20: ALL THAT SILENCE SAID
Having traced the location of Ward's broadcast, The Bus soared towards its location – New York City.
"Ward's been extremely busy, travelling all the way back to New York." Daisy noted as the entire team bar Fitz were gathered in the briefing room.
"He certainly has. We traced his broadcast location to Liberty Island. Being Ward, he's put hundreds of tourists in danger by letting Rage find him there." Coulson revealed.
"How did Rage even track him down? We couldn't even do that." Lincoln asked.
"When Rage last confronted Ward in Greece we have to assume it read his thoughts and has been tracking him like that ever since, the same way it used Lance to find HQ's location. Dropping it into the ocean probably angered it enough to renew its spree of revenge." Coulson speculated, earning him a glare from May and Mack.
"What's our ploy?" Bobbi asked.
"We can't take any chances here; we need to bring Rage in. I've called in a favour from an old friend to get us a way of keeping Rage away from civilian population. I'm sending most of the team to Liberty Island to bring Rage in; it's still weakening all the time so I'm hoping this to be an easy extraction. If there's a chance to bring Ward in, take it just in case. Fitz is obviously still in recovery so he'll remain on The Bus, as will Bobbi and Joey; you're both still recovering from your injuries." Coulson explained.
"With all due respect sir, not gonna happen. I'm seeing this thing through till the end." Bobbi stated.
"Yeah, me too. I'm not gonna sit idly by while that thing puts people in danger." Joey added.
Coulson took a moment to observe the determination in their eyes then nodded.
"The more the merrier, I guess." Coulson said.
"Bob, are you sure about this? You're not fully there yet." Lance whispered, concerned.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Bobbi replied with a smile.
"Simmons?" Coulson invited, and Jemma joined him at the front, holding a circular metal device in her hand with an orange light in the centre.
"We adapted these devices from Prototype 3427, the teleport that Fitz, Lincoln and I used to escape when Rage attacked HQ a while ago. Fitz and I have been developing them since then, placing the core technology into a small casing. They're still far from ready but they might prove useful today. Press the button in the centre and it'll take you to a different location within a 100 metre radius." Jemma explained.
"You managed to make personal teleports?" Mack asked.
"After many sleepless nights and hard work…almost. We can't predict exactly where within the radius it takes you and we haven't found a way to stop the circuits from shorting out. Unfortunately that means they only work once. Just use them wisely; we only have enough for one each and that's only because of spares and the fact that Leo is still bedridden." Jemma explained.
"They'll still be a huge asset today, great work Jemma." Coulson smiled.
"Okay, so we get dropped off at Liberty Island, bring in Rage using the favour you've pulled and get it away from civilian population." Lincoln summarised and Coulson nodded.
"Just remember, Rage could still release its radiation at any time; Maya hasn't got long left. Going after Ward will more than likely be taking everything she has out of her." Coulson said.
"I'm almost starting to feel bad for the woman." Lance sighed.
"She never asked for any of this." May said.
"Okay everyone, get yourselves prepared and ready to move out. We'll be at Liberty Island within twenty minutes. Good luck, everyone." Coulson concluded.
There was a strength and bond felt in the room that gave everyone a sense of comfort and confidence.
…
"Right, you've got some magazines there, food is on its way and…I think that's everything sorted. Hopefully you'll be up and about tomorrow. The fact that you managed to walk across the room this morning without aid is astounding." Jemma smiled as she fiddled around with the sheets on Fitz's bed as he grinned at her.
"I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about. Well, terrified about." Fitz sighed.
"Leo, I'll be absolutely fine." Jemma reassured.
"Yeah, thinking about my girlfriend being in close proximity to a murder beast is an extremely comforting thought." Fitz said and Jemma smiled; he'd never called her his girlfriend before – she quite liked it.
"Honestly, you should be more relaxed than ever. I'll be able to focus more than ever for this mission since I won't have to worry about your safety. My biggest fear will be you rolling off the bed." Jemma smirked.
