Previously: Randolph has given the team a way to contact Heimdall, but warned them not to bring Skye when they tried to use it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
"It's interesting, don't you think?" asked Simmons.
"Mmm, what?" said Fitz.
"Our amnesia! How on earth could a gravity altering man cause such precise trauma to the pre-frontal lobe or perhaps even the hippocampus that we would all lose the exact amount of time? And you woke up earlier than us most likely, as you said, because you were farther from him when he attacked, but yet you even lost the same amount …"
"I dunno," he said. "It's definitely strange."
Fitz was very involved in working on the research for something that could take down Graviton or contain him. The man seemed quite passed the realm of reasoning though, so it was likely they'd have to resort to the former.
Because of his focus on the engineering, Fitz' eyes didn't meet hers when they spoke and he was distracted. Though she was used to this. Sometimes she just needed to think out loud, and honestly, it was at least better than the way he'd been acting these past few days.
She'd genuinely been ready to shut him down about the possible relationship. In her heart Jemma still didn't know if they should be together, and she really didn't even want to think about it until at least Skye was… until Skye's birthday. But with how awkward things had gotten between them, well, she decided she just needed to give him an answer.
But since Graviton attacked them, ironically, things had gotten much better! The awkwardness seemed to have dissipated and he wasn't snapping at her quite so easily anymore. So she felt no need to bring it up if they could just fall back into place, the way they were before. At least until things calmed down.
"Hey guys," Skye announced as she walked into the lab and took a seat in a spin chair.
"Skye! You're back," said Simmons cheerily. "Did you all find anything concrete?"
"Well, we have… a lead to a lead I guess." She sighed. "Randolph gave us this way to talk to an Asgardian that may have some information… and not really talk so much as give… signs. Maybe."
That didn't sound very concrete to Simmons. In fact, it sounded like a bit of rubbish.
"Well, doesn't that sound promising!" Jemma exclaimed. "Right, Fitz?"
"Yeah, very promising," he mumbled through his work.
"Anyway, the rest of them headed out now to look into it," said Skye.
"You don't want to go?" asked Simmons skeptically.
"It sounds kind of awesome actually, but I'm not allowed to go because…" she sighed, seeming unbothered to share the information. "Well, same old same old. Alien prophecy weirdo girl stuff."
What a careless question, thought Simmons. Of course Skye would be on the mission if she were allowed.
"That's all right! You can stay with us," offered Simmons, now positive she was overcompensating with cheer due to Skye dismal attitude.
Skye nodded and looked over at Fitz, noticing how intent his focus was. "What are you guys doing?"
"Oh, well I'm just looking into how we could have possibly been affected with amnesia from a gravity-based power source," said Simmons. "And Fitz is of course working on, em, something to neutralize Dr. Hall."
"Hmm. Maybe we could just find something really, really heavy…" started Skye, but Jemma soon stopped hearing her, her mind stuck on something she herself had said.
Neutralize…
Wait. Neutralize!
Apparently, Raina had said the reason Skye's blood was able to take down Garrett was because it was a natural neutralizer. And given what Wolfe had said about her heritage…
"Oh my goodness, I think may have just had an epiphany! Skye, get on the med bench. Please."
Skye had actually been in the middle of saying something, Jemma realized from her hanging open mouth, but she hadn't the foggiest idea of what it was. Simmons began grabbing the girl and pulling her over to examination table.
"Whoa, hey there. You know it's nowhere near time for my physical, right?" Skye asked as Simmons stopped her at the bench, motioning to sit. Fitz even took a moment to look up and see what the commotion was.
When Simmons went to get a tourniquet and needle, Skye's eyes widened at the sight.
"What? Ugh, not this again…" she complained as the Simmons lifted Skye's sleeve to clean the crook of her elbow with rubbing alcohol.
"Oh, don't fuss. This is a good thing!"
She stuck the needle in Skye's arm to which the girl barely grimaced. She had probably gotten used to the frequent poking, and frankly, she had been through much worse."
Fitz walked over with interest. "What are you doing, Simmons?"
Skye raised her hand with a pointed finger. "Girl whose blood is currently getting stolen would like to know as well."
"Well," started Jemma, "When we used your blood to defeat Garrett, it was able to-"
"Hold up there, Doctor! What?" Skye exclaimed. "How did you figure out my blood would kill Garrett? Wait, how did my blood kill Garrett?"
It was a little surprising Skye didn't already have this information, but there was so much some of them hadn't been present for over the passed few days it was hard to keep track of what they were telling each other.
