already been debriefed by the CIA and FBI since my former employer was blown to pieces and all their dirty laundry aired on the Internet. Fury wouldn't let me leave unless I specifically agreed never to tell the Avengers that Agent Coulson is alive."
"Yet, you're telling me now." Stark sounded somewhat annoyed. "Do you need my lawyers to save your ass as well?"
"No, I am telling you that Agent Melinda May is not suffering a disassociative episode due to the fact that Agent Phil Coulson is still alive." The doctor said in her defense.
"I don't buy that. Maybe you're finally telling me the truth because SHIELD is gone and so is Fury." Melinda personally believes that's more likely. It's the main reason why she's here.
"I still have an oath to-You didn't restrain her?" At that moment Stark turns around to see her standing directly behind him. His mouth slowly lowered in shock.
"That was supposed to knock a woman her size out for an hour. It's only been..."
"14 minutes and 44 seconds, sir." The computer answered without prompting.
"Great, I'm going to have to redo the formula." The scientists mumbled under breath. He almost reminded her of Fitz in that moment.
"You have an assassin in your living room and you're worried about..." The video feed is disconnected before the doctor can finish speaking.
"Great, Fury even placed plants in the SI therapist's office." She just glared at Stark at that moment.
"So I guess I should apologize for assuming that you were having a psychotic break. Agent Agent is alive and Fury lied. I really shouldn't be surprised." Stark was visibly upset at that moment.
"You don't apologize." She remarked quietly.
"Yes, but I don't want you to kill me and I have no protection since I'm still rebuilding the armor after having to blow up the last version when Hydra plants started coming out of the SI woodwork. I don't know why I ever wanted to unretire."
"Because you don't want the person you're in love with to be in danger without you by his side." Melinda wasn't sure she was talking about him or herself in that moment. "I'm not going to kill you. Steve would never forgive me."
"So, you actually like Steve and you weren't just fucking him on Fury's orders?" She sighed, remembering that they had this conversation before she left to take her place on the bus.
"I've done a lot of questionable things following Fury's orders, but that wasn't one of them." Lying about Tahiti was one of those orders that she wished she never followed, but sleeping with Steve was never part of any mission.
"I was lonely and so was Steve. The woman he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with was now a 95-year-old widow with five children from two marriages and a grandson that was practically his age. Worst of all, most days she doesn't remember him at all. We were both in a lot of pain and he reminded me a lot of Phil. Both of them are optimistic people who only wanted to help..." She cut herself off there because she did not want to be this vulnerable with a possible threat.
"Do you really think Fury could force me to have sex with anyone?" She finished with instead.
"You'd be amazed at what the Pirate can make someone do, but I don't think that's the case this time. Agent Agent wouldn't hang out with a person like that." She smirks to herself at his words.
"About a year ago Phil convinced a hacker working for a cyber-terrorist group called the Rising Tide to become a SHIELD consultant."
"Agent always had a habit of seeing the best in people." May noticed that Stark was still using the past tense. Just like her, it will take Stark seeing for himself that Phil is alive before he'll believe it.
"The other reason why you're safe is I need you to find Maria. Like I told you before you rendered me unconscious, Phil is in trouble and Maria may be the only one who can help him."
"Why? How does Phil's safety relate to finding her?" Stark asked somewhat calm.
"Fury didn't lie to you. Loki…" she took a deep breath before continuing. "He did kill Phil on the helicarrier. However, SHIELD was experimenting with several drugs that were able to restore him." She said giving Stark a simplified explanation of the procedures performed on Phil. "One of those procedures involved implanting false memories and rewiring his mind."
Stark doesn't need to know that the procedure was done to mitigate some of the possible side effects, not that she knew what all of those side effects were. Only Fury knew everything and he was either actually dead or completely off the grid and she would not believe the former until she saw the body.
"And you want to make sure he doesn't become the Manchurian Agent?" Stark asked without her needing to explain more.
"Essentially."
"And how does this all relate to Maria?" Stark asked.
"She was there when they were reviving Phil."
"While you were off babysitting Capsicle and acclimating him to this brave screwed up world? By the way, you are a great actress. I really did believe your broken hearted act. Steve really believed you." He said bitterly. His accusation annoyed her.
"Undercover work has never been my specialty. I didn't know until December of that year. Fury kept me in the dark for six months." Melinda confessed. "I destroyed a room at the funeral home because Alexander Pierce had the audacity to come to Phil's funeral and shake my hand and tell me that his death was for the greater good." The memory made her sick and worried. Did he screw around with Phil's brain?