"Oh, the horror." Fitz chuckled.
"Don't worry about me. Honestly." Jemma said, holding Fitz's hand in hers.
"If you say so." Fitz smiled. Jemma smiled back, leaning in and kissing him passionately.
"Then tomorrow we can finally get that dinner you promised me." Jemma said.
"Deal." Fitz smiled, kissing her again.
…
"I'm not a medical doctor, but I'm unsure that Bobbi and Joey should be out fighting." Andrew remarked as he sat with Coulson in his office.
"They're both insisting. I have every confidence in them." Coulson said as Daisy and May walked in.
"We're landing in five." May declared and Coulson nodded.
"Sure you don't want to join the fight?" Daisy teased as she smiled at Andrew.
"I think there would be quite a few people objecting to that." Andrew smiled back.
"You got that right." May said. Andrew smiled at her.
"Assemble everyone at the hangar." Coulson ordered and Daisy nodded.
"You three just go careful, okay? I'll be here waiting for you when you get back." Andrew said, shaking Daisy's hand.
"We always come back, remember?" Daisy remarked as she headed out.
"Good luck, Phil." Andrew said, shaking Coulson's hand as he went. May held out her hand for him; he knocked it away and hugged her.
"See you soon, Melinda." Andrew said.
"See you when I get back, Andrew." May said, hugging him back before heading off to join Coulson in the corridor.
"May, I-" Coulson began.
"Save it. We have a mission to focus on." May said.
"I know my leadership hasn't been perfect, but-"
"-Phil, please."
"May. I just want you to hear me out." Coulson pleaded.
"I don't need to hear you out. It's a stressful time, and I know you're not the perfect leader, but you're probably still the best one for the job out of all of us. You're part of the team, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for a team member. Today I want to fight Rage, and maybe Grant Ward, but not you. Not someone I care about." May explained.
"…I am sorry."
"…I know. Now let's finish this."
…
Everyone going out on the mission was gathered in the hangar of The Bus, waiting to be dropped off at Liberty Island. The Bus was floating directly above it, engines on silent and cloak on.
"Send it in now. We don't have to wait for it to turn up. Thanks." Coulson said into his phone before hanging up and walking to the front of the team.
"Rage isn't as much of a threat physically as it was previously, but it could still kill any one of us if it needed to. We can't kill it here because it would flood a nation of people with lethal radiation, but we need to act fast. I aim for this to be a simple extraction; Rage is the primary target, but feel free to bring Ward in if you can." Coulson explained.
"Just bear in mind your teleports only carry one person at a time. Like I said, still in development." Jemma added.
"The Bus is being lowered as we speak; we jump out as fast as possible and track down Rage. Get civilians to safety whenever you can. Believe me, you'll know when it's time to extract." Coulson stated.
Anticipation and dread filled the room as everyone began muttering to each other. Coulson stared at the large door, waiting for it to open so the last stand could begin.
Lincoln grabbed Daisy's hand and guided her to the side of the room.
"I just wanted to say good luck. And be careful." Lincoln said.
"You too." Daisy smiled, playfully poking him in the chest.
"Daisy, I, uh…well, I…"
Daisy smirked as she pulled Lincoln close and kissed him with all she had.
"I love you too." She whispered. They shared a wide, passionate smile.
"It's not too late to change your mind." Lance said to Bobbi on the opposite side of the room.
"Hunter, stop. I'm more than ready for this." Bobbi said.
"But your arm-"
"-Is fine. You just make sure to not go blindly running into danger." Bobbi warned.
"Yes, ma'am." Lance smiled. She chuckled and kissed him.
"I love you, even if you are an idiot."
"I love you too."
Everyone felt The Bus come to a halt as it hovered just above the ground. From outside, screams of terrified tourists could be heard alongside crashes and the cries of a monster.
"Let's go." Coulson said, turning to face the group. They all nodded as the door opened. The team jumped to the ground, weapons primed, and embraced the challenge that lay ahead of them.
