"So what's our extraction plan, Sir?" Coulson asked as he walked through a vast armament room where various agents were loading guns.
"Full on extraction and take down of the Circle...once and for all. They've taken this too far," Fury shook his head, placing a small gun in a holster at his ankle. The Circle had been treading on S.H.I.E.L.D's toes ever since they had began, but never before had he felt such a longing to take them down once and for all. They had played on Grace's vulnerable emotions and he dreaded to think what they had planned for her when they were done, "There is no way in hell I'm going to let them touch her."
Coulson frowned, "Why do they want her so much? I know she is powerful, but it doesn't seem very much like the Circle's style."
Fury twitched uncomfortably, looking around for a moment before nodding his head towards the door. The two agents walked up to a flat part of the building's roof, the bright sun causing Coulson to squint as he looked up at Fury as he spoke, "The Circle of Cavanaugh have been around for generations. Now, they are just a group of power-hungry assassins who think they can control the world," He shook his head, "They would do anything to tap into that power. That means making themselves the strongest they can be."
The other agent creased his eyebrows, "Like the Super soldier serum, Sir?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"No," he shook his head, a solum expression on his face, "Much worse." They reached the edge of the building, looking over out onto the bustling city, where people looked like ants below them, "Powered people, Coulson. They want their gifts, and have a whole load of scientists who don't have the conscience to see them as human beings." He spat, shuddering slightly in disgust.
Coulson's eyes widened, "What are you saying, Sir."
"They'll either experiment on her or kill her," He looked down, a pit of worry that he had never really felt before rising in his stomach.
"It's what they do," Coulson shook his head, "it's what they've always done."
Fury nodded, narrowing his eyes, "That's why we have to stop them."
In the hanger, a large group of agents began filing onto a quinjet with Coulson, weapons loaded.
"Alright, gather in," He yelled and everyone turned to face him, "You know the aim. Get Gratia out of there. We know it wont be easy, they probably have her protected by guards, walls and locks," He shook his head, "But she is one of us, and we protect our own." He sighed, "Then go for Meyer. Take agents in, not out. Engage only if they act with hostility." He finished.
The agents dispersed, strapping into the seats to the edge of the jet. Before the bridge rose up, Coulson walked out to speak with Agent Hill who was waiting outside with Fury by her side. She looked more anxious than he had ever seen her, her composed and calm persona obliterated by a state of worry. It was finally time to take out the circle.
She looked up at Coulson before looking back at Fury, "Maybe we should have called in the-"
"Not the Avengers. It's too soon," he shook his head, "This is the perfect endurance test for our agents-"
"Not if it risks lives," Coulson interrupted and Fury shook his head.
"They can handle it," He smiled slightly, "Come on, Coulson, have a little faith." He nodded as the man walked back onto the Quinjet, ready for what was to come.
/
Grace opened the door to see Zach standing outside, about to knock. He looked away sheepishly and she smirked, cocking an eyebrow at him.
"Can I help you?" She half-smiled, leaning against the doorway.
"I..." He stuttered, "I was about to knock." He told her, lowering his hand which was still poised to knock on the door.
She slowly nodded, "Sure," she said sarcastically, "That's why you've been standing outside for five minutes." She raised her eyebrows and he looked away, "Do you want to come in?" She asked slowly, smiling slightly as a blush crept onto his cheeks. Even though she hadn't known him long, Grace could see that he had a tough exterior, one that his lifestyle had made him develop. He always had to be in control, maybe because life had always controlled him. But at times like this, when he wasn't so smooth and collected, she could see the man he might be underneath.
He nodded, stepping inside the small room and slowly perching on the end of her bed, "I forgot what these rooms looked like." He commented as Grace shut the door behind him and sat down, leaning against the headboard of the bed, "It's nice." He noted.
She smirked, "They're not all that." She paused, "It sounds like you're remembering a simpler time."