"Considering that the man was Hydra, I'm sure he would think Agent Agent's death was for the greater good. Agent Agent would fight him with his- you actually think that he…"
"I don't know. The only person Director Fury took orders from was Alexander Pierce. I have to know if he had anything to do with Phil's resurrection. If Phil is your friend, you will help me protect him."
"You could bring him here? I have all sorts of resources. SI is already funding most of GUMC. I'm sure I can find a neurologist that specializes in the paranormal. Actually, I think one of Pepper's friends has a wife that…" He said before she cuts him off.
"He doesn't trust me right now because he found out I lied to him regarding how Fury brought him back from the dead. He would not come with me, but maybe Maria could bring him here." As far as she knew, Maria Hill was somebody that Phil still trusted. "If you help me find Maria, I can get Steve here to speak with you." She offered because it was her one bargaining chip and she didn't want Steve as miserable as she was right now.
"Will this plan of yours involved kidnapping?" Stark deadpanned.
"If you will provide me with another one of your secure phones with access to my special email account just for Steve, I will send him an email that will convince him that not only are you serious about him, but you actually care about him and he should just swallow his pride and come see you."
"Like that's going to work. If Steve actually liked me as more than a friend, don't you think he would've shown up by now? Actually, I would be perfectly willing to have what you and he had going on as long as there was still sex and Steve would call me every once in a while. Also what happened to your phone? That was a prototype." Of course, he would be concerned about his tech.
"I sent Steve an email letting him know that I was alive and then I threw the device in some random river in Canada in case I was being tracked."
"Considering you're currently on the FBI most wanted list that was probably a good idea. Actually, come to think of it, they had a picture of Phil too, but I just thought that Talbot was a moron. The guy is still chasing after Bruce."
"The guy is a moron."
"Unfortunately he's a moron with weapons." Stark scoffed.
"Steve likes you probably more than he should. He just didn't want to completely destroy your relationship with your girlfriend. He wrote me a five-page email about the entire thing before things blew up. As soon as he's aware that you two are no longer together, he may show up here without prompting." She told him.
"That's not a problem considering PR came up with the brilliant idea to use the implosion of my relationship with Pepper to distract everybody from Maria's appearance in front of Congre…fuck!"
"She's testifying on the Hill?" Why didn't she consider that possibility before? With Fury dead/off the grid and Widow gone, Maria was the only one left to answer questions.
"Not exact- I didn't say that. Okay, yeah, she's testifying in front of Congress, but not on the Hill. The briefing is too sensitive for that. However, I don't exactly want to handover to you someone who has a blackmail porn collection featuring my only night with Steve. Maria may have as few videos starring you too, because who knows how long your former bosses had a camera in Steve's apartment. Maybe you put it there." Stark accused.
Considering her line of work, she could have done something like that, but Fury told her that there were no cameras in Steve's apartment except for a few outside at various entry points. They definitely were not in a position to capture something unless they had sex in the hallway. Considering Stark's reputation and what happened between her and Steve in the training room that one time, it was entirely possible.
"I did not put a - that's how he figured-Fury was watching the entire…" She took a deep breath to control her rage. It wasn't productive at this moment. She shouldn't be shocked at all by the supposedly deceased director spying on her intimate moments with Steve, especially since Steve was her supposed target.
"Answer this question and I will help you: what is the real reason you're here?" Stark asked seriously.
"Coulson." She responded just as quickly as she did at Providence base.
"But why? Why is he so important to you that you will break into my house to find Maria Hill? Are you in love with Phil?"
"Are you in love with Steve?" She shot back instead of answering.
"I asked first." The billionaire shot back.
"Yes," Melinda answered once she realized that the truth was the only way to convince Stark to help her. "I'm in love with Phil Coulson even though I know the situation is hopeless and he hates me right now. I will do whatever I have to do to protect him because I'm always going to love him."
"Jarvis help the lady out with Operation Get Captain America while I arrange for Maria to be distracted so you can sneak up on her after her meeting. Also take care of transport." She exhaled at Stark's orders.
"Of course sir." The AI responded in the affirmative.
"Just for the record, Steve isn't just some fucktoy for me or an easy way for me to terminate my relationship with Pepper like a certain other former colleague of yours argued. Pepper will always be special to me, but somewhere between arguing and too many trips to Five Guys, I managed to fall completely in love with Steve Rogers." The way the scientist looked at her told May that he was telling her the absolute truth.
"I already knew that. It's why I came to you." She smiled as the billionaire left her with his AI to compose a letter to Steve.
To be continued
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*Just a quick reminder/clarification, during the flashbacks to five weeks earlier May is still unaware of Ward's true allegiances.