…
Crowd after crowd of people rushed to get as far away from the island as possible, the sea of terrified citizens slightly bewildering the team as the hopped off The Bus, with quickly shot back upwards and cloaked itself; S.H.I.E.L.D. had to remain in the shadows.
Another roar echoed across the island; Rage was ripping streetlamps, rock and earth apart and throwing the debris in a hundred different directions, its grey eyes constantly on the move, searching for its target.
"Splinter into groups!" Coulson ordered, rushing off with Bobbi and Lance. Daisy, Lincoln and Joey formed another team while May, Mack and Jemma teamed up. The three groups spread out across the island, dodging debris and hiding behind trees and lumps of concrete as they finally saw Rage.
It hardly moved from the one spot, its navy blue skin flaking off and the rock protruding from its body now crumbly and worn away. The monster of a being barely resembled the horrific creature it once was.
"Jesus, look at that thing." Joey observed, shocked.
"We need to contain it, fast. No way is that surviving more than a few hours at most." Lincoln diagnosed.
Daisy jumped as a rogue hand grabbed her shoulder. Instinctively, she lunged her elbow at the person behind her, sending Grant Ward falling to the floor.
"Nice to see you too." Ward commented.
"Don't do that again!" Daisy warned.
"I don't plan to. Thanks for answering my call. I'm glad you didn't change your radio frequency after all this time." Ward smiled.
"We're here for Rage, not to save your ass." Lincoln said.
"Sorry, who's this guy?" Ward asked, staring at Lincoln intently.
"Where are the other guys?" Joey asked.
"Around somewhere." Lincoln answered.
"Ah, Joey, isn't it? Nice to see you again." Ward smirked.
"Be quiet." Daisy ordered.
"Maybe I'm just excited to talk to you all again. I've been on the run, remember? Took a nice trip to see Lady Liberty then Rage shows up. I've spent far too long hiding and waiting for my backup." Ward explained.
"Again, we're not your backup." Lincoln seethed.
"Again, who is this guy?" Ward retaliated.
"Of all places, why come back to New York?" Daisy asked.
"We always find our way home eventually." Ward said solemnly.
…
"We have Ward. I repeat, we have Ward." Daisy's voice crackled through everyone's earpiece.
"Okay, everyone focus on Rage. Icers primed and ready." Coulson replied as everyone readied their weapons.
"Can anyone else hear a helicopter?" Bobbi asked.
"…Close." Coulson replied.
…
"Mind if I borrow this?" Ward asked, kicking Lincoln to the floor and grabbing a gun from his belt.
"To hell with this." He added, standing up and aiming at Rage.
"NO!" Daisy shouted.
It was too late, and Ward fired.
Rage let out a hideous scream as two bullets plunged into its body, causing it to turn and see Ward. It leaped across the island and sent everyone flying as it collided with the floor. Sending out bolts of electricity all over the place, everyone ducked for cover.
"YOU CAN'T KILL IT! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" May shouted over to Ward, who got another few shots in, sending Rage momentarily falling to the floor. Daisy stood up, sending a shockwave towards Rage. It collapsed back to the floor and struggled to get up, but the force was too strong for it this time.
With her other hand, Daisy sent another shockwave towards Ward, sending him flying into a tree. He fell to the ground, unconscious, while Joey used his powers to melt the gun lying next to him.
"Everyone, now!" Mack shouted as the team all stood and fired several rounds of icer bullets at Rage, who let out a final roar before falling unconscious, exhausted.
"Oh. My. God." Jemma exhaled, looking upwards.
Before the team's very eyes, they were covered in a large shadow as an enormous vehicle hovered about them. A Helicarrier.
"Okay, definitely not a helicopter." Bobbi noted.
"After the Battle of New York, Fury arranged for a few Helicarriers to be stored in underground facilities as part of some new scheme. One of them was under Stark Tower. Maria Hill sorted it out for me. Thought it might come in handy one day." Coulson smiled as the bottom of the Helicarrier opened up and two small platforms flew out, landing on the ground.