He tilted his head, scoffing slightly, "I wouldn't say that. But when I was younger, living in one of these, I had less to worry about. Here was my home." An almost sad smile was on his lips, and a look in his eye that made Grace immediately want to trust him. Perhaps she should know better.
"Why did you leave then?" The girl asked with creased eyebrows. She had never had a home, or a family like Zach, so she couldn't see why someone would leave something like that.
"I was tired of doing what my family wanted, constantly feeling like I had to prove myself. I wanted out, so I could make my own rules." He shook his head.
Grace thought back to his family business, how restrictive it must have been growing up with that. He was a Cavanaugh, though she wasn't sure she knew what that really meant, "How come Meyer isn't a Cavanaugh?" She asked him.
Zach shrugged, "He is just a front man, a puppet for the inner circle to control." He said in a low and bitter voice as he turned away from her, "The blood is on his hands so they can't be incriminated."
She didn't fail to notice Zach's reference to the word 'blood'. That meant death. Maybe it was necessary, but she wasn't sure that was what she wanted out of her new life, "That sounds incredibly corrupt." She commented, creasing her eyebrows together.
"That's life." The boy replied simply, turning back to face her. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, "You don't know how lucky you are. You could have had a completely new start."
"I've been told that's desirable," she replied, scoffing slightly as she thought back to her encounter with Natasha.
He nodded slowly, "I guess it is."
She sighed softly, "Can I trust them, Zach?"
"You can't trust-"
"I know." She interrupted, "You can't trust anyone. But...am I safe to be here?" She asked, a hint of fear in her voice which she tried to stop shaking in front of him.
Zach pressed his lips into a straight line, "I-" he began but was interrupted when two men dressed in combat gear walked in with stern expressions.
"You can't be in here," One of them told Zach, pulling him to his feet. The younger man yanked his arm away angrily, about to say something but thought better of it. "Meyer wants her moved."
He sighed, "Be my guest." He gestured towards the blonde girl and she stood up quickly as the two men advanced upon her.
"Zach," she said in a high voice, a sudden state of panic overcoming her. The two grabbed her arms roughly, lifting her out of the room as she struggled, "Zach!" She shouted once more, trying to look over her shoulder at him but he had gone. She finally placed her feet on the ground, looking around herself to see agents running about and bright lights flashing throughout the building. Something was happening. Sirens echoed off of the walls of the large foyer as the blonde was dragged towards the central control room. The room was in chaos, video feeds flashing up on many of the computer screens and people running around hurriedly.
"Good you're here," Meyer glanced over at her, his anxious expression turning calm.
"What is-" she began, utterly bewildered by what was going on. Suddenly, the whole building shook as what felt like a bomb was dropped.
Meyer turned to the agents that had brought her in, "Send her out with squad 3 to defend the central wing." He ordered and they nodded.
"Wait," She yelled, her eyes widening, "You're sending me out there?" She asked, the food she had eaten for breakfast creeping back up her throat.
"You're one of us now," He told her firmly, looking her straight in the eye, "Protect us."
She stopped, composing herself and nodding. He was right. They were going to keep her safe, so she should do the same for them. Part of her felt almost happy that she now had a cause, a purpose. Something to fight for, or with.
She eagerly followed the two agents to the central wing where a squad of agents were already waiting. They all looked up at the windowed roof to see quinjet after quinjet fly over, bracing themselves as the earth shook again. They looked over at Grace, stepping aside as she walked forward to meet the group of opposing agents that had began to spill through the door. Closing her eyes for a moment to gain focus, she stretched her arms out in front of her, the agents all being pushed to the floor by a large ball of blue energy that she had projected towards them. She sound around, hearing another bang as debris fell through the roof. Her squad looked up in horror as chunks of the roof tumbled towards them on the ground. In an instant, Grace stopped time, running towards them in a flash. Time began once more and she formed a forcefield around them. The small blonde jolted slightly as the debris hit the faint blue plasma, being thrown to the other side of the room. The agents let out a sigh of relief, and Grace fell onto her hands and knees, breathing heavily. She still wasn't strong enough to use her powers for long.