"If you'd let me finish!" Simmons said indignantly, and Skye sat back as she finished filling up a tube to put on another. "Garrett was only alive due to the GH-325. Apparently, your blood works as a natural neutralizer that can break down enzymes and cells. Therefore when we injected it into Garrett-"
"The GH-325 stopped working," Skye finished for her. Simmons almost laughed, it was different to have someone other than Fitz finishing her sentences.
"Raina discovered it. Though, given recent information about her she probably already had a hunch it would work that way. And now it is even backed up by the fact that your two family lines cancel each other out! To be honest I don't have a clue how it works, but that gives sound explanation to the fact that your blood would render other things useless as well."
"That's amazing Simmons!" exclaimed Fitz, now comprehending the reasoning behind her excitement. "If we could combine our research-"
"-find the neutralizer in Skye's blood-"
"-and the proper way to execute a use out of it-"
"-we may very well find a way to get rid of Hall's powers!" Jemma finished enthusiastically. She then pulled the needle out of Skye's arm, dabbing the small blotch of blood before putting a plaster on the tiny wound and walking away to begin analyzing the samples.
Skye sat for a moment on the bench, watching the two scientists work.
"Alright," she mumbled, sounding quiet enough to have been talking to herself, her voice decidedly not happy about such a hopeful prospect. She hopped off the bench. "Guess I'll leave you guys to it."
Simmons was so preoccupied with this new development, she nearly forgot about the girl they were doing this for. She then quickly realized: if everyone else was gone from the BUS…
"Wait, Skye!" Jemma called after her, and the hacker turned around. "We have to, um, let me come with you! Oh wait, I should start… Fitz, will you go with her?"
Skye inferred what the scientist was saying, pursing her lips with embarrassment as she looked down.
"You have the computer monitors right there. You can see the surveillance of the BUS," Skye offered. "Besides, I won't go anywhere," she added quietly, just before turning around to quickly leave the lab before Simmons had the chance to say anything more.
It broke Simmons' heart. She hated that they were doing this to her, and honestly, by how earnest Skye seemed she wouldn't try to leave right now. But Coulson had ordered her to be watched, and, given recent behaviors, it seemed the right thing to be doing.
Either way, monitors or not, Skye shouldn't be alone now.
"Simmons, I think I may go with a Skye for a bit," said Fitz. "She shouldn't be alone."
"I was just having that precise thought!" Jemma said, smiling at how in sync they were once again. "I'll start working on the blood samples-"
"-and I'll come help you with my end later if anything comes of them," said Fitz, grinning as he set down what he'd been so tirelessly working on. Tirelessly… had Fitz slept very much at all?
"Fitz?" Jemma called as he began to walk out of the room. He turned around in the doorway. "After you go with Skye for a bit you should get some rest," she told him, and when he seemed about to protest she continued. "Tonight you can work on it while I sleep, because one of us has to be up to watch Skye on the monitors anyways."
He took this in for a brief moment before nodding.
"Sounds good to me."
With that Fitz was out the door and Simmons heard him beginning to call for Skye. She felt a small pang of jealously. It would be nice if she could get some time with Skye before…
No. How could she think like that?
There was only one solution to this problem, and that was finding a way to take them down. Graviton, Wolfe, the Inhuman species… it didn't matter.
Simmons would not lose her friend.
"That's not right," said May.
"Of course it's right," objected Coulson.
"Nah man, it's definitely weird," Trip told him. "You got to make that one circle more like a circle."
"It is a circle!"
"I'm pretty sure that's an oval," Ward admonished.
"It's a circle! I can tell it's a circle; I don't know what you people are seeing," Coulson defended. "Now hold the paper closer."
Ward did as he was told and Coulson continued drawing with his finger.
The group of four probably looked rather strange. Crouched in the middle off an Italian country road when it was getting to be dark, drawing strange symbols in the dirt. Not to mention they were mostly dressed in all black, with the exception of one person in a suit. Which clothes would be stranger to see for a group to be playing in a dirt road, it was hard to say.
"When you do finish drawing it, what's gonna happen? Cause I'd really not like to be fried by lightning or something," Trip said.
"That's assuming we get it right at all," May pointed out, and Coulson gave her a disgruntled glare.
"It's a tricky design! But if I can just get this little bit…"
As Coulson drew the last line with his finger, the symbol began to glow.
"Ah! See, I told you it was a circle," he gloated.
May had to resist rolling her eyes and just focused on the task at hand, which was getting Coulson away from the drawing that was becoming brighter and brighter. The sky was even starting to glow, clouds swirling just above their heads.