One of the platforms was filled with seat after seat; the other scooped up the unconscious Rage before lasers switched on, forming walls all around it before flying back up into the Helicarrier.
"Everyone get on!" Coulson shouted as the team hurried to the platform and found a seat. Mack rushed over and picked up Ward before joining them. When everyone was strapped in, the platform elevated up into the awe-inspiring spectacle of a vehicle, which gloriously ascended skyward.
…
Coulson and the team all observed through a thick glass window as Rage lay unconscious in the middle of a metal room.
"Specially reinforced walls; all the radiation will be contained when it leaks out. IT's very complicated stuff apparently." Coulson revealed.
"Actually, it's quite simple. It comes down to how the mixture of-" Jemma began.
"-Simmons, I think we're good." Daisy smiled.
"What about Ward?" Lincoln asked.
"I had some agents pick him up and lock him away on The Bus." Coulson answered.
"…And there was us thinking something was gonna go horribly wrong and that this would a dangerous mission." Joey chuckled.
At that moment, there was a loud explosion and every room flashed red as the lights changed and a siren sounded.
"Well, that was perfect TV show timing." Joey added with a sigh.
"What the hell's going on?" Mack wondered.
The sound of gunshots silenced the team.
"We've been raided." May said angrily.
Another two explosions led Lincoln to rush to a window and look outside.
"Oh my god…there are three jets blowing holes in the carrier and sending armed soldiers in. There's something written on the jets, hang on…" Lincoln said, squinting his eyes.
"Who are they?" Coulson asked. Lincoln faced him, shocked.
"…R.E.S.C.U.E."
…
"They're still active?" Daisy asked.
"It seems so. Three guesses what they're after." Mack said.
"…Rage. Or Maya, I suppose." Jemma said.
"Or either. We don't know what they want; they've been waiting for an opportunity to strike. This is probably all over the news by now; they'd have seen Rage was weak. This is their perfect time to obtain hit without it fighting back." Coulson speculated.
"They're not getting it without a fight." Lance said.
"Should've brought my shotgun-axe." Mack sighed.
Two R.E.S.C.U.E. soldiers came round the corner, weapons aimed at the team.
"Stay where you are! We just want Rage and then we'll go." One soldier demanded.
"In your dreams." Daisy stated, sending a shockwave that knocked them both to the floor.
"Split up and fight back. Daisy, Bobbi, May, guard Rage. The rest of us take out the soldiers. We can't let them get their hands on Rage, god knows what they want with it." Coulson ordered and everyone parted ways, but not before Lincoln and Lance kissed Daisy and Bobbi goodbye.
…
"Just stay behind me, Simmons." Mack said as he and Jemma headed down a corridor.
"Don't worry, I fully intend to." Jemma said. A soldier appeared out of nowhere; Mack kicked him to the floor, smashed his head against the wall and took his gun.
"Much more like it." Mack smiled as another soldier appeared, weapon primed.
"MACK!" Jemma shouted, instinctively taking off her shoe and throwing it at the soldier. Mack shot him in the chest, picking Jemma's shoe up and throwing it back to her with a smirk.
"…Really?"
"I panicked."
…
"I don't like how quiet it is." Bobbi noted a few minutes later as she, May and Daisy kept their eyes on the end of the corridor.
"It's a big place, they might have gotten lost or -" Daisy began.
An explosion from above silenced her as debris covered the women alongside four R.E.S.C.U.E. soldiers. In the confusion, one knocked Bobbi to the floor aggressively; Bobbi jumped back up, wrapping her legs around him and sending him flying into the wall. May incapacitated another while Daisy sent a shockwave at the remaining two soldiers to incapacitate them.
Bobbi had heard a crunch as she fell. She emptied her pocket; her teleport had been smashed into pieces.
…
"Boys, you really don't want to try anything. I promise you." Lance said as three guards had him and Joey cornered against a wall.