"Come on," She felt strong arms lift her to her feet, helping her walk out of the crumbling room to an adjoining corridor. She weakly looked over to see Zach, dressed in combat uniform with a rifle in his other hand and two revolvers in his holster. She leant against the wall, breathing hard as she regained some of her strength. The building jolted once more and she yelled in surprise, opening her eyes to see that Zach had moved to stand over her, protecting her from any material that might fall from the roof.
"We need to keep moving," She told him and they walked along the corridor, to a series of stairs. After the third flight, a group of agents made there way down the stairs towards them.
"Grace, stay there." Zach told her as he began to skilfully fight off the agents, swinging off of the bannisters and propelling himself off of the walls.
"Gratia is-" One of the agents began to say into his comms unit, before Zach elbowed him in the face knocking him unconscious.
Her ocean blue eyes widened, "They're SHIELD?" She asked slowly, looking around at the unconscious group that Zach had just taken out. Now she was close to them, she could see the familiar logo. He ignored her, running up to the next flight of stairs where a door hung open. The blonde stepped inside curiously, hearing Zach's impatient voice calling her. She kept walking further into the room. What she saw made her blood run cold and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Bodies lay under white sheets, the smell of rotting corpses hanging in the air. Bile rose in her throat as she saw a file on a worktop. 'Powered' read the red stamp on it's front. Her eyes slowly rose to the screen in front of her. The word 'Gratia' was sprawled across the monitor with the side note 'subject 7. Skeletal experiments scheduled.' She had been so naïve, so desperate to cling to any sign of family or of people who cared about her that she was blind to what was really going on. Her breathing became ragged as her mind swam in a state of panic.
"What the hell is this?" She spat at him, wiling herself not to cry.
He looked around blankly, showing no remorse and he stuck out his hand for her to take. She hesitated, looking around once more before Zach grew impatient.
"We need to move," He grumbled, grabbing her and pulling her up the next flight of stairs to a metal door. He kicked it open and the two tumbled out onto the roof, the cool wind picking up and whipping Grace's blonde hair into her face. Containers stood to the edge of the vast concrete space where, in front of the two stood a Quinjet with over twenty SHIELD agents filing out of it.
"There she is!" She heard someone yell over the brisk wind, and she sifted through the crowd to see that Coulson, Hill and Fury had all looked up at her. Behind her, more Cavanaugh men joined her and Zach on the roof, Meyer with them. A smirk stood on his lips as he caught Fury's eye and the Director looked at him coldly. He hated that man for everything he had ever done, but perhaps taking Grace had been the thing to push him over the edge.
"End this," Grace heard Meyer's sickening voice over her left shoulder. Fury's eyes stared deep into her's as the leader of the Circle gave her his order. She was still breathing heavily, her vision blurred from exhaustion.
"I…" she took a moment to catch her breath, "I can't." She told him, turning to face the man. She feared that doing it again would kill her.
In one swift motion he pointed his revolver at her forehead, a quiet click sounding to indicate that he could shoot her in a flash. "Do it." He screeched, the girl's eyes beginning to water in fear before him. Zach stood next to Meyer, eyes wide as a hint of guilt and worry crossed his face.
"No," Coulson yelled, being held back for a moment by Fury, as he saw Grace at the end of Stanis' gun.
The girl sobbed slightly, turning towards the SHIELD agents who had become motionless in anticipation. Sorrow filled her eyes as, with a cry, a faint blue forcefield spun out from her body. The large containers were pushed from the roof, tumbling to the ground below along with SHIELD's empty quinjet. The SHIELD agents before her fell to their feet as the plasma hit them, some hanging off the edge of the building. Yell and cries sounded out as some leapt up to help their hanging colleagues. Meyer smiled sadistically, pleased, before Grace fell to the ground. Her eyes trained on Stanis as he walked towards Fury who was now lying on the ground but conscious, she held her hand up towards them, wanting Meyer to stop more than anything. She heard a gunshot. Her sight blurred until all she saw was blackness.