"Get down!" Triplett screamed over the increasing wind as May pulled Coulson away. Ward was already ducking.
The four agents were taking cover next to the road in surrounding ditches, when a bright light zapped its way up to the clouds. It was small, barely a flash. But they'd all seen it.
As soon as it happened the clouds dispersed and the glowing ceased. The agents tentatively got up as they sensed the danger was over, but were still wary of it.
"What was that?" asked Triplett. "Kind of-"
"Anti-climactic?" supplied Coulson.
"I was gonna say intense, but yeah, it did die out too fast to give it that kick."
They walked up to the symbol to see it had been near burned into the ground and that it had definitely reshaped itself to look more like the picture, much to Coulson's dismay. The entire group gave him a pointed look.
"It... it was circular enough to get the message through, ok?" defended Coulson of his artistic abilities.
"Anyone make out a sign?" asked Ward, getting to the point. "Randolph said the Asgardian wouldn't contact us directly, but he'd send us some sort of message."
"If he cared to," May reminded them.
Before anyone could get too upset over the statement, Coulson cut in.
"He also didn't specify a time frame for the response."
"So we're just supposed to sit here and wait?" asked Ward incredulously. "For how long? We can't leave Skye alone with Fitzsimmons for days. She doesn't even have days!"
Ward was getting a little too comfortable with his place on the team for May's taste. She was beginning to think he needed a reminder his being here was a privilege and convenience, not a right. But Coulson's matter of fact tone seemed to douse his fire.
"Ward, it's been thirty seconds. Calm down," he told the Hydra agent simply. "You don't have to pretend you're the only one that cares about Skye, we're all aware of her predicament. I understand you have more to prove by bringing up your care for her well being, but trust me, we get it."
May nearly cracked a smile at Ward's disgruntled, slightly abashed gaze to the ground. Not that she did.
"We'll wait in the van," Coulson ordered.
So that's what they did. They waited. They waited as stoically as four field agents could. It was different than they'd become accustomed to, having their science duo or hacker with them. Slightly… emptier, even for May. No one was having friendly conversation or reminiscing, just silence.
Until the loud crack of thunder sounded.
It was dark, and the flash lit up the sky. First thoughts were that it may be Thor, but this definitely wasn't lightning. No, it was the exact same burst of light, colors and smoke that they saw when Sif was transported to earth.
And that's exactly who they saw.
The agents were waiting just outside their van, which had just been vacated as Sif walked over to them.
"Hot warrior woman falling out of the sky?" admonished Triplett. "That's a hell of a sign."
"It's Lady Sif," Coulson informed him as she moved towards them.
"A Lady?" said Trip. "Damn. As if she weren't already enough out of my league."
"Son of Coul! It brings me great joy to see you," said Sif as she approached. She was in an outfit similar to the one they'd seen her in last time she'd been here.
"The feeling's mutual," said Coulson earnestly. "But I've got say, the way this was explained to us, we weren't really expecting to get a personal visit from anyone."
"I cannot stay long," she admitted, looking around at the agents. "This is a face I've not seen before."
"Agent Antoine Triplett, at your service ma'am," said Triplett as he offered his hand, but Sif merely stared at it. He pulled it back. "Guess Asgardians don't do shakes. It's cool, I'm more of a fist bump man myself."
"I am glad of your acquaintance, Antoine Triplett. Are you of SHIELD as well?" she asked.
"Whatever's left of it, I'm there," said Trip, and he received a puzzled look.
"It's a long story," put in Coulson. "But pretty much, we've downsized."
"Ah yes. Your fleets are having hardships, Heimdall mentioned this. I am sorry, though glad to see your comrades still at your side. I hope Lorelei's disturbance did not disrupt your relationship to a point beyond repair?"
It took even May a moment to realize that she was talking to Ward and herself. She didn't respond, but Ward's mouth shot open, as he prepared to defend the situation.
"Yeah, you might not want to touch on that subject," suggested Coulson before Ward could try some desperate response. "So, the keeper of your world sent you here? Our source said he would most likely respond in some form of message. There a reason his tactic changed?"
Sif sighed. "I am afraid I bring no better tidings than when I arrived during my last visit to Midguard."
Coulson noticeably stiffened. "What is it?"
Sif stepped up to him purposefully, staring him directly in the eyes.
"It my belief you have been terribly deceived, and I fear the deception has put a great deal of lives in danger. Including the life of your half-breed friend."
A/n: Ok so updates are obviously slowing down on this a bit cause I was updating every other day for a while like a CRAZY PERSON. My goal is to get two chapters of this up per week and one of my other story. May slow down, may speed up, just depends.