"FIRE!" One soldier ordered, sending bullets towards the pair. Joey lifted his hands and the bullets melted, before turning his attentions to the guns themselves.
As they melted in the soldier's hands, Lance punched one of them and threw him into another as Joey kicked the third in the head, sending them all to the floor.
…
"I count five heading towards us." Coulson whispered to Lincoln as they peered round the end of a corridor, watching as a small group of R.E.S.C.U.E. soldiers approached them.
"What formation?" Lincoln asked.
"Two in front, three behind."
"I take the two in front, you take the three behind?" Lincoln suggested and Coulson nodded.
"3…2…1…now!"
Lincoln jumped in front of the soldiers, sending bolts flying into the two guards in front. As they fell to the floor, Coulson appeared and rapidly shot the remaining three.
"Normally this would be a high-five moment." Coulson said.
"I feel the stakes are a bit too high for that." Lincoln commented.
"You're probably right." Coulson agreed as the two ran off.
…
It was a long battle, but more and more soldiers kept arriving; R.E.S.C.U.E. had clearly been recruiting under the radar over the last few months, all in anticipation for this moment.
Daisy, May and Bobbi had taken down their sixth wave of soldiers and were utterly exhausted when Daisy turned to check on Rage.
"Guys…" Daisy said. May and Bobbi turned around and looked inside the room Rage was in.
But Rage was no longer in there. A thin, yellowed Maya Anderson was. She was sat up, her legs tucked up into her chest and arms wrapped around them. She wasn't long for the world.
"…Maya?" Daisy asked. Maya looked at her, tears in her eyes, but said nothing. She wasn't strong enough to.
"Look at her. The poor thing." Bobbi sighed.
"She doesn't have long. We just need to wait it out." May said. Daisy and Bobbi looked at her, almost offended.
"I know it's a cold thing to say, but it's too late for her. She'll see her husband and son again soon." May said.
"But what about -" Daisy began.
She was stopped when a bullet shot through her shoulder and sent her falling to the floor. May picked up a gun from a nearby unconscious soldier and fired back, taking out the two soldiers that had appeared. Bobbi rushed to Daisy's aid, but blood was pouring out of her.
"She needs medical attention, stat." Bobbi observed.
"Daisy, use your teleport. Contact The Bus and get yourself seen." May ordered.
"I…I can't leave you. You guys need me. What if more guys come?" Daisy asked, pained.
"You'll bleed out if you stay. Daisy, go. Please." Bobbi appealed. After a moment of delegation, Daisy nodded and gave the two women a smile.
"Be careful. Make sure everyone gets off okay." She nodded.
"Get yourself cleaned up." May smiled. Daisy got out her teleport and pressed the button in the middle, vanishing in a flash of orange light.
"…And then there were two." Bobbi sighed.
"Get down!" May shouted as six soldiers appeared and shot all over the place. May and Bobbi ducked for cover at the end of the corridor as bullets littered the door of the metal room where Maya was sat.
Suddenly, a loud bang and a fizz as the control panel outside the door exploded as a bullet smashed it open. The door automatically slid open.
"The locking mechanism's fried!" Bobbi shouted.
"Dammit!" May shouted, jumping out of cover and shooting all the soldiers down.
"Maya won't last long. If the door isn't shut the whole carrier gets flooded. Everyone dies." Bobbi realised, panicked.
"There's a button on the inside as a backup; press it and get back out quickly." May ordered. Bobbi obeyed and rushed quickly into the room, sharing a short glance with Maya before pressing the locking mechanism inside. As she let go of the button the door rose back up.
"It doesn't work; the circuit must've friend this side, too. It only shuts if someone presses the button at all times." Bobbi revealed. She looked at May, who saw in her eyes what she was going to do.
"Don't you dare!" May cried as Bobbi pressed the button; May rolled into the room just as the door shut.
"Why did you do that?" Bobbi asked.
"Because I'm not letting you do this. The panel can be rewired. Hold it shut and I'll try to work on it." May said.
"We might not have time for that!"
"It's a risk we're gonna take."
…
"Everyone, state your location." Coulson said into his earpiece as Lincoln took out another soldier.
"I think we're in the southeast of the carrier." Jemma's crackled reply sounded.
"We're in the middle somewhere." Lance replied.
"Is everyone alright?" Coulson asked.
"We've got a situation here, actually. The circuit holding the door shut is fried; it can only be manually held shut from inside the room with Maya, and she's not looking too hot." Bobbi reported.
"You two, get the hell out of there. We'll evacuate if we need to; I can't see any more soldiers." Coulson said.
"If Maya dies, I imagine they'll give up anyway. They probably need her alive." Jemma said.
"Bob, get the bloody hell out of there right now or so help me!" Lance shouted.
"I'm trying to rewire it; this could work." May revealed.
"Is Daisy okay?" Lincoln panicked.
"She got shot in the shoulder; we made her teleport out, she's safe." Bobbi said.
"We can't risk this. There are no soldiers left anyway so there's no reason to stay here. Let the whole place get flooded with radiation and then leave it to crash; we're heading for the ocean anyway. Everyone get your teleports ready." Coulson ordered.
"Bit of a problem with that, sir. Mine got broken in a scuffle." Bobbi revealed, tears in her eyes.
"What?" May asked.
"I didn't think it would be this much of a problem." Bobbi added.
"Jesus Christ, Bob. What are we gonna do?" Lance asked, petrified.
"…I know what I have to do. You all need to go. Maya probably has minutes at most. Everyone get out of here." Bobbi said.
"No way in hell!" Lance said.
"We're not leaving you, Bobbi." Mack said.
"Everyone get back to Bobbi and May, now!" Coulson ordered as everyone rushed to get to their location.
Maya couldn't hold herself any longer, collapsing to the floor with a slight thud.
…
"May, you need to go right now!" Bobbi demanded.
"Let me do this rewiring, it will work." May said, fiddling with the wires.
"There's no time!" Bobbi shouted.
"Just hang on Bob, we're coming!" Lance shouted into his earpiece as he ran faster than he ever had before.
"Hunter…I love you." Bobbi sobbed. May frustratingly backed away from the wiring; it was beyond repair.
"Bob, stop it."
"I'm so glad we found each other again. I love you and I love all you guys. This is no one's fault." Bobbi cried.
"Bobbi, don't do-"
Bobbi pulled out and discarded her earpiece, still holding onto the button as she wiped her tears. She looked to May.
"Go. Please."
"Bobbi, I…"
"You don't have to say anything. It's just Bobbi Morse, taking one for the team." She smiled through her sadness.
Slowly, Maya reached her hand out towards Bobbi as a smile graced her pale, cracked lips.
"…Kaiden…" She whispered and closed her eyes as the life left her body. May watched this, and her eyes widened as Maya's skin started flaking off as a red glow shined from the pit of her stomach, slowly spreading across her body.
"It's okay, May. Go. Please." Bobbi whispered, unable to watch what was happening. May took her teleport out of her pocket, tears in her eyes.
"Bobbi…I'm so sorry." May whispered as a tear fell.
"It's okay, it's okay. It's what an agent does, right?" Bobbi nodded, facing May.
May hit Bobbi with a right hook, knocking her out and sending her to the floor. She placed the teleport into Bobbi's hands and pressed the button, watching as Bobbi vanished in a mass of orange.
"Yes. It is." May nodded as another tear fell. She pressed the button and the door firmly closed again.
Red lights and a loud siren filled the room as what remained of Maya Anderson wittered away into a skeletal figure, the red light in her body fading as the radiation filled the room.
A few corridors away, Coulson recognised May's screams. His legs gave way and he fell to the floor with the horrible realisation of what she'd done.
…
"MAY!" Coulson screamed as the team all reached the metal room at the same time. The door to the room was open; as he approached it he already saw the blackened shell of Maya Anderson lying still in the centre of the room. He let out a sob as he walked in and saw Melinda May lying in a heap on the floor.
"Melinda!" He cried, leaning down to her. Her skin was flaking and every part of her was limp, yet there was still some life in her eyes.
"She absorbed all of the radiation; the mix of Inhuman DNA within it means it can't affect any of us once inside a host. Fitz and I did tests when we had Maya in custody." Jemma explained, tears in her eyes.
"The carrier's engines have given up; I can feel it falling." Joey reported sadly. Everyone gathered around May with tears in their eyes.
"You saved Bob." Lance said emotionally. May looked at him and nodded.
"It's…what an…agent…does." She whispered.
"Melinda, stay with me, okay? We're gonna get you help." Coulson said through his tears as he held May in his arms. May closed her eyes and smiled in a way she never had in her life.
"Andrew…" She whispered before her head fell back.
"No, no, May…MAY!" Coulson shouted. Jemma let out a wail as she sobbed.
"Let me try and revive her! I've done it before!" Lincoln shouted, moving towards May and sending a bolt of electricity into her. Nothing happened.
He tried again. And again. And again.
"Come on, May. COME ON." Lincoln begged.
Again, it didn't work.
"Lincoln…"
"I've done it before, COME ON!" Lincoln wailed.
After another three attempts, his sadness got the better of him.
"We need a Quinjet here RIGHT NOW!" Mack ordered through his earpiece, holding back his tears.
"You guys go. I'm not leaving her alone." Coulson said, unable to take his eyes off of a lifeless May.
"Sir, the Quinjet might not make it for you in time." Joey argued.
"GO! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Coulson shouted furiously. Reluctantly, everyone activated their teleports and vanished as Coulson sobbed into May's stomach.
"Please…no." He cried.
…
The Quinjet arrived and shot open a hole in the helicarrier just in time to get Coulson and May out before the large vehicle violently crashed into the ocean.
It flew back to The Bus, where the rest of the team had already been picked up from the various locations they'd ended up.
Jemma led a medical team from the Quinjet to the medical bay as they rolled May into the room.
"…May?" Fitz asked from his bed as the group rushed past him. Jemma looked back at him with a tear-stained face, leading him to well up.
"…No." He whispered.
As all the team gathered by the bed May was placed on, Daisy and Bobbi rushed in; Lincoln and Lance pulled them into respective hugs as they cried.
Almost immediately, a S.H.I.E.L.D. nurse began attempts to resuscitate May as Jemma watched on, her tears uncontrollable as she tried to stop her hands from shaking.
"Dr Simmons, you shouldn't watch this; I know there's a personal attachment…" The nurse began.
"No…no, I need to be here. Keep trying. Please." Jemma begged.
After a minute or so of pressing down on May's chest and attempting to bag her to bring oxygen back into her system, the nurse slowed down and eventually backed away, her head looking down at the floor as Jemma sobbed loudly.
"Please, no! Just try again, one more time! Please!" Jemma cried desperately.
"There's no heartbeat, I'm sorry."
In an instant, the whole world came crashing down. Jemma took the lifeless hand in theirs as more tears flowed.
"Don't go. Not like this. Please! Please!"
But they were already gone; their eyes, that would never blink again, looked upwards to their new destination. It was their time to join the stars.
"Time of death, 11:35pm."
As soon as the nurse said the words, Jemma rushed back to the group and sobbed into Mack's shoulder, as everyone broke down. Bobbi pushed Lance away and threw up in the corner of the room. Coulson's face turned white as he ran out of the room; the second the door shut behind him he fell to his knees, his head in his hands.
"Coulson?"
Coulson looked up to see Andrew stood there, confused. The expression on Coulson's face told Andrew everything. The complete, devastating truth. Andrew fell to the floor as he screamed.
Melinda May, the Cavalry, was gone.
The silence that filled The Bus for the rest of the night spoke more of the events than words ever could.